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Leeds United continue their search for a left back, with a new name having emerged…

What’s the latest?

That’s according to The Athletic, where reliable journalist Phil Hay offered some key details on what the Whites got up to during the World Cup break.

Moving onto transfer talk, he suggested that a striker and a left-back were of top priority for Jesse Marsch in January.

Upon the list of possibilities, Kai Wagner of the Philadelphia Union is mentioned. This is the first major suggestion he could move to Elland Road, yet could provide a better option than the likes of Jesus Vazquez, who have also been linked.

Better than Vazquez

Boasting far more experience than the young Spaniard, the 25-year-old German has been excelling in the MLS ever since leaving Germany in 2019.

He has gone on to feature 128 times for The Union, establishing himself as a fine offensive full-back.

This is no greater exemplified than in his 32 career assists, which he seems to add to every season. This year alone saw him record nine assists.

Meanwhile, the 19-year-old has only made 22 senior appearances.

Although he shows promise, his average rating of 6.45 from this season suggests he is yet to truly acclimatise to the physical demands of first-team football. Given their league position, the Yorkshire club cannot afford to wait around for the teenager to develop.

Conversely, Wagner has recorded an outstanding 7.48 rating across 2022, which is propped up by a sensational 2.6 key passes per 90.

However, all this work going forward does not diminish him defensively, as he also records 1.7 interceptions, 1.4 tackles and 1.6 clearances per game too, via Sofascore.

Veteran defender and former teammate Aurelien Collins provided further proof as to why he would succeed in the Premier League as if his remarkable statistics weren’t enough.

He told The Athletic:

“He has the mentality. He’s young. He’s a fighter. He’s not scared of the contact, which is something very important in this league, and I think that’s why right now he’s adapted very well.”

Clearly handed immense belief, Wagner himself noted what his usual mission statement is from his club: “For me on the left side, they want that I have to always move forward, move backwards, to win every tackle and to go also forward and create goals.”

Should he bring this to Marsch’s side at his current level, it makes this potential transfer a no-brainer.

Whilst Vazquez likely boasts a higher ceiling, at this time they cannot afford people to learn on the job.

Manchester United have been urged to sign Borussia Monchengladbach striker Marcus Thuram by former BBC man Noel Whelan.

The Lowdown: Man United eyeing striker

As a result of Man United and Cristiano Ronaldo mutually deciding to part ways in late November, manager Erik ten Hag has identified the need for a new forward.

After his performances at the World Cup, PSV’s Cody Gakpo has been heavily linked with a move, while Benfica striker Goncalo Ramos was recently claimed to be the Red Devils’ top target, despite a release clause of around £106m.

It appears as though a cut-price target has now been picked out by the United recruitment team, with Thuram now being considered for a switch to Old Trafford, for a fee of just £6m due to his contract expiring in June 2023.

The Latest: Whelan reacts

Speaking to Football Insider, Whelan details that going in for the Frenchman would be a low-risk move for Man United, given the low transfer fee, while he also claims that he has the capability to replace Ronaldo:

“When you let go of someone with a pedigree and personality like Ronaldo, you can’t not go out and replace him.

“They’ve got to go out and get a player who can come in and counter-act that disappointment.

“Thuram looks fit, he can do the graft – he fits the bill for Ten Hag.

“He looked very energetic and talented during the World Cup and for £6million, you’re not exactly taking a gamble if you’re a big club like Man United.”

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The Verdict: Get it done?

The 25-year-old was recently lauded as ‘world class’ by Wolfsburg sporting director Marcel Schafer, and his performances with Monchengladbach correspond with that description, netting ten goals and bagging three assists in 15 Bundesliga appearances so far.

That tally makes the striker the joint-second highest scorer in the entire division, so it is no wonder he is being linked with a move away from Borussia-Park, and Ten Hag has been presented with a fantastic opportunity to sign him for far below what he is really worth.

It has been reported that the Dutchman won’t have much money to spend in January, due to his activity in the summer transfer window, so if he wants to secure a striker for the second half of the season without breaking the bank, Thuram is the ideal option.

There is no understating the perilous situation West Ham United are currently engulfed in; frankly, something needs to change before the unthinkable prospect of relegation from the Premier League becomes reality.

