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Newcastle United midfielder Bruno Guimaraes has been on Manchester United’s transfer list in the last six months.

The Lowdown: A star at St James’ Park

The Brazilian made the move to St James’ Park back in January and was an instant hit, becoming a key man in no time and only growing in stature since, fast becoming one of the top central midfielders in the country.

The 25-year-old has chipped in with three goals and assists apiece in the Premier League this season, and is arguably now the first name on Eddie Howe’s team sheet.

Bruno’s form has not gone unnoticed, however, meaning other clubs could possibly be looking to steal him away from Newcastle.

The Latest: Man Utd linked

Speaking to Give Me Sport, journalist Jacque Talbot claimed that United have looked at the Brazil international as a midfield option:

“Man United have got a plan of selling a few players off in the summer and then recouping that money and putting in a bid for a world-class midfielder, possibly two is what I was told. At one point, even Bruno Guimaraes was on that list.”

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The Verdict: Worrying

The idea of Bruno moving on so soon after joining Newcastle is hugely concerning, with the midfielder someone who is the absolute heartbeat of the team.

Alan Shearer – who knows a thing or two about ignoring advances from the Red Devils – has hailed him as an ‘absolutely magnificent’ player and the hope is that the Magpies’ current ambitions persuade him to ignore any interest and stay put.

While the Old Trafford outfit are clearly one of the world’s biggest clubs, Newcastle are going places at the moment, sitting comfortably in the top four and really pushing for Champions League football next season. He should see himself as one of the stars of the club’s future.

West Ham United are interested in a deal to bring Terem Moffi to the Premier League in the January transfer window.

What’s the latest?

That’s according to Alex Crook, with the talkSPORT reporter revealing in a recent post on Twitter that the Hammers have now joined the race for the FC Lorient centre-forward, who the Ligue 1 club are believed to looking for a figure in the region of £25m in order to part with this winter.

However, David Moyes is not the only Premier League manager thought to be keen on the 23-year-old, with the Daily Mail reporting that Nathan Jones and Southampton recently saw a £15m bid for the Nigeria international rejected by the French side.

In his tweet, Jones said: “WHUFC have joined the race for Lorient striker Terem Moffi. Saints still at the table but looking less likely due to £25m asking price.”

“Jackpot”

Considering just how impressive Moffi has been in France so far this season, coupled with West Ham’s recent struggles in front of goal – with the Hammers’ 15 goals scored ranking them as the joint fourth-worst attack in the top flight – it is easy to see why Moyes would be interested in a deal to bring the 23-year-old to the London Stadium this winter.

Indeed, over his 16 Ligue 1 appearances in the current campaign, the £14m-rated talent has been in devastating form, having already hit the back of the net ten times – massively overperforming his xG of 6.55 – in addition to taking an average of 2.0 shots – 1.1 of which have been on target – and completing 1.3 dribbles – at a success rate of 61% – per game.

These returns have seen the £15k-per-week hitman average a simply sensational Sofascore match rating of 7.07, currently ranking him as Lorient’s fifth-best performer in the French top flight – playing a key role in his club getting off to an exceptional start to the 2022/23 campaign.

Rather unsurprisingly, Moffi’s performances have seen him earn a considerable amount of praise, with the former Lorient manager, Christophe Pelissier, stating his belief that the Nigerian “ticks all the boxes of the high-level player” back in 2021, while Football Talent Scout Jacek Kulig claimed that the Ligue 1 side hit the “jackpot” when signing the striker for just €8m (£7m).

As such, with the seven-cap international clearly being a forward who can hit the back of the net on an extremely regular basis, coupled with West Ham’s desperate need for a proven goalscorer up top, the argument that Moyes would be hitting the jackpot himself in landing the 23-year-old this winter is a very easy one to make.

The January transfer window is well underway and Sunderland boss Tony Mowbray may look to improve his squad at the Stadium of Light before the end of the month.

His side are currently eighth in the Championship table and one point off the play-off places and this means that the Black Cats are still in with a shot at reaching the Premier League at the end of the campaign.

With this in mind, Mowbray could want to strengthen his side in order to increase the club’s chances of ending up in the top six and sealing a place in the play-offs.

Sunderland’s squad has already taken a hit this month as Premier League side Everton opted to use their option to recall striker Ellis Simms from his loan on Wearside.

The English centre-forward enjoyed an excellent first half of the campaign with the Black Cats and his departure has come as a blow to the side.

Only Ross Stewart and Alex Pritchard have averaged higher Sofascore ratings for the club than Simms (7.03) in the Championship this season, which suggests that he was one of the team’s top performers prior to returning to Goodison Park.

