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Everton’s failure to land a striker in the January transfer window was well-documented, and despite claiming otherwise, Sean Dyche will likely be disappointed to see numerous deals fall through on deadline day and thus no new incomings.

His side still remain in the relegation zone despite their remarkable victory over Arsenal at the weekend, and although spirits will be lifted they are still far from safe.

Hoping to ride this new wave of enthusiasm into next weeks Merseyside derby, reports have recently surfaced that suggest the Toffees could also be set to do their business for the summer way ahead of time.

As of last week, Dyche was accredited with an interest in Chelsea striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang after the forward was omitted from their Champions League 25-man squad.

It was suggested in the report that he could now seek to terminate his contract, but it is far more likely that he will wait until the summer as he has already played for two clubs this season and thus is unable to be registered anywhere else.

Whilst his pedigree and goalscoring nouse might dwarf anything already at Goodison Park, this does seem like Everton falling back into old habits by seeking short-term solutions to big long-term problems.

Should they move for the £160k-per-week dud, it would certainly offer striking similarities with their deal to sign Sandro Ramirez back in 2017.

Acquired for just over £5m, it was seen as a huge coup to sign the Spaniard who had scored 14 and assisted five in La Liga the season prior.

Such was his tiny fee, he commanded a reported wage of £65k-per-week.

Given he would go on to play just 16 times for the Merseyside outfit, scoring once, he was one of the numerous drains on the club from that period. The forward would stick around until his eventual release in 2020.

Aubameyang would command a far more inflated wage packet than that, and with just one league goal to his name this season, the 33-year-old would probably be just as toothless too.

Not to mention that he has form of upsetting a dressing room, with his fiasco at Arsenal forcing Mikel Arteta to get rid of him immediately. His conduct then led writer Conor Keane to weigh in on the incident, claiming: “Arteta made the right call. Aubameyang became too much of a liability.”

Attitude problems or not, the ageing forward remains a far cry from the lethal finisher that hit double figures four seasons on the run at the Emirates.

There are few upsides to this potential deal, who would only see Farhad Moshiri repeat old mistakes by signing his next Sandro: a disappointing forward who will bleed the club dry.

West Brom are reportedly interested in signing Liverpool youngster Leighton Clarkson on loan this month and the midfielder could be a big upgrade on Jake Livermore in Carlos Corberan’s side.

According to Football Insider, a number of Championship sides including the Baggies, Reading and QPR are all keen on taking the 21-year-old on loan until the end of the season after his impressive displays north of the border with Aberdeen.

The Dons are keen on keeping the England U20 international at Pittodrie until the end of the season but Liverpool could potentially terminate his loan in Scotland before sending him to any of the interested Championship sides.

The Liverpool academy graduate has already made three appearances for the senior side and spent the second half of last season on loan with Blackburn Rovers but failed to make much impression.

However, his displays at Aberdeen so far this campaign have been very impressive, as he boasts four goals and one assist in 17 Scottish Premiership appearances, with WhoScored awarding him a strong 6.84 average rating for his performances.

He is clearly highly thought of at Anfield too, with Jurgen Klopp singing his praises in 2021 after a friendly win over Osasuna.

He said: “Leighton is one of the biggest talents in our club, he’s been there for ages. He’s a midfielder, a number six type, can play eight as well.”

Should he arrive at the Hawthorns this month, it seems clear that he would be a significant upgrade on ageing captain Jake Livermore, who has struggled immensely on his appearances in the second tier so far this campaign.

The 33-year-old has lost his place under Corberan and it is no surprise that results have dramatically improved since, with it also noticeable that the Baggies shipped three goals against non-league Chesterfield when Livermore did return to the side last weekend.

WhoScored have awarded him a woeful 6.33 rating for his performances in the Championship this season, while he has also averaged far fewer tackles (1.7 vs 0.8), key passes (1.1 vs 0.3) and shots per game (one vs 0.4) when compared to Clarkson, which suggests that the Liverpool man can be an upgrade from both a defensive and attacking perspective.

