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The agent of Liverpool forward Roberto Firmino has revealed that contract talks regarding the Brazilian remaining at Anfield are going well.

The Lowdown: Firmino’s future

With his Liverpool career set to hit the eight-year mark in the summer following his £21.3m move from Hoffenheim in 2015 (via Sky Sports), there were question marks over whether he could be about to call time on his Anfield journey, with his £180k-per-week contract set to expire at the end of the season.

Firmino has been one of Jurgen Klopp’s go-to players this campaign, with the 31-year-old playing 21 times in all competitions, including a healthy return of seven goals and three assists in just 13 Premier League games.

However, the Champions League and Premier League winner hasn’t featured since before the World Cup break due to injury, but Klopp revealed he is set to return in a couple of weeks.

The Latest: Agent’s comments

Firmino’s return will be a welcome one for Liverpool given his form this campaign, but agent Roger Wittmann’s latest comments will be further cherished amid talks over a contract extension running smoothly.

He said to Sky Sports Germany: “It’s a very long relationship between Roberto and Liverpool. Roberto feels good. At the moment, we’re in a great exchange, and in February we’ll probably know where the journey is going.

“But Roberto also has to have a say in order to reach an agreement with Liverpool. We’re on the right track. We’re having really good talks with Liverpool. They’re a superbly positioned club.”

The Verdict: Great news

Firmino has been an immensely popular figure during his time at Anfield, and his form in front of goal this season – which sees him on course to record double figures for goals in the league for the first time in three campaigns – will be a welcome boost for the Reds upon his return to fitness.

Liverpool are struggling this season, with them currently sat ninth and facing an uphill battle to overturn the 10-point deficit to the top four, and his return from injury could provide them with a spark. Following the arrival of Cody Gakpo last month – the club’s only winter signing – a new deal could ease Klopp’s concerns to bring in another player.

The Reds are set to see an overhaul in midfield in the summer with four centre-midfielders seeing their contracts expire at the end of the season (via Transfermarkt), and although Firmino is also currently on that list, his agent’s comments provide hope that Klopp has one less problem to address at the end of the campaign.

Aston Villa are in with ‘a chance’ to land midfield transfer target Azzedine Ounahi, according to an update from transfer insider Dean Jones.

The Lowdown: Ounahi linked with Villa move

The 22-year-old became more of a household name during the 2022 World Cup, performing heroically for Morocco and helping them reach the semi-finals.

Ounahi has since been linked with a move to Villa during the January transfer window, as Unai Emery looks to bolster his options in the middle of the park.

It looks as though the youngster could leave French side Angers imminently, with numerous clubs eyeing him up, perhaps most prominently Serie A leaders Napoli.

The Latest: Villans in the mix

Speaking to Give Me Sport, Jones claimed that Ounahi could see Villa as the best move in England, but it’s impossible to truly know where the player’s future lies:

“There’s just so much competition for him and it’s hard to tell at the moment whether they (Villa) are going to win the race.

“I mean, they’ve probably got as good a chance as anyone in England; it’s just really a case of whether or not he definitely wants to come to the Premier League.

“At the moment, he certainly seems open to it, but I can’t quite put my finger on whether he’s just keeping his options open or whether he’s genuinely interested in a move like Villa.”

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The Verdict: Superb midfield target

Ounahi could be exactly what Villa are after in their midfield, with results and performances improving under Emery but more quality still required in that area.

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The Moroccan was outstanding at the World Cup, averaging 1.3 tackles per match and being hailed as ‘absolutely incredible’ by Jose Mourinho – a known admirer of Villa’s manager – which highlights his quality and fit for an Emery team.

At 22, he is someone with most of his career ahead of him and would not only bring energy off the ball but quality on it – he ranks in 99th percentile amongst Europe’s top leagues for dribbles by a midfielder, completing 2.54 per 90 minutes.

Ounahi isn’t out of contract at Angers until 2026, so a sizeable bid may be required to prise him away, but he has so much potential that Villa should see his signing as a primary focus. Leeds have been strongly linked, too, but they are threatened by relegation, which could work in NSWE’s favour.

