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Leeds United have reportedly been offered the chance to sign Aaron Ramsey in the January transfer window.

The Lowdown: Ramsey out of favour at Juventus

The 31-year-old traded Arsenal for Juventus back in 2019 but he has suffered a disappointing time of things at the Serie A giants, despite winning the league title in 2019/20.

Ramsey has been limited to just 70 appearances in that time, rarely being considered a key midfielder and scoring only six goals.

It could be that the Welshman makes a late-January move back to England and Leeds could possibly be his next destination.

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The Latest: Leeds could still swoop

According to 90min, the Whites are one of several Premier League clubs being offered a free run at Ramsey before deadline day ends on Monday.

Burnley, Crystal Palace and Newcastle United are also mentioned as potential suitors, although it is noted that the Wales international is ‘reluctant’ to leave despite Juventus trying to drum up interest.

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The Verdict: Proven Premier League quality

Ramsey may be 31 and becoming more injury-prone as the years have passed by, but he is someone who could add a huge amount of quality to Leeds’ midfield, at a time when Kalvin Phillips is out injured himself.

He already has 91 goal contributions in the Premier League – 40 goals and 51 assists – and has been lauded as a ‘world-class’ player by international colleague Joe Allen.

Granted, Ramsey wouldn’t represent the long-term future but he would inject experience and quality in the middle of the park at a time when Leeds are short of options in that area.

In other news, a journalist has confirmed interest in one Leeds player. Find out who it is here.

Fabrizio Romano has provided a huge Leeds United transfer update, with Crysencio Summerville’s move to Hamburg now collapsed and Takumi Minamino off as well.

The Lowdown: Potential deadline day deals

The Whites have been in the news in and around deadline day, with some potential incomings and outgoings happening at the club.

Summerville has been strongly linked with a loan move to Hamburg, while Liverpool forward Minamino has been tipped to join the Marcelo Bielsa revolution as a possible alternative to Brenden Aaronson.

A big update has now emerged regarding both players as the final day of the January window hots up.

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The Latest: Romano makes big claim

Taking to Twitter on Monday afternoon, Romano claimed that Summerville’s move to Germany ‘has collapsed’, while Minamino won’t be heading to Elland Road from Anfield.

He revealed: “Crysencio Summerville loan move to Hamburg has collapsed. He’s staying at Leeds United – while also Takumi Minamino move to Leeds is not happening.”

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The Verdict: No disaster for Whites

In truth, this is no great shame for Leeds, with Summerville now likely to stay put and fight for first team minutes between now and the end of the season, looking to make his mark at Elland Road.

The 20-year-old has been handed eight senior appearances this season, proving that Bielsa trusts him when he really needs to, and he may also continue to thrive in the under-23s at the same time.

Also, while Minamino may have been a shrewd signing on loan, Leeds already have the likes of Raphinha, Jack Harrison, Rodrigo and Dan James to call upon in the wide attacking areas, so the Japan international would have been a nice-to-have rather than a must-have.

In other news, Leeds have reportedly ‘made an offer’ for one player. Find out who it is here.

West Ham secured a point against Leicester City on Sunday, with Craig Dawson netting an injury-time equaliser for the visitors in a 2-2 draw. 

David Moyes made two changes from the side which beat Watford last time out, with Manuel Lanzini and Issa Diop coming into the team. Moyes had initially selected Kurt Zouma to start once again but he dropped out late due to illness.

Jarrod Bowen put the Hammers in front early on, but a mistake from Aaron Cresswell led to Youri Tielemans equalising from the penalty spot before half-time and Ricardo Pereira put the hosts in front just shy of the hour mark. Dawson made sure West Ham would leave with something, though, with his late effort ensuring that the game would end in a draw.  

Here at The Transfer Tavern, we’ve used statistical experts SofaScore to analyse who were West Ham’s three worst performers to have played at least 45 minutes.

In total, these three players lost the ball a whopping 41 times, were second best in 16 of their 30 aerial and ground duels and didn’t have a shot on goal.

Aaron Cresswell – 6.1/10

Cresswell, who was guilty of giving the Foxes a route back into the game, failed to impress. The left-back committed four fouls, duly receiving a booking, and was second-best in six of his 10 duels.

He gave the ball away 16 times, failed to complete any of his six attempted crosses and didn’t register a shot on goal.

Lukasz Fabianski – 6.2/10

The Polish goalkeeper was West Ham’s second-lowest rated play in the eventful draw against Leicester, with the veteran not enjoying one of his better games.

He lost possession eight times on the day and completed only 14 of his 22 passes, the fewest of anyone to start for the Irons. He also ended the match with eight inaccurate long balls.

