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Tottenham Hotspur have seen an offer for Leandro Trossard rejected by Brighton & Hove Albion.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by The Athletic, who claim that Fabio Paratici recently made a verbal £12m offer for the 28-year-old. This bid was knocked back by the Seagulls, though, as they are believed to value the forward at a figure close to the £30m mark.

The report goes on to suggest that Antonio Conte’s side have not yet followed up their initial bid with an improved offer. However, the Belgium international’s agent Josy Comhair recently stated that the south coast club would be willing to part with Trossard in January, as the winger has had a falling out with Brighton boss Roberto De Zerbi.

Paratici must move

Considering just how impressive Trossard has been for the Seagulls so far this season, coupled with Tottenham’s distinct lack of creativity and efficiency in attack being clear for all to see in the 2-0 defeat to Arsenal on Sunday, the argument that Paratici simply must return with an improved bid for the Belgian is a very easy one to make.

Indeed, over his 16 appearances in the Premier League so far this term, the £27m-rated talent has already bagged seven goals – outperforming his xG of 4.42 – registered three assists and created one big chance, in addition to taking an average of 2.4 shots – 1.1 of which have been on target – making 1.5 key passes and completing 0.7 dribbles per game.

The £40k-per-week flanker has also caught the eye in a defensive capacity, winning the ball back an average of 1.3 times per match, in addition to making an average of 0.7 tackles and 0.4 interceptions and winning 2.6 duels per fixture.

These returns have seen the 28-year-old – who the New York Times journalist Tariq Panja dubbed “underrated” and Kwame Benaiah claimed has been “on fire” this season – average a Sofascore statistical rating of 7.10, not only ranking him as De Zerbi’s sixth-best performer in the league but also as the joint 48th-best player in the Premier League as a whole.

As such, with Trossard having scored more league goals than all of Son Heung-min, Richarlison, Dejan Kulusevski, Lucas Moura and Bryan Gil this season, it is indeed easy to argue that the signing of the 28-year-old would give a much-needed boost to Spurs’ goals behind those scored by Harry Kane – leading us to believe that Paratici simply must launch a fresh bid in the coming weeks.

Aston Villa have been making waves in the January transfer market under the tutelage of Unai Emery, and could now place the icing on the cake by tying up a deal for Udinese’s Gerard Deulofeu.

What’s the word?

According to a report from the Daily Mail at the end of December, Emery has been urging his technical director Johan Lange to make a move for Deulofeu, who has undergone something of a resurgence since joining his current Serie A outfit in 2020.

And now, speaking to GIVEMESPORT, prominent transfer guru Fabrizio Romano has shed some further light on the potential movement, stating that the Villans are indeed pushing for a move, but have been met with resistance from the Little Zebras.

Romano said: “They really appreciate Deulofeu, another player appreciated by the coach Unai Emery, but at the moment Udinese really want to keep Deulofeu until the end of the season. So not an easy one, but I’m sure that Villa also will be busy with two or three more signings.”

Ashley Young reborn

Emery has won five of his seven matches in the Premier League since arriving at Villa Park in October, and while his side have indeed fallen from both the FA Cup and the Carabao Cup, there has been a swift and discernible difference to both form and results since the 3-0 defeat to newly-promoted Fulham that instigated the dismissal of Steven Gerrard.

On the transfer front, Alex Moreno and Jhon Duran have been acquired to provide a boost to the defensive and offensive departments, but a winger of top-class quality would go a long way towards providing the sheen to ensure the Midlands outfit push for a top-half finish this season, perhaps even reaching as far as the upper third of the table, clinching European football next term.

And with the creative ingenuity of Deulofeu, this could certainly be established; having recently sold Danny Ings to West Ham United for £15m, Villa will likely move for a centre-forward, with the likes of Moussa Dembele touted, and the wily winger’s inclusion would stamp success firmly into proceedings.

Having made 68 appearances for Udinese, the former Everton and Watford “genius” – as once hailed by BBC Sport writer Phil McNulty – has scored 18 goals and 14 assists, including a return of ten direct contributions from 16 starts this season.

