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Leeds United and Tottenham are interested in Scottish teenager Calvin Ramsay, according to The Daily Record’s Scott Burns.

The Lowdown: Ramsay profiled

Ramsay is just 18 years of age and is primarily a right-back who can also play as a right midfielder.

Contracted until 2024 with Aberdeen, Ramsay is claimed to be “in the elite upper bracket” of his position by Dons chairman Dave Cormack.

He’s made 20 appearances in 2021/22 and has racked up an impressive eight assists, and it seems as if he is a player now on Victor Orta’s radar.

The Latest: Burns’ claim

Reliable reporter Burns shared a story late on Wednesday evening, leading with a title that Leeds and Spurs ‘ramp up interest’ in Ramsay.

It is believed that scouts from both sides were at Pittodrie on Tuesday to watch Ramsay against Rangers, joining officials from Leicester City, Manchester United and Southampton.

The Verdict: Drameh replacement?

Leeds youngster Cody Drameh has recently moved to Cardiff City for the second half of the season, a decision Marcelo Bielsa wasn’t exactly thrilled about.

The youngster pushed for a loan to the Championship side, and should Bielsa remain in charge next season, there may well be no place for the youngster following his recent decision.

So, bringing in Ramsay, who is clearly a future star and is already impressing on the first-team stage, could be a wise move. Leeds could find that difficult, though, with a number of top Premier League sides also keen.

In other news: Leeds now want ‘lively’ speedster as well as Aaronson; he wants a Ballon d’Or within 3 years. 

Wolverhampton Wanderers winger Adama Traore could be on his way out of Molineux this January.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a claim made by Luke Hatfield, with the Express & Star journalist stating in a recent interview with GIVEMESPORT that, with contract talks between the 25-year-old and Jeff Shi remaining at a stalemate, the Spain international looks as if he could be a player Wolves decide to cash in on in the upcoming transfer window.

Speaking about the future of Traore, Hatfield said: “For me, I think it’s one where, in the summer, we probably look and wonder whether he’s going to be off. January might be an option as well.”

Shi must act

While it is undeniable that Traore has been a crucially important player for Wolves as they re-established themselves as a Premier League side, with the forward’s contract set to expire at the end of next season, as well as interest reported to be high in his services this January, now would appear to be the perfect time for Shi to make a decision on the 25-year-old.

Indeed, while the £27m-rated man is yet to contribute to a single goal this season, he has nevertheless impressed over his 14 Premier League appearances for Bruno Lage’s side, taking an average of 1.5 shots, making 1.1 key passes and completing a whopping five dribbles per game – by far and away the most of any player in the top flight.

These metrics have seen the £43k-per-week winger average a SofaScore match rating of 7.11, ranking him as Wolves’ second-best performer in the league.

As such, while it may seem slightly unusual to suggest that a team who are pushing for European qualification in the league should sell one of their star players in January, the 25-year-old’s impressive form means that now is very much the optimal moment for Shi to cash in on Traore, as his value is only going to go down as the end of his contract gets closer.

In other news: Lage could transform Wolves with “superb” 21 y/o beast who has “the world at his feet”

Aston Villa have introduced a new manager, with Steven Gerrard joining the club in November, and he will surely be confident going into his first Premier League winter transfer window, making his own mark on the squad.

Gerrard has been in charge of the side for seven games, with four wins for the Villains so far climbing from 16th to 10th since his arrival, and has had the opportunity to work with the current crop of players at Villa Park to determine his next moves in the upcoming transfer window.

He recently spoke to Birmingham Live to offer an insight to his plans for January;

“In terms of the January window, there’s obviously conversations at Villa and there always will be behind the scenes identifying areas where we can improve.”

Time to go

One player who is expected to be axed in the winter transfer window is striker, Wesley Moraes, who has been on loan at Club Brugge for the first half of the season, struggling to make an impact on the Belgian side with no goals or assists in his seven appearances.

