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Aston Villa boss Unai Emery is seemingly seeking a reunion with Marseille midfielder Matteo Guendouzi this month, having previously coached the Frenchman at Arsenal.

What’s the word?

According to journalist Graeme Bailey, the Midlands side are said to be keen on signing the 23-year-old before the end of the window, albeit with no bid having yet been made for the 6 foot 1 ace.

Writing on Twitter about that interest, the transfer insider stated: “Unai Emery is interested in bringing Matteo Guendouzi to Aston Villa. They have not made an offer to Marseille, who are somewhat reluctant to let him leave just six months after signing him on a permanent deal.”

In the attached piece for 90min, the report suggests that the Ligue 1 outfit do value the former Gunners man at around €50m (£44m), with Igor Tudor’s side showing little desire to sell having only signed the player permanently during the summer.

Bye Bye Nakamba

Although it may well take a sizeable offer to prise Guendouzi from the Stade Velodrome, bringing the £41k-per-week maestro into the fold could well help to hasten the exit of fellow midfielder Marvelous Nakamba, with the Zimbabwean dud having been linked with a departure earlier this season.

The 28-year-old – who made the move to England on a £11m deal back in 2019 – has been on the periphery so far this season having failed to make a single appearance across all fronts, after featuring only 19 times in all competitions last term.

Although that lack of action has been impacted by injury, the former Club Brugge man has rarely been able to establish himself in the side over the past few years, with no goals or assists to his name in 68 outings to date in the claret and blue jersey.

Having been “nowhere near” the matchday squad of late, as per pundit Alan Hutton, it looks as if Nakamba’s days are numbered at Villa Park, with the addition of Guendouzi seemingly the midfield upgrade that the club have been craving.

The latter man has scored three goals and provided three assists in 22 games in all competitions so far this term from his central midfield berth, after previously playing a starring role last season with 19 goal contributions to his name in 56 outings.

The relentless “warrior”, as described by pundit Alan Shearer, is clearly a player who can make an impact in the final third, as he ranks in the top 11% in Europe among those in his position for touches in the attacking penalty area.

As previously stated, Nakamba is evidently unable to match that creativity and attacking intent, while Guendouzi also offers the benefit of having worked under Emery previously, having featured 66 times under the Spaniard during his time at the Emirates.

It may well prove a difficult deal to get over the line, although the signing of the Marseille man would clearly help to bolster Villa’s midfield options.

Tottenham Hotspur could complete the signing of Torino right-wing back Wilfried Singo immediately if they are willing to pay £18m, according to a new report.

The Lowdown: Tottenham target right-wing back

Antonio Conte has made it quite clear that he desires a new right-wing back in the January transfer window, with journalist Rudy Galetti reporting that he also has Denzel Dumfries on his radar, owing to disappointing performances from Emerson Royal. (via Sport Witness)

The Netherlands international would set Tottenham back around £26m, while other target Pedro Porro is believed to have a release clause worth £39m included in his contract with Sporting.

As such, Spurs may now turn their attentions to a cheaper option, with Singo potentially fitting the bill…

The Latest: Singo available?

According to Sport Witness, who are relaying information from La Stampa, the Ivorian ‘could leave immediately if the right offer arrives’, which would need to be at least £18m.

The full-back is said to be liked by Napoli, while also admired from teams in Spain and England, so there is likely to be a battle for his signature.

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The Verdict: Worth it?

With Emerson failing to impress, it is clear that Conte must strengthen in his area of the pitch, and the 22-year-old would be a very good option to have, and a cheaper alternative to the other names linked.

Lauded as being a ‘revelation’ by Serie A analyst Matteo Bonetti, the youngster has wide array of talents, but particularly flourishes at dribbling, registering an average of 1.29 completed dribbles per 90 over the past year, placing him in the 88th percentile compared to positional peers.

Emerson, on the other hand, has averaged just 0.66 in that timeframe, highlighting that he is not cut out for the system being implemented at Tottenham, which relies on attacking contributions from the wing-backs.

The 6 foot 3 colossus would also be useful to have at corners, such is his dominance in the air, in the 95th percentile for aerials won per 90, proving himself as a multi-talented player who would bring a range of different qualities to Tottenham.

Reliable journalist Alan Nixon has backed up reports of a potential Glasgow Rangers move for Ryan Porteous.

The Lowdown: Porteous to Rangers?

Speaking on Clyde Super Scoreboard (via The Scottish Sun), Clyde boss Jim Duffy has claimed that he has ‘heard’ that Porteous could be moving to Ibrox, after Hibernian confirmed that he will not be signing a new deal at the club, with his current contract set to expire in the summer.

