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Tottenham Hotspur are reportedly considering a move for Aston Villa goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez.

The Lowdown: North London connections

Martinez has been on the books at Villa Pak since 2020 but has previous connections to north London with Arsenal. The Argentine spent 10 years on the books with Spurs’ rivals, making just 38 senior appearances.

He’s gone from strength to strength in the Midlands and recently helped Argentina win the World Cup, with a return to London potentially on the cards.

The Latest: Spurs interest

90min shared a story in the last 48 hours regarding Spurs and Martinez. They claimed that Tottenham are likely to bring in a new ‘keeper in the summer and have Martinez on their shortlist.

A move for Martinez is being considered, with the player possibly tempted on a move to Spurs.

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The Verdict: One to watch…

Hugo Lloris has been out through injury in recent weeks and turned 36 on Boxing Day. His contract doesn’t expire until 2024, but thinking about his long-term replacement is a shrewd move.

Martinez has gained plenty of Premier League experience as a number one with Villa and was hailed for the vital role he played in winning the World Cup, described as ‘world class’ by members of the media.

Therefore, he may prove to be a smart addition in the summer, especially as there appears to have been friction with current manager Unai Emery, so it looks as if this could be one to watch over the coming months.

Leeds United manager Javi Gracia is planning to bring his own backroom staff to Yorkshire, according to Phil Hay. 

The Lowdown: Flexible deal

Gracia was officially confirmed as the new Whites head coach on Tuesday, over two weeks after the club parted ways with Jesse Marsch.

The 52-year-old has signed ‘a flexible contract at Elland Road’ and will hopefully be in charge against Southampton on Saturday, provided he obtains a work permit in time.

Former caretaker Michael Skubala looks set to remain involved under Gracia, but it appears as if the Spaniard has further coaching staff plans.

The Latest: Hay’s claim

Hay shared a story for The Athletic on Tuesday following the announcement regarding Gracia.

The reliable reporter stated that Gracia plans to bring in staff from his native Spain, but didn’t name who they could be.

The Verdict: Good move

Allowing Gracia to add his own backroom staff makes sense, and hopefully, moves for a number of coaches can be wrapped up relatively quickly.

Keeping Skubala around the first team also appears to be a wise call, especially as he will be able to pass knowledge on to Gracia regarding a number of players in a short space of time.

Gracia doesn’t have long to work with the team before Saturday’s must-win meeting with Southampton at Elland Road, and it looks as if there could be a whole new look to the home dugout following Hay’s update.

Former Celtic footballer Peter Grant believes Ange Postecoglou’s links to the City Group could open the door for a bigger move than the ones he has been linked to recently.

The Lowdown: Interest in Postecoglou

Postecoglou has made himself of the most-watched managers in Europe right now after successfully returning Celtic to the summit of the SPFL following their dismal 2020/21 campaign.

This turnaround saw him linked with a potential switch to Premier League side Everton prior to Frank Lampard’s sacking, though Sean Dyche was eventually selected as his successor.

He’s once again been linked with a move south of the border, this time to Leeds United, who sacked Jesse Marsch and currently remain managerless.

The Latest: Grant’s comments

Speaking on The Go Radio Football Show, former Celtic man Grant claimed that Postecoglou should ignore the Leeds interest to remain at Celtic, where he has support that he would struggle to find at Elland Road.

However, he also claimed his that links with the City Group – through his spell at Japanese outfit Yokohama F. Marinos – could bring about better opportunities in the future.

Asked whether he could see the Australian leaving for Leeds, he said: “I don’t think that will happen. The manager’s doing a fantastic job at Celtic. Of course, somewhere along the line, he’d maybe want to work in the Premiership, there’s no doubt of that.

“I’m sure he’s part of the City Group, if I’m led to believe, so if he’s part of that, there may be a bigger job that’s going to come to him.

“I’m not saying anything about Leeds, because it’s a fantastic club, I’ve been to many of their games and [they have] fantastic support, but he’s got that at Celtic Park.

“Everything he needs at Leeds, he’s got double that at Celtic Park with the support he’s got there. The only thing I keep saying is the thing Celtic have not got is the Premier League, and maybe one day that’s what he’ll want to try.”

The Verdict: City Group links

The City Group, which is spearheaded by Manchester City, owns 11 clubs around the world, with 2019 J-League champions and Postecoglou’s former side, Yokohama F. Marinos, being one of the clubs that the group have a minority share in (via City Football Group).

Postecoglou is unsurprisingly garnering interest, with him winning 69 of his 95 games in charge at Parkhead, with a league title and Scottish League Cup win to his name so far. Meanwhile, the Bhoys are currently nine points clear at the top of the SPFL and back in the Scottish League Cup final, so he could replicate his success this time around.

