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Manchester United will appoint a new manager this summer and along with a brand new manager, there is expected to be new signings after the club didn’t make any new additions in the winter transfer window, with news emerging that they are now interested in a popular striker.

What’s the word?

According to The Mirror, Manchester United scouts attended the Liverpool vs Benfica clash on Tuesday evening to watch Darwin Nunez, who is attracting interest from a number of clubs.

The report suggests that Arsenal scouts were also in attendance to see the Uruguayan striker score against the Merseyside club in a 3-1 defeat in the Champions League semi-final.

The Telegraph have reported that Manchester United join Newcastle United, West Ham and Atletico Madrid in their pursuit for Nunez, and report that he could cost £60m to sign this summer.

Rashford replacement

There have been many players that have been reported to want out of the Manchester United fold including Marcus Rashford, who has been linked with wanting a move away from his boyhood club this summer, and Nunez could be the perfect replacement.

Although Nunez is better placed as a centre forward like his Uruguayan team-mate Edinson Cavani, the £36m-rated star has been known to be deployed on the left wing but would surely get his opportunities to play in the central role at Manchester United too, something Rashford has not excelled in.

According to Soccerment, when you compare Rashford to the Benfica striker this season, Nunez has scored 21 league goals to the Man United player’s four as well as being more successful in completing aerial duels, crosses, dribbles and shots, so it would be an absolute no brainer to upgrade and sign the 22-year-old this summer.

Nunez, who was hailed “a real handful” by BBC journalist Tom Allnut and as a “special talent”, has a number of potential suitors reported to be lining up to secure his signature this summer, but Manchester United may have a real advantage with the opportunity to work with Cristiano Ronaldo and a new manager next season, and could become an integral part of the team at Old Trafford.

The focus for the Red Devils right now is appointing Ralf Rangnick’s successor, but with a promising outlook and a new era set to start at the club it could be the perfect time to sign a young player like Nunez to take Manchester United back to the glory days that once were.

In other news: Journalist drops big MUFC update from dressing room sources, supporters surely buzzing

Celtic supporters should ‘love’ the fact that shareholder Dermot Desmond is a lifelong Hoops fan, according to finance expert Doctor Dan Plumley.

The Lowdown: Desmond a lifelong fan

The 71-year-old has been hugely involved at Parkhead since 1995, having also owned part of Manchester United before the Glazer family’s takeover in the 2000s.

Desmond recently stressed that he wouldn’t sell his stake in the club even if he offered ‘three or four times the share price’, such is his love for Celtic.

While billionaires aren’t always universally loved by supporters, Plumley believes the situation is different with Desmond.

The Latest: Expert provides thoughts on billionaire

Speaking to Football Insider, the ‘finance guru’ stressed that the Irishman’s Celtic roots should be something that supporters admire in their shareholders:

“There are good and bad aspects to this. Most fans would argue that it is a good thing to have a genuine supporter of the club in charge.

“Business investment probably takes on a slightly different form as a fan. But the flip side is that if somebody did offer three or four times the share price, they might have the potential to grow the club even further.

“That is a very hypothetical situation, but you can see the good and bad here. However, in general, most fans would love to keep an owner who is passionate and personally invested in the club.”

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The Verdict: Makes a fair point

While Plumley’s comments could be divisive due to Desmond not necessarily always pleasing Celtic supporters, he does make a fair point.

If you know you have a fellow fan in charge high up, it instantly suggests that big decisions made will be in the best interests of the club, rather than by billionaires who care more about their wealth.

The Hoops could certainly have worse majority shareholders than Desmond and it could be a case of only fully appreciating him when he eventually moves on.

In other news, Celtic have been backed to seal the signing of one player. Find out who it is here.

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Matt Doherty’s 93rd-minute equaliser on the road at Shrewsbury sealed Wolves a draw on Saturday afternoon and put a cap on the thrilling FA Cup Fourth Round tie. It also set up a replay that Wolves simply don’t need.

Down 2-0 after 71 minutes against an opponent they never should have trailed to, Wolves clawed their way back with goals from the Raul Jimenez and later Doherty that kept their contention in the competition alive. For a side that’s shown resilience and a knack of fighting back into matches all season long, it was just another example of what Nuno Espirito Santo and his squad are capable of.

As impressive as Wolves’ comeback at New Meadow was though, and the importance the draw holds for keeping them in the domestic competition, it’s now put them in a compromising spot in the Premier League.