The 22-year-old plundered seven goals and two assists, whilst creating five ‘big chances’ for his teammates, in 14 starts in the division and this shows that he was able to regularly contribute with quality moments in the final third.

Mowbray could now finally replace Simms, almost halfway through the transfer window, by securing a deal to sign Joe Gelhardt on loan from Leeds United in the coming weeks.

The Black Cats are reportedly interested in a deal to sign the young striker on a temporary basis from the Premier League club and his record at youth level indicates that he could be an excellent signing.

Gelhardt, 20, has produced 20 goals and six assists in 31 U21 appearances for the Whites and managed five goals in five U18 matches for Wigan prior to his move to Elland Road.

The £15k-per-week gem, who was once hailed as “absolutely outrageous” by reporter Beren Cross, has also showcased his quality at first-team level with two goals and five assists in six Premier League starts – playing 34 times in total.

His statistics in the senior and youth teams at Leeds suggest that he has the potential to be a superb addition to Sunderland’s squad as he could thrive in the final third with a run of successive starts at a lower level in the Championship.

He has shown that he has the quality to score and assist goals in the Premier League and Mowbray must now push Kristjaan Speakman to snap the young gem up as Simms’ eventual replacement.

Everton have reportedly been ‘offered’ the chance to sign Tottenham Hotspur winger Lucas Moura in this window.

The Lowdown: Out of contract

Moura is a player who is out of contract in the summer, and it has been reported that he will be able to leave as a free agent at the end of the season.

It also means that he could leave for a cut-price in January, should any club wish to sign him for the second part of the campaign.

The Latest: Moura offered

As per The Daily Mail, the Goodison Park outfit have been ‘offered’ the opportunity to sign Moura this month, despite making a loan ‘offer’ themselves for Villarreal winger Arnaut Danjuma.

Should they not be able to sign Danjuma, then they could well turn their attentions to Moura before the window closes.

The Verdict: Premier League experience

The Merseyside club should consider signing Moura considering the Premier League experience that he already has, on top of the fact that they could potentially get him on the cheap.

Described as a ‘team player’ by his former manager Jose Mourinho, the 30-year-old is known for doing his defensive work despite being a winger, ranking in the 99th percentile for interceptions, 89th for tackles, 86th for aerials won and 81st for blocks per game of all his positional peers in Europe’s top five leagues over the past year (FBRef).

That kind of determination would be so useful for Frank Lampard’s side, given that they look like they will be involved in another relegation battle.

Moura has also shown that he is a big-game player as well, scoring a hat-trick in the 2019 UEFA Champions League semi-final to send Spurs through to the final, after which his manager Mauricio Pochettino dubbed him a ‘superhero’.

Nonetheless, the Brazilian seems like he would be a smart signing by the Toffees as they look to pull away from the relegation zone.

West Ham United are now eyeing a move for Roma attacker Nicolo Zaniolo, according to Sky Sports journalist Gianluca Di Marzio.

The Lowdown: Hammers making moves…

The club are reliably believed to have agreed a deal for Aston Villa striker Danny Ings and are still pushing to complete a move for Lorient striker Terem Moffi.

West Ham have been talking to the agent of the latter player but he is apparently undecided over whether he does in fact want to join the club in January.

David Moyes is seemingly after as many fresh faces as possible this month in his bid to avoid the drop and remain in charge at the London Stadium.

West Ham face Everton in a crunch clash this Saturday, a 90 minutes which may well go some way in determining both Moyes and Frank Lampard’s immediate futures.

The Latest: West Ham eye Zaniolo…

According to Di Marzio, West Ham now have another attacker on the agenda in Zaniolo, coming as Roma green-light a possible exit this month.

As well as the Irons, both Tottenham and German giants Borussia Dortmund are in the mix for his services, but it is possible the Italy international could link up with compatriots Gianluca Scamacca and Emerson in east London.

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Roma reportedly value their man at around €40 million (£35m).

The Verdict: Right man?

Zaniolo’s injury record will be a slight concern for Moyes but there are possible incentives to move for the 23-year-old.

As per WhoScored, the 6 foot 3 midfielder has averaged Roma’s joint-second highest rate of shots at goal per 90 in Serie A and has also attracted more fouls per 90 in that time than any of his teammates.

Numbers like these indicate his trickiness and threat in the final third could be a real asset for West Ham and Moyes in particular.

However, for £35 million, it could a risky financial move on part of the London Stadium side, especially if they are considering bringing in a new manager with different ideas.

Arsenal are reportedly on the ‘trail’ of Juventus central midfielder Weston McKennie ahead of a potential move.

The Lowdown: Kiwior signs

After Leandro Trossard walked through the doors at the Emirates Stadium, Arsenal have confirmed the signing of central defender Jakub Kiwior from Serie A side Spezia.

