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The Premier League has ushered in the new year in typically scintillating fashion. Alongside an intriguing if not exactly jaw-dropping transfer window, the games came thick and fast in the first month of 2019 – starting off with a thrilling top-of-the-table clash between Liverpool and Manchester City.

Elsewhere, the race for seventh has really hotted up, while the Champions League qualification battle continues to rumble on. Away from the teams and onto the individuals though, here’s a look at the six players who impressed enough throughout January to earn nominations for the PFA Bristol Street Motors Fans’ Player of the Month award…

David De Gea

David De Gea’s form has come into question at times this season but the Spaniard has performed much closer to his usual impeccably high standards since Ole Gunnar Solskjaer took the helm. January saw Manchester United go undefeated and their No.1 played an important part in that with two clean sheets, one of which hinged on him making a season-record eleven saves against Tottenham at Wembley.

Troy Deeney

Watford are well in the mix for seventh place and after going goalless from mid-September to mid-December, captain Troy Deeney is really starting to pull his weight again – an incredible performance against Bournemouth seeing him bag two goals and one assist. Even when he’s not scoring or supplying though, the old-school front-man is always contributing; he was first for aerial duels won and second for key passes in the Premier League throughout January.

Paul Pogba

It’s Paul Pogba’s second nomination in consecutive months, but that hardly comes as a surprise. The Frenchman has been a player reborn under Solskjaer’s leadership, with an incredible six goals and four assists in the Premier League since the Norwegian was named United’s interim manager. Three of those goal contributions came in January as the Red Devils fell just two points short of a perfect start to 2019.

Marcus Rashford

Another beneficiary of United’s change of the managerial guard. Trusted to lead the line rather than simply support it, Marcus Rashford notched up three goals in four appearances throughout January, only failing to score in the 2-2 draw with Burnley. The 21-year-old is going from strength to strength under Solskjaer, seemingly growing in confidence by the game – which is great news for both the Red Devils and England.

Mohamed Salah

We’ve become almost desensitised to Mohamed Salah’s excellence, such has been the relentlessness of the Egyptian international’s demolitions of Premier League defences since he moved to Anfield. January was another potent month for Liverpool’s talismanic attacker, albeit ending with a blank drawn against Leicester City. Overall though, three goals in four outings is a typically formidable contribution to the Reds’ title bid.

Leroy Sane

No Premier League star played a direct hand in more top flight goals than Leroy Sane last month, who scored two and assisted two in four outings. In fact, City’s shock defeat to Newcastle in midweek was the only occasion throughout January in which the Germany international failed to contribute to a goal, having previously scored and assisted against Huddersfield, supplied versus Wolves and netted the all-important winner in City’s victory over title rivals Liverpool.

With ten goals scored in their opening 11 Premier League games of the season, only Tottenham Hotspur (9) and Norwich City (5) have found the back of the net on fewer occasions than Southampton at this stage of the campaign, showing that Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side have not been particularly potent in front of goal as some of the other teams around them in the table have been.

Taking this into account, it seems as though the club have their eyes on adding a new attacking talent to their squad to help give an extra boost to their attacking power.

What’s the news?

According to a recent report from Calciomercato, Southampton are interested in signing PSV Eindhoven winger Ritsu Doan.

Doan joined Eindhoven from fellow Dutch club FC Groningen back in the 2019 summer transfer window.

His first season at PSV saw the right-winger score two goals and provide one assist in 19 league games before then joining German club Arminia Bielefeld on a loan deal in September 2020.

Upon his arrival at Bielefeld, the club’s sporting director Samir Arabi described the Japanese international as an “important element” to their team, which ended up being an extremely accurate summary given how Doan managed to score five goals and provide three assists in 35 appearances.

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So far this season, Doan, who is currently valued at £5.85m according to Transfermarkt has chipped in with two goals in six league appearances with PSV, showing that he has what it takes to be a real attacking threat from the wing.

That’s precisely what Southampton could do with at the moment when considering their current wingers Theo Walcott, Nathan Tella and Nathan Redmond have been unable to score a goal in the Premier League this season.

Additionally, given Walcott’s advanced age compared to Southampton’s other wingers and the fact that he has been one of their lowest-rated players as a result of his performances in the Premier League this season according to WhoScored, the Japanese forward could be the club’s dream heir for the Englishman if he ends up leaving St. Mary’s when his current contract expires in the summer of 2023.