Although Corberan has preferred a midfield duo of Okay Yokuslu and Jayson Molumby for much of his time in charge, this has been perhaps due to a lack of other reliable options, and Clarkson could certainly give the Spanish manager even more to think about as he looks to continue the Baggies’ surge up the table.

Everton are reportedly leading the race to sign the man who could save their season…

What’s the latest?

That’s according to Spanish publication El Periodico Mediterraneo, who claim that the Toffees are now showing the most interest in signing Villarreal winger Arnaut Danjuma.

The suggested deal would be an initial loan move with an option to purchase the player in the summer, which would reportedly suit all parties involved.

The Dutchman also hopes for a move to a ‘bigger club’ and having rejected West Ham United in the summer of 2021, this could be another case of a player choosing a move to Merseyside over the London Stadium, just as Amadou Onana did.

Reignite McNeil

Having only signed for the Spanish outfit in the aforementioned summer for a €25m (£22m) fee, it can be assumed that a permanent deal for Danjuma would not come cheap.

The 25-year-old has impressed since his move to the Yellow Submarine, having starred for AFC Bournemouth initially to earn the transfer.

He would score 17 times across the Championship and the playoffs, assisting a further seven in what would see him named in the divisions’ team of the season.

Then, in his debut season in Spain, he would continue his fine goalscoring form with a 16-goal haul, adding four assists to a season where he would reach the Champions League semi-finals.

As such, he has been dubbed a “nightmare for defenders” by former Premier League striker Kevin Phillips.

Boasting experience beyond most in the Goodison Park dressing room, and a proven track record in recent years of scoring big goals, he could be imperative in offering that lethal touch that manager Frank Lampard has been missing in the final third this season.

His side have scored just 14 times in 18 Premier League games so far and unsurprisingly sit in the relegation zone.

Many of Lampard’s summer deals have fallen flat, with former Burnley winger Dwight McNeil disappointing, in particular.

The Rochdale-born dynamo only has two goals to his name this season, and as such has found himself in a permanent cycle of rotation with the other misfiring wingers at the club.

Perhaps the addition of such a “special” footballer, as lauded by former coach Adrie Bogers, could be the spark needed to reignite the 23-year-old, who only ranks in the bottom 35% of his positional peers across Europe for non-penalty expected goals.

He has proven in the past that he can be a reliable goal threat, offering eight goal contributions in just 21 games as a teenager back in 2018.

However, this return only came when faced with true competition in his position, as he battled with Aaron Lennon, Robbie Brady, Johann Berg Gudmundsson, Ashley Westwood and more for the right to feature.

Anthony Gordon and Demarai Gray have hardly offered that impetus, but Danjuma’s addition certainly would.

Aston Villa will be hoping to put the transfer disasters of the past behind them now that Unai Emery has been appointed, however, they could be heading for another howler in January as a new update emerges.

What’s the latest?

According to Chelsea journalist Simon Phillips, the London club are interested in signing Matty Cash this month.

As per the report, Chelsea are stepping up their pursuit of a right-back in January due to Reece James’ injury troubles and a lack of depth in the position with Graham Potter interested in a shock move for the Aston Villa star.

Chukwuemeka repeat

Since joining the Villans in 2020 from Nottingham Forest, the Polish right-back has quickly established himself as one of the most consistent and reliable performers in the squad.

After tallying up 85 appearances for the Midlands outfit, Cash has scored four goals and delivered six assists proving that he is both potent in his attacking threat whilst being a solid defensive asset on the right flank.

Over 15 Premier League appearances this season alone, the £80k-per-week talent has completed 64% of his dribbles and tallied up an 85% pass completion rate in his own half, as well as averaging 53.3 touches, 1.3 interceptions, two tackles, 1.2 clearances and 3.6 duels won per game.

As a result, Chelsea’s interest could be a huge threat to Emery’s pursuit of vast improvement at Villa Park as the club could head for a repeat of the Carney Chukwuemeka sale which has seen the former Aston Villa teenager thrive at none other than Stamford Bridge since conceding defeat in the summer after failed contract talks.

The wonderkid was once hailed as the “best 16-year-old in the country” by Christian Purslow a few years ago and to lose him to the Blues was a huge blow despite his relative inexperience.