And as per FBref, he ranks within the top 5% of his positional peers across Europe’s top five leagues for rate of assists and the top 15% for progressive passes and shot-creating actions, illustrating his superlative technique and efficacy in the final third, which would only enhance Villa’s prospects.

He could emulate Ashley Young, with the 37-year-old veteran currently enjoying his second spell with the Claret & Blue, having previously played for the outfit between 2007 and 2012.

With Young’s career defined by his wand of a delivery and selfless service for his teammates, the £22k-per-week Deulofeu would be wise to copy the blueprint and shower success on the team as they look to continue the ascension back towards prominence.

Indeed, the Spaniard appears just as creative as Young several years ago, with the former England international ranking in the top 10% of full-backs in the 2017/18 Premier League campaign for goal-creating actions, the top 3% for expected assists and the same percentage for crosses into the penalty area.

As such, Villa technical director Johan Lange would do well to ensure Emery clinches his reunion with his former Sevilla ace, offering a layer of creativity and flair that could play a part in clinching European qualification at Villa Park once again, much like it did during Young’s first successful spell in the famous claret shirt.

An update has emerged on Newcastle United and their efforts to bolster their squad during the January transfer window…

What’s the talk?

The Daily Mail’s Craig Hope has claimed that the Magpies are “set to tempt Everton’s resolve with enquiry for Anthony Gordon” before the end of the month.

The accompanying article states that the winger is high on the club’s list of targets as they attempt to sign a ‘versatile’ attacking player to replace Chris Wood, who has joined Nottingham Forest on loan until the end of the season.

It claims that Gordon has fallen out of favour in recent weeks at Frank Lampard’s side and that Newcastle will now make an enquiry in the hope of snapping him up heading into the second half of the campaign.

Jacob Murphy 2.0

Newcastle could be running the risk of repeating their Jacob Murphy disaster by bringing the Toffees winger to St. James’ Park in the coming days.

The Magpies signed the current Toon forward from Norwich for £12m in the summer of 2017 after the gem had a breakout year at Carrow Road in the 2016/17 campaign.

He produced eight goals and eight assists in 37 Championship appearances for the Canaries and had yet to prove himself in the Premier League, with Newcastle taking a gamble on his potential.

The move has not worked out perfectly for Murphy as he has scored just six times, whilst assisting 10 goals, in 129 matches for the club in all competitions since moving to Tyneside.

Gordon, who was once dubbed “frightening” by non-league manager Luke Garrard, could be the next version of the ex-Yellows star as his worrying form this season follows on from his breakthrough campaign last term.

The England under-21 international caught the eye in the Premier League in 2021/22 with four goals and two assists in 25 starts for Everton – averaging a Sofascore rating of 6.89.

However, the gem’s form has dipped in 2022/23 as the forward has averaged a Sofascore rating of 6.74 and chipped in with three goals and zero assists in 16 top-flight outings.

He has gone from creating 1.0 chances to 0.5 per game in the Premier League and these worrying statistics indicate that the attacker is struggling to live up to the standards that he set in 2021/22.

Therefore, Newcastle could repeat the mistake that they made with Murphy by signing Gordon before the winger is able to prove that he can make a big impact at the top end of the pitch on a regular basis.

Insider ExWHUemployee has revealed that West Ham United are keen on signing Djed Spence with a number of loan players to be considered before the January window closes.

What’s the word?

Up to this stage in the winter market, with just days left before it all comes to an end, The Hammers have managed to make a couple of signings with Danny Ings and Brazilian youngster Luizao arriving in East London.

Of course, a few players have left too with Craig Dawson heading to Wolves and Darren Randolph joining Bournemouth as both men leave on a permanent basis.

However, it seems as though the club are not content with that activity just yet and they are potentially keen on adding the Tottenham Hotspur wingback to their ranks.

Indeed, in a post shared to The West Ham Way Patreon, Ex named Spence as a target while noting that agents with “frantically” offer the club alternative loan options too in the next few days.

