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Arsenal are sweating on the availability of Bukayo Saka heading into tonight’s Premier League clash with Manchester United…

What’s the latest?

The 20-year-old limped off after scoring a goal during the Gunners’ 2-0 win over Newcastle United on Saturday afternoon with a suspect thigh problem.

He has since been assessed at their London Colney training base and manager Mikel Arteta provided a worrying update in his pre-game press conference this week.

“We have the doubt with Bukayo and another few knocks that we got against Newcastle,” the Spaniard revealed (via the Evening Standard). “I am hopeful, but we don’t know [if Saka can play]. It is a really short turnaround and the player has to be comfortable playing with a little injury.”

Would be a big miss

Saka is an integral member of Arteta’s starting XI in north London and he has played a crucial role in their recent upturn in fortunes on the pitch.

Only fellow Hale End academy graduate Emile Smith Rowe (six) and striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (five) have delivered more direct goal contributions than the England international (four) in the Premier League in 2021/22.

Despite only two assists from 12 starts, Saka leads the way for creativity, having averaged a squad-high 1.6 key passes per game (21 in total), per WhoScored.

Back in February, Arteta waxed lyrical about the young gem’s influence on the pitch and how it was hard to leave him out of the starting XI.

“It is (difficult) at the moment because he’s been a real threat. He’s involved in a lot of goals all the time and his consistent performances make him a starter obviously,” he told the club’s official website.

The 14-time England international, who is valued at £58.5m by Transfermarkt, would be a huge miss for the Gunners up at Old Trafford, particularly as there is a lot at stake and three points would seriously bolster their claims to qualify for a place in Europe next season.

Arsenal are sat in fifth place, just one point behind West Ham, so a victory would see them move into the top-four for the first time in what seems like a very long time. Meanwhile, the Red Devils are down in tenth position and could go to within just two points of the north London giants.

Arteta must be hugely concerned about the availability of his star man. Yes, his side went on a ten-game unbeaten run but they were exposed against a big side in Liverpool, before getting back on track against the rock-bottom Magpies.

United, despite their poor form, can pose a big threat and have plenty of big-name stars at their disposal, so without the talents of Saka, the Gunners boss may be a little scared heading into kick-off.

AND in other news, Arteta may have another Saka in “sensational” teen who can help save Arsenal millions…

Leeds United have been boosted in their efforts to sign Ben Brereton Diaz, with Blackburn Rovers manager Tony Mowbray admitting that a big offer could be accepted.

The Lowdown: Brereton Diaz on fire

The 22-year-old has enjoyed a magnificent start to the season, scoring 17 goals in the Championship and only trailing Aleksandar Mitrovic (21) in the Golden Boot race in England’s second tier.

Brereton Diaz has also made a promising start to his international career with Chile, netting three times in nine appearances to date.

The Blackburn attacker has been linked with a move to Leeds in recent times, and while his current club are desperate to keep hold of him, their manager may have given the Whites some hope.

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The Latest: Mowbray gives Leeds hope

Speaking to Lancashire Telegraph, Mowbray admitted that a sizeable offer next summer could see Blackburn have to part with the Brereton Diaz. He said:

“He’s not walking away for nothing in the summer. All of those things are really pertinent. How much do you pay Ben Brereton to keep him happy and stay at this club and keep the journey going? Or when does he cut off and say he’s not signing so you decide what you want to do?

“We’ve not reached that stage with him because he’s a brilliant kid, no ego, works really hard for the lads.

“I’d like to think we can give Ben a new contract because I believe the best way to leave the club would be if someone offers an amount of money that would just be stupid to turn down and we could buy three £5m players on the back of it and then give yourselves a real chance and expectation to get promotion.”

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The Verdict: Strong rival for Bamford

Leeds are short on strikers this season, with Patrick Bamford relied upon too often, scoring on his first appearance in almost three months last weekend after coming back from injury.

Marcelo Bielsa could do with signing someone who can rival provide genuine competition for the Englishman, and Brereton Diaz could be that man.

The Chile international may only be shining in the Championship currently but Bamford himself took form with him from that division to the Premier League stage, scoring 16 goals in the second tier in 2019/20 and 17 in the top flight in the following campaign.

