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Arsenal now have a ‘good chance’ to sign Shakhtar Donetsk’s Mykhaylo Mudryk in the January transfer window, according to a new report.

The Lowdown: Arsenal need goals

With the Gunners in a very good position to challenge for a first Premier League title since 2004, Mikel Arteta is looking to bolster his squad’s attacking options even further.

Given the fact that Gabriel Jesus has had to undergo knee surgery after sustaining an injury while competing for Brazil, there may be more depth required in forward areas, prompting interest in Juventus’ Dusan Vlahovic.

Juve are in financial turmoil amid a spree of boardroom resignations, and the Gunners reportedly initiated talks with the Serbian striker’s agents this week.

Links to the Mudryk meanwhile are nothing new, with Fabrizio Romano previously admitting that the club ‘really appreciate’ him, and they could now be set to launch a transfer bid.

The Latest: Contact made with Mudryk

A report from The Athletic’s David Ornstein now details that Arsenal are in contact with representatives of both Shakhtar and the player himself, with a view to bringing him to the club in January.

It is also stated that there is confidence the Gunners will be able to land the starlet, although nothing is yet agreed, with his current club valuing him at a staggering £89.5m.

With the youngster being eager to move to England, however, it is believed that the club will be able to sign him for less than that figure.

The Verdict: Better option than Vlahovic?

Journalist Manuel Veth has labelled the Arsenal target as ‘incredible’, while Josh Bunting has previously praised him for his ‘fantastic’ finishing ability, which would be a huge boost for the Gunners amid the injury to Jesus.

The eight-time Ukraine international has burst onto the scene over the past couple of seasons, but it is during this campaign in which he has really excelled, averaging more than one goal contribution a game in the Ukrainian Premier League, courtesy of seven goals and six assists in 13 outings.

While there may be some concern that he has only put in this level of performance in a comparatively weaker division, Mudryk has also exhibited his qualities in the Champions League, netting three goals and bagging two assists in the competition this term.

Given the youngster’s ability to play multiple positions, he could contribute regularly once Jesus is fit, while a move for Vlahovic would leave the manager with a headache given his preferred 4-2-3-1 system.

Chelsea have ‘registered an interest’ in Real Sociedad star Martin Zubimendi ahead of January, according to journalist Simon Phillips.

The Lowdown: Midfield revamp

The Premier League giants are reportedly planning a midfield revamp in the New Year, with Todd Boehly and Graham Potter currently in the process of identifying the right candidates.

The Spaniard still has five years remaining on his contract in La Liga, but after an impressive start to the 2022/23 season, is now being heavily linked with a move to Stamford Bridge next year.

The Latest: Zubimendi contact made

Taking to Twitter, Phillips revealed that Chelsea have made contact to sign Zubimendi ahead of a potential move in 2023. He wrote:

“Told Chelsea have registered an interest in Real Sociedad defensive midfielder Martin Zubimendi (23).”

The Verdict: Kante successor?

N’Golo Kante’s deal is set to expire at the end of the season, and after recently being linked with an exit next summer, Zubimendi would be the perfect successor should he depart.

The Real star is naturally a defensive midfielder, where he’s currently averaging 2.4 aerial wins and 1.6 tackles per league game, though he has also provided three goal contributions this term, showing he can be a threat in the final third too (WhoScored).

Zubimendi has been hailed a ‘special’ player by Sid Lowe, and at just 23 years of age, he would be a fantastic signing for the future of Chelsea.

Two journalists bemoaned James Tomkins’ soft red card that he picked up in Crystal Palace’s 3-0 defeat at home to Fulham in the Premier League this afternoon.

The Lowdown: Palace beaten by Fulham

The Eagles returned to league action for the first time since the middle of November, with the World Cup halting the domestic top-flight season for six weeks.

It proved to be a bitterly disappointing afternoon for Patrick Vieira’s men, though, with Bobby Decordova-Reid, Tim Ream and Aleksandar Mitrovic all scoring for the visitors, while both Tyrick Mitchell and James Tomkins received red cards for the home side.

The result leaves Palace 11th in the Premier League table ahead of their trip to Bournemouth on New Year’s Eve.

The Latest: Journalists bemoan Tomkins red

Taking to Twitter, The Athletic’s Matt Woosnam bemoaned Tomkins’ second-half dismissal, with the incident looking harsh after a clash with Mitrovic. He tweeted:

“Another red card for Palace. James Tomkins sent off for two yellows. Oh dear.”

Meanwhile, The Guardian’s Ed Aarons also voiced his disapproving thoughts on the matter on Twitter, lamenting:

“Tomkins shown second yellow card. Big blunder from ref as he didnt even touch Mitrovic!”

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The Verdict: Ridiculous decision

Although Palace deserved nothing from their performance against Fulham, the decision to send off Tomkins effectively ended any hope of them getting anything from the game.

