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Journalist and transfer expert Fabrizio Romano says that Leicester City midfielder Youri Tielemans is ‘one to watch’ for Arsenal in the January transfer window.

The Lowdown: Busy January?

It was reported on Monday night that the Gunners have submitted an official bid for Mykhaylo Mudryk, but it falls short of Shakhtar Donetsk’s valuation of the winger.

They have also been linked with the likes of Joao Felix and Sergej Milinkovic-Savic, which suggests that they want to strengthen the squad to help their push for the Premier League title.

The Latest: Tielemans ‘one to watch’

Speaking to GiveMeSport, Romano says that Tielemans is also ‘one to watch’ for Arsenal in January, after making an ‘approach’ for him in the summer alongside Aston Villa’s Douglas Luiz.

The Italian stated: “Tielemans has always been on the list at Arsenal, he has always been appreciated. They always had his name on their list.

“At the moment, there are no conversations with Leicester, but I think this is one to watch because in the summer, Arsenal arrived in the final days to try to approach Leicester for Tielemans, then they did the same with Aston Villa for Douglas Luiz.”

The Verdict: No-brainer

Given that Tielemans will be out of contract at Leicester next summer, signing him for a cut-price in January is surely a no-brainer for Arsenal.

Hailed as an ‘outstanding player’ and ‘one of Europe’s top midfielders’ by his manager Brendan Rodgers, the Belgium international ranks in the 85th percentile for tackles, 82nd for passes attempted and blocks and 81st for shot-creating actions among his positional peers in Europe’s top five leagues over the past year (FBRef).

Scoring 28 goals and supplying 25 assists for Leicester in 177 games, including the winner in the FA Cup final against Chelsea in 2021 (Transfermarkt), Tielemans has shown that he is capable of producing in big moments, and at 25 years of age, he has not even hit his peak yet.

If Mikel Arteta’s side can sign both him and Mudryk, they would surely give themselves a great chance of winning a first league title since 2004.

Aston Villa failed to extend Unai Emery’s winning run in the Premier League to three matches as they lost 3-1 to Liverpool on Boxing Day.

The Spanish coach won his first two league games in charge of the Villans prior to the World Cup break, beating Manchester United and Brighton, but was unable to maintain his 100% record.

Jurgen Klopp’s team did not take long to get off the mark and there was almost nothing that Unai Emery’s team could do to prevent it as the Reds showcased their quality.

Trent Alexander-Arnold produced a world-class pass to find Andy Robertson in a wide right position and the Scotsman’s measured pass found Mo Salah for a tap-in.

The away side found their second before half time as Virgil van Dijk’s left-footed shot deflected off Ezri Konsa’s hip and nestled into the bottom corner of Robin Olsen’s net.

Ollie Watkins pulled a goal back in the 59th minute as he peeled off the back of Joel Matip and guided a header in the far corner to get the hosts back into the match.

Despite a spell of pressure from Villa after that goal, Liverpool reacted well and went on to make it 3-1 with ten minutes left to play as Stefan Bajcetic brilliantly rounded Olsen and slotted through Tyrone Mings’ legs.

Whilst you could lay the blame with the defence for conceding three goals, Villa’s attack let them down on Boxing Day as they failed to make the most of the chances that came their way and were unable to capitalise on the periods of dominance they had over the Reds.

One player who let Emery down badly was Jamaican international Leon Bailey as he struggled out wide throughout the match. His performance personified the team’s display as he showed flashes of quality but ultimately lacked the composure to provide the final shot or pass.

As per Sofascore, he only completed five of his 13 attempted passes (38%) in the match and did not create a single chance for his teammates, despite attempting six crosses.

The lightweight also had three efforts on goal and missed one ‘big chance’, racking up 0.43 Expected Goals in the process, which shows that he did not have the quality to punish Liverpool in the final third.

Bailey also left a lot to be desired out of possession. As per Sofascore, the 25-year-old lost 75% (3/4) of his individual duels as he failed to make a single tackle, block, or interception.

This shows that the attacker struggled off the ball as he was weak and allowed himself to be bullied by the opposition defenders, with Robertson and van Dijk dealing with him with ease.

Therefore, he let Emery down badly as he did not showcase his attacking quality on the ball and did not do enough defensively to help out his team on the other side of the game.

The UK media have slammed Tottenham Hotspur’s Oliver Skipp after his latest showing.

The Lowdown: Poor midweek performance

Skipp was handed yet another start by Antonio Conte as Spurs looked to pick up their first win in the Premier League since returning from the mid-season break – and the team duly delivered.

Tottenham eventually ran out 4-0 winners against Crystal Palace despite going into half-time level, but very little of Spurs’ success is going to be credited to the performance of Skipp.