Thus, losing the 25-year-old Cash – who was hailed “exceptional” by Alex McLeish – to the same team would only rub further salt into the wounds of the transfer team at Villa Park.

Indeed, it would lead to another prospect that can play a key role in the future at Villa Park needing to be replaced and would prompt a much-needed serious financial investment to replace Cash’s prowess in attack, which combined with his reliable defensive attributes won’t be easy to come by.

With that being said, Emery must do everything he can to avoid another outgoing of a highly-rated member of the squad, especially ahead of the second half of the season when the Villarreal boss will be working hard to improve the performances on the pitch to achieve a comfortable finish at the end of the campaign.

Tottenham Hotspur are looking to add a forward along with a right wing-back this January with a central defender likely to be targetted in the summer.

What’s the latest?

It has been an underwhelming run of form for Antonio Conte’s side who have now slipped outside of the top four having struggled since the return from the World Cup break.

Now with the January transfer window open, attention is seemingly being turned to the areas which the Italian feels Spurs need to improve on if they want to be playing Champions League football next season.

Sky Sports reporter Kaveh Solhekol has been speaking about their immediate plans to reinforce Conte’s attacking options as well as provide him with a solution for their issues at right wing-back.

And looking further ahead into the summer window, Solhekol has claimed the Lilywhites will be looking into adding a centre-back with the Ecuador defender Piero Hincapie believed to be an option:

“Spurs in the market for a forward and a wing-back. Longer term, they want to bring in a left-sided central-defender as well. Bayer Leverkusen’s Piero Hincapie is a player they’re looking at.”

Are Spurs backing Conte?

Tottenham’s form since mid-October simply has not been good enough for a club who are looking to work their way into the Champions League on a consistent basis.

However, these comments from Solhekol would suggest that some improvements will be made over the January window but it will have to be seen as to what calibre of player Spurs potentially bring in.

It is believed there is an interest in Pedro Porro this month but Sky Sports have also suggested Spurs’ interest has cooled having found out Sporting CP’s price tag on the wing-back.

Conte has spoken of his content with his current crop of centre-backs, but the form over recent months would suggest it is this month which Spurs need to strengthen their defence.

The Lilywhites have now conceded first in their last 10 games and have conceded more than double the amount of goals in which their top four rivals, Newcastle United, have thus far.

There has been previous interest reported in Alessandro Bastoni with a move potentially to be explored again in the summer, but he seemed adamant to remain at Inter Milan last year.

So if Spurs are unlikely to land a player of Bastoni’s calibre in the summer, we do question as to why they would wait until then if they are potentially going to have to settle for someone slightly less desirable in Hincapie.

The return to competitive action is within touching distance for Manchester United, with boss Erik ten Hag completing preparations for the fourth-round Carabao Cup tie against Championship leaders Burnley.

It will mark the Red Devils’ last games since the start of November – before the pausing of the campaign to pave the way for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar – when prodigious starlet Alejandro Garnacho clinched a huge victory over Fulham with a deft burst of pace in the dying embers to give United all three points and maintain the pursuit of Champions League football.

The impending clash versus Burnley will also be the first tie without Cristiano Ronaldo on the books, who terminated his contract with the club by mutual consent at the end of November, following an explosive interview with Piers Morgan.

Naturally, the Theatre of Dreams has since been host to a plethora of transfer rumours demanding the replacement of the legendary talisman, but boss Erik ten Hag might yet have one home remedy to ail the offensive woes in the shape of Anthony Martial, who must grasp his forthcoming opportunity.

Forget Ronaldo

Ronaldo’s feats are not to be sniffed at, with the five-time Ballon d’Or winner scoring 145 goals and serving 64 assists across 346 displays for United over two stints. 

However, time waits for no man, and the 37-year-old sensation has suffered the toll of the twilight years in professional football recently; upon the appointment of Ten Hag, Ronaldo’s relationship with the club deteriorated, and indeed erupted last month.

For all his plunder, the 196-cap Portugal international – holding the world record for most international goals with 118 – managed to clinch just three strikes from 16 appearances this term, actually being outscored by teammate Martial.

