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West Ham have been linked with Stoke City defender Harry Souttar recently and his potential arrival at the London Stadium could see the Hammers repeat their 2017 masterclass of Marko Arnautovic.

According to the Daily Record, West Ham, Wolves and Leicester City are all keen on signing the 24-year-old after his standout performances for Australia at the World Cup in Qatar, with the Potters reportedly valuing the defender at £25m.

The former Fleetwood loanee had been sidelined with a long-term ACL injury for much of 2022 but recovered in time to join up with Graham Arnold’s side in Qatar, and would play a huge part in the Socceroos reaching the round of 16, before their defeat against eventual winners Argentina.

The Athletic’s Jordan Campbell was full of praise for the young defender after he helped Australia to a vital 1-0 win over Tunisia in the group stages.

Campbell said: “Big Harry Souttar. An absolute monster of a defender. Huge, quick, can head it and is also fairly comfortable on the ball.”

West Ham’s last signing from Stoke City also proved to be something of a monster, with Arnautovic winning the hearts of West Ham fans and the hatred of opposition supporters during his time at the club.

He would join in a club-record deal in 2017, incidentally also for £25m, and would go on to make 66 appearances for the Hammers, contributing an impressive 22 goals and 12 assists.

The Austrian forward wasn’t short of critics but he is one of few strikers to join West Ham to impress in recent seasons and given he hit double figures in the league in both seasons he had at the club, David Moyes would surely love a player of his quality now, given their current struggles in front of goal.

Although Arnautovic and Souttar are obviously very different players in terms of their position, both are extremely physical players, with the defender standing at an impressive 6 foot 6, which also makes him a huge threat from set pieces.

Considering eye-catching additions from Europe such as Gianluca Scamacca and Lucas Paqueta are yet to really justify their fees, Moyes might be better going for a player well-accustomed to the physicality of English football by signing Souttar this month, as he could be the ideal man to have at the back in any relegation scrap this season.

For all the excitement surrounding the possible new additions at Celtic this month, manager Ange Postecoglou will no doubt be fearing that a handful of his key figures could well be poached by interested parties.

Although such interest may be something of a compliment with regards to the Old Firm outfit’s rampant form this term – having won 19 of their 21 Scottish Premiership outings thus far – that will hardly soften the blow if any assets are to unexpectedly depart in the coming weeks.

One man who has seemingly caught the eye of late is Japan international, Daizen Maeda, with Sky Sports reporting that Premier League strugglers Southampton are ‘monitoring’ the in-form speedster as they look to bolster their chances of survival.

The Saints do, of course, have previous for raiding the Parkhead giants for talent, having prised the likes of Virgil van Dijk, Victor Wanyama and Stuart Armstrong from Glasgow in the recent past.

To lose Maeda would no doubt be a blow for the Scottish champions, with the £18k-per-week speedster having been on a real hot streak of late, having provided three goal contributions in his last three league games – taking his total tally this season to 11 goals and assists in 27 games in all competitions.

The diminutive “machine” – as lauded by ex-Bhoys striker Chris Sutton – also boasts an impressive overall tally for the club of 24 goal involvements in just 49 games since joining from Yokohama F. Marinos a year ago, hence the concern of losing such a dynamic talent.

Should that reported interest from south of the border ultimately lead to a swift exit from Celtic Park for the 12-cap gem, Postecoglou will likely be left to scour the market to find a suitable replacement.

The title-winning coach could, however, be better served looking towards the academy ranks in order to find an heir to Maeda in his side, with promising teenager Ben Quinn once such talent who could well be deserving of a chance at first team level.

The 18-year-old winger could potentially help to fill Maeda’s goalscoring void, having proven himself a lethal presence as a result of his standout displays for the clubs ‘B’ team so far this season.

The young Irishman – who joined the club back in 2019 – has scored seven goals and laid on four assists in just 19 appearances in the Lowland League so far this term, having also scored once in his two Challenge Cup outings.

That stunning haul is all the more impressive considering that the youngster is not an out-and-out centre-forward, as he mirrors Maeda in being able to wreak havoc from either flank.

Although the exciting sensation is yet to feature in the senior ranks, the indication is that Celtic certainly have a real player on their hands, having had to fend off interest from the likes of Manchester City and Wolverhampton Wanderers to secure his signature just over three years ago.

As such, Postecoglou could well save himself millions if he does promote Quinn in the near future, with the Republic of Ireland youth international potentially able to be Maeda’s successor should the latter man seek to move on.

West Ham United are chasing AS Monaco defender Axel Disasi, with other Premier League clubs also interested, according to a new report.

