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Newcastle United have been labelled as a club to keep an eye on in the final days of this January transfer window by the journalist Fabrizio Romano.

What’s the latest?

It has been a relatively quiet January transfer window so far on Tyneside with no new deals being agreed on thus far as Eddie Howe’s men sit pretty up in third spot of the table.

The only arrival this month has been the young Australian, Garang Kuol, who signed for the club back in September and has immediately gone out on loan to Hearts of Midlothian.

However, it could be about the heat-up at St. James’ Park with their striker, Chris Wood, expected to leave the club this month for a move to Nottingham Forest.

And with this, Fabrizio Romano has been speaking on the Meczyki YouTube channel to suggest the Toon could be in for a busy end to the month:

(35:10) “I expect as potential surprises around the market, I will keep an eye on Newcastle because they are monitoring the market for example they follow Ivan Fresneda, this talented right-back from Real Valladolid, born in 2004. Many clubs want him also Newcastle. And so I think they can be part of the surprises for the final day of this crazy January transfer window.”

Domino effect

Although Newcastle have not seen any new faces come through the doors yet this month, this does not mean they have not been linked with new signings.

The likes of Ivan Fresneda from Real Valladolid are believed to be high on the agenda for Dan Ashworth this month with the Toon targeting a new right-back.

And in the last 24 hours, Romano has also revealed the Magpies have made a move for the Flamengo gem, Matheus Franca, with a proposal worth around €16m (£14m).

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But Newcastle do not seem to be in any rush to make any signings this month and it is not difficult to understand why when you look at how well-rounded they’ve been so far this season.

Only a handful of clubs have scored more goals than them (34) this season and any potential concerns over that will be settled by their stunning defensive record which has been bettered by no team in the league with only 11 goals conceded.

However, we do wonder whether the injury to Bruno Guimaraes may have shaken everyone up on Tyneside over the weekend.

It is believed his injury is not too serious and will only see him miss a small number of games, however, when battling for a spot in the top four, having a player of his quality missing is a real blow.

With some possible fears over their squad depth, if they pick up any more injuries and the expected departure of Wood, we do wonder whether this will kickstart the Toon in this month’s market.

Manchester City are unlikely to make any more new signings before the end of the January transfer window, according to reports.

The Lowdown: After Perrone

The Premier League giants confirmed the arrival of Velez Sarsfield midfielder Maximo Perrone on Monday evening, with the 20-year-old putting pen to paper on a five-and-a-half-year contract.

The Argentinian is the only fresh face to have walked through the doors of the Etihad Stadium so far this month, with Pep Guardiola having admitted in December that his side’s winter business would likely be kept to a minimum.

The Blues, however, have recently been linked with a move for AC Milan forward Rafael Leao, with the report suggesting that Joao Cancelo could be offered in return for a swap deal, though that doesn’t appear to be the case.

The Latest: City’s transfer plan unveiled

According to Manchester Evening News, City have ‘no major first-team additions planned’, with Perrone’s £8.2m deal ‘likely to be the biggest’ that the club do this month.

The source states that some ‘outgoing loan deals in the academy’ could be sanctioned, but in terms of the senior team, Guardiola is set to ‘stick with the same squad’ he’s had for the first half of the 2022/23 campaign.

The Verdict: Correct decision

City are five points off current league leaders Arsenal in the table, and whilst the title may be out of reach if they can’t overcome the Gunners in their head-to-heads, the decision not to splash any more cash is the right one.

Erling Haaland has made a huge difference in the final third, scoring 25 of City’s 53 goals this season, so they definitely aren’t lacking any kind of prolific form.

The Sky Blues also don’t have any long-term injuries where replacements would need to be found and have sufficient squad depth available to them.

Captain Ilkay Gundogan will be out of contract at the end of the season, but identifying a successor for him should he not extend his stay is more a job for the summer.

Arsenal are still following Montpellier striker Elye Wahi for a potential swoop, according to a reports from France.

The Lowdown: Wahi targeted by Arsenal

It was reported at the beginning of the month that the Gunners were eyeing the 20-year-old as a replacement for the injured Gabriel Jesus, although Eddie Nketiah has performed very well in the Brazilian’s absence, scoring six goals since Christmas.

Everton have also been credited with an interest in recent weeks (as reported by Media Foot), with the Toffees said to be strongly considering a bid, and there is now a growing list of potential suitors…

The Latest: Arsenal still following Wahi

According to Foot Mercato, the Gunners are still following the ‘very coveted’ striker, while Tottenham Hotspur, Manchester United and Juventus are also considering moves for the 20-year-old.

The report goes on to state that Montpellier value their prized asset at more than €30m (£26m) and they have no plans to let him leave this month, while the player is also believed to be settled.

The Verdict: Worth it?

