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Aston Villa were beaten 4-2 by Arsenal in the Premier League last weekend as they fell to a third loss in succession after defeats to Manchester City and Leicester.

However, there were positives to take from the match in spite of the disappointing result and end to the match, and one was the performance of centre-forward Ollie Watkins.

The England international scored a terrific goal, squaring up William Saliba before rocketing a shot past Aaron Ramsdale, and has now found the net in each of his last four appearances.

Prior to the break for the World Cup, the striker had scored twice in 14 Premier League outings and was struggling for form in front of goal. Since the return of club action at Christmas, Watkins has plundered five goals in eight outings, which shows that Unai Emery has been able to get the best out of the marksman.

This has been a trend throughout the Spaniard’s managerial career, as he has worked with a number of elite goalscorers over the years, including the likes of Edinson Cavani, David Villa, Gerard Moreno and Neymar, who all scored more than once every other game for the 51-year-old.

90min recently reported that Villa are considering a swoop to sign Lille striker Jonathan David, and Johan Lange could land the Villans’ head coach his next version of former PSG star Cavani by securing a deal for the Canadian marksman.

The Uruguay international was a prolific scorer for Emery during their time together in Paris, as the dynamo plundered an outstanding 89 goals in 98 appearances under the current Villa boss.

Would Jonathan David be a good signing for Emery’s Aston Villa?

Lange could now unearth the manager’s next lethal goalscorer from Ligue 1 by signing the Canada international, whose form in France this season suggests that he has the potential to be an excellent signing.

The 23-year-old has scored 15 goals in 23 appearances in the French top flight, after managing 15 in 38 outings last term, and he has hit double figures for goals in each of his last four campaigns for Lille and Gent.

David, who was once dubbed a “phenomenon” by his former coach Hein Vanhaezebrouck, has only scored 86 career goals but has found the net more than 20 times with his left and right foot respectively, which shows that he is adept at finishing with either foot.

Meanwhile, Cavani has scored more than 50 goals with both feet – out of his 367 club career goals – and this suggests that both players are excellent, two-footed finishers.

The Lille forward, who has scored 22 goals in 37 caps for Canada, may not be at the level where he is scoring 89 goals in 98 games like the Uruguayan, but his impressive goalscoring ability at the age of 23 indicates that he has the potential to grow into being a prolific scorer for Emery.

Therefore, the Villa boss could develop and unearth his next Cavani – in the Premier League instead of Ligue 1 – if Lange can strike a deal for the youngster this summer.

Everton are interested in a summer move for Atalanta striker Duvan Zapata, according to a recent report.

The Lowdown: Everton missed out in January

The Toffees were linked with a move for the Colombian in the January transfer window, with Fabrizio Romano confirming that talks were held, but the two clubs could not reach an agreement.

Everton wanted to bring in the striker on an initial loan with an option to buy, but Atalanta insisted that the deal was permanent, so no agreement came to fruition.

The 31-year-old will have just one year left on his contract at the end of the season, and a move to Goodison Park could still be on the cards…

The Latest: Everton still interested in Zapata…

According to reports from Colombia (via Sport Witness), Everton are still in the mix to sign the forward in the summer despite missing out in January, although there is also interest from elsewhere.

The Atalanta player may be tempted to remain in Serie A amid interest from Torino and Fiorentina, but a move to Merseyside is a possibility, should Sean Dyche’s team avoid relegation.

The Verdict: Get it done?

Hailed by commentator Matteo Bonetti as a ‘freight train of a striker’ who is ‘excellent in the air’, the marksman has a very impressive scoring record with his current club, netting 80 times in 179 appearances while also claiming 42 assists.

The 34-cap Colombia international not only excels in aerial situations, he is also very good at crafting opportunities which lead to attempts on goal, as indicated by his ranking in the 93rd percentile for shot-creating actions per 90 in the past year.

That said, the former Napoli man is starting to show his age, scoring just once in Serie A all season, having become more of an impact player rather than a regular starter.

As such, Everton should continue to monitor Zapata for the remainder of the campaign, and if his form improves, there are plenty of signs that he would be an astute signing in the summer, especially given the Toffees’ current lack of a potent finisher.

