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Arsenal are seemingly targeting a major addition this month if emerging reports are to be believed…

What’s the word?

According to Italian transfer guru Fabrizio Romano, the north London outfit are seeking a new option to bolster Mikel Arteta’s engine room before the deadline on January 31st and they have as many as three names on their shortlist.

“Arsenal are working to sign a new midfielder. Bruno Guimarães appreciated but currently not discussed as January target – deal too complicated, €45m fee,” he tweeted.

“Arthur Melo on loan has been discussed days ago – but still no talks/contacts with Juve. Three names in the list.”

Exciting news

This will come as exciting news to those around the Emirates Stadium as it is no secret that the Gunners desperately need reinforcements in the heart of midfield.

The north Londoners will be without Thomas Partey and Mohamed Elneny for the rest of the month as both players are competing at the Africa Cup of Nations, whilst Ainsley Maitland-Niles has completed a loan move to Jose Mourinho’s AS Roma, so that leaves Arteta even more light on options.

“We are very, very short at the moment. We are going to move and look for options because we are very short there,” the 39-year-old revealed to reporters this week.

Indeed, he now only has Granit Xhaka and Albert Sambi Lokonga to call upon for that deeper role, with Martin Odegaard and Emile Smith Rowe capable of playing further forward.

An injury to any of these names could quickly curtail Arsenal’s progress this campaign as they find themselves firmly in the race for a top-four finish.

There is only a four-point gap to seventh place, so the Gunners cannot afford a slip-up and that’s why the club’s hierarchy must push ahead with plans to land a new midfielder this month.

It is certainly encouraging to see them being proactive – as Romano states, they are working to sign someone – so that should leave supporters absolutely buzzing.

AND in other news, David Ornstein: Arsenal now lead race for “complete” goal machine…

Leeds United left-back Junior Firpo will be available to face Tottenham this weekend, according to Football Insider.

The Lowdown: Ayling and Shackleton to be fit?

Firpo might not be the only Leeds player returning from injury this weekend. LeedsLive shared a story on Tuesday, hinting right-back Luke Ayling and youngster Jamie Shackleton could both be in line to return from their respective injuries.

Ayling has been out for the last eight matches with a knee injury, whereas Shackleton missed the 1-1 draw with an unknown problem, which isn’t thought to be serious.

Firpo has been absent in the Whites’ last five games in all competitions, but he’s now been given the all clear.

The Latest: Source shares update

Football Insider shared a story on Wednesday morning regarding Firpo’s condition.

They were informed by a Leeds source that the Spaniard is now fully recovered from his recent injury issues and is in contention to take on Spurs on Sunday.

Firpo suffered his muscle injury in Marcelo Bielsa’s ‘murderball’ session, but it seems as if he could follow Ayling and Shackleton in returning to the matchday squad.

The Verdict: Good news…

The versatile Stuart Dallas has filled in for Firpo, with Pascal Struijk even featuring at left-back against Leicester City prior to the international break.

However, with Firpo now ready to go, that will give Bielsa the flexibility to use Dallas back in midfield and Struijk at centre-back in a three-man defence, with Spurs likely to use two centre-forwards given Antonio Conte’s preference for a 3-5-2 system.

That could allow Firpo to come straight back in at left wing-back, with one of Ayling or Shackleton potentially on the opposite flank – Bielsa will surely be relieved to have natural full-backs filling the position rather than shifting his utility men out there.

In other news: ‘Someone Bielsa quietly admires’ – Phil Hay hints at Leeds move for ‘fantastic’ player. 

Crystal Palace will be aiming to extend their six-game unbeaten run when they take on Burnley in the Premier League over the weekend.

The enticing encounter at Turf Moor is set to pit two teams with contrasting styles against each other following the arrival of Patrick Vieira in south London, with the 45-year-old preferring a possession-orientated approach.

