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Scottish champions Celtic have seemingly identified another potential centre-forward solution, amid reports that the Parkhead outfit have been keeping tabs on Polish starlet, Szymon Włodarczyk.

What’s the word?

According to Football Scotland journalist Mark Hendry, the 20-year-old is reportedly a player whom the Old Firm giants have shown an interest in of late, albeit with a move having yet to materialise despite at one stage looking ‘close’.

Writing on Twitter, the transfer insider stated: “I’d heard Celtic were interested in Szymon Włodarczyk of Gornik Zabrze. Faced a lot of competition. Podolski’s favourite teammate. There was a period it was close and Celtic knew £3.5m was fee club wanted. No movement since initial approach and Cho now priority.”

As Hendry alluded to, the Hoops do appear to have turned their attention towards the signing of Jeonbuk striker Cho Gue-sung, albeit with there seemingly yet to be a breakthrough in negotiations despite a £3m offer having been lodged by Ange Postecoglou and co.

Dream Cho alternative

Should Cho – who is also said to be attracting interest from Bundesliga outfit Mainz and MLS side Minnesota United – prove too difficult to obtain, the Glasgow side could seemingly secure a dream alternative in the form of Włodarczyk, with the latter man having flourished in his homeland of late.

The “highly talented” machine – as lauded by talent scout Jacek Kulig – has scored seven goals in just 15 league games for current side Gornik Zabrze so far this term, having blossomed since making the move from Legia Warsaw during the summer.

The Poland U21 international – who has been dubbed “one of the most talented young players” in his country in previous years by the aforementioned Kulig – had previously showcased his quality for Legia’s reserve side, with 25 goals and five assists in just 43 games across all fronts.

That has indicated that the youngster clearly offers a real clinical presence in the final third, with that ensuring he could well mirror the South Korean gem, who boasts 16 goals in 45 games for his current side.

Equally, like the latter man – who has been described by journalist Pete O’Rourke as a “real handful for defenders” due to his 6 foot 2 frame – Włodarczyk can also offer a real focal point in attack, with the emerging ace an imposing presence as he also stands at 6 foot 2.

With Postecoglou and co seemingly looking to replace the powerful figure of Giorgos Giakoumakis this month, amid speculation linking the Greek international away from Scotland, it would surely be an astute move to firm up their interest in the Polish sensation sooner rather than later, particularly if progress can’t be made in the race for Cho’s signature.

Journalist Samuel Luckhurst was critical of Christian Eriksen in Manchester United’s 3-2 defeat away to Arsenal in the Premier League on Sunday.

The Lowdown: United beaten at Arsenal

Erik ten Hag’s side faced one of their biggest matches of the season so far, making the trip to the table-topping Gunners and looking to keep their title hopes alive.

Marcus Rashford’s stunning strike gave United the lead but Eddie Nketiah swiftly equalised with a header in what was a hugely entertaining first half.

Bukayo Saka nudged Arsenal in front after the interval before Lisandro Martinez levelled it again. Just as the two teams looked set to share the spoils, Nketiah struck again from close range late on to seal victory for the Gunners, the goal given after a VAR check.

The Latest: Eriksen criticised for goal

Taking to Twitter, Luckhurst was critical of Eriksen for his involvement in Saka’s goal.

The Manchester Evening news journalist tweeted:

“Eriksen needs to do better there and arguable De Gea could have been better set for it. Takes a step to his left a split-second before Saka hits that and it’s costly.”

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The Verdict: Slight drop-off?

Eriksen has been a brilliant signing for United since arriving last summer  – Michael Carrick has called him ‘fantastic’ – but it’s fair to say that today wasn’t his strongest performance in a Red Devils shirt, even aside from the moment that Luckhurst referenced.

According to Sofascore, the Dane had just a 71% pass completion rate against Arsenal, also failing to play a single key pass and losing the ball 18 times during a frenetic contest in north London.

Eriksen remains a key player without question – he is United’s joint-eight highest-rated performer this term as per Sofascore – but it is easy to forget that he will turn 31 next month and that midfield battles can pass him by physically, especially against such a relentless Gunners team.

