Arsenal now want a £50 million former Real Madrid gem who they “tried to sign” many years ago – and the Gunners may have an advantage in the chase for his signature.

Arteta praises Lopetegui as Arsenal prepare to face West Ham

On the field, Gunners head coach Mikel Arteta is preparing his side to face struggling West Ham United in the Premier League this evening.

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The Bavarians could provide stiff competition.

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Arsenal go into this London derby off the back of two convincing wins against Nottingham Forest and Sporting CP – showcasing the kind of form needed to challenge Liverpool for top spot – while the Hammers have clinched victory in just four out of a possible 12 league games.

West Ham did beat Newcastle United 2-0 in their last encounter, so they will be slightly more uplifted, but Arteta’s side are firm favourites to overcome the home side and win their third consecutive match in all competitions.

West Ham United (away)

November 30

Man United (home)

December 4

Fulham (away)

December 8

Everton (home)

December 14

Crystal Palace (away)

December 21

Star defender Gabriel Magalhaes is an injury doubt for Arsenal, though, meaning the exit-linked Jakub Kiwior could have to slot in alongside William Saliba at centre-back.

In the build-up to this afternoon’s late kick-off, Arteta praised Lopetegui and West Ham, saying the east Londoners are well-coached and could cause the north Londoners serious problems.

“I know him, we are friends, I have huge admiration for what he has done in the game,” said Arteta.

“He is from the same area as I am in the north of Spain. It’s a team that’s now in a high after the big win that they had against Newcastle away and it’s always a really tough opponent, we know that.

“Various ways to create big problems. They are a really physical side, really good in direct play, attacking second balls where they have to dominate the game through the ball. Or when they have the space they are a really dangerous team. Set pieces, and then individual quality they have, the front players can create in any moment any situation to cause you trouble. They are really well coached.”

Off the field, Arsenal are rumoured to be in the market for a new forward, and a potential alternative to Bukayo Saka.

Arsenal want former Real Madrid winger Takefusa Kubo

An option in that respect could be Real Sociedad winger Takesufa Kubo.

The Japan international, who has been called his country’s answer to Lionel Messi, spent some of his youth at Barcelona’s La Masia academy before later joining Real Madrid – with ex-Galacticos boss Zinedine Zidane calling him a “very interesting” player in 2020.

Kubo departed the Bernabeu for Sociedad in 2022, where he has since gone on to become a key player.

The 23-year-old bagged a goal and an assist in their 2-0 Europa League win over Ajax on Thursday, adding to his tally of 20 goals and 15 assists over a century of total appearances for the La Liga side.

His form has piqued the interest of Arteta, as The Boot Room reports this week. It is believed that Arsenal are keen on signing Kubo, who has a £50 million release clause in his contract, and they even “tried to sign” the player during his youth alongside the likes of Man City and Liverpool.

Arsenal also had scouts in attendance to watch his man-of-the-match display against Ajax, so they’re doing their homework on the Asian ahead of a potential move.

Celtic are interested in signing a midfielder who could be available in the January transfer window, according to a report.

Celtic transfer news

The Hoops’ Scottish Premiership campaign could hardly be going any better, having won 14 and drawn one of their opening 15 games, but manager Brendan Rodgers is still looking at ways in which he could improve his squad.

There has been a promising recent development in Celtic’s pursuit of Chelsea midfielder Carney Chukwuemeka, with reports indicating they are now leading the race for his signature, despite interest from Serie A giants AC Milan.

Signing a new midfielder appears to be a priority for Rodgers, given that the reigning Scottish Premiership champions have also been linked with an ambitious move for Manchester United’s Christian Eriksen.

Eriksen would be a big-name signing for the Hoops, however there are some important obstacles they would need to overcome, not least the fact that the Dane currently earns £150k-per-week.

Celtic update on Mahamadou Diawara

As such, it may be more financially prudent for Rodgers to take a risk on a lesser-known player, and one midfielder he is well aware of is Mahamadou Diawara, having attempted to bring him to Parkhead back in the summer. That move did not transpire, however according to the same report from L’Equipe (via Sport Witness), Celtic remain interested in the 19-year-old, and they have now been given renewed hope of signing him this winter.

The youngster had been keen to play regular first-team football for Lyon in Ligue 1 this season, but that has not been the case, meaning he is now growing increasingly unsettled and his future in France is very much uncertain.