As per FBref.com, the Eagles have averaged 51.2% of the ball in their opening 11 top-flight fixtures of the season, compared to Burnley’s 38.7% – the second-lowest total in the division.

Vieira’s charges have also attempted the sixth-highest number of short passes (2020) in the Premier League and the 12th-highest number of long balls (999), clearly illustrating how the Frenchman wants his side to play.

The Clarets, on the other hand, have tried to pull off the fourth-lowest number of short passes (1416) and the third-highest total of long balls (1168).

Therefore, it would perhaps be wise if Vieira didn’t attempt to play Sean Dyche’s men at their own game, instead focussing on the slick interplay that helped them carve open Manchester City and Wolves in recent weeks.

As a result, in-form striker Christian Benteke – who Alan Shearer said was “scared to miss” last season – must be axed from the starting lineup after featuring from the off last time out, changing the game in Palace’s favour.

No side in the top-flight has won a higher percentage of their aerial duels than Burnley (55.2%) this season, and floating crosses into the opposition box for the big Belgian will suit Ben Mee and James Tarkowski down to the ground.

The centre-back pairing have won an average of 3.8 and four aerial duels per league game respectively in 2021/22, as per WhoScored, and although Benteke has bettered those tally’s (4.5), he’s unlikely to receive much support from his teammates.

While the £120k-per-week bully has been dominating defenders with his head, his colleagues haven’t enjoyed anywhere near as much success, with the second-best headers, Marc Guehi and Cheikhou Kouyate, winning just 1.7 duels.

Consequently, Palace’s best opportunity to claim the three points on Saturday would be to avoid pitting Benteke up against the Burnley battering rams and instead opting for the more mobile, elusive and intelligent options at their disposal.

The likes of Odsonne Edouard and Michael Olise have already shown themselves to be genuine threats at this level following their summer arrivals, and attacking prowess could prove pivotal as Vieira aims to secure a third consecutive victory for the first time during his Palace tenure.

And, in other news…“I wouldn’t rule out”: Journo makes bold Palace claim over 21 y/o, fans surely buzzing

Not only did Aston Villa manage to pick up their first defeat under new manager Steven Gerrard in the 2-1 loss at Villa Park against Manchester City in midweek, but they were also dealt a blow when winger Leon Bailey was forced off the pitch with an injury.

Speaking after the match against Pep Guardiola’s side, Gerrard revealed that the thigh injury suffered by the Jamaican “doesn’t look good” and that it “looks like he will miss at least a couple of games.”

Opportunity knocks

With this in mind, it could be the perfect time for one other Villa attacker to finally get the chance to prove himself to Gerrard while Bailey is out injured is Anwar El Ghazi.

Since Gerrard was appointed at Villa, El Ghazi has only made two substitute appearances, the first of which coming in their 2-0 win over Brighton in Gerrard’s first game where he played just six minutes, followed by a 13-minute cameo in the win against Crystal Palace where he provided an assist.

Even though Gerrard chose to bring on Ashley Young for the injured Bailey in the game against City in midweek, leaving El Ghazi on the bench for the duration, the Englishman failed to have much of an attacking impact to try and claw a positive result from the match.

With this in mind and the fact that El Ghazi, who has been labelled in the past as “unstoppable” by former Villa teammate Alan Hutton, has as many goals as Bailey and Emi Buendia in the league at this point in the season, this could the Dutchman’s best opportunity to show to Gerrard that he should be in the starting XI more often.

Looking ahead to the future, with Villa set to take on Leicester City on Sunday afternoon for their next Premier League clash, Gerrard should definitely consider giving El Ghazi a chance to prove himself from the start rather than from the substitutes bench again to see if he can make a difference to the team.

If Gerrard does pick El Ghazi to start against the Foxes and he manages to deliver a solid performance, he could well find himself at the start of a regular run in the team, which would be great for the winger given how he’s only started four league games so far this season.