If the Saints were able to strike a deal with PSV for the 23-year-old, this would be a superb move for the club to secure such a young attacking talent that has the ability to offer Hasenhuttl’s side with goals from the wing.

In other news: Big relief: Saints handed reassuring injury boost that will surely leave fans buzzing – opinion

Many Sunderland fans have been slamming the performance of Elliot Embleton despite their 2-0 win at home to Ipswich Town on Saturday.

The Black Cats had to wait until the 85th minute at the Stadium of Light before Luke O’Nien broke the deadlock, with Aiden McGeady making sure of the points in injury time.

Embleton did not have his best game in a Sunderland shirt, losing out on three of his duels, while he also failed to record a shot on target, accurate cross or long ball from midfield. He lost possession of the ball on 14 occasions as well, the fourth-most out of any of his teammates (SofaScore).

Sunderland fans slam Embleton

These Sunderland supporters slammed Embleton’s performance on Twitter, with one even going as far as to claim that he ‘makes me miss Chris Maguire’, a winger who left them for Lincoln City after just five goals and five assists in the Championship last season (Transfermarkt), while a couple of others claimed that the 22-year-old was ‘awful’ against Ipswich:

“Watching Gooch and Embleton really makes me miss Chris Maguire.”

Credit: @iain_lane

“Neil tried but Embleton was anonymous and O’Nien can’t play the holding role by himself. Saying that, Evans was poor today. Distribution was woeful. Definitely a smash and grab but you’ll take it.”

Credit: @kingsway79

“Gooch and Embleton were very poor today”

Credit: @76skelly

“I thought Embleton second half especially was awful and could’ve been off 10 minutes earlier. Was typical Gooch too I thought, loads of effort and the ball but so wasteful and frustrating”

Credit: @JHerra18

“Embleton was awful as well”

Credit: @kylesafc_73

“Embleton the myth”

Credit: @JordCook2

In other news, find out which other Sunderland player also felt the flak from some fans at the weekend

West Bromwich Albion have been in a ‘will they, won’t they?’ saga with the transfer rumours surrounding Dwight Gayle and there have now been further reports connecting the Championship goal machine back to the club yet again.

West Brom have been heavily linked to offer a return opportunity for Dwight Gayle to assist the side in gaining promotion back into the Premier League this season and now that the 32-year-old has reportedly been made available for loan, it’s time for Ismael to swoop in for the striker.

The last time the £40k-per-week player went on loan from Newcastle to West Bromwich Albion was the 2018/19 season in the Championship where he scored 24 goals and bagged eight assists for the Baggies, albeit not enough to get them promoted that term when they finished fourth, losing to Aston Villa in the playoffs.

Now the Magpies centre forward could be set for a return if Valerien Ismael can seal the deal to bring him back to the club in the winter transfer window, as it appears Newcastle have given the green light for him to depart for the rest of the season.

Gayle’s former teammate and West Brom defender, Kyle Bartley, was full of praise for the striker calling him a “proven goalscorer” when he was asked about him in an interview, hailing qualities that would make him a phenomenal addition at the Hawthorns.

“Dwight is a proven goalscorer and he is always going to get you goals and his work rate off the ball is also immense.”

Fans have been buzzing at the speculation of a return for the former Baggies player, with many taking to social media to express their desire to get him back in January.

One Albion fan tweeted; “Gayle HAS to be better than Hugill and Zahpoor so yes. Wages though…. Hmmmm.”

West Brom are desperate to add a prolific goal scorer to their side in January, as they attempt to climb the table into one of the two automatic promotion spots.

Gayle does have the experience and tenacity to handle the Championship, with a proven record of scoring important goals in the second tier for both the Baggies and Newcastle.

Ismael will be working closely with the board to ensure that the right players are brought into the club in January and West Brom can get a healthy run of form going with more goals being scored and better finishing in the side going forward into the second half of the season.

It’s evident that their former loan star would fit the bill. They’ve scored 21 goals fewer than league leaders Fulham this term so need all the additional help they can get if they want to seal promotion back to the promised land of the Premier League.

Although Gayle hasn’t exactly been on fire for the Toon, failing to score this campaign, his tally of 59 Championship goals is something for fans to get excited about.

They simply have to sign him, or a player of his proven calibre, in order to better their current league position.

