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According to a recent report from The Sun, Andreas Christensen’s future looks far from certain heading into the last knockings of the January transfer window. The 22-year-old currently plays his football at Premier League heavyweights Chelsea having come up through the youth ranks at Stamford Bridge, although struggles for regular game time under new Blues manager Maurizio Sarri has called his future at the West London club into question.

And a recent report from The Sun suggests that Borussia Dortmund and Juventus are interested in landing the Denmark international this month, with Chelsea reportedly seeking a £6 million loan fee for the defender to thus sanction his departure this month.

And for just £6 million, which is next to nothing in modern-day footballing terms, Southampton manager Ralph Hasenhuttl should make a move for Christensen – a move which could go some way to helping shore up his Saints backline.

The Breakdown

Ultimately, while there is little doubting that the arrival of the Austrian on the South Coast last month has improved Southampton’s fortunes, having won four Premier League games under the former Red Bull Leipzig chief, just one clean sheet in that time suggests they do need to tighten up defensively.

In fact, the Saints have shipped 40 goals in their 23 league matches this term which is more than 13 other teams in the English top-flight – significantly, it is more than all but two sides currently above them in the table to suggest that, if they harbour ambitions of climbing the division, they have to be better at the back.

And a late January move for Chelsea’s Christensen, who excelled for the Blues last season under Antonio Conte, could be exactly what Southampton need to shore up their backline.

The 22-year-old may well have struggled to convince new Blues boss Sarri of his capabilities this term, having only appeared 13 times in all competitions for the West Londoners, but one mustn’t forget the role he played in the Chelsea side last time round under the guidance of title-winning boss Conte.

Prior to last season, the Danish sensation had only featured three times for the Blues, but Conte put great faith in his ability last term by selecting him on 27 occasions in the Premier League and 40 overall in all competitions, helping the club finish fifth in the top-flight, and indeed reach the last-16 of the Champions League.

Yes, there were a few unconvincing moments and thus errors from Christensen last time round, but on the whole he did a fine job coming into a backline that the season before had dominated English football – he certainly didn’t look out of place.

And that should surely be of interest to Southampton manager Hasenhuttl, not only because the 22-year-old would add another accomplished option to his defensive ranks, but also because Christensen excelled in a back three last term, a system the Austrian has used at St Mary’s in recent times.

And for just £6 million for the rest of the season, it could prove to be an absolute bargain, and one that could go some way to shoring up the Southampton rearguard, in turn keeping them in the Premier League.

Southampton fans… what do you think? Let us know!

Everton’s precarious position in the Premier League is likely to be a persuading factor among a number of their key players to leave the club this summer, along with their financial troubles.

If the Merseyside club survive and extend their stay in the top flight, manager Frank Lampard will likely face the toughest rebuild he has had to undertake during his coaching career, and there will likely be a strong emphasis on youth.

The £12.6m signing of Nathan Patterson in January from Rangers proved the club’s preference for signing younger talents to help rejuvenate the squad, and another hot prospect could be about to arrive at Goodison Park from the Scottish club this summer, 16-year-old Rory Wilson.

What’s the news?

According to the Daily Record, the Toffees had scouts watching the exciting Scotland U17 international, in their game against Germany U17s last week, as well as Celtic youngster Ben Doak.

The report also claims that the Rangers starlet was the focus of attention for Aston Villa and Brighton in a 6-1 thrashing of Georgia, which helped seal the Scots place in this summer’s U17 European Championship finals, scoring his third goal in three qualifying games.

Who is he?

Standing at 6 foot tall with plenty of time to grow even bigger, Wilson is potentially developing into a similar type of player as 6 foot 2 Dominic Calvert-Lewin – using his size, strength and athleticism to win duels and get into goalscoring positions.

The striker has scored seven goals in eight appearances at his current youth level for his country, showing signs of his enormous potential and demonstrating his prolific instincts in front of goal.

He has earned plenty of praise in his short time in the limelight, most notably from his international manager Brian McLaughlin, who believes he has an exciting future.

McLaughlin said after the Georgia victory: “Rory is another who can play again in the next campaign. We have been brave enough to go really young at this age group.

“So Rory is leading the line as a 2006 against big powerful 2005s.

