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Manchester United could secure the ideal midfield partner for Paul Pogba after being linked with a move for Monaco ace Aurelien Tchouameni.

What’s the story?

The Red Devils were reportedly interested in the highly-rated 21-year-old’s services over the summer, although no formal offer was ever made for the Frenchman.

Now though, according to The Express, United are one of three European heavyweights vying for Tchouameni’s signature after a string of impressive performances.

The report also states that fellow Premier League side Chelsea and Serie A giants Juventus are keen to snap up the youngster, meaning a bidding war could be on the horizon.

Imagine him & Paul Pogba

After rising up through the ranks at boyhood club Bordeaux, Tchouameni joined Monaco in a big-money move in January 2020 and has gone from strength to strength ever since.

The youngster made 42 appearances in all competitions for Niko Kovac’s charges last season, scoring three goals and providing a further four assists for his teammates.

However, it’s his work off the ball that really catches the eye. As per WhoScored, Tchouameni averaged a whopping 3.5 tackles per league game in 2020/21, by far the highest tally amongst his teammates.

He also made 1.7 interceptions, the joint-highest total when compared to his teammates, and the £27m-rated colossus not only dominated proceedings on the ground but in the air as well, winning 67% of his aerial duels.

Tchouameni’s domineering displays have caught the eye of several impressed onlookers, including current Monaco teammate Cesc Fabregas, who praised the youngster.

“He has the potential to be a complete midfield player,” the former Arsenal, Barcelona and Chelsea maestro wrote on Twitter. And now his compatriot and United star Paul Pogba has lauded his talents.

“He’s not a boy; he’s a man. It’s a pleasure to play next to him; he provides a lot, plenty of energy, technical quality and extraordinary physicality. I hope to play plenty of games together and always be on his side,” the World Cup winner said.

Tchouameni got the ideal opportunity to show just how effective his partnership with Pogba could be at Old Trafford after lining up alongside him during France’s National League final victory over Spain.

The duo worked extremely effectively throughout the 90 minutes, with the United star enjoying the attacking freedom that his more disciplined colleague allowed him.

It’s a duo that has the potential to transform Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s stuttering engine room, and therefore, football director John Murtough must swoop for Tchouameni over the coming months.

And, in other news…Man Utd suffer big injury blow ahead of PL return, Ole will be absolutely gutted

West Ham United have been dealt a huge injury blow ahead of their upcoming Premier League fixture.

What’s the latest?

That’s according to a claim made by ExWHUemployee, who revealed in a recent episode of The West Ham Way podcast (via West Ham Zone) that, despite the Hammers initially believing that Aaron Cresswell was close to making a return to action, scans have now shown that the left-back has chipped a bone in his back, which could rule out the former England international for a number of months.

Speaking about the defender’s injury, the Irons insider said: “His injury seems to be worse than originally feared. First, I was aiming to get information from the club [saying that they are] expecting he’ll be back [soon]. But, then [there] were scans and the bone has been chipped. That’s a massive loss.”

Moyes will be fuming

Considering just how important Cresswell has been to this West Ham side, the news that the 32-year-old could be sidelined for a substantial part of the season will surely have left David Moyes fuming.

Indeed, over his 13 Premier League appearances so far this term, the £3.6m-rated defender has helped his side to keep three clean sheets, scored one goal and provided his teammates with one assist. He has also averaged 1.2 key passes, 0.9 interceptions and 1.1 tackles and won 64% of his duels per game.

These returns have seen the 32-year-old average a SofaScore match rating of 7.15, ranking him as David Moyes’ third-best performer in the top flight.

As such, with both Kurt Zouma and Angelo Ogbonna already ruled out of action for a number of months due to injury, the further loss of Cresswell will undoubtedly come as a huge blow to Moyes and his side – particularly ahead of a vital fixture against Watford this afternoon, as the Hammers are in desperate need of three points to keep themselves in the top-four race after the turn of the year.

In other news: Moyes must ruthlessly axe “incredible” £34m-rated flop, he could cost West Ham dearly

Former Glasgow Rangers defender Richard Foster has been left slamming the defending by Connor Goldson that led to a Braga goal on Thursday night.

The Lowdown: Semi-final awaits

Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s team are through to the semi-finals of the UEFA Europa League after beating Braga 3-1 on the night, meaning that they went through 3-2 on aggregate.

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They made hard work of it at times though at Ibrox, conceding a late goal while the visitors were down to ten men to force extra-time, but then got the job done as the Portuguese outfit had another man sent off.