In other news: Lai still wants to sell the Baggies

Speaking to talkSPORT in a video message, reporter Alex Crook has dropped a teasing Tottenham Hotspur transfer update involving Wolves star Adama Traore.

The Lowdown: Spurs eye Traore move…

As reported by multiple sources, Tottenham are firmly in the mix to sign the Spain international with some reports suggesting they are in pole position.

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Matt Law of The Telegraph even believes Traore becoming manager Antonio Conte’s first signing since taking over is actually ‘pretty likely’.

90min, meanwhile, claim Wolves are set to greenlight his exit from Molineux after their boss Bruno Lage personally sanctioned the move – with a price tag set at around £20 million.

In an update, talkSPORT reporter Crook has shared what could be an exciting update.

The Latest: Crook drops update…

Speaking in a video message (via Twitter), the reporter claims that Tottenham are set to make a ‘formal’ bid to sign Traore ‘very soon’ with an offer expectedly imminent.

“Interest from Tottenham in Wolves’ enigmatic winger Adama Traore appears to be hotting up,” he explained.

“Antonio Conte has a cunning plan to use Traore’s pace to turn him into a wing-back.

“We know that Conte loves to play with a back three and now he has the backing of the Tottenham sporting director, Fabio Paratici, who has a long-term admiration for Traore.

“£20m should be enough to prise him away from Wolverhampton Wanderers, I’d expect a formal bid very soon.”

The Verdict: Get it done?

At £20m, the winger could be an absolute coup for Conte and Paratici as the Italians aim to solve Tottenham’s wing-back conundrum.

At 25-years-old, Traore already possesses years of English top flight experience without being too long in the tooth – all whilst proving to be a real threat on countless occasions.

According to WhoScored, the winger has averaged a very impressive 4.5 dribbles per 90 in the Premier League this season – almost double that of Lucas Moura, who is Spurs’ best in that bracket.

If Conte can successfully re-mould the former Barcelona man into a right-wing back, the potential could be limitless in terms of threat from out wide.

In other news: Spurs agree £33.4m option for ‘sensational player’ after loan spell with EPL rivals, find out more here.

Everton secured their first win in nine games with a 2-1 victory over Arsenal in the Premier League on Monday evening, but the curious absence of Lucas Digne left certain questions unanswered.

What’s the word?

Rafa Benitez was extremely coy over the 28-year-old’s exclusion from the matchday squad, refusing to reveal the reason behind his decision to drop the defender in his pre and post-match interviews.

But now, Liverpool ECHO reporter Phil Kirkbride has provided an update on Digne’s absence, claiming his inability to carry out the manager’s tactical instructions in recent weeks saw him left at home.

“His decision to drop Lucas Digne from the matchday squad, even though fit, does not need much decoding. There is clear tension in their relationship about the team’s style of play and what is being asked of the left-back,” wrote Kirkbride.

“But if the events of the past couple of days, and what the club said in the wake of Brands’ departure, tells us, is that Benitez is in charge, and what he says goes.

“Who knows if there is any way back for Digne after this? It seems unlikely at this stage. Benitez will have been given plenty of reason to keep playing Ben Godfrey there after an aggressive and determined display,” he concluded.

Everton fans will surely be fuming

Although Benitez’s decision to select Godfrey over Digne was ultimately justified as Everton secured a much-needed three points, the club’s supporters will surely still be fuming with the situation given how reliable he can be.

The France international has been one of the Merseyside outfit’s standout performers since his arrival from Barcelona back in August 2018, scoring six goals and providing 20 assists in 127 appearances.

And although he’s struggled to make the same impact in the opening weeks of the current campaign, his underlying numbers still indicate a high level of performance.

As per WhoScored, the left-back has averaged 1.2 crosses in his 13 top-flight outings this term, 1.7 key passes and 2.5 tackles, placing him second compared to his teammates for each metric.

Whether Digne can work his way back in Benitez’s first-team plans remains to be seen, but the club’s fanbase will certainly be hoping a reconciliation can be reached.

After all, he is a hugely important player for the team and leaving him at home will benefit absolutely nobody.

And, in other news…Forget Gray: Everton beast who won 8 duels was Benitez’s real hero vs Arsenal 

Many Glasgow Rangers fans have been left slamming the display of James Tavernier in their 1-1 draw away at Brondby in the UEFA Europa League.