The 4th Official add that the news of Porteous potentially moving to the Gers was passed onto them ‘last week’, so there seems to be some substance in the rumours.

The Latest: Nixon backs up reports

Replying to a supporter on Twitter, Nixon shared that he has also ‘heard a rumour’ that Porteous could be moving to the Light Blues, but added that Hibs would ‘rather sell down south’:

“Heard a rumour along those lines … think Hibs would rather sell down south if he’s off …”

The Verdict: Smart signing

With his contract up in the summer, Porteous would be a smart signing for the Teddy Bears, either on a free transfer in the summer, or for a cut-price in the January transfer window.

The six-foot-two colossus of course boasts plenty of experience in the Scottish Premiership, with over 100 appearances in the last six seasons (Transfermarkt).

He has been Hibernian’s standout performer in the division so far this season, ranking highly among his team-mates in terms of average aerial duels won, tackles, interceptions, clearances and blocks per game (WhoScored), and Rangers taking him from a rival would represent a shrewd piece of business.

Aston Villa’s owners NSWE will provide new manager Unai Emery with the funds to make new signings in January, according to transfer expert Fabrizio Romano.

The Lowdown: Emery set to make mark

The Spaniard has replaced Steven Gerrard in the Villa Park hot seat and already made a positive impact, with key wins picked up against Manchester United and Brighton.

Emery will take time to fully make his mark in the job, however, and he is sure to want to bring in players who are tailor-made to thrive in his system.

January signings are key, in that respect, and it looks as though the manager will get his wish.

The Latest: New signings in January?

Speaking to Give Me Sport, Romano confirmed that the funds would be available to sign new players in January:

“For sure, they will look at new signings. Unai Emery, when he negotiated with Aston Villa, he had some guarantees on new potential signings in January and, of course, in the summer.”

The Verdict: Good move by owners

NSWE deserve undoubted praise for making the money available in the next window, ensuring Emery is given the support he needs to take the club forward.

If January was to drift by without any signings coming in, it could hamper Villa’s progress moving forward, not allowing the boss to take the team in a positive direction.

A few additions in key areas could make for an exciting second half to the campaign, however, before further reinforcements are made during the summer.

Crystal Palace will be looking to make it three Premier League wins in a row on Saturday as they face Nottingham Forest at the City Ground.

Patrick Vieira’s side are within touching distance of the European spots in the top flight after back-to-back wins against Southampton and West Ham United, and another three points against the side currently bottom of the table could leave the Eagles in a very promising position ahead of the World Cup break.

The French manager made a number of changes in midweek at St James’ Park as his side were knocked out of the Carabao Cup on penalties against Newcastle United, and it seems likely that he will revert his side once again on Saturday for the trip to Nottingham.

Here is how we at Football FanCast expect Palace to line up this weekend, with six changes from the team that started in midweek.

Predicted Crystal Palace XI: Guaita; Clyne, Guehi, Andersen, Mitchell; Schlupp, Doucoure, Olise; Eze, Zaha, Ayew.

Despite a promising display in midweek, the “sensational” Sam Johnstone seems likely to be relegated to the bench once again for this Premier League tie, with Vicente Guaita returning in between the sticks.

Vieira opted for a back five against the Toon but should revert to a back four against Forest, with Joel Ward and James Tomkins dropping out, while Tyrick Mitchell and Nathaniel Clyne start as full-backs rather than wing-backs.

Joachim Andersen returns to the side to resume his partnership with Marc Guehi in the heart of the Eagles’ defence.

There are two changes in midfield, with Cheick Doucoure and Jeffrey Schlupp making a return after being rested in midweek, while Will Hughes and Luka Milivojevic drop to the bench.

Michael Olise also takes up a central midfield position after playing on the wing at St James’ Park, with Eberechi Eze returning to the starting XI in the attack.

Jordan Ayew also keeps his place in the front three, while the talismanic Wilfried Zaha is almost certain to start in place of Jean-Philippe Mateta in Vieira’s final change.

Liverpool will face Ajax in Amsterdam this evening in their penultimate game of the Champions League group stage, and Jurgen Klopp will surely be hoping that the nightmare performance in the Premier League last weekend can be left behind.

The Reds suffered a humiliating 1-0 defeat at The City Ground against Nottingham Forest on Saturday and the manager will surely shake up his team for the clash in Europe after the poor performance.

