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Tottenham Hotspur have been urged to sell Davinson Sanchez during the upcoming January transfer window.

The Lowdown: Sanchez’s season so far

This season has seen the defender make 12 appearances for the Lilywhites across all competitions, with just seven of those coming as a starter.

This suggests that he is not at the top of Antonio Conte’s pecking order in the defensive area of his team. With the January transfer window approaching, this has led to one pundit suggesting that the north London side should look to move the Colombian out of the club.

The Latest: Spurs urged to sell Sanchez

Speaking to Football Insider, Spurs expert and pundit, John Wenham, had this to say about the current squad and what changes should be made in January.

“We need to improve the defence. The players I am happy with at the moment are [Eric] Dier, [Cristian] Romero, [Clement] Lenglet, and [Ben] Davies. That is four taken already.

“You then have to look and think about who we could realistically move on and get a decent fee for as well as someone who takes up a foreign player spot.

“That’s Davinson Sanchez or Japhet Tanganga. Tanganga, the whole world apart from me thinks he must be sold but they don’t understand the basic principles of the homegrown regulations. He counts as club trained as well so if Tottenham got an offer for either, I am telling you right now they would accept the offer for Sanchez.

“He is on bigger money and he counts towards one of the foreign player spots. Where do I stand on Sanchez? It is probably time now, he has been here for a number of years, we are playing three at the back now and he hasn’t established himself as one of the starters.

“Maybe he looked better when he first joined because he was playing alongside [Jan] Vertonghen or [Toby] Alderweireld, who were world-class defenders.

“I always thought he was ok while others criticised him. But we are at the point where we need to upgrade the defence and get someone out, he is the one.”

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The Verdict: A decision for Conte

Despite not always being included in the starting XI, the 26-year-old has shown how much of a useful defensive option he can be as he currently sits in the top five for the average of tackles (1.4), interceptions (1), blocks (0.6) and clearances per game (2.4) at Spurs.

However, having been slammed for his “shocking” performances in the past by Jamie O’Hara, Sanchez’s efforts in the league this season have earned him a rather disappointing overall rating of 6.53/10 from WhoScored, leaving 11 Spurs players above him.

Taking all of this into account, it seems as though Conte may have a big decision on his hands over whether or not he decides to keep the £65k-per-week defender at the club beyond January or not.

An update has emerged on Newcastle United and their interest in James Maddison ahead of the January transfer window…

What’s the talk?

The Telegraph’s Luke Edwards has claimed that the Magpies are set to avoid a swoop to sign the England international during the midway point of the season.

However, the club have not completely given up their pursuit of the Leicester attacking midfielder and could change their stance in a future window.

Edwards tweeted:

“#nufc “highly unlikely” to move for James Maddison in Jan according to well-placed sources. There could be signings made but not going to be huge month for recruitment and that deal is very, very expensive and difficult to do. Still like the player though and remains of interest.”

Big blow

This update will come as a big blow to Eddie Howe as Maddison has the quality to be a phenomenal signing for the Magpies in January.

Signing the former Norwich and Coventry man would give Newcastle a huge boost in their pursuit of European football as he has proven himself to be a fantastic player at Premier League level.

The gem, who has been valued at around £60m by the Foxes, has been on fire in the top-flight this season – scoring seven goals and providing four assists in 13 appearances. 

Statman Dave described the midfielder as a “magician” earlier this season and his creative statistics back that up. Maddison has created 2.4 chances per match in the division and completed 84% of his attempted passes, which shows that he is regularly providing his teammates with opportunities to score without consistently gifting possession away.

Meanwhile, Kieran Trippier (2.3) is the only Newcastle player with more than 1.3 key passes per match in the Premier League and this suggests that the Leicester man would be a welcome addition to the side.

The superb gem, who is currently in Qatar for the 2022 World Cup with England, also scored 12 goals and provided eight assists in 28 starts in the league for the Foxes last term. Whereas, no Toon player managed more than eight goals or five assists during the 2021/22 campaign.

Therefore, Maddison would be a sensational signing for the club as he could improve their attacking options, both in terms of his goalscoring potential and his creative qualities.

