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Having loaned out players such as Wesley, Anwar El Ghazi, Keinan Davis and Jaden Philogene-Bidace this month, Aston Villa have not been shy when it comes to moving players out of the club who they feel would be better off away from Villa Park for the time being.

With 10 days left until the January transfer window closes, it seems as though there could be another Villa player set to leave the club on a temporary basis in an effort to get some regular game-time.

What’s the latest?

In a recent article for the Birmingham Mail from Villa journalist Ashley Preece, comments from Steven Gerrard were relayed regarding Trezeguet’s current situation at the Midlands club.

The Villa manager said: “He could find [game time] challenging here so we’ll be respectful to him and we’ll see what lands from now until the end of the window.”

Preece then added: “There’s every chance now that Trezeguet, once he’s back from the Africa Cup of Nations, will find himself a loan move knowing minutes will be hard to come by in Gerrard’s favoured 4-3-2-1 system.”

Fans will be delighted

Villa signed the Egyptian back in 2019 from Turkish club Kasimpasa in a deal worth a reported fee of £8.75m.

Since then, the 27-year-old has made 64 appearances for the Villans across all competitions, with nine goals and five assists along the way.

After recovering from a knee injury which kept him out of action for almost eight months last year, Trezeguet has only played 10 minutes under Gerrard this season, which came during their 2-1 defeat against Brentford earlier this month.

Given his lack of minutes under the 41-year-old and his lack of regular goals and assists since his arrival at Villa Park, perhaps moving Trezeguet on this month, either on loan or permanently if a suitable offer comes through the door, would be beneficial for all parties.

It could please a lot of Villa fans if the Egyptian left and duly gave some of the squad’s younger talents such as Jacob Ramsey or Carney Chukwuemeka a bigger chance of receiving game-time throughout the remainder of the season.

In other news: Lange could finally replace Grealish with Villa swoop for “unique” £18m-rated beast

Former England striker Kevin Phillips has tipped West Ham to complete the signing of Nathan Aké in January, as per Football Insider.

The Lowdown: Defensive depth needed

90min have previously reported that West Ham have identified the Manchester City defender as a January transfer target following the injuries to centre-back pairing Angelo Ogbonna and Kurt Zouma. It is expected that the Hammers will pursue a loan deal with an obligation to buy.

Zouma has been a huge loss for the defensive line due to his domination in clearances made, leading the side with an average of 5.2 per game. With the Frenchman reportedly out for up to 12 weeks, it is vital that the Irons provide depth in the centre-back position, as David Moyes has just Issa Diop and Craig Dawson at his disposal at the moment.

The Latest: Hammers to pursue Aké

As per Football Insider, former England international Phillips has tipped West Ham to complete the signing of Aké in the January transfer window.

He said: “That’s a no-brainer for West Ham. He’s not getting a huge amount of game time at Man City. He’s the type of player who needs to be playing regularly. Ake is a brilliant defender.

“With Zouma and Ogbonna out injured he would be a really good addition to their squad.

“He would give them some valuable experience as well, having played in Europe and won the title with Man City.”

The Verdict: A good move for both parties

West Ham are in desperate need of a centre-back following the injuries sustained by Zouma and Ogbonna. Providing depth to the defensive line will be crucial with the club’s hectic winter schedule, as they remain in the Europa League, Carabao Cup and FA Cup.

Liverpool colossus Virgil van Dijk hailed his Dutch teammate as ‘underrated’ and even name-checked him when asked to name who he felt were the best defenders in the world. Meanwhile, the City defender’s former Chelsea manager Antonio Conte once described a young Aké as looking ‘like a veteran’.

Such praise clearly illustrates the player’s quality and suggests how he has the ability to contribute to West Ham’s top four push, if he makes the move to east London.

Arriving at the Etihad Stadium in 2020 for £40.8m, the defender has made just five league appearances for City this season, so this may be the perfect move for him to revitalise his career.

In other news: These were West Ham’s three worst players in the 0-0 draw at Burnley

Plenty of Manchester United fans have hit out at right-back Aaron Wan-Bissaka on social media for his performance at Old Trafford against Wolves on Monday.