With the idea of a January move now gaining ground, the Hoops have been given renewed hope that a deal could be possible, should they meet the midfielder’s demands of being part of a project where he receives regular game time.

Celtic lead European giants in race to sign "powerful" £100k-a-week player

He could be a brilliant addition for Brendan Rodgers.

1 ByHenry Jackson Dec 9, 2024

U23 football scout Antonio Mango was full of praise for Diawara when he signed his first professional contract with Lyon back in the summer of 2023.

However, the Frenchman is yet to establish himself in the Lyon first team, making 11 Ligue 1 appearances last season, and he has since fallen out of favour even more, having featured for just 14 minutes in the French top flight.

As such, it would be a risk for Celtic to pursue a deal, but the central midfielder is clearly a player Rodgers likes, having targeted him in the summer, and he is still very young, meaning he has plenty of time to fulfill his potential.

MatériaMais Notícias

No próximo domingo, o Athletico volta a campo pelo Paranaense e a sua missão é encarar o Londrina, time que o derrotou na partida de ida das quartas de final.

– VEJA A TABELA DA SÉRIE A DO BRASILEIRÃO

O duelo promete ser agitado e o Furacão aposta na Arena da Baixada, onde costuma pressionar e vencer seus adversários.

Dentro do clube, mesmo com o estadual longe de ser prioridade, é levado a sério e Alberto Valentim vai com força máxima.

Desempenho

Ao longo do Campeonato Paranaense, o Athletico disputou seis partidas e apresenta um bom desempenho, com três vitórias, dois empates e uma derrota.

Regulamento

Vale citar, que para avançar no torneio estadual, o Athletico precisa vencer o Londrina por dois gols de diferença.

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Recruitment has been rather hit-and-miss at Goodison Park over these past several years. Everton know that improvements are needed, and will hope that The Friedkin Group will turn the ship around when they complete their purchase of Farhad Moshiri’s 94% stake.

One of the most pressing concerns, aside from Sean Dyche’s future as first-team manager, has got to be the club’s attacking threat – or lack thereof.

Everton's attack needs a rehaul

Everton have been one of the least effective attacking outfits in the Premier League this season, and though Dominic Calvert-Lewin isn’t scoring, having blanked across eight matches, Dyche’s pragmatic tactics have failed to inspire synergy or success from a frontal standpoint.

Premier League: Least Goals Scored (24/25)
Rank	Team	Position	Goals Scored
15.	Newcastle	10th	13
15=	Man United	12th	13
17=	Ipswich Town	18th	13
18.	Everton	16th	10
18=	Crystal Palace	19th	10
20.	Southampton	20th	9
Stats via BBC Sport

Everton desperately need to conjure up some fresh inspiration from somewhere, but it doesn’t look like it’s going to be from Calvert-Lewin. Beto carried a threat of sorts, but he too doesn’t emit the kind of aura that suggests he will shape into a free-scoring phenomenon.

Everton actually signed an up-and-coming talent over a year ago to bolster their frontline, but Youssef Chermiti’s time at Goodison Park has been ineffective thus far.

TFG should brutally cash in on Youssef Chermiti

Chermiti had surgery on a foot injury at the start of August, just before the start of the 2024/25 season, in what has proved to be a detrimental blow to his chances of making a positive impression at senior level so far.

Last term, Chermiti completed 20 appearances for Everton but only started once in the Premier League and failed to score a single goal – though he did pick up four yellow cards. Though he was viewed as a project-type signing, the £15m fee paid to Sporting Lisbon should provide Dyche with a greater return.

Already, the 20-year-old striker is showing little promise of cementing a starring role in Everton’s first team in the years to come, though fans will hold onto hopes of an exciting return to action soon, with Dyche confirming that he is back in training.

When Chermiti joined the Merseysiders, he claimed that it was “a big move for me,” but now he faces a fight to even secure a future at the club, with Everton’s decision to sign Armando Broja from Chelsea in the summer something that could thwart him in establishing himself.

As per Football Transfers, the Portuguese talent, who stands at 6 foot 4, is currently worth just £3m, marking a steep decline from the fee that was forked out for his services only one year ago.

Let’s see how it pans out, but Everton may well have put Chermiti on the backseat already, with his dropped market value hardly an indicator of things going well.