Although a huge step up and with Pep Guardiola still at the helm, a move to the Citizens would be extremely unlikely now, but given his success and tentative links to the club, Postecoglou could perhaps one day be eyed up as an outside shout to take the Etihad hotseat.

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta will be desperate to get his two young stars, William Saliba and Bukayo Saka, tied down to new contracts, according to Pete O’Rourke.

What’s the latest?

The Gunners are enjoying what has been a stunning – and perhaps unexpected – 2022/23 campaign so far as they sit pretty at the top of the table.

Any immediate concerns surrounding the north London club will be around whether or not they can hold onto their five-point cushion in first place and lift the title.

However, there are some issues inside the club which are seemingly needing to be resolved too with key members of the starting XI seeing their contracts set to expire within the next 18 months.

And speaking to Football FanCast, journalist O’Rourke has suggested the Spanish coach will be eager to get the likes of Saka and Saliba tied down to extended contracts:

“They’re two key players that Mikel Arteta will be desperate to tie down. And if Arsenal continue to show the progress they’re making, it’s only going to boost their chances of securing both of these players on long-term contracts despite interest from other clubs.

“I’m sure they’re both happy at Arsenal and can see the club is going in the right direction.”

Tying down the future

Key to Arsenal’s resurgence under Arteta has been the club’s development of young players and there has been no better example over the last few years than Saka.

The Englishman made a real statement last season as to why he should be starting week in and week out for Arteta at the Emirates Stadium.

In his 38 Premier League appearances last season, Saka was able to return an impressive 11 goals and seven assists for the Gunners.

However, his development has continued this season having already offered up seven goals and seven assists in just 20 league appearances.

In addition, the return of Saliba from his time away on loan has helped to transform Arteta’s defence which has conceded the second-fewest number of goals this season (17).

The Frenchman has certainly nailed down the starting spot in Arteta’s side with 20 starts in the Premier League alone this season.

Given Arsenal’s dominance, perhaps the centre-backs stats do not quite level up with others across the league, however, he has earned the praise of many over his displays thus far:

“I was massively impressed by him. He reminded me of a young Rio Ferdinand,” said Gary Neville on Sky Sports.

And when the likes of Manchester City are believed to be showing an interest in Saka, it is key the Gunners are able to tie these players down to new deals to preserve the potential success of the club for years to come.

Tottenham Hotspur correspondent Alasdair Gold has slammed the club’s ‘poor business’ as Bryan Gil closes in on a late-window departure.

The Lowdown: Goodbye Gil

The 21 year-old looks all set to join Sevilla in the final hours of the January transfer window, with BBC reporting on Monday afternoon that a loan switch is nearly complete.

There is no obligation or option for the La Liga outfit to make the deal permanent come the summer, but it still looks rather baffling from a Spurs perspective.

Indeed, the Lilywhites paid over £21m for Gil to join from the Estadio Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán back in 2021, also sending Erik Lamela the other way in a player-plus-cash deal.

This means that the north Londoners have effectively now given a hefty sum of cash and Lamela to Los Nervionenses for a player who is about to return back to his former club anyway.

The Latest: Gold baffled

Asked in a football.london Q&A whether Spurs would look to sign a replacement for the outgoing playmaker, Gold had this to say:

“The Bryan Gil loan deal is a mad one. Within 18 months Spurs have essentially given Sevilla £21m, Erik Lamela and Bryan Gil. That’s incredibly poor business in every way you look at it. The most annoying thing for me is that the 21-year-old is a real talent but it’s a case of the right player, wrong time.”

He followed up by telling the supporter it is unlikely we will see a direct replacement come through the door before the window slams shut on Tuesday evening unless Lucas Moura also departs.

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The Verdict: Ridiculous…

As Gold suggests, it has simply been a case of being in the wrong system at the wrong time for Gil, with the youngster only making 19 appearances in total under Antonio Conte, mostly as a substitute.

He has scored zero goals during that time and provided just one assist, so he certainly hasn’t kicked on the way fans would have hoped, but merely from a financial point of view the entire ordeal is an infuriating one.

To add insult to injury for supporters, the club really shouldn’t be using Lucas’ presence as justification for not signing a replacement. The Brazilian himself has played just 90 total minutes of Premier League action this season, failing to directly contribute to a single goal.

With the top-four race heating up, FA Cup and Champions League fixtures to squeeze in and a squad looking devoid of any real quality depth from the bench, allowing Gil to leave for zero financial gain and without an incoming player in his role really does look like a disaster at N17.

Everton have been handed a big boost late in the transfer market, with the impending sale of Anthony Gordon.

Having fought off advances in the summer from Chelsea, by setting the price so high (£60m) it seems to have convinced Newcastle United that the initial £40m expended is a good deal.