In other news, one massive Leeds figure has been linked with a shock January exit. Read more here.

West Ham came ‘very close’ to signing Nahitan Nandez in the summer transfer window but could still buy him next month, according to a new report.

The Lowdown: Nandez linked with PL move

The 25-year-old has been a key figure for Cagliari this season, starting 14 Serie A matches and chipping in with two assists from defensive midfield.

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Nandez has been strongly linked with a move to the Premier League in the recent past, with both West Ham and Leeds United tipped to sign him.

A fresh update has now given the Hammers a boost in their potential quest to snap up the 49-time capped Uruguay international, who has been hailed as a ‘great player’ by his agent, Pablo Bentancur.

The Latest: West Ham given fresh boost

According to CalcioNapoli24 [via Sport Witness], Nandez ‘can leave’ Cagliari in January, while also stating that the Irons were ‘very close’ to signing him in the summer.

Instead, they purchased Nikola Vlasic, which is labelled a ‘mistake’, with the Croatian starting just one Premier League game so far in 2021/22.

The Verdict: Potential Rice replacement?

While Declan Rice will hopefully remain a West Ham player for many years to come, his head could be turned by a move to a bigger club next summer.

The 22-year-old has been linked with a Hammers exit, and if that did unfortunately happen, Nandez could be a perfect replacement in the middle of the park.

The Uruguayan has averaged two tackles per game in the league this season, which isn’t dissimilar to Rice’s 2.5, while also outperforming him in key passes per game (1.1 compared to 0.9).

Should Nandez arrive in January, however, there is the mouthwatering prospect of seeing the pair dovetail with one another, though, strengthening their top-four push and Europa League hopes in the process.

In other news, a transfer claim has emerged regarding one rumoured West Ham target. Find out who it is here.

Tottenham Hotspur are proving to be tough competition in the race for the signature of Fiorentina striker Dušan Vlahović and are considered to be ahead of other prospective suitors, as per Gazzetta Dello Sport (via Sport Witness).

The Lowdown

Over the course of the past year, the Serbian striker has been linked with a myriad of clubs. The 21-year-old prospect has received widespread attention across Europe after scoring 15 goals in 17 Serie A games this season, and former Manchester City ace Stevan Jovetić has even been quoted saying that “he will be the best striker of the next few years with Erling Haaland”.

The Serbia international’s contract in Florence is set to expire in the summer of 2023. This means that the Serie A club may be forced to sell him by next summer if they want to avoid the possibility of him leaving on a free transfer the following year.

Despite him having a current market value of £45m, Fabrizio Romano has reported that Fiorentina president Rocco Commisso will demand a fee of at least €70m (£59.5m) for Vlahović in the January transfer window.

The Latest

According to Gazzetta Dello Sport (via Sport Witness), Tottenham are proving to be tough competition in the race for Vlahović’s signature, and they are considered to be above other contenders in their pursuit of the 21-year-old, or ‘above all’ as the report put it.

Italian duo Antonio Conte and Fabio Paratici are believed to have identified the Fiorentina attacker as the perfect addition to the Spurs squad.

Tottenham face competition from Juventus, who have also targeted Vlahović in their search of a new number nine. It is reported that Spurs have a vastly superior budget to the Turin club, which could prove to be the deciding factor if the player is allowed to leave in the January transfer window.

The Verdict

With Harry Kane having scored just one Premier League goal in 13 games this season, it may be essential that Tottenham bring in a striker to bolster their attacking options in their bid for Champions League qualification.

Vlahović could be the answer to Conte’s Kane dilemma, with the Serbian netting a goal in every 101 minutes this season.

However, despite this encouraging report, it could be difficult for Spurs to secure the services of the prolific Serbian striker, as a number of European giants are set to battle it out for the player. Also, the likes of Juventus can offer him Champions League football, a selling point that Tottenham don’t have.

In other news: Source confirms Spurs are in contract talks over ‘top class’ £8.1m-rated star, he wants to sign

A number of West Brom fans have been reacting to Valerien Ismael’s comments following the 1-0 defeat to Derby County on Monday.