With the January transfer window looming, it remains to be seen whether a loan exit could be on the cards in the New Year, with journalist Chris Beesley predicting back in September that the struggling striker may “now be loaned out in the second half of the season”, when he is back to full fitness.

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Whatever occurs in 2025, the £15m signing certainly needs something to help kickstart his floundering Toffees career.

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Angus Sinclair

Nov 27, 2024

Ipswich Town experienced the utter jubilation of a last-minute winner away at Wolverhampton Wanderers, having fallen victim to a devastating loss right at the death versus AFC Bournemouth in the Premier League just one match prior to this golden outing at Molineux.

Tractor Boys supporters packed into Wolves’ home ground would have been fearing another poor result after Matheus Cunha had levelled the match late on at 1-1, but second-half substitute Jack Taylor was the hero the away masses craved when he dramatically headed home a chance from a corner on the 94th-minute mark.

The former Peterborough United midfielder hasn’t been a staple of Kieran McKenna’s starting lineups since promotion, but after this invaluable contribution, he could well be gifted more opportunities.

Taylor's important winner

Whilst a home win still manages to evade the Suffolk side, this goal means Ipswich now have two victories on the road after overcoming Tottenham Hotspur by the same 2-1 scoreline.

Whilst that trip to North London saw Ipswich boldly pick up the three points, this win at Molineux was far more gritty and hard-fought in nature, with Taylor stealing the headlines when converting a late opening after a Jack Clarke corner found him in space.

That must be the highlight of Taylor’s time in an Ipswich shirt to date, with the ecstatic number 14 only on the pitch for a matter of 15 minutes before powering home a header to send the travelling support into raptures.

Only starting once this season so far in the top-flight, moments of magic like this could see McKenna try out the 26-year-old from the start more often moving forward, especially as games come thick and fast.

But, there is another midfield presence that shone even brighter than Taylor across the majority of the tense contest who will hope he can remain front and centre of his manager’s first team plans too.

Cajuste's performance in numbers

Jens Cajuste arguably put in his best display for the Premier League relegation candidates since his summer loan move from Napoli versus Gary O’Neil’s hosts, with this being his seventh start in the division so far.

Performance in Numbers

Want data and stats? Football FanCast's Performance in Numbers series provides you with the latest match analysis from across Europe.

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Very rarely squandering possession when on the pitch, with just two mishit passes from 32 attempted, the Scandinavian midfielder also displayed a bite in his game to help out the defenders behind him as a holding option.

Cajuste’s performance in numbers

Stat

Cajuste

Minutes played

75

Goals scored

0

Assists

0

Touches

45

Accurate passes

30/32 (94%)

Key passes

1

Successful dribbles

2/2

Interceptions

2

Tackles

3

Total duels won

8/13

Stats by Sofascore

Overall, it was a very well-rounded display from the Swede, who won eight of his 13 aerial duels on the day to show off his imposing nature in the middle, whilst also displaying his daringness to venture forward on occasion with 100% of his dribbles successfully completed.

Cajuste would be rewarded with a high 8/10 rating post-match by East Anglian Daily Times journalist Alex Jones, who labelled the 25-year-old’s display as “exceptional” and even gifted him the accolade of being Ipswich’s man of the match.

Also receiving the honour of being Ipswich’s player of the month for November recently, Cajuste will want to kick on and put in some more exemplary performances, with more wins tallied up next to his side’s name in the Premier League rankings consequently.

There is still some way to go before the close of the season, but McKenna will be encouraged by his team’s fight at Molineux in downing a fellow relegation rival.

Now, it’s all about finally picking up that elusive home win, with the potential for that to come when Newcastle United travel to Portman Road just four days before Christmas.

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IPL

David Warner insisted he did not need any extra motivation against his former franchise Sunrisers Hyderabad, but he still made a big statement against the side that dropped him last season when he plundered 92 off 58 balls to set up a Delhi Capitals victory. Warner was going nicely against Chennai Super Kings as well before missing a reverse sweep against Maheesh Theekshana in what became a heavy Capitals defeat to dent their hopes of progression. However, with at least three innings remaining, Warner has a chance to become the first overseas batter to reach 6000 runs in the tournament.Related

• David Warner quietly proves a point against old side Sunrisers Hyderabad

• Is Tim David ready to take the baton from Kieron Pollard for Mumbai Indians?