This is why not signing him in January is set to be a big blow for Howe as he will not be able to call upon the 26-year-old’s talents to help his side’s Champions League hopes in the second half of the season.

Tottenham could make a move for France forward Marcus Thuram and a ‘surprise’ January transfer cannot be ruled out, according to reports.

The Lowdown: Paratici planning for January?

Despite the signings of Ivan Perisic, Fraser Forster, Yves Bissouma, Richarlison, Clement Lenglet, Djed Spence and Destiny Udogie over the summer, Spurs have been tipped to be active again in the winter transfer window.

Antonio Conte’s side currently sit fourth in the Premier League table but have endured a mix run of form as of late, losing three of their last five top-flight games and conceding 11 goals in that time.

As such, it’s clear that the north Londoners could need to strengthen their options mid-season, with an update now emerging on their links with Thuram.

The Latest: Spurs could move for Thuram…

The Borussia Monchengladbach star, who is currently representing Les Bleus at the World Cup in Qatar and featured twice for his nation so far at the tournament, is apparently attracting interest from Spurs.

According to journalist Ignazio Genuardi, the Lilywhites could spring a ‘surprise’ January transfer as they line up a move for Thuram.

He explained (via Twitter): “Courted by a slew of European formations, M. Thuram could wait until next summer to pack his bags, but a surprise cannot be ruled out this winter. According to some indiscretions, Tottenham could give it a try in January.”

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The Verdict: Make it happen?

Dubbed a ‘crazy’ talent by former Gladbach midfielder Denis Zakaria, the 25-year-old has really come into his own at club level this season.

As per WhoScored, he is currently the Bundesliga side’s best-performing player by average match rating and has scored a brilliant tally of 10 goals, with three assists on top of that.

He has also averaged a highly potent 3.7 shots per game in the league, more than any of his team-mates, with it being crystal clear that Thuram could add a much greater attacking threat for Conte in the final third.

It’s now over to Tottenham’s sporting director Fabio Paratici, who will surely be busy behind the scenes in the lead-up to January.

Aston Villa manager Unai Emery is keen on signing Real Madrid centre-back Nacho Fernández, with the club thought to be ‘very attentive’ to his current situation.

The Lowdown: Nacho on the move?

The 32-year-old has found himself on the periphery of things at Madrid in recent times, failing to earn regular playing time at the heart of their defence.

Nacho has only started once in La Liga so far this season, and with his current contract expiring at the end of this season, a fresh challenge could come his way.

It looks as though Villa could be in the mix to snap up the experienced Spaniard, following a new update.

The Latest: Emery keen on signing

According to reports in Spain [via Sport Witness], Emery has ‘always liked’ Nacho as a player, dating back to his time as Arsenal manager, and Villa are ‘very attentive’ to him.

Madrid are happy for him to leave at the end of the season, given his squad role at the club.

It’s perhaps no surprise the Villa boss is a big fan, as Nacho helped keep his Villarreal side out last season in two 0-0 draws.

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The Verdict: Great option for Villa

Nacho could be a really shrewd signing by Villa, as they look to add options at centre-back, following patchy performances by Tyrone Mings and a serious injury to Diego Carlos.

Granted, the Madrid man’s best days now may be behind him, but he is still young enough to enjoy a few years in the Premier League and his versatility is impressive, actually playing at full-back in both of those stalemates against Emery last season.

He has picked up a winning mentality during his time at Madrid, winning an incredible five Champions League titles, and that could rub off on Villa’s players, acting as another reason to sign him.

To say that Lionel Messi was not the star of the show, perhaps on any occasion, would be met with a certain sense of incredulity from any peering bystanders, but Aston Villa’s Emiliano Martinez is one player who can arguably perch alongside the coveted magician when discussing the importance to Argentina’s recent endeavours. 

The 30-year-old goalkeeper has played a role of paramount importance for his country across the past two years, really breaking from his cocoon and soaring to new heights since his move to Aston Villa from Arsenal for £17m in 2020.