Nketiah has defied expectations and done very well while Jesus has been on the treatment table, scoring four goals in his last five Premier League games. Therefore, Mikel Arteta does not necessarily need Wahi, but the youngster is showing signs that he could be a fantastic long-term prospect.

Hailed as ‘very impressive’ by football scout Jacek Kulig, the starlet is putting in performances beyond his years in Ligue 1 this season, scoring seven times in 18 outings, the joint-highest goal tally of any Montpellier player.

The forward is still quite raw, with some fundamental parts of his game still to develop. That is indicated by his return match average of just 0.04 assists per game over the course of the past year, placing him way below average compared to other strikers in Europe’s top five leagues.

However, the most crucial part of any striker’s game is their ability to put the ball in the the net, and he is already doing that in abundance.

Aston Villa are willing to enter the loan market before Tuesday’s deadline, with Unai Emery seeking an experienced striker, according to Matt Maher of the Express & Star.

The Lowdown: Top scorer gone

Villa have scored 23 times in 20 Premier League games, the second lowest tally among the top 11 teams in the division. Danny Ings netted six of those and was the top scorer in the Midlands, but as we know, he was sold to West Ham earlier this month in a deal worth around £15m.

Teenager Jhon Duran has arrived at Villa Park from Chicago Fire, but it looks as if another striker is wanted in the next 48 hours.

The Latest: Loan signing possible

Maher, chief sports writer for the Express and Star, shared a story in the last 24 hours regarding Villa’s transfer plans.

He claimed that the club are ‘preparing to enter the loan market if they are unable to land one of their top attacking targets in the final hours of the transfer window’, with Emery still hoping to bring in an experienced forward.

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The Verdict: Good thinking

Duran and Ollie Watkins are the only centre-forward options available to Emery, with youngster Cameron Archer joining Middlesbrough on loan. Therefore, you can see why another forward is wanted by the manager, potentially one who can operate anywhere across the front three after the 51-year-old  gave the green light in that regard back in November.

It could be too late in the month to secure a top target, though, with a reported £45m move for Atletico Bilbao’s Nico Williams failing, so it could be a wise move to look at a stop-gap deal until the summer. It will be interesting to see who that could be, with someone like Lyon’s Moussa Dembele a potential option following rumours earlier in the month of a cut-price transfer.

Ben Jacobs has claimed on his latest Twitter Space that people from America are interested in a takeover of Liverpool.

The Lowdown: FSG open to selling

Liverpool are reportedly up for sale from American owners FSG, although it still remains unclear if that would be a full takeover or just a form of minority investment.

FSG were the ones that helped bring Premier League and Champions League success to Anfield as well as lure Jurgen Klopp to Merseyside once he decided it was time to test himself in the Premier League.

However, their role and willingness to be part of the proposed European Super League is what will likely live long in the memories of most Liverpool fans, as well as many more up and down the country.

The Latest: Suitors are waiting in the wings

While nothing appears to be imminent for Liverpool and their fans getting new custodians, Jacobs has admitted that it doesn’t mean parties aren’t interested. In fact, interest is coming from across the pond once again.

He said: “Be very cautious, because this is still reasonably early stages by takeover or minority investor standards.

“But I do think that there is concrete interest from America and I also believe that for both Manchester United and Liverpool, as I’ve reported many times, Harris Blitzer [HBSE] still remain ones to watch.”

The Verdict: Liverpool currently in limbo

While FSG are indeed open to selling the club, they did look to back Klopp to an extent during January by bringing in Cody Gakpo early on, but were unable to aid his search for a new midfielder.

It has been reported that Liverpool are leading the race to sign Jude Bellingham in the summer to help solve their midfield woes, however, if FSG are still at the club and closing in on a takeover, that deal could well prove to be a lot more difficult.

It must be considered that FSG may not willingly look to shell out over £100m on a player that may not be theirs in just a few months’ time, so Liverpool fans will indeed be hoping for a full takeover, or at least some investment, in the near future – but they will likely be wary of American investors given their past experiences.

Tottenham Hotspur striker Harry Kane has previously told Jamie Redknapp that he would like to stay at Spurs, but they have to match his ambition.

What’s the latest?

The England captain’s name made the headlines over the weekend after his winning goal against Manchester City saw Kane become Tottenham’s record goalscorer.

However, there are concerns over the player’s future in north London with just over one year remaining on his deal with his boyhood club.

The likes of Manchester United have been linked with potential interest in the 29-year-old ahead of the summer with Spurs hoping to tie him down to a new deal.

And speaking to Sky Sports, Redknapp has admitted the striker has previously told him he wants to remain put in N17 but the club’s future has to be pointing in the right direction:

“This is what he said to me in 2020, that I want to stay, I love the club, but I’ll only stay if I believe the club are going in the right direction.

“Now, the fact that it hasn’t quite signed yet tells me that he’s still not quite sure, you know, he wants to see a little bit more he wants to club to match his ambition.”