The Latest: ‘Poor’ defending

Speaking on BBC Sportsound (via BBC Sport 21:58pm), Foster was not impressed with Goldson’s defending for Braga’s goal scored by David Carmo, claiming that it was ‘so poor’, and that he lost his man ‘so easily’ and ‘doesn’t stop him running’:

“The defending of the corner was so poor. It was very similar to how poor Braga have been all night at corners. I don’t know how Connor Goldson loses his man so easily, or doesn’t stop him running. Now Braga have something to hold on to.”

The Verdict: Can do better

Goldson will know that he could have done better for their goal, and there were other aspects of his game that were not quite up to scratch.

The central defender lost out on two of his duels, while he also made no interceptions and was inaccurate with a team-high 12 of his long balls, losing possession 22 times in total (SofaScore).

Nonetheless, all of his focus will now be on their Scottish Cup semi-final against bitter rivals Celtic on Sunday afternoon.

In other news, find out which six-foot-two menace Gers are now ‘chasing’ this summer here!

New Celtic signing Reo Hatate will already have caught the eye of clubs in England, Noel Whelan has claimed. 

The lowdown

The Japan international has barely been at Celtic a month, with his signing confirmed on 31 December as part of a J1 League triple swoop by Ange Postecoglou. The Hoops paid £1.4m to sign the midfielder, who penned a four-and-a-half year contract at Parkhead.

He produced a sensational performance against title rivals Rangers last week, scoring twice and providing an assist, and he continued that strong form against Motherwell on Sunday by providing the assist for Liel Abada’s opener in the 4-0 victory at Fir Park.

Sports journalist Josh Bunting has already seen enough to label him a ‘stunning addition’ by the Hoops.

The latest

Speaking to Football Insider, Whelan suggested that clubs who come up from the English second tier may look to pursue Hatate in the summer based on his recent form.

When asked if English clubs ‘would be interested’ in the 24-year-old, the BBC radio pundit replied: “They will be. It might not be the top four in the Premier League but it might be people who get promoted from the Championship to the Premier League.”

The verdict

If he continues to shine, Hatate is bound to win some admirers outside Scotland, and he’s not the only one.

Kyogo Furuhashi, another signing from Japan in recent months, could conceivably end up in the Premier League in the not-too-distant future. According to a report from Calciomercato in September, Southampton are interested in the 13-goal forward.

This attests to the strength of Celtic’s recruitment, and while they would naturally want to be in a position to keep their best players, they may at least make a handsome profit on the likes of Hatate and Furuhashi (£4.86m) eventually if either or both were to be sold.

In other news, Kieran Devlin reacts to this transfer story involving Celtic 

Tottenham Hotspur want to bolster four key areas of Antonio Conte’s squad, according to emerging claims…

What’s the word?

football.london reporter Alasdair Gold has told his YouTube channel that Spurs have made four different positions their priority during this month’s transfer window.

“There is a feeling within the club that Spurs need a right wing-back, a left-sided centre-back and a striker,” he revealed. “From what I understand, Conte agrees with that, but also would like a central midfielder. Four priority positions.”

Fantastic four?

It’s no secret that the north Londoners need additions as they lack the strength in depth to truly challenge some of the Premier League’s biggest teams for a place in the top four.

What Conte has already done with the current squad is quite remarkable, having gone unbeaten in the top-flight under his stewardship but if they are to get back onto the next level, then chairman Daniel Levy must back his man with serious investment.

After selling Serge Aurier and replacing him with Emerson Royal in the summer, it’s a surprise to see a new right wing-back on the agenda but as Matt Doherty’s future is dubious, the need for another option could make sense, especially if Conte isn’t convinced by the former Barca man’s attacking credentials.

Elsewhere, another central defender is certainly going to be among the priorities. Cristian Romero is still absent with an injury, whilst the Italian head coach has often deployed full-back Ben Davies in his back-three. Japhet Tanganga and Davinson Sanchez have looked a little suspect in recent games, too.

Of course, the need for a new forward has always been there but it’s a tricky problem to remedy as Harry Kane will always be the star man leading the line for Spurs. There aren’t many players who will want to be a backup but Conte does need an alternative, or even a partner to the England skipper.

It is also interesting to learn of Conte’s desire for a central midfielder, too. Spurs already have Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, Harry Winks, Oliver Skipp, Tanguy Ndombele and Giovani Lo Celso, so perhaps he isn’t convinced by some of those options.

Either way, this latest development from one of the most reliable sources is certainly exciting and it would suggest that the Lilywhites will indeed be active this window.

Supporters around the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium should be buzzing by this news.

AND in other news, Conte can finally axe “unplayable” Spurs dud by signing “devastating” £26m-rated beast…

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There has been a cautious welcome from Scottish football fans to a report suggesting foreign referees could soon be in charge of Scottish matches.