The centre forward suffered a horrific ACL injury back in January 2020, when he was playing for Aston Villa, which saw him injured for almost 18 months, making his return in April 2021, and being sent out on loan to Club Brugge a few months later.

He is now linked with a move to one of two Brazilian clubs, Sao Paolo or Internacional, who are both rumoured to be interested in the £35K-p/w gem and it could really be a blessing in disguise for Gerrard, as he will be looking to free up funds so that he can spend on players he wants to add into his Aston Villa team of the future.

Rumours of a replacement

Gabriel Barbosa, better known as Gabigol, has been heavily linked with Aston Villa and a number of other Premier League clubs for that matter, including Newcastle United, West Ham, Arsenal and Everton.

The Flamengo forward has offered a much better output in his most recent season for his club compared to Villa flop, Wesley, with an impressive 29 goals and nine assists in 43 appearances, and has quite rightly grabbed the attention of Premier League clubs desperate to add goals and creativity to their side.

Flamengo legend, Zico, claimed Gabigol “has everything” in an interview: “I think Gabigol has everything to be the greatest striker in Flamengo’s history.”

Reports suggest that the goal machine would costs around £17m, but with the competition so broad across a number of Premier League clubs rumoured to be interested in securing Gabigol’s signature, it could be a battle of the highest bidder.

The Villa boss would surely welcome a striker with the volume of goals Barbosa has scored for his Rio De Janeiro based club at Villa Park, as he continues to attempt to climb the Premier League table in the second half of the season, in the hopes he will be able to repair the damage done before his arrival to the club last month.

In other news: Gerrard dealt a blow in securing transfer target

Aston Villa are interested in a deal to bring Joe Gomez to Villa Park in the January transfer window.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by The Mirror, who claim that Steven Gerrard is hoping to strike a deal with Liverpool regarding a loan move for the centre-back this winter.

The report goes on to state that the Reds’ £36m summer signing of Ibrahima Konate has knocked the England international down the pecking order at Anfield, something that the 41-year-old Villa boss is attempting to take advantage of.

However, it is also claimed that Jurgen Klopp will not have forgotten the defensive injury crisis his side suffered last season, something which could see the German block Gerrard’s potential move for the 24-year-old.

Gerrard’s dream deal

While things appear to be very much on the up at Villa Park under the new leadership of Gerrard, with Villa having won both of their fixtures since the 41-year-old’s appointment at the club earlier this month, it is undeniable that, should the club wish to mount a serious charge towards the top end of the Premier League table, they must strengthen in the January window.

And, considering the fact that Villa have already shipped 21 goals over their 13 top-flight fixtures in the current campaign, centre-back would certainly appear to be a position that is in more urgent need of winter reinforcements.

As such, while it is true that Gomez has not featured all that much for Liverpool this season, featuring just seven times in all competitions for the Reds, the defender has nevertheless proven in the past that he would make a fantastic addition to Gerrard’s options in the heart of defence.

Indeed, over his 28 Premier League appearances back in 2019/20, the £27m-rated man helped his side keep 12 clean sheets, as well as making an average of 1.4 interceptions, 0.8 tackles, 2.1 clearances and winning four duels per game.

These returns saw the £75k-per-week centre-back earn a seasonal SofaScore match rating of 6.92, ranking him as Liverpool’s 13th-best performer in their title-winning campaign.

Furthermore, Klopp is clearly an enormous fan of the 24-year-old, with the German coach stating of Gomez back in 2020: “Since he is playing as a centre-half again – his natural position – together with [Virgil van Dijk] there is exceptional. He is a sensational footballer, which is good.

“He has outstanding speed, which helps us a lot to keep our last line high; he is a really good challenger; good in one-on-one situations; football-wise, I said already, good. The package is really nice.”