What’s the talk?

West Ham boss David Moyes is under considerable pressure, with the club languishing near the pit of the division in 17th place and on a detrimental five-match losing skid.

According to PUNCH Sports Extra, the Hammers are set to turn the page back to their previous interest in Nigerian defender Ola Aina, who has been starring in Italy with Torino since departing from Chelsea on a permanent deal in 2019.

The prospective move follows action from the summer, when Sky Sports reporter Jasper Taylor stated at 15:41 on deadline day that GSB had a late bid rejected for the marauder.

“Unreal”

Aina follows the long line of promising talents to rise through the ranks at Chelsea’s Cobham academy, but fail to earn a place in the senior team, spending two seasons out on loan before signing for Torino after a season still on Chelsea’s books.

While it’s true that Aina enjoyed an unsuccessful loan spell with Fulham during the 2020/21 campaign – playing regularly but failing to save the London outfit from relegation – there is a greater depth of quality in this West Ham team.

The exploits of Moyes’ tenure tell the story: Europa League and Europa Conference league qualification across his two full seasons with the Irons, with the Europa League campaign falling at the penultimate hurdle against eventual champions Eintracht Frankfurt, and the Conference League ongoing – with the east London outfit assuredly topping their group phase.

On just £31k-per-week, Aina could inject fresh life and vitality into the ranks, bombing up and down the right flank and looking to initiate forward manoeuvres with greater consistency than those already in the side.

Having made 103 appearances for Torino since his debut, the 26-year-old has become a mainstay in his team, situated in the right-back position for a competitive outfit in the Italian Serie A.

As per FBref, the 29-cap star ranks within the top 7% of full-backs in Europe’s top leagues for dribbles completed at 1.42 per 90 minutes, a higher tally than even that of Jarrod Bowen (0.77) in the last year.

He also sits in the top 16% for rate of goals – illustrating an approach that will always put onus on transitions into the final third, searching for goals and assists.

Lauded as “unreal” by reporter Michael Oti Adjei for an exquisite assist at the African Cup of Nations, Aina could provide the creative, forward-thinking spark from the base of the withered outfit, replacing the likes of Vladimir Coufal, who has failed to replicate his feats of past seasons this term.

Moyes is a man that needs swift action in order to remedy a flagging season, and with the hammer very dull indeed, Aina could bring a cutting edge to return the club to the place the proud fanbase demands.

Insider ExWHUemployee has claimed that West Ham United winger Maxwel Cornet could need an operation which means he is at risk of missing most of the rest of the season.

What’s the latest?

In the summer, the 26-year-old moved down to London after leaving Burnley in a transfer reported to be in the region of £17.5m. However, his injury troubles have prevented him from playing any more than 68 minutes in the Premier League for the Hammers.

In a new update, it has now been reported that he has gone to Paris to try and resolve the issue. If things go well, the winger could reutnr to action shortly. If not, though, he could be looking at an even longer spell on the sidelines.

Indeed, Ex told The West Ham Way podcast: “Cornet has had numerous specialists and injections and stuff on his calf to try and get him back to fitness.

“But every time I think he’s on the brink of returning, he has another setback. So he went to Paris last week to try to get further information on the situation. I don’t know what the outcome is of that as of yet, but it literally could go two ways, I’m told.

“He could be back very soon, but if he’s not, he’s going to need an operation on that calf, which will probably take him out for the majority of the season.

“Which is a shame, because I think he would have been a good player for us. But we haven’t seen anything from him this year.”

Redemption arc

Cornet last played for the club in early October and has not been able to get back to full fitness during the lengthy break for the winter World Cup in November and December.

Clearly, both player and club staff have struggled to get to grips with this calf issue and so hopefully the specialist in Paris will be able to deal with it once and for all.

West Ham could certainly do with having the talented player back in their ranks. After all, he produced nine league goals and one assist for Burnley last season in 26 outings.

Seeing as the Hammers are struggling right down near the relegation zone, Cornet’s quality may be needed to help shift their poor momentum. If he’s out for the long term, however, it would be a worrying blow to suffer in a time of great concern.

