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Newcastle United are ‘taking a keen interest’ in Paris Saint-Germain defender Abdou Diallo, according to Foot Mercato. 

The lowdown

Diallo, who can play as both a centre-back and a left-back, has started seven Ligue 1 games for PSG so far this season (via WhoScored).

Data from FBRef shows that, relative to his positional peers, he excels at passing and dribbling.

The 25-year-old has three years remaining on his contract at the Parc des Princes and is valued at £22.5million by Transfermarkt.

The latest

Newcastle United’s new owners intend to ‘recruit heavily in the coming weeks’, the report says.

New manager Eddie Howe has requested defensive reinforcements, and Diallo is one of the targets who has been ‘studied’.

It’s not yet clear whether Newcastle would be able to convince the Senegal international to swap Paris for Tyneside.

The verdict

Diallo may be one of the more affordable players at PSG, but will he really be open to this move?

While he’s not playing every game under Mauricio Pochettino, he’s starting fairly regularly for a side who are massive favourites to win any domestic competition they take part in, and he’s also playing with the likes of Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappe and Neymar.

PSG will have aspirations of challenging for the Champions League too, while it could be a number of years before Newcastle are even in the European conversation despite their newfound riches.

A more realistic defensive target for the Magpies could be Burnley’s James Tarkowski, who boasts Premier League experience and would not be taking such a step down if he were to move.

In other news, Noel Whelan has talked up this potential headline-grabbing move.

When Crystal Palace parted ways with seven first-team stars in the summer at the end of their contracts, one of the most noticeable names was Dutch left-back Patrick van Aanholt.

After four-and-a-half seasons at Selhurst Park, the two parties couldn’t agree a new deal and the 31-year-old former Chelsea man opted to join Turkish outfit Galatasaray on a free transfer. That opened the way for Palace academy graduate Tyrick Mitchell to step into the first-team on a regular basis.

Last season Mitchell made 19 appearances in the Premier League and played 90 minutes in each of them, while Van Aanholt struggled with injury and form. That was clearly enough for Palace chairman Steve Parish and new manager Patrick Vieira to put their belief into the 22-year-old to be an instant replacement.

He hasn’t let them down either, so far being an ever-present in the Premier League team for Palace and playing every minute available to him. But more than his availability, it’s his performances that have been enough to convince Palace fans that they made the right decision in refusing to give Van Aanholt a pay-rise on his £55k-per-week deal last summer.

According to WhoScored, Mitchell currently ranks first for successful tackles per game at the club with 3.0, ranks second for interceptions per match with 1.4 and ranks fourth for most clearances with 2.5. He is also averaging 0.9 successful dribbles an outing, the same amount as Wilfried Zaha, and earned himself an assist in the 1-1 draw with Newcastle in October to show he can be an offensive threat too.

The £5.8m-rated Van Aanholt was great during his time with the Eagles, even being labelled as “spectacular” for his performances during the 2019/20 campaign with the club. But his exit was absolutely the right decision.

It has created an opportunity for another young player to come in and establish themselves, while also freeing up cash to spend elsewhere and getting the average age of the squad down. Mitchell is repaying the faith shown in him by the club, and the fans are buzzing to have him at the club.

The club certainly gambled by letting so many regular first-teamers leave at once, but Vieira has rebuilt the team and while they are still a work in progress there is no work needed at left-back because Mitchell has stepped up expertly. Clearly, Parish struck gold with his decision-making here.

AND in other news, Patrick Vieira must unleash Michael Olise.

With an agreement in place to sign Philippe Coutinho on loan from Barcelona and the emergence of reports suggesting that they are working on a deal to sign Lucas Digne from fellow Premier League club Everton on a permanent basis, Aston Villa have been pretty busy in terms of transfer business so far this month.

Taking into account how Coutinho and potentially Digne would presumably be first-team regulars in Steven Gerrard’s side, it seems as though the Midlands club have their eye on signing a player that could become a senior player for the future.

What’s the news?

According to journalist Pete O’Rourke in a recent Twitter post, Villa have made a bid to sign Dundee United’s 17-year-old defender Kerr Smith.

As a product of United’s youth academy, Smith has already made 12 senior appearances for the Scottish club, showing how highly rated he is by the coaching staff there.

In those 12 appearances, Smith has predominantly been deployed in his usual centre-back position but also as a right-back on occasion, showing his versatility at such a young age.