According to a report in The Daily Record, that notion is being pushed strongly by Celtic after a meeting of Premiership clubs and the SFA to discuss the current issues with referees and discipline.

In 2010, during a strike called by referees, match officials were called in from Israel and Luxembourg before the problems were resolved.

This season there has been an unprecedented focus on refereeing decisions with a red card rescinded against Alfredo Morelos on the opening weekend of the season kicking off the mayhem.

A new Compliance Officer, Clare Whyte, at the SFA has complicated the issues through mixed messages and inconsistencies being sent out almost on a weekly basis.

It remains unclear in what circumstances the Compliance Officer can overrule decisions witnessed by match officials with almost all top flight clubs issuing statements of concern at some stage this season.

Celtic are reportedly keen to play a key role in drawing up recommendations for reforms to the current refereeing setup in Scotland, backing a proposal to recruit officials from other countries – similar ideas have already been floated by manager Brendan Rodgers and Tom Boyd.

The mechanics and costs of bringing in foreign referees has still to be assessed. Whether they’d get co-operation from Scottish assistants remains to be seen but the principle seems to be one that has support among fans of many clubs throughout Scotland.

Here’s a look at how they reacted on Twitter…

Everton have been linked with a move for Inter forward Ivan Perisic as manager Rafael Benitez looks to add further reinforcements to his threadbare frontline.

What’s the story?

According to Spanish outlet Fichajes, the Toffees are among several clubs interested in securing the highly-rated 32-year-old’s services, with fellow Premier League outfit West Ham United also credited with an interest.

Perisic has entered the final year of his current contract at San Siro, and his impressive performances of late have reportedly attracted the attention of several potential suitors, although signing a new deal with Inter has not been ruled out.

Marcel Brands must sanction Everton swoop

Despite Perisic’s age, there is little doubt that the Croatia international would still be a valuable addition to Benitez’s ranks should he make the move to Merseyside over the winter transfer window.

Throughout his career, the hard-working winger has scored 131 goals and provided a further 100 assists in 512 appearances for various clubs, winning one Champions League crown, two Bundesligas, one Serie A title and three DFB-Pokals along the way.

He was lauded as a “top-quality player” by compatriot Dejan Lovren prior to playing a pivotal part in Croatia’s run to the World Cup final in 2018, before then joining Bayern Munich on loan a year later.

Perisic enjoyed a fabulous 2019/20 at the Allianz Arena, with the £9m-rated beast featuring 35 times in all competitions as Hansi Flick’s charges pulled off an incredible treble-winning campaign.

The attacker’s impressive performances for the Bundesliga giants caught the eye of Bayern chief Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, who lauded Perisic’s efforts.

“Ivan has had a good season and is very reliable. He doesn’t necessarily do something spectacular, but statistically, he does show up with goals and assists. Flick is really counting on him,” Rummenigge gushed.

“We really appreciated that when we qualified for the Final Eight of the Champions League, he, Philippe Coutinho, and the others on loan agreed to remain even with a pay cut. We haven’t decided yet if he’s staying, but the coach and I really like him.”

Bayern eventually chose not to make Perisic’s stay in Bavaria permanent, but that didn’t stop him from continuing his good form on the pitch. He helped Inter claim their first Scudetto in 10 years last season and has already bagged two goals and laid on an assist in 11 outings for the Nerazzurri in the current campaign.

Therefore, Everton’s director of football Marcel Brands must sanction a swoop for the experienced forward, providing Benitez with the strength in depth he desperately needs in order to challenge for a top-six place.

In other news… Bye-bye Mina: Everton step up interest in “blessed” 22y/o starlet, fans would love him 

Following Steven Gerrard’s appointment as Aston Villa’s new manager last month, one man who will be desperately hoping to revive his career at the club is Morgan Sanson.

Speaking after his signing back in the January transfer window, former Villa boss Dean Smith raved about the kind of qualities the midfielder could bring to the club, saying: “He has got a big game mentality, he has played at the top of the French league for the last five years, played in the Champions League.

