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Flamengo manager Vitor Pereira has emerged as a potential replacement for Jesse Marsch as Leeds United boss, according to a new rumour.

The Lowdown: Leeds on the lookout

It is now approaching two weeks since Marsch was relieved of his duties at Elland Road, with a string of poor results and performance ultimately leading to his demise.

Since then, Leeds have been linked with a number of individuals, from Marcelo Bielsa to Carlos Corberan, but no appointment has been made yet.

Michael Skubala has stepped in as interim manager for the time being but it remains to be seen how long he will be in charge for.

The Latest: Pereira emerges as candidate

According to Mundo Rubro Negro [via Sport Witness], Pereira could possibly be on Leeds’ radar, with an ‘enquiry from an English club’ received.

The Whites and Southampton are both without a manager currently, which could seemingly point towards them being the club in question, and the Flamengo boss could ‘ask to leave’ because he has a ‘dream of training in the Premier League’.

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The Verdict: Interesting option for Whites

Pereira could be an intriguing appointment by Leeds if they end up being the club to have enquired about him, with the 54-year-old only joining Flamengo last month.

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He has tasted plenty of success in his career, winning two Primeira Liga titles with Porto, one Greek title with Olympiakos and a Chinese Super League with Shanghai Port – so he has undoubted pedigree.

While Skubala may be able to fill a void for the time being, bringing in someone with Pereira’s experience and nous could ultimately make the difference between Leeds staying in the Premier League or not.

Newcastle United’s 1-1 draw against West Ham United on Saturday evening proved a particularly frustrating affair for fleet-footed Frenchman Allan Saint-Maximin, with the 25-year-old having seen his involvement limited on the flanks.

The former Nice dynamo had been afforded a rare starting berth as Joelinton dropped back into a midfield role to cover for the suspended Bruno Guimaraes, although the pacy winger failed to truly take his chance, having had a ‘disappointing night’ according to the Chronicle’s Lee Ryder.

While Magpies boss Eddie Howe admitted that his side “didn’t get him the ball enough”, Saint-Maximin struggled when he was in possession, as he lost the ball on 13 occasions from his 34 touches and failed to provide a single key pass.

That outing encapsulated what has been a difficult campaign so far for the £70k-per-week wing wizard, who has just one goal and three assists to his name in 18 appearances in all competitions, having made only five top-flight starts.

Those woes have followed claims made during the summer that the former Monaco ace could be allowed to depart Newcastle for a fee of around £50m, while he was subsequently linked with a move to AC Milan last month.

Any potential departure for the 5 foot 8 speedster could well be hastened come the end of the season should the Tynesiders be able to secure a suitable upgrade, with recent reports having claimed that one such target could well be Napoli sensation Khvicha Kvaratskhelia.

That’s according to CBS Sports reporter Ben Jacobs (via his Twitter space), as he revealed that Newcastle “have looked” at the 21-year-old amid his scintillating start to life with the runaway Serie A leaders.

This follows a 90min report in December which suggested that the Magpies were one of the clubs showing an interest in the Georgian dynamo, albeit with the Azzurri said to be holding out for more than £100m if they are to cash in any time soon.

Despite only arriving at his current club last summer, the 19-cap ace has already scored eight goals and provided nine assists in just 17 league games this season, proving to be something of a “revelation” according to The Athletic’s James Horncastle.

Not only is that return of goal contributions far greater than the aforementioned Saint-Maximin, Kvaratskhelia also appears to offer far more out of possession. He has averaged 1.4 tackles per game this season, in contrast to just 0.4 per game for the current Newcastle forward.

Equally, while the latter has been a rather underwhelming performer this season with a Sofascore match rating of just 6.85 in the Premier League, the Napoli starlet has a far greater average of 7.38 per game this term.

Kvaratskhelia’s superior quality is also showcased by the fact that he ranks in the top 1% among his European positional peers for assists and in the top 11% for non-penalty goals, while Saint-Maximin ranks in just the top 19% and the bottom 5% respectively in that regard.

As such, bringing in the “untamed” and “instinctive” Georgian – as described by New York Times correspondent Rory Smith – could well be a much-needed upgrade for Howe’s side.

