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Everton have been tipped to make a swoop for a rival midfielder this January, but it’s a move they should absolutely avoid at all costs…

What’s the word?

Speaking to Football Insider, former Villa striker-turned-pundit Kevin Phillips listed Goodison Park as a potential destination for faltering Spurs outcast Harry Winks this winter.

He said: “Someone like an Everton could be good. If they were not to get hold of Isco perhaps Winks could play there. There will be a queue of teams looking to sign Harry Winks if he became available.”

It comes just days after the England midfielder admitted to Sky Sports that his situation in north London was “difficult at the moment” as he’s not starting enough matches ahead of Euro 2020.

Unforgivable mistake?

If the Toffees can’t secure Isco, then they absolutely shouldn’t be looking at Winks to fulfil some sort of creative void as he’s firstly, just not that player whatsoever, and secondly, isn’t likely to be an improvement on say a Tom Davies.

The 24-year-old has played just four Premier League matches this season and has never averaged above 0.6 key passes per game in the top-flight throughout his Spurs career. In fact, he has only assisted two goals ever.

That’s hardly an inspiration that he can be a viable alternative for the playmaking Isco.

Winks may wear the number eight shirt for Spurs but in reality, no one knows what his true midfield position is – is it that no.8 role or is it more as a no.6? This all too similar to that of Davies.

None of the Englishman’s figures across the course of his professional career stand out. At least the Evertonian graduate has contributed to 12 goals in fewer senior appearances.

The €40m-rated (£36m) international, who earns a whopping £75k-per-week in N17, was once dubbed “perfect” by Mauricio Pochettino amid comparisons to Xavi and Andres Iniesta but at this rate, he’s more like to be another Tom Carroll or Tom Huddlestone.

His passenger-like displays in recent months certainly hint towards that being the case.

Marcel Brands should avoid listening to Phillips with every fibre of his being unless he wants to head towards an absolutely unforgivable financial nightmare.

AND in other news, Excitement over £21m Everton signing overstated, claims Gabby Agbonlahor…

Leeds United could be free to strike on one of their long-time transfer targets this January.

According to Football.London, the Whites’ top-flight rivals, Arsenal, have not made contact with Norwich City over a move for their playmaking maestro, Emi Buendia.

They claim that any deal is very much dependant on the Championship outfit, though he is a player that is on their list of potential targets, meaning the Yorkshire giants will have to strike if they are to make amends for missing out on him, not just once, but twice.

Buendia joined the Canaries from right under Leeds’ nose in the summer of 2018 as he enjoyed a breakthrough campaign on loan to Cultural Leonesa, who are affiliated with the Elland Road-based side.

Norwich’s sporting director told the Telegraph about the transfer last year, he revealed: “We literally found him from nowhere. The most interesting part of it is that Buendia was on loan at Cultural Leonesa, who are owned by Leeds. Luckily we got in there under Leeds’ noses.”

While in the latest transfer window, United were linked with a move for the uncapped Argentine once again.

The Athletic’s Phil Hay claimed in June that the club have made an enquiry for Buendia, even if it was “only a small ask,” the intent over a potential swoop was there.

At just 23, he could be a perfect fit for what Marcelo Bielsa is trying to do in Yorkshire.

In the Premier League last season, only Man City sensation Kevin De Bruyne averaged more than Buendia’s 3.3 key passes per 90 minutes whilst only three other players managed to create more chances (the Belgian, Jack Grealish and Trent Alexander-Arnold) yet he finds himself enjoying another campaign in the second-flight.

The attacking midfielder has contributed to seven goals in 11 starts already, recording 3.2 key passes, three shots and 1.3 dribbles per appearance, via WhoScored.

It’s no wonder Canaries boss Daniel Farke once lauded Buendia as a “game-changer” as without him, they may not be sitting at the top of the tree in the Championship.

Orta may well be inclined to pull the trigger on Jack Harrison in January, but first, he should look to make amends to his nightmare over Buendia. It may come at a reported cost of £25m, but a creative player like that needs to be at Leeds in the Premier League.

