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Tottenham Hotspur are now closely monitoring Lecce midfielder Joan Gonzalez after conducting recent scouting missions, according to a new report.

The Lowdown: Interest in Gonzalez

Gonzalez is a very highly sought-after young player, with fellow Premier League side Everton scouting him multiple times, while Juventus and Borussia Dortmund have also been named as interested parties.

Tottenham’s interest in the 20-year-old has already been documented, but they now appear to have their sights more firmly set on the youngster, after the latest development…

The Latest: Scouting missions conducted

According to a report from CalcioMercato (via Sport Witness), Spurs have sent officials to Italy to closely follow the youngster, ahead of a possible approach either in January or the summer.

Dortmund are said to have retained their interest, while Serie A side Napoli could also make a move for the midfielder, who is said to be valued at around £13m.

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The Verdict: Future star?

Despite still being at a young age, the starlet has already managed to put in some brilliant performances in the Italian top flight this season, impressing considerably in November’s surprise 2-1 win against Atalanta, bagging an assist and making two key passes.

The Spaniard has, at times, managed to show his ability going forward, getting his first professional goal for the club in the match against Monza, however the signs indicate that he would be more of a defensive option for Antonio Conte, ranked in the 95th percentile for average blocks per 90 in the last year compared to his positional peers, with 1.82.

Tottenham already have Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg in this area of the pitch, while Joao Palhinha has also now emerged as a target, so Gonzalez is unlikely to be considered as someone to make an immediate impact, but he certainly seems like one for the future.

Arsenal are open to more attacking signings in the January window after missing out on Joao Felix, Pete O’Rourke has claimed.

What’s the word?

The Gunners are currently top of the Premier League and are clearly identifying an attacker to strengthen their squad as they take aim at a first league title since 2004.

Mykhailo Mudryk had been their number-one target, but the latest reports indicate that he is set to head to Chelsea despite Arsenal bidding multiple times.

Speaking prior to the latest Mudryk news, O’Rourke told Football FanCast that should an opportunity for a forward open up, Mikel Arteta could make a move – even if they ended up signing the Ukrainian in the first place.

Asked if he expected the Gunners to explore other attacking signings, he said: “I’m sure if the right deal is out there, it’s something that Arsenal will be monitoring – to see if the attacking reinforcement is out there.

“They have missed out on Joao Felix. Mikel Arteta has admitted Gabriel Jesus is going to be out for quite a few months as well, so if they suffer any more injuries from their attacking players, it’s definitely something that Arteta will be looking for.”

Depth is needed

With Jesus injured, attacking depth across the frontline is arguably needed if Arsenal want to challenge for the title and compete in the Europa League, and a versatile attacker could be ideal.

Mudryk was the top target, but with his move to Chelsea inching closer to completion, Arsenal may need to explore other options regardless.

If they do not sign a forward in this window, assuming they do not land Mudryk, they could be taking a big risk in their title challenge, with their attacking depth currently running low on numbers, as perhaps shown by Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli both playing in every single league game to date.

It remains to be seen what kind of deal can be struck in January, but another forward could be the difference-maker in the title race, and Arsenal may not want to waste such an opportunity to win the league.

The Daily Mail’s Craig Hope has said that Newcastle United may ‘accelerate’ their summer business following the departure of Chris Wood. 

The Lowdown: Wood heads to Forest on loan

Eddie Howe’s side is a striker short after agreeing to loan the New Zealand forward to fellow Premier League side Nottingham Forest, with an option to buy for Steve Cooper’s side.

Alexander Isak and Callum Wilson are now the club’s only natural forward options, but both have impressive returns in the league. Isak has three goals from four Premier League matches and Wilson has nine goal contributions in 14 appearances in England’s top flight.

However the club may look to add one more option in attack this month, for the sake of depth purposes.

The Latest: Hope gives striker verdict

Speaking on his YouTube channel, Hope said that Newcastle won’t be looking for a player that is of a similar mould to Wood. The Magpies won’t just sign players for the sake of it, but they don’t have long to get a potential deal sorted.

He stated: “Now the question is, of course, who do they bring in? They’ve themselves 11 days to do it; what they won’t do is they won’t go out and sign another Chris Wood-type. It won’t be just a short-term deal to satisfy that gap in the squad.

