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[ad_pod ]Sheffield Wednesday are set to secure the first three signings of the Steve Bruce era, but are they panic signings or shrewd additions?

What’s the story?

Well, according to Dom Howson of The Sheffield Star, the Owls are working on a double swoop to sign Newcastle outcasts Achraf Lazaar and Rolando Aarons on loan.

Left-back Lazaar has made no senior appearances on Tyneside this season (per Transfermarkt) while Aarons has played 13 times on loan with Slovan Liberec (per Transfermarkt).

Howson also reports that the Owls will sign Dominic Iorfa on a permanent deal, as the promising 23 year-old has found playing time difficult to come by at Wolves this season.

Two Tyneside flops?

Newcastle fans will be happy to see the back of Lazaar, who if truth be told has been doing nothing more than collecting a wage packet for quite some time now.

The 17-cap Morocco international full back’s last Newcastle outing came in a League Cup defeat to Nottingham Forest back in August 2017, and he has made just ten senior appearances in two-and-a-half years on Tyneside.

Who are the best away fans in the Championship? Pl>ymaker FC’s Thogden gives his top 10 in the video below…

Aarons meanwhile has also taken stick from the Toon Army, as the 23 year-old winger is brimming with potential but has never shown the focus or desire needed to reach the next level.

The speedy youngster may well find his home in the Championship, but with just four goals and three assists in 27 Newcastle games he needs to improve his end product.

Versatility is king

In many ways, Iorfa looks to be the most promising capture of the three, as Bruce is certain to begin his Hillsborough revolution with a defensive overhaul.

Iorfa rose through the youth ranks at Wolves and has racked up 93 appearances for his club, per Transfermarkt, as well as a successful loan spell at Ipswich last season.

The 23 year-old is capable of playing any defensive position or even in midfield, but at 6 ft 4 in tall it may surprise fans to learn he is best at right-back, rather than in the centre.

Regardless of where he uses the Wolves ace, signing a versatile, powerful and athletic youngster with his first permanent move is a stroke of genius from Bruce.

So, Sheffield Wednesday fans, would you be happy with this triple move? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below…

West Ham United still have a crucial period of their season left to get through in order to finish as high up the Premier League table as they can and potentially winning the Europa League.

However, with the upcoming summer transfer window in mind, it seems as though a clue has been dropped over one potential deal that may or may not take place once the season comes to an end.

What’s the talk?

Speaking to Football FanCast, journalist and transfer insider Dean Jones had this to say on the situation regarding West Ham’s interest in signing £20.7m-rated Fiorentina defender Nikola Milenkovic after a report emerged claiming that the club have a gentleman’s agreement with the player’s agent regarding a potential summer transfer move.

He said: “I think he turned them down once before. I don’t know of any agreement like that, that is in place.

“Maybe there is and I haven’t heard of it, but he’s a player they’ve undoubtedly liked in the past.”

The player was supposedly available for just £13m over the winter.

Not good news for the Hammers

As many West Ham fans will remember, the club were linked with a move for the player Sacha Pisani dubbed a “beast” back in the previous summer transfer window before they secured a deal for Kurt Zouma from fellow Premier League side Chelsea.

Having remained in Italy with Fiorentina, the centre-back has shown the Hammers exactly why they should have secured his signature when they had the chance.

With 26 league appearances under his belt, the 24-year-old has racked up a total of 101 combined tackles and interceptions, the highest of any player at the club, as well as 74 clearances, also more than any of his teammates.

This highlights just what a capable defender he is and why the Hammers were after him last summer.

Taking into account what Jones had to say about him having no knowledge of any gentleman’s agreement that would see the defender make the move to the London Stadium, this will surely be a disappointment for the Hammers fans and their hope of seeing the defender join.

With Milenkovic actually turning down a move to the east London club when they were previously after him, this certainly wouldn’t go down well with the West Ham supporters either.

Current Hammers centre-back Issa Diop has recently been linked with a move to Lyon in the summer, the club should try and persuade the Fiorentina defender to once again sign to them and see if he can bring his talent to England.

In other news: Big worry: West Ham dealt fresh injury setback that’ll have many supporters sweating

Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola is set to be without another player alongside Ruben Dias as they gear up for today’s blockbuster Eastlands clash with arch title rivals Liverpool.