In other news: Villa handed double potential injury boost ahead of LCFC that’ll leave fans thrilled – opinion

David Moyes must address Jarrod Bowen’s concerning rate of regression with the West Ham United forward on a persistent decline this season.

Bowen has proven to be a crucial cog in the Irons system all term, with the former Hull City winger featuring in all 26 Premier League fixtures and starting 23 of his outings to date.

Only Tomas Soucek (8) and Michail Antonio (7) have also scored more often in the top-flight for the Irons than Bowen (5), who is without a goal in his last seven appearances and is bordering on his longest drought all campaign – eight games.

And, off the ball, Bowen is beginning to flounder and he was benched for Pablo Fornals to take his place on the right-flank against Manchester City on Saturday. The energetic Spaniard shone at the Etihad Stadium to emerge as the Hammer’s silver lining in the 2-1 defeat.

Bowen’s defensive decline also concerns Kevin Phillips, with Wyscout data (as cited by Football Insider) showing that only three players across Europe’s top-five leagues allow the opposition to make a higher number of progressive passes than the £25m-rated maestro.

In a side that Moyes prides on its defensive discipline, Phillips does not believe there is room for Bowen to be carried by the likes of right-back Vladimir Coufal and midfield star Declan Rice.

“Stats don’t lie,” the 1999/2000 European Golden Boot winner told Football Insider. “In possession, he’s great. But ultimately, out of possession, you’ve got to know your positions, you’ve got to know when to press, you’ve got to know where to show someone and where not to show them.

“If you don’t get it quite right at this level, you get punished. It’s no surprise because he’s more of an offensive player, defending is not his main duty. But we all know that nowadays you’ve got to be able to do both.

“So that will be an area they’ll want to improve. These coaches know that. They’ll look at the stats. It’s certainly an area that he needs to learn, the young kid. That will get better as time goes on, particularly under Moyes, who is a fantastic coach.”

It is not only in the volume of progressive passes that he allows that shows that Bowen has been struggling defensively, with the 24-year-old performing at a worse standard this term than during his first half-season at the London Stadium in an array of areas.

The £22m January 2020 signing is currently offering Moyes fewer successful (0.7) and attempted (1.2) tackles per game in the Premier League than he did following his winter arrival last season (1.5/2.5), as well as fewer interceptions (0.6 to 1.2), per WhoScored.

Bowen has further made just two successful tackles in his last six top-flight appearances – both coming against Tottenham Hotspur – and offered two interceptions in that period – each coming at home to Liverpool.

The £96,000-per-week star has been lacking offensively, too, with just three key passes, two shots and two successful dribbles during his last six league outings combined.

Those displays have also resulted in an average WhoScored match rating of 6.34 – including two 6 out of 10s – to bring his seasonal average down to 6.72, the 11th-best at the London Stadium and behind £45m flop Sebastien Haller (6.75) who was sold for £20m in January.

Moyes will need to address Bowen’s concerning rate of regression, both on and off the ball, if the forward is to re-establish his place in the West Ham starting line-up.

AND in other news, David Moyes is hopeful of West Ham landing an injury boost ahead of hosting Leeds United…

Leicester City are reportedly scouting young centre-back Jack Hendry ahead of a potential summer move.

The Scottish defender, who is on loan at Belgian outfit KV Oostende, has impressed in the Jupiler Pro League, with 90min.com revealing that Foxes have kept a close eye on his performances.

Any potential move would reunite Hendry with the manager that brought him to Celtic, Brendan Rodgers, and that could be a transfer that benefits both the Foxes and the player.

Having initially struggled at Celtic, the centre-back appears to have regained form with Oostende. He has made 23 appearances, scoring twice so far this season.

That improvement could well continue at Leicester, with Rodgers having had his influence in the development of a number of young players at the King Power Stadium, namely Harvey Barnes, Ben Chilwell, James Maddison and James Justin.