“They’ll look to accelerate summer business. This was always the message from Dan Ashworth and from Eddie Howe as well, January will be a month whereby they know what they want to do in the summer.

“If we can do some of that during the course of this month, the winter window, then okay, great – but they’re not going to sign players just for the sake of it.”

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The Verdict: New striker would provide safety net

Both Wilson and Isak have the scoring stats to show that they’re both quality strikers, but they’ve had injuries at different points in the season.

It would be a huge blow to Howe’s side if both were to sustain setbacks at similar times during the 2022/23 campaign, leaving them without a natural striker in the squad.

Bringing in a young forward would be the best cause of action from Eddie Howe, Wilson would be a great player to learn from as he’s an experienced player who knows his way around the Premier League and how to get goals in the division.

There’s been talk recently by The Sun that Dominic Calvert-Lewin is wanted by the Toon, but that move seems unlikely as surely Howe doesn’t want to add another injury-riddled striker to his ranks.

Manchester City have been credited with an interest in breakthrough Napoli sensation Khvicha Kvaratskhelia recently and the winger could prove to be Pep Guardiola’s own version of Mohamed Salah at the Etihad.

According to the Daily Mail, the Citizens are keeping tabs on the Georgia international after his incredible start to life at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona.

Since joining the Serie A leaders from minnows Dinamo Batumi last summer, the youngster has gone on to contribute a remarkable nine goals and 12 assists in just 20 appearances and looks set to inspire Luciano Spalletti’s side to the Scudetto.

New York Times journalist Rory Smith was full of praise for the young winger earlier in the season, writing:

“I genuinely haven’t enjoyed watching someone play football as much as I enjoy watching Khvicha Kvaratskhelia play football for years. He’s instinctive, untamed, anarchic and, most of all, he’s really, really good fun.”

Kvaratskhelia’s phenomenal 7.55 average rating in Serie A sees him ranked by WhoScored as the best performer in Napoli’s squad so far this season, so it could be difficult to prise him away from Gli Azzurri this year, with his agent suggesting that he could cost around €100m (£88m).

However, given that he is just 21 and is already producing superb performances at the top level, that could prove to be a shrewd investment by Manchester City, especially if he can follow in the footsteps of Salah, who has regularly haunted Guardiola during his time with Liverpool.

The Egyptian winger has 10 goals and five assists in just 18 appearances against City for the Reds, which included the winning goal at Anfield earlier this season, which could prove extremely damaging in Guardiola’s hopes of retaining the title this year.

According to FBref, Salah is the fifth-most similar player to Kvaratskhelia when compared to other wingers across Europe’s top leagues.

This season has seen the two wingers register very similar numbers with regard to shot-on-target percentage (39.5% vs 40%), long balls completed (16 vs 14) and expected goals and assists per 90 (0.75 vs 0.68).

WhoScored also suggests that both Salah and Kvaratskhelia excel at playing key passes and through balls, while they both like to cut inside, albeit from opposite flanks, so they are clearly similar types of player.

Considering the 30-year-old’s performances in Jurgen Klopp’s side over the past few years, notably against City, Guardiola would surely be foolish to turn down a player so similar, so he should do everything he can to bring Kvaratskhelia.

Newcastle United are yet to complete their first senior addition of the January transfer window but are reportedly not far away from dipping into the market.

Fabrizio Romano has revealed that the Magpies are closing in on the signing of Everton forward Anthony Gordon on a permanent deal to bolster their ranks.

The Italian reporter tweeted:

“Newcastle have reached an agreement to sign Anthony Gordon, here we go! Deal in place on £40m fee, Everton accepted the proposal. #NUFC Personal terms also agreed on long term deal.”

It now remains to be seen whether or not the England under-21 international will be the final, and only, player to come through the gates at St. James’ Park before Tuesday’s deadline, as the club have been linked with players in the midfield area.

Earlier this month, the Daily Mail reported that the Magpies are interested in Wolverhampton Wanderers star Ruben Neves as they weigh up a swoop to sign a new midfielder.

The report claims that the club are monitoring the Portuguese international’s situation at the Molineux as his contract is due to expire at the end of next season.

If the central midfielder opts against putting pen to paper on a fresh deal with Wolves then that could force their hand in the summer, to avoid losing him for nothing in 2024, if Newcastle decide against a swoop this month and are willing to wait.