Ralf Rangnick made two changes from the side which beat Burnley 3-1 last time out, with Phil Jones and Raphael Varane coming in for Harry Maguire and Eric Bailly.

However, it was another defender in Wan-Bissaka who had fans talking, and not for the right reasons either. The 24-year-old was making his 15th Premier League start of the campaign, continuing to re-establish himself back in the side at the expense of Diogo Dalot.

As per SofaScore, the Englishman failed to make a successful tackle all evening, came out second best in five of his seven duels and lost possession 12 times.

United fans react

Here is what these United fans had to say about Wan-Bissaka on Twitter during the game, with one believing that he is the worst player to ever feature for United and another labelling him a ‘donkey’.

“AWB is dreadful truly abysmal, he constantly gives away chances and can’t attack”

Credit: @mufc4thefans

“AWB is the worst player on the pitch as per”

Credit: @LtyeBurns

“AWB get back into position you donkey. You’re leaving Big Phil exposed”

Credit: @SteveLUHG

“AWB is the worst player to ever play for United”

Credit: @_BradHarris

“AWB is an absolute fraud, jogging about the place!”

Credit: @CormieD123

“Wan-Bissaka isn’t good enough and never will be”

Credit: @bkguinness

“AWB, Maguire and McTom probably the 3 players I’d sell my organs to get rid of”

Credit: @redchristian23

In other news: ‘Wow’ – Many MUFC fans erupt over journalist’s swap transfer news

Leeds United’s latest Premier League outing saw them secure a 2-2 draw at home to Brentford thanks to a late equalising goal from striker Patrick Bamford.

One player that did not feature in the match against Thomas Frank’s side after picking up an injury in their 1-0 win over Crystal Palace last week was defender Pascal Struijk.

However, it seems as though there has been a fresh update on the matter that should have a lot of Leeds fans thrilled.

What’s the news?

Leeds journalist Phil Hay shared a post on his official Twitter page sharing news after the Brentford draw that Struijk has a hip problem and is finishing his recovery.

The fact that Struijk is finishing his recovery should leave plenty of Leeds fans buzzing ahead of their next league match against Chelsea at the weekend. After all, if fellow defender Liam Cooper is unable to play after being forced off the pitch with an injury against Brentford, it will be a seismic boost to get the 22-year-old back.

In the 12 Premier League games he’s appeared in so far this season, Struijk has shown just what an important defensive unit he is for Leeds by racking up an average of 2.3 tackles, 1.6 interceptions and 1.4 clearances per game as well. For context, that tally of tackles is the highest by an out and out defender in Bielsa’s squad this term.

Labelled as a player that has “got it all” by former Leeds star Dominic Matteo, Struijk has certainly proved himself as an important player for the Whites after making his Premier League debut in their opening game of last season against Liverpool at Anfield.

If the Dutchman can be fit enough to play in the game against Chelsea, this would surely give the Yorkshire club a better chance of securing a positive result against Thomas Tuchel’s side, especially after they conceded three goals in their latest league game against West Ham United.

With Leeds having games against the likes of Manchester City, Arsenal and Liverpool in the league before the end of the current calendar year, everyone at the Yorkshire club will undoubtedly be hoping that Struijk will be able to stay fit and available for those tough games to give his side the best chance of getting some more points on the board.

He has been vitally important to their cause this term so fans will undoubtedly be elated to see that he’s well on the recovery trail.

In other news: Huge setback: Leeds struck with double injury blow that’ll surely have Bielsa fuming – opinion

Sky Sports journalist Michael Bridge has been discussing the chances of Leeds United potentially re-signing Arsenal striker Eddie Nketiah after he rejected a new deal with the Gunners.

The Lowdown: Nketiah on the move?

The 22-year-old is struggling to make the grade at the Emirates Stadium, with Mikel Arteta opting for the likes of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Alexandre Lacazette over him. In total, Nketiah has appeared just twice in the Premier League all season, playing only 30 minutes of action during those cameos.

The Englishman’s current Gunners deal expires at the end of the season, at which point other clubs will be able to sign him on a free transfer, and he has been linked with a second spell at Leeds.