Tottenham Hotspur could have unearthed Harry Kane’s true heir in January.

The Lilywhites’ academy setup is blessed with talent, particularly of an attacking nature, with the likes of Dane Scarlett and Troy Parrot both mooted to be long-term successors of the England talisman.

Both are certainly following in the 29-year-old’s footsteps by going out on loan lower down in the English football pyramid as his stints at Leyton Orient, Millwall, Leicester City and Norwich City were the perfect blueprint for the player he’s become today.

Jude Soonsup-Bell, a late acquisition in the recent transfer window, could throw in a curveball to the future plans of the aforementioned academy duo and any others dreaming of one day replacing the vice-captain.

The 19-year-old has joined from Premier League rivals Chelsea on a deal until 2025.

Soonsup-Bell has been a prolific marksman at youth level, bagging 23 goals in 25 games for the Blues’ U18 setup, whilst he became the first Chelsea player to bag four goals in one FA Youth Cup game in 59 years back in November 2020.

He’s a prospect that is thought to be very “highly-rated” – according to Spurs expert and insider John Wenham, who waxed lyrical about sporting director Fabio Paratici’s decision to sign him to Football Insider.

“I know a bit more about this guy than most, I have seen him come and play at Hotspur Way as part of Chelsea’s academy a few times. I would go as far as to say he is the most highly-rated academy forward in England, very exciting,” he said.

Others have also hailed Soonsup-Bell as an immense talent with bags of potential, with his former U18 boss Ed Brand once claiming to the club’s official website:

“Jude is a top goalscorer. He showed great composure to get the ball out of his feet and finish well when he got his chance. He is a fantastic player at this level and he should be really proud.”

With the teenage sensation likely to go out on loan next season, he could well be the latest challenger for Kane’s throne and given the England U19 international’s form and the fanfare around his talent, he may prove to be the true heir apparent over someone like Scarlett – all thanks to Paratici’s winter coup.

AND in other news, Levy could keep Conte at Spurs with swoop for £54m “phenomenon”, he’s a “top” summer target…

Leeds United have been ‘in talks’ over a possible move for January transfer target Azzedine Ounahi , according to a claim from journalist Pete O’Rourke.

The Lowdown: Ounahi on Leeds’ radar

The Angers midfielder was a standout player in the Morocco team who sensationally reached the World Cup semi-finals last month, being named in ESPN writer Mark Ogden’s team of the tournament in Qatar.

The 22-year-old has unsurprisingly found himself the subject of intense transfer speculation following on from those exploits, with Leeds at the forefront of the rumours.

90min reported earlier this week that the Whites had submitted an increased offer believed to be €25m (£22m), and O’Rourke has claimed that Victor Orta and co have been in negotiations over a possible Elland Road move for Ounahi.

The Latest: Leeds ‘in talks’ over Ounahi move

The journalist was speaking with GIVEMESPORT to share the latest on Leeds’ pursuit of the Moroccan, who is valued at €30m (£26.3m) by his club, and he believes that the Whites will need a ‘big-money offer’ to tempt Angers into selling the midfielder.

O’Rourke stated: “I think it’ll have to be a big deal. They’ve been in talks over a possible move but have been unable to agree any fee with Angers right now.

“Obviously, Angers are going to be looking for a big-money offer considering how well the player performed for Morocco at the World Cup, so that will raise his price tag and also other clubs interested in his services, with Napoli keen to do a deal.”

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The Verdict: Value for money?

When reflecting on Ounahi’s performance metrics in comparison to Leeds’ current midfielders, it comes as no surprise that Jesse Marsch wants the Moroccan at Elland Road.

The 22-year-old boasts a WhoScored rating of 6.72 so far this season, which would put him fifth in the Whites’ squad and superior to every midfielder currently at Marsch’s disposal.

Ounahi could improve Leeds’ attacking intent significantly, with his match average of 2.6 dribbles per game double that of Jack Harrison, the Whites’ best performer in that regard, and placing him in the top 1% of positional peers for dribble completion among midfielders in Europe’s top five leagues over the past 12 months.

The only question is whether Leeds can afford to match or exceed Angers’ reported valuation this month, given that they have only recently spent a club-record £36m fee to land Georginio Rutter from Hoffenheim.

