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Leeds United are already moving to sign Angers midfielder Azzedine Ounahi following his impressive 2022 World Cup campaign for Morocco.

The Lowdown: Ounahi shines in Qatar

The North African side were the surprise package in Qatar, reaching the semi-finals and playing some eye-catching football along the way.

Many players stood out for Morocco and Ounahi was undoubtedly one of them, producing a string of energetic and influential performances in the middle of the park and earning a place of Sky Sports’ team of the tournament.

He started six of his country’s matches in total, only failing to be in the starting lineup for the third-place playoff defeat to Croatia, averaging 1.3 tackles and 1.4 dribbles per game.

The Latest: Leeds make their move

According to ASRomaLive.it [via Sport Witness], Leeds are ‘moving rather eagerly’ to sign Ounahi.

Roma believe they will be able to pip the Whites to the signing of another target – Sasa Lukic from Torino – due to the Elland Road hierarchy’s attention turning to the Moroccan.

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The Verdict: Could be a great addition

Granted, a World Cup isn’t always the perfect way to gauge a player, considering its short and sharp nature, but Ounahi was superb and looks to have the tools to be a great signing for Leeds.

At just 22, the central midfielder is at a great age to come in and provide a long-term option, especially with Stuart Dallas and Adam Forshaw both ageing and injury-stricken.

Ounahi can provide both relentless pressing off the ball and quality on it – he enjoyed an 83.3% pass completion rate in Qatar – having been hailed as ‘absolutely incredible’ by Jose Mourinho during the tournament.

West Ham United are interested in a deal to bring Moisés Caicedo to the London Stadium in 2023.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by the Daily Mail, who claim that David Moyes has identified the Brighton & Hove Albion midfielder as a long-term replacement for Declan Rice in central midfield – with the 23-year-old England international being heavily linked with a move away from east London at the end of the current campaign.

However, the report goes on to suggest that the Hammers are not the only Premier League club interested in the 21-year-old Brighton starlet, as Newcastle United are also believed to be keeping a very close eye on the situation of the Ecuador international – who the Seagulls are thought to value at a figure in the region of £60m.

Dream Rice heir

While it is undeniable that losing a player of Rice’s ability would come as a huge blow to Moyes and his side next summer, should the 59-year-old manage to bring Caicedo in as a successor to the academy graduate, it would very much appear as if the Scot will have landed something of a dream heir to the Englishman.

Indeed, over his 14 Premier League appearances so far this season, the £33.5m-rated talent has been in sensational form, making an average of 3.1 tackles – the joint ninth-most in the league – making 1.4 interceptions and winning 6.0 duels – at a success rate of 58% – per game.

For comparison, over Rice’s 15 top-flight fixtures this term, the 23-year-old has made an average of 2.4 tackles, 1.6 interceptions and has won 4.2 duels – at a success rate of 61% – per match.

Furthermore, the Brighton “wonderkid” has also impressed going forwards, having scored one goal and created one big chance for his teammates, in addition to making an average of 1.1 key passes, playing 2.2 long balls and completing 47.1 total passes – at a success rate of 87% – per fixture.

These returns have seen the £15k-per-week midfielder who Aden-Jay Wood claimed “has everything” average a rather remarkable Sofascore match rating of 7.12, not only ranking him as Roberto De Zerbi’s fourth-best performer in the league but also as the 48th-best player in the top flight of English football as a whole.

Putting some of the 21-year-old’s metrics into a wider context, FBref currently rank the 28-cap international in the top 16% of midfielders in Europe’s big five leagues for tackles per 90, as well as the top 17% for blocks, the top 26% for interceptions, the top 27% for passes completed and the top 33% for aerials won.

As such, it would indeed appear as if Caicedo would make something of a dream heir to Rice in the heart of the Hammers’ midfield, leading us to believe that Moyes simply must do everything in his power to beat Newcastle to the signing of the Brighton gem next year.

Newcastle United manager Eddie Howe has been urged by pundit Noel Whelan to land a transfer deal for Adrien Rabiot and play him alongside Bruno Guimaraes. 