He said: “We also like Spence, the right-back, at Spurs.

“The club intend to present him [David Moyes] with a number of options and he will need to approve which deal he likes if any.

“These loan deals are targets we have mentioned and will also be some last-minute deals with agents frantically offering their players around.”

Loan to happen?

Speaking in a recent press conference, Moyes didn’t exactly sound particularly expectant when it came to the club completing any more deals this winter.

Indeed, he said (via football.london): “The truth is, I don’t really know. If I had something lined up to come in or go, there’s none of that in the pipeline at the moment but with four or five days to go, who knows what would happen.”

However, he doesn’t completely shut down the chances of anyone arriving and if the club are working hard behind the scenes to present some loan options – as Ex says – then perhaps someone like Spence could still arrive.

According to recent reports, Spurs are certainly happy to let the youngster leave this winter as he has struggled to get regular game time since arriving from Middlesbrough last summer.

Manager Antonio Conte has publically made it clear that he isn’t the biggest fan of Spence. Seeing as he has yet to start a game for Tottenham either, it seems likely that the 22-year-old, who has been hailed as “unbelievable”, would be keen on an exit too.

And so, the player is certainly available but it just remains to be seen if West Ham and Moyes are keen to try and swoop in and add him to their ranks for the remainder of the season.

Fabrizio Romano doesn’t believe anything is advanced between Newcastle United and transfer target Sander Berge.

The Lowdown: Midfield is an area to improve

Following the departure of Jonjo Shelvey, Eddie Howe admitted that Newcastle are going to try to do some business before the deadline to give them another body in midfield.

However, during his pre-match press conference, he insisted to the media that nothing was guaranteed, which would suggest the club do not have a replacement lined up.

The Magpies have long been linked with a move for Conor Gallagher, who is said to be the subject of a huge bid from Everton, as well as Championship ace Berge, who will soon be into the final year of his contract at Sheffield United.

The Latest: Nothing advanced with Berge

Despite a lot of noise about Berge and him making a potential loan switch to Newcastle, Romano insisted nothing was advanced while speaking The House of Champions YouTube channel on Monday.

He said: “They will look for a loan, so for an opportunity, I don’t expect any big deal happening for Newcastle in that position.

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“We had many rumours on Sander Berge, but at the moment I’m told it’s not advanced. They’re looking for different options at the moment.”

The Verdict: Newcastle keeping their options open

It would be foolish for Newcastle to have put all of her eggs into the Berge basket, especially when Fulham were said to be in the race to land the Norway international and willing to pay a transfer fee.

Therefore, talk of Everton making a move for Gallagher may well force PIF’s hand and get them to act quickly on that front to try to bring him to Tyneside as he’s clearly a huge Howe target.

This is because Gallagher was linked over the summer and was being tipped with a move to Tyneside quite early on in this transfer window, although if he doesn’t end up leaving, Newcastle could move for someone such as Ruben Loftus-Cheek, who’s also said to be on Howe’s radar, as per The Telegraph.

Everton director Graeme Sharp should resign from the board, claims Toffees YouTuber Peter McPartland.

The Lowdown: Everton’s situation

The Toffees are in dire straits right now, with only their goal difference keeping them off the bottom of the Premier League table as they sit two points from safety just after the midway point of the season.

Everton are winless in 10 games in all competitions – a run which ultimately saw Frank Lampard lose his job and replaced by Sean Dyche following the 2-0 defeat against fellow strugglers West Ham United.

That outing, as well as the majority previously, have seen Everton fans in their droves protest against the ownership of Farhad Moshiri, with the Express reporting that protests even took place outside their Finch Farm training ground on deadline day amid the club’s failure to make a January signing.

The Latest: McPartland’s comments

The ToffeeTV host McPartland spoke on Sky Sports (via Football Daily) about changes he wants to see at the club, with him singling out director and former Everton player Sharp, saying:

“It’s up to the board now to make some decisions. I’d personally call on certain members of the board to resign. Graeme Sharp is a legend of the football club; I don’t think his role on the board is tenable anymore.