The Baggies missed the chance to go second with a poor display against Wayne Rooney’s side, with Colin Kazim-Richards scoring the winner shortly after coming on.

He netted after a mix up between Cedric Kipre and Sam Johnstone, with Albion missing a cutting edge in front of goal against The Rams throughout the 90 minutes.

The Baggies registered just five attempts on target from their 19 shots, while they created just one ‘big chance’ in the entire match, per Sofascore.

Ismael said he was ‘really upset’ with his side’s performance, hitting out at his squad’s mentality and lack of quality. The 46-year-old labelled the goal they conceded as ‘embarrassing’ and told his players to take responsibility for their own displays.

The defeat to Derby was West Brom’s final game of 2021, with Ismael hoping he can get the Baggies back to winning ways against Cardiff City on Sunday.

Baggies fans react

Ismael’s strong words had these Baggies supporters fuming, with one labelling the club’s official Twitter post as ‘laughable’.

“Start TGH and Tom Fellows please. This terrible starting XI is getting nowhere.”

Credit: @apmcmanus

“HE KEEPS PICKING THE SAME PLAYERS IN THE SAME FORMATION”

Credit: @dan7heman

“‘We can’t keep saying the same things every week’……… But we can keep doing the same things every week and expect to be saying something different?? What a strange thing to say after what I’ve been watching”

Credit: @MattMarson1

“TGH has been man of match every game he’s played, yet he doesn’t play him. Same tactics, same personnel, same result. 5 goals in 9 games we’ve scored! Shocking”

Credit: @cadders10

“How about saying GOODBYE. You’ve lost the plot mate. Livermore? Hugill? Total waste of space & time”

Credit: @carswell_andrew

“Laughable but not haha shocking performance front to back set pieces now we are no threat whatsoever how’s that happened only plus points for me TGH and Fellows well done boys rest of you do l and take Val with ya stubborn to the end gutted coyb get Sir Roy back now”

Credit: @DavidGo08427803

Speaking to TuttoMercatoWeb (as relayed by Sport Witness), Watford chief Cristiano Giaretta has backed Dusan Vlahovic to join Tottenham in the near future.

The Lowdown: Vlahovic highly sought after

As we arrive at the half way mark of the season, it seems that every major club across Europe has been linked with a move for Fiorentina striker Vlahovic, and a link that consistently cropped up during 2021 was a switch to north London.

A whole host of Premier League clubs are reportedly interested in securing the services of the Serbia international, including the likes of Manchester United, Manchester City and Arsenal, but the Lilywhites appear to be favourites, with some claims in Italy believing Antonio Conte and Fabio Paratici have ‘agreed’ on signing the striker.

The 21-year-old has been in breath-taking form this season, scoring 16 goals in 20 league games for Fiorentina, and he has also netted seven times in 14 games for his country.

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The Latest: Vlahovic tipped to sign for Spurs

Speaking to TuttoMercatoWeb (as relayed by Sport Witness), Watford director of sport Giaretta has backed Vlahovic to sign for Tottenham in the near future.

In the interview, Giaretta was asked whether Vlahovic can be the ‘right man for Tottenham’.

“Conte is a pretentious coach. From an attacker, he also wants running, defensive phase. Vlahovic is complete, I wouldn’t be surprised to see him at Tottenham,” he said.

The Verdict: Encouraging but costly

With such vast interest circulating around Vlahovic, it seems unlikely that Spurs will be able to capture the Serbian, especially as it has been reported that Fiorentina are looking for around €90m (£77m) to sell the player.

However, this price-tag may be worth Tottenham coughing up, with an out-of-form Harry Kane lacking in the goal department this season, notching up just a quarter of the top flight goals that the towering Serb has managed in their respective leagues.

Vlahovic has previously been described as a ‘force of nature’ and it is this sort of physicality that often ends up a success in the Premier League – perhaps he could follow a similar development path to Diego Costa in London.

With Serie A experts considering Vlahovic to be the ‘complete number nine’,  Conte and Paratici will likely have to pull out all the stops to get such a costly move done, but it could just be worth it for a 6 foot 3 goalscoring machine with 37 strikes in his last 53 top flight starts.