Ten Hag could be wise to rotate him a little more during the second half of the season, having started him in every Premier League game since mid-October, in order to prevent him dropping off as the campaign goes on.

An update has emerged on Chelsea and their attempts to improve their options at right-back during the January transfer window…

What’s the talk?

Italian journalist Fabrizio Romano has revealed that the Blues are in talks with Ligue 1 side Lyon over a possible deal to bring Malo Gusto to Stamford Bridge.

The club have already convinced the French gem to make the move to England but they must now persuade Lyon to cash in on their star defender.

Romano Tweeted: “Chelsea are in direct contact with OL for Malo Gusto. Understand personal terms are already agreed on long term deal, player open to the move. #CFC OL have turned down Chelsea opening verbal bid, as @sebnonda reported — they want Malo Gusto to stay at least until June.”

Cesar Azpilicueta heir

Graham Potter and Todd Boehly could land the dream heir to current Chelsea right-back Cesar Azpilicueta by securing a deal to sign Gusto before the window slams shut.

The 33-year-old Spaniard’s current contract expires at the end of next season and the club may now be starting to think about what life will look like after he departs from Stamford Bridge.

Since arriving from Marseille in 2012, the veteran has racked up a stunning 500 appearances for the Blues in all competitions – including 341 in the Premier League.

Chelsea could land their next gem from Ligue 1, as well as their heir to Azpilicueta’s place in the squad, by bringing Gusto in as his form for Lyon this season indicates that he could be an excellent addition to the squad.

The 19-year-old full-back, who was once hailed as a “fantastic” player by talent scout Jacek Kulig, has averaged an eye-catching Sofascore rating of 7.10 across 15 appearances in the French top-flight, whilst the Chelsea icon has averaged a score of 6.91 in the Premier League.

Gusto has created 1.4 chances and made 3.6 tackles and interceptions per match for Lyon, compared to Azpilicueta’s 0.6 and 2.3 per outing in the English division.

These statistics indicate that the French dynamo could be an immediate upgrade on the Blues warrior in terms of what he offers going forward and in defence, which is reflected in their respective average rating for the campaign so far.

However, at the age of 19, Gusto would also come in as a long-term option for Potter in that position and could be the future of the club in that area of the pitch, alongside Reece James, as Azpilicueta heads towards the end of his career.

Leeds United face a budding transfer battle for an exciting wide man…

That’s according to French publication L’Equipe, who claimed that the Whites were considering a move for on-loan Lyon trickster Tete, who plans to terminate his current deal in favour of a move to England.

Facing opposition from other Premier League clubs, the Yorkshire outfit are far from in the pole position.

Negotiations are ongoing between all clubs, but this could mark a huge coup at a cut price in comparison to the touted deal to sign Nicolo Zaniolo. The Italian is reportedly commanding a €30m (£26m) fee, whilst other reports have suggested Shakhtar Donetsk will demand a £21m fee for a permanent move. A loan could be prioritised.

Forget Zaniolo

Not only would the deal for Tete make better fiscal sense, but his talents would arguably be more effective for the Yorkshire outfit who could always benefit from added depth out wide.

The 22-year-old already boasts 11 goal contributions this season for his current side, looking to build upon the 19 he recorded across his half-a season in Ukraine and subsequent move to France.

He has proven himself to be a consistently impressive force going forward, with his trickery and pace often converted into tangible goals and assists.

Meanwhile, Zaniolo has only really had one outstanding season, where he scored eight and assisted nine across the 2021/22 campaign.

Other than that he has flattered to deceive ever since bursting onto the scene as a teenager, and is yet to really kickstart his career to anywhere near the valuation AS Roma are demanding for him.

This is likely the main factor surrounding a potential preference for Tete, who was lauded in the summer by Football Talent Scout Jacek Kulig for being “on fire”.

His exploits and unpredictability have also led the CEO of his parent club Shakhtar Donetsk, Sergei Palkin, to dub him a “hurricane” before explaining exactly why: “This means that he brings confusion into the opposition defence, being extremely difficult to stop. He has some serious technique, shooting and passing.”

Perhaps he could convert this blistering form and incredible technical ability into some fine displays in England, helping to propel Leeds’ survival bid whilst saving them millions.