Having been a vital cog in the machine during the 2020 Copa America, recording an average rating of 7.33 and saving 86% of his shots faced, he proved his might as an iron wall for his nation as they won their first major honour since the 1992/93 Copa America, with a narrow 1-0 victory over Brazil.

He even earned stellar praise from Messi himself, with the 35-year-old seven-time Ballon d’Or winner saying he is “one of the best goalkeepers in the world” and was “fundamental” to the success of the team.

La Albiceleste have continued that excellent form into the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, rebounding from a shattering 2-1 upset at the hands of Saudi Arabia in the group opener to advance to the latter stage.

And now with a tantalising World Cup finale against current holders France awaiting, Argentina and Martinez will need to continue the sturdy defence and slick collective understanding that has taken them to this point, sprinkled – of course – with Messi magic. 

Keeping three clean sheets across the six fixtures, conceding just five goals on the world’s biggest stage, Martinez has once again starred, and the country may not be in the position they are in without their “unbelievable” wall at the very bedrock of their side. 

And now, Villa boss Unai Emery must look to unleash the titan as the Premier League season approaches the restart, with the club currently sitting in 12th place after a lacklustre start to the campaign that saw the dismissal of Steven Gerrard as head coach. 

Recording a rating of 6.91 in the Premier League, Martinez has saved 69% of the shots faced this term, winning 100% of his duels and keeping three clean sheets, as per Sofascore.

If the side are indeed to clamber their way up the table and return to a spot in the upper half of the division, then the utilisation of Martinez between the sticks will be imperative, and with reports of turmoil between the No. 1 shot-stopper and the Villa boss, rips in the seam will need to be threaded in order to establish fluidity and cohesion at the base of an ambitious side.

Aston Villa, having won three of their past four matches in the division, will now look to continue the recent upward trend, and welcoming back the £22m-rated Martinez and providing him with the platform to flourish once again will prove the key to prosperous fortunes.

Arsenal have reportedly been offered the chance to sign Brazilian winger Tete in the January transfer window.

The Lowdown: Winger wanted

The Gunners have been linked with moves for the likes of Shakhtar Donetsk’s Mykhaylo Mudryk and FC Barcelona’s Ferran Torres in January, suggesting that they want to bring in a new winger to add to their forward options.

Adding to the injury to Gabriel Jesus, it has also been reported that Emile Smith Rowe will not be ready to face West Ham United on Boxing Day, so Mikel Arteta could do with strengthening his attacking options in January to help cover for injuries.

The Latest: Tete offered

Co-writing in his latest piece for 90min, transfer expert Graeme Bailey has revealed that the North Londoners, like a number of other Premier League clubs, have been offered the chance to sign Tete on loan in January, with a view to a permanent move.

The winger is technically contracted to Shakhtar Donetsk, like Mudryk, but has spent the last six months at Lyon after FIFA suspended the contracts of all foreign players in Ukraine as a result of Russia’s invasion.

The system was extended into the 2022/23 campaign, allowing Tete to continue his career in France.

West Ham United, Tottenham Hotspur and Newcastle United have also been offered his signature, although it is unclear whether they would be willing to meet the 22-year-old’s demands.

The Verdict: Cheaper alternative

Tete would certainly be a cheaper alternative to the likes of Mudryk and Torres, given that the Emirates Stadium outfit would only have to sign him on loan.

Nicknamed ‘Hurricane’ in his homeland, he has been backed to be a ‘big star’ by Shakhtar CEO Sergei Palkin, having recorded 46 goal contributions in 108 games for Shakhtar, as well as 15 in 24 matches while on loan at Lyon (Transfermarkt).

Tete also shares a similar playing style to Arsenal and England star boy Bukayo Saka, so could prove to be an exciting new addition to Arteta’s squad.

Everton will reportedly look to rival Leeds United in their conquest to seal the signature of thriving defender Maximilian Wober.

Transfer guru Fabrizio Romano, via TEAMtalk, stated that Leeds were preparing a bid for the versatile colossus, before BBC Sport followed up the reports to state that despite Leeds’ concrete interest, Everton were snooping around for the RB Salzburg ace’s service.