The Lowdown: Newcastle ‘ready’ to move for Rabiot

Earlier this month, it was reported that Newcastle are ‘ready to go on the offensive’ as they eye the Juventus midfielder, who is set to see his current contract at the Italian club expire in the summer.

Prior to his World Cup efforts in Qatar with France, the midfielder had made 11 Serie A appearances for his current club, starting all of them.

Now that the January transfer window is on the way, the Magpies have been urged to seal a deal for the £147k-per-week Frenchman.

The Latest: Newcastle urged to land Rabiot transfer

Speaking to Football Insider, Whelan had this to say about Rabiot and the possibility of him playing alongside Guimaraes at Newcastle.

He said: “I think he’s been fantastic for France. We’ve seen him control games, and he’s got that physicality about him which I think means he will compete well in the Premier League.

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“Guimaraes and himself would be such a formidable partnership. That’s full of experience and competitiveness. If they can get that deal done then it just shows where Newcastle are looking to go and where they expect to be.”

The Verdict: A suitable signing for Newcastle

With Rabiot and Guimaraes having the same number of goals and assists to their name at club level this season, (three goals and two assists), as well as a very similar passing accuracy percentage (83.4% vs 82.3%), it’s easy to see why Whelan thinks the two midfielders would make a formidable duo at St. James’ Park.

In fact, the France international is included on a list of similar players to the Newcastle star according to Football Transfers.

Taking all of this into account, we feel that if an opportunity to sign Rabiot arises during the upcoming January transfer window, Newcastle should definitely explore the possibility and see if Howe can get him playing alongside Guimaraes.

New Aston Villa boss Unai Emery is already being linked with a reunion with some of his players from Villarreal, including exciting winger Samuel Chukwueze.

Journalist Dean Jones spoke about Villa’s interest in the 23-year-old in a recent interview with GIVEMESPORT.

He said: “It’s being played up a lot and it seems like he is a player that Emery has clearly got on his radar for January. 

“Managers always want to bring in somebody that they recognise and a game-changer is, obviously, something they all look for too. It comes hand-in-hand with an appointment like this, that they’ll be looking for someone like Chukwueze.

“He won’t want him to go anywhere else either. If he’s actually going to make a transfer, they want to be at the front of the queue.”

Last season saw the Nigeria international contribute an impressive three goals and three assists in La Liga for Villarreal, averaging a strong 6.78 rating from WhoScored for his performances, so it is easy to see why Emery might want to bring him to the Premier League.

Despite only starting 12 games in the Spanish top flight, coming off the bench in 15 of his 27 appearances, Chukwueze would still average an eye-catching 2.5 dribbles per game, which is more than twice as many as the most of any Villa player this season, with Leon Bailey leading the way with 1.2 per match.

Samuel Eto’o was full of praise for the youngster in 2020, suggesting that “he has the quality and ability” to add more goals to his game.

It is perhaps his dribbling ability that makes Chukwueze so similar to another winger who is lighting up the Premier League, in Arsenal’s Brazilian sensation Gabriel Martinelli.

The 21-year-old, who is the second-most similar winger to Chukwueze according to FBRef when compared with other players across Europe’s top leagues, has been a star man for Mikel Arteta’s table-toppers this season, contributing five goals and two assists in the Premier League.

The two players have registered very similar numbers with regard to pass completion rate (74.4% vs 75.5%), shot-creating actions per 90 (both 4.34) and shots per 90 (2.51 vs 2.34), which emphasises how dangerous both can be in the final third.

WhoScored also suggest that both Martinelli and Chukwueze’s main strengths are dribbling and their ability to play key passes, so they are clearly very similar types of player.

Considering how good the Arsenal wide man has been this season, Emery would surely be foolish to turn down any opportunity to bring his former winger to Villa Park in January.

Liverpool lost their second consecutive Premier League game last night at Anfield against Leeds United and there is no doubt that Jurgen Klopp will be deeply concerned with the performances that his team has been putting in over the season so far.

The Reds lost 1-0 to Nottingham Forest last week and have now shipped defeat to Jesse Marsch’s side which has left them ninth in the league table, eight points adrift from Newcastle United in fourth.