Future star?

If Villa do end up signing him this month, it seems unlikely that he will be thrown straight into Gerrard’s first team, even though they have said goodbye to Axel Tuanzebe recently.

That’s considering they’ve got the likes of Tyrone Mings, Ezri Konsa and Kortney Hause in their squad who are much more experienced than Smith in terms of age.

However, if Villa were to add him to their U23 squad or even loan him out to get some regular minutes elsewhere, this could be a good first step towards potentially becoming a first-team player for the Midlands club in the future, which would surely please a lot of Villa fans if he’s good enough.

However, he may be of better use acting as a fourth centre-back option now Tuanzebe has left. After all, there would be far worse candidates considering Smith has already gained senior experience in Scotland.

Either way, if Villa are interested in signing the teenager this month, it shows that the club’s owners are not just focused on signing players such as Coutinho and possibly Digne to help strengthen the team on a short-term basis, but that they are also keen on bolstering the club’s youth teams to develop players that can be real assets for them on a long-term basis.

In other news: Fabrizio Romano drops exciting AVFC transfer claim that’ll have lots of fans buzzing – opinion

Everton are prioritising the signing of a new centre-back in the January transfer window next month, according to journalist Pete O’Rourke.

The Lowdown: Centre-back issues

The Blues are in a hugely disappointing run of form and it hasn’t been helped by a number of injuries in the centre of defence.

Yerry Mina is the most high-profile current absentee in that area of the pitch, but while Michael Keane has made 17 Premier League starts this season, Mason Holgate (five) is next up in terms of starts, with Ben Godfrey (14) often playing at full-back.

It highlights the need for a new centre-back to come in next month, and it appears as though that could happen.

The Latest: Journalist makes transfer claim

Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, O’Rourke claimed that Rafael Benitez is eyeing up a central defender in January to help revive Everton’s fortunes.

He outlined: “I know Everton and Newcastle are both in the market for centre-halves in January. That’s the key position that they want to fill in the January transfer window.”

The Verdict: Makes perfect sense

While the thought of relegation for Everton still seems unfathomable, they must make sure their current situation doesn’t get a whole lot worse.

They look weak at centre-back, conceding 29 goals in 17 league games in 2021/22, so the need for reinforcements is plain to see.

Bringing in an experienced head who can fill in alongside Keane, or in a back three, could help to plug the leak at the back and steer Everton away from the drop zone.

In other news, some Everton fans fuming after a revelation emerged. Read more here.

Leeds United reportedly have the funds available to sign Cagliari and Uruguay midfielder Nahitan Nandez in the January transfer window.

The Lowdown: Constant Leeds links

Few players, if any, have been linked with the Whites more intensely than Nandez, with the 26-year-old endlessly tipped to move to Elland Road in recent months.

The 49-cap Uruguay international has been a key figure for Cagliari since joining from Boca Juniors in 2019, making 88 appearances to date for the Sardinian club.

A January exit looks possible for Nandez, though, and Leeds have again been boosted in their efforts to sign him.

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The Latest: Fresh update emerges

According to Cagliari News 24 [via Sport Witness], the Whites have the ‘necessary liquidity’ to get a deal over the line, even though they are yet to submit an offer for him.

Torino don’t want to pay the €25m (£20.8m) that Cagliari want for Nandez’s services, acting as a further positive for Leeds.

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The Verdict: Perfect January signing

With Kalvin Phillips out injured until at least March, it is essential that the Whites bring in at least one midfielder this month in order to fill the void left by arguably their most important player, as well as bolstering an area of the squad where they are rather light.

Of all the midfielders to have been linked with Leeds, Nandez arguably looks the most tailor-made to come in and be a hugely successful signing, with plenty of high-level experience down the years but also the prime period of his career possibly ahead of him still at the age of 26.

Nandez has chipped in with two assists and averaged 1.5 dribbles per game in Serie A this season, showing he possesses creativity, not to mention winning 2.4 aerial duels and two tackles per match.

The Uruguayan is also renowned for his tremendous work rate, a quality which will surely endear him to the infamously demanding Marcelo Bielsa, so that is why he could be perfect for Leeds.

In other news, one Leeds player has been linked with a move to a big-name club. Find out who it is here.

It’s no secret that West Brom need a striker to push their promotion charge to the next level in the second half of the season.