“But he is a clever player, his touch is good, his attitude is superb and his finishing .. for a young boy to be able to finish the way he can finish, just clinical and calm in front of goals.

“It was another top performance from him and even when we put him on the left to give another young boy a chance off the bench it wasn’t a problem because he knows he can score off the left.”

With the likes of Thomas Cannon and Lewis Dobbin also proving to be exciting young prospects already within the Everton youth team, Wilson would likely start behind them in the youth academy for at least a little while, but neither of them have made the same kind of impression on the international stage that Wilson has, and if the Toffees sign him, he will surely develop into a top talent.

Tall and devastating in front goal, having bagged 40 goals this season, he could certainly be their next Calvert-Lewin too.

In other news: Signed for £0, then became worth £35m: Everton struck gold over “king of blunders”

Celtic have rejected a number of offers for Osaze Urhoghide in the January transfer window.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by The Scotsman, who claim that a number of clubs in both Scotland and England have approached Celtic regarding a move for the versatile full-back this month.

However, the report added that Ange Postecoglou has no intention of letting the 21-year-old leave Parkhead on anything other than a loan deal in the current transfer window.

Grave error must be avoided

Considering the sheer amount of potential that Urhoghide possesses, in addition to his useful positional versatility, it would be a grave error for Celtic to cash in on the youngster so soon into his career in Glasgow. Indded, sending the former Sheffield Wednesday starlet out on loan this month would also appear to be a rather silly move on Postecoglou’s part.

Indeed, the £270k-rated man could not have done much more on his Celtic debut to prove that he is ready for regular first-team football at Parkhead. The full-back enjoyed 65 touches of the ball, completed 30 passes, made a whopping five tackles, three clearances and one interception and won nine of his 15 duels in the Bhoys’ 3-2 Europa League win against Real Betis last month.

These returns saw the £3.8k-per-week defender, who was dubbed “rock-solid” by his former Owls boss Darren Moore, earn a SofaScore match rating of 6.9 against the Spanish side, ranking him as Postecoglou’s joint sixth-best player in the fixture.

As such, considering the sheer number of injuries Celtic have already sustained so far this season, allowing one of the club’s most exciting prospects to leave Parkhead this winter would appear to be a very unwise decision by the 56-year-old Bhoys boss.

Indeed, should Celtic go on to suffer a similar fate on the injury front in the second half of the Premiership campaign, Urhoghide could prove to be exactly the type of player Postecoglou needs to help see him through a shortage of regular first-team operators. We believe that offloading the 21-year-old this month – either on loan or permanently – would be something of a disaster for the Hoops.

In other news: Postecoglou drops teasing January transfer update which will have Celtic fans buzzing

Out of all the names that have played under the guidance of Marcelo Bielsa at Leeds United, one player that has been a regular figure for the Argentine with a total of 131 appearances for Leeds under Bielsa is midfielder Kalvin Phillips.

Having been linked with a move away from the Yorkshire club in recent months with fellow Premier League clubs Liverpool and Manchester United reportedly interested in him, it would be a disaster if Leeds were to say goodbye to their midfield star, especially to another top-flight side.

However, it seems as though Leeds have been handed a massive boost regarding Phillips and his future with the England international recently revealing that he would be willing to sign a new contract at Elland Road, even though his current deal isn’t set to expire until the summer of 2024.

He commented: “I just want to focus on getting back fit,’ he says. ‘But I speak to the owner regularly. I want a new contract. I’m very happy here.”

Phillips’ importance to Leeds was shown throughout last season with the Whites losing seven of the nine Premier League games he missed.

It’s been a similar story this season with Leeds failing to win any of the games Phillips hasn’t been involved in, highlighting just how crucial he is for the team.

In the 29 league games he played in Premier League last season, the 26-year-old, who is currently earning a weekly wage of £38k-per-week according to Salary Sport, managed to rack up an average of 2.6 tackles per game, 1.7 clearances per game and 1.6 interceptions per game, showing how important he is for the team, particularly from a defensive point of view.

With this in mind and his desire to sign a new deal with Leeds, Victor Orta now has the opportunity to start 2022 with a bang and delight plenty of Leeds fans by giving Phillips, who has been labelled as a “destroyer” on the pitch by former England manager Steve McClaren, what he wants.