Tottenham Hotspur are now monitoring Fulham midfielder Joao Palhinha for a transfer swoop, according to transfer expert Dean Jones.

The Lowdown: Palhinha’s form

Palhinha only joined Fulham in the summer, arriving for a fee of £20m, but he has already impressed considerably for Marco Silva’s side, ranked as their best-performing midfielder in the Premier League, averaging a 7.16 match rating.

Given this fantastic start to life in England, it was perhaps inevitable that the top clubs would come calling, and now two of the so-called ‘big six’ appear to be interested in signing the Portugal international…

The Latest: Conte eyeing Palhinha

According to transfer expert Dean Jones (speaking to Give Me Sport), both Tottenham and Liverpool are casting an eye over the 27-year-old for a potential summer move, with the Reds having him on their radar even before he moved to Fulham.

However, a deal may prove to be difficult, as the Cottagers do not want to lose him, as they know that they have a gem on their hands and believe the player is absolutely vital to their team.

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The Verdict: Get it done?

Tottenham’s priorities in this window have been identified as an attacking player and a right-back, so the former Sporting CP man isn’t a requirement, but landing him in the summer could prove to be a fantastic bit of business.

Hailed as ‘outstanding’ for his performance against Liverpool back in August, the maestro has gone from strength to strength as the weeks have gone by, later being praised by football writer Mark Carruthers for his work-rate and timing of challenges.

Antonio Conte already has Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg as a defensive option in the midfield, but Palhinha has outclassed him by quite a large margin over the past year, averaging more tackles, blocks, clearances and aerials won per 90 than the Dane, and so signing him would upgrade the central-midfield area considerably.

Leeds United’s rumours linking them with Ben Brereton-Diaz persist, with a respected journalist expecting a patient approach to the deal.

What’s the latest?

That’s according to CBS reporter Ben Jacobs, who has suggested him as a target following reports in the past linking Victor Orta with a move.

The journalist would issue the following update, with his own input on when he thinks the Chilean might move, to GIVEMESPORT: “There are others as well that Leeds United are looking at, and I think that one of them is still going to be Ben Brereton Diaz who’s at Blackburn.

“And Brereton Diaz has already vowed to stay at the club until next summer, so they might have to play a longer game on that one. But we wait and see whether or not Leeds can influence that situation in any way shape or form.”

“Phenomenal” deal

Boasting plenty of goals for their place in the division, having scored 22 times in just 14 games, it would make sense for the Whites to focus on solidity rather than added goals.

Despite this, it seems Jesse Marsch clearly cannot resist an opportunity to bolster his attack, with Ben Brereton-Diaz proving an extraordinary option for a Premier League club willing to take the risk.

The 23-year-old has already scored nine times this season in the Championship, assisting a further three in just 24 games.

He seems poised to match his equally impressive tally of 22 in the league from last campaign.

As such, Brereton-Diaz has more than earned the label of a “dangerous finisher” that Dean Smith branded him.

Throughout his short career, he already has 52 goals to his name, which he pairs with a further 22 assists. That seems set to expand exponentially with each passing season given his blistering form following his switch in nationality.

Boasting the qualities to be a target man or a striker who comes to feet, it seems like given the continued absence of Patrick Bamford, this could be his ideal replacement.

With goals hardly at a premium at Elland Road, to sign the man dubbed a “phenomenal player” by football scout Ron Dor could remain a stroke of genius despite other urgencies.

Phil Hay revealed earlier today that Jesse Marsch would be prioritising a left back and a forward for the coming windows, and this lethal marksman could fit the bill perfectly for the latter spot.

Arsenal have been dealt a huge blow in their bid to bring Ruben Neves to the Emirates Stadium in the January transfer window.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by The Times, who claim that, despite the central midfielder entering the final 18 months of his contract at Wolverhampton Wanderers in January, Julen Lopetegui is unwilling to part with the 25-year-old this winter, with the Spaniard preferring to wait until the summer before considering cashing in on the Portugal international.

This is sure to have come as a huge blow to Mikel Arteta and Arsenal, with the 40-year-old manager reported to be interested in a £40m move for the former FC Porto star in January, while the likes of Barcelona, Liverpool and Manchester United are also thought the be keen on the Wolves talisman.

