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According to The Birmingham Mail, Aston Villa could be very busy on deadline day as they look to tie up moves for three players in a bid to push for promotion, one of which is Newcastle’s Isaac Hayden – if the midfielder’s performance against Manchester City on Tuesday is anything to go by, he would be some signing and perhaps the Championship’s best this month.

On the chalkboard

The Magpies needed to bounce back after succumbing to a 2-0 defeat at home to Watford in the FA Cup the week before but, given City’s outrageous scoring record this month, it looked unlikely they would get anything out of it.

However, a resolute performance from back to front saw Rafa Benitez’s men emerge the shock 2-1 victors and thus climb to 14th in the standings – with new arrivals potentially imminent, the St James’ Park outfit look in good shape for the rest of the season, despite a tetchy couple of months.

Villa, meanwhile, are four points away from a top-six spot and need reinforcements in both midfield and defence if they are to give themselves their best chance of reaching a second consecutive play-off final – if they can get Hayden on the books before the window slams shut, their hopes will be massively boosted.

Dominant Hayden

Giving freedom to the likes of Jack Grealish, John McGinn and Conor Hourihane to cause havoc must be a priority for Dean Smith at Villa Park and Hayden would offer ample cover for a defence that has struggled to keep the ball out of the net.

Few can attest to shutting down a midfield containing Kevin de Bruyne and David Silva but 23-year-old Hayden can – Cityzens boss Pep Guardiola paid the former Arsenal man and his partner in crime, Sean Longstaff, a huge compliment post-match, saying his title-winning side could not deal with Newcastle’s holding midfielders.

Smith could do with a player of that calibre in his Villa side – Glenn Whelan and Mile Jedinak are the former Brentford boss’ two best options at the base of midfield and both are well into their twilight years – and, if they can get him, the deal would surely be the best from the Championship this January.

Thogden has ranked his top 5 sets of Championship away fans for Pl>ymaker FC. Did your club make the list? Find out in the video above…

Keith Downie has revealed some enticing news that he has now heard from Newcastle United involving Eddie Howe.

The Lowdown: Another win for Newcastle

The manager won his eighth game in charge of the Tyneside club on Friday night as they beat Wolves 1-0 at St James’ Park thanks to a penalty from Chris Wood.

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They have had an amazing turnaround since the departure of Steve Bruce and now find themselves 10 points clear of the relegation zone with just seven games left to play this season.

The Latest: Downie reveals Howe effect

Speaking to This Is Futbol, Sky Sports journalist Downie has revealed that Howe’s work ‘behind the scenes’ has been noted by the players. He stated:

“Without doubt, he puts so much work in behind the scenes and you hear that from the players who talk about him, and I think that has shown in the performances and the results.”

The Verdict: Enticing

It certainly is enticing to hear of how much Howe is committing to Newcastle and just how much his work is being appreciated by the players.

Things got pretty toxic in the end under Bruce, with reports of some players being ‘angry’ with him over his tactics and training schedule.

Nonetheless, they seem to have settled very quickly under Howe, which is impressive considering the number of fresh faces who came through the door in the January transfer window.

The Magpies now look all but safe from relegation in the Premier League, when the situation looked rather bleak before Howe came in.

In other news, find out which Toon target scored a goal and supplied an assist this weekend

According to a report from Italian newspaper Gazzetta dello Sport (via Sport Witness), Tottenham Hotspur manager Antonio Conte may well leave the club at the end of his contract next year. 

The lowdown: Short term vision

The north London club appointed Conte in an official Head Coach capacity on a contract until the summer of 2023 with an option to extend for a further year.

Having lifted the Serie A title in 2020/21 at Inter Milan, the Italian’s stock was high and Spurs had seemingly landed an elite boss to help the push towards a Premier League top-four finish following the short reign of Nuno Espirito Santo.

However, the length of the deal was always of concern in some quarters and now it appears the 52-year-old may already be restless.

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The latest: On the move?

As per the report from Gazzetta, translated by SW, the man in the hot seat at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium could already be considering a role back in Italy or beyond.

It’s stated that Conte views contracts as a ‘stepping stone’ rather than a ‘prison’ and there are already ‘too many clouds over London’ despite the presence and best efforts of familiar colleague Fabio Paratici.

Furthermore, the report claims that ‘it is not certain’ that the former Italian national team coach will even see out the contract with the Lilywhites, citing a potential tilt at the Paris Saint-Germain managerial role should Mauricio Pochettino move on at the end of the current campaign.

The verdict: Pull out all the stops

Boasting an enviable trophy cabinet containing eight major honours – including one English top-flight success at Chelsea – Tottenham appointed a truly elite figure in Conte and should be trying everything possible to retain the Italian’s services beyond 2023.

At present, Conte’s longest stint in any role stands at just 106 games whilst in west London, further proof of a tendency to move on swiftly.