Leeds United are reportedly stepping up their bid to sign Juventus midfielder, Weston McKennie…

What’s the word?

According to journalist Fabrizio Romano, the Whites are believed to be pressing on with talks in the hope of coming to an agreement regarding the USA international, albeit with the Elland Road outfit having yet to meet the Serie A side’s €35m (£31m) valuation.

Writing on Twitter about that developing situation, the transfer guru stated: “Negotiations continue between Leeds and Juventus for Weston McKennie as opening bid has been made for €28m, Juventus want €35m fee.

“McKennie has already agreed personal terms with Leeds.”

This comes amid what has already been a hectic transfer window for Jesse Marsch’s side, with the relegation strugglers having brought in Maximilian Wober and Giorginio Rutter in order to bolster their survival bid.

Marsch’s own Kante

Marsch has already used his American connections to secure the signings of both Brenden Aaronson and Tyler Adams in the recent past, although it looks as if the former RB Leipzig boss could well land yet another of his compatriots in the form of McKennie.

The latter man has been on the books in Turin since joining on an initial loan deal from Bundesliga side Schalke in the summer of 2020, subsequently racking up 13 goals and five assists in 96 games for the ‘Old Lady’ in that time.

Despite enjoying a profitable 2022/23 campaign thus far on a personal note, with five goal involvements in 21 games in all competitions, the 24-year-old will seemingly be allowed to depart this month amid the ongoing financial struggles that have engulfed the Italian giants.

That loss could well be to Leeds’ gain with the 41-cap machine potentially set to thrive in English football, having even been previously compared to Chelsea’s N’Golo Kante in the past by former United States international, Alexi Lalas.

That comparison is high praise indeed considering what the diminutive Frenchman has won in the game, notably claiming major honours for both club and country, while also being lauded as one of the most “influential” players in the Premier League over the last decade or so, as per pundit Joe Cole.

The 31-year-old has spent much of the current campaign on the sidelines due to injury, although the World Cup winner notably showed his class last term, averaging 2.3 tackles and 1.2 interceptions per game in his 26 league outings.

McKennie also illustrated his quality as an effective ball-winner after averaging one tackle and 1.1 interceptions per 90 from his 21 league appearances in that 2021/22 campaign, while also showing his quality in possession as he completed 77% of his total dribbles – with Kante recording 73% in that same metric.

That likeness should well be of interest to those back in Yorkshire, with the Juventus “conqueror” – as described by Lalas – potentially set to bring his Kante-esque quality to Marsch’s side in the near future.

An update has emerged on Newcastle United goalkeeper Loris Karius and his future at St. James’ Park beyond the January transfer window…

What’s the talk?

Sky Sports journalist Keith Downie has revealed that the German shot-stopper is poised to put pen to paper on an extension with the Magpies.

The reporter Tweeted: “Loris Karius is close to signing a deal to extend his Newcastle contract until the end of the season.

“And according to colleague @Plettigoal, further talks have also been taking place over a longer contract for the German goalkeeper #NUFC.”

Can finally ditch Karl Darlow

Extending Karius’ contract with the club could allow Newcastle to finally part ways with long-serving goalkeeper Karl Darlow as the Englishman would be one of four shot-stoppers on Tyneside.

Nick Pope started between the sticks in the recent 1-0 win over Fulham in the Premier League at St. James’ Park and Martin Dubravka, who recently returned from his loan spell with Manchester United, was on the bench as his deputy.

This indicates that they are Eddie Howe’s first-choice options in goal and that would leave Karius and Darlow fighting it out to be third in the pecking order, with the former penning a contract extension potentially showing that he has won that battle.

The German colossus remaining with the Magpies for the rest of this season, and possibly beyond, could then open the door for the Englishman to depart as it seems unlikely that a fourth-choice goalkeeper will get minutes between now and May – as three other players in that position would need to be unavailable.

Darlow was called upon in the 2021/22 campaign after an injury to Dubravka and struggled badly in the Premier League, showing that he was not up to the task of being a number one in the top-flight.

The £30k-per-week shot-stopper averaged a Sofascore rating of 6.47 across eight appearances in the division and conceded 1.9 goals per match between the sticks.

