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So far this season, West Brom have won ten of their 21 Championship games under manager Valerien Ismael, drawing seven and losing four along the way, placing them in third place in the league table behind Fulham and AFC Bournemouth.

With the January transfer window around the corner, it seems as though Albion could be set to do some business as they prepare for their promotion charge in the second half of the campaign and attempt to close the gap between the two clubs ahead of them.

What’s the news?

Journalist Alan Nixon recently shared a post on his official Twitter page claiming that on-loan Baggies striker Jordan Hugill will return to his parent club Norwich City in January.

He stated: “Forest. Front of the queue for young Norwich striker Idah. Should be loaned out … Canaries to have Hugill back from West Brom to fill that hole…”

Given how the striker has only managed to score one goal for the Baggies in the Championship since arriving back in August, it feels like it could be a case of West Brom wanting him gone rather than Norwich being desperate to have him back, even though they haven’t exactly been particularly potent in front of goal this season with just eight scored in 15 Premier League games.

With 17 league appearances for the Baggies under his belt this season, it’s not as if Ismael hasn’t given the 29-year-old ample opportunities to prove himself as a useful goalscorer for the team since he’s been there either.

In those games, Hugill has only managed to rack up an average of 0.3 shots on target per game with 0.3 key passes per game, highlighting just how ineffective he’s been for the Baggies. It’s sage to say his loan deal hasn’t really exactly worked out in the way that all parties would have presumably hoped it would have back in August.

Taking this into account, it would be safe to assume that the West Brom fans will not have been pleased with Hugill’s time at the club so far and thus, would be buzzing to see the back of him in January.

If the striker does return to Norwich in January and calls his spell at West Brom to an end, the Midlands club should definitely try and find a suitable replacement for the striker that could come in and hopefully have more of an attacking impact on the team. Judging by his numbers, that shouldn’t be too hard.

In other news: Val could kickstart WBA’s promotion push with move for “invaluable” 59-goal monster – opinion

As per Spanish outlet Super Deporte, Manchester City are interested in signing Barcelona central defender Ronald Araujo in the upcoming summer transfer window.

The lowdown: Best laid plans…

Despite the ongoing pursuit of three possible trophies, it would appear that City, and in particular director of football Txiki Begiristain, are already hard at work planning the summer spending.

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The Sky Blues have of course been strongly tipped to sign Erling Haaland and have now become the latest club to be linked with the 23-year-old Barcelona defender as fresh contract talks stutter at Camp Nou.

Out of contract in Spain in 2023 (Transfermarkt), the Catalan giants continue to negotiate with Araujo but interest from City appears to loom large.

The latest: Spanish source shares update…

As per SD, the Citizens ‘want to take advantage’ of the impasse between club and player.

It’s claimed that if no new deal is forthcoming, Barca will be forced to sell the nine-cap Uruguay ace in the summer in order to avoid losing a prized asset for nothing next year.

Whilst there is no mention of a fee for Araujo, the report states that the La Liga club would expect a ‘good amount of money’ for the £36million valued defender.

The verdict: First choice CB partner?

At present, City boss Pep Guardiola boasts impressive strength in depth at centre-back, with one of John Stones or Aymeric Laporte rotating alongside mainstay Ruben Dias.

However, the Spaniard may look to find a settled partner for Dias and having impressed former Etihad favourite Pablo Zabaleta recently, Araujo looks to be a leading candidate for the role.

According to WhoScored, the Uruguayan powerhouse has stacked up impressively when compared to Laporte and Stones this season, winning 1.1 tackles on average per league outing compared to the Frenchman with 1.0 and the Englishman’s lowly 0.3 per match.

At just 23 and already with 117 professional career appearances, adding Araujo to the ranks would be a smart move.

In other news: Man City determined to strengthen one key position …find out more here.

Tottenham Hotspur have submitted a bid for Luis Diaz as they look to bolster Antonio Conte’s attack this January transfer window…

What’s the word?