[freshpress-quiz id=“375277″]

The Latest: Bridge addresses Nketiah’s future

While it appears as though Leeds could potentially re-sign Nketiah if they so desire, with Bridge telling Give Me Sport that a move to a lower-ranked Premier League side may be on the cards, the journalist feels that the Whites may no longer be interested in the 22-year-old.

When asked if Leeds might go back in for the Arsenal forward, Bridge replied:

“Have they moved on now, have they moved on? They had him in the Championship, so maybe even they’ve moved on. He’s rejected a new contract and has no real future at Arsenal, so maybe a lower Premier League club or maybe even in the Championship.”

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/latest-leeds-united-news-27/” title=”Latest Leeds United news!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

The Verdict: Potential Bamford backup

There may be doubts surrounding Nketiah’s ability at the very top level but Marcelo Bielsa has worked with him before and may believe that he has something to offer Leeds again.

The Arsenal marksman is still only 22, so it would be unfair to write him off so early in his career, and he could be viewed as a good deputy to Patrick Bamford, having scored 28 times in 40 appearances for the Gunners’ under-23s, as well as 15 times for their first team. Also, Arteta has previously hailed the youngster as “extraordinary for his age”.

It’s worth remembering that Nketiah is England under-21s’ top goalscorer of all time too, further highlighting why a return to Elland Road could be shrewd if Leeds were to decide that he is worth pursuing amid his contract impasse in north London.

In other news, Leeds are interested in signing a striker. Find out who it is here.

Wolverhampton Wanderers are pushing to sign Hwang Hee-chan on a permanent basis.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a John Percy report for The Telegraph, with the journalist claiming that Wolves are ready to accelerate talks with RB Leipzig regarding a permanent deal for the centre-forward, with the club holding an option to purchase the 25-year-old for a figure of around £14m.

This option to buy was initially scheduled to come into effect at the end of the current campaign, however, as a result of the South Korea international’s impact since joining Bruno Lage’s side on a temporary deal this summer, Percy claims Wolves are planning to open talks to sign the forward in the January window.

Fans will be buzzing

It is easy to see why Wolves are so keen to sign Hwang Hee-chan permanently, as the striker has been something of a revelation for the club since his arrival back in August.

Indeed, over his seven Premier League appearances this season, the £9.9m-rated man has already bagged four goals, in addition to creating one big chance for his teammates and taking an average of one shot per game.

These returns have seen the player who Garth Crooks dubbed a “major asset” earn an average SofaScore match rating of 6.84, ranking the 25-year-old as Wolves’ 11th-best performer in the top flight.

As such, the £70k-per-week forward has certainly made quite the impact at Molineux, and has already proved to be well worth the reported £14m transfer fee Fosun would have to cough up in order to make his loan deal a permeant switch.

And, as long as there are no complications in Wolves’ negotiations with RB Leipzig, the club signing Hwang Hee-chan this January would be an outcome that is sure to have fans buzzing, as the striker is quickly becoming a favourite in Wolverhampton.

In other news: Major boost: Lage drops update on “unpredictable” Wolves gem that’ll have fans buzzing

Tottenham Hotspur could look to raid one of their London arch-rivals in the near future…

What’s the word?

According to transfer insider Dean Jones, Spurs hold a big interest in signing Antonio Rudiger from Chelsea, having attempted to lure him in the past.

“They’re really serious about Rudiger,” the journalist told GIVEMESPORT this week.

Indeed, the Lilywhites spoke to the 49-cap Germany international during Jose Mourinho’s time in charge.

“I was close [to leaving],” the defender said when questioned about his future in March, as relayed by The Express. “There was [a] call also with Mourinho, but this is something at the end of the day that didn’t happen.”

Rudiger has been linked with several of Europe’s elite clubs, including Real Madrid and Bayern Munich as he will soon enter the final six months of his current £100k-per-week deal at Stamford Bridge.

It’s believed that the 28-year-old wants to double his wages, and whilst the Blues want to retain his services, there is no willingness to increase his salary beyond an extra £50k-per-week.