Dream Rice alternative

Considering just how impressive Neves has been so far this season, coupled with central midfield undoubtedly being the area of Arteta’s squad that is in need of the most work heading into the second half of the current campaign, the argument that Arteta simply must move for the Portuguese sensation – even if it means paying a premium – in January is an easy one to make.

Indeed, despite Wolves’ struggles in the league this season, the £34.5m-rated talent has nevertheless shone over his 14 Premier League appearances, having already hit the back of the net four times – making him his club’s top scorer – as well as taking an average of 1.9 shots, making 0.9 key passes and completing 0.4 dribbles per game.

The £50k-per-week engine has also impressed in metrics more typically associated with his position, making an average of 2.9 tackles, 1.4 interceptions, 2.4 clearances and winning 4.5 duels – at a success rate of 53% – per match, as well as playing an average of 7.1 long balls, 5.1 chipped passes and completing 52.1 total passes – at a success rate of 85% – per outing.

These returns have seen the player who David Cartlidge dubbed “unreal” average a quite staggering Sofascore match rating of 7.29, not only ranking him as Wolves’ best performer in the league but also as the joint 13th-best player in the top flight of English football as a whole.

Also, considering that Arsenal will likely have to cough up around £70m – £30m more than Neves’ asking price – in order to land another of their reported central midfield targets in Declan Rice this winter, and with Neves currently outperforming the England international in the league, the Wolves star could well be an unreal alternative to the 23-year-old.

As such, even if Arsenal were to pay slightly over the odds for Neves this winter, it would very much appear worth beating the likes of United and Liverpool in the race for the midfielder’s signing, as the 25-year-old would undoubtedly represent an “astonishing” – in the words of Graeme Bailey – addition to the Gunners’ current options in the middle of the park.

West Ham United have reportedly been offered the chance to sign Olympique Marseille midfielder Gerson. 

The Lowdown: West Ham’s busy summer transfer window

The previous summer transfer window saw the east London club be particularly busy in the market with the number of new players they managed to bring in.

Names such as Lucas Paqueta, Gianluca Scamacca and Thilo Kehrer, among others, all joined David Moyes’ squad for significant transfer fees.

Now though, with the January window approaching, it seems as though the Hammers may have been given the opportunity to bring another new face to the London Stadium.

The Latest: West Ham offered Gerson

According to a recent report from Goal Brazil, West Ham, as well as Spanish club Sevilla, have been offered the chance by intermediaries to sign Gerson from Marseille.

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This comes after a proposed move to Flamengo broke down, leaving the player with the opportunity to leave the French club once the upcoming January transfer window opens.

The Verdict: A risky move?

Despite scoring two goals in the 10 Ligue 1 games he’s played this season, Gerson has not shown that he should be at the top of West Ham’s priority list in terms of potential January recruits.

For example, the £67k-per-week attacking midfielder, who has been compared to Paul Pogba in the past, has only delivered four key passes for his side, leaving nine other players at the club with more.

Having also lost control of the ball 15 times after being tackled by an opponent, only three other players at Marseille have done so on more occasions.

From a defensive point of view, the Brazilian has only managed to make a combined total of eight tackles and interceptions, showing that he doesn’t have more of a presence off the ball either.

His overall performances have earned the midfielder a rather disappointing season rating of 6.48/10 from WhoScored, making him one of the lowest-rated players at the club.

Taking all of this into account, you could argue that signing Gerson in January could be a risky move for the Hammers given how lacklustre he has been so far this season, but it seems to be one to watch heading into 2023.

Tottenham Hotspur right-back Djed Spence could be handed his first start of the season against Nottingham Forest this evening.

What’s the latest?

Speaking in his pre-match press conference (via BBC Sport), Cristian Stellini hinted that Antonio Conte could be set to field something of a rotated starting XI at The City Ground tonight, before suggesting that the former Nottingham Forest loanee could be one of those brought into the side for the Carabao Cup clash.

Regarding the Forest game, the Tottenham head coach said: “Every game we play, we want to win. We will use the best team to try to win the game against Forest.

“For our young players, every game is the game to trust in him. If we think the EFL Cup is important, we need players who are ready. Djed Spence is one of those, for sure.”