Despite having 69% possession, more shots on goal (22 v 14), more big chances created (3 v 2) and completing more than twice as many accurate passes (554 v 192), Liverpool were still unable to dominate whilst in possession of the ball.

One of the biggest concerns of the night which translated into the performance and the result was the fact that Leeds outran Liverpool by 11 kilometres over the 90 minutes, further proving that the tired and uninspiring efforts of the players in red are plaguing their chances of picking up positive results.

In the first half, the story of the Merseysiders’ season quickly unfolded when they conceded first from a fourth-minute strike by Rodrigo after Joe Gomez failed to recover the ball and laid it on the plate for the Leeds man with a stray backpass, but was quickly returned with an equaliser just 10 minutes later when Mohammed Salah found the net.

In the second half, the lazy work ethic of Liverpool continued as they struggled against Illan Meslier to find a winning goal, which inevitably cost them dearly when Crysencio Summerville stole the points with an 89th-minute killer goal to make it 2-1.

Indeed, while Gomez’s early mistake in defence will be a huge talking point in Liverpool’s failure last night, there was one player who let Klopp down even more elsewhere.

Harvey Elliott put in an anonymous appearance at Anfield last night after his manager put his trust in the youngster to deliver his usual creative spark and hard-working attitude against Leeds.

The 19-year-old playmaker – who journalist Phil Casey claimed had a “shocker” – lost the ball every 2.8 touches, failed to complete 100% of his crosses and lost 80% of his duels, while also being dribbled past once and failing to attempt a single dribble before he was hooked by Klopp in the 60th minute.

There is no doubt that the Liverpool manager will be furious with how his team took on the challenge against Leeds, who hadn’t won a game since August, and will surely be regretful that the Reds did not invest in their midfield over the summer.

There are just two Premier League fixtures left for the Reds before the World Cup, and when they return after Christmas, the January transfer window will shortly follow. It’s something that Klopp and FSG must take advantage of if they have any hope of recovering Liverpool’s ailing season.

Tottenham Hotspur ended a run of three games without a win in all competitions as they beat newly-promoted Bournemouth 3-2 in the Premier League at the weekend.

Spurs had lost their last two matches in the top-flight, against Manchester United and Newcastle United, and were held to a draw by Sporting CP in the Champions League in midweek.

Antonio Conte has had some frustrating injuries to deal with in recent weeks as he has been left without Richarlison and Dejan Kulusevski.

Heung-Min Son and Harry Kane have been the only frontline attacking options available to the head coach and the lack of quality depth in those areas could force the manager into the market in the January transfer window.

One player who could arrive to solve that issue is Inter centre-forward Lautaro Martinez, someone who represents a dream alternative to Son in attack.

It was recently reported that Tottenham are one of a number of clubs interested in signing the Argentine gem ahead of the upcoming window.

Atletico Madrid, Newcastle, Chelsea, and Manchester United are all also said to be keen on the attacker, although Diego Simeone’s side seemingly cannot match Inter’s demands.

The Italian giants are looking for a fee in the region of €90m (£77m), which is reportedly ‘within reach’ of all four of the Premier League teams in the race for his signature.

Martinez is a versatile attacker who can play as a lone number nine, a second striker, and on either flank, and this means that he can fulfil a similar role to Son, who is also capable of playing in all of those positions.

The Inter forward, who Lionel Messi once dubbed “spectacular”, has produced six goals and two assists in 12 Serie A matches so far this season, averaging a SofaScore rating of 7.24. This comes after he scored 21 times and provided three assists in 28 starts for the Italian giants.

Son, meanwhile, has scored three goals and assisted two in 13 Premier League games this season, averaging a SofaScore rating of 7.23. Last term, the winger plundered 23 goals and seven assists in 35 matches for the club as he won the Golden Boot in the top flight.

Martinez, who has scored 108 club career goals, could, therefore, be a dream alternative to the current Spurs man. Roberto Rojas once described him as a goal “machine” and the statistics suggest that description would be accurate for both of them.

The Argentina international is a versatile goalscorer and someone who could come in to either compete with Son for a place or play when the former Bundesliga star is unavailable.