Vladimir Coufal – 6.3/10

Coufal played 67 minutes before making way for Ryan Fredericks, ending with a match rating of 6.3/10. The Czech right-back struggled during his time on the pitch, losing the ball on 20 occasions.

He was also second-best in five of his 11 duels, was dribbled past twice and failed to complete a cross or record a shot.

In other news, read this worrying Declan Rice claim from an insider.

West Ham United are interested in a deal to bring Alex Scott to the London Stadium in the summer transfer window.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a claim made by ExWHUemployee, with the club insider revealing on a recent episode of The West Ham Way podcast that David Moyes has sent scouts to watch the Bristol City midfielder in action at Ashton Gate this season, ahead of a potential swoop for the 18-year-old this summer.

Speaking about the Hammers’ interest in the England U19 international, Ex said: “Alex Scott who plays for Bristol City, he’s a midfielder. He’s only 18, but he’s been labelled the next Grealish – the Guernsey Grealish someone said in a report when I looked him up after I was given [his name].”

The next Grealish

Considering just how impressive Scott has been for the Robins so far this season, it is not difficult to understand why Moyes would be interested in a swoop for the midfielder this summer, nor why the 18-year-old is already drawing comparisons to the £72m-rated Manchester City and England star Jack Grealish.

Indeed, despite Bristol City’s struggles in the league this term, the £270k-rated sensation has been in breathtaking form over his 26 Championship appearances, scoring three goals, registering two assists and creating three big chances for his teammates, as well as taking an average of 0.8 shots, making one key pass and completing 0.8 dribbles per game.

The central midfielder who Jon Lansdown dubbed a “real talent” has also impressed in metrics more typical of his position, making an average of 1.4 interceptions, 1.5 tackles and winning five duels – at a success rate of 53% – per fixture.

These returns have seen the £2.5k-per-week teenager average a quite astonishing SofaScore match rating of 6.97, ranking him as Nigel Pearson’s fifth-best player in the second tier of English football.

As such, it is easy to see why Bristol City’s player pathway manager, Brian Tinnion, believes Scott is “one of the top young talents in the country”, with the 53-year-old stating of the youngster: “His work rate and his desire to learn has been unbelievable.

“He has been taken in very well by the senior lads, they know he’s got the quality to play with them. He has every single attribute you would want in a professional footballer. He can tackle, he’s great with both feet, he can head the ball, his delivery is good and his overall quality is great. He lets his football do the talking and he’s getting better all the time.”

So, considering the sheer amount of potential Scott quite clearly possesses, it would indeed appear an extremely wise move for the West Ham board to sanction a swoop for the 18-year-old this summer, as, under the management of Moyes, the Bristol City sensation could well go on to become the Premier League’s next Grealish.

In other news: Moyes can form deadly duo as WHU plot bargain £17m swoop for 25 y/o “creative leader”

Rangers chief Ross Wilson committed a huge Ibrox howler for Gio van Bronckhorst during the January transfer window.

The Glasgow giants chief endured a disaster as he missed out on a deal to sign Siriki Dembele from Peterborough. The Gers were reportedly interested in landing the winger on a permanent deal and he ended up joining English Championship side Bournemouth instead.

Rangers went for Amad Diallo on loan from Manchester United to bolster their wide options in the wake of Ianis Hagi’s season-ending injury and the youngster has endured a terrible spell with the club so far.

Since scoring five minutes into his debut against Ross County, the Ivorian international has been poor for Rangers and is currently struggling to get minutes on the pitch. He has been an unused substitute in three of the club’s last four matches in the Premiership and Europa League, coming off the bench against Dundee United.

In four league outings for van Bronckhorst’s side, he has missed one ‘big chance’, created just two chances and lost a whopping 71% of his duels. This shows that he has been far from good enough since his move from Old Trafford and Dembele would have been a far better option.

Not only would the Scotsman have been a long-term addition to the squad rather than just a loan, but he would also have had more of an impact in the here and now as he has proven his quality at Championship level.

Peterborough chief Barry Fry previously hailed the forward’s talents, telling Football FanCast: “Siriki can get the ball in his own half and with dazzling dribbling ability, he can beat four or five players and score a wonder goal or cross it for somebody else to score.

“He’s very, very exciting. He’s got the best stats outside the [English] Premier League, I think. We’ll try to keep hold of him if we go up, and we’ll make him an offer he can’t refuse! So watch this space.”

He produced 11 goals and 14 assists in League One last term for Peterborough and made a huge impact on his full debut for Bournemouth earlier this month. As per SofaScore, he won eight of his 13 duels, created an impressive five chances for his teammates and scored a goal against Blackpool in the Championship.