The Lowdown: West Ham target defender

West Ham have encountered some trouble in defence this season, with Nayef Aguerd only managing to make two Premier League appearances due to an ankle injury, requiring surgery back in July.

Kurt Z0uma has had fitness concerns of his own, also requiring surgery to resolve an injury back in November, and he is yet to return to first-team action, so David Moyes could definitely do with another option at the heart of defence.

The Latest: Chasing Disasi

According to a report from the Daily Mail, the Hammers are chasing Disasi, who is also being targeted by the likes of Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United this month.

Multiple top-flight clubs are said to be tracking the defender, however it seems as though Man United could be leading the race at present, given that they have already had negotiations with Monaco.

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The Verdict: Get it done?

Football scout Jacek Kulig has detailed that the ‘complete’ centre-back is also able to play at right-back, which would be a big boost for West Ham at the moment, given the recent criticism that Thilo Kehrer has faced.

Not only that, but Kulig likens the 24-year-old to Virgil van Dijk, high praise indeed, but justified given that he thrives in aerial situations, averaging more aerials won per 90 than Zouma and Craig Dawson over the past year.

While the Irons’ current league position is unlikely to make them the most attractive proposition for the defender out of the available options, they should continue to monitor the situation, as his presence in the air means he would undoubtedly be an improvement on the current defensive options at the club.

Wolverhampton Wanderers ended a five-match run without a Premier League win in dramatic fashion on Monday afternoon, with Julen Lopetegui’s side running out 2-1 victors over Everton thanks to a last-minute Rayan Ait Nouri winner.

However, when Yerry Mina easily outmuscled Hugo Bueno from an Everton corner just seven minutes into the match, with the centre-back opening the scoring from his resulting free header, an Old Gold victory initially looked unlikely.

In truth, despite Daniel Podence’s equaliser mid-way through the first half, this view remained the case until Ait Nouri bundled in Wolves’ second of the match with just seconds remaining – as the Toffees had dominated large spells of the game.

And, while it is undeniable that left-back Bueno remains an extremely exciting prospect for the club, the 20-year-old very much had something of a game to forget at Goodison Park on Monday afternoon.

Indeed, over the course of his 59 minutes on the pitch, the £2.6m-rated talent was extremely wasteful in possession, completing just 14 of his 25 passes – a success rate of a mere 56% – failing to find his man with any of his five attempted long balls and losing the ball on 22 separate occasions, as well as failing with two of his three attempted dribbles.

The £2.2k-per-week defender also offered his side little at the back, winning five of his ten duels – a success rate of 50% – making no clearances and blocking no shots, with these returns seeing the youngster earn an extremely disappointing Sofascore match rating of just 6.40 – the joint second-worst score earned by any of the Wolves side on the day.

The Athletic journalist Steve Madeley also awarded the full-back a four in his own player ratings – the joint-lowest of any of Lopetegui’s side – while The Athletic’s Everton correspondent, Patrick Boyland, stated his belief that “Bueno didn’t live up to his name” against the Toffees on Monday afternoon.

As such, while Bueno is undoubtedly a better player than his performance against Everton would suggest, unfortunately for the youngster, his display on Monday will certainly be one he will be hoping to forget as quickly as possible.

Tottenham Hotspur manager Antonio Conte will request the signing of Juventus star Federico Chiesa after he pens a new Spurs contract, according to reports.

The Lowdown: Paratici transfer plans…

The north Londoners are reportedly making behind-scenes plans ahead of the January window with sporting director Fabio Paratici holding an interest in the likes of Marcus Thuram and James Maddison to name a few.

Conte is currently attempting to spearhead Champions League qualification for a second-successive Premier League season, yet Richarlison’s latest injury highlights the need for more depth.

The Latest: Conte set for Chiesa transfer demand?

According to reports out of Italy, it appears the Lilywhites head coach has one eye on one of Serie A’s most threatening forwards.

Chiesa is apparently at the centre of Conte’s interest and the Spurs manager apparently ‘seems closer’ to renewing his contract with the north Londoners.

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As per Calciomercatoweb.it, after the ‘renewal’ of Tottenham’s boss is completed, the 53-year-old could ‘put forward the name’ of Chiesa as a market ‘request’.

However, it is also believed Juve will be stubborn, and are set to only let the Italy international go for Richarlison or Son Heung-min plus cash.

The Verdict: Make the move?

Letting Son or Richarlison go to Turin in favour of signing Chiesa could be a highly contest move among Spurs supporters, but it’s at least clear why Conte wants to sign the £52 million-rated winger.

The 25-year-old has suffered from ACL injury issues for the last year but his quality is evident with the Euro 2020 winner being called a ‘mentality monster’ by members of the media.