Romano said: “Leeds United are preparing an offer for Red Bull Salzburg defender Maximilian Wober. Discussions are expected to take place for a fee of around €11m plus €5m in add-ons. Wober, an important player for Salzburg as he’s the captain.”

While the Toffees have their first-choice centre-back pairing solidified in Conor Coady and James Tarkowski, the utility depth surrounding the situation runs very thin indeed, and Wober could be the perfect shrewd acquisition to bolster the position and inject some stability and leadership.

Ditch Keane

The perennial Premier League Toffees currently sit just one point and one place above the relegation zone having played 16 matches, and face a fight to stave off the threat of the unthinkable demotion to the EFL Championship once again, having secured their top-flight status last season after a fine run of results in the culminating weeks.

This summer, Lampard looked at the shoddy defence – conceding 66 goals last term – and gave the defensive box a fresh sheen, with the Merseyside outfit’s 19 goals shipped the lowest tally of any side outside the top-nine.

Regardless, Yerry Mina and Michael Keane are both considered expendable, and are not expected to be plying their trade at Goodison Park upon the turn of the football season.

And with Ben Godfrey, promising young defender that he is, ridden with injury issues – missing 16 matches this season – someone of Wober’s ilk would greatly bolster the Blues’ backline as they seek to navigate away from danger once again.

The 24-year-old Wober is a defender flourishing both as a marauder down the left and a titan at the centre, also captaining Salzburg; making 21 appearances this term, he has scored two goals and registered six assists – including one against Chelsea in the Champions League.

He would provide reliable cover with a vibrant approach to his play, with Lampard also acting to steal the “real leader” away from the clutches of a divisional rival – with the Lilywhites also seeking to ease the fears of relegation, perched just one point above Everton in 15th place.

Lampard must swoop, and kill two birds with one stone; fortification of the shallow defensive ranks and pipping a rival to the signing of an exciting star.

Michael Beale has enjoyed a rollercoaster of a start to his career as manager of Glasgow Rangers after coming from behind in two of his first three matches.

The Gers have won all three of their Premiership games under their new head coach but had to come from 2-1 down against Aberdeen, to win 3-2, and 2-1 down to Hibernian, to win 3-2.

One issue the manager had to immediately resolve was the lack of a left-back option as Borna Barisic was at the World Cup and Ridvan Yilmaz was, and still is, injured.

He decided to switch academy right-back Adam Devine to left-back and the youngster has thrived in his new role. The 19-year-old has started all three of Beale’s competitive matches in charge of the Gers and averaged a solid Sofascore rating of 6.97 – creating six chances and winning four tackles in that time.

Rangers’ head coach could now look to the B team to see who the next Devine, or Alex Lowry, could be and one player who may already be catching his eye is left-back Kevin Ciubotaru.

Whilst the Scottish teenager is playing on his weak foot out at left-back at the moment, the Romanian youth international is a naturally left-footed player and this means that he could offer a better balance in that position instead of wanting to cut inside onto his right foot.

Ciubotaru earned a move to Ibrox by impressing at the Kinetic academy. Their co-founder, Harry Hudson, previously hailed the dynamo’s quality, saying:

“Kevin is a Romanian youth international. Plays left back or can play left wing back. Very attack-minded. Powerful runner, good dribbler, gets forward well and contributes really well in the offensive phases.”Defensively he’s worked really hard with us so he covers both those sides of his game. He’s very good aerially, a strong player with an exceptionally high ceiling so looking forward to seeing how he gets on and watching his progress at Rangers.”He has made ten appearances for the club’s youth teams in all competitions this season, including eight outings in the Lowland League and two matches in the UEFA Youth League, and this shows that he has made himself a regular for the side after making the switch to Glasgow.

The gem once compared himself to a current France international and Champions League player, saying: “I think my qualities are speed, dribbling and stamina. I style myself like Theo Hernandez from Milan, although I have a lot of work to do with my right foot. I still have a lot to learn of course.”

If Ciubotaru can replicate Hernandez’s success, with the Frenchman averaging a Sofascore rating of 7.30 at the World Cup and a score of 7.15 in the Serie A this season, then he could be a terrific player for the Light Blues.

