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Leeds United have once again been linked with a move for Ben Brereton Diaz ahead of the January transfer window…

What’s the word?

According to Football League World, the Yorkshire giants are among the many teams tracking the Blackburn Rovers and Chile striker, though they face competition from Premier League rivals Burnley, Newcastle United, Brighton and Hove Albion and Southampton.

The 22-year-old’s contract is set to expire at the end of the season and the Whites are said to be impressed with his form in the Championship in recent times.

It’s not the first time that Diaz has been mooted with a move to Elland Road as reports in Chile have previously claimed that manager Marcelo Bielsa has sent scouts to watch the forward, who is valued at £9m by Transfermarkt.

Bielsa in dreamland

There have also been claims suggesting that the Argentine has been a huge fan ever since Leeds played Rovers when they met in the second-flight in previous years, therefore, Victor Orta and co could seal their boss a dream signing this winter.

Indeed, the young talisman has been in electric form, having found the net a whopping 16 times in just 19 appearances, via Transfermarkt. He has also recently picked up his ninth cap for Chile.

He is also capable of playing on the left flank and could be the perfect backup to Patrick Bamford, who has faced time on the sidelines this season, with Bielsa turning to no fewer than four different players in his absence, to not much success.

Brereton’s current manager, Tony Mowbray, has regularly waxed lyrical about his qualities – for example, he told the club’s official website last July:

“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. I’m confident that Ben Brereton, given the game time, and remember he needs to get in front of the Armstrongs and the Dacks, can and will do it.”

Also dubbed a ‘wonderful talent’ by the same man, Bielsa could land himself a much-needed frontline addition in the 6 foot 1 former Nottingham Forest graduate.

Orta must now complete a move for him in January.

AND in other news, Bielsa gifted double Leeds United injury boost as Thorp Arch footage emerges…

Many Everton fans have been flocking to a behind-the-scenes claim on Rafael Benitez.

As per The Athletic, some key players at Goodison Park faithful have concerns with regards to the style of play that the Spaniard is trying to implement. They feel as if it is limiting their own ability, with one player even going as far as to claim that it is ‘ugly football’.

This comes after the Toffees were humiliated 4-1 at home by their bitter rivals Liverpool, which now makes it eight games in the Premier League without a win.

One such player to raise concerns could well be Lucas Digne, who finds himself averaging fewer crosses and passes than last season in the top flight, while he recorded seven assists last term compared to none so far in this campaign (WhoScored).

Nonetheless, when players seemingly start to turn on the manager, it is never a good sign for the club going forward.

Everton fans on Benitez claim

These Everton supporters flocked to the claim as it was shared on Twitter:

“If true he should be gone by the end of the day”

Credit: @PCorner01

“Lost the dressing room, no point keeping a manager who lost the players, get him gone #rafaout”

Credit: @VSFDaniel123

“There you go. He’s lost the dressing room. Time to go.”

Credit: @SK21878

“These players are unbelievable, aren’t they”

Credit: @PaulBrownEFC

“Big alarm bells.”

Credit: @efc_alex18

“Uh oh….going to get messy this, isn’t it”

Credit: @KUEFC

In other news, find out whose derby display was slammed by many Evertonians

Lots of Everton fans have been left raging over some off-field news involving Dave Harrison.

According to The Athletic, it is now expected that the Goodison Park faithful’s Head of Football Operations will fill part of the void left by Marcel Brands, as long as the strategic review of the football structure takes place.

He is reportedly ‘well-respected’ at the Merseyside club and is seen as a ‘safe pair of hands’.

However, it seems like a lot of Toffees supporters have not taken a liking to the fact that the appointment is being made internally, and would much rather they go out and scout a direct replacement.

Harrison could be in danger of becoming a yes-man given his close ties within the club, and so the Blues would benefit more from someone coming in externally to give a more unbiased view of their operations.

Everton fans on Harrison news

These EFC fans raged as the news was shared on Twitter:

“Everything that is wrong with Everton FC. Another internal appointment #CushyFC”

Credit: @beav1967

“This club is nothing but a joke handing out jobs to the boys”

Credit: @richythepigeon

“Give up.”

Credit: @Rochey1878

“This club never fails to surprise, amateurs.”

Credit: @james_gavo3

“Shambles”

Credit: @AdamFunston

“We never learn”

Credit: @toffeetommy79

In other news, find out what transfer news has Evertonians gushing here!