In terms of injuries, Luis Diaz, Diogo Jota, Joel Matip and Arthur Melo remain the long-term absentees, whilst Thiago Alcantara was unseen in team training yesterday following an ear infection that kept him out of the matchday squad last weekend.

Naby Keita, Ibrahima Konate, and Darwin Nunez could all be potentially in contention to start after featuring in training, but there is no guarantee that any of them will be in contention to start at the Johan Cruijff ArenA tonight.

With all considered, this is how we at Football FanCast expect Liverpool to line up against Ajax…

We expect to see three changes made to the team that lost to Forest in the Premier League, with Klopp opting for his new formation of 4-4-2.

The first change we predict is Trent Alexander-Arnold reprising his right-back role in the starting line-up, replacing James Milner, to complete an otherwise unchanged back four of Joe Gomez, Virgil Van Dijk and Andrew Robertson.

Although Milner will lose his place at right-back we expect to see him moved into midfield alongside Curtis Jones and Harvey Elliott, as well as our second change to the starting eleven – which will see Jordan Henderson come back into the side.

The 32-year-old midfielder who was hailed “exceptional” by the Liverpool boss is a trusted and reliable player who has recently been performing much better than his fellow teammate Fabinho, so we expect to see the Sunderland-born skipper return to the team sheet.

The third and final change we expect to see is new signing Fabio Carvalho dropped to the bench following his horrendous performance against Forest at the weekend.

Carvalho completed just nine accurate passes, lost possession of the ball every 2.5 touches and failed to make a single key pass or dribble attempt over his 62-minute performance, earning him the lowest rating on the entire pitch – 6.0 – on Saturday.

It will be interesting to see just how Liverpool get on in their Champions League clash with Ajax and whether they can show their resilience in the prestigious European competition or continue to display their inconsistencies.

The Rangers Review journalist Jonny McFarlane was left criticising the performance of James Tavernier as Glasgow Rangers lost 2-0 at Liverpool on Tuesday night.

The Lowdown: Three losses

The defeat at Anfield means that the Ibrox outfit have now lost all three of their opening games in the UEFA Champions League group stages, and so face a huge uphill battle to qualify for the knockout rounds or even the drop to the Europa League.

Goals from Trent Alexander-Arnold and Mo Salah were more than enough to give the hosts all three points on the night, and so Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s team know that they probably need to get something out of the return fixture if they are to qualify.

The Latest: Tavernier criticised

Taking to Twitter, McFarlane criticised Tavernier’s performance in particular, claiming that he was having an ‘absolute nightmare’:

“Tavernier is having an absolute nightmare here.”

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The Verdict: Not his best

Considering that Tavernier was the Gers’ best-performing player in Europe last season, he certainly was not at his best against Liverpool.

The right-back lost four of his duels, and also failed to record a single dribble, key pass or cross, losing possession of the ball a total of 21 times, the most of any outfield Light Blues player (SofaScore).

As captain, Tavernier’s nervousness perhaps spread across the rest of the team, which meant that they struggled to find any rhythm or composure on the ball.

Manchester United goalkeeper Martin Dubravka has suffered an international break injury with Slovakia, The Mirror report.

The Lowdown: Summer move

The Red Devils secured Dubravka’s services late in the summer window on a season-long loan deal with an option to buy from Newcastle United.

The 33-year-old, labelled as ‘top class’ by journalist Josh Bunting and dubbed a leader by The Chronicle’s Mick Quinn, has been on the bench twice for United, missing a Europa League game with FC Sheriff last time out.

Dubravka’s absence didn’t prevent him from linking up with his national side, but it looks as if he has suffered an issue with Slovakia.

The Latest: Dubravka injury

The Mirror shared a story regarding Dubravka on Thursday afternoon.

They claimed that the goalkeeper has suffered an injury in training with Slovakia and has returned to Carrington for further tests, labelling it as a ‘concern’ for Ten Hag.

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The Verdict: Not ideal

Dubravka was seemingly brought in to provide competition and cover for David de Gea, so this injury update isn’t ideal.

You’d expect that he could well be a doubt for the trip to Manchester City next weekend as a result of this news, which could mean that Tom Heaton will be required to take a place on the bench, as he did against FC Sheriff.

Hopefully, Dubravka’s issue isn’t too serious and he’ll be back sooner rather than later, as he could be needed when the games come thick and fast prior to the break for the World Cup.

An update has emerged on Newcastle United and their pursuit of Alexander Isak in the summer transfer window…

What’s the talk?

Spanish outlet Diario Vasco have claimed that the club are on the verge of bringing the Swedish international to St. James’ Park.