For the second game in a row, Skipp was hooked off by Conte at around the hour mark, suggesting that the Italian doesn’t trust him to go the full distance and carry out his strict instructions.

The Latest: Media slam Skipp’s display

The midfielder was also the first Spurs player to be booked during the first half, which sums up his night and some of the media were left unimpressed.

Alasdair Gold had the following to say on Skipp: ‘Both Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg and the rusty Oliver Skipp have struggled against their Palace counterparts, the latter picking up a yellow card after lunging to try to get to a poor pass from Ivan Perisic.’

Whereas, Dan Kilpatrick picked out a particular flaw in Skipp’s game against Palace as he said just before the 40-minute mark: ‘Skipp started the game well but Zaha has already ghosted past him twice and he just lost out to Eze, too.’

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The Verdict: Skipp fails to grasp his opportunity

Given the continued absence of star midfielder Rodrigo Bentancur, Skipp will have done himself no favours at Selhurst Park to show why he deserves to keep starting when the Uruguay international returns.

This is because according to Sofascore, the midfielder put in a 6.5/10 performance and also struggled in several key areas of the match, losing possession four times and touching the ball on just 35 occasions, while not managing any key passes or shots at goal.

Therefore, it was no surprise to see him hooked off, and if Bentacur can return for their next crunch clash against Arsenal, it would be no shock if Skipp was the man to make way.

Wolverhampton Wanderers return to action tonight as they travel to Anfield to face an out-of-sorts Liverpool side.

With Julen Lopetegui’s reign at Molineux well and truly underway, the Spaniard will target this trip to Merseyside as a fine opportunity to cause an upset and truly kickstart what has been an underwhelming campaign for the Old Gold so far.

Having already earned success at Goodison Park in his first game in charge, a narrow loss to Manchester United and a draw at Aston Villa have underpinned a mixed start for the new Wolves boss.

However, with the Reds having lost last time out to Brentford, the Bees offered a blueprint as to how Jurgen Klopp’s team can be neutralised.

What Thomas Frank and several managers before him have done is target the positional inadequacies of Trent Alexander-Arnold, who offers so much to the Liverpool setup.

His creativity has been paramount to their recent success, but he has been questioned defensively in recent months due to his tendency to push forward and stay there. As such, the Old Gold must look to pinpoint this weakness with speed rather than technical proficiency.

Despite Matheus Cunha being touted for his first start since moving from Atletico Madrid, it is Adama Traore who could truly expose the 24-year-old Liverpool right-back and be the catalyst for a cup upset.

Having been limited to mostly substitute appearances throughout the campaign, the Spaniard was imperative in the comeback win over Everton. With the game poised at 1-1 deep into stoppage time, he was released down the right flank, from which he drove into the space and delivered a teasing ball for Rayan Ait-Nouri to slam home the winner.

He could duly have earned himself a start for tonight, utilising the pace and power which makes him such a frightening prospect. The 26-year-old ranks in the top 2% for dribbles completed and the top 7% for aerial duels won among positional peers in Europe’s top five leagues in 2022, further underlining this point.

The £55k-per-week machine, who was dubbed an “animal” by presenter Stephen Howson, could be the perfect player to force an issue that Gabby Agbonlahor highlighted last season.

Speaking on talkSPORT, the former Villa striker dubbed Alexander-Arnold “the weakness” in Liverpool’s team, also stating: “If I’m Villarreal tonight, I’m putting my quickest player on that left-hand side!”

Lopetegui could employ a similar tactic tonight as Wolves look to progress in the FA Cup.

Joao Palhinha would be a good signing for Liverpool, who are desperate to strengthen their midfield, Pete O’Rourke has claimed.

What’s the word?

Liverpool fell to yet another defeat as they were humiliated by Brighton, and their lack of depth and quality in midfield has been a big concern all season.

They have been linked with a summer move for Jude Bellingham, but arguably need more than one central midfielder, and Fulham’s Palhinha has also been linked.

Palhinha only joined Fulham in the summer, but has started his Premier League career well, helping his side climb to sixth place in the Premier League.

Speaking exclusively to Football Fancast, O’Rourke claimed that the Portuguese midfielder would be a good addition to Jurgen Klopp’s side.

“He’s been very impressive for Fulham, there’s no doubt about that,” he stated.

“Since his arrival from Sporting Lisbon, his stats are right up there for interceptions and tackles and everything else and something that’s been really missing from Liverpool’s midfield this year is probably the lack of energy in there.”

A Fabinho upgrade

The Brazilian has not been at his best for Liverpool this season, and his performances at the base of midfield are a concern.