Lots of Glasgow Rangers fans have been left gushing over some transfer news that has emerged on John Souttar.

As per The Glasgow Times, the Ibrox faithful have now made a move to try and sign the Hearts central defender in the January transfer window, amid interest from a number of clubs in the English Championship.

Sheffield United, Blackburn Rovers and Nottingham Forest are all interested in his signature, but the Teddy Bears want to sign him up amid doubts over the futures of both Jack Simpson and Connor Goldson.

Like Goldson, he is out of contract in the summer, and so could potentially be signed on the cheap this month or for free at the end of the campaign.

Souttar has impressed in the Scottish Premiership so far this season, and is averaging more interceptions, clearances and blocks than both Goldson and Simpson too (WhoScored), suggesting that he would be a shrewd signing.

Rangers fans on Souttar transfer news

These Light Blues gushed as the transfer news was shared on Twitter, with one Gers supporter even going as far as to claim that it is ‘fantastic’:

“A no-brainer with 6 months left”

Credit: @KelmanPeter

“Great player, if he can stay fit he’s one of the best in the league”

Credit: @Jason16904Jason

“A fantastic move for us: A ball-playing centre-half, fantastic in the air in both boxes & only 25”

Credit: @johnwalker_1986

“I like this”

Credit: @EveryOtherSatu1

“Come onnnn”

Credit: @mark30795301

“Yes yes yes yes yes yes”

Credit: @jscotland1990s

In other news, find out what transfer update has Gers buzzing here!

Arsenal’s Rob Holding will be on Newcastle’s January centre-back shortlist, journalist Pete O’Rourke has told Give Me Sport. 

The lowdown

A recent report from The Daily Mail suggested that the Magpies want to sign two centre-backs this month, while The Athletic’s Chris Waugh said over the weekend that the club were hopeful of adding both Lille’s Sven Botman and Seville’s Diego Carlos to their ranks.

Newcastle have the joint-worst defensive record in the Premier League for goals conceded and the outright worst for expected goals against.

A potential alternative to the aforementioned duo, especially with Botman seemingly now unattainable, Holding has two-and-a-half years remaining on his Arsenal contract and is valued at £10.8m by Transfermarkt.

The latest

Speaking to Give Me Sport, O’Rourke is certain that the Gunners defender is one of the names under consideration at St James’ Park.

He stated: “Rob Holding at Arsenal. I’m sure he’s on Newcastle’s list.”

The verdict

Holding has found Premier League minutes hard to come by this season as he battles with the likes of Gabriel and Ben White. He has only started three times in the top flight in 2021/22, with most of his game-time coming in the domestic cups.

He may duly be open to leaving the Emirates Stadium and, intriguingly, data from FBRef shows he’s stylistically similar to Botman, with a high volume of progressive passes and blocks.

He also earned praise last month for reporting alleged racist abuse of some Arsenal team-mates during one Premier League match, with a statement from the anti-racism group Kick It Out saying that “his actions are a great example of taking a stand and being an ally to his team-mates” (The Mirror).

Is he actually good enough to address Newcastle’s defensive woes, though?

If scouts were watching him on Sunday, they may be far from convinced. Holding produced what Football FanCast editor Matt Dawson called a ‘royal stinker’ as Arsenal were shocked by Nottingham Forest in the FA Cup, while he ranks a lowly 18th in WhoScored’s performance rankings among Mikel Arteta’s squad this season.

Ultimately, Newcastle can’t afford to take any chances on these crucial signings, especially with their Premier League status on the line beyond the midway point of the season.

In other news, Chris Waugh has said that PIF want to upgrade on this £10m Benitez signing

Manchester United are rumoured to want to sign a number of midfielders during this month, as the side continues to underperform in the Premier League.

There is pressure on Ralf Rangnick to identify the right individuals and there is now a fresh link to one of the most sought after midfielders in world football right now.

What’s the word?

The Athletic has reported that John Murtough has identified Jude Bellingham as top of the list for Man United’s transfer targets.

However, the report claims that the Bundesliga star won’t be targeted to join Old Trafford until the summer, along with Declan Rice, who has also been heavily linked with a move to the club over the next few months.

