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A claim has emerged on Leeds United winger Crysencio Summerville after he sustained an injury earlier this week…

What’s the latest?

The winger limped off the pitch in the seventh minute of the friendly clash with Elche on Thursday night and Jesse Marsch has now provided an update on the youngster.

LeedsLive journalist Beren Cross tweeted an update after the match:

“Marsch hopeful Summerville and Perkins issues won’t be too bad. #lufc.”

Meanwhile, Illan Meslier has a glandular fever and the club are hoping that he will be available to face defending champions Manchester City on the 28th of December, which is why he was not involved against the Spanish side and this means that he is not a long-term doubt.

Big boost

The American’s hopefulness over Summerville’s injury not being a serious one could be a big boost to the American head coach ahead of the return of Premier League football after Christmas.

He made his way into the starting XI and scored four goals in four top-flight outings prior to the break for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, finding the back of the net against Tottenham, Liverpool, Bournemouth and Fulham.

The Whites boss heaped praise on the winger back in November but made a point of keeping him grounded, saying: “A big factor for him is discipline and professionalism and work ethic. I’ve been on top of him again this week to make sure that he has a very good training week.

“He has looked really good. We’re hopeful that he can establish himself more and more.”

Summerville has shown plenty of promise at youth level, with 14 goals and 12 assists in 30 appearances for Leeds’ U21s, and is now starting to showcase his true potential in the first-team.

The break arguably came at the worst possible time for the attacker as he was finally hitting his stride by scoring goals in the Premier League and becoming a key member of the starting XI.

Therefore, suffering a serious injury and being ruled out for a number of matches ahead of the restart would have been a huge blow to Summerville and Leeds, as Marsch would be losing an exciting goal threat who has proven that he can be a match-winner in the top-flight.

This means that the latest update on his situation could be a big boost as the manager does not appear to be fearing the worst ahead of their clash with City at Elland Road later this month.

Everton will likely look to the upcoming transfer window to strengthen their squad ahead of the second half of the Premier League season after another disappointing start to the campaign.

The Toffees are currently 17th in the league table teetering on the edge of the relegation zone just one point clear of the bottom three, a position the team and the manager are both all too familiar with.

Frank Lampard will be desperate to improve upon the performances and get his side in a much more comfortable position in the Premier League as another difficult relegation scrap could result in much more devastating circumstances than Everton dealt with last season.

Indeed, the powers at Goodison Park did sanction eight new signings in the summer but will still likely remain cautious in their approach to transfer business when the market reopens next month.

As a result, Lampard could add further depth all over the pitch and save the club millions during the transfer window by looking at the players he already has at his disposal in either the youth academy or out on loan, with one player, in particular, thriving whilst earning first-team football.

Jarrad Branthwaite has been proving his worth over the last few months during his loan spell with PSV Eindhoven and had become an integral member of the Dutch club’s squad ahead of the World Cup break.

Over eight Eredivisie appearances, the 20-year-old centre-back has scored one goal and tallied up a 90% pass completion rate, as well as averaging 45.3 touches, 2.9 clearances and 2.4 duels won per game.

The former Everton U21 defender has risen through the ranks in the youth set-up on Merseyside since joining the club from Carlisle United back in 2020 and his former Carlisle manager Steven Pressley delivered high praise hailing Branthwaite in an interview with Everton’s official website:

“He had so many quality attributes to become a top player,” he said.

“I told people he was a future England international.

“The truth is, I think he has got everything. He can pass the ball almost equally as good with both feet. He’s a terrific footballer.”

It has been reported this week that the Toffees are in talks to cut short the player’s loan spell with PSV despite entering a deal for a season-long loan opportunity for Branthwaite, so it is clear Lampard is keen to bring his defender back to Goodison Park as soon as possible.

With that being said, it will be interesting to see whether Branthwaite makes a rapid return to Everton in January as it is questionable as to whether he will get as much game time at his parent club as he could be offered with PSV over the second half of the season.