• Dan Worrall, Gus Atkinson lead Surrey's seam battering of Northants

Barring a miracle it has come too late to save Mumbai Indians’ season, but Tim David has been making up for lost time after mysteriously sitting on the bench. Following his handy cameo against Rajasthan Royals last week he went further with a match-defining 44 off 21 balls against Gujarat Titans. He sensibly played out Rashid Khan before plundering the final overs from Lockie Ferguson and Mohammed Shami. It brought praise from ESPNcricinfo analyst Daniel Vettori. “There’s a lot going on to be impressed with,” he said. “You just don’t see such clean hitting with such pure shot-making at the back end of an IPL innings.”Mumbai’s victory in that game was sealed by Daniel Sams‘ nerveless final over when he managed to defend just eight runs, made more impressive by the fact it came against the finishing power of Rahul Tewatia, David Miller and Rashid. It was a show of strength from Sams who was taken for 35 off an over by Pat Cummins earlier in the competition.Marcus Stoinis turned on the power•BCCI

Josh Hazlewood continued to excel as he helped Royal Challengers Bangalore to back-to-back victories to create some daylight between fourth spot and the chasing pack. In a combined eight overs against Super Kings and Sunrisers he conceded just 36 runs. For a pace bowler who has delivered a minimum of 20 overs in this year’s edition, Hazlewood has comfortably the best economy rate and the third-best of any bowler. In the match against Sunrisers, Glenn Maxwell also produced a handy display with 33 off 24 balls followed by a wicket in the first over the chase. That came after a crucial return of 2 for 22 against Super Kings.Marcus Stoinis gave a display of his power against Kolkata Knight Riders when he took Shivam Mavi for three consecutive sixes at the start of the 19th over. Just when thoughts were turning to what could be, Stoinis picked out deep midwicket but the pain continued for Mavi when his last two balls also went for six against Jason Holder. Stoinis’ 28 off 14 balls became his 10th innings of 20-plus at a strike-rate of 200 or more, with seven of them coming in just over the last 12 months in a sign of his batting development in his various middle-order roles.Dan Worrall celebrates another breakthrough•Getty Images

County

Peter Handscomb, who will be part of the Australia A squad in Sri Lanka next month, played an important hand in Middlesex’s outstanding chase against Sussex as they hunted down 370 with time to spare. He made 79 out of a second-wicket stand of 209 with Sam Robson who dominated with 149. After the match, Handscomb endorsed Australian-born Robson, who has previously played seven Tests, as worth another look by the England selectors.Daniel Worrall has swapped Australian domestic cricket for the county scene as a local player with a British passport and after a wicketless start for his new team Surrey had an important part to play in a convincing victory over Northamptonshire. Across the two innings, he claimed five wickets including the scalp of New Zealand batter Will Young.It had not been an easy start for Nathan McAndrew at Warwickshire with 0 for 100 in his first outing against Somerset, but he got off the mark with a hard-working haul of 4 for 85 against Lancashire. It prevented the home side from building a more substantial lead which may have left Warwickshire under more pressure as they batted out the final day amid some scares against Matt Parkinson.Michael Neser‘s three second-innings wickets were an important part of Glamorgan’s victory against Leicestershire. Neser was left out of the Australia A squad for Sri Lanka with national selector George Bailey saying he saw more value in him continuing to bowl in English conditions with a view to the 2023 Ashes tour. After four games Neser is Glamorgan’s leading wicket-taker with 14 wickets at 25.50.Georgia Redmayne has found form in Dubai•FairBreak Global

Fairbreak

This new T20 competition – an innovative creation bringing together some of the leading players from women’s game with those from the Associate nations – got underway in Dubai. While most Australians have stayed at home to rest there are a few taking part. Georgia Redmayne, who was a travelling reserve at the recent World Cup, has shown some terrific form for Warriors including an unbeaten 80 in the opening match. Nicola Carey struck 70 off 43 balls for Spirit as they recovered from 15 for 3 to comfortably beat Sapphires who have Elyse Villani, Grace Harris and New South Wales legspinner Jade Allen in their team. Villani struck an unbeaten 62 in his previous outing against Warriors.

Did you see?