“I think he should be looking at himself as an ex-player, as a legend, and thinking, what am I doing here? Who am I backing? Am I doing any good?”

The Verdict: Serious trouble

Everton are in incredible danger of seeing their Premier League status lost with them one of just six clubs to have never been relegated from the top-flight since it was re-branded in 1992 (via GOAL), they survived by just four points last season on the second to last day of the campaign but this time round it could be a lot more desperate.

Given their struggles, Everton were incredibly the only team not to bring any new additions to the squad amid losing Anthony Gordon for £45m to Newcastle United (via Sky Sports), leaving Evertonians understandably paranoid over the situation.

Now on the board, Sharp was inducted in 2005 as an Everton Giant following 447 appearances and 160 goals between 1980-1991 for the Toffees (via Everton), winning the First Division twice and the FA Cup and European Cup Winners’ Cup both once.

With the board now villainised by the fans, the Goodison Park legend is one that supporters would look to in hope but with that sparse at the moment, it may be best for him to step aside and end his association with Everton’s hierarchy’s sinking ship.

Sky Sports contributor and injury expert Ben Dinnery has given his verdict on the timeline of return for Nottingham Forest’s Dean Henderson.

The Lowdown: Henderson sidelined

Henderson picked up an injury for Steve Cooper’s side last month in their 2-0 victory against Leicester City at the City Ground.

Forest acted on transfer deadline day and signed Costa Rican shot-stopper Keylor Navas on loan until the end of the season.

Navas’ debut for the club ended with a clean sheet and three points for the Garibaldi against Leeds United in the Premier League.

The Latest: Dinnery’s Henderson claim

Cooper claimed Henderson is ‘some way off’ a return, according to Dinnery, though he wouldn’t be surprised if he is back sooner than expected

Speaking to the Premier FPL Injuries YouTube channel, he said: “With regards to a return-to-play timeline, nothing definitive. But we did hear [that] Steve Cooper said the goalkeeper on loan from Manchester United is some way off.

“However, what I would say is you take that with a pinch of salt, because we’ve seen the return have Morgan Gibbs-White at the weekend. Now, he picked up an ankle problem in that first-leg tie against Manchester United.

“We heard from Steve Cooper during the week. He said again, we don’t know the extent of it, he is a quick healer, but suffice to say he will not face Manchester United and he will not be available in the short term.

“So we were expecting at least another week or two on the sidelines. However, he [Gibbs-White] came back, he started and played very, very well.”

The Verdict: Perfect cover

We believe that Henderson doesn’t need to be rushed back into Nottingham Forest’s starting XI, as Navas will certainly do a job for them.

Cooper was quick to praise his deadline-day signing against Leeds when speaking after the match.

He stated: “He was outstanding in the first half.

“The obvious talking points are his saves – and rightly so, he deserves all the credit for that. But I loved his composure in the game as well; his game-management and his decision-making.

“We’re really pleased he’s here. We’re really looking forward to working with him now.”

Our view is that Navas is the perfect cover for Henderson in the Forest net, as he’s an experienced pro who’s played at the top level with Paris Saint-Germain and Real Madrid.

The Costa Rican shot-stopper hasn’t just featured at a couple of top clubs, but also won a number of trophies and honours with both of his previous clubs, so in our view, they’ve landed a top player for the remainder of the season.

Newcastle United are reportedly eyeing up a possible summer move for soon-to-be free agent Marcus Thuram.

The Lowdown: Goal-shy Magpies

Despite managing to keep an impressive four clean sheets in their last five Premier League games, Newcastle have only managed to score twice in those matches.

That defence has not been an issue at all, having conceded the fewest goals in the league with 12, but their shyness in front of goal means that the likes of Tottenham Hotspur are slowly creeping up to them in the race to finish in a UEFA Champions League spot.

Thus, the St. James’ Park outfit may look for a new poacher in the summer, in order to help take them to the next level.