Albeit still the case that Spurs are outsiders for a top-four finish, sitting three points behind arch-rivals Arsenal, there has been an upturn in results since the arrival of the man described as ‘one of the best managers in the world’ by Thomas Tuchel.

Whether or not UEFA Champions League qualification can appease Conte remains to be seen, otherwise, a hefty summer transfer budget may well be required.

In other news, Tottenham are now eyeing four summer transfer targets. Find out more here!

Leeds United could eye a late midfield alternative before Monday’s transfer deadline…

What’s the word?

The Yorkshire giants have been left frustrated in their pursuit of RB Salzburg midfielder Brenden Aaronson so far, having seen a £15m bid for him rejected recently.

And they may well struggle to seal his signature as the Austrian title holders remain in the Champions League, with the 21-year-old a key player for the club.

However, according to the Daily Mail this week, the Whites have held talks with the agent of Marseille midfielder Boubacar Kamara, who could emerge as the ideal alternative to Aaronson.

The Ligue 1 outfit are reportedly prepared to sell him for just £10m, around half of Leeds’ second bid for the Salzburg star.

Forget Aaronson?

Perhaps United chief Victor Orta and his recruitment team should quickly forget about the American international, at least until the summer when he may well be more attainable at their own valuation.

Instead, a move for Kamara could seriously pay off, especially at an absolute bargain price.

The need for a new midfielder has been lingering for quite some time at Elland Road. It’s been four years since they signed someone in the role – that being Adam Forshaw in 2018 – and they have come close, missing out on Conor Gallagher in the summer and seeing a deal for Michael Cuisance fall through a year earlier.

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Valued at £22.5m by Transfermarkt, the France U21 international has already amassed plenty of experience at an elite level, featuring 135 times across Ligue 1 and UEFA’s top two European competitions.

At just 22, that is certainly impressive.

Since making his debut for Les Olympiens, the young midfield beast has put up some remarkable numbers – as per WhoScored, Kamara has averaged 2.8 long balls, 2.3 tackles and 1.3 interceptions per game across his career thus far.

With Kalvin Phillips on the treatment table at Thorp Arch for the next month or two, it would make sense to target a player in this style, so that should make him an intriguing alternative to Aaronson, who appears to be so out of reach by next Monday’s transfer deadline.

“This kid is a phenomenon,” once claimed former teammate Rolando. “When he started training with us, he was 15 years old. And from day one, I said, no, but this little one is going to be a great player.”

Kamara would be a fantastic addition to Bielsa’s squad and for just £10m, it is surely a no brainer, on the evidence above.

Orta and co must now turn their attention to the 5 foot 10 Marseille powerhouse in the coming days.

AND in other news, Leeds dealt late January blow to midfield “machine” perfect for Bielsa, he’ll be livid…

Everton are in interested in signing versatile Hoffenheim ace Florian Grillitsch according to The Daily Mail’s Simon Jones.

The lowdown: Plenty of suitors

The 26-year-old is set to become a free agent at the end of the season when a contract in Germany expires and there would appear to be a host of clubs keen on acquiring the Austrian’s services.

Formerly of Werder Bremen, Grillitsch has plied his trade in the Bundesliga since 2015, racking up 178 German top-flight appearances to date.

Following an initial report from The Telegraph citing major interest from Leeds United and Arsenal, it would now appear that the Toffees are also in the mix…

The latest: Everton interest emerges

As per the report, Jones writes that there is interest from Everton in signing the 33-cap Austria international.

It’s claimed that there is also admiration from West Ham United and Newcastle United, whilst both Leeds are Arsenal are once again mentioned.

The report states that the man once dubbed as ‘extraordinary’ by Bayern Munich boss Julian Nagelsmann, ‘appeals’ to Everton as Frank Lampard prepares to oversee a squad overhaul at Goodison Park.

The verdict: No-brainer

As a potential free agent capture, this truly is a no-brainer for the Merseyside club, particularly with the future of Allan uncertain beyond the upcoming summer window.

Still holding a market value of £14.4m despite the dwindling contract (Transfermarkt), adding Grillitsch – who can play as a central defender or in a variety of midfield positions – to the Blues’ ranks would be a shrewd move.

As a defensive midfielder, the Austrian’s numbers suggest that he is in the same mould as Liverpool star Fabinho and Barcelona’s Sergio Busquets, according to FBRef, making the potential capture ahead of other Premier League suitors all the more impressive.

In other news, financial expert makes exciting Bramley Moore claim!

Crystal Palace have been enjoying a promising season so far, and Patrick Vieira is now in a position to lead his side to a top-half finish if they can find a good run of form in the last few months of the season.

The club enjoyed a busy transfer window in the summer and have been linked with a few players this month, but emulating the previous transfer window could be off the cards.

What’s the word?