In fact, both this and last season, the Argentine managed more key passes than Harrison, as per WhoScored. He should be a top priority with Arsenal yet to make contact.

AND in other news, Leeds dodged an almighty bullet in £27m flop this summer…

Crystal Palace midfielder Jairo Riedewald has made such a strong start to the season that Roy Hodgson must recall him to the starting line-up to take on Tottenham Hotspur at Selhurst Park on Sunday afternoon.

Hodgson has no new injury concerns to speak of, which isn’t exactly a bad thing, but this does mean that he faces somewhat of a selection dilemma in the midfield.

Luka Milivojevic and James McArthur started against West Bromwich Albion last weekend as the Eagles cruised to a comfortable 5-1 win over the Baggies at the Hawthorns.

However, Hodgson must resist the temptation to give the club captain a second chance, as he cannot be trusted for the big occasions, whilst McArthur hardly did himself any favours at all with an uncharacteristically lightweight display.

Milivojevic’s ill-discipline can cause a problem, as he has received 35 yellow cards in 126 appearances in the Premier League. Remarkably, he has been sent off just once in the top flight, although he was absent for the entirety of November after Palace lost their appeal against his red card at Wolves.

Instead, Hodgson should seriously consider starting Riedewald, who isn’t afraid of stepping up to the plate, as he played the full 90′ minutes in the first A23 derby of the season.

The 24-year-old initially struggled to make much of an impression upon his arrival at Selhurst Park, but he started in the 4-1 win at home to Leeds United, which is exactly why he must play in the more meaningful games of the campaign, especially when you consider the fact that they conceded just one goal against a side who have scored 17 goals in the Premier League so far this season.

Riedewald could slot into position alongside Cheikou Kouyate in the midfield, who has started ten out of the last eleven games in the centre-back position.

Hodgson himself has heaped praise on the Dutchman, as he described the defensive-minded midfielder as an “intelligent player” who is a “superb professional” after he was called into action for his first game in the first division since April 2018 last season.

Valued at £4m via Transfermarkt, in nine appearances in the top flight this term, the former Netherlands international has scored one goal this season so far, whilst he is averaging 1.4 tackles per game, via WhoScored.

He could play a key part in stopping the free-scoring Harry Kane, who has bagged eight times and ten assists in the Premier League.

Whilst it might seem a little bit harsh to bench Milivojevic, Riedewald lining up against Jose Mourinho’s side may have long-term benefits for Hodgson going forward.

AND in other news, Crystal Palace target Jordan Amavi is the perfect Patrick van Aanholt replacement…

Glasgow Rangers and Steven Gerrard have a lovely little distraction to focus on this Wednesday.

They are currently soaring high, 13 points ahead of Celtic in the race for the SPFL and now they have the opportunity to stamp down their intentions for more silverware.

They take on St Mirren in the Scottish League Cup quarter-final and thus, we could see a number of changes made to the XI. This isn’t an important game but if Rangers really want to dominate then Gerrard still needs to field some of his most experienced and important individuals.

With that in mind, we’re tipping the Light Blues to make as many as five changes to the side that beat Dundee last weekend.

The one enforced change comes up front where Alfredo Morelos will definitely miss the tie.

He was given a yellow card for elbowing Mark Connolly in the win over Dundee but that has since been upgraded to a red. Consequently, he’ll now miss the next two games through suspension.

Therefore, we think that Cedric Itten deserves to lead the line. He has started only four matches since his summer move but netted in the Europa League last week.

There are further changes beside him in attack, one that replicates the forward line we saw against Lech Poznan. Ryan Kent and Kemar Roofe both drop out with Joe Aribo and Ianis Hagi favoured on the flanks.

There is just the one change in midfield where we’re tipping Bongani Zungu to get the nod ahead of Steven Davis. Zungu has just two starts to his name but deserves an opportunity. He started in their last League Cup outing so it wouldn’t be a great surprise to see him come in.

Defensively, we think Gerrard will go with a familiar backline, deciding to only switch up his goalkeeper.

