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Legendary Premier League goalkeeper Petr Cech will retire from professional football at the end of the season.

Cech has enjoyed a wonderful career in England with both Chelsea and most recently Arsenal. The former Czech Republic captain has been a fantastic servant for both clubs, operating at the very highest level. The 36-year-old holds the record for clean sheets in the Premier League as well as lifting four league titles and one Champions League crown.

His departure will be a massive blow to the Arsenal dressing room and leaves Unai Emery with a gap that needs to be filled. Adding competition to Bernd Leno in between the sticks will be one of the Spaniard’s top priorities in the summer transfer window. Reports in the Daily Mail suggest that the Gunners could make a move for Burnley’s Nick Pope.

Instead, Arsenal should be aiming higher and make a move for Fiorentina starlet – Alban Lafont. Valued at £11.7m by Transfermarkt, the 20-year-old was earmarked as a star for the future after progressing through the Toulouse youth academy. After breaking into the first-team, he was snapped up by the Italian side this summer, who paid £7m to lure the talented ‘keeper to the Serie A.

Lafont has performed well since making the move abroad, keeping seven clean sheets in the league so far. The France U20 international possesses excellent reflexes and his size allows him to pull off miraculous save. His vast amount of experience at such a young age is extremely rare and should make adapting to life in the Premier League much easier.

Developing and improving with every game, Lafont could prove to be a massive star at the Emirates.

Arsenal fans, thoughts?

Crystal Palace could continue their overhaul of the first-team squad in January after being linked with a move for Wolverhampton Wanderers defender Rayan Aït Nouri.

What’s the story?

According to French outlet Jeunes Footeux (via Sport Witness), both the Eagles and fellow Premier League outfit Newcastle United are eager to prise the promising 20-year-old away from Molineux over the coming months.

The report claims that it’s Palace who are ‘especially’ interested, though, with manager Patrick Vieira keen to bring in some cover and competition for Tyrick Mitchell at left-back.

It’s claimed that the French tactician has already informed his recruitment team that he wants to land Aït Nouri, although chairman Steve Parish will need to open his chequebook, with Wolves set to demand in the region of €25-30m (£21-26m) for their young star.

Crystal Palace must make their move

Following the departure of Patrick van Aanholt in the summer, Palace have been left with only one natural left-sided full-back in their first-team squad.

As a result, academy graduate Mitchell has played every minute of their Premier League campaign to date, something which is not sustainable in the long term.

Therefore, the capital club’s hierarchy must make their move for Aït Nouri over the winter window, and the £33,000-per-week ace could prove to be an exceptional piece of business.

The France U21 international arrived at Wolves on an initial season-long loan from Ligue 1 side SCO Angers in October 2020 before making the move permanent 12 months later.

In that time, Aït Nouri has racked up 34 appearances for the Midlands outfit, putting in several eye-catching displays along the way.

Following a particularly impressive performance last term – ironically against Palace – The Athletic’s Tim Spiers lauded his ‘phenomenal’ showing.

“Ait-Nouri was phenomenal,” said Spiers (as relayed by This is Futbol). “I know it’s only one game and he’s a kid, and he got a lot of space at times, but he played with such enthusiasm and really helped stretch that game out on the left.”

And The Express & Stars journalist Liam Keen was also effusive in his praise for Aït Nouri as Wolves saw off Everton in the opening weeks of the current campaign.

“I thought he was very good today, defensively good; going forward, he offers something very, very different to Marcal, who’s not great going forward, let’s be honest. He gets the crowd on their feet, and that’s what you need,” Keen said.

With Palace in need of defensive cover and Aït Nouri showing bags of potential, it’s a deal that makes sense for many reasons for the south London side.

And, in other news…Palace must seal bargain deal for “intelligent” £5.4m-rated maestro who has “no fear”

Many Everton fans have been left fuming over some news involving one of their upcoming fixtures in the Premier League.

As per the official Twitter page of the Goodison Park faithful, their trip to Newcastle United in February has now been rescheduled, after being selected for live TV.

It will now be played on Tuesday 8th February at 7:45pm, in what is an ridiculously inconvenient time for supporters hoping to go to the game on Tyneside.

The late kick-off makes it difficult for Toffees to travel back, especially in a midweek when they are likely to have work the next day, and there will be fewer public transport options at that time of night.

Nonetheless, the anger also comes after a poor run of form on the pitch, which has seen the Merseyside club win just one of their last 10 matches in the Premier League.

Everton fans on fixture change

These Blues fumed as the news of the fixture change was shared on Twitter, with one EFC fan even going as far as to claim that it was ‘awful’:

“Why?”

