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Aston Villa are ‘in the queue’ to sign wantaway Arsenal striker Eddie Nketiah in January, according to Ekrem Konur. 

The lowdown

Nketiah has yet to make the matchday squad for a Premier League game this season, having picked up an ankle injury just before the campaign started.

His only first-team minutes have come in the Carabao Cup clash with AFC Wimbledon, a game in which he scored.

Last season, the England Under-21 international was limited to just four Premier League starts.

Significantly, his contract is up come the end of the season and, according to a report from David Ornstein in August, ‘there is no sign’ of a forthcoming extension.

Arsenal may, therefore, be under pressure to sell their £14.4million-rated asset in January amid the risk of losing him for free.

The latest

Nketiah ‘plans to leave’ The Emirates at the turn of the year because he ‘wants regular first team football’, Konur says.

Villa can expect to face competition from newly-promoted Brentford and from Leeds United, where Nketiah had a spell on loan during the 2019/20 season.

The verdict

It certainly looks as if Nketiah will be leaving the Gunners, but it’s hard to see Villa being his next destination.

If he wants to be playing week-in, week-out, then he surely won’t go to a club where he’ll be behind two other strikers – Danny Ings and Ollie Watkins – in the pecking order.

Perhaps Villa should look in-house if they want to bolster the first team’s attacking ranks. Cameron Archer has been particularly impressive.

In other news, fans flocked to this update on Leon Bailey.  

A Rangers transfer update has emerged on Ibrox midfielder Joe Aribo, regarding interest from south of the border.

What’s the talk?

According to the Daily Record, Premier League side Southampton sent a scout to go and watch the Nigerian international in action against Dundee United at the weekend.

The report claims that the Saints already have a number of reports on him ahead of the upcoming January transfer window.

This comes after claims emerged that he was not going to sign a new contract at Ibrox.

Season-defining

Gio van Bronckhorst is seemingly heading for his first big disaster at Ibrox with Southampton casting their eyes over Aribo amid his unclear future in Glasgow. It could be a nightmare for the head coach if the midfielder departs in January as his exit could be season-defining for the Gers.

Whilst Rangers are top of the table and enjoying a sublime run of form, things can change quickly in football and losing such a key player would surely be a major blow.

If Celtic win their game in hand then they are four points behind van Bronckhorst’s side and that is not an insurmountable gap with half of the season still to be played, which is why they cannot afford to lose Aribo.

His former Charlton teammate Ezri Konsa previously heaped praise on him, saying: “Having Gerrard as his manager at Rangers, that has made him go up another level.

“Joe’s style is unique. When I was with him at Charlton he did remind me for a while of a left-footed Yaya Toure. But you don’t get a lot of midfielders like Joe, there aren’t many around.

“Like Toure, for a tall guy he’s got such great feet. But that languid style he’s got is actually fairly unique in the game.”

His form in the Premiership this season warrants such strong appraisal, averaging a SofaScore rating of 7.16 so far this term. He is creating 1.7 chances per game and has chipped in with six goals from midfield, showing that he is capable of making a big impact in the final third and that he has the potential to be a game-changer and match-winner for the Gers.

This shows why his exit would create a gigantic hole in the Rangers side and could weaken their chances of sealing another title success. He is playing a major role in the club’s Premiership form with his consistent quality in midfield and, therefore, losing him could give their Old Firm rivals a potential advantage in the title race – making any potential move to the Premier League a disaster for the Gers.

Therefore, van Bronckhorst and Ross Wilson must do their utmost to ensure that he is at the club until next summer at least. If they allow him to leave at the end of the campaign then it will give them until the summer to find a replacement for him, instead of rushing around in January.

AND in other news, “He’s not going to” – Huge Rangers claim made that’ll have GVB and fans running scared…

Aston Villa have set their sights on signing Rangers centre-back Filip Helander, Football Insider report.

The Lowdown: Helander profiled

Helander, labelled as ‘very tough’, was brought to Ibrox by Steven Gerrard back in 2019 in a deal worth £3.5m.

Since then, the Sweden international has made 60 appearances for the Scottish giants, however, only 11 of those have come during the current campaign, with Helander missing large parts of the season through injury.

He will be entering the final 12 months of his Rangers contract in the summer, and it looks as if Villa are keen on a cut-price deal for the now £3.15m-rated defender.