Headed into Tuesday’s meeting with West Ham at Molineux, Wolves are still in contention for Europa League qualification, assuming it will once again be lowered to seventh place. Behind Wolves though is a pack of clubs from 9th to 12th – Leicester, West Ham, Everton and Bournemouth – separated by just two points and poised to make the race for seventh as riveting as the title chase and relegation battle.

In the middle of the table from here on out, every point and every match will matter, and it’s why Wolves’ replay with Shrewsbury is a massive disadvantage for the side from the west Midlands.

The FA Cup replay is set to be played on February 5th, right in the middle of a four-match league stretch in which Wolves play three teams trailing them by a maximum of two points. Home for West Ham and away for Everton and Bournemouth over the next four top-flight match days, Wolves are set to jump into what might be their most important run of the season.

It’s a stretch that could catapult them upward or send the season into a spiral, and they’ll now be forced to run through it with the added challenge of an FA Cup match stuck in there as well.

When Wolves reach the replay on February 5th, it will be their third match in eight days. If they win and reach the Fifth Round, they’ll advance to play again midway through the month before what will likely be a crucial match in the seventh-place race at the Vitality Stadium. The road ahead for Wolves is not a pretty one. 

Wolves’ upcoming stretch will be rigorous but not unprecedented; they very well may make it through unscathed. But Wolves have simply made things harder for themselves, and if they stumble in the league over the next month, they’ll regret Saturday’s draw and the subsequent replay that comes with it.

West Brom followed on from their disappointing 2-0 defeat against Preston North End in midweek with yet another loss by the same scoreline, this time in their away clash against Millwall on Saturday.

A brace from striker Benik Afobe secured the win for the east London club and handed the Baggies their fourth defeat in their last six league games.

One player who stood out for West Brom today, but for all the wrong reasons in terms of his performance, was full-back Darnell Furlong.

Furlong did Ismael no favours

In his 90 minutes on the pitch at The Den, the 26-year-old – who is currently picking up £15k-per-week according to Salary Sport – had 46 touches of the ball but lost possession 25 times whilst making just seven accurate passes out of the 20 he attempted, as per SofaScore.

Things weren’t much better for him off the ball either, with Furlong losing seven of his 12 duels and failing to make even one interception or clearance.

This display ultimately earned the Englishman an overall match rating of 6.2/10, making him the lowest-rated outfield West Brom player on the day according to SofaScore, showing just how much of a liability he was against Millwall.

Birmingham Live also picked up on his underwhelming performance by giving him a match rating of 4/10 and saying that his “sloppy challenges often disrupted the flow of play”.

Given West Brom’s disappointing run of form over the past few weeks, with Ismael reportedly clinging on to his job amid speculation that he would be leaving The Hawthorns after their midweek defeat at Preston, this latest disappointment could have sealed the Frenchman’s fate in terms of his future in charge of the club.

With that in mind, the pressure will be on Furlong and the other Albion players to start performing and get their season back on track if they want to have any chance of securing promotion by the end of the campaign.

If that doesn’t happen, they could well cost Ismael his job at West Brom and force the hierarchy to seek yet another new manager to take charge of the team – and potentially end up navigating another season in the Championship.

In other news: West Brom must launch late transfer swoop for “humble” £5.5k-p/w gem, Ismael needs him

Aston Villa have shown over the past few years that they are not shy when it comes to spending significant amounts of money on new players.

The previous summer and winter transfer windows saw the Midlands club spend money on faces such as Emi Buendia, Leon Bailey, Danny Ings and Lucas Digne to help strengthen their squad and push forward in the Premier League.

Looking ahead to the upcoming summer transfer window, it seems as though the Villans could aim to bring in another familiar face to Villa Park for a substantial fee.

What’s the news?

According to a recent report from the Daily Mirror, Villa manager Steven Gerrard will try and launch a summer move for Liverpool defender Joe Gomez.

The Villans were linked with the £85k-per-week Englishman during the previous winter window but ended up signing Calum Chambers from Arsenal on a free transfer instead.

Gomez is a rare talent

Since joining the Merseyside club back in the 2015 summer transfer window from Charlton Athletic in a deal worth a reported fee of £3.5m, the centre-back has made 138 appearances for the Reds across all competitions.

In those appearances, the 24-year-old has managed to provide five assists and pick up a Premier League and Champions League title along the way.

Praised for a “mesmerising” assist for Diogo Jota during Liverpool’s recent 2-0 win over Watford in the Premier League, Gomez has also been labelled as a “rare talent” by BBC pundit Garth Crooks.