Pundit Tam McManus has been giving his thoughts on an injury update to Leeds United forward Patrick Bamford.

The Lowdown: Recent surgery

The 29-year-old has missed 31 games since the beginning of the 2021/22 campaign due to ankle, hamstring and foot problems.

Bamford has made just four Premier League starts this season and missed the final two fixtures before the break for the World Cup.

Reports earlier this month confirmed that the forward missed out on the club’s training camp in Spain due to requiring surgery on a groin problem, a procedure that appears to have gone well.

The Latest: McManus’ comments

Talking to Football Insider regarding Bamford, McManus admitted he is ‘worried’ about the forward and shared concerns over his Elland Road future.

“I look at Bamford and I’m worried, he is always injured now.

“You talk about players always being injured but this guy is literally always injured. He proved his doubters wrong when he first came up with Leeds but he has barely kicked a ball since.

“This is the second season where he has barely kicked a ball. At some point, someone has to say enough is enough.

“Bamford has done so much for Leeds but at some point, you have to look at the facts and if Leeds had a fully fit striker in that position then they would be scoring more goals.

“You have to cut your losses at some point and make a hard decision but if Bamford isn’t going to play then he shouldn’t be there.”

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The Verdict: New forward needed

A new striker is on the agenda in January, according to Phil Hay, a decision that seems sensible considering Bamford’s struggle for form and fitness over the last 18 months.

He hasn’t netted a competitive goal in 2022, with the likes of Rodrigo and Crysencio Summerville coming into some much-needed form in front of goal in recent months.

Therefore, bringing in a new forward in the New Year could be the difference between Leeds being involved in another relegation battle or sitting comfortably in mid-table, with a decision also needed on Bamford’s long-term future.

Newcastle United will be hoping to move one step closer to ending their 53-year wait for major silverware with victory over Bournemouth in the Carabao Cup tonight, with Eddie Howe set to take on his former employers in this fourth round meeting.

The Magpies won on penalties in the last round at home to Crystal Palace following a rather forgettable 90 minutes, with goalkeeper Nick Pope producing shootout heroics to set up this encounter against the Cherries after saving three spot-kicks.

The two teams have already met at St James’ Park this season, with summer signing Alexander Isak – who is set to be unavailable once again tonight due to injury – scoring from the penalty spot to clinch a 1-1 draw and cancel out Phillip Billing’s earlier strike during their September clash.

Ahead of the upcoming meeting on Tyneside, here’s how Football FanCast predicts that the hosts will line up…

It would appear likely that Howe will name a similar starting XI to the one which edged past Rayo Vallecano at the weekend in a mid-season friendly, with that 2-1 triumph having come despite a number of absentees due to injury and those returning from international duty.

The aforementioned Pope – who started against the La Liga outfit – should keep his place between the sticks, while the backline of Kieran Trippier, Sven Botman, Jamaal Lascelles and Matt Targett should also remain unchanged.

The same can be said of the midfield trio, with Jonjo Shelvey and Joe Willock set to be joined by Sean Longstaff once again, with the latter having scored in that win on Saturday.

The most notable changes could well lie in attack, with doubts emerging as to whether England international Callum Wilson will be fit to feature having missed the win over Vallecano. Team-mate Allan Saint-Maximin is also reportedly carrying a “slight injury”, according to his manager, which may put his involvement at risk.

As such, promising youngster Dylan Stephenson could well be in line for his competitive debut after recently scoring against Saudi Arabian side Al-Hilal, with the 20-year-old potentially deserving of a start ahead of the more experienced Chris Wood through the middle.

The 31-year-old did score from the penalty spot last time out – and has been described as “horrible to play against” by Alan Shearer and “reliable” by Gary Neville – although the £80k-per-week dud only has four goals to his name for the club in 2022, amid reports that he could be on his way out of St James’ Park in the New Year.