The Latest: Source shares update

Football Insider shared a story on Tuesday morning regarding Helander after being informed by a Villa source.

They claim that Johan Lange and co. are interested in signing the 28-year-old this summer, but Gerrard is concerned over Helander’s injury record, something which could put a move in jeopardy.

The Verdict: A risk

A number of defensive signings could well be needed this summer, especially with the futures of Tyrone Mings and Ezri Konsa up in the air.

Should the pair move on, bringing in someone like Helander in a cut-price deal could be a shrewd move to bolster the club’s options, however, it would also be a gamble.

The Rangers man has missed 66 games through injury since arriving in Scotland, so Gerrard may feel he could be signing a player he can’t rely on completely heading into his first full season in charge.

In other news: Source: Villa now open to selling 2022 star this summer despite Gerrard being a big fan. 

Leeds United are stuck in a horrendous rut right now and if they don’t improve in the January transfer window, Marcelo Bielsa could lose his job with the Whites staring down the barrel of a potential relegation from the top-flight.

An added problem for Victor Orta and co is that the winter market is usually a tough one for Leeds to negotiate in with the famed Jean-Kevin Augustin move the nadir of the Spaniard’s work since arriving in Yorkshire.

What’s the word?

One area that Leeds desperately need to improve in heading into the New Year is in the middle of the park.

Kalvin Phillips enters 2022 injured while Mateusz Klich is desperately out of form too.

One player that they could sign is Macedonia international Ejif Elmas. That’s according to Talha Arslan via The Express who claim that Leeds are prepared to bid £15.3m for the Napoli midfielder.

However, that may fall some way short of the Italian club’s estimation of the 22-year-old with CIES valuing him at a mighty £59.2m.

The new Alioski

The comparisons with livewire and former Leeds player, Gjanni Alioski, are all too obvious.

For starters, they both hail from Macedonia, and secondly, they are both goal scoring wide players.

Although Elmas is capable of playing in the middle of the park too, he is a rampant threat when afforded the opportunity to play down the left flank, an area of the pitch that Alioski thrived in for Leeds.

The 29-year-old scored 22 goals and registered 19 assists while in Yorkshire but was never the most consistent of players.

That being said, he was a mainstay under Bielsa for years and developed nicely from an attacking winger into a full-back.

Elmas wouldn’t necessarily make the same transition but his ability to play in a multitude of positions, specifically in the centre of midfield, makes him an appealing proposition this winter.

However, his ability to score goals, like Alioski, is also a major plus point.

The North Macedonia international has bagged six times for Napoli this term while creating three goals for his teammates too.

Speaking about him in April, his agent commented: “I think Napoli have a jewel. A young footballer, a leader of his national team who often scores goals.”

With that sort of attacking threat in mind, he’d be a wise addition from the Leeds hierarchy this term and in the process, Bielsa could just discover his next Alioski; a vibrant and versatile attacking threat from Macedonia.

AND in other news, Orta can finally axe Leeds flop who left Bielsa “furious” by signing 28-goal “rocket”…

Crystal Palace confirmed on Saturday morning that youngster Adler Nascimento has signed professional terms with the club.

As to be expected, a number of Eagles fans have been reacting to the off-field news on social media.

Nascimento arrived at the club’s academy ranks over the summer from Championship side Peterborough United, where he made his professional debut at the age of 16 last May.

The Eagles reportedly forked out an initial £531,000 for his services, with the Portuguese teenager already making nine appearances for Palace’s under-18 side this season.

Nascimento has seemingly done enough to catch the eye in those games, despite starting on only three occasions, and he has penned professional terms at Selhurst Park.

Palace fans react

The Eagles’ official Twitter channel retweeted the club’s academy post regarding Nascimento’s contract on Saturday.

Here is what these Palace supporters had to say in reply, with one labelling it as ‘class news’ and another calling him an ‘absolute beast’.

“Bout time”

Credit: @James_cpfc06

“We must rate him big time”

Credit: @liamb0117

“This guy on Football Manager is an absolute beast”

Credit: @Wheddsta

“Class news but wouldn’t been worried if he didn’t after signing for £500k ”

Credit: @CPFC_Cal

“Well done”

Credit: @keithwhitfieldk

“That’s class”

Credit: @cpfc_sean

In other news: ‘Outrage’ – Many Crystal Palace fans react to club’s ‘pathetic’ update

[ad_pod ]According to the deputy news editor at The Guardian, Ed Aarons, on his official Twitter account, West Ham United have agreed terms with Chelsea to sign striker Michy Batshuayi on loan until the end of the season, but they face competition from La Liga outfit Real Betis who also have an agreement in place.

