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We’re currently more than a third of the way into January, and Leeds United still don’t have a striker to replace Eddie Nketiah.

It’s not for a lack of trying as they’ve been linked with numerous forwards, but the Whites have received setback after setback when it comes to their pursuit of a new striker.

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Deals for Dwight Gayle and Che Adams now seem to be off the table after Newcastle’s terms were revealed and Ralph Hasenhuttl made it clear that his striker wouldn’t be leaving.

Recent reports indicate that Leeds have now switched their attention to another target.

What’s the story then?

Football Insider are reporting that Leeds want to sign David McGoldrick.

He isn’t the first Sheffield United striker Leeds have looked at in this transfer window as they’ve also been interested in Billy Sharp, but they reportedly see McGoldrick as a more viable option.

Fits in nicely

One reason why Nketiah didn’t get a chance to shine at Leeds was due to the fact that he didn’t offer as much as Patrick Bamford off the ball, but that isn’t something the Whites need to worry about with McGoldrick.

The 32-year-old may be getting on a bit in terms of age, but his pressing play is still as good as ever as he’s been averaging 1.9 tackles per game this season as a striker. In comparison, Bamford averages just 0.6.

The forward is also a proven commodity at this level, winning Sheffield United’s Player of the Season award last year on his way to bagging 15 goals while helping them to promotion.

His varied positive attributes on his WhoScored page paint him as a dynamic player who would bring a lot to the team, unlike Nketiah who was a rather one-dimensional poacher and didn’t fit into Bielsa’s high pressing style.

McGoldrick seems to be a striker cut out for Bielsa’s methods, and if Leeds can land him this month they’d be on to a winner.

In other news, Leeds fans have given up on signing one target after recent press conference comments.

After the departure of club captain Laurent Koscielny in the summer, it was unsurprising to see Arsenal target a new centre-back before the close of the window. A deal for St Etienne’s William Saliba saw him head back on loan to the French side for the campaign, and so further reinforcements for the here and now were needed.

And in a shock move that got completed on deadline day, David Luiz crossed the London border from rivals Chelsea to join up with the Gunners. The Brazilian has had a rough time of things in his early months as a Gunners player, with Mohamed Salah no doubt a recurring theme of his nightmares after the Liverpool winger tore him apart at Anfield with two goals.

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But recent weeks have seen him step up to the plate, particularly under Mikel Arteta. His leadership skills have been his most redeeming feature, constantly being seen barking instructions and shouting words of encouragement to his less experienced teammates. Manchester United legend Ryan Giggs even hailed him as a “born leader”. Now, £8m doesn’t seem so bad. And that’s exactly why the Gunners should not turn their noses up at Bayern Munich’s Jerome Boateng.

Sky Sports have suggested that Arsenal have enquired about the 6 foot 4 centre-back over a possible move in the January transfer window. At 31, and appearing to have fallen out of favour in Bavaria (he has played just 15 times this season), a swoop doesn’t seem so particularly appealing. Boateng is also a man with a history of injury problems, and the Gunners have already had their fair share of bad luck when it comes to that with the likes of Calum Chambers and Rob Holding recently.

But at the £12.8m that Bayern are supposedly demanding, the Gunners would be getting someone who has won the lot in world football. Not just domestically, but at international level too. He has won the World Cup with Germany, the Champions League at Munich, and seven Bundesliga titles too. It’s a decorated record that puts him in an elite group of players.

Quickfire Quiz: How much do you know about Arsenal’s history in the January transfer window?

And quite crucially, it means he is perfectly in tune with the winning mentality Arteta has admitted he needs to build at the Emirates.

“I think winning brings togetherness and, when you have beautiful experiences together and you win trophies, then those experiences stay within that group. You become addicts to that and that’s what we have to try to implement at this football club.”

Luiz has already shown he is becoming a big part of the dressing room with his influential voice. Boateng could have a similarly inspirational effect even if he may not be the perfect answer on-the-pitch. Sometimes, there are other important factors to consider than just someone’s footballing abilities. And whilst the German has aged, the level of experience and winning intent he has built up, makes him the ideal fit for Arteta’s demands.

Meanwhile, this early setback should force Mikel Arteta into taking a tough stance with Raul Sanllehi and Edu.