Credit: @efc_1878___

“Keep going @premierleague – kick us when we’re already down”

Credit: @SpecterAndGold

“We’re actually never playing a game on a Saturday again”

Credit: @joejohnson1202

“Everton are not allowed to play Newcastle in broad daylight”

Credit: @jamesc_422

“Absolutely awful date change for Newcastle away that”

Credit: @Lammylad88

“Half the fan base just suffered an injury reading this tweet”

Credit: @SchneiderErnie

In other news, find out what injury news has Evertonians fuming here!

Leeds United are still eyeing up ‘three to four midfielders’ in the January transfer window, according to journalist David Anderson.

The Lowdown: Leeds desperate for a midfielder

The Whites have been plagued by injuries throughout this season and they currently look light in the middle of the park, in terms of options.

Kalvin Phillips’ hamstring injury has left a gaping void in that area of the pitch, while Adam Forshaw has to be managed carefully after a long absence of his own.

Leeds have been linked with signing a number of midfielders this month, including Cagliari’s Nahitan Nandez and Huddersfield Town’s Lewis O’Brien.

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The Latest: Journalist makes fresh claim

Speaking to Give Me Sport, Anderson claimed Victor Orta and co are looking at a move for a midfielder, even though money is hard to come by at present:

“What I’m being told is that they’re looking at three to four midfielders.

“They want to sign at least one. It’s a delicate one because they don’t have pots of cash because they don’t really plan to spend money in January. Normally they like to spend in summer.”

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The Verdict: At least one needed

It would be a huge surprise if January ticked by and no midfielder came in, with Phillips’ absence making it essential that more depth is added.

In fact, one signing should be the bare minimum, with a relegation battle potentially on the cards and another possible injury setback for Forshaw giving Marcelo Bielsa even fewer options.

The hope is that someone of Nandez or O’Brien’s ilk arrives in the coming weeks, in what would be a much-needed boost, with an injection of fresh blood required.

Both of those aforementioned players would add tenacity and quality, averaging two and 2.8 tackles per game in their respective leagues this season.

In other news, Leeds are reportedly ‘pressing’ to complete one piece of transfer business. Read more here.

West Ham United are closing in on the signing of Marseille defender Duje Caleta-Car as the January transfer window draws nearer to its close.

What’s the story?

It’s been a slow start to the window for David Moyes’ side, with the Hammers struggling to make any inroads in terms of any incomings, but that appears to be coming to an end very soon.

According to French publication L’Équipe du Soir, Caleta-Car should be on his way to the London Stadium shortly, and that while fellow Premier League sides Wolves and Newcastle were interested in him, it’s West Ham who have won the race for him.

First major signing for West Ham

With the injury struggles the Hammers have had this season, particularly in defence, the addition of an experienced defender like Caleta-Car is welcome news for West Ham fans.

The 25-year-old has been a regular for Marseille in recent seasons, but he has been in and out of the side this term, with Jorge Sampaoli seemingly favouring Arsenal loanee William Saliba as the right-sided central defender.

Despite the lack of game-time, Caleta-Car has shown the kind of imposing centre-back that he is, winning a monstrous 74% of his total duels in Ligue 1 this year, and winning 75% of those contested in the air – exactly the kind of return that Moyes will surely love.

Indeed, former Liverpool defender and Caleta-Car’s Croatia teammate Dejan Lovren has tipped the centre-back to shine in the Premier League, claiming: “He is physically very strong, stronger than other players. He will explode in a few years and become even stronger.”

The 20-cap star would be a fine addition to the West Ham defence for the second half of this season.

Meanwhile, West Ham have made their “first offer” for this Ligue 1 striker…

Nick Hammond is reportedly now eyeing up a move to sign Manuel Lanzini for Newcastle United.

The Lowdown: Hammond hired

As per Sky Sports, the St. James’ Park faithful have now hired former Celtic and Reading Director of Football (DoF) Nick Hammond on a short-term deal as a transfer consultant.

He will oversee the January transfer window, and has been tasked with bringing in players to help in their relegation fight.

The Latest: Lanzini eyed

According to 90min, one of Hammond’s first signings could be Lanzini, as the North East club are eyeing a loan move for the West Ham United ace next month.

David Moyes would reportedly not mind letting him leave on loan, and given the situation that the Tyneside outfit find themselves in, it could prove to be a good move for all parties.

The Verdict: Makes sense

While Lanzini has been starting more regularly in the Premier League, he has been far from first choice throughout the season, and so may want a loan move away in order to play more football.

There is no doubt that the talent is there, as Lionel Messi even once hailed him by admiring his potential and claiming that he could play for FC Barcelona when he was there.