As for the wide attacking berths, Jacob Murphy could well keep his place in the forward line. He could potentially set to be joined by 16-year-old starlet Lewis Miley, with the playmaker also one who could make his senior bow after netting twice against Crystal Palace in the Premier League Cup earlier this week.

Liverpool haven’t had an easy start to the Premier League season so far with several injuries and inconsistent performances leading to a sixth-place position in the top flight at present.

The Reds are currently 15 points adrift from league leaders Arsenal and it will take one of Jurgen Klopp’s miracles to put his team in contention to compete for the title over the remainder of the campaign.

Luckily, the Liverpool boss will have the opportunity to strengthen his squad when the January transfer window reopens at the end of this week, with the signing of Cody Gakpo already in the works at Anfield ahead of the new year.

Despite the PSV Eindhoven star being a great coup for the Merseysiders, there is no denying that their most crucial business will need to be done in the centre of the pitch with many of Liverpool’s midfielders either out of contract in the summer or reaching the latter stages of their career.

Naby Keita, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and James Milner are all entering the final few months of their contracts whilst captain Jordan Henderson and Thiago Alcantara are well into their 30s at this point and as a result, will not play a big part in the long-term future in midfield.

As a result, the signing of midfielders who can make a genuine impact whilst injecting a youthful perspective into the heart of the team should be top of the agenda for the powers at Anfield, as a new transfer target has been revealed.

Brighton & Hove Albion star Alexis Mac Allister is reportedly the latest player Liverpool are interested in signing to improve the midfield performances and personnel over the coming months ahead, according to La Repubblica.

It comes as no surprise that Mac Allister has captured the attention of the six-time Champions League winners after putting on phenomenal performances at the World Cup in Qatar over the last month, winning the prestigious international tournament with his native Argentina.

Over six appearances, the £50k-per-week ace – who was hailed “unplayable” and an “incredible talent” by journalist Roy Nemer – scored one goal, delivered one assist and completed 67% of his dribbles, as well as averaging 39 accurate passes, 1.3 key passes, 1.5 tackles and 5.2 duels won per game.

The signing of the 24-year-old could be the final curtain for Keita who is yet to agree on a new contract despite reportedly being in talks to extend his stay on Merseyside, as Mac Allister would surely steal his spot in the starting line-up should a move be sanctioned for the Argentine in 2023.

With that being said, it will be interesting to see if Liverpool pursue Mac Allister when the transfer window reopens as he could be a great addition to Klopp’s midfield rebuild.

Transfer expert Dean Jones says that Sergej Milinkovic-Savic not lighting up the World Cup could work in Arsenal’s ‘favour’ in terms of a potential move.

The Lowdown: Arsenal in pole

It has recently been reported that Arsenal are in pole position to sign Milinkovic-Savic, either in January or in the summer.

The Lazio central midfielder seems to be convinced by Mikel Arteta’s project, and so a move to the Emirates Stadium is now possible.

The Latest: Advantage Gunners?

Speaking to GiveMeSport, Jones has claimed that Milinkovic-Savic not having the best World Cup with Serbia could work in the Gunners’ ‘favour’, adding that they would have a ‘reasonably clear run’ should they decide to sign him in this window:

“The one thing in Arsenal’s favour here is that Milinkovic-Savic didn’t quite light up the World Cup in a way that he could have done.

“If Arsenal do want him, this would probably be the time to make their move, because they’d have a reasonably clear run at him.”

The Verdict: Sign him and Mudryk?

The North London club are already strongly linked with a big-money move for Shakhtar Donetsk winger Mykhaylo Mudryk, and with the injury to Gabriel Jesus, they should be prioritising attacking reinforcements in this window.

Milinkovic-Savic would also be a real statement of a signing though, given that he is one of the best in the world in his position.

The midfielder ranked in the top 7% in Europe’s top five leagues in 2022 for non-penalty goals, non-penalty xG, shots, assists, xAG, npxG + xAG, touches, progressive passes received and aerial duels won per match at club level (FBRef), but was unfortunately knocked out with Serbia in the group stages of the World Cup in Qatar.