Allan McGregor played against Dundee but with Jon McLaughlin favoured in the previous two games before that, he could start instead.

In other news, Wilson has been given a transfer boost in Rangers’ pursuit of 3-goal gem…

It seems that if you want to invest in a football club in the north-east, it will take a while to wrap up.

Only last summer we saw Newcastle embroiled in takeover frustrations when they witnessed a deal with the Saudi Prince Investment fund fall flat on its face.
Of course, there isn’t quite as much money involved at Sunderland, but because of the size of the club, a deal with willing investors is taking a long time to conclude.
Last month, it was reported that Stewart Donald had agreed to sell Juan Sartori and Kyril Louis-Dreyfus but William Storey insists that he’s in the running too.
In fact, the Rich Energy CEO has been incredibly outspoken about his ploy to buy Sunderland, so much so that he’s already outlined what he wants to do if he walks through the door at the Stadium of Light.
One such plan is investing in Premier League talent, utilising the loan market to bring in a handful of U23 players on low wages.
But how would this be possible? Well, Storey revealed to The Chronicle that he has a rather large phone book.
“What I can say is that I am extremely confident, in fact certain, that we would have an immediate injection of some real quality players and I’m very lucky to have some superb relationships in the Premier League, which is an asset that can be used for the benefit of Sunderland Football Club.”
The Mackems have tried a number of strategies since being relegated from the top-flight and they haven’t particularly come off. Therefore, could the help of Storey be beneficial? Certainly, in terms of the mass contacts he has, it would be.
The businessman has already taken on the might of Red Bull in Formula 1, engaging in a war of words and it’s clear he’s not afraid to upset the apple cart and put his name out there.
Crucially, however, is his cut-throat nature. It’s hard to argue that Donald has been particularly aggressive in the north-east and coming from a non-league background at Eastleigh, he clearly wouldn’t have had too many eye-catching contacts.
That’s different with Storey, someone who insists he knows people in high places. If he does know plenty in the Premier League then achieving promotion back to where they want to be surely becomes easier.
If he secures a deal with Sunderland, Storey simply has to use this strategy. It could well ensure promotion.

AND in other news, Sunderland must SWOOP for dynamo with 13 G/A this term, he plays like Foden…

Crystal Palace have joined the race to land Derby County wonderkid Jason Knight, according to The Daily Mirror.

What’s the word?

Knight, 19, finds himself embroiled in a bidding war as Palace face stiff competition from Premier League rivals Burnley and West Ham.

It’s claimed Roy Hodgson has put the defensive-minded midfielder at the top of his shortlist in the January transfer window despite the fact his contract is set to expire in the summer of 2023 after he signed a new deal with Derby this time last year.

The Republic of Ireland international, who has already won three caps for his country, has produced nine goals in over 50 appearances for the Rams across all competitions, via Transfermarkt.

James McCarthy 2.0?

While Jairo Riedewald has been a total revelation since the start of this season thus far, Hodgson could soon face a shortage of options in the midfield.

Club captain Luka Milivojevic is in a spot of bother after allegedly breaking Covid rules, while his current first-choice partner James McArthur has entered the final six months of his current deal, and James McCarthy has been heavily linked with the Selhurst Park exit amid interest from Celtic.

There are certain similarities between Knight and McCarthy, 30, who has made 40 appearances for Palace so far. Both are fearless in the face of any opposition with the youngster demonstrating a knack for being in the right place at the right time.

Their statistics aren’t too dissimilar either – McCarthy has made 2.2 tackles per game to Knight’s 1.1, at least one interception in comparison to 0.8 – you get the idea.

However, unlike his fellow countryman, the Irish teenager, who earns around £4,000-per-week at the Pride Park Stadium, has shown an affinity for finding the back of the net – since the start of the season, he has bagged three times in 24 appearances for the club in all competitions.

Despite his age, his attacking output is already levels above the kind of numbers McCarthy provides on a consistent basis – on average, he produces 35.6 passes per game at a pass success rate of 81.9%, whilst he is showing levels of maturity far beyond his years.