It was a disappointing draw in Denmark in the end, despite Ianis Hagi saving the Ibrox faithful’s blushes after going behind in the first half to an own goal from Leon Balogun.

Tavernier did not seem quite at the same level as he was on the weekend – he scored one and made another two assists in their 6-1 demolition of Motherwell in the Scottish Premiership (SofaScore).

The right-back lost out on two of his duels on Thursday, and was also unsuccessful in two of his dribble attempts, while he failed to make a single interception, and lost possession of the ball on no fewer than 29 separate occasions in the game, by far the most out of any player on the pitch (SofaScore).

Light Blues supporters were particularly critical of his crossing – he was inaccurate with seven of them, again the most out of any player (SofaScore).

Rangers fans on Tavernier display

These Light Blues slammed his performance on Twitter, with one even going as far as to claim that he was ‘woeful’:

“Tavernier looks clueless when he can’t cross it tonight..”

Credit: @lnheritant

“Does Tavernier know he’s allowed to shoot?? So many times where it would be easier to shoot than cross.”

Credit: @Kerr72_

“Tavernier CANNOT cross a ball! Rarely finds a teammate! Can argue all you want… but if any player got 10 attempts a match to put in a good cross, they would get one right.”

Credit: @stu__1873

“Has Tavernier completed a cross all night?”

Credit: @GaryA92

“Patterson on, Tavernier off. He’s not at the races tonight.”

Credit: @slstrm_dsgn

“Is Tavernier woeful tonight? Cue a goal from him…”

Credit: @djsteeley

In other news, find out which incident in the match had Gers fuming here!

Rangers boss Giovanni van Bronckhorst has now turned his attentions towards defender John Souttar as the Ibrox side look to make some further additions in this January transfer window.

What’s the story?

According to The Glasgow Times’ Chris Jack, the Gers have now made their move to sign Souttar, whose contract at Hearts comes to an end in the summer.

His report added: “Championship clubs Sheffield United, Blackburn Rovers and Nottingham Forest are all interested in the Scotland defender but Rangers are keen to add Souttar to their ranks amid ongoing doubts over the long-terms futures of several defensive options.

“Van Bronckhorst will be given some of the funds raised from Nathan Patterson’s £12m to Everton as he seeks to put his own stamp on the Ibrox squad. But Souttar has been identified as a key Bosman target to bolster his defensive options and Rangers will attempt to convince him to turn down a move to England this summer.”

Would be a superb signing

With his extensive experience in the Scottish Premiership, and the fact he would be available on a free transfer given his contract expires soon, this has all the hallmarks of being a transfer masterstroke for the Gers.

Former Hearts boss Craig Levein once raved about the centre-back’s combination of defensive prowess and ability on the ball, saying: “I’ve known him since he was 12 years old and he’s just got better and better. When he came here from Dundee Utd, we just needed to give him time. He’s grown into the player that I hoped he would be and for me he’s the best centre back in Scotland.

“Just for the fact that he can do wonderful things. His passing of the ball Saturday was fantastic, but he is also now capable physically of competing with any centre forward. His pace is very, very good and he’s strong, focused and aggressive.”

As per Whoscored, his 77.4% pass accuracy is the second-best of any Hearts defender this season in the Scottish Premiership, while his 58.1 passes per game is the second-best among any of his teammates, regardless of position – exactly the kind of modern-day defender Van Bronckhorst will surely be looking for.

Gers fans will surely be buzzing with signing the 6 foot 1 Souttar on a free.

Meanwhile, Rangers are eyeing this Championship goalkeeper…

Arsenal are believed to be leading the race to sign Leicester City midfielder Youri Tielemans this summer with the Belgian potentially available for a cut-price fee.

What’s the latest?

According to the Telegraph, via Football London, Tielemans could leave this summer for just £25m, having been bought for £40m from Monaco in 2019.

The 24-year-old’s contract at the King Power Stadium expires in 2023 which could give clubs swooping for the midfielder’s signature this summer an edge as the Foxes look to cash in on the Belgian.

It has been suggested that, alongside Arsenal, Manchester United are interested in securing the 24-year-old’s signature this summer, however, with the Gunners looking more likely by the week to be able to offer Champions League football next season, Mikel Arteta’s side are the more favourable option.