Journalist Colin Millar translated the article, tweeting:

“Newcastle set to sign Real Sociedad striker and Sweden international Alexander Isak in a £59million deal, rising to £63million, saw local Basque media. Offer accepted and deal imminent.”

The Athletic’s David Ornstein has backed up their claim and Italian reporter Fabrizio Romano has provided a fresh update, Tweeting: 

“Newcastle have already agreed personal terms with Alexander Isak and his agents. Final details discussed on add-ons structure and then deal completed with Real Sociedad, set to be signed. #NUFC Club record fee for Newcastle, also record sale for Real Sociedad.”

Forget about Callum Wilson

Although Wilson has scored two goals in the first three games of the Premier League season, the signing of Isak means that it could now be the time to forget about the Englishman.

Eddie Howe confirmed that the striker is set for a scan on a hamstring injury and it remains to be seen how long he will be sidelined for.

This should come as no shock to Magpies fans, though, as the attacker has missed 35 competitive matches since joining the club in the summer of 2020, compared to Isak’s five since 2019.

Wilson is an unreliable player when it comes to his availability and, at the age of 30, he is not getting any younger, which is why replacing him with Isak as the first-choice number nine could be a good move by the club.

Spanish journalist Guillem Balague has claimed that the Swedish will suit Howe’s style of play “as he is very fast” and “good driving the ball”.

These attributes could allow him to thrive in the manager’s pressing system as it creates counter-attacking opportunities and he can use his speed to burst forward – not giving opposition defenders a chance to catch up with him. Rio Ferdinand once dubbed him a “nuisance” and he could use his work rate and pace to force errors out of teams.

Wilson has scored 22 goals in the top-flight since the start of the 2020/21 campaign, whilst Isak has found the back of the net 24 times in La Liga in the same timeframe.

This suggests that he could offer a similar level of quality in front of goal, whilst suiting the team’s style of play, and having the scope to develop further.

His former teammate Chinedu Obasi previously said that Isak has “enormous potential” and he has plenty of years to prove him right, at the age of 22. He could be Newcastle’s starting striker for many seasons to come and it will now be down to Howe to get the best out of him.

Everton had a slow start to the summer transfer window but have now signed three new players to strengthen the squad at Goodison Park, and a reliable source has revealed a potential new target for the Toffees.

What’s the latest?

According to Everton insider and journalist Alan Myers, the Merseyside club are now interested in signing Conor Coady this summer.

Myers tweeted: “Everton want to sign Wolves defender Conor Coady. Frank Lampard is an admirer of the experienced centre-back, who’s been at Wolves for 7 years.”

Imagine him & Tarkowski

It is no secret that Everton struggled last term as they were embroiled in a relegation scrap at the bottom of the Premier League table until the penultimate game of the season, so it comes as no surprise that Frank Lampard is keen to strengthen his squad, especially in defence.

In March, Jamie Carragher gave a scathing assessment on Sky Sports of what he believed to be a huge problem for the Toffees following their humiliating 5-0 defeat to Tottenham Hotspur.

The pundit raged: “If Everton aren’t going to be good enough, it can be quality and they’re not. That back four is miles away, it’s Championship level.”

The Toffees’ poor defensive performances ultimately led to them conceding the fifth most goals (66) in the Premier League last term, and after signing James Tarkowski from Burnley last month, they could now strengthen their defence even further to ensure that they don’t repeat the mistakes of the past.

Coady, who was dubbed “phenomenal” by former team-mate Dave Edwards, has been a reliable and solid performer for Wolverhampton Wanderers, earning the captaincy at the club with his sound leadership which has led to inclusion in the England team.

Over 38 appearances last season, the £62k-per-week titan scored four goals, made 3.7 clearances per game and won the majority of his duels (53%), becoming one of the standout performers in the division.

The Wolves captain ranked second for successful dribbles, third in conversion of big chances and fourth for blocked shots in the entire top flight.

There is no doubt that Lampard could form the perfect centre-back partnership between Tarkowski and Coady if Everton can secure a deal for the Wolves skipper before the transfer window shuts, as the pair are both renowned for their leadership skills and are both proven defenders who have been important players for the teams they have represented.

Both Englishmen are capable of playing either side in the centre-back role, which will again be very useful to Lampard if he can get them together at Goodison Park, as the strength and experience of the pair combined could help Everton to seriously improve over the course of this season.

The signing of Coady would be a huge coup for the Toffees and would put Lampard in a great position to deploy a defence that he can trust to compete and contribute in their efforts to retain their Premier League status more comfortably this time around.