With over a week of the transfer window still to go, the Gunners may not have finished there in terms of incomings, and will certainly want as strong of a squad as possible to help challenge for the Premier League title.

The Latest: McKennie interest

As per Italian news outlet Gazzetta, Mikel Arteta’s side are on the ‘trail’ of McKennie, and Juventus are willing to negotiate offers of between €20-25m (£17.5-22m) plus bonuses for him.

However, the likes of Bournemouth, Aston Villa, Borussia Dortmund and Monaco have also been mentioned as possible destinations for the USA international.

The Verdict: Squad depth!

Although the North London club are building a healthy squad at the moment with the arrivals of Trossard and Kiwior, they could do with some more cover in the middle of the park.

Mohamed Elneny has picked up another injury, which has ruled him out of the last injury-prone in the past.

Lauded as a ‘monster‘ in the air by football writer Wes Tucker, and a ‘pressing machine‘ by journalist Chris Smith, McKennie is rated very highly, and at 24 years of age, has not reached his full potential.

The six-foot-one colossus ranks in the 84th percentile for non-penalty goals, 85th for touches, 88th for progressive passes received and 75th for blocks per match for all midfielders in Europe’s top five leagues over the last year (FBRef), and would provide sufficient cover in case any more midfield injuries creep up for the Gunners.

Dan Cook has questioned why Crystal Palace are interested in Djed Spence on loan while speaking on the HLTCO podcast.

The Lowdown: Palace keen on Spence

Palace are still yet to make a breakthrough in this month’s transfer window despite there being less than a week left for them to conduct any business – and things have started to look bleak for the Eagles.

This is because they had been credited with an interest in Antoine Semenyo and Naouirou Ahamada, with the former now set to join Bournemouth and the latter said to be staying with Stuttgart until at least the summer, according to Sky Sports (via London World).

However, they are still being credited with an interest in Tottenham Hotspur youngster Spence, who joined Spurs for £20m last summer, but has only been afforded seven minutes in the Premier League.

The Latest: Spence only available on loan

While Palace’s interest in Spence could excite some Eagles fans, Cook is more concerned about why they are looking to develop other Premier League clubs’ players without an option to buy them.

He said: “I can see why Djed Spence would make a great deal of sense for us. I think he is a player that fits the Crystal Palace mould, he would work well – I would assume – with Patrick Vieira, I’m sure he would buy into the mentality of this group.

“But I just don’t see the point if there is absolutely no hope of us getting him to sign permanently in the future or doing it even in the short term, because ultimately, we have to become a self-sustainable football club.

“We have to become a team – from my perspective at least – that looks to cultivate a group that can grow together and can hone a style of play and tactical ideology that makes sense for everybody.

“Having a four or five-month loan deal for a player like Djed Spence that went to Spurs with a great deal of fanfare after Nottingham Forest were promoted at the back end of last season – if he does well for us, there is not a hope in hell of Spurs seeing it as an ideal opportunity for them to cut their losses and sell.”

The Verdict: Crystal Palace must plan for the future

It’s a very valid point that Cook brings up because it’s been reported that Spurs have absolutely no intention of selling Spence this month or in the summer so any deal would be a straight loan option.

Therefore, Palace would just be back to square one in a couple of months when it comes to filling their needs and requirements at right-back, so this deal is one that they should likely avoid for the benefit of the club.

Vieira has spoken openly about how he believes the club needs to make signings this month, although that could soon change if he is desperate to land Spence, who impressed last season in the Championship, as highlighted by his ‘bulldozing’ dribbling quality during his stint at Forest last season.

There is now ‘heightened optimism’ that Chelsea will sign Enzo Fernandez today and some reports even claim he is undergoing his medical.

The Lowdown: Endless Enzo rumours

The Blues have been incredibly busy in the transfer market of late and their pursuit of Fernandez has been one of the most talked-about signings this month.

The 22-year-old excelled at the 2022 World Cup and has been considered a primary target for Chelsea ever since, although Benfica have been stubborn to date, rejecting multiple offers from the Blues.

The west Londoners are pushing hard to get a deal done on Tuesday, however, and it is now looking increasingly likely.

The Latest: Medical taking place in Lisbon

Writing on Twitter, The Athletic’s David Ornstein provided a key update, saying there is real belief from Chelsea that Enzo will be at Stamford Bridge moving forward:

“Sources in Portugal tell @TheAthleticFC there’s now heightened optimism agreement can be struck for Enzo Fernandez to join Chelsea. Benfica have granted permission to do medical in Portugal in case deal struck.”

