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Newcastle United have entered the January transfer window with a new central midfielder at the top of Dan Ashworth’s to-do list.

What’s the word?

The Magpies have been handed a number of injury setbacks in midfield already this season with Bruno Guimaraes missing a number of games and Jonjo Shelvey barely featuring through his respective injury. Setbacks in a key area of the pitch to big players which seem to have left Eddie Howe feeling slightly short in midfield.

This is according to the reliable Toon correspondent Craig Hope, with the Daily Mail journalist claiming a new midfielder is now the ‘absolute priority’ for the Magpies this month:

“You know central midfield, from what I’m hearing and again that was reinforced by one or two conversations today [Saturday], is the absolute priority,” Hope said on his YouTube channel.

A number of names have already been linked with a potential move to Tyneside ahead of this month’s transfer window with the likes of Youri Tielemans among the list of potential winter targets.

Another name which is believed to be on Ashworth’s radar is the 21-year-old Moises Caicedo from his former club, Brighton & Hove Albion who he signed from Independiente in 2021 for a fee of around just £4.4m.

Ashworth is also said to have set his radar on options from across Europe with Ajax’s Edson Alvarez a potential option alongside the brother of Marcus Thuram, Khephren Thuram, who is currently showcasing his talent out in Ligue 1 with OGC Nice.

Area for improvement

Newcastle’s midfield has certainly become one of their strengths under Howe with the signing of Guimaraes seeing the Brazilian become one of the most impressive players across the league in that position.

The Brazilian has been a revelation on Tyneside having as he finds himself in the top nine percentile for non-penalty goals, completed dribbles, tackles and blocks (via Fbref).

And alongside him has been his fellow Brazilian, Joelinton, whose improvement under Howe has been nothing short of remarkable with the 26-year-old’s turnaround being hailed by Jamie Carragher in recent days.

However, Shelvey’s absence has left a gap in Howe’s three-man midfield which has not exactly been claimed with any real conviction by either Joe Willock nor Sean Longstaff.

Willock’s goal-scoring prowess shown during his loan spell under Steve Bruce is now a distant memory with the Englishman scoring just four goals under Howe.

And Longstaff has been slammed for his display in the 0-0 draw against Leeds United on Saturday as the Englishman squandered opportunities to snatch all three points.

With the Magpies flying in the Premier League and Champions League football a real possibility this season, it does feel like a quality partner for Guimaraes and Joelinton could be a big addition for Howe.

Aston Villa manager Unai Emery has asked NSWE to sign Mallorca striker Vedat Muriqi this month.

The Lowdown: Muriqi profiled

Muriqi, labelled as ‘dominant’ in the air by Smarterscout, is an out-and-out centre-forward who stands at 6 foot 4. A Kosovo international, the 28-year-old has scored 119 goals during his career for club and country and is his country’s record scorer.

He made a permanent move to Mallorca from Lazio over the summer following a successful loan spell, but it looks as if he could be on the move again in 2023.

The Latest: Transfer update

One Spanish outlet shared an update regarding Muriqi in the last 48 hours, claiming that Emery wants the player to become the club’s leading forward.

Emery is insisting on the signing, with Villa already making a €20m offer which was turned down. They may need to increase that to up to €30m to improve their chances.

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The Verdict: Smart move?

Muriqi has been in fine form in La Liga during the current campaign, scoring eight times in 13 games. He’s also been Mallorca’s best-performing player, as per WhoScored, winning three Player of the Match awards.

You can see why Emery is after a new forward as well, with Villa scoring just 19 goals in 17 Premier League fixtures, with Danny Ings netting five times and Ollie Watkins three times.

Therefore, a move for Muriqi may prove to be a smart one and the powerful striker could give Emery a new option alongside the likes of Danny Ings and Ollie Watkins.

Manchester United are ‘looking at’ the possibility of signing PSV Eindhoven forward Cody Gakpo in 2023, confirms Sky Sports reporter Dharmesh Sheth.