According to Italian journalist Fabrizio Romano, the north Londoners offered around €40m (£34m) for the FC Porto winger but it’s not going to be enough to tempt them into a sale this month.

The 25-year-old is keen on playing in the Premier League and talks remain ongoing ahead of a potential deal before Monday evening’s deadline.

“Luís Diaz deal. Player and agent side there’s no problem despite rumours, he dreams of PL – Tottenham know that personal terms won’t be an issue.

“€35/40m opening bid is not enough to convince Porto. Talks still on while deal is considered not easy between clubs,” he tweeted.

Added firepower

Conte is desperate to see new additions to his squad this week and Diaz would be quite the coup indeed.

Although the Colombian winger is not in one of his three priority positions – right wing-back, centre-back and striker – he would still be a fine and much-needed acquisition.

Spurs have struggled in attack this season and that’s largely due to the form of Harry Kane, having scored just five goals in 19 league appearances. If he’s out of form, then there is little hope in the final third as he’s their only senior striker.

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Not to mention Heung-min Son’s continued absence through injury.

Last season, the Lilywhites were able to call upon Gareth Bale as a third-string to their attacking bow and whilst he didn’t feature as much as he probably would have liked during that loan spell from Real Madrid, he was still a major influence in the penalty box.

Indeed, the Welsh favourite still hit double figures across all competitions – as per Transfermarkt, Bale scored 16 goals and laid on three assists across 34 appearances, in which only 19 were starts.

He averaged a direct contribution every 87.7 minutes – one goal or assist every game.

Spurs never replaced him during the summer and they are now paying the price for that.

In Diaz, sporting director Fabio Paratici can add another source of firepower to Conte’s attack.

The 31-cap sensation has delivered 16 goals and six assists in only 28 appearances for the Portuguese giants so far this season, and that includes impressive outings in the Champions League, too.

Valued at £36m by Transfermarkt, the 5 foot 10 dynamo has been dubbed a “livewire” in the final third as well as being “phenomenal” by Portuguese football expert Alex Goncalves.

The fact that Premier League rivals Liverpool and Manchester United have also been mooted with interest only further highlights the talent that Diaz has on offer and it means Spurs must make sure they are leading the race to sign him come Monday evening.

Diaz could be a frightening prospect alongside Kane and Son in attack for Conte, so Paratici and co must do everything to pull this one over the line.

AND in other news, Fabrizio Romano reveals Spurs’ first January signing is “advanced”, Conte will be buzzing…

Crystal Palace, Chelsea and Leicester City are all weighing up offers for Ajax midfielder Edson Alvarez.

That’s according to Football Insider, which has led to a number of Eagles fans giving their thoughts to the news on social media.

Alvarez is a holding midfielder who can also line out as a centre-back, and he currently holds a career-high Transfermarkt valuation of £18m. Only Christian Benteke among Palace’s squad can exceed Alvarez’s 3.7 headers per game this season, while his passing success rate of 88% trumps every player at Selhurst Park.

The 24-year-old has been with Ajax since 2019 and has made 84 appearances for the Dutch giants. A Mexico international, Alvarez is seemingly on Palace’s radar, with the club making regular checks on him this season.

Football Insider claim that Ajax are braced for offers from the Premier League trio and face a battle to keep him at the club beyond the end of the January transfer window.

Palace fans react

Both @cpfc_xtra and @CPFCtransfersHQ shared the news regarding Alvarez’s Eagles links on social media. Here is what these Palace supporters had to say in reply, with one labelling a possible move as ‘class’.

“We’re big time under PV”

Credit: @tomjones2610

“Get it done, honestly he’s class”

Credit: @SteYouLater24

“This would be CLASS. I rate him big.”