It was a ludicrous call from referee Andrew Madley, with almost no contact made with Mitrovic, whose playacting played a huge role in the Eagles defender being given his marching orders.

The fact that VAR couldn’t intervene because it was a second yellow card is all the more infuriating, with the Premier League surely having to look into changing the rule to prevent ludicrous incidents such as these.

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Arsenal return to Premier League action tonight as Mikel Arteta’s men take on West Ham United at the Emirates Stadium.

The north London side currently occupy top spot in the table, five points clear of their nearest challengers Manchester City, and there is a genuine hope that the Spaniard could be the one to lead the Gunners to their first top-flight title in 19 years.

However, Arteta will be without forward Gabriel Jesus, with the Brazilian suffering a knee injury at the World Cup, and he is expected to be out for around three months, which is a blow for the manager and for Arsenal.

Despite concerns over William Saliba and Oleksandr Zinchenko, Arteta should have them available against West Ham. In midfield, another man who the manager should definitely unleash tonight in the Gunners’ first competitive match since 12 November is Granit Xhaka.

The Switzerland international has become a lot more dynamic this season, with Arteta moulding him into a midfielder who can push forward and utilise his attacking capabilities.

In 14 Premier League matches before the World Cup break, Xhaka registered three goals and three assists, matching his tally of goal contributions from his previous two league campaigns combined. Such a renaissance is one that “deserves an Oscar” in the words of Sky Sports’ Nubaid Haroon who has clearly been left staggered by his turnaround.

Indeed, the manager has certainly delivered a masterstroke in transitioning the player into a more attacking-minded figure.

The £100k-per-week earner has also averaged 1.4 key passes per game while succeeding with 67% of his dribbles, clearly proving that he is more confident in an attacking sense, and it has worked wonders for Arsenal this season.

Former Gunners midfielder Ray Parlour has enjoyed the club’s start to the campaign and in particular Xhaka’s performances, saying that the 30-year-old has been “absolutely brilliant this year”.

Elsewhere, Arteta previously described the Swiss maestro as “phenomenal”, and it’s clear that he has become one of the team’s most integral players.

Xhaka carried his domestic form into the World Cup, averaging a Sofascore rating of 6.92 across Switzerland’s four matches in Qatar; and despite the Swiss crashing out at the last 16 stage to Portugal following a 6-1 defeat, Arteta will just be glad that his player returned to north London without any injury concerns.

Unleashing the 30-year-old against West Ham tonight after his break from club action could give Arsenal the edge in the midfield battle, and you wouldn’t put it past him to grab a goal or an assist either.

Wolverhampton Wanderers lost 1-0 to Manchester United on Saturday afternoon, and sections of the media slammed Nelson Semedo for a ‘terrible’ mistake.

The Lowdown: Wolves defeated

Wolves were unable to follow up their victory against Everton last week with another three points, losing in a closely-contested match against Man United, but there were positive signs for Julen Lopetegui.

The Athletic journalist Steve Madeley praised the Old Gold for a good first half, defending well and creating some ‘good openings’, but a Marcus Rashford strike late into the second period ultimately proved to be the difference between the two sides.

The Latest: Semedo criticised

During the first half, Semedo under-hit a back-pass and Alejandro Garnacho raced through one-on-one, and while the full-back was luckily bailed out by goalkeeper Jose Sa, he received plenty of criticism for the blunder.

Journalist and Wanderers fan Nathan Judah labelled the 29-year-old a ‘liability’, while United correspondent Laurie Whitwell lambasted a ‘terrible mistake’ and Wolves reporter Liam Keen praised the efforts of Sa for preventing the ‘very sloppy’ error from leading to a goal.

The Verdict: Must cut out mistakes

Although Semedo’s mistake is not to blame for the defeat, on another day it very easily could’ve been, especially against a team of United’s quality, and so he cannot afford to gift teams such easy opportunities in future.

For the most part, the full-back had a decent game, winning five of the seven duels that he contested, while also making two tackles, but all of that is rendered pointless if you don’t do the basics right, and he was brought off by Lopetegui on the 65 minute mark.

Wolves are next in action against Aston Villa on Wednesday night, and Lopetegui will be hoping that his side can build on some of the positive signs today, while also cutting out some of the silly errors.

If the importance of a fresh face wasn’t painstakingly evident before Liverpool’s recent Premier League encounter at Brentford, it is now following a wayward, blundering 3-1 defeat to hamper their top-four aspirations.

Liverpool are no longer the fluid, formidable force that they once were, and reinforcements to the midfield are paramount if manager Jurgen Klopp wishes to maintain the club’s stature as one of the globe’s most eminent outfits since his arrival as head coach in 2015, from a footballing standpoint.