As such, it would indeed appear highly advisable for Nassef Sawiris and Wes Edens to do all they can to secure a deal for the 11-cap England international in January, as not only would Gomez appear to be a dream upgrade on Villa’s current options in the position, he could also help replace the potentially outgoing Tyrone Mings – who has been heavily linked with a move to Newcastle United this winter.

In other news: Hatfield drops AVFC January transfer claim which will be music to the ears of fans

‘Several’ Premier League clubs will be keen on Rangers star Ryan Kent, journalist Pete O’Rourke has claimed. 

The lowdown

Former Rangers boss Steven Gerrard reportedly wants to make Kent the first signing of his tenure at Aston Villa and is clearly a huge admirer of the winger, having dubbed him ‘top class’ during his time in Glasgow.

Meanwhile, Leeds United have ‘long been admirers’ of the winger and failed in an attempt to sign him last summer.

The former Liverpool man is in the penultimate season of his £18,000-per-week contract at Ibrox.

Transfermarkt value the 25-year-old at £12.6million.

The latest

Speaking to Give Me Sport, O’Rourke warned Rangers fans to brace themselves for significant interest in Kent.

“I think that Kent will definitely be a target for several clubs in the Premier League,” he said.

The verdict

Losing Kent would be a bitter blow for Rangers. Since he joined the club, he’s scored 28 goals and provided 34 assists in 143 appearances – a direct goal contribution every 2.3 matches on average.

This season, he’s started every Scottish Premiership game for which he was available.

He’s averaged a WhoScored rating of 7.25 in those games, ranking him as the fourth best player in Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s squad.

What’s more, he may not be the only high-profile departure in the near future. Connor Goldson and Leon Balogun are out of contract in 2022, while Morelos and Aribo are only committed until 2023, so news of interest in Kent is the last thing fans need.

In other news, Noel Whelan is worried by this Ibrox source reveal.

Leeds Live’s Beren Cross has revealed what he’s seen at Leeds United amid the club’s tough start to the Premier League season.

What’s the story?

The Whites find themselves nine games into the top-flight campaign and with just one win to their name, and were recently knocked out of the Carabao Cup at the fourth round stage on Tuesday night.

And now, during a Q&A for Leeds Live, Cross responded to a fan’s question about how the Leeds squad are coping mentally and how they might look to address that behind-the-scenes.

He said: “I would refuse to believe psychology was not playing a part because the team is made up of human beings after all. They’re not footballing robots, so you have to believe every result and every training session will have some sway on how they then read in-match situations on a Saturday.

“The noises from the club would suggest the squad retains plenty of confidence in its own ability and capacity to get back to the levels of last season, but on an individual basis I would be surprised if none of the players had seen their confidence knocked by the opening weeks of the season.

“Bielsa is very aware of this stuff too. He constantly speaks about the players as human beings and the importance of understanding every factor which will determine their performances in a match, whether those factors are on or off the field. Before the Wolves game, he spoke at length about mentality and responding to bad performances like those at Southampton. The club will be on top of factors like psychological performance.”

All eyes on Bielsa

Naturally, when you pick up just one win all season in the Premier League, the confidence levels are hardly going to be through the roof.

The Whites find themselves in their most difficult run of form since their return back to the top-flight last summer, and face an absolutely crunch fixture against fellow struggles Norwich City this weekend.

That game already looks like a potentially season-defining moment for both Leeds and Bielsa himself, and a defeat there would be almost unthinkable.

The return to fitness of the likes of Kalvin Phillips, Raphinha and Patrick Bamford in particular can’t come soon enough for the Leeds boss, but it’s certainly a concern for the club’s fans at how low the morale must be right now.

Meanwhile, Adam Pope has dropped a hugely encouraging Leeds United update…

Aston Villa are considering a move to appoint Roberto Martinez as Dean Smith’s successor at Villa Park.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a claim made by Rob Dorsett, with the journalist revealing on Sky Sports that the Belgium manager is one of the leading candidates to take over the vacant managerial position at Aston Villa following Dean Smith’s sacking last weekend.