West Ham United slipped outside of the top four in the Premier League with a disappointing defeat to Arsenal on Wednesday evening.

The Irons have now failed to score in three straight matches as they were well-beaten by the Gunners in a frantic encounter at the Emirates Stadium and indeed, it was another game in which Michail Antonio looked hugely off the pace.

Gabriel Martinelli opened the scoring right after the break before Hammers defender Vladimir Coufal received his marching orders after conceding a penalty, in which Alexandre Lacazette missed from the spot. But Emile Smith Rowe wrapped things up with a strike just three minutes from time.

After drawing a blank against Burnley at the weekend, manager David Moyes will be concerned that his side failed to test the opposition once again. managing only one shot on target all game.

And as he has often done lately, Antonio has failed to provide any sort of influence in the final third, making it just the one goal in his last 11 appearances, per Transfermarkt.

The 31-year-old talisman endured an absolute nightmare in north London – across 90 minutes on the pitch, he registered only 43 touches, in which he provided just six accurate passes from 15 attempts (40%).

Nor was he responsible for any of their shots on goal. A worrying sign.

Some of the blame may fall Coufal’s way but it’s performances like this from Antonio that should be called into question as he’s holding West Ham back with his poor form right now.

Elsewhere, the £10.8m-rated Jamaican international was lightweight and weak in his battles, managing just one successful dribble from four attempts, whilst he lost possession a whopping 27 times (the most in the game) and won just 18% of his total duels, both aerially and on the ground.

That shows he struggled to combat the threat from Gabriel and Ben White in the opposition’s backline. Antonio handed the ball back to Arsenal once every 1.6 touches, which is appalling.

football.london journalist Tom Clark was less than impressed, grading the Irons frontman amongst the worst performers. ‘Saw very little of the ball in the opening 45 minutes, worked hard tracking back but was wasteful in possession,’ he wrote, before later adding: ‘another poor display from the striker.’

On the above evidence, it was another shocking outing from the frontline veteran, one that will surely leave Moyes feeling badly let down, having kept the faith in his star striker once more.

AND in other news, Moyes could land another Soucek in West Ham swoop for “extraordinary” 6 ft 5 colossus – opinion

Lots of Everton fans have been left raging over some transfer news that has emerged on Allan.

As per Tele Radio Stereo (via Giallorossi), the central midfield player is an ‘ideal’ target for AS Roma in the January transfer window, in a deal that would initially be on loan for the rest of the season, with an option to buy in the summer.

However, his current salary at Goodison Park may prove to be a stumbling block for Jose Mourinho’s team.

Nonetheless, Allan has been a key player for the Merseyside club so far this season, missing only one game in the Premier League, and playing the full 90 minutes in all but two of his starts (Transfermarkt).

Also, with the sheer number of injuries that Rafa Benitez has in his squad, it would not seem a wise idea to let Allan go, especially if only on loan with no transfer fee involved to reinvest into the squad.

Everton fans on Allan transfer news

These Toffees raged as the transfer news was shared on Twitter, with one Blues supporter even going as far as to claim that it would be ‘appalling business’:

“Don’t even think about it”

Credit: @_adamefc_

“No”

Credit: @Ryqeuxval

“Appalling business if he goes on loan.. we sell for cash and get some return on a depreciating player…….”

Credit: @gwladystreet80

“I’d liquidate now already if had the choice”

Credit: @ElliotB1878

“Everton are depressing if this is true”

Credit: @P3nguin_Lov3r

“Don’t you dare”

Credit: @Georgeharper250

In other news, find out what club news has Evertonians fuming here!

Aston Villa have been linked with a January move for Rangers midfielder Joe Aribo by The Daily Record.

And, as to be expected, a number of Villa fans have been quick to give their thoughts to the rumour on social media.

Steven Gerrard left Ibrox for Villa Park last month and was promised a huge January kitty by owners NSWE.

Rangers quartet Glen Kamara, Ryan Kent, Borna Barisic and Nathan Patterson were all linked with moves to the Midlands last month, whereas rumours regarding centre-back Connor Goldson have recently emerged.

It now seems as if Aribo is another player of interest, with The Daily Record name-checking Villa, Brentford, Burnley and Southampton with an interest.

The 25-year-old, who has 18 months remaining on his Ibrox contract, has played as a central and attacking midfielder this season while also playing on the right-hand side on eight occasions. [Transfermarkt]

He’s contributed to 10 goals in 31 appearances and it now seems as if Gerrard wants to bring the Nigeria international to the Premier League.