The 27-year-old Martial, who endured a miserable loan spell with Sevilla, scoring just one goal from 12 outings, during the latter half of last season, has displayed promising signs over the first phase of the current campaign, scoring four goals and assisting two more from just seven appearances, starting only three times.

Having exhibited such promise at the maiden stage of his Red Devils career, signing from AS Monaco for £36m in 2015 and scoring 18 goals and ten assists across 53 showing for his English outfit, the ace has failed to build on the hype.

But now there is a glorious chance to assume the role of talisman at the club, and prove to a new manager with a compelling philosophy that he can be a “Ferrari” – as once hailed by Owen Hargreaves – once more.

With the Burnley fixture looming and several first-team stars likely to miss out following the conclusion of the World Cup, Martial has the opportunity to dazzle, and demonstrate his calibre to his manager, who will be beginning to get a taste of what the striker can offer to his team.

There will need to be a level of consistency and cutting edge that has evaded Martial for several seasons now, but he has placed a foundation to build on with stellar work earlier this term, and now he has the chance to flourish once again.

Arsenal are interested in a deal to bring Mykhaylo Mudryk to The Emirates in the January transfer window.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by the Evening Standard, who claim that, following a number of earlier reports suggesting that the Gunners were keen on a move for the Shakhtar Donetsk winger this winter, Edu has now opened talks with the Ukrainian side regarding a deal for the 21-year-old.

However, the report goes on to suggest that the Gunners are hoping for the Premier Liga outfit to lower their current asking price for the Ukraine international – said to be in the region of £85m – with Edu believed to be confident that he can knock Shakhtar’s current valuation of the forward down in negotiations.

A new Grealish-like sensation

Considering the “frightening” – in the words of Josh Bunting – talent Mudryk looks to be, it is not difficult to understand why Arsenal would be keen on a deal to bring the youngster to north London this winter – even for an astronomical price of £85m.

Indeed, after bagging two goals and providing seven assists over 11 Premier Liga outings last season, the £13m-rated talent has once again been in scintillating form over his 12 league fixtures in the current campaign, having hit the back of the net seven times and registered a further six assists – averaging a direct goal involvement every 70 minutes of domestic football played this term.

However, it has not only been in Ukraine that the 21-year-old has been catching the eye, as the winger also bagged three goals, registered two assists and created one big chance over his six Champions League fixtures this season, in addition to taking an average of 1.5 shots – one of which hit the target – making 0.8 key passes and completing 1.7 dribbles per game.

It was these performances that saw many sit up and take notice of the eight-cap international, with journalist and podcaster Jack Collins stating of the trickster following his display against RB Leipzig on the opening day of the Champions League season:

“Mykhaylo Mudryk is absolutely unreal. A goal and two assists, sure, but his explosiveness in small bursts is almost undefendable and his ability to keep the ball tethered to his foot, even at full speed, is Bernardo-esque. He’s going to be a star.”

However, in terms of player comparison, it is arguably Sam Tighe’s suggestion that Mudryk is actually more like a Jack “Grealish regen” that would appear to be more accurate, with the £100m Manchester City forward boasting a similar average of 1.5 completed dribbles per Premier League fixture so far this season.

As such, should Edu be successful in his attempts to land Mudryk this winter, not only would the Brazilian have added an exceptionally talented young attacker to Mikel Arteta’s squad, but he could also have unearthed a new Grealish-esque talent – something that is sure to be an extremely exciting prospect for all involved with the Gunners.

Leeds United’s Victor Orta has had largely a successful time at Elland Road since his appointment in 2017.

The Spanish director of football has been a vital cog in their promotion and continued presence in the Premier League, with his shrewd business vital in upgrading a squad that last season narrowly avoided the drop.

Across that campaign, few players bolstered their legacies at the club.

Raphinha naturally stole the headlines, as he was the club’s top scorer who had more than earned his £55m move to Barcelona.

However, arguably just behind the Brazilian in importance was Jack Harrison.

Having been brought in on three successive loan deals, in the summer of 2021 Orta made it a permanent move for £11m.

Although, claims just last week have emerged that are now linking the 26-year-old with a Premier League switch to Newcastle United, after their two failed summer bids for his services.