Interim Derby boss and Manchester United legend Wayne Rooney has tipped him for the very top. He told RamsTV: “I’ve been really impressed with the way they’ve trained, particularly Knighty. His energy, his attitude. He almost reminds me of myself when I was younger in terms of no fear. And he’s got an aggression about him, not in terms of how he’s tackling, but in terms of how he runs, how he gets about the pitch. I’m looking forward to see how they do as I feel he can give us a lot of energy and a lot of creativity.”

Both comfortable on the ball and confident in possession, his ability to dictate play would be most welcome at Selhurst Park. However, Palace chairman Steve Parish may have to break out the cheque book, as it’s unlikely he will come cheap.

AND in other news, Crystal Palace must avoid signing Hodgson’s centre-back target at all costs…

After making hard work of beating Newcastle in the FA Cup third round last weekend, Arsenal return to Premier League action on Thursday night as they take on Crystal Palace.

The Gunners appear to be on somewhat of a roll, rattling off four successive victories in all competitions since they were thrashed 4-1 at home by Manchester City in the Carabao Cup quarter-final.

Mikel Arteta’s side however, have struggled against Palace in their recent meetings, with no wins in their last four games against the Eagles. However, with the wind firmly in their sails, and with key players coming back from injury and offering greater options to the manager, Arsenal should feel confident about picking up yet another three points.

And with that in mind, below is a look at how the Gunners might line up for the visit of Roy Hodgson’s side.

In goal, Bernd Leno will undoubtedly keep his place in between the sticks, and he proved his worth once again by making a superb last minute save at the feet of Andy Carroll to deny Newcastle a shock winner last time out.

Both Pablo Mari and Kieran Tierney are likely to keep their places, even despite Gabriel making his return to the first-team squad in recent days. However, David Luiz and Cedric should make way for Rob Holding and Hector Bellerin, respectively.

The midfield area should also see significant changes, with Mohamed Elneny and Joe Willock dropping out, and Granit Xhaka and Dani Ceballos coming in – the duo of course started the 4-0 demolition job of West Brom in the Gunners’ last Premier League outing.

Arsenal’s senior stars once again disappointed last Saturday, with Nicolas Pepe and Willian being eventually substituted before they watched young first-team stars Bukayo Saka and Emile Smith Rowe play an important part in the opening goal for the north London side.

Such has been Saka’s impressive form – the £36m-rated starlet has scored two goals and provided one assist on his last three top-flight games – there should be no question that Pepe will drop to the bench in favour of the England international.

Saka is likely to be joined in that attacking trio by Smith Rowe and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, with Alexandre Lacazette leading the line.

Predicted XI: Leno; Bellerin, Holding, Mari, Tierney; Ceballos, Xhaka; Saka, Smith Rowe, Aubameyang; Lacazette.

Meanwhile, Arsenal must start this “natural leader” tonight vs Palace…

As Leeds search for reinforcements in this January transfer window, one player who may be looking over his shoulder, is Pascal Struijk.

Hailed as “very influential” by Marcelo Bielsa, who handed him his senior debut for the club in the Championship last season, Struijk has grown into a regular in Leeds’ first-team squad over the past twelve months.

Speaking to Football Insider, former Leeds ace Noel Whelan said earlier this month: “You can see what a great player he will be, he likes that aggression side, he’s very competitive in the air, he’s got that little bit of a nasty streak but he’s also very good on the ball.

“His ball distribution, his choices of passes but I think his overall intelligence of playing that centre position, he looks a lot more comfortable. Again, I was impressed with lots of people but to see him back in that position where he’s natural, you really can see a player in him.”

But with Erick Pulgar’s potential arrival at Elland Road, Struijk is likely to see game-time harder to come by in that holding midfield role, with talisman Kalvin Phillips already ahead of him in the pecking order.

And then when you consider that both club captain Liam Cooper, and summer signing Diego Llorente, have returned to fitness in the past couple of weeks, it becomes that much more difficult to see where Struijk really fits into this Leeds set-up unless injuries or suspensions occur.

