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Manchester United are reportedly monitoring the situation of Napoli striker Victor Osimhen after identifying him as a possible alternative to Erling Haaland.

What’s the story?

According to Italian outlet Gazzetta dello Sport (as relayed by Sport Witness), the Red Devils are amongst a host of club’s interested in securing the 22-year-old’s services next summer.

The report claims that fellow Premier League sides Chelsea and Manchester City are also keen on Osimhen’s signature, while Spanish giants Real Madrid are also listed as potential suitors.

It’s stated that Napoli would demand no less than £100 million for their prized asset given they stumped up a fee which could rise to £70m to prize him away from Lille back in 2020.

With the Nigeria international’s current contract at the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium next expiring until 2025, owner Aurelio De Laurentiis is under no pressure to sell, meaning this could be a tricky deal to complete.

Solskjaer would love him

Several of European football’s heavyweights have been linked with a move for Borussia Dortmund striker Haaland thanks to his £65 million release clause coming into play in 12 months’ time.

However, only one side will be able to snap up the outstanding Norway international, possibly leaving the likes of United searching for alternative options.

And it’s easy to see why the club’s recruitment department are believed to have identified Osimhen as a potential future star given his recent exploits for Napoli, both in the Europa League and Serie A.

After injuries limited the 6ft 1 beast to just 10 goals in 24 league starts last term, the former Wolfsburg ace has started the current campaign in emphatic fashion.

Osimhen has bagged six goals and provided one assist in just six outings in all competitions in the opening weeks of 2021/22, earning praise from Cagliari coach Walter Mazzarri.

“Osimhen is phenomenal because he runs alone at five players and gets through,” Mazzarri told DAZN (as quoted by Football Italia). “If you look at genuine scoring opportunities, compared to the number Napoli created lately, I didn’t see that many.

“We intentionally kept a deep defensive line, because if we pushed higher like the other teams, we’d concede four or five like they did with Osimhen able to run into space.

“Obviously, Napoli had more possession and attacked more, but this was an intentional approach.”

Osimhen’s effort helped the Azzurri to a 2-0 victory over Mazzarri’s charges on Sunday in another display of his incredible finishing ability, power and pace.

The youngster’s room for improvement makes him an extremely exciting and tempting target for football’s top teams, meaning United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer would surely love to have him at his disposal.

Therefore, football director John Murtough must sanction a swoop for the Osimhen if the Red Devils miss out on Haaland, providing Solskjaer with a long-term successor to the ageing pair of Cristiano Ronaldo and Edinson Cavani.

And, in other news…Imagine him and Pogba: Man Utd must complete swoop for £60m beast, he’s a big upgrade 

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.

Writing on his Patreon, reliable club insider ExWHUemployee has shared news on head of recruitment Rob Newman as he makes a ‘positive’ move behind-the-scenes at West Ham.

The Lowdown: Newman era begins…

At the beginning of October, West Ham announced a new era for the club in terms of transfers with former chief Manchester City scout Rob Newman taking on their head of recruitment role (whufc.com).

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The 57-year-old, credited with playing a part in some marquee City transfers, like the signing of defender Aymeric Laporte (The Athletic), has been tasked to help manager David Moyes bring in both senior additions and top talent for the future.

As such, Newman is beginning to re-shape the scouting department in his own image behind-the-scenes as club source and insider ExWHUemployee shares what he’s just done.

The Latest: Newman makes ‘positive’ move…

Taking to Patreon, Ex has revealed that the West Ham chief is expanding his scouting team and has just taken on former Premier League forward Grant Holt – who is set to leave his similar scouting role at Norwich City.

Describing this as a ‘positive move for the club’ after concerns surrounding their lack of scout staff, the insider also claims that Newman is set for ‘other appointments’ in this regard which are ‘expected to be announced soon’.

The Verdict: Making his mark…

As Newman makes his mark at Rush Green in a scouting staff overhaul, we believe West Ham fans should certainly be encouraged by this development.