He’s been praised for his ‘nonstop attacking’ and enthusiasm going forward also, and if Spurs can negotiate a move without swapping one of their key players, he’d be an undoubted asset.

Everton making a move for Inter Milan left-back Robin Gosens is a real possibility, according to a fresh claim from journalist Simon Phillips.

The Lowdown: Gosens could leave Inter

The 28-year-old has made a name for himself during an excellent spell at Atalanta which saw him score 29 goals and chip in with 21 assists from a left wing-back role.

Gosens’ form earned him a move to Inter earlier this year but things haven’t gone to plan, with only one Serie A start coming his way so far this season.

It could be that the German leaves the San Siro in the January transfer window, and Everton have been linked with a move for him in recent weeks.

The Latest: Everton move talked up

Speaking to GiveMeSport, Phillips claimed that he could see Gosens heading to Goodison Park, with Everton manager Frank Lampard expressing an interest in him in the past.

The journalist said:

“Frank Lampard looked at him and tried to sign him when he was at Chelsea. He was a player that they took to the board, so I can definitely see this link being legit and transpiring.”

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The Verdict: Upgrade at left-back

Gosens’ stock may have fallen of late, not helped by him being omitted from Germany’s World Cup squad, but he could still be an excellent signing by Everton.

He would provide more attacking thrust from left-back than Vitaliy Mykolenko, who has no goals or assists in 15 Premier League appearances this season, and he could be an all-round upgrade on the Ukrainian.

Gosens has been hailed as an ‘amazing’ player for former Germany boss Joachim Low, and at 28, he should remain in and around his peak for the next few years, bringing much-needed experience and quality to Everton’s squad.

Unai Emery’s reign at Aston Villa got off to the perfect start on Sunday afternoon as his new side dispatched Manchester United at Villa Park.

It was a lightning-fast start from the Villans as the revitalised Leon Bailey fired the home side ahead from Jacob Ramsey’s pass, before Lucas Digne curled in a delightful free-kick to make it 2-0 with just 12 minutes on the clock.

Erik ten Hag’s side threatened a comeback when Luke Shaw’s strike from outside the area flew into Emiliano Martinez’s top corner thanks to a huge deflection off Ramsey, but Emery’s side re-established their two-goal lead early in the second half, as Ramsey smashed home Ollie Watkins’ cutback.

While Ramsey was involved in nearly everything during the 90 minutes, a lot of credit must go to Tyrone Mings, who produced one of the best displays of his season so far, after coming under a lot of criticism earlier in the season.

As per SofaScore, the England international would earn a strong 6.9/10 rating for his performance on Sunday, with only Ramsey, Bailey and Digne rated higher from the Villa side.

During the 90 minutes, Mings completely nullified the threat of Cristiano Ronaldo, as the legendary forward would earn a poor 6.3/10 rating for his display after managing just one shot on target, while he also picked up a booking after a tussle with the former Bournemouth centre-back.

The 29-year-old would also contribute a mammoth eight clearances, two interceptions and one block during the game, all of which were more than his season average of 1.3 clearances, 0.5 interceptions and 0.3 blocks per game, which emphasises just how much he raised his game in Emery’s first game in charge.

He was also solid with his passing, registering 61 touches and completing 90% of his passes, which again is an improvement on his season average of 83.1%.

Steven Gerrard was full of praise for the defender earlier in the season, describing him as “dominant” and that proved the case once again on Sunday, with the centre-back setting the tone for what will hopefully be some much better performances under Emery. Indeed, the defender has already become his first hero and should now be able to look forward to a more vibrant spell under the new coach.

Leeds United have held a long-standing rivalry with Manchester United for as long as many can remember, with the infamous Kevin Keegan rant in 1996 a microcosm for their connection as they both sought the title.

They have battled over trophies and players, but in 2002 the Red Devils got one over on them immensely when a particular transfer saga went their way.

Despite moving to Old Trafford in 2002 for £19m, the Whites had reportedly held an interest in Ruud van Nistelrooy way before this deal was concluded.

Had they managed to lure him to Elland Road instead, it could have vastly altered the varied landscapes of both clubs.

Having scored 77 goals in 90 appearances for PSV Eindhoven it was no surprise that he was drawing interest, however in Manchester, he was handed the perfect platform to earn superstardom.

Although, the Dutchman was prolific pretty much wherever he went.

Under Sir Alex Ferguson however, he maintained a clinical brilliance that saw him win every domestic trophy available to him.

Along the way, he would score 150 goals in just 219 appearances before being sold on as a 30-year-old for a respectable £10m.

Real Madrid would then also reap the rewards, as he scored 64 and assisted 16 in 96 appearances.