Credit: @common_wishbone

“Omg Edson is so so good, I’d love him”

Credit: @WardTheGenie

“52 Mexico caps at 24, get the man in”

Credit: @LlLFishy

“Now this would be a great signing but can’t see it happening”

Credit: @mandyswagsta

In other news: ‘I’m honestly surprised’ – Matt Woosnam reacts as ‘great’ off-field news emerges from Palace

Even though Aston Villa may have had a fairly impressive January transfer window in terms of the business they completed throughout the month, it seems as though they’ve now been dealt a blow in their apparent chase to sign one of the Premier League’s most promising young talents.

What’s the latest?

After being linked with a move for Manchester City midfielder James McAtee during the recent January transfer window among many other clubs also vying for his signature, Villa and those other clubs have now been dealt a big blow in their future attempts to sign the 19-year-old.

That’s after he recently put pen to paper on a new long-term deal at the Manchester club on Wednesday evening.

Gerrard gutted

In 81 appearances for City’s youth sides, McAtee has managed to rack up 42 goals and 26 assists, highlighting the clear attacking talents he has and presumably why so many clubs were apparently after him last month.

This also shows how disappointed and gutted Villa manager Steven Gerrard will be at missing out on having a young talent like McAtee in his ranks.

Described as an “intelligent” player in the past by City academy coach Brian Barry-Murphy, he could have been the perfect replacement for current Villa teenager Carney Chukwuemeka with the future of his time at Villa Park in doubt.

Now that the midfielder has pledged his future to the reigning league champions and current leaders until 2026, this could put an end to the possibility of the Midlands side or any other team signing him on a permanent basis in the immediate future.

However, with the teenager only making three senior appearances for Pep Guardiola’s side across all competitions so far this season, all coming from the substitutes bench, there’s every chance that a loan move away where he’d be able to play regular senior minutes would be seen as beneficial for the youngster.

With that in mind, when the next summer transfer window opens, if the Englishman doesn’t manage to break into the City team before then and isn’t likely to get much senior game time, it would definitely be worth seeing if they’d be willing to loan him out to a club like Villa.

In other news: Alan Nixon claims Villa are “going to sign” highly-coveted gem, he’s a “real talent” – opinion

Leeds United could be well-placed to land Sergino Dest from FC Barcelona this summer, sports journalist Pete O’Rourke says. 

The lowdown

TEAMtalk reported at the end of March that Leeds were looking into the possibility of signing Dest.

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The Whites are apparently enthused by the prospect of signing the 21-year-old, confident he would be an ‘excellent addition’ to Jesse Marsch’s squad.

It was only in October 2020 that Dest, who can operate as a right back, right winger and a left back, sealed an £18.9million move from Ajax to Barcelona.

But before he suffered a muscle injury last month, there were signs that he was falling down the pecking order at the Nou Camp.

He’d started 11 of the first 12 La Liga matches under Ronald Koeman, but Xavi had only selected for him for four of the last eight before he sustained the injury (via Transfermarkt).

The latest

Speaking to GiveMeSport, O’Rourke said Leeds, and by extension Whites director Victor Orta, could tap into their existing relationship with Barcelona after they struck a £13.5million deal for Junior Firpo in 2021.

And having Dest’s fellow countryman Marsch in the dugout could also be a significant factor.

“Leeds do seem to have a decent relationship with Barcelona, having signed Junior Firpo in the summer,” he said.

“You can’t rule this one out, especially with the American links.”

The verdict

Dest, who’s scored three goals and provided four assists in 69 appearances for Barcelona and boasts 31 career G/A (11G, 20A), would be some coup for Leeds.

In 2020, he featured in the IFFHS Under-20 Team of the Year alongside the likes of Erling Haaland, Phil Foden and Ansu Fati.

And even if Leeds can’t make a satisfactory offer of their own, a swap deal for the £16.2 million-rated ace could be a possibility.

According to Mundo Deportivo, Barcelona have considered offering Dest to Leeds as part of a move for Raphinha.

Adding a player of the USA international’s ability and potential would surely soften the blow of losing the team’s top goalscorer.