Sky Sports journalist Michael Bridge has made a fresh claim on the likely scenario for the rest of the winter transfer window in terms of the Eagles adding players to their squad during January.

He told GiveMeSport: “Things are going pretty well under Patrick Vieira at the moment. He would like to add maybe one or two, but from what I’m told, they’re happy. And it would have to take a bit of a crisis injury wise to change that at the moment.”

Palace have been strongly linked with two players over the last few weeks, with both Eddie Nketiah and Bamba Dieng having their names put forward as potential targets for the south London club. However, nothing has materialised as of yet, and no bids have been made for either player.

Fans will be fuming

With nine draws in the Premier League this season, there have been plenty of missed opportunities to rack up a few more wins and push even higher up the table. The loss of two points late on against Brighton on Friday night, and the concession of a last-gasp equaliser in the reverse fixture in September, illustrates as such.

Being linked with attacking players such as Nketiah and Dieng could well have strengthened Vieira’s options when it comes to maximising output in the final third of the pitch.

Some Palace fans have been outlining the positions where they feel the squad need strengthening this month, but Bridge’s update suggests that supporters waiting on new arrivals in January will be left fuming.

Although the Eagles are lodged in a comfortable mid-table position, all it takes is a handful of injuries to key players for their squad to suddenly appear threadbare. Therefore, it could be a source of frustration that the club seem content not to bolster their playing ranks this month while they are getting the opportunity to do so.

In other news: Journalist drops huge update on Eagles target Eddie Nketiah

Everton are interested in signing £27m-rated Atalanta defender Merih Demiral this summer and he could be the perfect replacement for Michael Keane.

What’s the story?

According to journalist Yakup Cinar (via Goodison News) Everton are among several sides who are “interested” in signing the 24-year-old who’s is currently on loan at Atalanta from Juventus.

They have the option to make the move permanent in the summer for £23.5m, but could potentially sell Demiral on for a profit like they did with Cristian Romero. When interviewed by TuttoJuve.com Cinar said that the interest in the player is high.

He’s miles better than Keane

Everton are battling for survival at the moment and are currently in the relegation zone. Whether or not they stay in the Premier League this summer doesn’t change the fact that they need a squad overhaul.

Many of their current players have underperformed massively this season, and one of those is defender Michael Keane, who Demiral could replace if he is brought to Goodison Park.

Keane has featured several times for the Toffees this season and has been a key part of their troubled defence. They have only managed to keep six clean sheets in the league all campaign, and it has led to Sky Sports pundit Jamie Carragher rightly calling their back four “Championship level”.

Demiral has been described by outlet Goal as a “brick wall” and at 6 foot 2, he is a strong presence in the box. He impressed when facing English side Manchester United in the group stage of the Champions League earlier this season, scoring versus the Red Devils and winning 100% of his duels in a 3-2 defeat, so he has proven himself against Premier League opposition already.

The Turkey international is a force in the air, being ranked in the top 2% when it comes to aerial duals won compared with other centre backs in Europe’s top five leagues over the last year.

When you compare him directly to Keane he’s also better on the ball with a higher pass completion percentage of 87.5% compared to 77.3%. He’s also tackled a higher percentage of dribblers than the Englishman.

If Demiral is available at a decent price in the summer then Frank Lampard should look no further than him to solve their issues at the back. At 24 he can also be a figurehead at the club for years to come.

IN other news: More misery: Alan Myers drops four-word Everton claim that’ll leave supporters fuming…

According to Italian news outlet Corriere della Sera, there has been an interesting transfer update out of Tottenham Hotspur involving Juventus star Paulo Dybala.

The Lowdown: Conte eyeing free agents…

In recent months, reports have suggested that transfer chief Fabio Paratici has a plan set out for the January transfer window as he targets ‘quality players at zero cost’ (Mundo Deportivo via Sport Witness).

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This has resulted in Spurs being linked with a plethora of potential 2022 free agents, most recently the likes of Jesse Lingard and Franck Kessie.

Tottenham can approach the latter star and formally agree a pre-contract this month, with news now emerging that the Ivorian midfielder is not the only Serie A star out of contract in 2022 who manager Antonio Conte wants to bring to north London.

The Latest: Spurs ‘ready’ to make Dybala move…

According to CDS, as Dybala’s contract winds down in Turin, Tottenham are one of the few clubs now ‘ready’ to snap up the Argentine from Juve.

It is also believed that Conte is personally ‘in love’, as well as Inter Milan transfer chief Giuseppe Marotta, with both men sharing the same esteem for Dybala.

Barcelona and Atletico Madrid are also watching on with interest amid the South American’s contract situation.

The Verdict: Get it done?

Dybala is a name all Spurs fans will be familiar with after the infamous image rights debacle which once prevented his move to N17, but is he now the right man to take Conte’s new look side forward?