Throughout the entire campaign with the Posh and now the Cherries, he has six goals and has averaged 1.1 key passes per game whilst also winning 49% of his duels – as per SofaScore. This suggests that the gem would have been far better than Amad as he has shown that he can provide the goods at first-team level whilst holding his own in physical battles, whereas the United youngster has not done enough on or off the ball.

Therefore, Wilson had a howler by signing Diallo ahead of Dembele in January, both in terms of the short and long-term implications of the respective deals.

AND in other news, Forget Tavernier: £6.4k-p/w Rangers tank with 75% duels won was real star of the show…

Leeds United director of football Victor Orta will leave the club at the end of the season, Leeds Radar report.

The Lowdown: Kinnear to resign?

It has been a busy five days at Elland Road following the 4-0 defeat to Tottenham on Saturday lunchtime, with Andrea Radrizzani and the 49ers enterprise deciding to sack Marcelo Bielsa.

Jesse Marsch was announced as the Argentine’s successor on Monday evening, with reports on the same day suggesting that chief executive Angus Kinnear will resign over the coming months.

It seems as if he won’t be the only Whites official to depart ahead of the 2022/23 campaign, though, with a claim now made on Orta.

The Latest: Orta claim

Leeds Radar posted on Twitter regarding the Whites DoF, claiming he will also depart once the season comes to an end, adding that the 49ers want to bring in their own board of directors.

“Victor Orta will leave Leeds United at the end of this season, along with Angus Kinnear. The 49ers want to bring in their own board of directors, which will likely have a very different structure.”

The Transfer Tavern contacted Leeds Radar about their information, and were told it came directly from a club employee.

The Verdict: Plenty of change…

Radrizzani, Orta, Kinnear and Bielsa enjoyed a strong relationship for three-and-a-half years, however, all four may no longer be a part of the club by the end of the calendar year.

It seems as if Orta and Kinnear will both follow Bielsa out of Thorp Arch by the summer, whereas the San Francisco 49ers have a deal in place to buy Leeds from Radrizzani for more than £400m by January 2024.

Should the club remain in the Premier League for the 2022/23 season under Marsch, it wouldn’t come as a shock if the 49ers exercised their option to take 100% control, meaning fans may have to be braced for plenty of off-field change.

In other news, Leeds could sign one player this summer, according to a journalist. Find out who it is here.

Newcastle United managed to grind out another win as they saw off Brighton and Hove Albion 2-1 at St James’ Park on Saturday afternoon.

Goals from Ryan Fraser and Fabian Schar early in the first half were enough to give Eddie Howe’s team all three points on Tyneside, although Lewis Dunk gave them a little bit of a scare after the interval with a bullet header.

It was a real slog at times for the hosts, who recorded fewer possession and shots on goal, and The Transfer Tavern have now used statistical experts SofaScore to analyse who the Magpies’ three worst performers were on the day:

Jonjo Shelvey (6.6)

Admittedly tied with Jacob Murphy in terms of rating (6.6), Shelvey ranks in third here having played the entire game, whereas the ex-Norwich winger featured for just 64 minutes.

The Newcastle captain lost out on three of his duels and also failed to record a single shot on target, dribble, interception or tackle, along with losing the ball eight times.

Joelinton (6.5)

Joelinton was ranked as the Magpies’ second-worst player with a 6.5 overall rating from SofaScore.

The Brazilian was unsuccessful in eight of his duels, while he also had no shots on goal or successful dribbles and gave away possession on 14 separate occasions.

Joe Willock (6.4)

With a 6.4 rating, Willock was ranked as the worst Newcastle performer on the day.

The former Arsenal midfielder also lost eight duels, while he never tested Robert Sanchez in goal, and he made an error which led to a Seagulls chance.

He also gave the ball away 12 times and was dribbled past five times in a performance with which he may have been disappointed personally.

In other news, find out what Amanda Staveley comments have left this talkSPORT journalist stunned

Aston Villa are happy to allow Morgan Sanson to leave this summer, with his former club Marseille keen on his services, according to Football Insider.

The Lowdown: Sanson’s struggles at Villa

The 27-year-old has struggled since moving to the Midlands from France in January 2021, making just 20 appearances in a Villa shirt.

He is yet to register a goal or assist for Villa and has made just three league starts in 2021/22 under both Dean Smith and Steven Gerrard.

Football writer Matt Maher said earlier in the season that ‘Sanson was a big reason’ that Villa did not sign a central midfielder in the summer, which is ‘central to a lot of the problems’.

Gerrard appears to be on the hunt for midfield reinforcements ahead of his first full season in charge after recently scouting Boubacar Kamara and Geoffrey Kondogbia, and it looks as if Sanson could move on.