Evening Standard journalist Dan Kilpatrick has confirmed on Twitter that Tottenham Hotspur are indeed in talks over a loan deal to sign FC Porto striker Ze Luis, and Spurs fans have been quick to react.

Portuguese TV Station SIC Noticias, via Correio da Manha, reported on Tuesday that the 28-year-old was close to making a temporary move to north London until the end of the season.

The report suggested that the potential deal has been set up by super-agent Jorge Mendes, who was also responsible for helping client Gedson Fernandes seal an 18-month loan switch to Tottenham that was confirmed on Wednesday morning.

With Harry Kane set to be out of action until at least April having required surgery on the hamstring injury he picked up against Southampton on New Year’s Day, and with no other senior striker available with 17-year-old Troy Parrott the only specialist option, it is clear that a new centre-forward is needed during the current transfer window.

Kilpatrick’s tweet certainly garnered plenty of reaction from Spurs supporters as the responses flooded in, and none of it was positive with one simply saying “oh dear”, and another pleading “please no”.

Given he is about to turn 29 years of age and had a scoring ratio of less than one-in-three with 35 goals in 109 appearances for previous club Spartak Moscow in a weaker Russian league, that is hardly surprising.

Other chose to focus on the involvement of Mendes in another potential deal, with some clearly fearful that it could become an ongoing trend like it has at Premier League rivals Wolverhampton Wanderers, for example.

The big fat Tottenham quiz of 2019 – how much do you remember about the last year at Spurs?

While he clearly represents the sorts of players who could be useful additions for Spurs, they shouldn’t be relying on him during Mourinho’s reign.

In other Tottenham news, Spurs fans suspect Alasdair Gold has dropped a transfer hint in Twitter post…

Japhet Tanganga made his debut for Tottenham Hotspur last weekend, before following it up with another start against Middlesbrough in the FA Cup on Tuesday.

Jose Mourinho threw him in at the deep end against a Liverpool side boasting Mohamed Salah, Roberto Firmino and Sadio Mane.

But what exactly does Tanganga offer and who is he?

No clues whatsoever: Which seasons do these iconic Spurs images belong to?

Well, the central defender has been in and around the first-team since Mauricio Pochettino was in charge in north London.

The 20-year-old made his debut in the embarrassing EFL Cup defeat to Colchester United and has been a regular for the U23s, making 46 appearances, while also playing 21 times for the U18s and 11 for the U19s in the UEFA Youth League, even scoring twice, with one of those goals coming against Real Madrid.

It is easy to fall into a familiar trap of describing the young defender as being quick and powerful but manager Mourinho claimed that he played him versus the Reds due to his speed.

He told Sky Sports, via Goal: “That’s Tottenham. He’s a good kid, working hard for years with a good pre-season from what we watched and analysed.

“[He has been] working hard to have a chance and this is Tottenham, it’s a great chance for him.

“He’s fast, he’s very fast. We think we need fast people when you play against Salah, Mane and people who are fantastic attacking spaces behind.

“We need speed, so maybe we use inexperienced [players], of course, we have more experienced players than him, but he’s fast.”

Tanganga joined the club at the age of 10 and first started to make his breakthrough on the summer tour of 2019, playing Juventus, a game in which he marked Cristiano Ronaldo, and Manchester United.

Tall and with an impressive jumping reach, Tanganga has become known in the academy for his superb heading ability at both ends of the pitch and has been a fixture for England youth teams, too.

He has been capped from U16 to U20 level, winning a total of 33 caps for the various sides.

An impressively assured performance against the Reds led to another chance,  and will now be out to make a spot in Mourinho’s defence his own.

Meanwhile, Spurs fans have reacted to news of a major swap deal!

Che Adams to Leeds has been one of the biggest transfer sagas of the window.Indeed, the Whites’ interest in the Southampton striker was first reported over a month ago, and they still haven’t given up on landing the former Birmingham City man.However, they haven’t been the only Championship club showing an interest in Adams as Phil Hay has revealed that another side have been discussing numbers with the Saints.

What’s been said then?

The Athletic’s Leeds correspondent was asked about Southampton’s stance on letting Adams go after one journalist reported that there is a growing sense of bemusement around St Mary’s after Leeds have been continuously told that he isn’t going anywhere.