Bellingham is a popular player, who has been linked to a number of clubs including Red Devils rivals Liverpool, so United will have to make an attractive offer for the Borussia Dortmund midfielder at the end of the season.

Back in October, it was reported that the German outfit had slapped a whopping £101m asking price on the midfielder.

Scott McTominay upgrade

Securing the signature of the £49k-per-week dynamo would surely be an upgrade to their current midfield, and he would likely compete for Scott McTominay’s spot in the team.

The Manchester United midfielder has been the subject of criticism on a number of occasions when the side’s underwhelming form reaches its peak, with his partnership with Fred coming under fire often, will the pair labelled ‘McFred.’

Roy Keane said earlier this season: “Look at the performance of the two midfielders. McTominay is a good, honest player. And they’ve got Fred. As long as those two players are in midfield for Manchester United, they will not be winning any big trophies.

“I can’t believe how short Manchester United are.”

When you compare Bellingham and McTominay this season alone for their clubs in their respective leagues, the 18 year old, who was hailed “scary” by Manchester United legend, Keane, has shown considerable more.

He scored more goals (3 vs 1), made more ball recoveries, attempted and completed more passes, been successful in more take-ons and even from a defensive perspective has won 42 more ground duels in the same number of appearances as his Man United counterpart, McTominay, according to Squawka.

From this comparison alone, it is clear why the board at the 20 league title winning club are eager to sign the youngster, however they will likely need to put themselves in a much more attractive position in the league by securing Champions League football to ensure they can beat their Premier League competitors for his signature.

In other news: Woodward in the midst of his final disaster

Wolves extended their 100% start to 2022 in all competitions to four games as they beat Brentford 2-1 at the Brentford Community Stadium this afternoon.

Bizarrely, the game had been put on hold for 20 minutes as a drone was seen hovering over the stadium, before Joāo Moutinho gave the visitors the lead just after half-time.

The Bees salvaged an equaliser through Ivan Toney but Rúben Neves’ late winner secured victory for Bruno Lage’s men, who remain eighth in the table.

Star striker Raul Jiménez’s absence meant that Wanderers shifted formation slightly to a 3-5-2, with Daniel Podence and Fábio Silva getting the nod up front. However, neither forward was particularly convincing, not ideal for the latter given his limited opportunities this season.

The contest in west London was the 19-year-old’s first Premier League start of the campaign, having previously been limited to ten substitute cameos.

Having played a total of just 53 minutes in the top flight before today, this was a real opportunity for the youngster to impress his manager and boost his credentials as Jiménez’s back-up. Unfortunately for Silva, he made little impact.

Silva blew his big chance

According to SofaScore, the Portuguese striker only had 28 touches but still gave it away 14 times, losing the ball at a rate of once every two touches. Moreover, the striker recorded a mediocre 65% passing accuracy and did not contribute a single key pass, cross, long ball or shot on target, with two off-target efforts in his 75 minutes on the pitch.

Whilst being dribbled past twice, Silva failed to contribute anything of note defensively, recording no interceptions, tackles, clearances or blocks. Granted, that sort of gritty work isn’t necessarily expected from a striker, but that lightweight nature still wouldn’t have gone unnoticed by his manager.

Having joined Wolves for a record-breaking fee of £35.6m as an 18-year-old from Porto in September 2020, there was considerable expectation surrounding the teenage striker.

There was plenty of hype surrounding Silva, having been the youngest player to represent the Portuguese giants prior to his move to Molineux, but is still yet to spread his wings in the West Midlands.

In 50 appearances for Wolves, the £37k-p/w striker has scored just four goals and contributed six assists, a tally which arguably suggests promise but is also not enough to warrant a regular starting place in a Premier League team looking to secure European football.

Moreover, Silva’s fellow striker Jiménez has started to find form again after a terrifying head injury which kept the Mexican out for the majority of last season. The 30-year-old now has four goals and two assists in 19 league appearances this term as he slowly ebbs towards being the player he was prior to his injury.

Based on that form, Silva’s game-time is only going to be reduced, unless he improves significantly on his underwhelming performance in the capital today.

In other news: Sky Sports journalist drops Wolves transfer update live on air, Lage will be delighted