The £45 million-valued star could leave for nothing later this year and, going by his exploits in Italy, it would be foolish for Spurs not to go back in for him – especially since ex-Spurs fan favourite manager Mauricio Pochettino even called Dybala ‘special’.

Scoring 109 goals and assisting 46 others in 274 outings for Juve (Transfermarkt), boss Massimiliano Allegri lauded Dybala as an ‘extraordinary’ player earlier this week with his worth ‘not under question (via Football Italia).

Signing him for free could be major Paratici coup, especially considering he is still in his prime at 28-years-old.

In other news: ‘This will get Tottenham fans excited’…Sky Sports drop big N17 transfer update live on air, find out more here.

Tanguy Ndombele is unlikely to feature again for Tottenham Hotspur and could even be shipped out on another loan, says Alasdair Gold.

The Lowdown: Conte fuming

Spurs boss Antonio Conte was keen on a major revamp to his squad in January. Whilst this saw the deadline day incomings of Juventus pair Dejan Kulusevski and Rodrigo Bentancur, more players headed for the Lilywhites’ exit door.

This included Lo Celso, who joined Villarreal on a season-long loan. Since returning to Spain, the 26-year-old has gone on to make some impressive displays in both the Champions League and La Liga, having totalled 12 appearances.

Ndombele was another Lilywhites player who was shipped out in January; the Frenchman returned to his former club Lyon, also on a loan deal. Conte was left fuming with the 25 year-old and even made him train away from the group during their short time together, so a winter exit appeared to be the only option for Tottenham’s record signing.

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The Latest: Gold’s verdict…

In a QnA session for football.london, Gold was questioned over whether the pair have futures with the north London club:

“I think it would be tough now for both players to feature under Conte. Lo Celso should have suitors this summer as he has impressed in the Champions League against some big sides, but Ndombele could be harder to get the kind of money for that Spurs will want in return for their club record signing. Another loan might be the only way forward as he just doesn’t seem to be a Conte player.”

The Verdict: Unlikely to return

Whilst Lo Celso could perhaps come back to N17 having had a fresh run-of-form with the La Liga side, Ndombele, called ‘underrated’ by Martin Keown, has struggled to impress since making his return in the French league, starting only six games and ranking as their tenth-best player.

As a result, it is far more likely that Conte decides to keep Lo Celso, rather than Ndombele, to add depth to the midfield. However, if a large offer is made for the Argentina international, the Italian manager would seemingly be unlikely to step in his way.

On the other hand, Spurs will struggle to recoup the £55m they paid for their record signing. Therefore, moving him on in the summer without suffering a huge financial loss, will prove to be far more difficult than selling his midfield counterpart.

In other news: Tottenham Hotspur: Paratici suffers blow in Josko Gvardiol pursuit

Leeds United have set funds aside to bolster Marcelo Bielsa’s playing squad in one key area…

What’s the word?

That’s according to The Sun journalist Alan Nixon, who dropped a fresh claim to supporters on Twitter this week. When asked about potential names or positions the club were looking at, he replied:

“There was 15m set aside for a midfielder …”

Short and sweet, but this should come as no surprise as the Yorkshire giants have been on the lookout for a new option in the engine room for quite some time and they failed to find someone during the summer.

Some of the names linked to Leeds in recent months include out-of-contract Reading playmaker John Swift, Huddersfield Town dynamo Lewis O’Brien and Marseille sensation Boubacar Kamara.

Bielsa needs it

The fact that United have been trying to sign a new midfielder for the last few windows speaks volumes and that addition is needed now more than ever.

Bielsa’s side have struggled for form and consistency throughout the 2021/22 campaign, as highlighted by results this year already. After beating Burnley in the Premier League in a six-pointer to move eight points clear of the relegation zone, the Whites were defeated by West Ham United in the FA Cup.

Injuries have certainly played their part, with as many as 11 players expected to be absent ahead of another clash against the Irons, this time back in the league.

One of those is England international Kalvin Phillips, who plays an integral role as Bielsa’s lynchpin in defensive midfield – capable of spraying the ball around the pitch, he is often the start of many attack, whilst only two players manage more tackles per game than him, proving to be a brick wall in front of the backline at times.

Then there are players like Mateusz Klich – long a mainstay under the Argentine head coach – who have been underperforming and holding the team back.

That is exactly why a new midfielder is paramount to their chances of improvement this season.

Although, the fact that Nixon claims some money was set aside for one is certainly encouraging and if you’re Bielsa, you’ve got to be encouraged by what you’re hearing from the Elland Road hierarchy.

He will surely be buzzing by this heading into the remainder of the window. It’s now on Victor Orta and co to deliver for their manager.

AND in other news, Fewer touches than Meslier: Leeds lightweight who lost 86% duels badly let Bielsa down vs West Ham…