The Latest: Source shares Sanson update

Football Insider shared a story on Tuesday morning regarding Sanson after being informed by a French source. They claimed that Marseille are keeping tabs on their former midfielder and are interested in a possible move for him.

Villa are willing to sell and would accept an offer in the region of £10m for the 27-year-old after forking out £14m less than 18 months ago.

The Verdict: Right call?

Things just haven’t worked out for Sanson in England, so a return to Ligue 1 – where he has contributed to 68 goals in 220 appearances – could be the best move for all involved.

The 27-year-old has failed to nail down a regular role under Gerrard since November, even with the Villa manager switching to a 4-3-1-2 system.

He will still have three years remaining on his Villa deal in the summer, so you’d like to think that the club will be able to bring in at least £10m for him over the coming months.

In other news: Gerrard and Villa chiefs eyeing move for new defender with same agent as four AVFC players

Aston Villa are lining up a bid for Burnley midfielder Josh Brownhill as Steven Gerrard continues his rebuilding job at the Midlands club ahead of next season.

What’s the word?

That’s according to 90min, who reported that Villa are interested in signing the Clarets ace to bolster their squad.

However, they could face competition from Premier League rivals West Ham, who are seemingly the frontrunners for the midfielder due to a long-standing interest.

It could cost up to £15m to sign the 26-year-old, which could be a bargain for Villa when considering Brownhill’s performances this season.

Brownhill could be a replacement for Sanson

With Football Insider revealing last month that Villa had set their price for Morgan Sanson amid interest from Marseille, Brownhill could be a more than suitable replacement for the Frenchman, who will likely depart the Midlands this summer.

Burnley team-mate Jack Cork dubbed the 26-year-old “brilliant” following their recent victory against Watford, and there seems little doubt that Brownhill would improve and stabilise the Villa midfield.

His tackling average of 2.1 per game would put him third in the Villa squad, while attacking-wise he would be joint third for assists with three so far this season, proving he is competent at both ends of the pitch.

Given the inflated fees being thrown about for players on the continent, Gerrard could grab a bargain with Brownhill, and as a player with prior Premier League experience, he could quickly become a vital cog in the Villa midfield rather than needing time to settle into the division.

With Johan Lange set to back the manager with the necessary funds in order to bring success to Villa Park, there is no excuse for a poor start to next season. Therefore, the club must do all they can to try and lure the Burnley ace to the Midlands, and if it means cutting Sanson loose once and for all, so be it.

AND in other news, Villa eyeing £16k-p/w ace who “gives absolutely everything”, he’s better than Mings

Adama Traore was living the dream when he secured a loan move back to his first club, Barcelona.

The Wolves winger’s return to Spain acted as a catalyst that kickstarted the rejuvenation of his career and his blazing start to life in Catalonia saw a player who was enjoying his football.

Though that positive start has slowly turned sour and, according to the latest reports, it could get even worse for Adama.

What’s the word?

A report from Spanish outlet, Sport, claims that Adama was “very upset after not even warming up against Mallorca.”

The 26-year-old was seen talking to Xavi’s brother after the game against Los Piratas, with Adama visibly upset at his lack of game time.

Sport state that with his impact on the team’s game gradually falling, the La Masia graduate has been affected on an emotional level.

On the Chalkboard

The narrative around Traore’s journey and his quest to get back to Barcelona has been one that has denoted that of football romanticism.

Though, in this chapter – in fact – in this book, it looks as though it is not meant to be for the Spain international with Malian descent.

Traore, who was described by Jurgen Klopp as “unplayable” has played 38 minutes over the last five La Liga games for Barcelona – not starting even once during that time.

Back at Wolves, Francisco Trincao has disappointed, to the extent where the Old Gold will most likely allow the Portugal international to return back to parent-club Barcelona and reject the chance to buy the 22-year-old.

With Adama most likely returning from his loan spell, Lage will have the opportunity to start over with an ambitious winger determined to prove Xavi wrong.

The £25.2m-rated winger is unique, not just in build, but in the way he moves the ball.

Despite playing half of the season for Wolves before departing for Barcelona, he registered an average of seven successful dribbles per 90, which to this day is still the highest metric amongst the Wolves squad and the Premier League – bettering Trincao’s total average of three per game – and topping the charts above Allan Saint-Maximin’s second highest average of 4.9 dribbles per game.

After the Trincao experiment failed – he has scored just once in the league – Lage should do everything he can to keep Adama at the Molineux next season and look to get the best out of such a direct, attacking threat.

At this point, the physically adept winger just needs to be nurtured and appreciated.

In other news: Wolves could be “in the market” to sign £30m “lion”, he’s a huge upgrade on Jimenez