And according to i News, entertaining Italian outfit Atalanta might hold the missing piece of the puzzle to catapult the Reds back into title contention over the next several years, with marauding midfielder Teun Koopmeiners touted as a possible signing.

Although, according to Tuttomercatoweb, I Nerazzurri are reluctant to part with their coveted engine in the middle barring a bid that is too irresistible to turn down, and given the current state of the market and the Reds’ recent £35m purchase of Cody Gakpo, the cards might be dealt against Klopp in this instance.

“Elite” duo

The issue with Liverpool’s midfield is not the calibre of the players at Klopp’s disposal; Thiago Alcantara, Jordan Henderson and Fabinho thread the bulk of the central department, but rather the reliability and fluidity within their manager’s system.

As per Sofascore, the £44m-rated Koopmeiners has recorded an average rating in the Italian Serie A of 7.13 – bettered only by Thiago in Liverpool’s squad – and would bring an air of ubiquity to Anfield, slotting into the triad of central options and unifying the collective spirit, capable of contributing toward devastating attacks and chipping in with defensive might when required – as evidenced by his 1.5 tackles and 1.4 clearances per match.

Also averaging 1.8 shots and 1.7 key passes per outing, he would offer a hardened layer to the attacking edge.

His all-encompassing work would veritably bounce off Gakpo, who is set to make his debut for the club against Wolverhampton Wanderers in the FA Cup third round on Saturday.

Gakpo recently netted three goals at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar with the Netherlands, carrying his emphatic club form to international endeavours; for PSV Eindhoven this season, before his transfer to Liverpool, Gakpo netted 13 goals and assisted 17 more from only 24 appearances.

With Koopmeiners’ offensive statistics, four goals and two assists from 15 starts, impressive for such an industrious midfield presence, he could certainly fortify the central ranks while concurrently providing firepower from the middle – something Liverpool have been lacking, with Harvey Elliott the only centre-midfielder to score more than one goal this season.

With Gakpo’s arrival leaving a tantalising lingering sense of optimism regarding the Kop faithful, the skill sets of the “orchestrator” Koopmeiners – as dubbed by talent scout Jacek Kulig – and his forward-thinking compatriot could entwine like vines, spreading their grip and opening the door for several shiny new dimensions, forging an “elite” partnership and spearheading the Liverpool charge towards prominence once again.

Leeds United presenter Joe Wainman has been reacting to the club’s reported bid for Angers midfielder Azzedine Ounahi.

The Lowdown: Rutter move close…

The Whites appear to have accelerated their attempts to sign Hoffenheim forward Georginio Rutter, with that transfer now thought to be close. The 20-year-old could become the club’s most expensive signing of all time and is expected to have a medical in the next 48 hours.

Rutter may not be the club’s second and final January addition, though, with 17-cap Morocco international Ounahi another player of interest.

The Latest: Wainman reacts

Journalist Santi Aouna took to Twitter in the last 48 hours, sharing what he knows about Rutter and Ounahi.

He claimed that ‘Leeds have also made an offer to Angers for the Moroccan midfielder’ which left Wainman – presenter of the Just Joe football show – to tweet in reply:

‘Surely not a double swoop’

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The Verdict: Unlikely?

It does seem as if Leeds may miss out on Ounahi’s services, with an unnamed club thought to be further down the line in the race to sign the midfielder.

However, the Whites will know that anything can happen in the transfer window, so they may still be hopeful of completing a deal for the Angers ace.

You’d expect that Victor Orta’s main focus will be on finalising a move for Rutter, though, which hopefully will go through without any late hiccups.

Leeds United could be set to repeat one of their failures of a bygone era, amid transfer links with a player from a Premier League rival…

What’s the latest?

On Saturday, Liverpool Echo writer Joe Thomas was discussing Everton’s transfer policy in an article for the publication.

Of those potentially preparing to leave Goodison Park, Mason Holgate is namedropped as under consideration from the Whites, alongside another top-flight club in Nottingham Forest.

With the centre-back likely to have little future under Frank Lampard, perhaps Victor Orta could make a move for him instead.

Seth Johnson repeat?

Having struggled to impress under his new boss, or a few of the other managers in the Farhad Moshiri era at Goodison Park, there is little cause to believe that things would be different at Elland Road.

In fact, working to sign an English defender already taking home £70k-per-week is likely to cost Leeds a premium, and it could be seen as going down the same route as when they spent big to sign another English talent before their Premier League relegation in 2004.

Three years previously, Seth Johnson was acquired for a hefty £7m fee, but he saw his time in Yorkshire ravaged by injuries. As such, he would make just 58 appearances across his four-year stay at Leeds, leaving for free in 2005, 11 months earlier than his contract intended.

Fast forward to 2022/23, and Holgate has only featured four times in the league so far, with his involvement in a four-game winless run to kick off the new season having not seen him return to a Premier League line-up since August.