Irrespective of whether Dan Ashworth and Eddie Howe snap the gem up now or in five months, Neves could form an exceptional partnership with current Toon star Bruno Guimaraes in the middle of the park.

The above statistics show that the Brazil international has been delivering consistently brilliant performances for Howe’s side in the top-flight this season.

This comes after the maestro averaged a Sofascore rating of 7.25 in 17 appearances in the division, scoring five goals and assisting one, in the second half of last term after joining from Lyon in January 2022.

His statistics since arriving on Tyneside show that the gem is a combative box-to-box midfielder and Neves could be the dream partner for him as the Wolves star is cut from the same cloth.

In the Premier League this season, the Portuguese wizard, who was once hailed as a “beast” from set-pieces by ex-USA international Jimmy Conrad, has averaged a Sofascore rating of 7.22 across 19 appearances.

The £50k-per-week magician has chipped in with four goals from midfield whilst also making 4.0 tackles and interceptions per match, which comes after he gem struck four times and averaged 3.3 tackles and interceptions per outing in the 2021/22 campaign – averaging a Sofascore rating of 7.11.

Neves and Guimaraes are both box-to-box talents who have proven they can perform to a high level week-in-week-out in the Premier League by making key contributions at both ends of the pitch, which suggests that they could form an exceptional partnership for the Toon.

Both of them are 25 and have plenty of time left ahead of themselves to develop further. Now, imagine both players running the midfield for Newcastle for many years to come…

Manchester United could well be looking to strengthen their attacking ranks this summer, with reports in Italy having claimed that the Red Devils are one of the clubs who are interested in signing Juventus sensation Federico Chiesa.

According to Calciomercato, United are believed to eyeing a possible €100m (£88m) deal to bring the 25-year-old to Old Trafford ahead of next season, albeit with the club set to face competition from Premier League rivals Arsenal and Liverpool in the race for his signature.

The former Fiorentina ace has only featured sporadically this season after missing much of 2021/22 due to an ACL injury, but prior to that the dynamic wide man had been in scintillating form for both club and country, notably playing his part in the Azzurri’s glorious triumph at Euro 2020.

The 40-cap speedster truly announced himself to the wider world with his standout showings in that tournament, notably netting twice en route to the final as the “main goal threat” for his side, according to pundit Rio Ferdinand.

The former United defender was also full of praise for the dynamic forward’s display against Chelsea in the Champions League last season, stating post-match that: “It’s his pace, his drive. He’s the one who is the threat, he’s potent, he wants to run in behind. He’s that modern day striker who can play anywhere across the front line and he’s as comfortable out wide as he is through the middle. He unnerves defenders with that pace, he’s so direct.”

At club level, the eye-catching “wizard” – as described by journalist Roger Bennett – currently boasts a haul of 35 goal contributions in just 61 games for Juventus, after previously accruing 59 goals and assists in 134 games during his stint in Florence.

Such a clinical and captivating figure could well emerge as a real standout asset at the Theatre of Dreams, with the Italian’s directness and versatility ensuring that he could well fashion an immense attacking partnership with current United talisman Marcus Rashford.

With both Chiesa and Rashford able to operate centrally or on the flanks, there could well be an opportunity for the pair to fluidly interchange in Erik ten Hag’s side, ensuring that they could wreak havoc on opposition defenders.

Bringing the Juventus man into the fold would help add further firepower to an attacking unit which is currently heavily reliant on the resurgent Englishman, who has scored 18 goals in 30 games in all competitions.

That tally is three times more than what the club’s second-highest scorer this season – Bruno Fernandes (six) – has achieved, hence the need for Ten Hag to bolster his attacking threat with a marquee arrival.

While arguably the main desire may be to secure a more traditional, out-and-out centre-forward, there may well be great excitement at the prospect of seeing Rashford and Chiesa working in tandem as a more mobile striking duo.

Leeds United go in search of their first win in the Premier League since November as they travel away from Yorkshire to face Nottingham Forest this afternoon.

Jesse Marsch’s side have not managed to pick up three points from a match since they beat Bournemouth 4-3 before the 2022 World Cup in Qatar and are only above the relegation zone on goal difference as it stands.