The Baggies currently sit in third place in the Championship, six points off the automatic promotion places having scored just 29 goals in their 21 games so far this season.

The current top goalscorer for the club is winger Karlan Grant, who has bagged nine times in 21 appearances, which is some way off golden boot leader Aleksandar Mitrovic’s 21 in 20 for league leaders Fulham. First-choice striker Callum Robinson has managed just three goals himself, but has chipped in with six assists too.

So with the January transfer window approaching, several names have been linked with the role of West Brom centre forward for the second half of the season. The two names that are at the top of the list are Aston Villa forward Keinan Davis and former Baggies forward Dwight Gayle, currently at Newcastle.

While Davis is 23-years-old, he is relatively young in terms of playing experience. He has just six goals in his senior career and has played for just nine minutes in total this season for the Midlands side. He is keen for a loan move in January, but West Brom have another more reliable target than the £45k-per-week unproven Davis and must avoid such a potentially disastrous signing.

Gayle previously spent the 2018/19 season on loan at The Hawthorns and scored 23 goals in 39 appearances in the Championship as the Baggies and has been described as “a natural goalscorer” by Steve Bruce in the past.

Gayle has found chances hard to come by with the Magpies, earning just 21 minutes of action in the Premier League this season. While he’s not played regularly in recent years, goalscoring instinct is something that never leaves you.

The £3.6m-rated forward has always had good movement and is good with both feet and his head, while being proven in the division and having a history with the club. He will likely push for a move away from the club with Newcastle having big funds to spend following their PIF takeover, and it seems like a match made in heaven.

Gayle needs game time, West Brom need a goalscorer. Make it happen Ismael.

AND in other news, Masi reveals Ismael’s January transfer window plans.

With the 2022 January transfer window now open, this will pave the way for Premier League teams to chop and change their squads however they see fit before the end of the current season.

With new manager Steven Gerrard at the helm, it seems likely that he will want to use the backing and financial power of Aston Villa’s hierarchy to make his mark on the squad at Villa Park and potentially kickstart a European push in the second half of their Premier League campaign.

One area that could be looked at this month in terms of bringing some new players in could be in the midfield positions, especially with current Villa midfielder Marvelous Nakamba suffering a serious knee injury last month.

In a recent club-by-club transfer guide from the Daily Mail, they have linked Villa with a move for Borussia Monchengladbach midfielder Denis Zakaria, who could be an ideal replacement for Nakamba while he’s out injured.

Since joining the German club back in the 2017 summer transfer window, the 25-year-old, who is currently valued at £24.3m according to Transfermarkt has made a total of 144 appearances across all competitions for Monchengladbach, chipping in with 11 goals and eight assists in the process.

Labelled as a “complete” player by former Monchengladbach manager Marco Rose, Zakaria has certainly shown this season why he has been described as complete, particularly in a defensive sense by racking up an average of 1.5 tackles, 1.2 interceptions and 1.2 clearances per game in the Bundesliga this season according to WhoScored.

To put those numbers into perspective, looking at Nakamba’s defensive statistics so far this season, with the Villa midfielder having racked up a higher number of tackles per game but fewer interceptions and clearances in the Premier League, Zakaria could well be a better all-round midfield option for Gerrard alongside the likes of John McGinn and Douglas Luiz.

Also, with Villa letting a 1-0 lead in their recent Premier League clash away at Brentford slip out of their hands ending in a 2-1 defeat, perhaps adding someone with Zakaria’s defensive capabilities would be just what Villa need.

With this in mind, Villa’s current sporting director Johan Lange should definitely launch a move to sign Zakaria this month and potentially solve Gerrard’s midfield issue.

In other news: “It’s a goer”: Ashley Preece drops exciting transfer claim which will leave Villa fans ecstatic

West Ham youngster Ben Johnson was one silver lining for David Moyes as his side were defeated at a wintery and snow-hit Etihad Stadium on Sunday afternoon.

Pep Guardiola now has ten wins in 11 top-flight matches over the Irons after Manchester City ran away 2-1 victors thanks to goals from midfield duo Ilkay Gundogan and Fernandinho. Hammers midfielder Manuel Lanzini came off the bench to seal an injury-time consolation goal but it wasn’t enough to salvage anything for the visitors in the most difficult of conditions.

It was another Premier League game in which Declan Rice excelled in the heart of the pitch, registering the most touches and accurate passes of West Ham’s visiting cast, but this level of performance is now expected for the England regular.