Everton were knocked out of the FA Cup following a 3-1 defeat to Manchester United at Old Trafford last night, and Frank Lampard will surely be feeling the pressure as the club are now out of all domestic competitions, while also currently occupying a place in the Premier League relegation zone.

The Toffees are currently 18th in the top flight after an awful run of form, collecting just 15 points from a possible 54 after 18 league games, which puts them in a hugely vulnerable position going into the second half of the season.

However, Lampard’s side did show glimpses of their capabilities throughout their clash against the Red Devils, something on which the manager picked up when speaking in his post-match interview.

The 44-year-old stated: “No one is happy in defeat, I am the worst, but you can control the performance, you can’t always control the result, but the performance was great, in lots of ways.”

“We can always be better, but the performance was good when you consider this is a Man United team in good form, their strongest team, they score after a few minutes, but then we show resilience, bravery on the ball, defensive organisation and work ethic, a bit like we did against City, but we were much dangerous tonight in the game and we had good chances in the game.”

Everton had 42% possession and showed strengths in their defensive display with more tackles completed, more duels won and more clearances made than their hosts. However, their lack of killer instinct to convert the chances provided and natural finishing in front of goal ultimately cost them progression in the FA Cup.

One player who ghosted yet again for the Merseysiders, though, was summer signing, Neal Maupay and the striker continued to prove against Erik ten Hag’s side that he has been another one of Farhad Moshiri’s disastrous pieces of recruitment.

Over his 69-minute performance, Maupay failed in 100% of his dribble attempts, only had 28 touches and was dribbled past once, proving once again to be ineffective in front of goal.

In the summer, Everton desperately needed to replace Richarlison and add a centre-forward who could emulate Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s eye for goal, as the Toffees striker has been dealing with a number of injury issues over the last 18 months.

Indeed, Maupay boasts a wealth of Premier League experience and had scored 26 times at that level for Brighton, but he is not the prolific game-changer which was much-needed at Goodison Park, netting only once in 15 appearances so far.

Now that Calvert-Lewin is back fit, there is no reason for Maupay to start for Everton; and if the Toffees can acquire the services of a reliable goalscorer during the January transfer window, it should push the £50k-per-week Frenchman further down the pecking order.

Glasgow Rangers are interested in bringing a teenage star to Scotland as Michael Beale aims to add more youth talent to his squad…

What’s the news?

According to Belgian news outlet Het Laatste Nieuws (via Sport Witness), Rangers are ‘keen’ on signing Anderlecht youngster Noah Sadiki with the report also stating that his situation at the Belgian side is ‘quite complicated’ due to his contract expiring this summer.

Beale could secure a bargain move for the 18-year-old, although Dutch giants PSV Eindhoven are also monitoring the player too and the Ibrox side may face a battle to secure his signature.

Sadiki can become the ideal Tavernier heir

Sadiki is extremely versatile and can play either left-back and in midfield, if so required, however, his favoured position is on the right side of the defence and this could be an ideal opportunity for Beale to bring a young talent to Rangers who could eventually take over from Tavernier.

The 31-year-old skipper has been a mainstay in the first team since joining back in 2015, making 392 appearances while scoring 92 goals and registering 112 assists, truly staggering numbers for a full-back.

Unfortunately, he won’t be at the Light Blues forever and despite having a couple more years left in the tank, Beale will soon have to start thinking about potential replacements.

Sadiki came through the youth ranks at Anderlecht and demonstrated enough talent to be promoted to the first team last summer.

He regularly trained with the first team when Vincent Kompany was manager of the side and this will have done his development absolutely no harm at all as the 18-year-old has made ten league appearances this season.

He has achieved a solid Sofascore rating of 6.73, and considering he has started just four matches, the teenage sensation appears to have settled into first-team football with ease.

Sadiki has already registered an assist while averaging 25.7 touches and 14.9 passes per game while chipping in defensively by making 1.1 tackles, 0.5 interceptions and 0.7 clearances on average each match.

The Belgian defender has also succeeded with 67% of his dribble attempts and given just how good Tavernier is going forward, this ability could come in extremely useful if he made the move to Glasgow.