Just moments later, speaking live on Sky Sports (17:11), Kaveh Solhekol claimed “in the last few minutes” he’s found out the player has begun his medical, although he made clear it is purely “information that our news desk is getting from another broadcaster in Portugal”.

The Verdict: Done deal?

It would now feel like a genuine surprise if Chelsea’s move for Fernandez fell through, with his medical surely suggesting that he will be a Blues player by the end of deadline day.

This is hugely exciting news from a Chelsea perspective, with the Argentine voted the Best Young Player at the World Cup, featuring in all seven of his country’s matches en route to glory in Qatar.

Fernandez would provide Graham Potter with the technical class and young legs that are so needed in his midfield currently, ranking highly amongst midfielders in terms of shots, assists, shot-creating actions, progressive passes and tackles (FBRef).

Tottenham Hotspur did hold an interest in the Southampton youngster Thierry Small over the January transfer window but the 18-year-old made a short-term loan move to St Mirren.

What’s the latest?

Spurs had a steady January transfer window with two first-team arrivals coming through the doors of Hotspur Way in Arnaut Danjuma and Pedro Porro.

And Fabio Paratici was also able to bring in a young prospect in Jude Soonsup-Bell from Chelsea who will join the club’s U23s side.

However, it seems as if he was not the only young prospect on the north London club’s radar with the 18-year-old defender, Small, believed to be a player of interest.

Indeed, speaking on his YouTube channel, reliable journalist Alasdair Gold has suggested the club showed an interest in Small but they did not follow up on their interest:

(54:40) “They also showed interest in Thierry Small he’s a Southampton, 18-year-old defender early in the window, left-back but they didn’t follow up on that as the weeks wore on.”

“So I think Spurs were looking at maybe getting in there but yeah, I was kind of told quite early yesterday [Tuesday] that wasn’t something that was going to be kind of reignited this window. Maybe something they look at in the future.”

One for the summer?

Small is yet to make his Premier League debut but has played in the FA Cup during his time at Everton where Carlo Ancelotti provided him with some minutes against Sheffield Wednesday.

However, he has taken no time in getting settled in the Scottish Premiership having played against Aberdeen on Wednesday night and providing an assist in his 14-minute cameo off the bench.

So it is apparent this is a player who could become a real player to watch in the remaining months of the 2022/23 campaign given his bright start to life north of the border.

And there have been some who have suggested he is a player who could become a real talent in the future with journalist Alfie House saying Small’s “potential is scary”

Going from Gold’s comments, it does seem as if, perhaps, this could be a player Spurs may come back to in the future given they did show a real interest in January.

In the summer, Destiny Udogie is set to return from his loan spell with Udinese and it will leave Ivan Perisic going into the new campaign at the age of 34.

With Ryan Sessegnon not showing many signs of consistency (in a positive sense) or improvement, perhaps this could be a position in which Spurs look to provide some further strength in depth over the summer.

And with Small, there would be the possibility to send him straight out on loan for the season – as they did with Udogie – as Perisic potentially sees out the remaining year in his contract.

Nottingham Forest manager Steve Cooper is doing a ‘magnificent job’ at the City Ground, according to journalist Henry Winter.

The Lowdown: Summer spending spree

The Welshman achieved the unthinkable last season as his side gained promotion to the Premier League for the first time in 23 years, taking over in the early part of 2021/22 when the Reds were bottom of the Championship.

Despite splashing the cash on a remarkable 21 new signings in the summer of 2022, Forest had a worrying start upon their return to the top-flight, winning just one of their opening 11 games amid talk of the 43-year-old potentially being jettisoned.

However, after extending his contract at the club in October and securing a shock victory over Liverpool before going on to enjoy some much-needed form, hope was restored that the impossible was possible.

The Latest: Cooper praised for ‘magnificent job’

Taking to Twitter following the 1-0 win against Leeds on Sunday afternoon, Winter couldn’t speak highly enough of Cooper’s significant turnaround at the City Ground.

The Times’ chief football writer stated: “What a magnificent job Steve Cooper continues to do at Nottingham Forest. He’s an alchemist, building teams, getting the mood and tactics right, not getting carried away, just focusing game after game. Many people’s pre-season favourites for the drop, #NFFC 13th with 24 points.”

The Verdict: Incredible turnaround

Cooper was reportedly close to the sack in the opening months of the season when results weren’t going to plan, but the Forest hierarchy’s decision to keep the faith and reward him with a new contract now looks inspired.

The Reds have picked up three victories and a draw in their last six points clear of the relegation zone and away from danger.

Forest still have plenty of points to try and secure between now and the end of the season, but with the likes of Keylor Navas, Jonjo Shelvey and Andre Ayew having recently come to the City Ground, the future is looking bright under the ‘alchemist’ that is Cooper.