Palhinha provides an upgrade on Fabinho in tackles, blocks and interceptions, ranking in the top 17% of midfielders for all three, ranking significantly higher than the Liverpool star as per FBref.

Even if Bellingham joins the club, Palhinha would be a fine addition as a deep midfielder, and the 27-year-old can help Liverpool’s squad evolve as a fresh face in good form.

Chelsea could make a move for Brighton and Hove Albion star Moises Caicedo by the ‘end of the week’, according to transfer insider Dean Jones.

The Lowdown: Blues exploring a deal

The Premier League giants have reportedly made it their mission to sign a new central midfielder before the end of the window, and the 21-year-old has been identified as an ideal candidate.

CBS reporter Ben Jacobs recently revealed that Graham Potter’s side are exploring a deal for the Ecuadorian, who is valued at £75m, but could find a transfer difficult to negotiate as a result of his contract at The Amex not expiring until 2025.

Caicedo has had an excellent 12 months, ranking in the top third of midfielders across Europe in four of the top five defensive metrics (FBRef), suggesting he could really add some steel and bite at the base of Potter’s midfield.

The Latest: Approach incoming?

Speaking to GiveMeSport about Chelsea’s pursuit of Caicedo, Jones claimed that the club could potentially make contact to discover what the playmaker’s situation is like within the next few days.

“I’d say the one to look out for in the next week is Caicedo. I think there’s a pretty strong possibility that by the back end of the week, they’ve probably made an initial approach about the terms he might be available on.”

The Verdict: Kante or Jorginho replacement?

N’Golo Kante and Jorginho will both be out of contract at the end of the season and haven’t yet signed new deals, so Caicedo would be a perfect replacement should either of the pair depart.

The Seagulls gem is an all-round defensive midfielder, currently averaging 2.9 tackles and 1.4 interceptions per league game, with an 87.9% pass success rate showing he is more than savvy on the ball too (WhoScored).

Caicedo has been dubbed a ‘machine’ by scout Jacek Kulig, and with no Chelsea regular managing more tackles per game this season, Todd Boehly should splash the cash if he wants any chance of securing his target before the deadline.

Wolverhampton Wanderers crashed out of the FA Cup in the third-round replay on Tuesday night as they lost out to Liverpool 1-0 at Molineux.

Harvey Elliott’s first-half screamer was enough to secure progression for Jurgen Klopp’s side, with the Old Gold failing to really test Caomhin Kelleher in the Liverpool goal, in what was an underwhelming display from the home side.

Julen Lopetegui will feel aggrieved after his side were denied a winner by a controversial VAR call at Anfield last week but can now focus fully on remaining in the Premier League after seeing his side drop out of both cup competitions this month.

While there were a number of poor performances on display from Wolves players at Molineux, it was arguably Raul Jimenez who was the most disappointing on Tuesday night.

As per Sofascore, the Mexican forward would earn a poor 6.5 rating for his display, with only four players rated lower from both sides of everyone to feature in the game.

During his 84 minutes on the pitch, the former Benfica man would manage just 36 touches of the ball, completing a measly 11 passes with a completion rate of just 69%.

For context, Wolves goalkeeper Jose Sa would manage 37 touches and 24 passes with a success rate of 84%, which emphasises how little Jimenez was involved during the game.

On the rare occasions that the Mexico international did see the ball, he was extremely wasteful with it, losing possession on 12 occasions, registering no shots on target and failing with both of his dribble attempts.

Ahead of the World Cup, Jimenez’s relationship with fans and Lopetegui was already strained as he travelled to Qatar despite missing the majority of the Premier League season through injury, and that situation won’t have improved with his recent performances either.

The experienced striker has not looked the same since his injury and that was certainly the case against Liverpool, as he missed one big chance for the Old Gold, which was one of very few that they created during the game.

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Considering Matheus Cunha has already joined the Midlands club this month, with more attacking additions potentially on the cards, it seems as if Jimenez’s time at Wolves could end on a disappointing note.

Southampton are interested in completing a loan deal for Tottenham Hotspur defender Djed Spence, according to reports.

The Lowdown: Spence profiled

The Premier League right-back made the big-money move to N17 from Middlesbrough last summer after impressing during his season-long loan at Nottingham Forest.

However, the 22-year-old is yet to have made an impression on the first team and is out of favour under Antonio Conte, having made zero league starts and just four substitute appearances so far this season (WhoScored).

Spurs being in negotiations to sign Sporting CP’s Pedro Porro means that the former Boro star will be pushed even further out of the senior picture, and there’s a chance that he could be on his way to St. Mary’s.