However, the Whites did enjoy a victory in their last competitive outing as they beat Accrington Stanley 3-1 away from Elland Road in the FA Cup last weekend.

Jack Harrison, Luis Sinisterra, and Junior Firpo all found the back of the net as Marsch’s team progressed through to the fifth round of the competition but the American head coach may not want to go with the same starting XI.

One player, who was not involved in the match, who must now be unleashed against Nottingham Forest today is wide forward Wilfried Gnonto.

The Italy international was rested for the cup clash and new signing Georginio Rutter was offered the chance to feature at the top end of the pitch alongside Patrick Bamford.

However, the French youngster endured a difficult debut as he struggled at times. As per Sofascore, Rutter missed two ‘big chances’ and only completed 60% of his attempted passes during his 76 minutes on the pitch, which shows that the attacker was wasteful in possession with both his passing and his finishing.

The 20-year-old did show lightning pace and a few neat touches but his lack of cutting edge on the ball, against lower-league opposition, suggests that the gem needs more time to settle into life in England before earning himself a place in the starting XI.

Marsch should unleash him off the bench in the next few Premier League matches to ease him into life in the English top flight, with Gnonto starting ahead of him in the immediate term.

Writer Tom Carnduff recently hailed the Italian dynamo as “an absolute star” and talent scout Jacek Kulig once described the former Inter marksman as a “real diamond”, which shows how much the young attacker has caught the eye in recent times and over the last few years in Europe.

The 19-year-old has plundered three goals in his last five competitive appearances for Leeds and has created nine chances for his teammates in six Premier League starts this season, which shows that the teen has the quality to make a big impact at the top end of the pitch.

Gnonto has been electric in the final third of late, as evidenced by his impressive statistics, and that is why Marsch must unleash the £20k-per-week maestro ahead of Rutter, after the new arrival’s struggles last time out.

Arsenal’s quest to secure a first Premier League title in nearly a decade suffered a setback over the weekend as Mikel Arteta’s side were beaten by a struggling Everton side.

James Tarkowski’s header got the Sean Dyche era off to a perfect start and put a dent in the league leaders after they suffered just their second top-flight defeat of the 2022/23 campaign.

Although everything is still in the Gunners’ hands as they hold a five-point and one-game advantage over defending champions Manchester City, who could now be hit with a points deduction following remarkable revelations off the pitch.

If the north Londoners can get back on track with a result against Brentford on Saturday, then the defeat at Goodison Park will become a mere afterthought.

It could be time for some of Arteta’s fringe stars to step up and be counted, particularly as games are going to come thick and fast as the month rumbles on, with Arsenal still in the Europa League.

During the ‘Invincibles’ season, the Gunners were knocked out of both the FA and League Cup in the semi-finals and had bowed out of the Champions League by the quarters, so their focus was fully on the league in its closing stages.

Arsene Wenger often stuck by the same side – ten players started 28 or more of the 38 outings. You had the goals from Thierry Henry and Robert Pires, as well as the defensive resilience from central defensive pairing Kolo Toure and Sol Campbell.

Players such as Edu Gaspar – now sporting director at the Emirates Stadium – Pascal Cygan and Sylvain Wiltord perhaps never got the credit they deserved, having arguably been some of the unsung heroes of Arsenal’s last title-winning triumph.

Likewise with the late Jose Antonio Reyes, who joined mid-season during the January transfer window – just as Leandro Trossard has done recently.

The then 19-year-old would go onto register just seven starts during the second half of the season but became a vital piece off the bench as he registered a total of three goal contributions, which would see him rank sixth for goals and assists per 90 in the squad.

His defining moment came with the title already secured.

Arsenal’s chance of becoming history-makers was in jeopardy down at Fratton Park, two games after winning the league at White Hart Lane.

Harry Redknapp’s Portsmouth outfit were leading through Yakubu at the break before the Spaniard bagged his first top-flight goal four minutes after the break to snag a point and keep their unbeaten record intact.

Trossard could play a similar role in the closing months of the season, especially as he’s yet to register a league start since his £27m move from league rivals Brighton and Hove Albion, where he has already notched seven goals and three assists this term.