Is it time to go?

There have been reports in the past suggesting Kane has come close to leaving the club with Manchester City making an approach back in 2021 to sign him.

And it is believed the England captain was open to the move and had indicated to Spurs that, actually, he would like to make the move to the Etihad Stadium.

So in that sense, it does seem as if Kane would be willing to leave north London if he feels as if the right opportunity was to present itself.

There could also be a lot riding on the future of Antonio Conte who is yet to commit his future to Spurs with his contract set to expire at the end of the current season.

Some reports have suggested he is likely to allow his deal to run out and make a return to Italy where his wife and daughter reside.

This does beg the question of whether Kane views Spurs’ future in a positive light with Conte potentially walking away from the club.

And now Kane has broken Tottenham’s goal record, this could potentially enable him to walk away from the club having etched his name in the club’s history.

But with Alan Shearer’s record still to break, it will be interesting to see whether the striker feels as if he is at the best place to do so over the coming years.

Arsenal slumped to a 1-0 defeat to Everton in their last Premier League match, although the gap at the top of the table remains five points due to Manchester City failing to take advantage, as Tottenham Hotspur secured a 1-0 win against them.

Mikel Arteta’s side have a game in hand so the gap could stretch to eight points, but he may be worried by the performance against the Toffees, which featured a lack of cutting edge as the home side were given a major lift having just appointed Sean Dyche and the players certainly delivered.

Despite having 70% possession, Arsenal simply couldn’t find the back of the net, with Eddie Nketiah failing to shine, while Gabriel Martinelli delivered just one cross during his time on the pitch and lost possession 14 times.

It is Ben White, however, who will give Arteta the biggest selection dilemma ahead of the match against Brentford.

His last two Premier League matches have seen the Englishman achieve an average Sofascore rating of just 6.3 and it might be time for the Spaniard to unleash Takehiro Tomiyasu.

Will Tomiyasu play against Brentford?

The Japanese defender is a natural right-back, unlike White, and Arteta could well look to unleash him from the start this afternoon and drop White to the bench following his recent performances.

Since arriving for £16m in 2021, Tomiyasu has gone on to make nearly 50 appearances for the North London side and has emerged as a solid first-team player, who Arteta can be comfortable calling upon when required.

With White underperforming recently, a run in the starting XI might boost the 24-year-olds confidence and give the manager a major dilemma heading into the final months of the campaign.

Indeed, when he has played this term, Tomiyasu has been solid if unspectacular, although starting just four matches in the league doesn’t do much for rhythm.

An average Sofascore rating of 6.74 ranks him as Arsenal’s 17th-best performer this term, however, he does rank in the top five for clearances made per game (0.8) and in the top ten for tackles made (1.3) and clearances (0.8), suggesting he does provide a solid defensive option when called upon.

Mitchell Dijks – his ex-teammate at Bologna – dubbed the right-back a “warrior” while after a great display against Bodo/Glimt in October, football.london reporter Kaya Kaynak graded his performance as one of the finest on the night – ‘Got forward superbly and showed that he’s more than ready to fill the right-back spot if Ben White finds his standards slipping at any point,’ he wrote.

There is no doubt Tomiyasu could shine against Brentford and with a chance to secure a regular spot at right-back up for grabs, it might just be the chance he was waiting for and what the Gunners need to reignite their title charge after a loss last time out.

West Ham United slumped to a 2-0 defeat to Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League on Sunday, meaning they have won just once in the top flight since Christmas, and David Moyes must surely be feeling the pressure with his team dropping into the relegation zone.

A goalless first half had West Ham still in the contest, while a win would have moved them out of the relegation zone, but goals from Emerson Royal and Heung-min Son shattered those ambitions and left Moyes with much to ponder.

Angelo Ogbonna had a game to forget, receiving a team-low Sofascore rating of just 6.1/10; while the Evening Standard’s Malik Ouzia was even more damning, giving him a rating of 4/10 due to his culpability in the two goals that the Irons conceded.

During his 81 minutes on the pitch, the Italian made just one tackle, two clearances and one interception while also taking 33 touches, only two more than goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski.

The 35-year-old won just one aerial duel all day and generally had a game to forget, although fellow defender Vladimir Coufal also underperformed.

How did Coufal perform against Tottenham Hotspur?

Although given a slightly better rating than Ogbonna from both Sofascore and the Evening Standard’s Ouzia, with 6.8/10 and 5/10 respectively, the right-back still struggled to cope against Spurs.

He completed just 26 of his 50 attempted passes, proving quite wasteful in a game where circulating the ball effectively would have been key to securing a positive result, while he was also ineffective going forwards, succeeding with none of his seven crosses.

He did offer a physical presence, winning 80% of his ground duels and not being dribbled past once, but in losing possession a whopping 35 times, he clearly wasn’t confident on the ball during the match, and this proved costly.