As a matter of fact, it is clear that Rodgers has an extremely high opinion of Hendry having stated that he “never goes missing” during a tricky spell at Celtic Park. Should the Northern-Irishman still rate the defender, despite that indifferent run of form, then he must certainly have talent.

Even if he does not go straight into the Foxes’ first team, Hendry would provide useful cover in defence. Wes Morgan and Jonny Evans are at the wrong side of 30 years of age, leaving just Wesley Fofana and Caglar Soyuncu as the younger, natural centre-backs in the East-Midlands.

With all four of them having suffered from respective injuries this season too, bolstering the defensive positions could well benefit the Foxes.

Rated at just £900k, a move for Hendry could well be a smart and shrewd purchase from the East-Midlanders.

AND in more news, take a look at why Leicester could already have a perfect Kasper Schmeichel replacement at the club…

Manchester United appear to be leading the likes of Tottenham in the race to sign Benfica forward Darwin Nunez.

The Lowdown: Man Utd interest in Nunez

Described as an ‘absolute beast’ earlier this month during a podcast discussing his display against Liverpool, the Uruguayan appears to be a man in demand this summer following his starring campaign in Portugal.

The 22-year-old has scored a whopping 33 goals in 39 games, impressing as a centre-forward, second striker and left winger.

The Uruguay international was linked with a big-money move to Manchester last week, and a fresh update has now emerged in their pursuit of a possible club-record deal.

The Latest: United leading the way for Nunez

Sport Witness relayed an update from Spanish outlet AS regarding Nunez on Tuesday. They claimed that 22-year-old could link up with super-agent Jorge Mendes, who is set to meet with ‘several English clubs’ regarding the Benfica forward.

United are thought to be ‘in the lead’ following an ‘express request’ from new manager Erik ten Hag.

The Verdict: Huge

Cristiano Ronaldo looks likely to be the only senior centre-forward available to Ten Hag when he arrives, with Edinson Cavani set to depart Old Trafford over the coming months.

Therefore, bringing in an exciting young attacker who has been prolific this season in numerous positions seems to be a smart move going forward.

Benfica want €130m for Nunez, which equates to around £109m and would make him the most expensive United signing of all time ahead of Paul Pogba, but it could prove to be the perfect one for Ten Hag in what the Red Devils are hoping will be a new era for the club.

In other news: Ten Hag now wants Man Utd chiefs to sign ‘superstar’ attacker for free

Abdoulaye Doucoure endured a rapid decline in his performance level with a challenging display in Everton’s Boxing Day victory over Sheffield United.

The French box-to-box engine room monster offered plenty of energy beside Tom Davies as Carlo Ancelotti sought to maintain the Toffees’ push at the top of the Premier League table, with a 1-0 win at Bramall Lane enough to move up to second in the standings.

However, Doucoure failed to match his willingness to run with regular quality on the ball, as the £20m summer arrival often proved wasteful in possession and lacked his usual commanding presence.

Doucoure was widely lauded for his excellence in Everton’s win over Leicester City earlier this month, with the former Watford man stepping up to the task of covering Allan’s defensive duties at a sublime level after the Brazilian was forced off with a hamstring injury.

“What a performance. He was everywhere. He fully deserves Man of the Match, for me. It was intent from the very first moment. He was a little bit offensive in the first-half when Allan was on, but when Allan went off, he sort of went into a defensive role and started to dictate the play,” Micah Richards noted while speaking on Match of the Day.

“This is a position where a full-back goes out [on Everton’s left-hand side], but he’s not afraid to go out there and stop the danger. It was a great tackle [on Jamie Vardy].

“He’s a player I would love to have in front of me because you know he’s going to do all the dogged work. Look at his positioning. It’s intelligence as well. It’s not just making tackles. It’s being in the right position, at the right time.”

Doucoure was a shadow of himself from just 10 days prior at Bramall Lane on Boxing Day, with the 27-year-old losing possession 18 times, dribbled past twice, committing two fouls and failing to register a single successful tackle, per SofaScore.