Villa fans react

The AVFC Faithful shared The Daily Record’s claim regarding Villa and three other Premier League clubs being keen on Aribo. This is what some Villa fans had to say in reply, with one labelling the midfielder as ‘a baller’.

“If we want any Rangers players they will join us over anyone else.”

Credit: @AVFCTranstweet

“I expected this”

Credit: @JackAVFC77

“Only want Kamara from Rangers to fill Nakambia void.”

Credit: @Villaste1

“He’s a baller”

Credit: @Brad_AVFC11

“Looool we really skipped this guy a couple years ago just to sign him for about 20x the price”

Credit: @OcBen

“Wonder who wins that one”

Credit: @ryan8653

In other news: ‘Confused’ – Many Villa fans stunned by ‘absurd’ club update.

Everton have secured their first January transfer target in Vitaliy Mykolenko this weekend, and the news has only further added fuel to the fire that Lucas Digne’s feud with Rafael Benitez may well be irreparable.

What’s the word?

The French defender has fallen out of favour ever since he had a rumoured conflict with his manager in a training session last month. The £27m-rated left-back has not been seen in the team since the heavy defeat to Liverpool at Goodison Park at the start of December.

Despite mounting speculation of a move for the player, it was thought that the door would be left ajar, with strong links of a loan switch to Chelsea until the end of the season, but fresh reports suggest that Everton are now putting out a price to sell him instead.

According to ESPN, Everton would prefer a straight deal ‘given a deterioration in the relationship between Digne and boss Rafa Benitez’ instead of a loan deal which would see the left-back return to the club in the summer.

The report has further suggested that the club want to sell the player for £25m so that the manager can raise funds for more transfer targets, and that they are not interested in loaning out Digne.

Fans will be furious

Fans will be furious at Benitez about the apparent decision to get rid of Digne completely when there are clear options for the Everton ace to remain with the club.

The Spaniard already has a fragile relationship with many Toffees fans, as evidenced at some recent matches, and news of the popular French left-back’s potential departure may serve only to drive a further wedge between Benitez and the fan base.

It should also be noted that Digne has added plenty to the Everton cause, posting the second-highest tackling average so far this season (2.5 per game) and chipping in with seven assists in each of the last two full Premier League campaigns.

The Toffees host Brighton at Goodison Park today in their first game for 17 days, and with the out-of-favour defender seen in training for the first time this week, it will be interesting to see if he will be selected in the matchday squad.

If not, it would indicate that he has fallen irrevocably out of Benitez’s plans, with the manager poised to make the huge mistake of cutting Digne loose rather than merely loaning him out to see if the passage of time will quell the apparent feud between the pair.

In other news: One Everton star’s return could be imminent

West Ham United are interested in a deal to bring Abdou Diallo to the London Stadium in the January transfer window.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by French publication L’Equipe (via Sport Witness), who claim that David Moyes has identified the Paris Saint-Germain centre-back as one of his primary targets in the winter market, as the West Ham boss looks to bring in greater depth in the heart of his defence following the injuries to both Angelo Ogbonna and Kurt Zouma.

The report goes on to state that, at present, the Hammers have not yet made an offer for the versatile defender, however, with further reports suggesting that Newcastle United are set to make a bid of around £10m for West Ham’s Issa Diop, it is claimed that the 58-year-old is very much in need of a new addition in the position at the London Stadium.

Bye-bye Diop

While Diop is undoubtedly a decent backup option to the likes of Zouma, Ogbonna and even Aaron Cresswell in the West Ham centre-back pecking order, the 24-year-old has somewhat proven during his recent spell in the side that he is not quite up to the standards required to be a regular in Moyes’ starting XI.

Indeed, over his six Premier League appearances in the absence of the aforementioned defensive trio, the £10.8m-rated Frenchman has been in disappointing form, helping the Hammers keep just one clean sheet, as well as making an average of just 0.7 interceptions, one tackle, 2.8 clearances and winning a mere 2.3 duels per game.

These returns have seen the £61k-per-week defender average an extremely poor SofaScore match rating of 6.57, ranking him as Moyes’ second-worst performer in the top flight of English football.

Meanwhile, over Diallo’s nine Ligue 1 appearances in the current campaign, the £22.5m-rated centre-back – who is also more than comfortable operating at left-back – has helped his side keep three clean sheets, registered one assist and created one big chance for his teammates, in addition to making an average of 1.1 interceptions, 2.1 tackles, 1.1 clearances and winning 5.1 duels per fixture.