Having only started two of the six league games he’s appeared in this season, a potential move away from Anfield to a club like Villa where he may get more regular football under the management of Gerrard could be rather tempting for the Liverpool figure.

With a combined total of 195 league minutes to his name in this current campaign, the centre-back has managed to rack up a total of three tackles, four clearances and eight interceptions.

Also, taking into account how Villa have conceded nine goals in their past four league games, perhaps adding a player like Gomez could be just what Gerrard needs to make his side stronger at the back.

With Liverpool reportedly placing a £23m price tag on the defender, making a summer swoop for him should definitely be in Villa’s mind once the season comes to an end.

In other news: Klopp can axe £180k-p/w Liverpool dud with move for “tenacious” £36m-rated “monster”

Celtic face a real battle to land Zinedine Ferhat with Trabzonspor ‘on a mission’ to win the race, according to Foot Mercato. 

The lowdown

The French publication originally reported on New Year’s Eve that Nimes Olympique star Ferhat was on The Hoops’ radar.

The 28-year-old, who’s predominantly a right winger but can also play in a central attacking midfield role, is out of contract at the end of the current season.

He’s valued at £4.05million by Transfermarkt, but it’s worth noting that he’s also free to strike a pre-contract agreement with a foreign club ahead of the summer.

The latest

Ferhat has been ‘ardently courted’ by Celtic as well as Ligue 1 outfits Montpellier and Saint-Etienne, but there’s now a chance he ends up in Turkey, according to the French outlet.

Trabzonspor sources have indicated that Ferhat is a ‘priority recruit’, with ‘significant financial resources’ available for the pursuit.

They’re determined to secure his signature and could initiate talks ‘in the coming days’.

The verdict

Celtic should make a big push to see off Trabzonspor – Zerhat’s 2020/21 season was hugely impressive, as he combined six goals with ten assists for a side that finished down in 19th and suffered relegation.

Only Lyon’s Memphis Depay, who subsequently joined FC Barcelona, set up more goals in the French top flight last term.

Celtic started the January window strongly but the tide seems to be turning. They lost out to Middlesbrough after holding talks with Riley McGree and now Blackburn-bound Dilan Markanday seems to evaded them.

Ange Postecoglou may be frustrated if another target moves elsewhere.

In other news, Frank McAvennie thinks this summer signing could leave.

New Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag will have a £200m budget this summer and has already got to work to create a four-man transfer shortlist.

The Lowdown: Ten Hag announced

The Red Devils finally announced the Dutchman as their new manager on Thursday morning.

Ten Hag was confirmed as Ralf Rangnick’s replacement from the end of this season, signing a deal through to June 2025 with an option of a further year.

The 52-year-old previously demanded to be 100% involved when it comes to new signings, and he has wasted no time by already having four possible marquee additions in mind.

The Latest: Four mega targets

The Mirror shared a story regarding Ten Hag and Manchester United shortly after the announcement, claiming the Red Devils will give their new manager £200m to spend ahead of his first season in charge.

Up to 12 players could leave the club, with Ten Hag placing Harry Kane, Declan Rice, Darwin Nunez and Ruben Neves at the top of his wishlist.

The Verdict: Rebuild begins

Plenty of change is needed at Old Trafford ahead of the 2022/23 campaign, but getting Ten Hag confirmed prior to the summer window is a good first step.

He’ll have a huge job on his hands in what looks set to be an extremely busy summer off the pitch and it looks as if a new midfielder and forward is crucial as he gets to work already.

Paul Pogba and Edinson Cavani look set to be two players who will leave as free agents, so one of Kane or Nunez and Rice or Neves could be shrewd moves to replace the two outgoing big earners.

In other news: ‘Source has told Sky Sports’ – Big live TV update on another Man Utd exit. 

Newcastle could make a move for Liverpool’s Nat Phillips in the remaining days of the transfer window, according to The Athletic’s Chris Waugh. 

The lowdown

Newcastle are hopeful of signing a centre-back in a bid to address their woeful defensive record – they have the poorest expected goals against (xGA) tally in the entire Premier League.

Their top target is Sevilla’s Diego Carlos, and while he would like to join the Magpies, negotiations with Sevilla are proving difficult.

Phillips was heavily involved at Liverpool last season, helping the Reds to secure a top-four finish in the absences of Virgil van Dijk, Joel Matip and Joe Gomez. However, with that trio back fit and Ibrahima Konate signed during the summer, the 24-year-old centre-back has only made four appearances this season.