Looking beyond that, another big hope for Phillips would be that he can get back to full fitness as soon as possible after picking up a hamstring injury earlier this month so he can help his side avoid relegation by the end of the season and not have to spend another campaign in the Championship.

In other news: Bielsa can finally axe Leeds’ “absolute disaster” by signing “spectacular” 5 ft 9 gem…

With Aston Villa having signed the likes of Philippe Coutinho and Lucas Digne during the current January transfer window, it seems as though they could have a challenge on their hands when it comes to the next summer transfer window and trying to keep hold of one of the key players in Steven Gerrard’s squad.

What’s the news?

According to a recent report from The Telegraph, Villa midfielder John McGinn has been identified as a summer transfer target for fellow Premier League side Manchester United.

The report also claims the United’s technical director Darren Fletcher is apparently a big fan of McGinn and would welcome his potential arrival at Old Trafford.

Fans would be fuming

Villa signed McGinn from Scottish club Hibernian back in the 2018 summer transfer window when they were still in the Championship.

Since then, the midfielder has gone on to make 129 appearances for the Midlands club across all competitions, scoring 16 goals and providing 21 assists along the way, highlighting how much of an important figure he has been for the team.

The £27m-rated dynamo has been an ever-present figure for Villa this season as well, with Matty Cash, Tyrone Mings and Ezri Konsa being the only outfield players to have racked up more minutes in the Premier League than McGinn.

The Scotland international has also been the subject of heavy praise by Gerrard as well with the former Rangers boss describing McGinn’s passing ability in their 2-1 win over Leicester City in early December as “outstanding.”

With WhoScored currently listing the 27-year-old as the highest-rated Villa player to have started more than one Premier League game this season with an overall rating of 7.14/10, this backs up why he’d be a big miss for Villa if he were to leave in the summer.

Taking all of this into account, it would be nothing short of a disaster if the Midlands outfit were to sell the Scot this summer to United given how important he is to the side, especially just months after losing fellow talisman Jack Grealish. To lose both in such a short space of time, would understandably leave supporters rather angry.

Moving forward, with his current contract not set to expire until the summer of 2025, it could be worth Villa’s owners Wes Edens and Nassef Sawiris encouraging McGinn to stick with Villa and help them reach the club’s aspirations of securing European football in the future.

In other news: Deal agreed: Fabrizio Romano delivers Villa transfer update, Lange is working wonders – opinion

Antonio Conte must turn to the rarely-seen Tanguy Ndombele for Tottenham Hotspur’s upcoming festive fixtures, once they are able to return to action.

Sat just outside the top four and in need of a win in their final Europa Conference League group game, Spurs could do with someone of his calibre in the final third.

Conte and co are in need of some sort of saviour as his squad could be depleted going forward due to a viral outbreak amongst the Lilywhites camp this week – according to football.london, as many as seven first-team players have tested positive by a lateral flow test.

Provided Ndombele isn’t one of those, which he is unlikely to be after footage surfaced of training this week, he could hold the keys to Spurs enjoying some success in an absolute time of need.

He would provide the north Londoners with a player capable of driving the ball into the final third, and that’s what will be needed to boost their chances of transforming their fortunes in attack.

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After all, scoring goals has largely been the biggest problem facing the team, with leading striker Harry Kane sitting on just one goal in the Premier League so far this season.

Only Norwich City (10.7) have managed fewer shots per game than Spurs (10.9), via WhoScored, whilst they are inside the bottom seven teams for expected goals (17.83 xG), even though they are on the cusp of a top-four spot.

Despite only starting five top-flight games, Ndombele is among Conte’s most prolific ball-carriers, having averaged 2.4 successful dribbles per 90 minutes, which is only bettered by Lucas Moura (3.5) of those who have played more than 400 minutes this term.

Elsewhere, he is also capable of doing the ‘dirty work’, having managed 2.2 tackles per 90, too. That’s actually better than defenders such as Ben Davies (0.6) and Eric Dier (0.3).

Ndombele was once dubbed a “world-beater” who can be “unplayable” on his day by former Spurs teammate Joe Hart and it’s that level of performance that we need to see from him more often and consistently.