The Latest: Southampton eyeing Spence

According to 90min, Southampton, West Ham, Crystal Palace and Bournemouth are all ‘interested in a deal’ to take Spence on loan for the remainder of the 2022/23 campaign.

Championship league leaders Burnley would also be ‘keen’, whilst Michael Carrick’s side would be ‘open to bringing him back’ to the Riverside, though a return there ‘looks unlikely’.

Tottenham are ‘open’ to sanctioning a temporary exit for the full-back this month to help him get some regular minutes under his belt.

The Verdict: Exciting signing

Spence has been described as ‘swashbuckling’ by footballing legend Ian Wright, and looking at his numbers during his time at Forest, he would be a hugely exciting signing for Nathan Jones.

The England U21s international clocked up eight goal contributions (five assists and three goals) under Steve Cooper and currently ranks in the 98th percentile for dribbles completed per 90 minutes by a full-back.

Spence helped Forest gain promotion to the top flight so will know what it takes to achieve success, and with the Saints rock bottom of the table, a winning mentality is exactly what they need to bring into the building.

Everton have had a tumultuous week so far with the exit of Frank Lampard, Spurs’ hijacking of their Arnaut Danjuma transfer and a potential move away for Anthony Gordon lined up, however, the powers at Goodison Park must pull something together in the remaining days of the transfer window.

The Toffees are currently 19th in the Premier League table and two points deep into the relegation zone after 20 outings, so a turnaround in performances are desperately needed in order to retain their top-flight status at the end of the season.

The club have reportedly identified Marcelo Bielsa as their number-one replacement for Lampard, and the sooner they can get the former Leeds United manager in, the sooner they can focus on identifying the new additions needed to get the team out of trouble in the remaining league fixtures.

One player who has recently been linked with a loan move to the blue side of Merseyside is Chelsea playmaker Hakim Ziyech, a player who could be the perfect signing to improve the attacking threat in the team.

Over 440 career appearances so far, the £100k-per-week talent – who was once dubbed “wonderful” by Gary Neville – has scored 125 goals and registered 135 assists with a goal contribution every 127 minutes, proving that he could be a hugely valuable asset in front of goal for the new manager.

In fact, if Bielsa does indeed join the Toffees this month the club could land the Argentine’s next version of Raphinha, as the former Leeds winger is named as one of the most comparable players to Ziyech, according to FBref.

When comparing the positional peers over their last full season (2021/22) the pair matched up well in a number of attributes including assists (3 v 3), shot-creating actions per 90 minutes (4.57 v 4.20), dribbles completed (43.1% v 42.5%) and aerial duels won (46.2% v 41.5%).

That demonstrates they have an element of sparkle to their play, with their innate dribbling ability and prowess in carving out chances a rare commodity as a pairing.

Bringing in a player like Ziyech, therefore, who can offer creativity and goal-scoring opportunities in the final third would undoubtedly put Everton in a great position to pick up crucial points and consequently climb the table in the process.

With that being said, the signing of Ziyech would be a major coup for Everton and if the stars align, it could well the perfect first addition under the prospective reign of Bielsa.

Ben Jacobs has claimed that Southampton target Moussa Dembele isn’t looking likely to join the Saints.

The Lowdown: Saints need a new striker

Southampton have managed to find the back of the net just 17 times in the Premier League this season, so it’s quite surprising that no new striker has walked through the doors this month.

The Saints have recently been linked with moves for players such as Vitinha and Dembele, with the latter potentially being the most financially sensible one as he is set to become a free agent in just a few months.

Therefore, Lyon may yet accept a low fee to ensure they get something for a striker that’s been on their books for several years now who could become a free agent in the summer.

The Latest: Dembele isn’t convinced 

Despite Southampton making moves on Dembele, Jacobs has claimed on his Twitter Space that the French striker isn’t looking like the club’s next signing, which could be down to the precarious league position.

He said: “I’d heard that Dembele was highly doubtful – ‘not happening’ was how it was referred to by one club source, so that isn’t looking particularly positive, unfortunately.”

The Verdict: Huge blow for Southampton

If the Saints were to be snubbed by Dembele, while they are also reportedly looking set to miss out on Vitinha with Brighton set to swoop in for the Braga striker, it would be a disaster of a transfer window for Nathan Jones.

Southampton are very poor in the final third and have been relying on James Ward-Prowse to come up with pieces of magic – as he did against Everton – which has allowed them to stay in touch with the rest of the Premier League’s strugglers.

Dembele could well have been a major coup for Jones and Southampton as he has a pretty good record in front of goal for Lyon, netting 69 times in 160 appearances. He also has plenty of top-flight experience so wouldn’t be overawed by the prospect of regular Premier league football, but it looks set to be yet another blow.