The ex-Man City employee’s wealth of experience at Eastlands, working alongside well-known City officials like their current sporting director Txiki Begiristain (The Athletic), indicates he has the right knowledge to transform West Ham’s scouting department in a major boost for the club.

Newman has also been described as hard-working and active with a bulging contacts book by those within City (The Athletic), as well as popular among the scouts and a real people person (The Athletic).

The fact he is now making his mark behind the scenes should certainly come as amazing news and the club may have pulled off an off-field coup with his appointment.

In other news: Journalist hints West Ham may be in pole position to sign ‘world class’ striker for Moyes, find out more here.

Leeds United are among a host of Premier League clubs who could potentially sign Derby County youngster Jason Knight, according to Pete O’Rourke.

The Lowdown: Knight impresses for Derby

The 20-year-old has become a key performer for Derby despite his tender years, scoring twice and setting up another two goals in 15 Championship appearances this season. Knight has even been compared to Wayne Rooney by the man himself, with the Rams manager clearly impressed by the attitude of his player.

The midfielder’s performances have caught the eye of top-flight clubs, and Leeds would appear to be a potential destination.

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The Latest: Leeds in the race

That has been confirmed by O’Rourke, who told GIVEMESPORT that the Whites are considered as possible suitors for Knight in the January transfer window. He outlined:

“Jason Knight also, a good midfielder, Republic of Ireland international as well. Lots of clubs looking at him.

“There’s the likes of Brighton, Newcastle, Leeds all interested in him, as well as West Ham. So, I think it could be a real battle on for his signature in January.”

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The Verdict: Exciting one for the future

Knight mightn’t necessarily be viewed as an immediate option for Marcelo Bielsa but he possesses the long-term potential to be a key figure for Leeds in the future.

It is vital that the Whites continue to plan ahead rather than solely focusing on the here-and-now, with someone like Kalvin Phillips eventually needing to be replaced, especially if the abundance of transfer rumours regarding the 25-year-old continue into 2022.

It should be stressed that Knight has already won eight caps for the Republic of Ireland, so he has shown that he can compete at a high level, and judging by Rooney’s endorsement of the player, he could significantly strengthen Bielsa’s squad depth at a crucial point in the season.

In other news, one Leeds signing reportedly won’t come cheap. Find out who it is here.

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.

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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.

With their 5-0 thrashing of Manchester United now behind them, Liverpool are on the road again this evening with a Carabao Cup clash against Championship side Preston North End.

Ahead of the match, Liverpool assistant manager Pep Lijnders revealed that there are a number of injury concerns at the Merseyside club at the moment, especially in midfield with the likes of Naby Keita, James Milner, Fabinho, Thiago Alcantara and Harvey Elliott all expected to miss the match at Deepdale.

On the chalkboard

Taking this into account, one senior midfield option that Klopp should turn to tonight to help his side get through to the next stage of the competition is Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain.

In Liverpool’s previous Carabao Cup match that saw them beat fellow Premier League side Norwich City 3-0, Oxlade-Chamberlain started and played the full 90 minutes of the game and managed to grab one assist, make two key passes, block two shots, complete two successful dribbles, make one interception and one tackle in the process.

This season as a whole has seen the Englishman make eight appearances for the Reds across all competitions, starting just two of them, making him somewhat of an outcast at the moment.

His latest appearance saw Oxlade-Chamberlain come on as a substitute in the second half of the match at Old Trafford at the weekend in which he managed to complete 90% of his passes, complete 100% of the long balls he attempted, win both of the ground duels he was involved in, have one shot at goal and make one interception and two tackles, ultimately earning himself a very good overall match rating of 7.1/10 according to SofaScore.

The Merseyside club signed Oxlade-Chamberlain back in the 2017 summer transfer window from fellow Premier League side Arsenal in a deal worth a reported fee of £35m.

Since then, the midfielder, who is currently valued at £16.2m according to Transfermarkt, has made 112 appearances for Liverpool across all competitions in which he has managed to score 14 goals and provide 12 assists along the way.