The Lowdown: Huge day…

A single point separates the Sky Blues and Jurgen Klopp’s side in the race for Premier League glory with today’s mouth-watering encounter coming as an absolutely pivotal one.

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City boast the best defensive record in England’s top flight, conceding just 18 goals all season, while their competitors today have bagged the division’s most strikes with 77 (Premier League).

Guardiola and Klopp, with barely anything between their sides, are set to go head-to-head again this afternoon in what could be a real 2021/2022 title race six-pointer.

The Sky Blues grabbed a deserved 2-2 draw at Anfield the last time these teams met, but with a win today, City could take one gigantic leap towards retaining their Premier League crown.

Guardiola will be hampered by the absence of star defender Ruben Dias, and as per the latest team news, he’ll be without another player alongside him at the Etihad Stadium.

The Latest: Pep without Palmer…

As confirmed, City’s head coach won’t be able to call upon electric starlet Cole Palmer today.

The homegrown ace has been sidelined for most of the calendar year, coming as a piece of frustration given his head-turning rise to prominence earlier in the campaign.

Palmer has thoroughly impressed at points but hasn’t been able to contribute lately due to ongoing fitness issues, prompting the Citizens to even consider surgery.

The Verdict: Blow for Pep?

The 19-year-old, CFG’s most exciting academy product since a certain Phil Foden, has been an arguable miss off the bench and City supporters will be hoping he can return to full fitness as soon as possible.

Palmer has attracted huge praise for some of his cameos this season with club legends Paul Dickov and Shaun Wright-Phillips raving over the exciting attacker.

Wright-Phillips in particular, speaking after the talent notched a goal and assist in City’s 4-1 FA Cup third round victory away to Swindon Town, labelled Palmer ‘outstanding’ for his form over the campaign (City’s matchday live show via The Manchester Evening News).

Guardiola could’ve done with the teenager’s obvious talent as an option off the bench, but alas, the Spaniard will be without him yet again as he prepares for Liverpool.

In other news: Man City discussions held as ‘unbelievable’ £33m star decides he wants to join Pep! Find out more here.

Celtic have not been shy when it comes to moving certain players out of the club over recent years, whether it be on loan or permanent deals.

With the benefit of hindsight, one figure that the Hoops got rid of a few years ago that they may now be regretting is Liam Henderson.

As a product of the club’s youth system, the midfielder made 37 senior appearances for the Hoops in which he scored three goals and provided two assists.

In the 2018 January transfer window, Celtic sold their youth graduate to Italian club Bari for a reported fee of £115k.

After joining Hellas Verona just a few months after he made his original move to Italy, the Scotsman signed to Lecce in September 2020.

The midfielder was on the move again in the previous summer transfer window after he signed to FC Empoli on a permanent deal after he had spent some time on loan there in 2020.

Since then, the former Celtic talent has appeared in every Serie A game that Empoli have played against the likes of Juventus and the two Milan giants, scoring one goal and providing four assists along the way.

To highlight what a useful player he has been for his current club in this campaign, no other Empoli player has made more pressures (197) in the midfield area of the pitch than the £24k-per-week gem, who also has the second-highest number of crosses made.

Also, only Nedim Bajrami (1.7) has racked up a higher average of key passes than the former Hoops youth starlet (1.1).

Praised for his “exemplary” behaviour by Lecce president Saverio Sticchi Damiani, Henderson is currently valued at £6m according to CIES, which is significantly higher than the transfer fee that Celtic picked up for him back in 2018.

With that in mind and how well the midfield talent is doing in Italy, it could be said that the Parkhead club were rather hasty in terms of getting rid of the 25-year-old on a permanent basis when they did.

Moving forward, unless the Parkhead club are of a mind to bring the midfielder back to Celtic Park at some point, they would be better off forgetting about him and not dwelling on their mistake.

In other news: £4.7m down the drain: £12k-p/w Celtic liability rinsed Peter Lawwell for 140 weeks

Liverpool are set for a disaster if £10.8m-rated striker Divock Origi departs the club for free when his contract expires this summer.

What’s the story?

According to Italian journalist Fabrizio Romano, the Reds star is set to leave Anfield when his contract expires in June and AC Milan are the club leading the race to sign him.