The Latest: Thuram interest

According to Spanish news publication Sport, the Tynesiders are just one of a number of clubs interested in signing Thuram this summer.

The long queue includes Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund, Inter Milan, Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid, Sevilla, Chelsea, Arsenal, Aston Villa and FC Barcelona.

He is out of contract at Borussia Monchengladbach in the summer, meaning that he can leave as a free agent at the end of the season.

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The Verdict: Get it done

Thuram would further elevate the quality of the North East club’s frontline following the signing of winger Anthony Gordon from Everton in the January transfer window.

Hailed as ‘world class’ on his day by Wolfsburg sporting director Marcel Schafer, and an ‘absolute beast’ by football talent scout Jacek Kulig after an impressive performance against Real Madrid in 2020, the six-foot-four striker has scored a total of 41 goals and made a further 26 assists in 122 games for Gladbach, with 17 goal contributions coming so far this season (Transfermarkt).

With plenty of European pedigree as well, Thuram would be an ideal signing for the Toon as they aim to fight on four fronts next season.

Journalist Alasdair Gold has panned Eric Dier for his performance as Tottenham Hotspur were thrashed by Leicester City.

How did Dier play?

The Englishman was poor as his side conceded four times at the King Power Stadium, and was at fault for a number of the goals.

In his post-match player ratings for football.london, Gold rated Dier’s performance as a low 3/10, the lowest out of any player, and slammed him for his defensive display which made Leicester’s win even easier.

“Caught out of position for Leicester’s second goal, gifting Iheanacho acres of space. Then the same Leicester player found it far too easy when Dier stood off him and allowed him to roll a shot inside the left-hand post. For the hosts’ fourth goal he again stood up Barnes and the ball was curled home.”

Another woeful performance

Dier has been criticised on a number of occasions this season, and delivered another disasterclass as Spurs were soundly beaten again.

The 29-year-old needs upgrading if Spurs are to make progress under Antonio Conte, and he ranks in the bottom 8% of defenders for tackles, and the bottom 34% for tackles and interceptions as per FBref.

His defensive vulnerabilities were completely exposed as Kelechi Ihenacho and Harvey Barnes destroyed him in the defeat, and despite his good service over the years, he should no longer be a starter for Spurs next season.

Dier arrived at the club in 2014 and has made over 300 appearances since, but the England international’s poor form this season, and his unreliability in the back line, means that he is holding his side back from progressing further as teams can expose his weaknesses easily.

Glasgow Rangers midfielder Nicolas Raskin was the club’s ‘best player’ during Saturday’s Scottish Premiership game, according to journalist Jordan Campbell.

The Lowdown: Victory on the road

The Light Blues were the visitors at the Tony Macaroni Arena this afternoon where Michael Beale and his side secured a 3-0 victory thanks to goals from Marcus Tavernier and Kemar Roofe.

The Belgian was named in the starting line-up despite being an injury doubt after suffering issues following last weekend’s Scottish Cup win over Partick Thistle, and his performance on the road didn’t go unnoticed.

The Latest: Campbell’s praise

Taking to Twitter, Campbell couldn’t speak highly enough of Raskin and even went as far as to say that he was Rangers’ standout performer on the day. He wrote:

“Raskin [has] been Rangers’ best player today. Few slack moments but has been strong when the ball has broken loose, has switched play well and is always looking to play forward. Never content to just do the obvious, easy thing.”

The Verdict: Impressive start

Raskin may have only arrived at Rangers last month but he’s had an instant impact and looks set to be a hugely exciting signing for the future of the club.

The Teddy Bears’ star has one assist in just two appearances so far and is already rated as Beale’s third-best-performing defensive player despite his limited number of outings.

The Liege native earned a match rating of 6.9 in today’s game and had an 88% pass accuracy percentage, as per SofaScore, highlighting his positive contribution to the side.

The Gers remain nine points behind rivals Celtic at the top of the table but Raskin will be looking to finish the season personally strongly and build on the impressive start he’s made to his career north of the border.