Hailed as ‘magic’ and on the ‘same level of Kevin De Bruyne’ by his Lazio team-mate Ciro Immobile, Milinkovic-Savic is still rated very highly in Italy, and Arsenal would do very well to sign him on top of Mudryk in January.

Leeds United are vying to sign FC Luzern midfielder Ardon Jashari, according to Sky Sports Germany.

The Lowdown: Jashari profiled

Jashari is primarily a left-footed holding midfielder but can also feature in a box-to-box role if required. The 20-year-old has featured 40 times in the first team for FC Luzern and has been described as an ‘exciting’ talent by one journalist.

He made his senior Switzerland debut back in September and also made the squad for the World Cup in Qatar.

The Latest: Leeds keen

Sky Sports Germany shared an update in the last 48 hours regarding Jashari’s future.

They said that the player is likely to leave FC Luzern and named the Whites as a club who are ‘vying’ for his services, alongside RB Leipzig, Eintracht Frankfurt, Celtic and Napoli.

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The Verdict: Second signing?

Leeds appear to be making good progress over a move for RB Salzburg defender Maximilian Wober and are hopeful of completing a transfer in the coming days.

Jashari could therefore become the club’s second addition of 2023, however, it seems as if other areas of the pitch could do with bolstering first.

Jesse Marsch seems to be desperate for a proven goalscorer due to Patrick Bamford’s struggles for form and fitness in 2022, so perhaps Leeds should look in the final third before swooping for Jashari.

Newcastle United have been knocked out of the FA Cup in a shock defeat to League One side Sheffield Wednesday this evening at Hillsborough, and Eddie Howe will surely be regretting his decision to make so many changes for the clash.

The Magpies manager made eight changes to the starting XI which drew with Arsenal in an effort to give fringe players the opportunity to prove their worth and allow first-teamers a rest ahead of the Carabao Cup quarter-final clash against Leicester City on Tuesday.

Despite having 75% possession of the ball, more shots on goal (22 v 9), more big chances created (4 v 3), more shots inside the box (15 v 6) and more dribbles completed (63% v 13%) than the home side, Newcastle were unable to convert their overwhelming amount of chances, which ultimately cost them their place in the competition.

The first half was relatively uneventful, with Newcastle dominating the ball, and although both teams were creating chances comfortably to threaten their opponents, it remained scoreless at the interval.

In the second half, the drama unfolded as Wednesday’s striker Josh Windass finally broke the stalemate to give his team the lead in the 52nd minute, and the chaos that he caused Newcastle didn’t end there as he doubled the lead with another goal just 13 minutes later.

Bruno Guimaraes responded with a goal for Newcastle in the 69th minute but chance after chance was squandered and, after a prolonged period of injury time, Howe’s side fell to just their second defeat of the season.

One player who was brought onto the pitch to strengthen the attacking threat was striker Chris Wood, replacing a freshly-returned Alexander Isak in front of goal, and it’s safe to say that it was a complete disaster from the New Zealand striker.

Over his 45-minute performance, the 31-year-old flop – whose display was dubbed “awful” by Adam Wesley – had 23 touches, completed just 14 passes, lost 100% of his duels and missed a one-on-one opportunity with the goalkeeper to equalise late into the second half, a miss which must result in the striker never wearing the black and white shirt again.

Wood has been linked with a potential move away from St James’ Park after falling somewhat out of favour due to his goal-shy approach (just three this season), Callum Wilson’s form and Isak’s arrival, with Leeds United one of the clubs reportedly keeping an eye on the striker.

An opportunity to offload Wood should not be ignored by Howe and PIF if a club should make a concrete offer over the January transfer window, as it is clear from tonight’s disasterclass that the drop-off in quality is huge when replacing his positional peers in the centre-forward role.