Dorsett continued to claim that the 48-year-old coach would be open to a return to the Premier League, as well as suggesting that Martinez’s attacking brand of football would make him a popular choice amongst Villa fans.

In his comments, the journalist said: “I can tell you that Roberto Martinez and Steven Gerrard are two very strong candidates that are on Aston Villa’s shortlist of possible candidates to replace Dean Smith.

“The information I have with regards to Roberto Martinez is that he is potentially open to the possibility of a return back to the Premier League as a manager.

“You can understand why Villa would want him, especially with the style of play that he has – the attacking football that he plays would be popular with the Villa support you sense.”

“Popular” choice for fans

Considering the fact that Martinez has, by and large, done relatively well at every club side he has managed, in addition to a very impressive job with the Belgium national team, Dorsett’s suggestion that fans would be buzzing about the 48-year-old’s appointment may not be too far wide of the mark.

Indeed, after guiding Swansea City to the League One title in just his second season in management, the Spaniard then secured a mid-table finish with the Swans in the following campaign, before moving on to Wigan Athletic in 2009/10.

At the DW Stadium, Martinez rather miraculously kept the Latics in the Premier League for three consecutive seasons, earning plaudits for his free-flowing and attacking brand of football along the way, before the club eventually succumbed to relegation during his fourth campaign in charge.

However, the Spaniard’s performance at Wigan quite clearly impressed the Everton board, who handed the coach a four-year deal at Goodison Park in the summer of 2013.

And, in his first season at the club, Martinez masterminded a highly impressive fifth-place finish with the Toffees, although, subsequent 11th and 12th place finishes in 2014/15 and 2015/16 respectively ultimately saw the 48-year-old leave the club in 2016.

Somewhat surprisingly, Martinez was then appointed as the Belgium national team boss, with whom he has reached the semi-final of the 2018 World Cup, losing 1-0 to eventual winners France, and the quarter-final of Euro 2020, once again narrowly losing to eventual champions Italy.

As such, considering his experience of both Premier League and international football, perhaps Martinez would indeed be a decent choice for the Aston Villa job, as the Spaniard has proven he is capable of both keeping a team in the top flight as well as challenging for Europe, something which would fit Villa’s brief rather well considering their current predicament.

In other news: “Expect him to be interviewed”: Update on AVFC boss hunt emerges, Lange would love him

West Bromwich Albion’s transfer business in recent years has been far from exemplary, but there’s one deal for which the club’s hierarchy will gain praise for many years to come.

Back in the summer of 2015, the Midlands outfit turned down multiple bids for star striker Saido Berahino after the youngster had bagged an incredible 20 goals in all competitions throughout the previous campaign.

Fellow Premier League outfit Tottenham Hotspur were desperate to secure the forward’s signature in the run-up to the August deadline, but no deal could be agreed between the two clubs.

Berahino, who had cost West Brom nothing in transfer fees having come up through the youth academy, reacted badly after learning that his dream move had been blocked, tweeting that would never play for chairman Jeremy Peace again before going on strike.

Tony Pulis was appointed as the Baggies’ new manager midway through the speedster’s breakthrough season at The Hawthorns and attempted to bring him back into the fold before slowly losing patience.

The Welsh tactician later claimed that Berahino’s fitness and mental levels were not right after West Brom managed to secure a very healthy £12.51m fee for his services courtesy of Stoke City in January 2017. 

It was later reported that the Burundi international served an eight-week FA suspension at the end of his time at The Hawthorns for failing a drugs test, capping off a terrible final few years at his boyhood club. 

Berahino’s career offered so much promise in its early stages, with 10 goals in just 11 outings for England’s under-21s illustrating his truly top-class potential, but several bad decisions in a short space of time ensured that he never reached the heights which once seemed inevitable.

It took him 35 appearances to register his first goal at Stoke, by which time they had been relegated from the Premier League, and he would score just four more goals for the club before being released in June 2019, a month after being convicted for drink driving.