His sloppiness in possession was surprising given his decent form of late, starring in the draw against Newcastle United (7.4 Sofascore rating) and the win over Everton (7.1 from Sofascore), but on a day when a win against Spurs would’ve taken the Irons out of the bottom three, his performance proved to be rather underwhelming.

It wasn’t only the Croatian who let Moyes down yesterday, with the defence as a whole failing to cope with Spurs’ attacks. However, Coufal and co will need to put things right at home to Nottingham Forest next weekend as the Hammers look to secure only their second league win of 2023.

Newcastle United could land an astute piece of business in the summer if they are to land the Eintracht Frankfurt’s Daichi Kamada.

Are Newcastle interested in Daichi Kamada?

There have been reports suggesting the Magpies are eyeing a potential swoop for the Japanese midfielder who has impressed massively in the Bundesliga.

And there has even been the suggestion that the Tyneside club are actually leading the race to land the 26-year-old over the coming months.

However, the Magpies are not the only Premier League side said to be interested in the midfielder with the likes of Tottenham Hotspur and Liverpool credited with an interest.

But speaking to Football FanCast, journalist Pete O’Rourke has claimed this could be a seriously impressive addition if the Magpies are able to beat off the competition from elsewhere:

“I think Kamada’s a top player and one of the probably the best free agents around the summer when his contract expires at Eintracht Frankfurt.

“He’s a top player. Played at the highest level was inspirational in helping Frankfurt win the Europa League last season as well. And as I said, he’s a top international as well. So I think get a player like that on a free transfer would be an astute piece of business by anybody.”

Who is Daichi Kamada?

The 26-year-old has now been showcasing his talent in Germany for a number of years now having made the move over from Belgium back in 2018.

And in the last few seasons, he has proven to be a real outlet for Frankfurt with consistent returns of goals and assists across all competitions.

This season alone, Kamada has been able to provide Oliver Glasner with 13 goals and five assists in his 28 appearances for the Geran side.

Kamada has proven to be a threat in the Champions League too with three of his goals this season coming in the elite European competition.

This will likely mean he will want to continue to showcase his talent on the highest stage of European football which could potentially be on offer next season at St. James’ Park.

And that could be a major sticking point in Kamada’s decision-making this summer if he is to leave Frankfurt given his contract is set to expire at the end of the campaign.

However, Newcastle are yet to really break the mould of their wage structure with their Saudi-based owners at the helm.

And with some huge clubs credited with an interest, it wouldn’t be difficult to foresee a club being willing to pay the Japanese midfielder a significant weekly wage given his performances for Frankfurt over recent seasons.

Newcastle United have been handed a massive boost before their Carabao Cup final on Sunday with the announcement of Miguel Almiron’s new contract.

How long is Almiron’s new contract?

The Paraguayan’s new deal was confirmed on Friday ahead of Newcastle’s trip to the capital this weekend which will provide them with the opportunity to end their long trophy drought.

And it has been announced that the forward has put pen to paper on a deal which will see his stay on Tyneside last another three-and-a-half years.

The 29-year-old has been rewarded on the back of what has been an impressive 2022/23 campaign to date which has him sat as the club’s top scorer.

Speaking on his YouTube channel, journalist Lee Ryder has been left buzzing after hearing the news with the side set to make their way to the capital on Saturday ahead of Sunday’s final:

“Well, I think it’s an absolutely massive boost for Newcastle United going into that final at Wembley in the Carabao Cup final knowing that one of your star players has signed a new deal. It’ll certainly give him a little boost if he really needed one.”

Why has Almiron been given a new contract?

Almiron’s time on Tyneside has been largely underwhelming on the whole with his performances since his arrival in 2019 leaving a lot to be desired.

However, this has been the first campaign in which the 29-year-old has shown signs of the form which was why the Toon looked to bring him in from the MLS.

In his 152 appearances for the Magpies across all competitions, Almiron has scored just 24 goals but 10 of those have come in his 23 Premier League appearances this season (via Transfermarkt).

This turnaround in form could potentially be put down to the player having the opportunity to work under Eddie Howe over the summer with something clearly clicking for the Paraguayan.

Newcastle legend Alan Shearer has shared his thoughts on the player’s turnaround which has seen him play a big role in Newcastle’s success this season:

“Miguel Almiron got another superb goal against Spurs, and the improvement from him this season has been incredible. The one thing that has never been in doubt since he joined Newcastle in 2019 is his work rate – he has always put the effort in, and more.”

However, Almiron has only scored once in his last seven Premier League games which will have some fearing he may have just enjoyed a small run of form earlier in the season.

But the game against Manchester United on the weekend could offer Almiron with the perfect opportunity to write his name in Newcastle’s history and cap off what has been a good start to the weekend for him.