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He’s been used off the bench by Klopp many times during his tenure and has become a fan favourite at the club, with his boss even calling him a “legend”. He’s more of an important player to the squad than you might initially think so it’s important they do all they can to keep him.

He’s an important team player

One thing that Liverpool have had more of this season is squad depth, and when they are challenging on all fronts being able to rely on this and field different options is crucial.

That’s why Origi is a player who matters so much to their success, not only does he have a proven track record of coming off the bench and making an impact in games, but he also offers something very different up top from the other strikers at the club.

The 27-year old arrived from French club Lille in 2014 for £11.4m and is the second longest-serving player at the club currently, behind only the captain Jordan Henderson. He’s made 173 appearances in that time and been directly involved in 58 goals, his biggest coming in the 2019 Champions League final against Tottenham Hotspur.

Because of this impact in big games, to see him leave on a free transfer would be a blow and it would also leave Klopp in a desperate search for a replacement.

His longevity is one of the things that has earnt him legendary status at Anfield, he proved key when he came on yesterday for their Merseyside derby victory over Everton, scoring the second goal. This took him six league goals against the Toffees at Anfield, with Steven Gerrard the only Liverpool player ever to have scored more in the derby at home.

Although he may not be a regular starter in Klopp’s side, he certainly is one of his favourite players and losing him will massively weaken Liverpool.

IN other news: Sources: Liverpool agree terms to sign “special” £36m-rated ace, Klopp surely buzzing – opinion

West Ham United are interested in a deal to bring Ben Brereton Diaz to the London Stadium in the January transfer window.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a claim made by ExWHUemployee, who revealed on a recent episode of The West Ham Way Podcast that David Moyes is interested in a deal to bring the Blackburn Rovers centre-forward in during the current transfer market.

However, the Hammers insider then went on to state that the Championship side are unlikely to want to part with the Chile international this month due to their lofty position in the second-tier standings – as selling the 22-year-old for a figure of around £20m would not be worth missing out on a shot at the Premier League.

On West Ham’s interest in Brereton Diaz, Ex said: “We like Diaz at Blackburn. I broke that [story] a month or so ago. [The fact that no move has materialised yet] doesn’t mean it wasn’t true, it just means that Blackburn – because they are right at the top of the Championship, having not been in the Premier League for years – why would they want to sell him at this point? You’ve got to factor that in.

“Getting up to the Premier League is worth more than £20m. If you get back into the Premier League the finances are huge. So these clubs will wait until the summer to see where they are before they make a decision on these players.”

Fans will be gutted

Considering just how impressive Brereton Diaz has been for Blackburn this season, in addition to the fact that West Ham are currently extremely short in depth at centre-forward, the news that the Hammers may not be able to get a deal over the line for the 22-year-old this month is sure to have left the London Stadium faithful gutted.

Indeed, over his 26 Championship appearances in the current campaign, the £9m-rated striker has been in remarkable form for Rovers, having already scored an astonishing 20 goals, registered one assist and created two big chances for his teammates, as well as taking an average of 2.8 shots and making 0.7 key passes per game.

These returns have seen the £6.5k-per-week player who Tony Mowbray dubbed an “extraordinary” talent average a SofaScore match rating of 7.00, ranking him as Blackburn’s eighth-best performer in the second tier.

As such, with Moyes in desperate need of backup and competition for Michail Antonio in East London – with the injury-prone striker currently being the 58-year-old’s only option as an out and out centre-forward – a player who possesses the clear ability to find the back of the net such as Brereton Diaz would appear to be the perfect signing for the Scottish manager this month.

However, following Ex’s latest update, it would appear that, should Moyes indeed wish to pursue a deal for the 22-year-old, he will have to wait until the summer – something that will undoubtedly come as a gutting blow to the manager and his side.

In other news: Moyes can repeat Lingard trick with swoop for £6m “fighter”, he’d be “perfect” for WHU

Celtic had a significant overhaul during the previous summer transfer window in terms of the number of players that moved in and out of the club.

After their busy summer, the Hoops have definitely made the most of it in their latest SPFL season in terms of their results.

With 34 league games played, Ange Postecoglou’s side have won 27, drawn four and lost three, scoring 80 goals and conceding 19 along the way.

Now that the end of the campaign is in sight, the Hoops are within touching distance of the league title as they currently find themselves six points clear at the top of the table.