In other news, could Marsch revisit an Orta target Bielsa resisted?

Steven Gerrard has enjoyed his start to life as a Premier League manager after swapping Rangers for Aston Villa last month, with his side winning three of their first four league games under the 41-year-old.

Game number five was a return to Anfield for the former Liverpool captain, for whom the Villa boss made more than 700 appearances as a player.

Despite a resolute performance from the Midlands outfit, the Villans lost out to Jurgen Klopp’s side as Mo Salah’s 67th-minute penalty proved the difference on Saturday. Defensively the visitors looked solid, but one player in particular who stood out was Douglas Luiz.

The 23-year-old was a real presence in the middle of the park for the visitors, completing 84% of his passes as well as having 65 touches. Furthermore, the Brazilian had a 100% long ball accuracy and also completed all of his attempted dribbles whilst winning 75% of his duels.

According to SofaScore, Luiz’s fellow midfielder John McGinn struggled to replicate similar numbers to his teammate. The Scotsman had a 72% passing accuracy whilst also having fewer touches (56).

Moreover, McGinn lost possession 19 times compared to Luiz’s 11, meaning that the 27-year-old lost the ball every 2.9 touches as opposed to every 5.9 touches for the Brazilian.

The Scotsman has been one of Gerrard’s standout performers since the 41-year-old took charge of Villa last month, averaging a performance rating of 7.95 prior to the Liverpool contest, according to SofaScore. However, the midfielder could only manage a 6.3/10 rating against the Reds, making it his worst performance under the new manager by some margin.

As for Luiz, it’s certainly promising to see the Brazilian getting a run of matches under Gerrard after endured a mixed start to the season, missing games against West Ham, Southampton and Brighton.

Alongside McGinn and Marvelous Nakamba, it appears that the 23-year-old is part of the Villa manager’s preferred midfield trio, with that particular combination now starting the last three games. Today’s performance suggests that Luiz is making the most of the chances being handed to him by Gerrard.

In other news: Aston Villa can start January with a bang by signing “unbeatable” £27m-rated machine

Wolves youngster Ki-Jana Hoever will miss his side’s Premier League clash with Newcastle United through injury, according to reliable journalist Tim Spiers.

The Lowdown: Wolves head to Newcastle

Bruno Lage’s side are back in league action on Friday evening, making the trip to St James’ Park to take on a Magpies side who have pulled clear of the relegation zone.

It is another important game for Wolves in their quest to qualify for Europe this season, with victory taking them into seventh place ahead of Manchester United, for the time being at least.

With United playing one match fewer and also heading to out-of-sorts Everton on Saturday, it feels like a must-win game for the Wanderers.

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The Latest: Hoever ruled out

Taking to Twitter, Spiers has confirmed that Hoever will be absent at St James’ Park because of injury, despite returning to training:

“Hoever also trained a bit but he’s not available tomorrow.”

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The Verdict: Blow to squad depth

While any injury is a blow, the absence of Hoever shouldn’t be a huge issue to the first XI, with the 20-year-old only starting four Premier League games this season.

However, with Nelson Semedo fit but perhaps not ready to start after such a long lay-off, it means that Jonny will likely continue at right-back rather than his preferred role, where he has scored in his last two appearances, so it is definitely a hit to the depth at Lage’s disposal.

The hope is that Hoever is back in the near future, however, allowing Jonny to switch back to the left and providing competition for Semedo, giving Lage the flexibility he needs to fire Wolves to a European place.

In other news, Wolves are believed to be in a four-way battle to sign one player. Find out who it is here.

Fabrizio Romano has delivered a major update on Arsenal’s transfer plans…

What’s the word?

According to the Italian journalist, the Gunners will definitely sign a new striker in 2022, whether they are able to this month or will have to wait until the summer still remains to be seen.