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Hay set the record straight and said that the Saints were happy to discuss numbers with Leeds a couple of weeks ago, but he also revealed that another club were in for him.

Leeds’ chances

Realistically, interest from Sheffield Wednesday shouldn’t affect Leeds’ chances of landing the striker.

It’s unlikely that Southampton will budge at this point anyway after turning down United’s third bid, but Leeds are going to keep trying, and their financial muscles are seemingly a lot bigger than Wednesday’s.

Indeed, the Elland Road outfit offered a £20m summer payment for Adams in their latest offer, and Sheffield Wednesday simply wouldn’t be able to match that due to their current well-documented FFP issues.

If the south-coast club decide to change their stance on the 23-year-old then surely Leeds are favourites to go and get him. The lucrative deal they offered to sign the striker only a few days ago says as much.

In other news, one thing will be vital to Leeds earning promotion.

The Athletic’s Dominic Fifield has delivered a negative update on Crystal Palace’s pursuit of Yannick Carrasco.

What’s the word, then?

Well, Fifield states that the south Londoners would “ideally” like to add another offensive player to their squad, with Carrasco – a 41-cap Belgium international – a target.

However, talks to sign the Dalian Yifang forward – who has scored 17 goals this season – on a 12-month loan with an option to buy are proving complicated.

Fifield states that the transfer is “unlikely to proceed” at present as there are a number of issues to overcome, with other options being examined in the meantime.

It is also noted, however, that the Eagles have previous for pursuing deals right up until the deadline.

What are the issues?

While failing to mention the specific issues in his summary of the situation – in which he also reveals that the signing of Nathan Ferguson should be confirmed on Thursday – Fifield did respond to a fan earlier in the week who asked what these specific obstacles were.

The Athletic journalist detailed three bullet points in regards to what is causing problems for Crystal Palace in their pursuit of the former Atletico Madrid forward.

For one, Fifield mentions that Dalian Yifang are effectively under new ownership as the first obstacle.

Secondly, the former Guardian journalist states that the Chinese Super League side might want to do a permanent deal this month instead.

Lastly, Fifield said that the agent who has carried out previous contracts for Carrasco is currently on bail in Monaco, although added that he’s unsure if that particular figure is currently contracted to be the 26-year-old’s representative.

For away day veterans only: Can you name all of these defunct stadiums?

You can see why the Eagles are targeting another offensive player, as they are the Premier League’s second-lowest scorers this term with 22 goals in 24 outings.

However, as things stand, it looks unlikely that Carrasco will be the man to solve this problem following Fifield’s update.

In other news, see how Hodgson could incorporate these four reported targets should they make the move to Selhurst Park…

Very few players have succeeded and improved their games since moving away from Liverpool in recent years.

Since Jurgen Klopp joined the Reds only Luis Alberto has really put themselves on the map after leaving. He has become a creative force for Lazio, providing 30 assists in the last two-and-a-half seasons in Serie A.

Plenty of others, though, have seen their careers regress – Philippe Coutinho, for example, is now on loan at Bayern Munich after appearing to fail to make the grade at Barcelona, whilst Christian Benteke has just 21 goals in 106 games for Crystal Palace since leaving Anfield, and has yet to hit the target this term.

Call yourself a Liverpool expert? How much did each of these big-money January signings cost?

Another player who has not pushed on since leaving the Reds is Emre Can. Like Alberto, he has also moved to Serie A, with him signing for Juventus on a free transfer in July of 2018. Since then, though, he has failed to become an important member of the Old Lady’s starting XI, both under Massimiliano Allegri and new boss Maurizio Sarri. He has started just 25 matches in all competitions, managing just four goals and one assist.

If you compare his last season with Liverpool and his first season with Juve, it is clear to see how much his game regressed. In the Premier League in 2017/18, he managed 2.6 tackles, 1.1 interceptions and one foul per match. Last term in the Italian top flight, all posted numbers in all three areas that were considerably worse. Going forward, the numbers were similar, but he managed just 0.7 key passes per match last term compared to one in that last season at Anfield.