Imagine Rudiger and Romero

Rudiger looked hugely out-of-favour at Chelsea before the arrival of Thomas Tuchel in west London but now he has arguably emerged as one of the best central defenders in the Premier League, so it would be quite a coup if Spurs could snatch his signature from their rivals’ grasp.

He’s still valued at €20m (£18m) by CIES Football Observatory, so it would represent stunning value should they land him for nothing next summer.

The 6 foot 3 colossus has also worked under Antonio Conte before, having registered 45 appearances during the 52-year-old’s reign at Stamford Bridge, so he will know the Italian’s system and methods better than most. He even dubbed his former boss a “very, very good coach” back in 2018.

Rudiger has started 14 of their 15 appearances across the Premier League and Champions League this campaign, whilst he started in the final where they defeated English rivals Man City, emphasising just how crucial he is to Tuchel.

His form under his fellow countryman earned a glowing endorsement from Premier League legend Rio Ferdinand back in August, as he told his podcast (via Metro):

“Look at Rudiger, he’s arguably, since Tuchel has been there [at Chelsea], been the best defender in the Premier League. Him or [Ruben] Dias in that time. He’s been unbelievable, he’s like an animal.”

Regularly, the former Stuttgart and Roma centre-back has been a real thorn in Spurs’ side as he often dominates the north Londoners – he boasts a 70% win rate when facing Tottenham.

One example of this was seen earlier this season. Not only did he score past Hugo Lloris with a deft finish inside the area, but he also earned the second-highest rating on the pitch (8.0) for his defensive masterclass against Harry Kane and Heung-min Son.

As per SofaScore, he registered two clearances and two blocks, and won 100% of his aerial duels up against the England talisman.

Therefore, just imagine him alongside Spurs’ summer signing Cristian Romero but in a Lilywhites strip, rather than the rival blue in which many have seen him terrorise opponents over the last few years.

Romero and Rudiger would be a colossal duo in Conte’s back three, so Fabio Paratici and co must do all they can to secure the German ahead of Europe’s elite.

At the same time, they could deal Chelsea a crushing blow, too.

AND in other news, Spurs could sign Conte’s next Hazard in “complete” £22.5m-rated wizard who bossed Pochettino’s PSG…

When West Bromwich Albion resigned Romaine Sawyers for around £2.88m back in 2019, hopes at The Hawthorns were extremely high for the Baggies academy product.

Indeed, the 29-year-old had just enjoyed an impressive season with Brentford, providing six assists, creating two big chances and averaging a SofaScore match rating of 6.89 over his 42 Championship appearances for the Bees.

This initially appeared to be form that Sawyers would continue for Albion, with the midfielder turning in a number of solid performances during his first season back in the West Midlands, scoring one goal, registering one assist and averaging a SofaScore match rating of 6.80 over his 42 Championship fixtures in 2019/20.

The Saint Kitts and Nevis international’s partner in the middle of the pitch, Jake Livermore, also seemed to be extremely impressed with the ability of Sawyers, with the West Brom captain stating back in 2019: “He is fantastic. I love the boy as a kid and I love him as a player. I love playing alongside him. He is a nice calming influence. I think we bounce off each other quite well.

“He was at West Brom as a kid and credit to them because he has been fantastic since he has come back. I back him to be a real, real top player and I have played with a few. But I back him to be as good as anyone I have played with, to be honest. And I mean that.”

However, upon the Baggies’ promotion to the top flight, things started to take a turn for the worst for the £1.8m-rated midfielder.

Indeed, over his 19 Premier League appearances the following season, Sawyers failed to have any real impact for Albion, scoring no goals, registering no assists and earning an extremely disappointing seasonal SofaScore match rating of just 6.47 – ranking him as the club’s joint-worst performer in the league.

This is a trend that has continued for the £10k-per-week man in the current campaign, as, after being bombed out of the Albion side by Valerien Ismael this summer, the 29-year-old has failed to impress over his eight Championship appearances while on loan at Stoke City, scoring no goals, registering just one assist and averaging an extremely shoddy SofaScore match rating of 6.58.

As such, despite signs of early promise upon his return to West Bromwich a little over two years ago, Sawyers’ poor displays at the bet365 Stadium, coupled with the fact that his contract at The Hawthorns expires next summer, could well indicate that the academy product has played his final game for the club.