Looking beyond that, the next summer transfer window will be opening and once again give the Parkhead club the chance to make whatever changes to the squad that Postecoglou feels are necessary.

With that in mind, one figure that we think should follow in the footsteps of the numerous players that left the club last summer is midfielder Ismaila Soro.

Having appeared in just eight league games this season, the 23-year-old has played only three minutes of action since September.

This is a big clue that the Ivorian is quite far down in the pecking order at the moment and isn’t likely to be in Postecoglou’s plans for next season.

Back in January, Soro was heavily linked with a move away from the Parkhead club after originally arriving for a fee of £2m during the 2020 winter window.

Taking into account how the midfielder has failed to show the 56-year-old why he deserves to be a regular figure in the team in terms of his performances, the summer could be the ideal time to finally call his time with the Bhoys to an end.

According to WhoScored, the Hoops outcast has only been able to earn himself a rather disappointing overall performance rating of 6.25/10, making him one of the lowest-rated players currently in the squad to have started at least one league game.

This shows just how much the £10.5k-per-week flop has been stealing a living this season.

To further highlight how ineffective the player has been for the Bhoys in this campaign, he has one yellow card to his name but not even a single successful tackle.

With the likes of Tom Rogic, Callum McGregor, Matt O’Riley, David Turnbull and Reo Hatate all contributing to the team in terms of scoring goals, it’s no wonder that Soro has not been in Postecoglou’s thinking in recent months.

90% of voters in a recent poll ran by Football FanCast claimed that the club should look to get rid of the player in the summer, so things aren’t looking great for his future in a Celtic shirt.

Moving forward, if the Bhoys are able to pick up any sort of cash for the player in the summer and sell him on a permanent deal, this will certainly be the best option for all parties.

In other news: Celtic now plotting 7-figure bid for 14 G/A sensation, he’s perfect for Angeball

When Leeds United travel to Selhurst Park later next month to take on Crystal Palace, there will be one player in the opposition ranks whom the club will wonder what could have been.

Michael Olise has been one of the shining lights for the Eagles this season in the Premier League as they continue to push up the table, but he could have been playing for the white of Leeds had the Yorkshire club acted on their interest.

Reports back in January 2021 suggested that then manager Marcelo Bielsa was very interested in landing the France U21 international, but a deal failed to materialise.

Then, according to TEAMtalk in the summer, Ligue 1 champions Lille put their name into the hat to take the teenager back to his native France, with the French side battling Leeds for his signature.

Of course in the end, it was fellow Premier League side Crystal Palace who won the race for him, and it’s been a debut campaign in the top-flight that has surely left Leeds thinking ‘what if’.

With seven goals and 12 assists, Olise was an absolute revelation in the Championship for Reading last term, and it’s no surprise that he has earned so many reviews for both his performances and incredible technical ability.

His Reading team-mate Sam Baldock said early last year: “Michael is a real talent, he’ll get on the ball in any situation. He’s fearless, if you ask him today I’ll guarantee that he had no nerves. He’s a lively character and one who I’ve noticed a real change in the last couple of months.”

Hailed as “super talented” by Reading boss Veljko Paunović, Olise’s former Royals manager Jose Gomes added: “Michael is really special. He can see, even before receiving the ball, more options than regular players. His technical ability and speed, decision capacity is really, really good.”

Signed for just £8m by Palace and becoming Patrick Vieira’s first signing in charge at Selhurst Park, the young Frenchman has come on leaps and bounds under the Arsenal Invincible, now being valued at a hefty £25m by CIES.

This campaign has seen him score four goals and provide an impressive nine assists in just 26 games across all competitions, including registering goal contributions against the likes of Arsenal and Manchester City in the Premier League.

The 5 foot 9 star is really making Leeds pay for not taking the leap of faith last year.

AND in other news – Forget Joffy: Marsch can get Leeds rocking by finally unleashing “phenomenal” 20 y/o

Leeds United have finally got their man, although there’s a catch…

What’s the word?

According to TEAMtalk, the Yorkshire outfit are confident in tying up a deal for no.1 target Brenden Aaronson ahead of the January transfer window deadline on Monday.

Director of football Victor Orta has been in Europe for talks with RB Salzburg over a potential deal this week.