Spending a club record fee already this January, they cannot afford to spend another hefty sum on an unproven commodity in Zaniolo.

At the time of writing this, it was claimed that Newcastle United were not willing to spend more than £45m on the potential signing of the Everton youngster Anthony Gordon this month.

What’s the latest?

Eddie Howe’s side are still looking to make their first signing of the January transfer window but the 21-year-old winger now appears to be coming in as the first, as Fabrizio Romano has said he’s set to sign.

However, this comes after a move for Gordon in the summer was valued in the region of £60m amid interest from the likes of Chelsea.

And, speaking on the Ranks FC Patreon page, insider Dean Jones suggested the Magpies were not willing to pay more than £45m for the 21-year-old:

(23:30) “I’m told that Newcastle wouldn’t go any higher than £45m for Anthony Gordon. And I would suggest that’s probably a reasonable place to set your stall out.”

A big risk?

Since PIF’s takeover in the latter stages of 2021, the Magpies have prided themselves on bringing in players who suit the environment Howe is building on Tyneside.

Although the Toon are backed by the richest owners in world football, they have not been willing to pay over the odds for players of interest.

This can be seen through the likes of Moussa Diaby and James Maddison with the Toon walking away from their £60m price tags.

And this has potentially proven a smart tactic from the Magpies by not setting a prescient of being willing to part with big money for a player they like and cave into the selling club’s demands.

However, there have to be some doubts cast overspending up to £45m for Gordon who has struggled to really prove what he is capable of in the Premier League.

The 21-year-old only has seven goals and eight assists to his name across the 79 appearances he has made in an Everton shirt (via Transfermarkt).

And perhaps a fresh concern for Howe could be the player’s attitude at Finch Farm having skipped training multiple times this week amid the interest from Newcastle.

Reports suggest that Howe would not be interested in bringing big egos into the Newcastle dressing room and we do wonder what the 45-year-old will be thinking about Gordon’s disruptive behaviour of late.

However, it is apparent some have high hopes for Gordon, so the Magpies will be really pleased to have got him for £40 million, which falls under their supposed fee they were looking to spend.

An update has emerged on Aston Villa and their plans heading into the next transfer window at the end of the season…

What’s the talk?

According to The Athletic, the Villans are retaining an interest in France international Matteo Guendouzi as they consider a summer swoop to sign the Marseille central midfielder.

The report claims that Unai Emery wants to improve his strength in depth in the middle of the park and reuniting with the gem he worked with at Arsenal could be an option ahead of the 2023/24 campaign.

This comes after Football Insider reported that Villa were interested in snapping the Marseille talent up during the January window, when he was valued at £30m.

Leander Dendoncker upgrade

Villa could strengthen the competition for places within their midfield set-up by landing an upgrade on one of the players who has struggled to push for a starting berth this season.

Leander Dendoncker arrived from Premier League rivals Wolves last summer and has been unable to make a positive impression on the pitch so far this term.

The Belgium international has averaged a Sofascore rating of 6.74 across 15 appearances in the division and has only been selected in the starting XI five times.

In those 15 matches, the 27-year-old has failed to produce a single goal or assist and has made 2.0 tackles and interceptions per outing, which shows that he doesn’t offer much going forwards to go along with his defensive contributions.

Guendouzi, meanwhile, has made 2.1 tackles and interceptions per game in Ligue 1 for Marseille this season but he has also chipped in with one goal and three assists.

Last season, the £41k-per-week maestro scored four times and provided six assists for his teammates in the French top-flight and averaged an impressive Sofascore rating of 7.00.

The Frenchman has proven himself to be a combative midfielder who can also make an impact at the top end of the pitch by producing goals and assists for his side.

Guendouzi, who Alan Hutton once described as a “fiery character”, also has experience playing in the Premier League after making 57 appearances in the division during two seasons with Arsenal prior to moving back to his home country.

This suggests that the gem could hit the ground running at Villa Park next season as he already knows what it takes to perform in English football.

Meanwhile, his pre-existing relationship with Emery – who he played 66 matches for in all competitions at The Emirates – also means that the midfielder does not need time to adjust to the tactics.