In those games, the former Nottingham Forest ‘keeper let in 4.5 more goals than the average goalkeeper would be expected to from the post-shot xG that he faced, which essentially means that Darlow underperformed significantly in terms of shot-stopping.

Therefore, the 32-year-old is a liability at Premier League level and is not a goalkeeper who can be relied upon by Howe, which is why he should now be ditched from the squad following the news that Karius is set to stay as back-up behind Pope and Dubravka.

Everton were expected to return from the World Cup break refreshed after what had been a taxing first half of the season, however, today’s display suggested anything but.

Frank Lampard’s men fell to a disappointing 2-1 defeat despite taking the lead early on, with a gut-wrenching winner courtesy of Rayan Air Nouri at the death.

It was a true smash and grab from the Old Gold, who only had 42% of the ball all game. The Toffees boasted more shots, shots on target and expected goals, yet could not kill the game off.

With Yerry Mina nodding in the opener after seven minutes, Goodison Park returned to its fiery best as it roared their side’s press into action.

However, with a well-worked set piece of their own, Daniel Podence silenced them with a neat finish from close range.

Then, frustrated by the lack of options in midfield and out wide, Goodison Park returned to its toxic worst.

There were many points of contention across the ground, with fans questioning who had let Lampard down the most. Whilst the toothless nature of Vitaliy Mykolenko may have frustrated fans, outlined in his two failed crosses and 6.3 rating, it was surely Anthony Gordon who will have drawn the most anger.

The 21-year-old continued his barren run and was deservedly marked down by Sofascore, as he earned the worst rating of anyone on the pitch (6.1).

Although he did make an impressive seven tackles higher up the pitch, in an attempt to aid the press, he often left his full-back out to dry with a lack of positional intelligence.

Competing in 19 duels, he would win only six, meaning he lost 69% of them all game.

Then, expected to spearhead their attack, he would let the fans and team down twofold.

Attempting five dribbles, he would be successful in none of them. This was mirrored in his one failed cross too.

However, with the scores at 1-1, it was his one big chance missed that truly capped off his terrible display, as his left-footed strike from close range went straight into the outstretched Jose Sa.

It is a wonder where the “fearless” youngster that Alan Shearer lauded has gone, with the winger a shell of the electric creator that initially broke into the first team.

With the pressure having cranked up on Lampard before the break, this loss will surely spark the rumour mill once more.

He may only have a string of games now to save his game if this Gordon disasterclass was not enough to see him sacked already.

Leeds United have been dealt a potentially huge blow in their bid to bring Matheus Cunha to Elland Road in the January transfer window.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by Spanish publication Marca, who claim that, despite David Ornstein recently suggesting that Victor Orta could launch a move for the centre-forward should Wolverhampton Wanderers not be able to afford a deal, Atletico Madrid are now close to agreeing a fee with the Premier League side for the transfer of the Brazil international.

The report went on to state that the 23-year-old is set to leave the Metropolitano Stadium after an uninspiring year-and-a-half spell in Madrid, with the striker’s inability to find the form to earn a call-up to Tite’s Brazil squad for the Qatar World Cup said to have sped up the LaLiga side’s desire to move the attacker on in January.

Big blow

While it is true that Cunha’s return of seven goals and eight assists over 54 appearances since his €26m (£22m) move to Atletico back in the summer of 2021 is not the most impressive haul for a number nine, considering just how impressive the attacker was during his time with Hertha BSC, the news Wolves are close to landing the 23-year-old is sure to come as a big blow to Orta.

Indeed, over his 11 Bundesliga appearances in his debut campaign with Hertha back in 2019/20, the £26m-rated talent was in exceptional attacking form, scoring five goals and providing his teammates with two assists – helping his side secure a very respectable tenth-place finish in the German top flight that season.

The £49k-per-week forward once again caught the eye over his 27 league outings in 2020/21, bagging seven goals, registering five assists and creating six big chances for his teammates, in addition to taking an average of 2.3 shots – 1.3 of which hit the target – making 1.8 key passes and completing 3.0 dribbles – the joint second-most in the division – per fixture.

These metrics saw the player who Bruno Labbadia dubbed “special” average a simply sensational Sofascore match rating of 7.15, not only ranking him as Hertha’s best performer in the league but also as the joint 26th-best player in the Bundesliga as a whole.