It will have been a frustration to Marnus Labuschagne that he had a quiet week with the bat – falling for 17 and 13 against Leicestershire – but he made a mark with the ball on the opening day of the game. His 3 for 65 played a key part in restricting Leicestershire’s first innings. He broke an opening stand of 90 then, with the visitors solidly placed at 199 for 3, put himself on a hat-trick by sliding quicker deliveries through Wiaan Mulder and Scott Steel. The hat-trick delivery finished with Labuschagne’s hands on his head as the inside edge squirted safely into the leg side.

Performance of the week

It goes to Tim David. It could easily have been David Warner, but his T20 credentials are secure. David is still forging his path and it would have been easy for him to become frustrated and confused by warming the bench for a struggling franchise. However, offered the opportunity in recent matches he has taken it with both hands. It will take something remarkable for Mumbai to progress this season but they need to look to the future and David, surely, is a big part of that. And then there’s Australia.

ESPNcricinfo’s experts were divided between Harshal Patel and Arshdeep Singh for the third seamer’s spot

Sidharth Monga15-May-2022India should pick their T20I seam attack from the quartet of Jasprit Bumrah, Harshal Patel, Mohammed Shami and Arshdeep Singh, ESPNcricinfo experts Daniel Vettori and Piyush Chawla have said. They were full of praise for Shami on ESPNcricinfo’s analaysis show T20 Time:Out after his figures of 4-0-19-2 helped Gujarat Titans keep Chennai Super Kings down to 133 on Sunday.Related

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Shami now has the joint-most wickets in the powerplay in IPL 2022, and he even bowled a boundary-less 20th over in which he got the wicket of MS Dhoni. Shami is joint-fourth on the wicket-takers’ list, with 11 of his 18 wickets having come inside the powerplay. However, it is his maturity at the death that has impressed the experts.”This is one of the best seasons for Shami,” Chawla said. “Because we have seen him previously that he generally bowls well with the new ball and by the time he comes to bowl in the death overs he goes for a lot of runs. But this season he has worked on it, and he has bowled well in the death overs as well. We all know he can bowl really well with the new ball. The only problem was in the death overs. But this year he has shown that he has those clear plans for death overs, and he has executed those plans beautifully.”Vettori would have Shami even without that death-bowling improvement. “It shows that Test-match bowling works for the first sort of 16 overs of a T20 game,” Vettori said. “He normally relies on heavy lengths, and a little bit of seam movement. We talked about how [Mohammed] Siraj has lost the ability of seam movement because of his seam position. Shami’s seam position is impeccable.”It is what all young fast bowlers should look at. His release and his ability to hit a consistent area and then letting the ball do the work. He is not asking too much of the ball. He is not trying to swing it too far. He just hits such lengths. And the improvement and maturity that we are talking about in the death bowling. Whereas in the past Shami could be hit or miss like Umesh Yadav. But now he actually has strong plans and backs himself to hit that yorker.”Arshdeep Singh has the best death-overs economy rate of any bowler who has delivered at least eight overs in that phase this season•BCCIBoth Chawla and Vettori had Shami in their first India XI, but disagreed on the third quick.”If you talk about his [Shami’s] current form, he definitely looks like one of them [three picks for an India pace attack],” Chawla said. “He has got pace, he has got that seam movement, the seam position and the wrist position is so amazing that even when there is nothing on the pitch he gets something out of it. Definitely, the way he is bowling, he should be one of the picks.”Vettori wouldn’t even bowl Shami at the death, but would have Bumrah and Harshal do the job. “I think Bumrah and Harshal Patel have to be in the team because of their death bowling,” Vettori said. “What they bring to the table. Harshal can bowl through those middle stages. The third seamer is tough to pick but Shami is potentially clearing out because of his ability to take wickets in the powerplay, bowl aggressively through the middle stages and with the back end taken care of by Bumrah and Harshal.”For Chawla the difficult choice is between Harshal and Arshdeep. He was full of praise for the Punjab Kings left-arm quick. “For me I think I still pick between Harshal and Arshdeep,” Chawla said. “The way Arshdeep has bowled this tournament. He has just been outstanding at the death. He is somebody who doesn’t use new ball much. There would be a pick between Harshal and Arshdeep, and Bumrah and Shami for sure. The powerplay is really important, and it is important to pick up wickets. Gujarat Titans have picked wickets in the powerplay, and that shows in the points table.”Among the 23 bowlers who have bowled a minimum of eight overs at the death during this IPL, Arshdeep has the best economy rate of 7.14, over 14 overs. Bumrah is second with 7.46 in 14.2 overs. Harshal has gone at 9.46 an over but has picked up more wickets than Arshdeep and Bumrah.