Therefore, Guendouzi could come in as a big upgrade on Dendoncker as the dynamo could replicate the current latter’s defensive contributions whilst delivering high-quality performances and making an impact going forward – adding real competition for places in midfield.

TalkSport’s Simon Jordan has backed Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp to fix the problems the Reds are undergoing form-wise.

The Lowdown: Trainwreck season

Liverpool currently find themselves 10th in the Premier League, sitting 11 points off a top-four spot and 21 points behind the league leaders.

The Reds were eliminated from the FA Cup and the Carabao Cup by Brighton & Hove Albion and Manchester City respectively, leaving the Champions League as the only competition they can win this season.

However, judging by their form and the fact their opponents are Real Madrid, we’d be amazed if they got past them over two legs.

The Latest: Jordan backs Klopp

Speaking on TalkSport’s One 2 One, Jordan admitted there are a lot of problems surrounding the club at the moment, but he still backs Klopp to be able to find a solution.

He stated: “The current set of problems when Klopp comes out in the press and says he doesn’t know what the answer is, isn’t much of an encouraging sign.

“I think that Klopp is one of the best managers this country’s ever seen. I know that the trophy record doesn’t stack up that way.

“The challenge, for me, right now – this is not the side that defended their Premier League win with a very damp squib of a defence, that found itself losing central defenders and not being able to countenance the loss of injuries. This is a side that is miles away from application.

“I think Klopp will fix it, but I do think that Liverpool right now are unacceptable.”

The Verdict: Focus on next season

We believe that this season is all but written off for Liverpool. By no means are we saying they should just roll over and give up altogether, but the possibility of trophies or achieving Champions League football looks unlikely.

What Klopp needs to do is address the areas on the pitch that he believes need improving. Judging by the fact they’ve not won in their last four league games, the team is far from the level required to be one of the best in England’s top flight.

A theory that’s been thrown around is the idea that Klopp is at the end of a seven-year cycle. The idea proclaims that Klopp begins to run out of steam after that amount of time, as that’s when his stints with Mainz and Borussia Dortmund started to go off the rails.

Klopp has obviously dismissed this, and our view is that he’ll have extra motivation to prove to those nay-sayers that he can continue to manage Liverpool going forward.

However, we can’t help but agree with Jordan that some of his press conference antics are signs of a manager feeling the heat.

Liverpool midfielder Naby Keita looks ‘increasingly’ likely to leave the club at the end of the season, according to reliable journalist Neil Jones.

The Lowdown: Keita flatters to deceive

The 28-year-old arrived at Anfield in the summer of 2018 with a big reputation, with many backing him to be a transformative figure in the Reds’ midfield.

Keita’s time at Liverpool has been disappointing, however, with injuries holding him back hugely and his performances too often not hitting the heights many hoped for.

The Guinean is out of contract at Anfield at the end of the season, so the club have a big decision to make regarding a new deal.

The Latest: Jones drops key update

Taking to Twitter on Monday morning, Goal‘s Jones admitted that Keita is more likely to leave Liverpool once this season reaches its conclusion:

“It looks increasingly like Naby Keïta will not be part of Liverpool’s great rebuild this summer.”

The Verdict: Right time to leave

Keita is an impressive footballer when he wants to be – Virgil van Dijk has even described him as ‘world-class’ in the past – but this summer feels like a natural time for him to move on.

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His persistent injury problems are simply too big an issue – he has only started a handful of Premier League games this season – and it isn’t worth keeping someone on £120,000 per week who is out of the team so often.

Keita is a signing who will be looked back on as one that just didn’t work out, despite it looking such a perfect fit at the same time, but he still has Premier League, Champions League, FA Cup and EFL Cup medals to his name, among others.

His performances this season have been no more than solid, though, and Liverpool need superior options as Jurgen Klopp looks to reinvent his midfield this summer.

Chelsea fell to defeat once again in the Premier League, exacerbating the woeful season that the club have endured, and today’s reverse at Stamford Bridge against bottom-of-the-table Southampton was frankly inexcusable.

The visitors, who had lost nine of their previous ten top-flight matches, completed a priceless victory against their hosts to exacerbate the problems with which Graham Potter is currently beset.

Despite spending roughly £288m in January, Chelsea’s form has continued to deteriorate, having clinched victory just twice from their last 14 outings across all competitions.