As such, considering the fact that Patrick Bamford is continuing to struggle with injury this season, it is clear for all to see that Leeds are in rather desperate need of a new centre-forward in January, leading us to believe that missing out on Cunha will come as a seismic blow to Orta – with the director of football now needing to turn his attention in January elsewhere.

Tottenham Hotspur will be keeping an eye on several players during the World Cup in Qatar and on Saturday, one mooted transfer target put in an electric display that would have left manager Antonio Conte wondering what he must to do to lure him to the club.

According to 90min, the north London outfit have already enquired to Inter Milan about Denzel Dumfries ahead of the January window as they look for right wing-back reinforcements.

TEAMtalk transfer insider Graeme Bailey has also added some weight to the report. He recently claimed:

“The latest interest is emerging from Tottenham and it is not a surprise. We know that Matt Doherty and summer signing Djed Spence are not the sort of full-backs Antonio Conte is keen on. Whilst Emerson Royal is also not seen as the long-term option for them.

“Someone who can get forward at will, like Dumfries, is the ideal scenario for Spurs and they are now keeping close tabs on the situation.”

Indeed, the Italian head coach has had quite a problem on the right flank, with his current options seemingly not up to scratch. And whilst Djed Spence could be the long-term answer, he may not be ready for a shot at the big time just yet.

Emerson Royal – once lambasted as a “complete liability” – by ex-midfielder Jamie O’Hara is just not good enough and Jose Mourinho signing Matt Doherty has never enjoyed a consistent enough run in the team.

Well, Conte and sporting director Fabio Paratici would have just watched an absolute masterclass from their best solution as Dumfries spearheaded the Netherlands to a 3-1 victory over the USA, who drew to England 0-0 during the group stages.

In a ‘Man of the Match’ performance, the 26-year-old dynamo delivered two assists and even bagged the match-winning goal in the 81st minute. He was deployed in a right wing-back role in a system that is very similar to Conte’s 3-5-2, so the Dutch sensation was expected to get up and down the wing.

And he did so, in what was described as a “wing-back clinic” by Squawka, whilst journalist Zito Madu described him as a “terror” to the Stars and Stripes all game.

Emerson and Doherty’s major faults seem to lie in the final third, particularly with the former, so three direct goal contributions in one game has already usurped the one assist that the Spurs pair have managed in the first half of the 2022/23 campaign.

Dumfries, who was previously hailed as a “difference-maker” by journalist Siavoush Fallahi, also registered more touches (70) than any other Oranje player, showing just how much of their possession and play went through him, thus highlighting his importance going forward – where he also created two key chances.

Meanwhile defensively, the £53k-per-week gem put in a squad-high three interceptions, one goal-saving clearance off the line, one tackle and one block throughout the 90 minutes he was on the pitch, as per Sofascore, which goes to show just how strong he is in his own third, too.

As such, Conte may have just witnessed exactly what he’s missing from the current Spurs squad, so Paratici must do everything to sign Dumfries in January and with an asking price in the region of £43m, he’d be a very worthwhile signing indeed.

AND in other news, Forget Bentancur: Spurs target who’s a £15m “special talent” stole the show in Qatar…

The Daily Telegraph journalist Luke Edwards has shared that Newcastle United ‘do not intend to spend big’ on any player in the January transfer window.

The Lowdown: Great start

The St James’ Park outfit have made a great start to the Premier League season, sitting pretty in third place in the table.

Given the financial backing by the owners in the summer, when the Magpies had a net spend of £122.4m and brought in Alexander Isak as a club-record signing, they could look to go again in January in order to cement their chances of finishing in one of the Champions League places by the end of the campaign.

The Latest: No intention to go ‘big’

Taking to Twitter, Edwards has shared that Newcastle ‘do not intend to spend big’ on players in January, but that could potentially change after their trip to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) in December.

He tweeted: “The word coming out of #nufc at the moment is they do not intend to spend big in January on anyone but could high league position and a trip to Saudi Arabia in December change that?”

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The Verdict: Go the extra mile…

While Newcastle are in such a healthy league position, they should be looking to go the extra mile and get one or two more big players into St James’ Park in January.

Money should not be too much of an issue given PIF’s wealth, so they could essentially cherry-pick who they would like from the players who are attainable.