Whether the 21-year-old blossoms into a sensational winger or not, for the player that is currently being sold the Toffees have made a huge coup with that deal.

It also has allowed them precious funds to now reinvest, with the soon-to-be new boss Sean Dyche likely to be handed the bulk of this incoming money to add some much-needed new faces.

One transfer rumour that he could now pounce on is that linking them with a switch for Chelsea winger Hakim Ziyech, which emerged just after Frank Lampard’s sacking.

The Moroccan joined Stamford Bridge under the 44-year-old for an initial €40m (£35m) fee but has struggled to recapture his blistering form at Ajax that saw him so coveted.

His 14 goals and 11 assists in 98 appearances for the Blues make for disappointing reading, but again it is difficult not to be enamoured by his exceptional final two seasons in Amsterdam.

The 2018/19 campaign stands out as his most impressive, where he featured off the right flank and would cut in on his razor-sharp left foot to record 16 goals and 17 assists in the Eredivisie as well as a further nine goal contributions in the Champions League and its qualifying rounds.

It is this lackadaisical but often unstoppable play style that could draw comparisons to a former Everton favourite, who many would argue left too soon.

James Rodriguez joined and left before the full might of Goodison Park got to witness his quality, driven out by a manager who would be sacked just six months later.

Despite his one season on Merseyside having been marred with injuries, his six goals and five assists in 23 Premier League games were impressive, with his class oozing through to put him a cut above the rest.

Ziyech could likely have a similar effect, should he recapture that initial form at Ajax. The affinity in their play style and unquestionable quality suggests that this could certainly be the case.

His displays at the recent World Cup for a historic Morocco side give credence to the suggestion it could be possible, with analyst Owuraku Ampofo claiming “the magician is back” after one of his fine performances.

Soon after first making the move to Chelsea, The Athletic’s Liam Twomey admitted that he was most excited to watch the 29-year-old before claiming: “His crossing from the right should be absolutely perfect for Pulisic/Werner/Hudson-Odoi”.

Whilst it has yet to work out, that touch of class that has seldom been seen at Everton of late could be set to return, potentially reigniting the buzz around the club that was there when Carlo Ancelotti presided over Rodriguez on Merseyside.

Southampton’s interest in Shakhtar Donetsk winger Tete could be reignited, according to Dean Jones.

The Lowdown: Failed move

Southampton previously held interest in the Brazilian winger, with 90min reporting back in March that the Saints were set to sign him ahead of a host of other interested Premier League sides.

However, the deal failed to happen after the Premier League blocked FIFA’s mid-season ruling that foreign players from Ukrainian and Russian sides could leave their teams mid-season due to the ongoing problems in the region.

The Latest: Chance to resurrect

Lyon instead swooped, but it looks like his loan spell at the Groupama Stadium is set to come to an end, reigniting the interest of English sides, notably Southampton.

Jones told GiveMeSport that he wouldn’t be surprised if the Saints were to once again go back in for the 22-year-old.

“It wouldn’t surprise me if they were going back over some previous targets, it is clubs that get into a situation like this that often do that, because they have such extensive scouting already done on these players and they know the roles that they were looking for, so that wouldn’t surprise me.”

The Verdict: Bring him in

Interestingly, the winger was valued at €70m (£62m) back in 2020, so it remains to be seen as to how much the Saints may have to pay now but it doesn’t look as if he will be a cheap option.

Southampton are currently embroiled in a battle to survive in the top flight with the Saints currently bottom of the league after five straight defeats, seeing no new manager bounce occurring under Nathan Jones.

Tete has bagged six goals and three assists in Ligue 1 this season – which would make him the top scorer and top provider at St Mary’s – following on from nine goals in 17 Ukrainian Premier Liga games last season.

Attacking options are severely limited on the south coast, while their output of only 15 goals scored in 17 games contributing to the third-worst goal difference in the league.

We think the Saints need a spark, and what better than bringing in some Brazilian flair to inspire a second-half-of-the-season comeback to beat the drop, with noted scout Jacek Kulig dubbing him “very talented”.

The January transfer window is only a matter of days away from opening and Aston Villa could be busy throughout the month in order to improve their squad.

It will be Unai Emery’s first chance to shape his side by bringing in his own players and the Spaniard may want to make an addition or two to give his side a lift heading into the second half of the campaign.

The club have already been linked with a number of players and it will be interesting to see which positions the former Villarreal boss deems in need of improvement.

Italian outlet Calciomercato recently reported that Villa are one of the clubs eyeing up a swoop to sign Chicago Fire centre-forward Jhon Duran next month, which indicates that the head coach wants to add to his attacking options.