Now, he is being linked with a return to the Premier League. Tottenham are the latest team to be interested in him – Everton and Manchester United have also been linked – and it is being reported they will offer €30m (£25.3m) for his services. That would represent a step down – Spurs are currently sixth and fighting for a spot in the top four, whilst Juve are top of their division, and it would highlight just what he has left at Liverpool. The Reds are top of the Premier League by 16 points and are the European champions – Can would surely love to be a part of that.

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His rumoured return to these shores indicates one thing – the grass isn’t always greener.

In other news, Liverpool should try to sign this ace instead of Real Madrid’s Isco.

West Ham United have appointed Kevin Nolan and Paul Nevin as first-team coaches, as has been reported by the club’s official channels.

The pair have joined the club in deals that will initially see them at London Stadium until the end of the season.

There are some fans who are very pleased to see the latest additions, but not everyone has been won over by the board’s movements.

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As is perhaps predictable due to the fact that he has represented the Hammers 157 times during his playing career, scoring 31 goals and assisting 18, Nolan was a particularly popular recruit.

Though the addition of both new backroom staff members has been welcomed by fans, with one claiming they were “desperately needed”.

For away day veterans only: Can you name all of these defunct stadiums?

The hope is that they will be able to combine with Moyes to help West Ham climb out of the relegation zone and up the table.

However, there are fans who are still unimpressed with David Gold and Sullivan and Karren Brady, as they feel that it has taken far too long to reach this point.

Moyes’ first game since taking over at West Ham again was against AFC Bournemouth on January 1st – including that game, he has already managed eight games at the club.

It is pretty shocking that it has taken that long for the Scotsman to actually be given the extra recruits, so it is fair that questions are being asked.

Meanwhile, one West Ham fringe player should be looking over their shoulder.

Tottenham Hotspur fans are excited at the prospect of Jose Mourinho splashing £120m on the club’s defence.

The Daily Express claims that Spurs are interested in a number of players and that the club are targeting a number of potential acquisitions.

Benfica’s Ruben Dias, AFC Bournemouth’s Nathan Ake, Norwich City’s Max Aarons, Nice’s Youcef Atal and Leicester City’s Ben Chilwell are all said to be targets.

With the summer transfer window still some time away, it remains to be seen whether certain developments – such as the potential of both Norwich and Bournemouth being relegated – will potentially drop the asking prices of certain players.

But fans can’t help but be excited by the potential of bringing in such reinforcements.

Money talks: How much did Levy pay for each of these Spurs stars?

A number, of course, have picked out certain names that have been mentioned by the Express.

Some are particularly excited at the prospect of signing Atal, the Nice right-back who can also play as a right winger.

Others are particularly excited about Dias, a player who has an £80m release clause.

The Benfica centre-back is represented by Jorge Mendes, the agent who also represents Spurs boss Jose Mourinho.

There is, then, the potential of some sort of crossover here.

Spurs have had just one transfer window with Mourinho as manager, signing winger Steven Bergwijn from PSV Eindhoven and bringing in midfielder Gedson Fernandes from Benfica.

Meanwhile, Spurs have a star in the making!

Daily Mirror journalist Simon Bird has described Steve Bruce’s decision to start Danny Rose in Newcastle United’s 4-0 defeat to Arsenal as “massive”.

Rose, who joined the Magpies on loan from Tottenham last month, came in for Matt Ritchie in the left wing-back position, and Bird believes it was quite the call Bruce made given Ritchie’s importance to the side. Speaking on the Everything is Black and White podcast (19/02/2020), he said: “That’s a massive call by Steve Bruce and obviously you bring Danny Rose in and you would think Steve Bruce is making promises.

Bird later went on to say that starting Rose means making the difficult decision of leaving out Ritchie before lauding the 30-year-old. “When he’s on the pitch and we can see him on the left side from the press box in the first half, usually he is yelling at everyone and organising and demanding better,” the Daily Mirror journalist said.

With Newcastle’s backline playing poor against Arsenal as a whole, conceding four goals in total, it is hard to make too many conclusions regarding Rose. Nevertheless, you can understand the endorsement for Ritchie in this left wing-back debate.

Averaging 1.6 crosses per game this season (via WhoScored), the highest average in the squad, and two key passes a match, Ritchie has proven to be a useful outlet down that left flank.

Newcastle fans, who should be starting at left wing-back, Rose or Ritchie? Comment below!