What’s the word, then?

Well, Aarons says that the Hammers have moved a step closer to bringing the Belgium international across the capital to the London Stadium, but that they still have some potential hurdles in their way to get a deal over the line before Thursday’s deadline.

The reliable journalist says that Betis want to keep the 25-year-old in Spain following his unsuccessful spell with Valencia in the first-half of the current campaign, and that barring a late bid from Everton the attacker will soon decide where his future lies.

Sky Sports reported on Wednesday that he Irons were considering making an approach for Batshuayi, who Valencia are looking to offload and cut short his loan spell seeing as he hasn’t played for them since January 8.

Would he be a good signing?

He certainly could be, yes.

While the Belgian has struggled to hold down a regular spot in Chelsea’s starting XI when he hasn’t been away on loan, his record of 19 goals in 53 appearances in all competitions, as per Transfermarkt, isn’t too shabby given the majority of those outings came from the substitutes’ bench.

Similarly, he also scored nine goals in 14 matches during a loan spell with Borussia Dortmund last term, according to Transfermarkt, to prove how clinical he can be in front of goal.

With the likes of Javier Hernandez, Lucas Perez and Andy Carroll struggling for goals and Marko Arnautovic suffering an injury against Wolves on Tuesday night, although it might not be as bad as first feared according to The Telegraph, the 25-year-old would be a much-welcomed addition to the frontline before the window slams shut.

Be sure to check out the incredible story of the man who rose from a Tanzanian refugee camp to become one of Australia’s biggest football stars in the video below…

Many Wolves fans have been left slamming the display of Joao Moutinho in their game away at Leeds United in the Premier League this afternoon.

The central midfield player got off to a bad start straight away, getting himself a yellow card within the first few minutes of the match, before Hwang Hee-Chan spared his blushes by grabbing an early goal for the visitors at Elland Road.

The Molineux faithful were particularly critical of Moutinho’s deliveries from set pieces, and his woeful pass accuracy of just 62 per cent is poor for a player of such tremendous technical ability.

Nonetheless, the Portugal international is an experienced player, and so he will now be looking to improve on this performance in the Midlands club’s next fixture, should Bruno Lage decide to throw him in the starting eleven again.

Wolves fans on Moutinho

These WWFC supporters were left slamming his performance on Twitter, with one even going as far as to claim that he was ‘woeful’:

“How the hell is Moutinho still on set pieces? Ridiculous”

Credit: @Jim96925627

“Moutinho is having a HOWLER”

Credit: @__Grav

“Donk and Moutinho cannot cope”

Credit: @mitchdavis_1

“Defending well winning the ball well, it’s the passing for me, we are constantly giving it away, Donk has been woeful as well as Joao. Leeds have so much space behind their full backs since the goal we have stopped looking to get the ball in behind”

Credit: @mark_spruce

“Moutinho booked inside first 5, told ya he’s too slow”

Credit: @Si999888999

“Why he has started with Moutinho and Dendoncker I will never know?”

Credit: @cpj93070

In other news, find out what transfer claim has Wanderers excited here!

West Ham United have been dealt a late fitness concern ahead of their upcoming Premier League clash.

What’s the latest?

Speaking in his pre-match press conference, David Moyes revealed that, after missing the midweek draw with Brighton & Hove Albion as a result of a back injury picked up against Manchester City, Aaron Cresswell resumed light training on Friday ahead of the London derby against Chelsea.

However, the 58-year-old went on to state that the left-back would be assessed this morning to determine whether or not he is fit to play a part against the Blues, with the Hammers boss stating: “Aaron Cresswell is back in training, he’s done a bit of light training, so we’ll have a look at that.”

Moyes will be gutted

Considering just how impressive Cresswell has been for West Ham so far this season, should the defender not be deemed fit enough for the crunch match against Chelsea this afternoon, Moyes would undoubtedly be gutted.

Indeed, over his 13 Premier League appearances so far this season, the £4.5m-rated man has helped his side keep three clean sheets, scored one goal and registered one assist, as well as making an average of 1.2 key passes, 0.9 interceptions, 1.1 tackles and winning 3.2 duels per game.