The Belgian, once hailed as a “wizard” by journalist Charlie Haffenden and a “game-changer” by the BBC’s Phil McNulty, could well be a vital cog for the Gunners in their quest to secure their first Premier League title since that famous invincibles feat in 2003/04.

He may not get the nod over the likes of Gabriel Martinelli and Bukayo Saka but his influence and ability is going to be crucial, whether that be off the bench in key moments or when starting in Europe to aid some rotation.

The 28-year-old could well be Reyes 2.0 for the Gunners in the coming weeks and months, thanks to Edu’s magic in the market.

AND in other news, Edu could land Arsenal a dream Caicedo alternative in move for £36m-rated “dominator”…

Robbie Mustoe believes Leeds United have to address their left-back woes amid their midweek display.

The Lowdown: Left-back is still an area of concern

Despite Junior Firpo picking up a hamstring injury last summer, Jesse Marsch and Leeds thought they could do without recruiting a new left-back, which saw Pascal Struijk shoehorned into that position.

January offered them to rectify their mistake of the summer which they appeared to do by bringing in Maximilian Wober – who had been playing at left-back for RB Salzburg – only for him to be deployed at centre-back so far in his Leeds career.

Therefore, Victor Orta must see this as an area of weakness and clearly it is a key area that must be improved no matter who the next manager is because they need at least one good left-back that can provide competition and even relegate Firpo to the bench.

The Latest: Orta must improve no matter who the manager is

Mustoe was far from impressed by what he saw from both Struijk and Firpo in Leeds United’s draw at Old Trafford last night as he claimed on The 2 Robbies podcast that left back is a problem area.

He said: “Defensively, Max Wober, I think makes them a bit better defensively, but they’ve got to get a different left-back. Struijk started, Firpo came on and I’m a bit worried by both of them, that’s a problem.”

The Verdict: Leeds must be looking to strengthen

It is quite astonishing that Leeds have allowed their left-back situation to get progressively worse as the windows have passed as Firpo clearly isn’t the answer with the former Barcelona man unable to keep himself fit for a prolonged period of time since moving to Elland Road.

The fact that Struijk is still getting picked ahead of both Wober and Firpo to play at left-back potentially says a lot about their capabilities of slotting into that position, despite them having featured there on a regular basis.

While Leeds are indeed still looking to land Jesse Marsch’s successor at Elland Road, Orta must already be planning, with the scouting network at Leeds, for the summer and which player is going to be their number one left back for many years to come.

Gabriel Agbonlahor believes Antonio Conte has to drop out-of-form Tottenham Hotspur ace Son Heung-min.

The Lowdown: Shocking drop off in form

It’s quite shocking what has happened to Son this season, as he was crowned as the top scorer in the Premier League last May, while he’s only managed to score in two league games this term.

Son took until mid-September to get his first Premier League goals of the season as he netted a hat-trick against Leicester City despite starting the game on the bench.

Last night’s Champions League match against Milan was yet another game to forget for Spurs and Son, as the South Korean failed to register a single shot on target and was sloppy in possession, losing the ball 13 times during their defeat (as per Sofascore)

The Latest: Son to be dropped

Agbonlahor has seemingly had enough of Son this season and wants to see him dropped, mentioning the likes of Arnaut Danjuma and Richarlison as potential replacements on TalkSport.

He said: “I feel they’ve got to get Son on form. He’s not been himself this season. Last season, joint top goalscorer, but I feel like Danjuma, the new signing; Richarlison, hasn’t scored a Premier League goal this season… they need a chance.

“Freshen it up, get Son on the bench and maybe give Danjuma a chance, and Richarlison.”

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The Verdict: Conte has to make bold decisions

Conte has only benched Son once in the Premier League this season, which was a huge call at the time given how impressive the attacker has been on a consistent basis for Spurs over the last few years. Indeed, he had been hailed as ‘incredible’ last summer by former England goalkeeper David James after he picked up the Golden Boot award.

However, that one game saw Son come off the bench with something to prove and net an impressive hat trick, so perhaps that is what he needs again to try and reignite some life into his season.

Spurs splashed out £60m on Richarlison over the summer and brought in Danjuma last month, so both of those players will be itching for more minutes, and this weekend against West Ham could well be the perfect time to rotate after a midweek game out in Italy, particularly as Tottenham’s disappointing form continued on the continent.