To compare him with a Leeds great, Alan Smith only managed 54 goals in 223 games for them during a similar time frame.

He is one of a few that then made the move to Manchester, where he struggled. His whole career only yielded 70 goals, whereas van Nistelrooy was six goals shy of having scored over that for three different clubs.

The 70-cap star’s exploits led the legendary Scottish manager to label him a “fantastic goalscorer”, comparing him to the great Dennis Law.

It marks the highest of praise for the greatest of poachers and notes a huge transfer howler that the Peacocks will forever rue.

Whilst they suffered relegation in 2004, he was coming off the back of a season where he scored 20 in the Premier League and won an FA Cup.

How different things might have been had their interest materialised into something before their arch-rivals struck first.

Glasgow Rangers journalist for The Athletic Jordan Campbell was left praising Ryan Jack during Scotland’s 0-0 draw away at Ukraine on Tuesday night.

The Lowdown: Promotion

Scotland earned promotion to League A of the UEFA Nations League with the draw in Ukraine, which kept them at the top of Group B1 after the last round of international fixtures before the FIFA World Cup starts in Qatar in November.

Jack started the match for Steve Clarke’s side, and was substituted off for Stuart Armstrong in the 72nd minute.

The Latest: Jack praise

Taking to Twitter during the game, Campbell praised Jack’s performance, claiming that the central midfielder was ‘looking a lot sharper’ than he did at the start of the season, and that he was ‘controlling possession well’ for his country:

“Ryan Jack controlling possession well the last ten minutes for Scotland. Looking a lot sharper than he did at the start of the season.”

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The Verdict: Regaining sharpness

Jack is slowly but surely regaining his match sharpness after injury problems kept him out for a lot of the last campaign.

The 30-year-old was a calming influence in the middle of the park, winning three of his duels while also recording one successful dribble, two tackles and an 85% overall passing accuracy, the joint-highest of any of his teammates (SofaScore).

Nonetheless, Jack’s form at international level should bode well upon his return to playing for the Gers at Ibrox, where Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s team face Hearts away from home in the Scottish Premiership at Saturday lunchtime.

Leeds United could land themselves a very good upgrade on Junior Firpo before the transfer deadline, according to journalist Pete O’Rourke.

What’s the word?

The Yorkshire outfit have been linked with a move for Borussia Dortmund full-back Raphael Guerreiro during the summer window and the transfer insider believes he’d be a ‘great signing’ for the club.

In an interview with Football FanCast, O’Rourke said:

“If Guerreiro was to arrive, he’d definitely be an upgrade on Junior Firpo and it would be a great signing for the club.”

The Portugal international is thought to be available for around €25m (£21m).

Firpo upgrade

Indeed, O’Rourke would be correct in saying that the 28-year-old would be an upgrade on manager Jesse Marsch’s current first choice.

After arriving last summer from FC Barcelona, things have not gone swimmingly for Firpo. He has struggled to adapt to the physicality and the intensity of the Premier League, as summed up by Daily Mirror journalist David Anderson, who once dubbed him a “liability” to GIVEMESPORT.

“All he seems to do is get booked all the time. I think he’s up to 10 yellow cards or something. You don’t expect that from a player coming from Barcelona; you expect a bit of class, a bit of maturity, a bit of leadership, and he’s provided none of that, really.

“I think he’s been a big let-down.”

Meanwhile, he’s provided just two assists across 27 appearances, which is something well below the level of the Dortmund star, by comparison.

Guerreiro, who has been described as an “amazing player” who can “make things happen” by his head coach Edin Terzic, has delivered 35 goals and 37 assists across 192 matches at the Westfalenstadion.

Such form has seen him likened to the likes of Joao Cancelo and Reece James in terms of statistical profile, so he may need little time to adapt to the English top-flight, given the success of the two attack-minded defenders.

Also per FBref, the 26-year-old dynamo ranks inside the top 2% for progressive passes (6.76) per 90 and the top 12% for shot-creating actions (2.69) per 90, when compared to his positional peers across Europe’s elite divisions, meaning he’s capable of bringing the ball forward from the back, getting in the right areas and creating chances.

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Firpo, however, has managed only 3.86 progressive passes per 90 and 2.35 shot-creating actions per 90, making him a far worse player in that regard, over the same timeframe.

Therefore, it’s easy to see why O’Rourke would believe that Guerriero is something of an upgrade on Firpo at left-back and as such, Elland Road director of football Victor Orta must look to get this deal done before it’s too late, with less than a week to go in the summer transfer window.

AND in other news, Orta could seal “exciting” signing as Leeds eye late move for “incredible” £15m talent…