BBC pundit Stephen Warnock went as far as to claim that he was ‘magic’ and capable of ‘genius’ after impressing away at Manchester City earlier this season, and he could give Eddie Howe’s team that extra bit of firepower to keep them up.

Nonetheless, if they end up getting relegated, Lanzini could then just return to the Hammers after his loan spell, and so the deal would make a lot of sense for all parties involved.

In other news, find out which ‘exceptional’ title winner NUFC are now targeting here!

Mauricio Pochettino is the front-runner to replace Ole Gunnar Solskjaer as Manchester United manager, according to journalist Peter O’Rourke.

The Lowdown: United on the search for new manager

Solskjaer’s reign as United manager came to an end on Sunday morning following the 4-1 defeat away to Watford the previous day. The Norwegian had reached the point of no return after a run of just one win in seven Premier League matches, with a change being essential.

United are now on the lookout for a new manager and a number of candidates are believed to be in the race to take charge at Old Trafford.

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The Latest: Journalist makes Pochettino managerial claim

One of those is reportedly Pochettino, who is currently manager of Paris Saint-Germain but whose family remains in England.

Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, O’Rourke talked up the chances of the Argentine taking over at United, saying it looks the most likely outcome:

“All signs seem to point towards Pochettino being their top target right now. He’s been a long-term target for the United hierarchy in the past.”

The Verdict: Right man for the job?

The main thing working against Pochettino is his lack of silverware, with the 49-year-old only winning a French Cup and French Super Cup during his time as a manager. In five years at Tottenham, he failed to win any trophies, but he also turned Spurs into a formidable side who reached the 2019 Champions League final.

Pochettino plays an attacking brand of football, which is sure to appeal at United – he has labelled Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel a ‘defensive’ coach – and he could perhaps get far more out of a hugely talented squad than Solskjaer, as was the case with players such as Dele Alli, Son Heung-min and Harry Kane.

The pressure would clearly be on Pochettino to win trophies at Old Trafford, but he is still at an age where he is learning as a manager and he could be the man to bring back more successful times to the red half of Manchester.

In other news, some United fans have been responding negatively to a managerial rumour. Read more here.

Despite securing a deal for 21-year-old winger Chiquinho in recent days, Wolves still have enough time left in the January transfer window to add some more players to Bruno Lage’s squad as they aim to secure a European place in the Premier League this season.

One potential deal that the Old Gold could look to complete is for Barcelona’s 24-year-old winger Ousmane Dembele, who has been mentioned with a move to Molineux recently with current Wolves winger Adama Traore possibly going in the other direction.

With the Spanish club apparently telling Dembele to leave by the end of the month if he’s not willing to sign a new deal at Camp Nou, this is a situation that Wolves could potentially pounce upon to bring the Frenchman to Molineux for a fresh start away from Barcelona.

Having been compared to a young Cristiano Ronaldo by former Rennes sporting director Mikael Silvestre in terms of his characteristics on the pitch, Dembele has shown throughout his career that he is capable of scoring and setting up goals in a similar vein to the iconic Portuguese attacker. The 24-year-old has scored 53 goals and delivered 50 assists in 208 senior club appearances for Rennes, Borussia Dortmund and Barcelona across all competitions.

In addition to his comparison with Ronaldo, the £27m-rated winger has also been the subject of lofty praise from another footballing icon, with Lionel Messi describing his former Barcelona teammate as a “phenomenon” on the pitch.

If Jeff Shi and Wolves see a possibility of being able to secure a financially viable deal for Dembele this month, they should definitely go for it to see if he would be willing to test his game in the Premier League and put what seems to be an unsavoury situation with Barcelona behind him to potentially become Wolves’ own version of Ronaldo.

Given his fairly young age and Traore’s reported intention to leave Molineux, Dembele could also be Wolves’ dream replacement for the Spaniard and offer Lage’s side more of a goal threat going forward, given how Traore has only netted 11 goals in 153 Old Gold appearances across all competitions.

However, with a significant injury record against his name, this could potentially put off Wolves or any other club considering a move for Dembele from actually doing so.

In other news: Sky Sports journalist drops Wolves transfer update live on air, Lage will be delighted

Robin Koch could leave Leeds United in the summer transfer window.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to Danny Mills, with the former Leeds United right-back claiming in a recent interview with Football Insider that, after struggling to impress when deployed at both centre-back and central midfield, Jesse Marsch could look to sign an upgrade on the 25-year-old this summer – something that could subsequently see the Germany international depart Elland Road.

Regarding Koch’s position in the Leeds squad, Mills said: “He hasn’t really found a position. He’s OK here, he’s OK there and he’s decent there. You don’t look at it and go, ‘he is playing centre-half’ or ‘he’s playing defensive midfield.’