Wolverhampton Wanderers midfielder Ruben Neves has been offered to Champions League giants Barcelona by his agent Jorge Mendes, according to Mundo Deportivo (via Talking Wolves).

The Lowdown: Neves’ Wolves career

Having arrived at the club in 2017, the Portugal international has played a crucial role in the Old Gold’s success since their promotion to the Premier League four years ago.

The 25-year-old has made 222 appearances for Wolves, having played the full 90 minutes in every league game so far this season.

The midfielder was named club captain this summer after Conor Coady left to join Everton on a season-long loan, a deal which includes a purchase option for the Toffees.

The Latest: Barcelona transfer links

According to a report by Spanish outlet Mundo Deportivo on Saturday, as relayed by Talking Wolves on Twitter, Mendes has once again offered Barcelona the chance to sign Neves from the Midlands outfit.

However, it is reported that the La Liga club’s manager Xavi currently prefers other options heading into the January transfer window.

As per Mundo Deportivo’s report, Neves’ intermediary met with Camp Nou chiefs on Thursday, and the player was one topic discussed amongst many others between the two parties.

The Verdict: He’d be a massive loss

When looking at the 25-year-old’s underlying statistics, it is clear to see just how big of a blow his departure from Molineux would be for Wolves.

As per FBRef, compared with positional peers across Europe’s top five leagues over the past year, the midfielder ranks in the 92nd percentile for clearances, the 86th percentile for passes attempted and the 85th percentile for non-penalty goals.

This indicates a player who is willing to work hard out of possession, keep the play progressing and make an impact in the final third; and having earned stylistic comparisons to the likes of West Ham’s Declan Rice, it is no wonder the Portugal international has been dubbed ‘outstanding’ by journalist Tim Spiers.

Consequently, Wolves should do everything that they can to keep hold of their captain, as he has proven to be so crucial at Molineux in recent years.

Everton have had their fair share of injury problems over the new Premier League season, however, Frank Lampard could be set for a huge triple boost with three players in contention to start this weekend.

Ben Godfrey, Dominic Calvert-Lewin, Yerry Mina and Abdoulaye Doucoure are all familiar faces who have suffered with injury problems over the campaign so far, and it has without a doubt contributed to Everton’s slow start in the top flight.

Despite going unbeaten in their last four games, the Toffees have failed to take their results to the next level, remaining winless in the Premier League.

As a result, the imminent return of Dominic Calvert-Lewin couldn’t come at a better time, with the manager confirming in his post-match press conference last weekend that the Toffees striker has resumed training.

Lampard revealed (via Liverpool Echo):

“Dominic is training next week, we hope the middle of next week and then we have good options up front at number nine, with Dominic flying? And Neil Maupay?”

The 25-year-old has scored 58 goals and delivered 18 assists over his time at Goodison Park, with his latest goal probably his most important in an Everton shirt as he headed home the winner against Crystal Palace that saved the club from relegation in the penultimate game of 2021/22.

Calvert-Lewin’s hunger for goals and clinical finishing will give the Toffees the huge boost they need over the season to turn their equalisers into winners. Indeed, if he is really training this week too, he could be scoring those goals in the very immediate future.

Doucoure was spotted in training late last week and despite just missing out on the Merseyside Derby could make his return this weekend to add quality and experience into the midfield three, again, putting his attacking abilities in the advanced central role to the test against Arsenal.

The 29-year-old scored two goals, delivered four assists and created three big chances over 30 league appearances, while winning 2.5 tackles per game and successfully completing the majority of his dribbles (51%).

Joining Doucoure in midfield to complete a potential triple fitness boost is newly-signed former Manchester United star James Garner. He didn’t get the opportunity to make an appearance in the clash with Liverpool due to a lack of match fitness.

However, Lampard revealed in his post-match press conference at the weekend (via Liverpool World):

“He hasn’t been able to train at a level. I spoke to him yesterday and he decided he needs at least a good week’s worth.”

Garner caught the attention of many with his performances at Nottingham Forest offering plenty of attributes to make him a complete midfielder who can be effective in both defensive and attacking play.