Spending big on Ounahi could be a case of speculating to accumulate, but they also need to ask themselves whether an outlay of £26m+ would represent value for money when the possibility of relegation from the Premier League this year cannot yet be discounted.

Arsenal are confident of securing a deal to bring Mykhailo Mudryk to the Premier League in the January transfer window.

What’s the latest?

That’s according to Fabrizio Romano, with the transfer insider revealing in a recent interview with GIVEMESPORT that, despite recent reports claiming that Shakhtar Donetsk are yet to respond to Arsenal’s latest £62m bid for the 22-year-old winger, Mikel Arteta and Edu are optimistic of getting a deal over the line for the Ukraine international this month.

Regarding the club’s pursuit of the forward, the Italian journalist said: “We can confirm that Arsenal are confident and optimistic. They feel they can sign the player before the end of the window, but at the moment, it is not close to being completed yet.”

“Unreal”

Considering the generational talent Mudryk very much appears to be, it is not difficult to understand why both Arteta and Edu would be interested in a deal to bring the attacker to The Emirates this winter, as the 22-year-old would undoubtedly make an unreal addition to the Spanish manager’s current wide attacking options in north London.

Indeed, after scoring two goals and registering seven assists over just 11 Premier Liga fixtures last season, the £35m-rated talent has once again been in breathtaking form over his 12 league appearances this term, having already bagged seven goals and provided a further six assists – averaging a direct goal involvement every 70 minutes of domestic football played in 2022/23.

However, it was undoubtedly his performances over his six Champions League outings this season that most caught the eye, with the winger scoring three goals – outperforming his xG of 1.11 – registering two assists and creating one big chance, in addition to taking an average of 1.5 shots – one of which hit the target – making 0.8 key passes and completing 1.7 dribbles per game.

To put these metrics into context, based solely on his 516 minutes played in the Champions League in 2022/23, FBref currently rank Mudryk in the top 1% of midfielders in Europe’s big five leagues for non-penalty goals per 90, as well as the top 2% for assists, the top 3% for dribbles completed, the top 7% for touches in the opposition penalty area and the top 16% for shots.

Rather understandably, these returns have seen the eight-cap international earn a considerable amount of praise from the press, with Jack Collins dubbing the forward an “absolutely unreal” talent and Josh Bunting labelling the Ukrainian a “frightening” player, while Shakhtar’s director of football, Darijo Srna, also said of the winger in an interview with Marca last year:

“Mudryk is better than all the Brazilians we have had so far. It’s not demagogy. I’ve been playing football all my life and I would dare to say that he is the best player in Europe in his position behind [Kylian] Mbappe, Neymar and Vinicius [Jr]. If he had a Brazilian passport he would be worth €100m (£88.5m). If someone wants him, they will have to pay a lot of money.”

As such, should Edu indeed manage to get a deal for the 22-year-old – who has reportedly been offered a €7.5m (£6.6m) salary at The Emirates, roughly £127k-per-week – over the line this winter, it would indeed appear as if the Brazilian would have sealed an absolutely unreal signing for the Gunners – as based on his numbers so far, Mudryk is very much a once in a generation level talent.

Glasgow Rangers have reportedly scouted central defender Dion Sanderson ahead of a potential move to Ibrox.

The Lowdown: ‘Magnificent’ season

Sanderson is enjoying a ‘magnificent’ season on loan at Birmingham City so far, according to his manager John Eustace, who claimed that he is a ‘Premier League centre-half’ playing in the Championship.

The Englishman is ranking highly among his team-mates for aerial duels won and average tackles, clearances, interceptions and blocks per game (WhoScored), and could now be on the move again.

The Latest: Rangers scout Sanderson

As per Football Scotland, Sanderson does not have a January recall option at Wolves, meaning that Birmingham would have to allow any potential sale to the Gers.

He is a target for them in this window, with scout John Park having been sent to watch him recently.

Wolves are looking for a transfer fee in the region of £3m to sell Sanderson, as Michael Beale is on the lookout for defensive cover with Filip Helander expected to leave following a long-term injury.

The Verdict: Get it done

Sanderson would certainly be a smart signing by the Teddy Bears considering the injury problems that they have had at the back this campaign.