Alan Hutton noted in the report: “I think if Newcastle come calling, somewhere that you can see what they are doing they are trying to build something, you would definitely want to be a part of that”.

After surviving the bombardment from the Tyneside outfit, the Whites slapped a price tag of at least £35m on their mercurial wide man.

To lose him would be a huge blow, but with the recent emergence of Crysencio Summerville, it poses an interesting decision for Jesse Marsch to make.

The American was reliant on Harrison last season however, as he scored eight goals including the all-important goal in a final-day win at Brentford.

He has started this season in a similarly impressive fashion, already boasting four goal contributions in 13 games.

Having spent nearly four years in Yorkshire, fans at the club will have witnessed his transformation into the “beast” he is today, as dubbed by Beren Cross.

They would surely regret seeing him leave, even if it was for such a mouth-watering fee.

But, as aforementioned, with four goals in his last four games, the 21-year-old Summerville could more than compensate for his output should he maintain this form.

It might be a big risk given how they still remain just two points clear of the relegation zone, but one which might tempt Marsch into selling.

Leeds United right-back Luke Ayling is attracting transfer interest from elsewhere, according to journalist Graeme Bailey.

The Lowdown: Ayling under Marsch

Ayling has made 228 appearances for the Whites after joining the Yorkshire club in 2016 – just 17 of which have come under Jesse Marsch.

Although the current Leeds head coach described the right-back as a player who’s at an “incredibly high level”, the 31-year-old has made just one start during the current Premier League campaign.

Ayling will soon be entering the final six months of his current contract, and it seems as if he is of interest elsewhere heading into January.

The Latest: Bailey’s comments

Bailey was speaking to TEAMtalk regarding players who could leave Elland Road in 2023, with the exit-linked Adam Forshaw among those mentioned.

Another of those was Ayling, with the journalist saying: “Luke Ayling like Forshaw is out of contract next summer, and I am told there is interest in him. However, it is a doubt that Leeds’ squad is deep enough for them to let him go.”

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The Verdict: Keep Drameh?

Rasmus Kristensen appears to be first choice at right-back under Marsch, so it could be a case of offloading one of Cody Drameh or Ayling in 2023.

Drameh is attracting interest across Europe and appears to be a potential future star, and as Conor McGilligan mentions, it could make sense to keep the youngster and part with his elder positional rival if need be.

Ayling has been a brilliant servant in Yorkshire, helping the club to gain promotion back to the Premier League in 2020, but the New Year might be the best time for him to depart and promote Drameh.

West Ham United forward Nikola Vlasic reportedly wants to cut ties with the club permanently amid his loan stint at Torino.

The Lowdown: Hammers struggles…

After signing from CSKA Moscow in 2021, Vlasic went on to struggle in his first full Premier League season at the London Stadium.

The Croatia international, who is a hopeful for their 2022 World Cup squad for Qatar, finished 2021/2022 as one of West Ham’s lowest-rated players according to WhoScored.

Starting just six league matches, Vlasic had just a single goal to show for his efforts, prompting West Ham to green-light a loan-to-buy move to Torino for the player.

Now, as per a new report from Italy, it appears the 25-year-old has made his intentions on leaving permanently quite clear.

The Latest: Vlasic wants to leave permanently…

Indeed, according to Tuttosport (via Toro News), Vlasic wants to remain in Turin and exit east London indefinitely.

The update states that, if it were up to the former Russian Premier League star, the permanent deal agreement would ‘already be done’.

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However, while he has impressed at Torino, the Serie A side are willing to bide their time with this report suggesting they’re even tempted to open talks over a discounted fee for Vlasic and an ‘early redemption of six months’.

The Verdict: Agree?

West Ham certainly shouldn’t entertain a discount given GSBK’s desire to make back as much of Vlasic’s fee as possible, but it’s clear the player’s future lies away from the club.

Called a ‘quality’ player by Sky Italia reporter Nicola Roggero, Vlasic is thriving at Torino – currently ranking as their top goalscorer whilst also managing their highest-rate of attempts at goal and second-best number of key passes made per 90 (WhoScored).

Indeed, green-lighting his departure seems like the best solution for all parties.