The Lowdown: Second time lucky?

The Dutchman still has four years remaining on his contract in the Eredivisie, but after being the standout performer over the last 12 months, has been attracting attention from across Europe.

The Premier League giants expressed a strong interest in the 23-year-old over the summer, and despite failing to land him, the Red Devils appear to be considering taking a second bite of the cherry.

The Latest: United monitoring Gakpo

Taking to Twitter, Sheth confirmed that United are monitoring Gakpo ahead of a potential move, whilst also delivering an update on the club’s pursuit of targets in another area of the pitch.

“Manchester United looking at forwards – including Cody Gakpo – and right-backs, but ‘significant chance’ no incomings in January.

“Right-back incoming likely to depend on Wan-Bissaka future. United conscious of complying with FFP. Loan market being explored too.”

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The Verdict: Get it done…

Gakpo has been dubbed ‘De Herdgang’s Finest’ by Jacek Kulig and “sensational” by sports writer Thierry Nyann , and should the opportunity to sign him arise, this is a no-brainer of a deal to complete.

The winger has already clocked up a remarkable 30 goal contributions in just 24 appearances across all competitions this season and is averaging 3.6 shots per league game.

Cristiano Ronaldo’s departure has left a huge void in the final third that needs filling, and Gakpo would be the perfect man to come in and do just that.

Manchester United are interested in signing Brighton midfielder Moises Caicedo, according to an update from Sky Sport journalist Florian Plettenberg.

The Lowdown: Caicedo on World Cup duty

The Seagulls star is one of many players currently on World Cup duty in Qatar, standing out as a key figure for Ecuador in their group matches.

Caicedo has averaged 2.5 tackles per game in the tournament to date, along with enjoying an 84% pass completion rate, showing his capabilities both in and out of possession.

Numerous elite clubs are believed to be interested in signing the 21-year-old from Brighton, and it now looks as though United are very much in the mix.

The Latest: Man United keen on Caicedo

Taking to Twitter, the reliable Plettenberg stated that the Red Devils are in the race to sign Caicedo, with the Old Trafford hierarchy quite keen on the youngster.

He tweeted:

“News #Caicedo: #MUFC is planning to enter the race! Bosses highly interested. Also on the list of #LFC – next to Bellingham – & spotted by many other top clubs. Team mates say he is an ‘exceptional player & character’. Brighton hopes that he will stay beyond 2023.”

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The Verdict: Could be a superb addition

Caicedo looks like a hugely promising young player who could already be a regular starter for United, should a move come to fruition in January or next summer – only four players at Old Trafford can better his WhoScored rating of 6.91 in the current Premier League campaign.

While Erik ten Hag did strengthen in that area during the summer transfer window, both Casemiro and Christian Eriksen feel more like quick fixes than long-term solutions, considering that they are both 30 years of age.

On the other hand, the 21-year-old Caicedo is a dominant figure who could become a mainstay of United’s midfield for many years, potentially maturing into one of the best players in Europe at what he does, providing energy and quality in equal measure.

Tottenham Hotspur right-back Djed Spence could be handed his first start of the season against Nottingham Forest this evening.

What’s the latest?

Speaking in his pre-match press conference (via BBC Sport), Cristian Stellini hinted that Antonio Conte could be set to field something of a rotated starting XI at The City Ground tonight, before suggesting that the former Nottingham Forest loanee could be one of those brought into the side for the Carabao Cup clash.

Regarding the Forest game, the Tottenham head coach said: “Every game we play, we want to win. We will use the best team to try to win the game against Forest.

“For our young players, every game is the game to trust in him. If we think the EFL Cup is important, we need players who are ready. Djed Spence is one of those, for sure.”