Instead, the spotlight deserves to be on 20-year-old right-back Ben Johnson, who for large spells of the game marshalled Rice’s international colleague Raheem Sterling to great effect.

The Evening Standard’s Jack Rosser was equally impressed, mentioning a similar observation in his post-match ratings column, where Johnson was amongst his best performers.

‘Very good up against Raheem Sterling on the right of the back four and made a superb block on the line to deny Jesus,’ he wrote.

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Indeed, only Rice (57) had more touches off the ball for West Ham than the impressive academy graduate (53), which suggests that he wasn’t afraid to assert some sort of authority against such a high-quality side as City.

That was also backed up by the fact that he lost possession 18 times, the most of any Hammers player – at the very least he was trying to influence the game, unlike some of his teammates.

Furthermore, the 5 foot 9 wing-back did his defensive dues, recording two clearances, including one desperate one off the line, as well as two blocks and he even recorded one key pass, per SofaScore.

It’s no wonder Moyes has lauded the emerging prospect a “really important player” for the club – clearly that’s the case, as he has usurped usual reliable stalwart Vladimir Coufal in the role.

Johnson was certainly one of the few positives for the Irons from Sunday’s disappointing defeat to the Premier League champions.

AND in other news, ExWHUemployee: West Ham are interested in this Bundesliga goal-machine…

Patrick Boyland has now dropped another injury blow for Everton before they play Burnley in the Premier League tonight.

The Lowdown: Everton team news

Taking to Twitter, The Athletic journalist shared that both Seamus Coleman and Fabian Delph are now back in the squad and could play a part against the Clarets.

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However, Nathan Patterson has had to go and see a specialist and is likely to have a small operation later in the week, which is estimated to rule him out for between eight and ten weeks.

The Latest: Van de Beek injury

Boyland has shared that Donny van de Beek ‘also misses’ the game at Turf Moor alongside Patterson.

The Dutchman has a small grade thigh injury but should be back for Everton’s match at home to Leicester City on April 20, as he is ineligible to play his parent club Manchester United on Saturday.

The Verdict: Big blow for Everton

To lose Van de Beek as well as Patterson for the clash is a big blow to the Toffees’ chances of getting all three points in Lancashire tonight.

They could have done with the 24-year-old’s creativity to help break down what could be a stubborn Burnley defence. After all, he has the best passing success rate (84.9%) out of any of his team-mates to have made at least five appearances in the top flight this season.

Nonetheless, Frank Lampard will now have to find a way to win without his midfield maestro.

In other news, Everton are eyeing a move for this ‘brilliant’ Kevin Thelwell favourite

A Spanish outlet has dropped a key update in Barcelona’s attempts to sign Leeds United star Raphinha this summer.

The Lowdown: Summer shake-up?

It looks as if there could be a major summer shake-up at Elland Road over the coming months, with Jesse Marsch hopefully preparing for a first full season as manager in the Premier League.

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Along with Raphinha, exit links have emerged on Kalvin Phillips, Jack Harrison and Robin Koch. Three Premier League sides are interested in signing Phillips, whereas Tottenham are keen on Harrison while Marsch and Victor Orta are apparently ready to move on Koch.

Raphinha could well be the biggest exit from Elland Road, though, with his agent Deco travelling to Barcelona over the weekend for talks.

The Latest: In the next few hours…

A Spanish outlet dropped an update on Barcelona and Raphinha, leading with a headline that negotiations are indeed underway for the Brazilian.

Barca chiefs Mateu Alemany and Jordi Cruyff are set to meet with Deco ‘in the next few hours’ to lay the foundations of a deal, with Raphinha himself keen on a move to the Nou Camp.

The Verdict: Leeds still in control

For now, Leeds are still in complete control over Raphinha’s future and are doing the right thing by putting talks on hold until the end of the season.

Should the club remain in the top flight, they will hold the cards over a big-money move, with Raphinha under contract until 2024. However, if they drop back down to the Championship, a €25m relegation release clause will allegedly be active in the 25-year-old’s deal.

The next few weeks will be key, both on and off the pitch, but it seems as if Deco is doing all he can to get a deal in place ahead of the summer.

In other news: ‘Leeds fans won’t be happy…’ – Sky Sports man reacts to major update emerging from Elland Road