The now 28-year-old spent time in Belgium following his Stoke exit, featuring for Zulte Waregem and RSC Charleroi, before returning to English shores with League One outfit Sheffield Wednesday over the summer.

However, he has never shown the form which almost earned him a move to Spurs six years ago, proving that West Brom struck gold over his transfer by earning themselves a sizeable fee for a player who was already in decline.

In other news… Signed for free, now worth £6.3m: West Brom struck gold over “special” maestro

Taking to Twitter, reporter Ekrem Konur has lifted the lid on an exciting development out of Parkhead involving Celtic defender Anthony Ralston.

The Lowdown: Ralston impresses…

It’s safe to say the Hoops hot shot has enjoyed a fine start to 2021/2022 and is turning many heads.

Indeed, the 22-year-old has been praised for his resurgence after being out for a while and it appears Ralston has been one of Celtic’s more impressive players.

Starting seven SPFL matches already, his two goals and an assist from out wide, as well as a strike in the Europa League, highlight just how brilliant he has been considering he is a right-back (WhoScored).

The Latest: Konur drops exciting claim…

As per Konur, an exciting Ralston development has now come out of Parkhead.

The journalist says Celtic are now in negotiations to extend his current deal as Ange eyes a contract boost for his new club.

“Celtic have begun talks to extend Anthony Ralston’s contract,” he explained on social media.

The Verdict: Boost for the Bhoys incoming?

Depending on developments, Ralston potentially signing a new deal will come as a further boost for Ange amid reports of some serious moves in the transfer market ahead of January.

If the Hoops are to regain dominance of the SPFL from arch rivals Rangers, they will need all the help they can get in future seasons and Ralston may well play a big part.

In other news: Celtic ‘step up efforts’ to sign ‘another’ star for Ange in ‘stone cold killer’, find out more here.

Manchester United host West Ham United in the third round of the Carabao Cup on Wednesday evening, and manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has some big selection calls to make.

The Norwegian tactician has seen his side pick up 13 points from a possible 15 while on Premier League duties in the opening weeks of the new season, but a defeat to Young Boys in Europe has undermined their promising start.

Nevertheless, there’s been plenty of positives for the Red Devils too. Cristiano Ronaldo has bagged four goals in three games since returning to the club, summer signing Raphael Varane has made a very promising start to life in Manchester, and David de Gea has been rolling back the years in goal.

But arguably the most surprising aspect of United’s success is how Jesse Lingard has carried his outstanding form into 2021/22.

The 28-year-old massively struggled to produce positive displays for the Red Devils following the 2018 World Cup and scored just one top-flight goal in the entirety of 2019/20.

After failing to make a league appearance in the first half of last season, Lingard joined West Ham on loan last January and resurrected his career in emphatic fashion, bagging nine goals and providing five assists in just 16 appearances for the capital club.

There was much talk of Lingard leaving his boyhood club on a permanent basis over the summer after he entered the final year of his current contract, but Solskjaer decided to keep hold of the versatile forward, and now he’s being rewarded for doing just that.

In just 45 minutes of Premier League action, the England international has got on the scoresheet on two occasions, securing all three points for United against the Hammers with a stunning last-minute strike over the weekend.

And now the time has come for Lingard to be thrown in from the off, allowing him an opportunity to showcase his true ability in front of a packed Old Trafford.

With Marcus Rashford still injured, Edinson Cavani not yet at full fitness, Jadon Sancho still acclimatising to his new surroundings and Anthony Martial struggling for form, Lingard could be the main attacking threat in midweek for the 20-time English champions.

The £19.8m-rated wizard was labelled “outstanding” after firing the Hammers to sixth place last term, but now he must show he’s worthy of a place in Manchester United’s starting lineup against the east London outfit; Solskjaer just needs to give him the chance to do just that.

And, in other news…Murtough must seal MUFC move for “phenomenal” £49.5m-rated maestro, Ole would love him