Only against Bournemouth in the Carabao Cup was he recalled, with the 26-year-old going on to contribute to one of Everton’s most embarrassing consecutive defeats in recent history.

He recorded a 6.7 Sofascore rating in that 4-1 defeat, which managed to somehow be an improvement on his 6.65 average rating in the league last season, when he played a large role in the Toffees’ relegation-threatened campaign.

Furthermore, Holgate has also endured a patchy injury record, which could see his career similarly scarred in the way that Johnson’s was.

Signing a statistically suspect defender, as outlined by match averages of 0.93 blocks and 0.98 interceptions  (which place him in the bottom 21% and 18% respectively when compared to defenders in Europe’s top five leagues over the past 12 months, via FBref), would be a disaster waiting to happen.

Godfrey’s shortcomings were outlined by Sky Sports journalist Ron Walker, who highlighted one of the Everton defender’s “really bad” decisions which handed Aston Villa the lead in a fixture in 2021.

Given their precarious position in the Premier League, Leeds cannot afford to bring in another liability. They must look elsewhere for defensive reinforcements, or else face the financial ramifications of what has all the hallmarks of another transfer blunder akin to the Johnson signing.

West Ham United have reportedly made an offer to sign Aston Villa striker, Danny Ings, as manager David Moyes seeks to spark a turnaround in fortunes at the London Stadium.

What’s the word?

According to The Telegraph, the Hammers are said to have lodged a bid for the 30-year-old ahead of a potential January switch, with the Englishman – who arrived on a £25m deal 18 months ago – reportedly valued at around £15m by the Midlands outfit.

The report suggests that while the Villans had not intended to part ways with the former Southampton man this month, there is an acceptance that a sale could well help to provide funds for further additions for new boss Unai Emery.

As for the Irons, the piece also adds that Moyes is believed to be a keen admirer of the three-cap marksman, with the Scotsman having reportedly attempted to sign the player back in 2015 during his time in charge at La Liga side, Real Sociedad.

Boldly ditch Antonio

A new attacking recruit appears something of a necessity for the east London outfit if they are to stave off the drop, with marquee summer signing, Gianluca Scamacca, having scored only three Premier League goals to date.

With it still early days in the Italy international’s time in England, however, it could well be another man who proves to be the major casualty of Ings’ arrival, with long-serving ace Michail Antonio potentially facing the axe.

TalkSPORT reporter Alex Crook only recently revealed that West Ham would be ‘open to offers’ for the 32-year-old if they could secure a replacement before the deadline, amid interest from fellow strugglers Everton.

The Jamaican international – who only has 18 months remaining on his existing deal – is the club’s highest scorer in Premier League history with 58 goals since his arrival from Nottingham Forest in 2015, although the ageing speedster has only netted twice in the top-flight this term.

His potential replacement, Ings, has enjoyed a far more respectable campaign thus far with six goals from his 18 league outings – only eight of which have come from the start – with his tally of seven goals across all fronts this term making him Villa’s highest scorer.

A player who has been lauded as something of a “goal machine” in the recent past by journalist Joe Prince-Wright, the £120k-per-week hotshot previously enjoyed a prolific stint at St Mary’s with an impressive return of 46 goals in just 100 games.

As such, although it could well be something of a heartbreaker to move on a player who has given so much to the club for so long in the form of Antonio, bringing in a clinical presence such as Ings could well be what is needed in the battle for survival.

Tottenham are considering a move for Brentford goalkeeper David Raya, according to The Times.

The Lowdown: 31 goals conceded

Spurs have struggled at the back this season, conceding 31 times in the Premier League, the most out of the top 12 sides in the division.

Antonio Conte has mainly used Hugo Lloris, with the Frenchman letting in four second-half goals against Manchester City on Thursday.

He was criticised by Jamie Carragher for his display at the Etihad, and it looks as if north London officials may have an eye on replacing the 36-year-old.

The Latest: Raya interest

The Times shared a transfer update on Friday, claiming that Spurs are ‘weighing up a move’ for Raya. The report states that Tottenham have already contacted Brentford about the goalkeeper this month but were told he is not for sale.

The Spaniard is into the final 18 months of his contract, though, and Spurs are ‘considering testing Brentford’s resolve’.

The Verdict: Wise move

Replacing Lloris with Raya could prove to be a wise move, both in the short and long run. Raya has gone from strength to strength with the Bees and has been one of Brentford’s top performers this season, as per WhoScored,

He appears to be at the top of his game with a career-high €22m Transfermarkt valuation and has made more saves than any other goalkeeper so far this season (81).

Lloris on the other hand has been Spurs’ 11th-best performer this season, as per WhoScored and has made 24 fewer saves than Raya (57), so a transfer could be a smart piece of business.