Beale can secure a bargain move for Sadiki by securing his signature on a pre-contract agreement and he could go on to be the future of the club at right-back.

Bryan Gil is set to stay at Tottenham Hotspur in the January transfer window, Alasdair Gold has claimed.

What’s the word?

The Spaniard looked set to depart, possibly on loan, as he hardly featured for the club for the first half of the season.

However, he has since impressed in a few displays now he has been given a chance by Antonio Conte, and with Lucas Moura set to depart, Gil is now set to stay.

The club have been linked with a move for Leandro Trossard, but Gold has claimed that Gil would still be a squad option even if the Belgian was to arrive.

Speaking on the Gold and Guest Podcast, Gold revealed what he was told about the former Sevilla winger.

“Bryan Gil would be likely to stay now. Cristian Stellini pretty much told me that.”With Bryan Gil, Trossard, Kulusevski, Richarlison, Kane, Son, that suddenly becomes a very strong-looking lineup, as long as you’ve got them all available, and I think that has been Conte’s biggest issue.”Another chance?

Gil’s Spurs career has been a disaster since joining for around £21m and Erik Lamela in 2021, spending the second half of last season on loan at Valencia, and hardly having a sniff at first-team action.

However, he has impressed in flashes, and at just 21, he still has time to fulfil his potential. If he is given a fair shot at the club, then he could prove himself as a worthwhile signing.

If Trossard is to arrive in this window, then it could further block his path to action, but it seems that he will have six months to try and save his Spurs career before potentially pushing for a summer move.

Arsenal recently lost out on Mykhailo Mudryk to London rivals Chelsea, who completed the lucrative £88.5m signing of one of European football’s most promising talents despite the Gunners being in talks with him only last Friday.

However, the clouds above the Emirates Stadium are not too ominous following the recent 2-0 derby win over Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League, a victory which put Mikel Arteta’s side a remarkable eight points clear at the top.

Nonetheless, Arsenal technical director Edu is still seeking a new winger to bolster the squad and ensure that the crusade to cement the team’s current position is maintained as the 2022/23 campaign approaches the business end, and former transfer target Raphinha is back at the forefront of transfer contention.

According to 90min, Arsenal have made contact with Barcelona this month to discuss the initial threads for a deal for the Brazilian, who signed for the La Liga giants from Leeds United in a £55m deal just last summer.

The 26-year-old is a player that the Gunners’ hierarchy know well, with the north London outfit circling on completion of a deal when he was at Leeds last year, before seeing the move hijacked by Chelsea, who were subsequently hijacked by Barcelona.

With Raphinha – hailed as a “magician” by former Leeds team-mate Dan James – persistently tied to links away from Camp Nou despite only arriving six months ago, the enticing proposition of playing for Premier League leaders Arsenal could pay nicely into Arteta’s hands as he aims to accelerate talks for the acquisition of the 16-cap Brazilian.

Since arriving in Spain, Raphinha has only scored three goals and delivered five assists from 23 appearances, not quite living up to the heights in Leeds which left him in such stellar standing as one of the most dynamic and guileful creative forces in Europe.

As per FBref, the £199k-per-week phenomenon ranks among the top 11% of positional peers in Europe’s big five leagues for progressive passes and in the top 16% for progressive passes received. This highlights a dynamic presence from a variety of positions in the team, capable of playmaking from deep and offering a direct threat.

At Leeds in 2021/22, he recorded an average Sofascore rating of 6.97, flourishing in his offensive role despite the club’s fight against relegation. He scored 11 goals and provided three assists, averaging an impressive 2.5 shots and 1.9 key passes per game – with this level of output, one can only imagine the massive impact he might have with high-flying Arsenal.

While losing out on Mudryk will be a bitter pill to swallow for Arsenal, the project is in full swing and the Emirates is booming. The potential signing of Raphinha could alleviate concerns over missing out on the Ukrainian, but the club’s current standing at the top of the pool is evidence enough that the road the outfit currently travels leads to gilt-covered success.

With Arsenal’s excellent season in full swing, there are no glaring problems which need addressing, but with a well-placed bid for someone of the Brazilian’s ilk, their position among Europe’s elite could be regained and maintained over the coming years. It’s time to forget about Mudryk and focus on a player in Raphinha who remains attainable.