Tielemans has become a cult hero at the East Midlands club over the past three and a half years, particularly for last season’s stunning goal in the FA Cup final that secured Leicester their first ever FA Cup success.

However, given his contract situation, it seems likely that the 24-year-old will depart this summer.

Arsenal must swoop for Tielemans

With one of the Premier League’s best midfielders outside of the so-called top-six available for just £25m, it’s a no-brainer for Arsenal to swoop.

Described as a “top-class” player by Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola last season, Tielemans’ stock has certainly risen since joining Leicester, initially on loan, in January 2019.

Whilst playing for Brendan Rodgers’ side, the Belgian has been involved in Champions League pushes, competed in Europe and won silverware. However, the 24-year-old will undoubtedly be looking to make the next step up in the very near future.

With the north London club fourth in the Premier League whilst also having a three-point advantage over and game in hand on fifth-place Tottenham, Champions League qualification is looking more likely each week.

Arteta will undoubtedly need recruits in the summer to manage both a European campaign and another top-four push next season, and Tielemans could prove to be exactly what Arsenal need.

In terms of midfielders, the Gunners are quite heavily stacked with the likes Martin Odegaard, Thomas Partey, Emile Smith-Rowe, Granit Xhaka, Albert Sambi Lokonga and Mohamed Elneny all senior midfielders at the Emirates, something that will certainly have to change to accommodate Tielemans.

It appears as though Elneny is set to leave with the Egyptian’s contract expiring in the summer whilst others may have to be moved on in order to ensure the Belgian will have regular playing time north London.

However, there is no doubt that swooping for the 24-year-old would be worthwhile, with the midfielder averaging a 7.18 rating in the league this season, according to SofaScore.

Moreover, the Belgian currently averages 68.3 touches per game as well as creating four big chances and providing 1.3 key passes with a 83% passing accuracy.

With Tielemans suiting a box-to-box role, his efforts at both ends of the pitch this season have been impressive, scoring six goals and averaging two shots per game whilst also making 2.1 tackles, 1.4 clearances and 0.7 interceptions.

Therefore, there is no doubt that the Belgian could recreate the role of Gunners legend Patrick Vieira in the famous red and white, although replicating the Frenchman’s legacy in Islington would be a very tall ask.

Players of Tieleman’s quality will certainly be keen to make the move to Arsenal if Champions League football is secured which will also make qualifying for Europe’s elite competition more likely in seasons to come given the improved personnel available.

AND in other news: Arteta can finally axe £27m-rated “practice dummy” as AFC bid for “sneaky” £13m dynamo

Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s sublime start to life in charge of Rangers continued as he led his side to a 1-0 win at Ibrox in the Premiership on Wednesday night.

The Gers beat Livingston in a frustrating match to watch as the away side dug in deep and fought hard in an attempt to come away with a point and a clean sheet.

Scott Arfield came off the bench to win the match as he delightfully lobbed the ball over the Livi goalkeeper from a Borna Barisic cut-back.

Forget Arfield

Although the Canadian substitute ultimately sealed the three points, the real star of the show for van Bronckhorst was wide attacker Fashion Sakala.

The electric Zambia international was sensational in the absence of Ryan Kent and was unlucky not to end the match with a goal or assist to show for his efforts. He was a constant menace to the Livingston defence and played a huge role in the side’s dominance throughout the game.

Off the ball, he worked his socks off for the team. As per SofaScore, he won a whopping 12 of his 19 ground duels, whilst winning four tackles and only committing two fouls. This shows that he did not shy away from the physical side of the match and was willing to put his body where it hurt to win his individual battles to benefit himself and the team.

Offensively, he was outstanding. Via SofaScore, he managed three shots on target and created an impressive four chances for his teammates – suggesting that those around him let him down as they were unable to tuck away the opportunities he presented them with.

He also completed an exceptional seven of his nine attempted dribbles, showing that he was able to beat the full-back with ease to get fans off their seats and up in excitement.

Therefore, he was the real star of the show for van Bronckhorst as he caught the eye at both ends of the pitch and put in a stunning showing over the entire 90 minutes. He may not have scored or even assisted the winning goal, but fans will surely appreciate his magnificent performance, with it now being down to Sakala to consistently deliver these types of displays in the coming weeks and months.

AND in other news, “Will be back”: GVB handed major Rangers boost at Ibrox that’ll leave fans buzzing…