“Arsenal are trying to sign [Dusan] Vlahović since October – but Dusan is still planning to leave in summer, not now. Nothing has changed yet. Really complicated negotiation on player/agents side. Many clubs will be in the race in June,” he revealed on Twitter before adding:

“Arsenal have many names in the list for the new striker now or summer. It’s not only Vlahovic. And they will sign an important striker in 2022, for sure.”

Vlahovic seems increasingly unlikely for the north London outfit this month but it’s not all doom and gloom as Romano claims that the club will land a first-team ready forward before the end of the year.

Several intriguing names have been mooted with a move to the Emirates Stadium in recent weeks, ranging from Lille talisman Jonathan David to Everton’s Dominic Calvert-Lewin.

Much-needed addition

This will surely come as music to the ears of manager Mikel Arteta, who will be hugely concerned about his striker department heading into the summer.

That’s because he could quickly be without a senior centre-forward.

Alexandre Lacazette looks destined to leave Arsenal for nothing at the end of the season as his contract comes to an end. There has been little talk on him extending his deal to remain.

Meanwhile, the future of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is perhaps the biggest question mark. He was stripped of the captaincy after a disciplinary breach last month and has not started since the defeat to Manchester United at the start of December.

And now the 31-year-old has been sent home from the Gabon camp at the Africa Cup of Nations due to health complications, only further throwing doubt over his chances of playing for the Gunners ever again.

It also seems unlikely that Eddie Nketiah will want to stick around should he continue to find opportunities hard to come by. He has regularly been linked with top-flight rivals Crystal Palace. Just like Lacazatte, the young striker’s contract is up in the summer.

On the above evidence, it is easy to see why Arteta so badly needs a new forward at some point this year. It would be more beneficial to bring one in this month but that will prove a hard task.

Either way, the Spanish head coach must be buzzing over the thought of signing a new talisman to lead this promising Arsenal squad into the future.

AND in other news, Arsenal could secure Arteta’s perfect Vlahovic alternative in £45m-rated “phenomenon”…

Flocking to Twitter, a number of West Ham fans have reacted furiously to David Moyes’ post-match comments following the Irons’ 3-2 loss to Southampton on Boxing Day.

A late goal by defender Jan Bednarek secured a crucial three points for the Saints in a rare away victory at the London Stadium, seeing the Hammers’ miserable streak of poor results continue over the hectic Christmas schedule.

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Michail Antonio made an instant impact upon being introduced at half-time, equalising just four minutes later. After the Saints retook the lead, Saïd Benrahma levelled the score at 2-2 in the 64th minute, before Bednarek clinched the winner shortly afterwards.

This result meant that the Hammers have secured just five points in their last seven league games, which has duly seen them slip seven points behind Arsenal in fourth.

These West Hams fume over Moyes’ comments

West Ham’s official Twitter channel posted a video of Moyes’ post-match interview. The manager was unimpressed with his side’s performance, saying that “lots of things didn’t go as well as we’d have liked” and that he couldn’t fathom why they were so “flat” in the first half.

A number of Irons fans took to the comments to respond, with many disillusioned with their club’s recent form. Here’s what some of those said:

“We are running on empty and it’s all down to the owners naive reluctance to appropriately balance the squad in the summer and try and play an entire season with no cover in key positions.”

Credit: @W1zardOz

“The contrast between our first choice defence and what Moyes has had available to him for the last month is shocking at this level. The contrast between Cresswell and Masuaku especially.”

Credit: @WestHamJoshV

“Let’s be real, we will be in the bottom half very soon the way our current form is”

Credit: @ellingford_paul

“Just copy and paste the same video for the next few months as well”

Credit: @veryupsetfan

“he says this every time”

Credit: @whujoe

“Moyes, you have had your time, time for a new manager. You served us well, we now require someone who is top of their game. Unfortunately you have nothing further to offer.”

Credit: @PeteWindham

In other news: ‘Yikes’, ‘Such a blow’ – Many West Ham fans left devastated by ‘horrific’ injury news