The latest

Waugh wrote for The Athletic that Newcastle are beginning to pursue ‘back-up options’ in case they can’t strike a deal for Carlos.

They are ‘debating’ whether to bring in ‘domestic defenders’, and Phillips is one of the England-based options named.

The verdict

When you see that Phillips ranks in the 99th percentile among positional peers for clearances and successful aerial duels, you might assume that he’s an ‘old-fashioned’ centre-back (via FBRef). Indeed, that’s how one former team-mate in Andy Lonergan described him, adding that “he’d head a brick wall if he could”.

While Newcastle fans may love that battling spirit, it might be something of a mischaracterisation. Phillips is also reasonably comfortably on the ball, slotting into the 85th percentile for progressive passes.

Liverpool are said to value Phillips at £15m, so this deal could be a lot simpler than their pursuit of Carlos.

In other news, this one-time superstar could land at St James’ Park

Even though Aston Villa have already been rather busy during the current January transfer window by securing deals for Philippe Coutinho, Lucas Digne and Robin Olsen, it seems as though there is one player currently in the Premier League that the club are eyeing for a potential swoop before the end of the month.

What’s the news?

In a recent online Q&A for Birmingham Live, Villa journalist Ashley Preece revealed in one answer that Manchester United’s £18m-rated attacking midfielder Jesse Lingard is “admired” by the Midlands club.

When asked another question if Villa should be looking at making a move to sign the 29-year-old this month, Preece replied: “[Jaden] Philogene-Bidace now heading to Stoke on loan, and Trezeguet looking to be loaned out, there could be scope but Newcastle are expected to step up their interest and take him this month rather than for free in the summer.”

As Preece mentioned in the Q&A, Newcastle United have been heavily linked with a loan move for Lingard this month as they look to strengthen their squad so that they can avoid relegation this term.

With that in mind, it could potentially be an issue for Villa if they do want to make a move for the Englishman, who has previously been described as “unique” in terms of his playing style by former United midfielder and coach Michael Carrick, this month.

However, if Lingard doesn’t want to spend the rest of the season trying to drag Newcastle away from being relegated, Villa could be a much more tempting destination for him under the management of Steven Gerrard.

Even if Villa and Johan Lange don’t manage to sign him this month, his contract at the Manchester club is set to expire at the end of the season, which could make him a viable summer target as a free agent.

Finally replace Grealish?

As an attacking midfielder who can score goals and provide assists from multiple positions, including both flanks, Lingard could be Villa’s ideal replacement for Jack Grealish, who joined Manchester City over the summer after occupying the same positions at Villa Park while delivering goals and assists aplenty.

Also, with Lingard racking up more shots per game (2.6) during his loan spell with West Ham last season in the Premier League than Grealish managed with Villa (1.9), the 29-year-old could prove to be more of a goal threat for Villa than what their former captain had offered.

In other news: Gerrard could strike gold at Villa by signing £63m-rated “total package”

Giorgos Giakoumakis is expected to miss Celtic’s Scottish Cup semi-final clash with Rangers through injury, according to journalist Pete O’Rourke.

The Lowdown: Celtic face huge game

The Hoops take on their biggest rivals at lunchtime, with the pair meeting at Hampden Park for a place in next month’s Scottish Cup final.

Ange Postecoglou’s side earned the bragging rights in a Scottish Premiership clash recently, winning 2-1 at Ibrox to move six points clear at the top of the table.

Victory today would keep Celtic’s treble chances alive, but Postecoglou will be well aware that Rangers will be eyeing up revenge.

The Latest: Giakoumakis to miss out

Speaking to GiveMeSport, O’Rourke claimed that Giakoumakis would miss out with a hamstring injury, having picked it up in the 7-0 win at home to St Johnstone last weekend:

“Giakoumakis came off injured against St Johnstone at the weekend with a hamstring injury, which looks like it’s going to rule him out of the Scottish Cup semi-final with Rangers, which is a big blow for Celtic because he’s been in good form.”

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The Verdict: Undoubted blow for Hoops

This is a clear blow for Celtic ahead of one of their biggest games of the season, with Giakoumakis a key figure for the Hoops throughout the campaign.

He played the whole 90 minutes in the aforementioned win at Ibrox and has scored nine goals in just 10 league starts in 2021/22, not to mention four in two Scottish Cup outings.

It means the likes of Jota and Liel Abada will be tasked with providing the firepower in Giakoumakis’s absence, as Celtic look to get one over Rangers once again.

In other news, a key on-air Celtic claim has emerged. Read more here.