“He is a great technician and has great tactical awareness. He can play in a number of positions, can set up goals and can score goals. He has a bit of everything in his game so we’re really pleased with the acquisition.”The self-proclaimed “warrior” showed his qualities as a really effective box-to-box presence in his time at Marseille.Before his move to the Midlands, he averaged an impressive 1.8 tackles and 1.1 key passes per game in Ligue 1, both of which ranked him favourably compared to the rest of Villa’s squad. In fact, only two other Villa players averaged more tackles per match than him, while only four others had averaged more key passes.However, since his switch to Villa Park, things have failed to take off, to say the least. He played just nine Premier League games last season following his January move and has had just 26 minutes of top-flight football this term, although those appearances have both come under Gerrard.Football Insider revealed that there is a belief behind the scenes at Villa Park that the club “haven’t done their homework” on Sanson, and as well as being difficult to manage, he does not seem to have the technical ability that they had expected initially.Of course, under a new manager in Gerrard, the internal view could well be different now, and Sanson could once again come into the reckoning. However, with the January transfer window opening soon, this could well be last chance saloon for the £48k-a-week Frenchman to salvage his Villa Park career.Given the numbers he posted at Marseille, the midfielder deserves a prolonged chance to prove his worth, so Gerrard must unleash him soon to see whether the 27-year-old can demonstrate why he was brought to the club in the first place.Meanwhile, Ashley Preece has dropped a Villa transfer update…

An exciting Newcastle United transfer claim has been made regarding their attempts to sign Jesse Lingard…

What’s the talk?

CBS journalist Ben Jacobs has claimed that the Magpies are closing in on a deal to bring the midfielder to the Tyneside club this week.

He tweeted: “Newcastle are confident of signing Jesse Lingard in the next 48 hours. Looks like a loan deal. Told Lingard isn’t against a permanent move to SJP but wants game time first and then to assess options.”

Pete Graves has since revealed that Newcastle are pushing hard to get this one over the line and are waiting for Manchester United to give the green light.

The Sky Sports reporter added: “#nufc pushing hard to sign Jesse Lingard on loan from #mufc BUT awaiting final decision from Old Trafford. Club will pay loan fee plus full wages. Lingard desperate to play and speak to Newcastle as he weighs up his options. This one could yet happen.”

Delight

Newcastle fans will surely be delighted by this news, as it suggests that this particular transfer saga is coming to a successful end for the club. With less than a week to go before the window slams shut, the Magpies need to start getting deals done quickly, and securing Lingard on loan in the next two days could be a major boost for Eddie Howe.

He could be a fantastic addition to the team and give the fans a much-needed lift, with their side still sat in the relegation zone despite the win over Leeds at the weekend. Lingard is a proven Premier League performer who has the potential to come in and be a key player for the Toon in the coming months.

The England international proved his quality during a loan spell with West Ham last season as he was directly involved in 13 goals in 16 matches for the Hammers. He produced nine goals and four assists to help David Moyes’ side to a Europa League finish, and he could hopefully provide a similar level of end product for the Magpies to help them stave off relegation to the Championship.

Lingard has also shown off his talent at international level, with two goals and two assists in six World Cup 2022 qualifiers. This shows that he can do it for club and country, emphasising the point that he could be an excellent prospective signing for Newcastle.

Therefore, their supporters will be buzzing with the prospect of him arriving at St James’ Park on loan in the next 48 hours.

AND in other news, “I’ve heard” – Keith Downie drops key Newcastle transfer update, Howe surely buzzing….

Crysencio Summerville could be the biggest loser from Leeds United’s transfer activity this January…

What happened?

The 20-year-old gem has struggled to edge his way into Marcelo Bielsa’s first-team since his £1.3m move from Feyenoord in September 2020 and after the Yorkshire outfit rejected a loan move for him, he could struggle to ever breakthrough at Elland Road.

There was interest from Germany, where Hamburg SV were thought to be hugely keen, and his home country, Holland, as per The Athletic’s Phil Hay.

Game time unlikely

Summerville is way down the pecking order in west Yorkshire as Bielsa’s wing department is well-stocked with the likes of Raphinha, Jack Harrison and Daniel James all ahead of him.

All three have been featuring in the starting XI in recent matches due to the absence of Patrick Bamford through injury but when the England international returns to action, it’s likely that one of the latter two will be dropped to the bench, thus taking the Dutch youngster’s place and potentially only chance to impress.

If he’s unable to get minutes from the bench, then he’ll have to get it from further academy matches, where he has already proved his credentials – as per Transfermarkt, Summerville has scored nine goals and provided eight assists in 24 appearances for the U23s.

He has managed only 225 for the first team.

The 5 foot 9 dynamo, who has been dubbed “impossible to handle” and a “bag of tricks”, is surely going to find it tough ever making a mark at Leeds.

A loan move for the remainder of the season would have been a win-win for Bielsa. The youngster gets a chance to play regularly at a senior level and then his role at Elland Road can be assessed in the summer, where they could sell him on for profit or integrate him as a key first-team player.

Therefore, there isn’t a bigger loser at United than Summerville following their lacklustre transfer window.

AND in other news, “They feel..”: Insider drops “huge” Leeds summer transfer claim, fans must be excited…