Hailed as a ‘Rolls Royce’ of a defender by now Hibernian manager Lee Johnson when he and the player were together at Sunderland, the six-foot-two colossus boasts plenty of experience in English football at the tender age of just 23.

Like John Lundstram and Tom Lawrence among others, Sanderson is capable of making the switch to the Scottish Premiership, and £3m should be an affordable price for Rangers.

The January transfer window is only a matter of weeks away from opening for business and Aston Villa may be one of the clubs in the market to strengthen their squad.

Unai Emery has arrived from Villarreal and next month will be his first opportunity to bring players through the door in order to stamp his own mark on the side.

This means that the Villans could be busy throughout the window in an attempt to give the Spaniard everything that he needs to enjoy a successful second half of the season, and beyond.

The arrival of new players could also mean that underperforming players lose their place in the squad and have to be moved on, or shifted into a reserve role.

One man who could be on the chopping block is Jamaica international Leon Bailey. The 25-year-old has struggled to produce in the final third since making the move from Bayer Leverkusen in the summer of 2021 and Emery could replace him by signing a new winger.

Bailey has registered just four goals and provided only three assists in 32 Premier League outings for Villa since the start of the 2021/22 campaign.

He has averaged a Sofascore rating of 6.75 or lower in that time and Emery must now ditch the underperforming dud by swooping for Ismaila Sarr from Watford.

Villa agreed a £25m deal with the Championship side in the summer but were unable to finalise the move and the Spanish head coach must now pick up from where Steven Gerrard left off to revive the transfer in January.

Sarr’s form at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar suggests that he could be a terrific signing for the Villans and an upgrade on Bailey, as he caught the eye for Senegal during their run to the last 16.

His country were knocked out by England on Sunday night but the 24-year-old winger was superb across his four appearances in the competition.

As per Sofascore, he scored one goal, completed a whopping nine dribbles, and created six chances for his teammates, whilst winning 66% of his individual duels.

These statistics show that he was a wizard on the ball and held his own from a physical perspective, as he danced around opposition defenders and opened up space for his teammates to go along with his strong defensive work to help out his full-back.

Sarr, who scored five goals and created five ‘big chances’ in 21 Premier League starts last season, averaged a Sofascore rating of 7.10 at the World Cup and no Senegal player managed a higher rating, which indicates that he was the top performer for his country in Qatar.

Therefore, the Watford man – who has been dubbed an “unbelievable talent” by the Guardian’s Ed Aarons – could be an excellent signing for Villa as he is coming into January off the back of an impressive tournament and should be high on confidence after showing the world that he can compete at the top level.

Bringing him in would then allow Emery to ditch Bailey and unleash Sarr on the wing for the Villans in the second half of the campaign.

Newcastle United need to ‘break the budget’ if they want any chance at signing Shakhtar Donetsk forward Mykhaylo Mudryk, according to former BBC pundit Noel Whelan.

The Lowdown: PIF give the green light

The Magpies are reportedly in the process of laying the foundations of a deal for the 21-year-old after being given the green light by PIF, though his club chief Dario Srna has stated that he will cost at least €100m (£87.5m).

During a recent interview with Sport Arena, the winger admitted that it was his dream to play in the Premier League, but feels that a move will be difficult to secure given the price tag put on his head.

The Latest: Whelan’s comments

Speaking to Football Insider, Whelan claimed that Eddie Howe’s side need to splash the cash in January or risk losing out on Mudryk to their fellow competitors for good. He said:

“Newcastle are in a really good position and they’re ahead of schedule in that project right now.

“But January is a notoriously difficult window to get transfers done. Shakhtar hold all the cards right now.

“If you desperately want him and need him, then Newcastle have to be prepared to break the budget.

“That’s what the January window is. You’re paying above and beyond, but if you’re serious about finishing in the top four – it could be worth it.

“If you leave it, he could go somewhere else.

“To get in there first and in January, I think Newcastle will have to cave to those demands.”

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The Verdict: Ritchie replacement

Mudryk has been dubbed the ‘Ukrainian Neymar’ by Jacek Kulig, and looking at his numbers for Shakhtar in 2022/23, this is a deal well worth completing.