Conte must unleash Spence

Considering just how exciting a prospect Spence looked to be while on loan with Forest last season, coupled with how little the 22-year-old has featured for Tottenham following his £20m move to north London this summer, a Carabao Cup fixture against his former side would appear to be the perfect opportunity for the Italian to finally unleash the youngster.

Indeed, over his 45 Championship appearances in 2021/22, the £19m-rated right-back was in fantastic form going forwards, scoring two goals, registering five assists and creating six big chances for his teammates, in addition to taking an average of 0.6 shots, making one key pass and completing 1.8 dribbles per game.

The £25k-per-week defender also impressed in metrics more typical of his position, making an average of 1.4 tackles, 1.5 interceptions and 1.1 clearances and winning 5.8 duels per fixture.

Rather understandably, these performances saw the England U21 international earn a considerable amount of praise, with Ian Wright dubbing the wing-back both “swashbuckling” and “unbelievable”, while Trevor Sinclair also singled the youngster out in an interview with talkSPORT this summer, stating:

“There is competition for places but I think Djed Spence will go straight in there, especially with the way that Antonio Conte likes to play 3-4-3. I think he’s is going to be a huge problem.

“I saw him play against Arsenal for Nottingham Forest last season – he was against [Nuno] Tavares, [Gabriel] Martinelli, and [Kieran] Tierney and he ran them all ragged. I thought, ‘Who is this kid because I’ve not seen a lot of him?’

“He really made his mark in the Championship last season and also played very well against Leicester City when they knocked them out of the FA Cup. I think he’s the real deal.”

Indeed, considering just how incredible a talent Spence looks to be, it would appear extremely advisable for Conte to finally hand the 22-year-old his first start for Spurs this evening, as the youngster could easily go on to prove himself more than capable of a regular starting spot in the Premier League moving forwards.

West Ham United midfielder Nikola Vlasic is set for a permanent move away from the London Stadium in January.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by Italian media outlet Calciomercato, who claim that, having impressed at the Stadio Olimpico after joining Torino on a season-long loan deal this summer, the Serie A club are already planning on making the 25-year-old’s temporary switch a permanent move in the winter.

The report added that, with Il Toro possessing a €15m (£13m) option to buy the attacking midfielder at the end of the current campaign, Ivan Juric is now hoping to activate this clause in the January market.

Jackpot

Selling a player for a £20.4m loss on his original £33.4m fee would not typically be considered a masterclass in the transfer market. However, considering just how poor Vlasic was for West Ham, it would very much be a case of West Ham hitting the jackpot if Torino go on to active the Croatia international’s option-to-buy clause in January.

Indeed, after his move to east London last summer, the £26m-rated midfielder failed to make any real impact for the Hammers, scoring just one goal, registering no assists and creating no big chances over his 19 Premier League appearances in 2021/22.

The £70k-per-week talent also made just 8.6 passes, took a mere 0.4 shots, enjoyed just 16.5 touches and lost possession of the ball 4.4 times per game. These metrics saw the 25-year-old average a disappointing SofaScore match rating of just 6.52, ranking him as David Moyes’ third-worst performer in the top flight last season.

Furthermore, former CSKA Moscow striker Valeri Masalitin revealed in an interview with Championat (via One Football) this summer that Vlasic was completely unprepared for his move to West Ham, with the 56-year-old stating: “When he left, I always said that there was nothing to do with such a mood in England. He starts dividing games: I want to play there, I don’t want to play there.

“If you play here, go ahead, then you will not play anywhere with such an attitude to football. He went there completely unprepared. Here is the result. I thought that he would be removed from West Ham in the winter, but he delayed for another six months.”

It is true that the attacking midfielder has impressed in Italy, bagging three goals and averaging a SofaScore match rating of 7.03 over his nine Serie A outings. However, should West Ham be able to rid themselves of Vlasic’s hefty weekly wage and pick up a tidy £13m fee in the January transfer window, this would undoubtedly represent a masterclass by the east London club.

Indeed, it is clear to see that the 25-year-old is not a player cut out for Premier League football, with both his attitude and his performances on the pitch during his time in England making it an easy argument that West Ham simply must bin off the midfielder in January.