Ancelotti could only see his summer signing snatch possession with two clearances against Sheffield United, with Doucoure further failing to record any interceptions as he lost six of eight ground duels and two of six aerial contests.

The midfielder’s sole bright spark from the night came in the form of a key pass when Doucoure played Gylfi Sigurdsson in to steal victory in the 80th-minute, marking the former France U21 international’s first assist since matchday four.

Doucoure never came close to doubling his goal tally for the term, either, with the powerful 6ft brute unable to strike a single shot at Aaron Ramsdale’s net whilst losing one of two attempted dribbles.

Ancelotti will hope to see Doucoure shrug off his slack display when Everton return to action at home to Manchester City on Monday, as fixtures come thick and fast with West Ham United bound for Goodison Park next Friday as well.

AND in other news, an Everton ace enjoying his “best moment” let Carlo Ancelotti down against Sheffield United.

Celtic’s off-field chaos may end up preventing them from signing Crystal Palace’s James McCarthy.

Sources close to Give Me Sport have provided an update on the club’s pursuit of Eddie Howe and midfielder McCarthy.

The report claims the Hoops are an ‘absolute mess’ behind the scenes with ‘mixed messages all over the place’ coming out of Celtic Park in regards to a new manager.

A deal for Howe could still go through, but the delay in a managerial announcement is holding up the club’s proposed move for McCarthy.

There is thought to be a slight reluctance from the Hoops hierarchy to force through a pre-contract agreement just in case Neil Lennon’s long-term successor does not want him.

McCarthy’s Palace contract expires in a matter of months, so the club are in a position where they could make the 30-year-old an early signing ahead of the summer.

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Transfer Tavern take

It seems as if the club’s wait for a new boss could end up hurting their summer recruitment.

However, in our opinion, the Hoops are doing the right thing by refusing to sign off a deal without the new manager’s permission.

McCarthy, who is also wanted by Newcastle, is on £50,000-a-week at Selhurst Park, so you’d expect he could become one of the club’s top earners if he moved to Parkhead.

There could be a situation where the new man in charge doesn’t rate McCarthy, which may result in the club forking out a huge salary for a player who is hardly featuring, similar to what they have done with loanee Shane Duffy this season.

Who knows, we may still see McCarthy in Glasgow for the 2021/22 campaign, but for now, it seems as if the club’s priority is a new boss, and we feel that is absolutely the correct decision after last summer’s shambolic recruitment.

In other news: Premier League giants tracking Celtic midfielder, find out more here. 

Newcastle United have reportedly made an approach to sign Gael Kakuta in the upcoming summer transfer window.

The Lowdown: Kakuta a forgotten man

Some members of the St. James’ Park faithful may be familiar with the name Kakuta given that he was a youngster on the books with Chelsea, and even managed to win a Premier League title and FA Cup during his time at Stamford Bridge (Transfermarkt).

Kakuta, now 29 years of age, has progressed a lot since then, and is currently doing very well in Ligue 1 for RC Lens, with no fewer than 11 goals and a further five assists in 33 games in total so far over the course of the 2020/21 term (Transfermarkt).

The Latest: Newcastle make Kakuta approach

As per Foot Mercato, the Tyneside club have made an approach to bring the DR Congo international to the North East.

This deal would be done in the summer, once his time in Lens ends after a loan spell at the French side from Amiens SC.

The Verdict: Newcastle should be wary over Kakuta

The Magpies should not be looking to jump the gun in order to sign Kakuta, despite his impressive record in France this season – Steve Bruce’s team should be wary over how it did not quite work out in English football for him as a young prospect in London.

That’s not to say they should completely rule out a transfer, depending on the fee being demanded, Kakuta could be a shrewd addition to his squad, and may be someone to keep an eye on when the market officially opens.

However, we feel there are better options out there, perhaps at a younger age with more room to grow.

In other news, find out what big claim has been dropped on the potential takeover here!