The Magpies’ long-term ambitions will be to eventually play in the Champions League regularly, but the financial backing for some of the ‘big six’ clubs may mean that this will take longer than they perhaps anticipate.

With the likes of Manchester United, Chelsea and Liverpool falling behind at the moment, this season presents a glorious opportunity for the Magpies to finish in the top four, and a couple of big-money signings in January could help them massively in that regard.

West Bromwich Albion now seems set to appoint Carlos Corberan as the successor to Steve Bruce, and there are a few things that he could do at the Championship club to make himself an instant crowd favourite at The Hawthorns.

He will inherit a squad which has vastly underperformed this season, letting down not only the 61-year-old but caretaker boss Richard Beale too.

It will not be easy to turn the tide of a club in freefall, as they currently sit three points adrift of safety in the relegation zone, having won just one of their last 11 Championship games.

Of the decisions that Corberan could make to instantly get the crowd onside, binning off the toothless Karlan Grant must surely be at the top of his list.

Having been signed for big money from Huddersfield Town, his debut season in the Premier League was disappointing, netting just once in 21 games.

However, the 25-year-old quickly announced himself as a fine goalscorer in the second tier, as he bagged 18 goals and set up six more. It appeared that, if the Baggies were to return to the top flight, it would be spearheaded by the £20k-per-week marksman, of whom Bruce still said “can do more” for the club.

Alas, their abysmal form this season seems to be directly coinciding with his lack of quality up front. After just three goals in 15 games, Grant has experienced the biggest drop-off by far among Albion’s squad.

These consistently poor displays, one of which saw journalist Jonny Drury dub him “pedestrian”, have let West Brom down massively.

Although his deputy Brandon Thomas-Asante had hit the ground running at The Hawthorns, the former Salford man has offered little since scoring two goals in his opening two games for the Baggies, and it is this lack of competition which sees Grant continue to play despite his ailing form.

While Corberan might have to wait until January to sign reinforcements, assuming his proposed appointment is formalised, he must surely already be considering dropping the disappointing dud, with whom Albion supporters could become disenchanted as he continues to let them and the club down.

The Spaniard could instantly make himself a crowd favourite at The Hawthorns if were he to make a big call and drop Grant in favour of a new centre-forward.

Glasgow Rangers strolled to another straightforward Premiership win this afternoon at Ibrox.

Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s side thrashed St Mirren 4-0 to record their third consecutive league victory, and this will give the Gers a confidence boost with a busy few weeks approaching.

A tap-in from Antonio Colak following a Borna Barisic shot, and later a James Tavernier penalty gave the Light Blues a nice two-goal cushion at half-time, and Van Bronckhorst would surely have urged his team to embellish the goal difference in the final 45 minutes.

Two more goals were added in the second half but it took the Light Blues until the final quarter-hour of the match to score them. Colak netted his fourth league brace of the season while Fashion Sakala repaid Van Bronckhorst with a nice finish to round off the win.

It was a solid team performance and the Dutchman will surely be very pleased with Sakala’s display, especially considering that it was his first league start of the campaign.

Sakala stole the show against St Mirren

The Zambian came off the bench against Liverpool in midweek, and despite playing for just 24 minutes at Anfield, he completed 100% of his passes, took one shot and caused general unpredictability in the Rangers attack.

This cameo prompted Van Bronckhorst to start him against St Mirren, and he was arguably the finest player on the pitch.

Sakala received a SofaScore rating of 8.8, the joint highest on the pitch alongside Colak, while scoring the fourth goal and providing the assist for the Croatian’s second. He also created a further big chance and played one key pass during his time on the pitch, giving the team a different attacking outlet.

Former Rangers defender Alan Hutton once described the Zambian as a “firework”, and the 25-year-old certainly displayed this trait today as he showcased his wonderful dribbling ability, completing 100% of his attempted dribbles while winning nine of his 13 duels.

His dynamism and attacking nature stood out and this display would certainly have boosted his confidence following a slow start to the season.

In fairness, the forward has only featured for a total of 225 minutes in all competitions this season, but with Liverpool visiting Ibrox on Wednesday night in the Champions League, he may have justified a spot in the starting XI.