Conte must unleash Spence

Considering just how exciting a prospect Spence looked to be while on loan with Forest last season, coupled with how little the 22-year-old has featured for Tottenham following his £20m move to north London this summer, a Carabao Cup fixture against his former side would appear to be the perfect opportunity for the Italian to finally unleash the youngster.

Indeed, over his 45 Championship appearances in 2021/22, the £19m-rated right-back was in fantastic form going forwards, scoring two goals, registering five assists and creating six big chances for his teammates, in addition to taking an average of 0.6 shots, making one key pass and completing 1.8 dribbles per game.

The £25k-per-week defender also impressed in metrics more typical of his position, making an average of 1.4 tackles, 1.5 interceptions and 1.1 clearances and winning 5.8 duels per fixture.

Rather understandably, these performances saw the England U21 international earn a considerable amount of praise, with Ian Wright dubbing the wing-back both “swashbuckling” and “unbelievable”, while Trevor Sinclair also singled the youngster out in an interview with talkSPORT this summer, stating:

“There is competition for places but I think Djed Spence will go straight in there, especially with the way that Antonio Conte likes to play 3-4-3. I think he’s is going to be a huge problem.

“I saw him play against Arsenal for Nottingham Forest last season – he was against [Nuno] Tavares, [Gabriel] Martinelli, and [Kieran] Tierney and he ran them all ragged. I thought, ‘Who is this kid because I’ve not seen a lot of him?’

“He really made his mark in the Championship last season and also played very well against Leicester City when they knocked them out of the FA Cup. I think he’s the real deal.”

Indeed, considering just how incredible a talent Spence looks to be, it would appear extremely advisable for Conte to finally hand the 22-year-old his first start for Spurs this evening, as the youngster could easily go on to prove himself more than capable of a regular starting spot in the Premier League moving forwards.

Rangers were heavily linked with a move for Danilho Doekhi during 2022 and the centre-back would have been the perfect man for Giovanni van Bronckhorst amid his current defensive crisis.

The Dutch defender was first linked with a move to Ibrox in January but the Teddy Bears were told that they would have to pay £2m to prise him away from Vitesse, so gambled on being able to sign him on a free transfer in the summer when his contract with the Eredivisie side expired.

Unfortunately for Rangers, he would join Bundesliga side Union Berlin in May, where he has played a big part in their remarkable success so far this season.

Urs Fischer’s side currently sit top of the German top flight, ahead of the likes of Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund, after winning eight and drawing two of their opening 12 domestic fixtures.

The German side could also progress to the Europa League knockout stage this evening as they face Union Saint-Gillioise in their final group stage fixture, so it is clear that something special is brewing at the Stadion An der Alten Försterei.

Doekhi has certainly been a hit since his arrival in the summer, as he is currently ranked as their second-best player in both the Bundesliga and the Europa League according to WhoScored, after averaging an impressive 7.32 and 7.23 rating in each competition thus far.

In his eight appearances this season, Union Berlin have conceded just three goals and lost only once, which emphasises just how impressive the 6 foot 3 defender has been.

Rangers, meanwhile, have shipped 11 goals in the Premiership and conceded a ridiculous 22 times in the Champions League group stages after some defensive horror shows, so having a player such as Doekhi in the side would have surely made them more secure at the back.

Former Vitesse manager Thomas Letsch was full of praise for Doekhi during his time with the Dutch side, saying:

“He already played fantastic last year and this season he has performed at the highest level in every game. Danilho makes almost no mistakes and is an absolute team player, a very calm player.”

Injuries to Ben Davies, Filip Helander and Conor Goldson have made things worse for Van Bronckhorst but the Dutch manager will surely be wishing that Rangers had won the race for Doekhi during the summer given his impressive form so far this campaign.

He may well have been the man to take Gers further in Europe.

Aston Villa should have Matty Cash back in the squad for Monday’s clash with Nottingham Forest, according to Ashley Preece.

The Lowdown: Cash’s absence

Cash, hailed as ‘excellent’ by pundit Trevor Sinclair, suffered a hamstring injury last month in the 1-1 draw with Manchester City.