Arsenal have entered pole position to sign a “wonderful” player from Chelsea in the January transfer window, and it is also believed they’re currently above nine other clubs in the race for his signature.

Arsenal edge into Carabao Cup semis after dramatic 3-2 win over Crystal Palace

It was a night to remember for Mikel Arteta on Wednesday evening, as his side edged past Crystal Palace with a dramatic 3-2 win at home to secure their place in the Carabao Cup semi-finals.

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Palace striker Jean-Philippe Mateta handed the Gunners an early scare when he gave Oliver Glasner’s men the lead after just four minutes, taking advantage of an error from Jakub Kiwior, and they managed to shut Arsenal out until just after half-time.

After repeatedly knocking on the door, with Raheem Sterling missing a glorious chance to equalise and Dean Henderson clawing away his excellent free-kick, eventual man of the match Gabriel Jesus scored the first of his hat-trick on 54 minutes with a lovely dinked finish.

Arsenal’s next five Premier League games

Date

Crystal Palace (away)

December 21

Ipswich Town (home)

December 27

Brentford (away)

January 1

Brighton (away)

January 4

Tottenham (home)

January 15

Jesus then took advantage of a neat inside through ball from Bukayo Saka to smash his second beyond Henderson and into the bottom corner. It didn’t take long for the £265,000-per-week ace to seal his hat-trick either, with Martin Odegaard playing Jesus through on goal to fire in his third and final strike on a much-needed night for him personally.

Palace made the last few minutes nervy, with ex-Arsenal starlet Eddie Nketiah grabbing one back five minutes from added-time.

However, the Eagles didn’t manage to find another breakthrough, as Arteta waits to find out who his side will play in the next round with the semi-final draw set to take place this evening.

“So pleased for him,” said Arteta on Jesus’ performance against Palace.

“It’s been a long period for him without goals and today to score three goals, the three type of goals he scored tonight as well and many actions he was involved, he looked really sharp. I think it’s a great thing for him, great thing for the team that we can rely on a player with such a quality, same with Kieran, same with all the players who haven’t started many games and had the chance to do so.”

In the background, interim director Jason Ayto and co are working on potential incomings for the January transfer window.

Arsenal now in pole position to sign Chelsea midfielder Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall

Reports in the build-up to next month have suggested that Arsenal have held talks over signing a midfielder, with Palace starlet Adam Wharton among the names to be linked.

Now, CaughtOffside have shared more information on their pursuit of a new option for the engine room, and it is believed Chelsea outcast Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall is firmly on their agenda for the winter.

The outlet reports that Arsenal are current favourites to sign Dewsbury-Hall, above as many as nine other sides in Leicester City, Fulham, Rangers, Tottenham Hotspur, Aston Villa, Newcastle United, Brighton & Hove Albion, Brentford and Manchester United, with the in-demand ace set to be inundated by offers.

The former Leicester City star has failed to establish himself as a first-team regular under Maresca, and Arsenal are looking the most likely to hand him a route out of Stamford Bridge, according to CO.

If Arsenal wish to strike a permanent deal, the price will be exactly what Chelsea paid for the “wonderful” Dewsbury-Hall – £30 million.

Aston Villa have already agreed their first signing of the January transfer window, with the teenager expected to arrive next week to undergo a medical and finalise the deal, according to a fresh report.

Aston Villa set for busy January window

Though the January transfer window is yet to open, Aston Villa and Unai Emery have already lined up plenty of business.

The Premier League side have already announced plans to recall Louie Barry from Stockport, where he was leading the League One goalscoring charts. It is expected that the young forward will head out on loan once more, though at a higher level amid interest from across the Championship in his services.

Currently sixth in the Premier League, Villa are keen to bolster their ranks in a bid to compete across both England’s top flight and the Champions League, with the club well-placed to progress to the next round of Europe’s elite competition.

To that end, they have reportedly shown an interest in signing yet more firepower, with Greek striker Stefanos Tzimas among those that Emery’s side are keeping a close eye on.