That said, he clearly poses a level of technical ability greater than the bulk of his teammates, which is why his presence is needed on the pitch, especially in the final third, in such a crucial run of fixtures.

The £26m-rated midfielder must start in Conte’s XI going forward.

AND in other news, Spurs plot an ‘unprecedented’ January transfer spending spree. claim sources…

West Ham legend, Mark Noble, is in the final stages of his career, announcing his retirement from the East London club after 17 years.

The 34-year-old has reached legendary status at his boyhood club, West Ham, with a career spanning 500 appearances, scoring 6o goals and bagging 61 assists for the Hammers in his time.

It has not been confirmed as to what the midfielder intends to do after he finishes his final season with West Ham in May 2022, but David Moyes has shared his thoughts on Noble’s next steps;

“I think Mark has other ideas, maybe a role as a sporting director or a technical director rather than on the footballing side.

“We’re already starting to use Mark in other roles behind the scenes.”

The footballer has become a fan favourite over the years, with his debut for West Ham in 2004, that has seen him a starter for almost two decades, with Noble now taking a more backseat role as a substitute as he sees out the last games of his career.

West Ham have recently had new financial backing from Daniel Kretinsky, who, after securing a 27% stake in the club, is hopeful to take over the entire club in the future and take full ownership.

The Evening Standard reported on the deal and the expectations of Kretinsky’s involvement; “His initial investment will help West Ham pay their debt which stands at £150m and David Moyes is unlikely to spend big in January as the Hammers chase Champions League qualification, though the Scot will be backed to bring in a central defender and a back-up striker to cover for Michail Antonio.”

Noble will surely be interested in continuing to play a part in the new journey West Ham are on, especially after they qualified for Europe in 6th place last season and are now challenging for a top-four spot and a potential title challenge, with the Hammers just four points off the top of the table right now.

Until then, Moyes has suggested that Noble is set to play a big part in the current season at West Ham, as they rotate more players especially around the Christmas period where fixtures will be congested for the club.

The Scottish manager said; “He’s going to have a massive part to play in the period leading up to Christmas particularly, where we will need lots of players for a lot of extra games,”

“I hope that Mark will be in good condition, fit and ready to play, because he can bring experience when he comes on in games. I feel that he can help us set the tempo in certain games.”

Once he’s played his part for the rest of the campaign, it would not be a great surprise if we saw him on the other side of the curtain next term, helping the likes of Kretinsky and GSB to form a better future for West Ham.

Rob Newman will also be involved as head of recruitment but in Noble, a man dubbed “unbelievable” by Declan Rice, they could find a director worthy of finally replacing Mario Husillos in a director’s role.

It’s safe to say that the club’s current captain would have their best interests at heart, and in knowing the Irons inside out, could provide Moyes and co with some valuable information from behind the scenes.

The thought of him hanging up his boots is a sad one, but providing he can still play his part in West Ham’s success from elsewhere, supporters will surely be happy.

AND in other news, Imagine him & Antonio: WHU can start Kretinsky era with a bang by signing £80k-p/w gem…

West Ham United have a number of attacking players in their squad that have all contributed to getting the side to where they are at this moment in time.

The trio of Jarrod Bowen, Said Benrahma and Pablo Fornals have scored 21 goals between them in the Premier League and provided 16 assists along the way.

The Hammers also have Michail Antonio, who has found the back of the net eight times and delivered seven assists for his teammates in 31 league appearances.

While there is still some time left until the season ends, it seems as though the east London club may have already got their eye on adding another attacking figure to their squad.

What’s the talk?

Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, journalist and transfer insider Pete O’Rourke had this to say about Union Berlin striker Taiwo Awoniyi and the potential interest that West Ham have in signing him.

“I’m sure West Ham scouts have been alerted to him. He’s a big, strong, pacey forward who could definitely come into that team and improve the West Ham options as well, and I think he’s got all the tools to be a success in the Premier League.

“So, I think West Ham, as well as several other Premier League clubs, will be keeping tabs on him this summer.”

Deadly duo inbound?

After originally joining his current club on loan from Liverpool back in September 2020, the 24-year-old signed on a permanent deal last summer.

In 59 appearances for the German side, the striker has managed to score an impressive 22 goals and provide eight assists along the way.