The Daily Mail’s northeast football correspondent Craig Hope has revealed that Alexander Isak has suffered an injury ‘setback’ for Newcastle United.

The Lowdown: Isak ruled out

The 23-year-old was ruled out of this afternoon’s game at Manchester United in the Premier League, despite Eddie Howe claiming that the striker was making ‘progress’ in his recovery from injury.

However, it now looks as if he is going to be sidelined for longer than first feared, having been hit by a fresh setback.

The Latest: Isak injury ‘setback’

Taking to Twitter in sharing a corresponding article for The Daily Mail on Sunday morning, Hope has revealed that Isak has suffered a ‘setback’ in his recovery from a thigh injury after pulling up with the same issue.

The Sweden international was ‘nearing’ a return to action, but he is now set to miss at least the next three matches for Newcastle in what Hope describes as a ‘fresh blow’.

The journalist stated: “Newcastle’s Alexander Isak suffers setback in recovery from thigh injury after pulling up with same problem. £60m striker was nearing return but now set to miss at least next 3 games after fresh blow. More news awaited on full timescale.”

A subsequent report from The Athletic delivered even worse news for the Magpies, claiming that the 23-year-old will ‘probably’ be sidelined until after the World Cup.

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The Verdict: Big blow

After the hope that Isak could feature in the next few games after making progress in his recovery, it is certainly a big blow for Howe and Newcastle to now lose him for what looks like until Boxing Day at the earliest.

With two goals in his first three appearances in the league, the club-record signing from Real Sociedad had adapted to English football quickly, and his manager will have wanted to ease him into the team further with more opportunities.

However, with Allan Saint-Maximin also suffering a setback in his recovery from an injury, the Magpies will need to find a way to make their attack click over their forthcoming matches without two of their key players.

Aston Villa’s Premier League standing is a far cry from the pre-season expectations set out by Steven Gerrard and the former Rangers boss is a man under pressure at Villa Park.

Gerrard outlined his ambitions during the summer ahead of his first full season in charge of the Villans, saying:

“I believe a club like Villa need to go on a European journey ourselves so we can be taken seriously.

“We have to be competing for the domestic cups and I see no reason why we can’t. It’s a realistic aim and a target.”

Eye-catching additions from NSWE such as Diego Carlos, Philippe Coutinho and Boubacar Kamara had Villa fans believing that a top-seven finish could be on the cards but a disappointing start to the campaign has many looking in the opposite direction.

Gerrard’s side have picked up just seven points from their opening seven fixtures, with a morale-boosting draw against Manchester City before a win against Southampton easing the pressure on the Liverpool legend somewhat.

However, if Villa continue to find themselves in the bottom half of the Premier League table, considering their significant investment since Gerrard’s arrival, then club owners Nassef Sawiris and Wes Edens could soon have a big decision to make.

Fortunately for the Midlands club, Mauricio Pochettino represents a top-class, immediately available option and the latest reports suggest that he could be keen on a return to the Premier League with Villa.

According to Football Insider, the manager dubbed “world-class” by Jamie O’Hara, who has previous Premier League experience with Southampton and Tottenham Hotspur, is considering the project on offer at Villa Park.

They claim that the Argentinian manager has already turned down an approach from OGC Nice and is potentially eyeing a move back to England, having left PSG during the summer.

Unlike Gerrard, Pochettino would bring top-level experience, having managed the likes of Lionel Messi, Neymar and Kylian Mbappe last season, while he also took Spurs to the Champions League final in 2019.

If Villa are indeed looking for a manager to take them to Europe, he would be better equipped. Indeed, Rangers weren’t able to reach the Champions League until Gerrard left, with Giovanni van Bronckhorst steering them to Europe’s top table at the first time of asking.

Meanwhile, his general record also looks far more appealing. The 50-year-old Argentine averaged 1.45 points per game at Southampton and 1.84 points per game at Spurs, both of which are better than the 1.25 points per game averaged by Gerrard at Villa.

Therefore, if Gerrard cannot build upon the promising results from the last two game weeks, then Sawiris could make the huge decision, perhaps his biggest one yet, to bring in Pochettino as his replacement.