After making 11 appearances this season in all competitions, and starting and completing the full 90 minutes in the past four Premier League games too, the 21-year-old is in real danger of being dropped from the line-up and going back to a place on the bench.

Bielsa described him as someone who “gives everything and asks for nothing in return”. But unless he really steps up his performances, that effort may not mean much given Pulgar’s potential signing and the return to fitness of the likes of Cooper and Llorente.

Meanwhile, Leeds must unleash this starlet in the Premier League…

After arriving from French giants Lyon in the summer, it’s fair to say Bertrand Traore hasn’t exactly set the Premier League alight with Aston Villa.

The Burkina Faso international had made a slow start to life at Villa Park, with no goals in the top-flight until December 20 when he netted against West Brom.

But since then, he’s shown real signs of finally finding his feet for Dean Smith’s side, bagging four goals in his last six games, including one against Newcastle in a 2-0 win on Saturday night.

The 25-year-old looked in the mood all game, and his confidence told when he scored with his weaker right foot. All night he looked to make things happen, with Magpies left-back Jamal Lewis having his work cut out trying to stop him.

Traore sent in three crosses and cracked off two shots on goal, almost double the amount of shots he’s taken on average in the Premier League this season (1.1). The former Lyon man also provided one key passes on the night too, again higher than his season average thus far.

The Birmingham Mail’s Ashley Preece gave him the second highest match rating of any Villa player with eight, saying: “Smith kept faith with ‘Berto’ who started his seventh-straight match now. Traore looked lively from the get-go and came up trumps with his fourth goal in his last six with a cool-as-you-like side-footed finish with his weaker right foot after 42 minutes.

“Gave Jamal Lewis problems as Cash looked to work with him whenever he could. Starting to become the £17 million player Villa signed in the summer. Oozed quality and had end product to boot. A real trickster.”

The Athletic’s Gregg Evans further claimed that “he’s turning into a big player now”, and that will be music to the ears of Smith, who no doubt would have been desperately hoping that Traore could sprinkle that extra bit of magic at the top end of the pitch.

Whilst Watkins may grab the headlines for finally breaking his goal-scoring duck – he hadn’t scored in his last nine league games – it was arguably Traore who stole the show for Villa.

Meanwhile, Villa must land this Scandinavian starlet…

Southampton look to have suffered another transfer setback, as they look to have failed in negotiations with Bournemouth striker Josh King.

It was reported earlier today by The Athletic that the Saints were considering bringing the former Manchester United forward to St Mary’s, in a deal that would see Shane Long move the other way.

However, his proposed move to Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side now looks to be off, as David Ornstein has suggested that his wage demands were more than Southampton were willing to pay.

The Norwegian international has struggled to find form with the Cherries in the Championship this season, having failed to contribute a single goal or assist in the second tier, averaging a poor 6.29 rating.

The 29-year-old doesn’t appear to be willing to give 100% with Jason Tindall’s side having been unable to secure a move away during the summer, and with his contract with Bournemouth set to expire at the current season, it seems unlikely that he will still be a Cherries player next season.

However, he has shown that he is capable of producing in the Premier League, with 16 goals in the top-flight in the 2016/17 season the best return of his career, so perhaps he would’ve been a good addition to Hasenhuttl’s side.

Certainly, if Southampton could have swapped him for the 34-year-old Shane Long, it could’ve been a great deal for the club, as the Irish forward has just two goals in his last 37 Premier League appearances.

He also reportedly earns £60k per week with the Saints, compared to the £45k per week King earns with Bournemouth, so it seems strange that they were reportedly unwilling to match his demands, as they could’ve got Long off the wage book by bringing in the 29-year-old striker.

With time of the window running out, it seems unlikely that the £9.9 million-rated King will be making the move to St Mary’s, which is certainly a blow for Hasenhuttl when you consider that his side have struggled to score goals in recent weeks, with Che Adams and Theo Walcott both disappointing at times.

And, in other news… Hasenhuttl suffers another transfer blow at Southampton with £23k-p/w prodigy