With 26 league appearances under his belt this campaign, the former Liverpool youngster has found the back of the net 12 times, showing why Mergim Vojvoda called him “an excellent player with great qualities.”

In those appearances, the centre-forward has created three big chances and racked up an average of 2.1 shots and 0.8 key passes per game.

This also backs up why Steffen Baumgart labelled the attacker as a “dangerous” player on the pitch.

In comparison to Antonio, the Jamaica international has racked up 2.3 shots and 1.4 key passes per game, showing just how dangerous he can be in terms of scoring and creating goals for his side.

With all of this in mind, if West Ham were to strike a deal to bring Awoniyi back to England in the summer, this could undoubtedly give Moyes the chance to form a deadly attacking duo at the London Stadium to potentially push the team even further.

In other news: Huge blow: West Ham dealt fresh injury setback ahead of Lyon, Moyes will be sweating

West Ham have been named as one of a number of Premier League sides interested in signing Blackburn Rovers star Ben Brereton Diaz in this January transfer window.

What’s the story?

According to The Daily Mail, David Moyes’ side are interested in signing the Chile international this month, but will face competition from a number of other sides from the Premier League too.

Shades of Carlos Tevez

West Ham fans will of course have some very fond memories of Carlos Tevez’s time at Upton Park, with the Argentine combining his fighting spirit and technical quality to help rescue the Hammers from relegation well over a decade ago.

While comparing Brereton with Tevez may not be the most obvious to make, the Rovers man is certainly built from that same cloth of having an elite mentality.

Brereton’s Chilean compatriot, Carlos Villanueva, said: “There has always been talk of that spare 9 and he gives you different characteristics… He comes from a football much more physical than the South American. He also has Chilean and South American blood, which puts in and fights.”

Dubbed a “wonderful talent” by his manager Tony Mowbray, the 22-year-old enjoyed his most prolific campaign to date in the Championship with Blackburn last term, bagging seven goals and providing five assists in 40 league games.

This season has seen him net a whopping 20 goals in just 25 league games, firing Rovers well into the hunt for an automatic promotion spot in the Championship.

Mowbray added said: “Brereton’s like a beast now, and he can score goals. I see it every day in training. He’s a brilliant lad and all our lads absolutely love him. He’s filled out now and he will work so hard for this team. He’s very gifted and can score goals.”

The £9m-rated star seems to have all the fighting qualities that marked Tevez out as a cult hero, and could develop into the same at the London Stadium were he to make the move.

Meanwhile, David Moyes is now keen on bringing in this Premier League star this month…

Leeds United pair Junior Firpo and Jamie Shackleton are unlikely to be available to face Tottenham, coming after Patrick Bamford and Luke Ayling were already ruled out.

The Lowdown: Leeds take on Spurs

The Whites return to Premier League action after the international break this weekend, making the trip to Spurs on Sunday afternoon.

Marcelo Bielsa’s side drew 1-1 at home to Leicester City in their last outing and now haven’t lost in their last three league games.

Avoiding defeat against Spurs would be another positive step in the right direction, but their injury woes have not exactly eased, with Ayling and Bamford both certain to miss out, and now more worrying news emerging before the big clash.

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The Latest: Hay makes injury claim

Two more players who look likely to miss out on Sunday are Firpo and Shackleton, with Hay taking to Twitter to confirm that the pair are not ready fitness-wise:

“Firpo is doing well, just needs minutes, Bielsa says. Shackleton is in the same situation (doesn’t sound like either will be involved on Sunday).”

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The Verdict: Full-back dilemma

Should Firpo and Shackleton miss out, it leaves Leeds horribly light in the full-back department, with the latter impressing at right-back of late and making five league starts this season.

Stuart Dallas will almost certainly fill one of the full-back spots – presumably right-back – while Pascal Stuijk could fill in at left-back, as was the case against Leicester.

It’s far from ideal however, with neither player really a natural on the flanks, while Firpo’s left-foot offers proper width on that side when he is available – the Spaniard’s possible return was labelled as ‘crucial’ by Danny Mills this week, so his absence is a major concern.

In other news, one key Leeds figure is delighted with a Whites injury update. Read more here.