West Ham United are showing an interest in the Nigerian striker Terem Moffi this month as David Moyes hopes to see his side bring in some firepower up top.

What’s the latest?

The Hammers have entered the January window in a precarious position in the Premier League table as they sit just three points off rock bottom.

And on the back of this, the Irons have been linked with bringing in a new striker this month with the Sevilla forward Youssef En-Nesyri believed to be one of the names they have on their radar.

However, they are seemingly having some issues in landing the Moroccan from La Liga with the Spanish side believed to be holding out for £35m.

And on the back of their struggles to land En-Nesyri, journalist Ryan Taylor has spoken on his YouTube channel about West Ham’s interest in Moffi:

“I reported yesterday or the day before that West Ham’s interest in Terem Moffi had been dismissed to me, but it’s now my understanding that there is actually genuine interest.

“So in terms of West Ham’s interest in Terem Moffi, I believe they have actually held negotiations to sign the player now, but at the same time, there is a little bit of differentiation between the price Lorient are looking for and what West Ham are prepared to pay.”

Settling for second best?

Regardless of who West Ham are looking to sign this month, it is apparent action needs to be taken with only three other sides in the league having scored fewer than the Hammers.

Their investment in Gianluca Scamacca has not shown many signs of reaping its rewards and the likes of Jarrod Bowen have failed to pick up on last season’s form.

But in Moffi, would West Ham potentially be getting an upgrade or would they be better off going all in on the heavily-linked En-Nesyri?

Well, En-Nesyri has certainly endured his struggles in La Liga this season having failed to return a goal in any of his 12 appearances in the Spanish top flight (via Transfermarkt).

However, the 25-year-old has been able to produce five goals across his six appearances in the Copa del Rey and Champions League.

In comparison, Moffi has been in scintillating form for Lorient in Ligue 1 this season having already scored 11 goals in just 17 appearances in France.

And in general, Moffi has generally shown more positive signs than En-Nesyri with the Nigerian completing more passes and more shot-creating actions per 90 minutes (via FBref).

However, with the 23-year-old in such fine form for the French side, it will be interesting to see whether the Hammers could possibly prise him away with half of the season still left to play and Lorient chasing a spot in Europe.

Transfer guru Fabrizio Romano has suggested that Wolves could be in with a chance of signing Aaron Wan-Bissaka if they place an ‘important bid’ this winter.

What’s the word?

The Manchester United defender has long been expected to leave his club in January but in recent weeks he has reminded manager Erik ten Hag of his quality again.

Indeed, the right-back has been playing with Diogo Dalot suffering from injury issues and he certainly impressed in the Manchester derby as the Red Devils beat their biggest rivals 2-1.

And with United playing well of late, Romano has explained that the club won’t be looking to alter their dressing room much in the remainder of the window, but a key bid could yet tempt them into a sale.

Speaking on his YouTube channel, the journalist said (11:00): “Look, from what I’m told, they’re [Manchester United] really happy with the team they have right now. They’re doing great, so they don’t want to change the atmosphere they have in the dressing room.

He did add, however: “If an important bid will arrive for Wan-Bissaka keep an eye on Crystal Palace and Wolves.”

A key upgrade?

As mentioned by Romano, Crystal Palace have also been strongly linked with the right-back this January – which is no surprise as they are Wan-Bissaka’s former side.

However, Wolves may well feel as though the player is good enough to fight for even if a bit of a bidding war ensues. After all, he impressed against the Molineux outfit recently, picking up a 7.5 match rating (via SofaScore) as the Red Devils won away from home, keeping a clean sheet too.

Nelson Semedo has been the club’s first-choice right-back option this season but his average SofaScore performance rating is down a 6.65 – compared to Wan-Bissaka’s 6.96 – and so this could be viewed as an upgrade.

Still, it feels as though this deal won’t be easy to comply with Palace also lurking and United potentially now reluctant to sell amid the recent turnaround in form.