It is now down to the Romanian talent to prove to Beale, whether that be in B team matches or in first-team training, that he deserves to be the next young player to make the leap to the senior squad – becoming Devine 2.0 by doing so.

Arsenal are about to embark on a potentially season-defining run of fixtures as they begin the New Year with a seven-point lead atop the Premier League standings.

It begins with third-placed Newcastle United, who despite being nine points behind the Gunners, are the division’s best defensive outfit, having leaked only 11 goals from their 17 matches thus far.

Then there is the north London derby and Manchester United to come before the defending champions, Manchester City, early next month.

Both teams are in the midst of an unbeaten run, with Arsenal’s 4-2 win over Brighton and Hove Albion on December 31st taking it to ten games without defeat and five wins from five.

Eddie Howe’s men, though, have not tasted defeat in 12 outings, nor have they conceded in five across all competitions.

With so many games coming thick and fast, it will be intriguing to see how manager Mikel Arteta navigates through the treacherous waters without having much strength in depth, to his aid, however, is the fact that they face lower-league opposition in the FA Cup on Monday, so he could remain strong tonight.

Indeed, that’s what reliable football.london journalist Kaya Kaynak has alluded to in his pre-game piece, where he has predicted the same starting lineup from three days ago.

Despite doubts over the fitness of Oleksandr Zinchenko, the poor form from William Saliba and Bukayo Saka being on the verge of accumulating enough yellow cards for a suspension, the chief Arsenal writer believes Arteta will continue with the exact XI players from Saturday.

‘Arsenal predicted XI vs Newcastle – Ramsdale; White, Saliba, Gabriel, Zinchenko; Partey, Xhaka, Odegaard; Saka, Nketiah, Martinelli,’ he wrote.

What is key from this news is that the north London giants got through the weekend unscathed and without any more injury troubles. Gabriel Jesus is the big absentee with a long-term knee problem sustained during the World Cup, whilst Reiss Nelson’s return remains unknown.

Having a full squad of players available – besides the aforementioned duo – for such a crucial encounter is a big boost to Arteta and the squad as he may be able to rotate if need be.

The likes of Kieran Tierney, Takehiro Tomiyasu, Marquinhos and Fabio Vieira were all named on the bench on the south coast, whilst Emile Smith Rowe could finally make his return, so there is certainly scope to rest if the Spaniard so wishes.

But with Oxford United early next week, Arsenal could go strong and unchanged in a bid to extend their stay at the top of the table and put more legroom between them and the chasing pack, of which the Magpies are included.

As such, this early team news hint from a reliable source will come as fantastic news to anyone concerned with the Gunners.

AND in other news, Arsenal agree on personal terms with £85m “baller”, he’s Arteta’s final piece of the puzzle…

Aston Villa are thought to be interested in bringing Real Mallorca’s Lee Kang-in to Villa Park.

The Lowdown: Lee profiled

The 21-year-old is primarily a left-footed attacking midfielder who can also play on either wing.

The South Korea international, who made four appearances at the recent World Cup, is sponsored by Adidas and has been with his current employers since 2021.

He has made 52 senior appearances for Mallorca, adding to the 61 that he previously accrued with Valencia, and it appears as if he has caught the eye of Unai Emery.

The Latest: Villa interested in Lee

On Saturday evening, Birmingham Live relayed reports from Spanish media regarding Lee over the last 48 hours.

One journalist hinted that Aston Villa manager Emery is interested in bringing the South Korea international to the Midlands this month, with a departure from Mallorca seemingly very likely.

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The Verdict: New name to watch

NSWE are yet to make a signing for Villa this month, although the club have been linked with a number of players, plenty of whom are plying their trade in Spain.

Lee is one of the latest to be linked, and he’d certainly bring plenty of versatility to Villa Park. He has already lined out in a number of different midfield and attacking positions during his fledgling career, and you’d like to think that he has even more room for improvement at the age of 21.

It could be one to keep an eye on over the coming weeks, especially if Philippe Coutinho completes an exit from Villa, as has been speculated.