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“That is difficult for a player and also for a manager. Where does he fit in? Can the manager get somebody to do a specific job in that position who is maybe a little bit better?

“Sometimes being a utility player is great but it often means you are on the fringes. You are often second-choice in six or seven different positions.”

“The new manager will be looking to bring in two or three of his own players, players that he wants. If that means you have to get a couple out then so be it.”

Marsch can axe Koch with Luiz Felipe

While Koch is undoubtedly a player who boasts a significant amount of potential, it is undeniable that the 25-year-old has so far failed to live up to initial expectations following his £13m move to Elland Road in August 2020.

This has been particularly evident over his 14 Premier League appearances this term, in which the £15.3m-rated centre-back has made an average of 1.1 interceptions, 1.1 tackles and 2.1 clearances per game, in addition to being dribbled past 1.2 times and winning 4.1 duels – at a success rate of just 46% – per outing.

These returns have seen the £46k-per-week defender who Beren Cross dubbed both “horrible to watch” and “not good enough” earlier this season average a disappointing SofaScore match rating of 6.56, ranking him as the Whites’ sixth-worst player in the league.

As such, it is perhaps no surprise that Victor Orta was reported to have made a €30m (£25m) bid for Lazio centre-back Luiz Felipe in the January transfer window, nor would it be surprising for the sporting director to make a second approach for the 25-year-old at the end of the season – as he is set to leave the Stadio Olimpico upon the expiry of his contract this summer.

And, considering how impressive the defender has been in Italy in the current campaign, Luiz Felipe would very much appear to be something of a perfect candidate to replace Koch in Marsch’s side.

Indeed, over his 27 Serie A appearances this season, the £16.2m-rated Brazilian has helped his side keep five clean sheets, in addition to making an average of 1.2 interceptions, 1.4 tackles and 3.4 clearances per fixture, as well as being dribbled past just 0.5 times and winning 3.8 duels – at a success rate of 54% – per game.

These returns have seen the £24k-per-week defender who Jerry Mancini claimed possesses “significant pace” and labelled “quality” average a highly impressive SofaScore match rating 7.01, ranking him as Maurizio Sarri’s seventh-best player in the Italian top flight.

As such, if a deal for Luiz Felipe is there to be done this summer, it would indeed appear a wise move for Orta to launch an offensive for the Lazio centre-back – something which would subsequently allow the sporting director to move Koch onto pastures new.

AND in other news: Sold at £13m, now worth £100m: Leeds had a mare on 20 y/o “everyone is talking about”

West Brom defender Semi Ajayi has revived his career at the club in the second half of the season, having started the last nine games in a row despite making just 15 appearances in the 2021/22 Championship beforehand.

His speed and physicality have caught the eye in recent months, and after becoming an outcast under former Albion manager Slaven Bilic, current boss Steve Bruce has brought him in from the cold and helped him return to his best – but his recent form might eventually come at a cost.

What’s the news?

Former Premier League striker Kevin Phillips has claimed that the Baggies could be forced into selling their 28-year-old centre-back, who he believes could even be playing in the top flight next season.

When asked by West Brom News if Albion could lose Ajayi this summer, the 48-year-old replied: “I would say so. I think he’s a really accomplished centre-half, he has shown in these spells that he can deliver and it’s just getting that consistency.

“When a new manager comes in and you fall out or whatever, I think he’s shown that he’s got the quality, he’s a big, powerful centre-half with leadership qualities.

“So, I would assume that there would be interest in him, he would fit the mould of a lot of teams, maybe in the lower half of the Premier League, and definitely the top half of the Championship – he’s definitely a player that would attract interest.”

West Brom need to keep Ajayi

Ajayi has excelled in the Championship in previous years, including his 2018/19 campaign which saw him feature in all 46 of Rotherham’s matches, scoring seven goals in the process. That prompted the Baggies to sign him for £1.49m, and their promotion-winning 2019/20 campaign saw him score five goals in 43 matches, a very respectable return for a centre-back.

This year, the Nigeria international has made 2.9 clearances and won 5.1 duels and 1.3 tackles per game, while completing 80% of his dribbles and executing 1.6 long passes per match.

With superb athleticism and rapidly improving defensive skills, Ajayi – who last year was described by former England midfielder Trevor Sinclair to be “getting better all the time” – would be a huge loss to West Brom, and the Albion faithful will surely be hoping that they can keep hold of him for next season.

Given the fine form that the Nigerian has shown, it could be disastrous for the Baggies to lose the 28-year-old if the lure of another club proves too attractive to resist.

In other news: West Brom dodged a huge transfer bullet over £48k-p/w “Rolls-Royce”