These returns have seen the £92k-per-week defender who Rouven Schroder dubbed a “determined” player average a much more impressive SofaScore match rating of 6.96, ranking him as Mauricio Pochettino’s joint-16th best player in the French top flight.

As such, should Newcastle indeed submit a £10m offer for Diop this winter, it would appear extremely wise for Moyes to cash in on the 24-year-old, before reinvesting this money into the signing of the 6ft2 Diallo – whom PSG are reportedly demanding around €25m (£21m) to part with in January.

In other news: “West Ham flirting”: ExWHUemployee drops big transfer update that’ll have fans buzzing

Speaking to Give Me Sport, reporter Alex Crook of talkSPORT has shared what he knows on Tottenham Hotspur’s talks to sign Wolverhampton Wanderers winger Adama Traore.

The Lowdown: Spurs eyeing loan deal…

As first reported by reliable journalist Matt Law of The Telegraph, there has been a recent twist to the tale in Spurs’ talks to sign Traore this month.

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/spurs-latest-updates-5/” title=”Spurs latest updates!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

According to Law, Spurs are now eyeing a loan move with an obligation to buy for the player amid the club’s financial problems as manager Antonio Conte seeks to re-mould the Spaniard into a right-wing back.

The explosive forward is certainly on Tottenham’s agenda with Crook now backing this news and sharing what he knows.

The Latest: Crook shares latest…

The talkSPORT man claims that Spurs are indeed in talks for a loan move with negotiations ‘underway’.

He explained to GMS: “I think Tottenham favour a loan with an obligation to buy so talks are definitely underway.”

The Verdict: Get it done…

Now half way through the window, Spurs should wrap this up as soon as possible and get on to bolstering their other three priority positions.

Traore’s plaudits from English top flight pundits highlight he could be a real snip if Spurs can agree a loan move, with Molineux legend Steve Bull calling him a ‘worldbeater’.

As well as this, former Leeds man Noel Whelan believes the 25-year-old is a ‘player who could really excite the Tottenham fans’ – citing his pace and power among other strengths (Football Insider).

Averaging far more completed dribbles per 90 than any Tottenham man this season, we wholeheartedly agree.

In other news: ‘This will get Tottenham fans excited’…Sky Sports drop big N17 transfer update, find out more here.

A teasing update has emerged regarding Newcastle United’s attempts to sign Diego Carlos from Sevilla…

What’s the talk?

Sky Sports journalist Kaveh Solhekol has provided an update on the club’s pursuit of the Brazilian defender this month.

NUFC360 quote him as saying: “The latest information I have is that things are looking positive. The players himself wants to move to Newcastle. Everything I’m hearing about that deal makes me feel like it is moving in the right direction. [@SkyKaveh] #NUFC”

Excitement for Newcastle fans

This update from Solhekol will surely get Newcastle fans feeling excited, as it suggests that Carlos is likely to be on his way to St James’ Park.

He has averaged an impressive SofaScore rating of 7.14 for Sevilla in La Liga and 7.03 in the Champions League this season, showing that he is currently in flying form and could be able to come in and hit the ground running on Tyneside.

The centre-back could be an exciting signing for the fans to enjoy, as he has shown that he can perform consistently at the top level, albeit that it remains to be seen whether or not he can adapt to the Premier League.

Spanish football analyst Domagoj Kostanjšak previously outlined the defender’s key attributes and hailed his quality in La Liga, saying: “He’s a really physical player – he’s built like a tank and they don’t call him ‘The Beast’ for no reason. He’s really good in the air and he’s decent on the ball as well – you have to be under Julen Lopetegui.

“He’s been in my top three or four centre-backs in Spain this season, along with Raphael Varane and Inigo Martinez – he’s been a bit of a revelation. He’s playing the best football of his career and he immediately settled in. I would say there is a shade of Kalidou Koulibaly about him – not the same quality, of course, but I would compare him to him.”

Newcastle’s defence has been dreadful in the Premier League this season, with the second-worst record in the top flight, and Eddie Howe is in desperate need of reinforcements in that position. Therefore, fans will surely be excited by the prospect of someone as talented as Carlos coming in to try and solve that problem.

AND in other news, NUFC could land big Clark upgrade in “incredible” £7.2m-rated beast, he’s a “monster”…