Despite having 17 shots to Southampton’s eight, both teams hit the target on five occasions, and Chelsea now face a daunting task of rekindling enough of their former vigour to forge any sort of push towards the top-four, with Champions League football next year hanging by a very tenuous thread.

Was Mount “miles off” it against Southampton?

Despite Potter replacing Thomas Tuchel as manager in September, Chelsea have not rebounded from their flagging form with any sense of conviction, if anything plunging into even murkier territory since that change in the dugout.

This result against Southampton might just be the nadir; today’s results keep the Blues in tenth place, but they are now four points adrift of Brentford in eighth.

There were several lacklustre performances from the Blues, but one man in particular who would’ve irked supporters with his showing today is Mason Mount.

Having risen through the youth ranks at his boyhood club, the 24-year-old has enjoyed much success at Stamford Bridge, notably winning the Champions League, UEFA Super Cup and FIFA Club World Cup.

However, on Saturday afternoon, he was nowhere near the standards that he has set during his 190 previous appearances for the club.

As per Sofascore, Mount’s 6.0 match rating bettered only that of Joao Felix, and he did not find a comfortable home on the left flank. The £80k-per-week Englishman completed just six of his 11 attempted passes and had only 22 touches before being substituted on 64 minutes.

More startlingly, he mustered just one shot (which was blocked) and lost 87.5% of his duels (7/8), flimsy and futile in his efforts to conjure up any shred of positivity. Also, having failed to make a single defensive contribution, it was a wholly forgettable day for Mount.

Among the Chelsea players who were “miles off” it today, according to one journalist at Stamford Bridge, the 36-cap England international was indeed at the very epicentre of his team’s troubles.

Another meagre display will hardly calm the roiling waters surrounding the speculation regarding Mount’s long-term future at Stamford Bridge. With the player so far failing to agree a new contract with the Blues, talk over an exit from SW6 is rife, with Liverpool among the suitors.

While the tactical decision to play him in an unfamiliar pitch on the left flank lies largely with the manager, Potter will be bitterly disappointed that the 24-year-old failed to take a hold of the match and inject a sliver of positivity back into the beleaguered Blues’ campaign.

Sir Alex Ferguson enjoyed a glittering 26-year spell as Manchester United manager, winning everything that there was to win and becoming arguably the greatest football manager of all time in the process.

Even he was culpable of poor judgement on occasion, though, with one signing that he made in 2011 following his 12th Premier League title with the Red Devils still costing the club dearly to this day.

How much has Phil Jones cost Man United?

During the summer before what would go on to become his penultimate season in the Old Trafford dugout, Ferguson signed Phil Jones from Blackburn for £16m, which seemed a bargain at the time for a highly-rated 19-year-old talent.

The legendary Scot even lavished high praise on the defender, saying in April 2013: "Jones, arguably, the way he is looking, could be our best ever player."

Sometimes even the greats get things wrong, and after solid first impressions in Manchester – making 105 appearances during his first three seasons while earning a league winner's medal – things soon turned sour for Jones following Ferguson's departure and then David Moyes’ sacking.

He would never go on to make more than 26 appearances in a single season from the start of the 2014/15 campaign, while he has missed a staggering 205 matches throughout his United career due to a succession of injury problems.

Writer Denise Evans previously dubbed Jones “woeful”, and he has made just 13 appearances in the three seasons prior to the 2022/23 campaign, all while picking up a weekly wage of £75k-per-week. Having not even made a matchday squad all season, Erik ten Hag clearly doesn’t have the 30-year-old in his plans for either this season or the future.

Indeed, over the previous 11 years up until the summer of 2022, the Englishman has cost the club a grand total of £51.8m (£16m transfer fee plus £35.8m in wages). This is quite an eye-watering amount, especially given his lack of any real impact on the pitch over the past decade.

He only scored six goals for United in nearly 12 years at the club, which has led to him costing £8.6m per goal when his transfer fee and cumulative wages are taken into account.

It resembles a colossal waste of money from the club, and even though it appeared to be a wise move at the time, it soon turned into a nightmare. Frankly, the quicker that Ten Hag gets the injury-plagued defender off United's wage bill, the better.