The Krasnohrad native has scored nine goals and provided eight assists in 17 appearances across all competitions so far this season, and has the versatility to operate on both flanks (Transfermarkt).

Matt Ritchie is believed to be leaving the northeast next year, so Mudryk would be the perfect replacement to have on the books at St. James’ Park.

Newcastle United are currently flying high following what’s been a remarkable start to the season thus far, although that has not stopped talk of the Magpies potentially bolstering their ranks in the near future, with further quality depth needed to help maintain their current top-four surge.

Recent speculation has suggested that one player who could be of interest to the northeast side is Velez Sarsfield teenager, Maximo Perrone, with the 19-year-old having caught the eye of late as a result of his displays in his native Argentina.

According to reports in the youngster’s homeland – via Sports Witness – the St James’ Park outfit are said to be readying an offer of around €10m (£9m) in order to land the promising midfielder, with the player’s existing deal at his current side set to expire in December 2023.

While something of an unknown quantity to most on these shores, the exciting talent has been attracting attention as a result of his recent displays, having scored three goals and registered two assists in 33 games from his defensive midfield berth at senior level.

Although still somewhat inexperienced in the first-team set-up, the Argentina U20 international has been tipped for big things over the past few years, with former Sarsfield boss Gabriel Heinze stating in 2020 that the club had a “spectacular” asset on their hands in the form of Perrone.

The teen sensation – who was also believed to be attracting interest from Manchester City earlier this year – appears to have the quality to be a success in English football if he is to join Eddie Howe’s side any time soon, with GOAL notably writing of his talents:

‘Tall, left-footed and able to combine positional intelligence and tough tackling with extreme comfort when in possession, Perrone is every bit the modern-day midfielder, while his past life as a forward player means that he has also been able to chip in with some key goals over the course of the campaign.’

The hope would be that the Buenos Aires-born playmaker could form a spectacular midfield partnership with current Newcastle star and fellow South American, Bruno Guimaraes, with the Brazilian ace having shone at the club since his January arrival from Ligue 1 side, Lyon.

Like Perrone, the 24-year-old also has an eye for goal from his midfield role in front of the back four, having scored eight times and provided three assists in just 29 Premier League games to date.

Although such form has unsurprisingly seen the eight-cap ace tipped for a move elsewhere – namely to potentially join La Liga giants Real Madrid – in the short-term Guimaraes could well be the ideal man to help guide the young Argentine, should he make the switch to England.

Having two such talented and dynamic assets dovetailing in the centre of the park could be a hugely exciting prospect as far as Newcastle are concerned.

West Ham United made some excellent signings during the summer transfer window. David Moyes brought in the likes of Nayef Aguerd, Lucas Paqueta, and Gianluca Scamacca to the club and they all have the potential to shine in the Premier League.

However, arguably his greatest piece of business wasn’t an incoming, but rather selling a player who had underperformed during his time at the club and getting him off the wage bill…

Moyes did well to sell Diop

The Scot was able to sell Issa Diop to Fulham for a transfer fee of £15m in August, which represented a loss of £7m, as the club brought him to England in 2018 for £22m, which was a club record at the time.

It’s safe to say the Frenchman’s spell in the Premier League with the Hammers was underwhelming, despite early praise from then Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho, who dubbed Diop as a “monster” in his first season.

He made 121 appearances for West Ham in his four-year spell, with the majority coming in his first two seasons.

The last two campaigns saw his game time limited, featuring just 47 times under Moyes. In 13 league matches last season, Diop averaged a rating of just 6.69, with the club keeping just two clean sheets in those games.

The 25-year-old won just over half of his total duels (51%) and made just 0.8 tackles per match, ranking him at a lowly 12th in the West Ham squad.

Over the course of his four-year spell, a total of 216 weeks, the £67k-per-week defender cost GSB a total of £36m (£22m transfer fee plus £14m in wages) and this might have been better off spent on someone else.

Moyes pulled off a masterstroke getting £15m for the player in the summer, and this allowed the Scot to sign Paris Saint-Germain centre-back Thilo Kehrer for just £10.1m, and this has proved to be a popular decision.

The Scot appears to be more astute in the transfer market than Manuel Pellegrini, who signed Diop, and getting rid of the Frenchman might be one of his finest deals yet.