The 25-year-old missed the win over Southampton prior to the international break and was also absent in Sunday’s 0-0 draw with Leeds.

Steven Gerrard’s defensive injury woes went from bad to worse at Elland Road with Ludwig Augustinsson picking up an issue, but it seems as if he’ll get a much-needed boost against Forest.

The Latest: Preece’s claim

Preece took to Twitter on Tuesday lunchtime to share some ‘early AVFC team news’ before the trip to Forest on Monday.

He claimed in the story for Birmingham Live that Cash has returned to full training this week and is expected to be amongst the Villa squad that travels to the City Ground. Preece also added that fellow defender Calum Chambers is also likely to return in what would be a ‘double boost’.

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The Verdict: Needed

The majority of Villa’s injury problems so far this season have come to defenders, with Cash, Chambers, Diego Carlos, Augustinsson and Lucas Digne all picking up problems.

Therefore, having Cash and Chambers back will be welcomed by Gerrard, especially the former, who had been a regular prior to his injury.

Cash could well come straight back into the starting XI, which may allow Gerrard to use Ashley Young at left-back, should Augustinsson and Digne miss out.

Southampton continued their slump in form on Saturday, as they fell to defeat against a travelling Everton side.

They have now lost three on the run and have only won once in the Premier League in their last five.

It marks a continuation of poor form for Ralph Hasenhuttl, who will be starting to worry about his job security. His Saints team now sit in 15th, with every team below them holding a game in hand.

Despite taking the lead through Joe Aribo, a double salvo from the Toffees stunned the home side, and despite late pressure, they could not get past the staunch defending from the visitors.

One man who certainly hindered their attacking play was Sekou Mara, who started in one of the four fluid attacking roles.

The Frenchman was a passenger, and at times it felt like they were a man down. He had just 15 touches – considerably fewer than goalkeeper Gavin Bazunu’s 40 – before understandably being dragged off after 60 minutes.

Despite his lack of time on the ball, when he did get it, he seemed to ruin most attacks too. He did not manage a single shot on target and had a miserable pass accuracy of 71%. This was only from his seven attempted passes too.

Hasenhuttl is often a manager who likes his whole side to work hard, and whilst Mara was far from potent up front, had he contributed defensively his poor day at the office could have been excused.

However, he was just as toothless with his defending too, as he lost 75% of his eight duels, ceding possession of the ball four times in the process.

This miserable display culminated in his early withdrawal and a SofaScore rating of 6.8. However, his statistics and all-around display throughout the game suggest that might actually have been kind to the 20-year-old.

Perhaps Hasenhuttl will have to rethink his selection in the future, with particular focus on Mara following his disasterclass.

After taking the lead, they stood a real chance at taking all three points. But a lack of any real cutting edge and a few minutes of madness led them to yet another defeat.

An update has emerged on Glasgow Rangers and their injury situation ahead of their UEFA Champions League play-off clash…

What’s the latest?

Gio van Bronckhorst has confirmed that both Ben Davies and John Souttar will not be available for selection against PSV tonight.

Kemar Roofe, who is yet to make an appearance this season, remains out and the head coach will now have to deal with two of his centre-back options being injured.

The club quoted him as saying:

“Roofe, Souttar and Davies didn’t travel with injury. Kamara travelled with the squad.”

Frustration for van Bronckhorst

This should leave the Ibrox boss frustrated as it leaves him short in the centre-back department, with Filip Helander a long-term absentee and Leon Balogun having been let go in the summer on a free transfer.

Outside of Connor Goldson and James Sands, youngster Leon King is his only other option in that position and he has only made two – substitute – appearances this term – after playing four times in the Premiership last season.

Van Bronckhorst clearly identified that area of the pitch as one that he wanted to strengthen as he moved to bring Davies and Souttar to the club.