Looking ahead to the Preston game, given the number of injury issues Liverpool currently have in midfield at the moment and the fact that it has been reported that Oxlade-Chamberlain is apparently concerned about his lack of game time at the Merseyside club, he could be what the team needs right now and that this is a great time for him to play another 90 minutes to show Klopp what he has to offer the side.

In other news: Klopp could save LFC millions by unleashing 21 y/o “leader”, he’s VVD’s heir apparent – opinion

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.

Everton struggled to find any consistency in their form in the first half of the season during 2021, and it seems their ill fate has followed them into the new year, as Rafa Benitez’s side put on another poor performance at Goodison Park this afternoon.

The Toffees conceded their ninth defeat in the Premier League this season, losing 3-2 to Graham Potter’s Brighton in front of the fans at home, with Anthony Gordon’s two goals not enough to gain even a single point out of the game.

Dominic Calvert-Lewin made his highly anticipated return to the starting lineup and made the headlines for all the wrong reasons with a missed penalty that hit the woodwork in the 25th minute.

Lucas Digne was still missing in the side, where Benitez decided to play a three at the back formation, with Seamus Coleman playing out of position in the left wing-back position which was a decision that didn’t pay off in the end.

In the 53rd minute the £120k-per-week midfielder bagged an assist, supplying Gordon with a swooping pass that resulted in a finished attempt in the back of the net for the 20-year-old forward.

However, one player who did manage to orchestrate a worthy performance for his team today was Brazilian midfielder Allan, who returned to the starting line up for the first time since Everton’s energetic win over Arsenal on the 6th of December, which also happens to be the last time they won a game.

According to SofaScore, Allan, who was hailed “vital” by pundit, Darren Fletcher last season, had the best pass accuracy overall in the midfield line today with 78%, whilst winning 71% of his duels during the 87 minutes played before he was subbed off for Andre Gomes.

One fan took to Twitter to praise his individual performance amongst a number of poor performances around him, calling for him to become captain;

“Give Allan the armband the rest of the campaign. Passion.”

Everton missed out on a home advantage opportunity to take three points from today’s game, and continue to sit in the bottom half of the Premier League table, the Spanish manager is in a position to strengthen the team by making new additions during the transfer window to revive the season and add fresh legs into the team.

In other news: Benitez could sign Ainsley Maitland-Niles in January

Steven Gerrard would likely bring a number of his assistant coaches to Aston Villa if he were to depart Rangers, according to The Daily Mail’s Tom Collomosse. 

The lowdown

Villa are looking to appoint a replacement for Dean Smith, who was sacked at the weekend, and Gerrard has emerged as the club’s primary target ahead of Brentford boss Thomas Frank, Denmark’s Kasper Hjulmand and more.

The hope is that the Liverpool legend will be installed in time to take charge of Villa’s next Premier League game against Brighton on 20 November.

Gerrard led Rangers to the Premiership title – the club’s first for 10 years – after an unbeaten 2020/21 campaign. That achievement in his third year at the helm earned him the Special Achievement Award from the League Managers Association.

The latest

According to The Daily Mail, Gerrard would apparently be ‘interested’ in learning more about the opportunity.

If he is lured away to Villa Park, the report names four of his coaches who could follow him to the Midlands – Tommy Culshaw, Gary McAllister, Michael Beale and Jordan Milsom.

The verdict

If this does materialise, then Beale could be a particularly big loss for Rangers.

Former Ibrox forward Kyle Lafferty went as far as to call him ‘the brains’ behind their recent success and marvelled at his ‘amazing’ tactical awareness. Gerrard, for his part, admitted that it would take him ’15/20 years’ to become as good an ‘on-pitch coach’ as Beale.

A new manager could bring a talented backroom team with him, of course, but would Rangers regress if their coaching setup is totally dismantled? It could be a nervy few days for the Ibrox faithful as we wait to see what, if anything, happens regarding Gerrard and Villa.

In other news, what could a £23.5m loss mean for Rangers in the January transfer window?