These returns have seen the former England international average a rather remarkable SofaScore match rating of 7.15, ranking him as the Hammers’ fourth-best performer in the top flight.

As such, once again being without the defender, particularly in a fixture which could result in West Ham being completely cut adrift from the top three, would undoubtedly come as a huge blow to David Moyes and his side, who can send a clear message to the rest of the league that they really are a serious Champions League contender with a win against the current table-toppers.

In other news: Moyes must ruthlessly axe shocking West Ham liability vs Chelsea, he could get bullied

Former Premier League Golden Boot winner Kevin Phillips has delivered a damning verdict on the transfer of Dele Alli to Everton. 

The verdict: In the wilderness

Signed from Tottenham Hotspur on a permanent basis in a deal which could rise to £40million if all clauses are met (Sky Sports), the 25-year-old has struggled so far on Merseyside.

Left on the bench for each of the Toffees’ last four Premier League matches, the one-time England regular has failed to recapture his best form so far since arriving at Goodison Park.

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In fact, Alli has only played 169 minutes under Frank Lampard, starting just once and failing to complete a full match.

The latest: Summer exit pending?

Following a recent report from The Telegraph suggesting that the Englishman could leave the club as soon as the summer, 48 year-old Phillips told Football Insider that the attacking midfielder may indeed need to move on again but called the news he’s heard a ‘surprise’.

“There have been suggestions that his time at Everton is going to come to an end. That’s a real surprise, for me. I thought a fresh challenge would get him back to the level we saw from him before.

“It’s a really difficult period for Dele Alli and his career. He’s got to find somewhere where he can thrive, and it’s not looking like that’s going to be Everton.

“It’s disappointing for player and club, but the reality is that he has been so far from his best.”

The verdict: What happens next…

Under contract until 2024 (Transfermarkt), it’s difficult to envisage that the club would cut ties with the 37-cap England man as early as the upcoming summer window.

Still just 25 and with undoubted quality, Lampard may well give Alli time in pre-season to prove that he can be part of plans moving forwards.

However, should the 43-year-old succeed in retaining Everton’s top-flight status then the manager will be on the lookout for players to take the side to the next level, something Alli has so far proven to be well below in his fleeting outings.

So far, the man once hailed as ‘amazing’ by Jose Mourinho at Spurs has lost possession on 43 occasions during six league outings for the Blues (Sofascore) and is seemingly in dire need of a career reset.

In other news, three players struggle despite victory. Find out who here!

Financial expert Kieran Maguire believes that Tottenham will be ‘in the box seat’ under new spending controls brought in by UEFA, as per Football Insider.

The Lowdown: The numbers

The New York Times reported last week that clubs will not be able to spend more than 70 per cent of turnover on signings, wages and agents fees.

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Football Insider stated that Spurs recorded a £361.9m revenue in their latest set of accounts, which means they could spend just over £250m under the new restrictions.

Antonio Conte has spent just over £26m as Spurs manager so far, with £17.1m going on midfielder Rodrigo Bentancur and a £9m loan fee for Dejan Kulusevski during the January window.

The Latest: Maguire’s claim

Maguire, who contributes for Sky Sports, was talking to Football Insider about Spurs’ situation, claiming that Daniel Levy and co will be ‘in the box seat’ after managing a ‘very tight ship’ in recent years. He outlined:

“In my view, I suspect UEFA will allow player sales into the equation too.

“Spurs are in the box seat when it comes to any changes to cost control measures because they have historically managed a very tight ship.

“They have started to pay more money out in terms of transfers, although there was a period of time when they weren’t.

“But if we take a look at wages, for example, Spurs’ wage bill is closer to Norwich’s than it is to Chelsea.”

The Verdict: Summer spend?

It seems as if Spurs are in a healthy position off the pitch, so it seems as if they don’t have an excuse when it comes to backing Conte ahead of his first full season in charge in north London.

A new centre-forward to challenge Harry Kane appears to be needed over the coming months, with the Spurs captain the only out-and-out senior centre-forward available to Conte.

Spurs also have just four central midfielders and four centre-backs on the books, so it could be an exciting summer when it comes to spending, and you’d expect that Fabio Paratici is already working on potential deals throughout the current international break.

In other news: Journalist now makes Paulo Dybala to Spurs claim