They claimed that the Villans have submitted an offer to sign the attacker but that they are currently behind Portuguese giants Benfica, who have made a bid of €15m (£13m) for him, in the race for the gem’s signature.

Emery could land the heir to Ollie Watkins’ place in the team by beating the Liga Portugal side to this signing as the talented Colombian is a promising young striker.

The Chicago Fire marksman, who turned 19 earlier this month, has scored eight goals and provided three assists in 14 MLS starts this year, averaging a Sofascore rating of 6.91.

He joined the MLS team at the start of 2022 after plundering nine goals in 46 senior appearances for Envigado FC in his home country and has caught the eye with his performances for the Fire.

Earlier this year, talent scout Jacek Kulig described the teenager as a “complete” and “powerful” striker who can be used as a counter-attacking “weapon”, whilst also praising his quality in the air.

Watkins, meanwhile, has been hailed for his well-rounded attacking play, with his pace on the counter and his aerial ability – as evidenced by his recent goal against Liverpool – being two of his biggest strengths.

This suggests that both players are similar in style and, therefore, Duran could be the long-term successor to the Englishman’s place in the team if the club are able to snap him up.

At the age of 19, the Colombian striker could be a signing for the future and a player Emery is able to work with on the training pitch, whilst allowing him to learn from the likes of Danny Ings and Watkins, before making him a key player further down the line.

Duran’s form in the MLS is promising and Villa must now take a punt on the teenager in January in the hope that he is able to fulfil his potential in the Premier League and become their starting number nine for many years to come.

Manchester United defender Teden Mengi sustaining a hamstring problem is a ‘huge blow’, according to injury expert Ben Dinnery.

The Lowdown: Huge concern

The Premier League giants suffered a 1-0 defeat to Real Betis in a mid-season friendly last weekend, and the result wasn’t the only negative to occur from that day.

The young centre-back was forced off the pitch in the first half after hurting his hamstring, meaning that the chances of him securing a loan move in the winter have been severely diminished due to being ruled out of action.

The Latest: Dinnery’s prediction

Speaking to GiveMeSport, Dinnery admitted that Mengi having to go off on a stretcher was not a good sign and suggested that he could therefore face a long spell on the sidelines.

“The injury in itself is bad enough. If you were to look at that in isolation and take that as a young player who is maybe on the fringes of that first team squad and hoping to make his mark, then that’s a huge blow.

“You don’t want to see a young player pick up an injury and certainly being stretchered off.”

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The Verdict: Blow for Ten Hag

Mengi has been hailed an ‘immense talent’ by journalist Josh Bunting and it’ll be a blow for Erik Ten Hag to learn that his starlet won’t be available for selection for the foreseeable future.

The 20-year-old spent the second half of last season on loan at Birmingham City and was majorly impressive, averaging 4.6 clearances per game, and he’s already played in the Champions League at Old Trafford despite his young age.

Mengi going out on loan again would have been hugely beneficial to bolster his game time and experience, though it looks like any potential move may have to wait until the summer.

Aston Villa could be set to deal with a European heavyweight this January, in what could see their midfield revamped…

What’s the latest?

As per transfer insider Dean Jones, the interest that Johan Lange holds in Barcelona midfielder Franck Kessie would mark a huge upgrade on John McGinn.

With Unai Emery looking to lay down a marker with a dream first signing, a Spanish publication reported that they will battle with Fulham for the Ivorian this January.

Jones then told GIVEMESPORT: “I find them quite difficult players to compare, but having Kessie in the midfield would definitely be an upgrade on having McGinn in there, based on recent form from McGinn anyway.”

Dream signing

With the new boss unsurprisingly having been linked with a host of new players to join him in his revolution, this link seems to be one that could hold weight given Kessie’s lack of action at the Spotify Camp Nou.

He has only featured 13 times in all competitions this campaign but did notch up his first goal in a Champions League win over Victoria Plzen.

The 25-year-old earned the majority of his plaudits for his displays for AC Milan, where he remained a stalwart in the engine room as they won their first Serie A title in 11 years.

Featuring 31 times, he even chipped in with six goals – suggesting that despite his defensive expertise he can provide an offensive boost too.

The £151k-per-week general even ranks in the top 6% of midfielders in Europe’s big five leagues for touches in the attacking penalty area, whilst he made an average of 1.3 tackles in a season where he achieved a 7.07 SofaScore rating.

Labelled “a tank of a player” by journalist David Amoyal, there is little worry that he would acclimatise to the physical demands of English football.

An addition of pure power in the Villa midfield would be a welcome one for Emery, who could see him as a dream addition alongside or instead of Douglas Luiz and John McGinn.

It would be a huge statement signing for the Spaniard, to attract someone from such a prestigious club to join his project.