This is one of the reasons why he should be frustrated with this update as he is now without two key signings for a gigantic match with Champions League qualification hanging in the balance.

He will be particularly unhappy after what happened in the first leg. The Gers conceded two goals from corners against the Dutch outfit and bringing in an experienced centre-back could have helped them tonight.

Last week, pundit Si Ferry stressed the importance of having one of them available, saying: “Over the last year, they’ve been very good but if you look at last night, James Sands, who is predominantly a central midfielder, was playing next to Connor Goldson.

“For the second leg, they need to get someone like Ben Davies or John Souttar in next to Goldson because although he done well last night, Sands can’t play at centre-back in Europe.”

Sands lost 67% of his duels in the air in the Europa League and 50% of them in the league for the Light Blues in 2021/22.

Meanwhile, Davies won 75% of his aerial battles in his one Premiership outing this season and won the majority of his duels in all five of his Championship campaigns in England. Souttar, on the other hand, won 72% of his aerial battles and made 3.9 clearances per game in the Scottish top-flight last term.

This suggests that both of them are strong in the air and could, therefore, improve Rangers’ ability to defend corners by adding their aerial ability into the box.

Instead, they will be watching on from home and van Bronckhorst will be hoping that their respective injuries do not end up being costly.

Arsenal winger Gabriel Martinelli has an “unbelievable future” in the game, according to his new Gunners teammate Oleksandr Zinchenko.

The Brazilian dynamo has scored in both of the north Londoners’ opening two matches – a 2-0 win over Crystal Palace and a 4-2 win against Leicester City – and the £32m summer signing has waxed lyrical about his talents to Standard Sport this week.

“He is incredible, he is a real diamond,” Zinchenko claimed.

“I would say exactly the same things about him that I say about Gabriel Jesus.

“The way these two guys are working — how everyone is working really — every single day is unbelievable. He [Martinelli] has got amazing quality and he’s still young. I am pretty sure he has an unbelievable future.”

Gunners strike gold

Martinelli, who is still only 21, arrived as an unknown, skinny young kid from Brazilian side Ituano back in July 2019 for a fee reported to be in the region of £6m.

“I look up to Cristiano Ronaldo, [Lionel] Messi and Neymar as they are players who can decide games and are very professional, who dedicate themselves to the whole game,” the young winger said upon arrival to the club’s official website.

Three senior caps, 86 competitive appearances and 33 goal contributions later, we’re seeing that all come to fruition as the 5 foot 10 winger has the ability to get fans on the edge of their seats with his tenacious and skilful play down the left flank.

It was something of a breakthrough campaign for Martinelli last season as manager Mikel Arteta trusted him to start more regularly – across 36 games in all competitions, he delivered six goals and seven assists, as per Transfermarkt.

He has broken numerous records along the way.

In October 2019, he became the first player since Ian Wright to score four times in his first four starts, then in January 2020, Martinelli became the first teenager since Nicolas Anelka to hit double figures in a season for the Gunners.

His strike to achieve that feat against Chelsea was a blistering counter-attack from the Blues’ own corner as he ran the length of the pitch to fire home past Kepa Arrizabalaga. It was voted as the ‘Goal of the Season’ for that campaign.

The Brazil sensation has enjoyed a red-hot start to the 2022/23 campaign and he shows no signs of letting up just yet, meaning those around the Premier League must be fearful when they see his name on the teamsheet.

Martinelli is now valued at a whopping €50m (£42m) by CIES Football Observatory, who assess the transfer value of professional footballers on a scientific basis, which means technical director Edu Gaspar and his staff have already seen a potential 600% return on their investment.

Given his level of performance, the high praise from a four-time Premier League champion and the drastic increase in his transfer value, it’s fair to suggest that the Gunners have struck gold with Martinelli.

AND in other news, Arsenal could sign dream Tielemans alternative in “extraordinary” £35k-p/w dynamo…