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Now though, they appear to have reached an agreement at the other end of the pitch.

Aston Villa agree deal to sign talent

That is according to a fresh report out of Turkey, which claims that the Villans have agreed a deal worth €8m (£6.6m) to sign teenage centre-back Yasin Ozcan from Super Lig side Kasimpasa.

As per the report, Ozcan “will travel to England in the first week of January to undergo medical checks” after the two clubs “reached an agreement” for the defender.

Ozcan has started all 16 games for Kasimpasa this season, and is considered an elite future talent, with Talent Scout Jacek Kulig describing him as a “highly talented LCB” and “the future of Turkish football”, before adding elsewhere that Ozcan was a “quick, tenacious CB with superb timing and sharp reactions”.

Appearances

16

Goals and assists

1

Yellow Cards

3

Clean sheets

5

Though his £5,200 a week deal in Turkey runs until 2029, it appears that Villa have moved swiftly to tie up a deal amid major interest from clubs across Europe, and could well have the deal completed in the first week of the New Year.

It remains unclear whether they intend to use Ozcan immediately, or whether or not Emery’s side will look to loan him out in order for him to gain additional first team experience.

Ozcan has already made 76 senior appearances to date, but with both Tyrone Mings and Pau Torres already at Emery’s disposal to cover at left centre-back. Though he can also play at left-back, Villa are also well covered in that role, meaning a loan move for the remainder of the campaign may be sensible to ensure that his progress is not stunted by a spell on the sidelines at Villa Park.

Villa have been targeting talent from the Turkish top flight for some time, with the club also tipped to make an offer for Besiktas talent Semih Kilicsoy in the January window. For now though, they appear set to welcome Ozcan to Villa Park in the days to come.

Chelsea are now closely monitoring a new defender for Enzo Maresca, it has been reported, as they look to consolidate their newfound position back towards the top of the Premier League.

Chelsea march on

An impressive comeback against London rivals Tottenham saw Chelsea run out 4-3 winners in north London on Sunday, and move up to second place in the Premier League in the process.

The Blues were 2-0 down inside 15 minutes thanks to two slips from Marc Cucurella which allowed Tottenham through on the attack, but goals from Jadon Sancho and a penalty from Cole Palmer brought them level on the hour mark.

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From there, they pressed their advantage as an Enzo Fernandez half volley and a second penalty from Palmer, this time a panenka, put them on course for all three points, though a stoppage time goal from Heung Min-Son made the scoreline closer than it perhaps should have been.

After the game, Maresca once again played down talk of a potential title challenge despite his side being Liverpool’s closest challengers as things stand.

“Arsenal, [Manchester] City and Liverpool probably don’t slide – like Cucurella did,” he joked. “To be serious, we are not ready. We are far from these teams, but we focus on day-by-day and trying to improve the team.

“The plan or the idea is to not let the players slow down. They cannot drop because they know another player is waiting to come in.”

One area that remains a concern is the heart of defence, with Benoit Badiashile looking error-prone and Axel Disasi having yet to regularly feature in the Premier League this season. Now, in keeping with Chelsea’s recent transfer policy, the Blues are eyeing another young talent.

Chelsea keen on Thiago Silva 2.0

That comes as Sky Germany report that Chelsea are one of two Premier League sides keeping a close eye on Brazilian defender Vitor Reis ahead of a potential summer move. The Blues have already raided Palmeiras once in the last 12 months, landing impressive forward Estêvão Willian in a deal worth up to £52m, with the teenager joining in the upcoming summer.

And he could be joined by fellow Palmeiras star Reis, with Florian Plettenberg revealing that the Blues are “closely monitoring” Reis ahead of the summer.

Still just 18-years-old himself, Reis is believed to have a bright future ahead of him, with Football Analyst Ben Mattinson taking to X to dub him the “heir to Thiago Silva” and a “future star” at centre back.

Appearances

22

Goals

2

Clean sheets

4

Yellow Cards

4

The defender is under contract in Sao Paulo until 2028, meaning that it would likely take a significant fee to lure him away from the Brazilian side, especially given that next summer would be midway through their domestic season and they will already be losing Estêvão.

Meanwhile, Arsenal are also thought to be interested in the talent as they look for yet more defensive reinforcements, which could leave Chelsea with a fight on their hands.