Tottenham Hotspur are keeping a close eye on Piero Hincapie ahead of a potential swoop this summer…

What’s the word?

That’s according to Sport BILD’s head of football, Christian Falk, who recently provided an update on Spurs’ interest in the Bayer Leverkusen central defender to GIVEMESPORT.

“Tottenham still has it’s eye on him, already in the summer, but also Arsenal again and Chelsea are visiting what is happening with him,” he said.

With a left-sided defender seemingly high on the priorities list for the Lilywhites at the end of the season, as per Sky Sports reporter Dharmesh Sheth, it seems that the Ecuador international would cost in excess of €40m (£35m), via transfer guru Fabrizio Romano.

Conte’s next Bastoni?

Spurs could definitely do with some defensive reinforcements in 2023, with inconsistencies and poor performances creeping back in under manager Antonio Conte, having suffered clear-cut defeats to arch-rivals Arsenal, Manchester City and Aston Villa since the turn of the year.

Hincapie would be a long-term project for the Italian – or whoever is in the dugout come next season – as he’s still very raw at just 21 years of age.

The modern-day centre-back is a ball-playing option but despite being a “tremendous young player,” he does “make mistakes” in the form of rash decision-making and the odd wayward pass – in the words of German football commentator Kevin Hatchard on Sky Sports.

That said, Conte has had some pretty good success with developing inexperienced defenders, such is the case at his former club Inter Milan, where he relied upon Alessandro Bastoni.

The Italian colossus came close to joining his former manager in north London in the past, so perhaps he could unearth his next top defensive prospect in Hincapie, given the two are comparable players, per FBref’s statistical profile model.

Just like Bastoni, the Educadorian excels with the ball at his feet – ranking inside the top 4% of his positional peers across the top-five European leagues for successful dribbles (0.59), as well as the top 12% for tackles (2.20) per 90, too.

WhoScored also list passing as a strong attribute for both Hincapie and Bastoni.

It’s why he has been dubbed as a “prodigy” in the past by Jose de Jesus Ortiz, whilst talent scout Jacek Kulig has lauded him as a “complete and dominant” centre-back, one who is also capable of playing at left-back.

Under Conte, the 21-year-old gem could hone in on his obvious potential and blossom from an inconsistent, error-prone youngster into an absolute monster at the back.

The Spurs boss won the Serie A title with the youth of Bastoni regularly featuring in his backline, so if sporting director Fabio Paratici can lure Hincapie to N17, then this masterclass could well be repeated.

AND in other news, Forget Perisic: Spurs’ 13-pass passenger was “toothless” once again vs Fulham…

Celtic defender Moritz Jenz could leave the club before the end of the January transfer window, as Schalke have now made their interest known.

The Lowdown: Jenz set to leave

It was recently reported by Sky Sports reporter Anthony Joseph that Jenz could leave Parkhead this month, with the centre-back, who is on loan from FC Lorient, falling down the pecking order considerably.

The German has not featured in the last seven Scottish Premiership matches, not even making the squad for two of them, and it appears as though his time in Glasgow is now coming to an end.

The Latest: Schalke interested

According to Sky Sports, Schalke are interested in signing the defender, who is due to be recalled by his parent club in the coming days.

It is detailed that current Celtic’s loan agreement does include an option-to-buy, but they will not be taking this up, especially considering they have also added Yuki Kobayashi to the squad during this window.

The Verdict: Right decision

The 23-year-old is by no means a bad player, and he showed some very promising signs earlier on in the season, with journalist Josh Bunting hailing his abilities as ‘stunning’ after he netted two goals in two games.

However, the 6 foot 3 colossus has not been able to dislodge the likes of Cameron Carter-Vickers and Carl Starfelt often enough in the starting XI, and the arrival of Kobayashi means that his game time would be even more limited if he were to stay.

Celtic journalist Owen Brown has suggested that he would not be in the top four centre-back choices next season due to Ange Postecoglou’s desire for a left-footed centre-back, which he now has at his disposal in Kobayashi.

As such, it is the best move for all parties if the loan agreement is brought to an end, and Jenz is allowed to join Schalke.