However, the Whites have accepted the fact that they may have to wait until the summer to actually get him to Elland Road with the Austria Bundesliga champions keen to keep hold of him ahead of their Champions League clash with Bayern Munich.

A deal could be agreed now ahead of the summer window.

A double-edged sword

So whilst it seems as if manager Marcelo Bielsa isn’t going to get the midfield reinforcement he desperately needs right now, it does appear as if he’ll land his main target after all.

Leeds were left frustrated in their attempts to sign him, having seen two bids of £15m and £20m swiftly knocked back. Both of those fees would have seen Salzburg earn their third most expensive sale ever, so that goes to show how much they value him right now.

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Aaronson is a hugely exciting and versatile attacking midfielder capable of providing goals and assists in the final third.

Indeed, the 21-year-old dynamo has delivered three goals and seven assists across all competitions this season, including vital goals in the Champions League, beating Brondby to make the group stages, where they have since advanced from.

Capped 15 times by the USMNT, Aaronson could be one of the brightest talents to emerge from the other side of the pond since Christian Pulisic.

He has been nicknamed the ‘Medford Messi’, compared to American great Clint Dempsey and been described as “silky” on the ball by ex-MLS star DeMarcus Beasley.

His performances on Europe’s biggest stage have been rather impressive as he ranks amongst the top 1% of midfielders for pressures in the final third (27.84 per 90), which results in a forced turnover of possession 8.55 times per 90, as per FBRef.

That sort of work rate and hunger is right up Bielsa’s street, so it’s no wonder the Argentine has been so keen to sign the £10.8m-rated gem this month.

As his side now close in on a deal, the Leeds boss must be absolutely buzzing to have finally got his man, albeit he’ll have to wait until the summer, if he sticks around.

AND in other news, Bielsa now on verge of a grave January disaster at Leeds…

Tottenham Hotspur are eyeing up their first January signing, according to emerging reports…

What’s the word?

90min claim that the north London outfit are among the teams interested in a move for Inter Milan midfielder Stefano Sensi this month.

The club are said to be working hard on bolstering Antonio Conte’s playing squad and the 26-year-old has emerged as a viable candidate for a loan move before the January 31st deadline.

Sensi’s stint at the San Siro has been blighted by injury but he’s a player that the Italian head coach knows well from his time there and it is thought that Conte is a big admirer of his, too.

The eight-cap Italy international is currently valued at £7.2m by Transfermarkt.

Conte’s new Pirlo?

Despite standing at a diminutive 5 foot 6 inches, Sensi has earned huge comparisons to that of Juventus legend Andrea Pirlo, due to him being deployed in a similar deep-lying playmaker role.

Meanwhile, the Italian himself claims that Xavi has been a major source of influence on his career. “I have always loved him. If I ever met him, I would tell him that he has always been my idol and that his plays have enlightened me. I have watched all of his games,” he revealed in a matchday programme against Fiorentina (via Sempre Inter).

“He is good, technical, fast and also has personality,” once claimed Gil Azzurri head coach Roberto Mancini to La Gazetta dello Sport.

WhoScored lists Sensi’s key abilities as being his chance creation through key passes, his passing ability overall – particularly with slotting in through balls – and his defensive capability to win the ball back through interceptions.

Indeed, throughout his time in Italy, having also played for Sassuolo, the 26-year-old dynamo has averaged 1.9 key passes and 1.5 interceptions, as well as an 87.1% passing accuracy per 90 minutes.

Conte utilised Pirlo to great effect during his time in Turin, particularly the 2013/14 title-winning season, when the veteran featured regularly from a deep-midfield position as he dictated many a game.

Sensi can fit this mould over in north London.

Former Sassuolo head coach Roberto De Zerbi claimed that the 26-year-old “could control a game like Xavi, but instead he reminds me of Andres Iniesta”, whilst Spanish journalist David de la Pena described his technique as “crazy” as he “knows how to dribble and how to shoot”.

On the above evidence, Sensi would surely be a welcome addition at Spurs, so sporting director Fabio Paratici would be wise to push ahead with plans to sign him this month. He could well hand Conte another Pirlo-like beast in midfield.

AND in other news, Sky Sports reporter drops huge Spurs transfer claim live on air, fans will be buzzing…