In other news: Forget Bartley: WBA’s £36k-p/w “leader” who made just 4 passes failed Ismael once more

A number of West Ham supporters have criticised Lukasz Fabianski’s performance in the Hammers’ Premier League clash away to Aston Villa.

David Moyes’s side started the day in fourth place in the Premier League, showing what an impressive start they have made to the season.

There was an added incentive going into the Villa game, with victory enough to take them level on points with reigning champions Manchester City, further highlighting their current fortunes.

The Hammers went into the interval 2-1 in front, with Ben Johnson and Declan Rice on target, but Fabianski will surely feel that he could have done better for Ollie Watkins’ equaliser in the first half, having been off-balance when the Villa striker shot. He did redeem himself somewhat with a fingertip save to deny the ex-Brentford marksman shortly before the hour mark.

Also, as per SofaScore, the Polish veteran had one of the lowest passing accuracy rates among the Irons’ players and lost possession on numerous occasions throughout the match.

West Ham fans react to Fabianski display

These West Ham fans took to Twitter to provide their thoughts on Fabianksi’s performance, with many less than impressed with his efforts for Villa’s first half goal.

“Fabianski should have done better for their goal”

Credit: @DutzyDolan

“Fabianski needs to be dropped Areola in please”

Credit: @Monster19754334

“Need to drop Fabiański! He’s costing too many goals!”

Credit: @7govscott

“Need to defend better and need to retire Fabianski but in general playing well. Should have had a penalty as well. Need to play better 2nd half as been sloppy”

Credit: @WHU_EUFC

“Fabianski, YOU are the weakest link, goodbye!”

Credit: @sibeex

“Fabianski, he’s got to go blud”

Credit: @Bill_WHU23

In other news, some West Ham fans are delighted at a training ground photo that emerged. Read more here.

With Mark Warburton having seen his Queen Park Rangers side suffer something of a setback in the Championship over the last eight days, with the Rs losing their first and second league fixtures of the season in back to back matches, the 59-year-old manager would have undoubtedly been hoping for a positive performance in the Carabao Cup on Tuesday evening to get his side back on track.

And, despite their opponents being Premier League side Everton, QPR duly delivered for their manager, boasting 61% possession in the fixture, completing 197 more passes than the Toffees and winning 13 more duels than Rafael Benitez’s side, with the scoreline reading 2-2 at 90 minutes.

Warburton’s men then demonstrated incredible composure and maturity in the subsequent penalty shootout, scoring all eight of their spot-kicks, meaning that Tom Davies’ miss sent the Rs through to the fourth round of the competition for the first time since 2008.

As such, rather predictably when considering the result, a number of the west London side highly impressed in the match, with Charlie Austin – who scored both of the Rs’ two goals in the clash – Christopher Willock, Yoann Barbet and Seny Dieng all turning in dominant displays against the Toffees.

However, it was 23-year-old attacking midfielder Ilias Chair who, from a statistical point of view, stole the show against Everton.

Three key passes

Over his 76 minutes on the pitch, Chair was arguably QPR’s most important player, with the Morocco international continually causing the Everton midfield and defence problems with both his creativity and attacking inclination.

Indeed, the £3.6m-rated man ended the fixture with one assist to his name – which came after a delightful piece of skill on the left-wing, before putting the ball square on Charlie Austin’s forehead between two Everton defenders – as well as making three key passes, completing both of his attempted crosses and hitting the target with 100% of his shots.

The player Warburton dubbed a “lively” talent also managed 53 touches of the ball, completed 86% of his passes and made one tackle during his spell on the pitch.

These returns saw the £7.1k-per-week midfielder earn a SofaScore match rating of 7.2 in the fixture, something which, considering the level of the opposition, only further highlights the progress Chair has made under Warburton in the last few seasons – with the 23-year-old clearly boasting the ability to play a major role in QPR’s push for a top-six finish in the Championship this season.

In other news: Blackstock 2.0: “Brilliant” £3.6m-rated QPR ace is key to Warburton’s promotion push