The 21-year-old scored four goals, delivered eight assists and created seven big chances, while making two key passes a game. He was also impressive in a defensive capacity for Forest, making 1.4 interceptions and 1.8 tackles per match over 41 appearances in the Championship last time out.

With that being said, the future is looking bright for Everton in pursuit of their first win and Lampard will be hoping the three players coming into the team can make the positive impact needed to give the club a much more comfortable finish in the Premier League.

Indeed, with Lampard admitting that Calvert-Lewin would be back in training this week and suggesting Garner needs a week to get up to speed, the Merseyside outfit could be looking at seeing a plethora of first-team players return this weekend. That would surely be good news for all involved at Goodison Park.

Transfer insider Dean Jones has dropped a claim regarding Southampton’s potential move for reported target Goncalo Ramos.

What’s the talk?

Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, Jones had this to say on the matter.

“I’m a little bit concerned about the pedigree of striker that they’re going for here because they are in a pretty dangerous predicament at Southampton at the moment, and they do have the look of a team that are going to struggle.

“Maybe they feel that players with something to prove and have that real potential is the route that they want to go down. So, Ramos is definitely one to keep an eye on.”

It was claimed by The Athletic last week that the Saints have held talks with Benfica over a £25m deal for the striker.

Hasenhuttl must sign him

In 119 appearances for the Portuguese club across their senior and youth sides, the 21-year-old has scored 46 goals and delivered 16 assists, showing himself as a tricky customer in the final third.

With five appearances under his belt this season, the striker already has five goals and three assists to his name across the Portuguese league and the Champions League qualifiers so he’s a man bang in form.

To further highlight his attacking prowess, Ramos, who has a reported price tag of around £30m, currently has the joint-highest number of attempts at goal in the Benfica squad (6).

In fact, with those shots at goal coming across two league games, this is already more than any Southampton player has managed to have across their three Premier League games so far this season.

With that in mind, it’s easy to see why the Saints are so interested in sealing his signature this summer as he’d offer Hasenhuttl a far deadlier option in the final third.

With only four clubs, prior to tonight’s clash between Manchester United and Liverpool, having fewer attempts at goal in the league than the south coast club, adding a new centre-forward like Ramos to the squad before the summer transfer window closes could well be the difference between Southampton having a successful season or not.

At the moment they lie in 11th which isn’t disastrous, but there is a real fear that without another centre forward, they will end up sliding down the table.

As a result, Southampton and Hasenhuttl should do their utmost to seal the young talent’s signature before the deadline on September 1st.

Leeds United have been told to pay £22million for Paris Saint-Germain striker Arnaud Kalimuendo, according to CBS Sports journalist Ben Jacobs. 

The lowdown

The Athletic’s Phil Hay wrote at the start of this month that Leeds ‘have had an eye on’ Kalimuendo throughout the summer window.

Hay says Jesse Marsch and Leeds are ‘still waiting for a striker’ as they look to round off their business.

Kalimuendo came through the youth ranks at PSG and has spent the last two seasons on loan at Lens.

He’s competing with the likes of Kylian Mbappe, Mauro Icardi and new signing Hugo Ekitike for minutes in the French capital.

The latest

‘PSG have told Leeds they value Kalimuendo at £22m,’ Jacobs wrote on his Twitter page.

There’s ‘growing interest’ in the forward, with fellow Ligue 1 outfit Rennes ready to battle for his signature.

Luis Campos, Football Advisor at the Parc des Princes, is ‘happy to sell now’, whereas manager Christophe Galtier is ‘not as content’.

He has built a ‘strong early relationship’ with the youngster and would prefer the club to offload Icardi first.

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The verdict

That certainly seems like a fair price for Kalimuendo if Leeds can get the deal done.

He’s under contract at PSG for another two years, so they’re still in a decent position, and he’s only 20 years old.

What’s more, his track record is very strong too. He scored 12 Ligue 1 goals in 34 appearances at Lens last season, averaging one every 181 minutes.

He also looks like he’s on the path to becoming a full French international, having struck four times in 12 caps for the Under-21s.

Similar in profile to Arnaut Danjuma, Luis Suarez and new West Ham signing Gianluca Scamacca, Kalimuendo features on the Golden Boy shortlist for 2022.