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Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has confirmed that the Gunners are in the market for a new midfielder before Tuesday’s deadline, as relayed by GOAL journalist Charles Watts.

“Well, we need some more cover in midfield ideally if we can. In this market, it’s pretty complicated to do that. If there’s anything else available that can make us better we’ll look at it,” the Spaniard said.

There have been several names linked with a switch to the Emirates Stadium throughout this month and beyond, namely the likes of Declan Rice and Moises Caicedo, although Everton powerhouse Amadou Onana could emerge as a viable option.

That’s according to the Evening Standard’s Nizaar Kinsella, who reported that the Belgian international is now under consideration, adding weight to RMC Sport journalist Sacha Tavolieri’s recent claims that the Toffees need for money and Frank Lampard’s departure could make him available for a move.

In Onana, the north Londoners could secure their very own Paul Pogba, at least in the eyes of resected French journalist Laurens Julien, who once likened the £33m star to the former Manchester United sensation.

“He’s an incredible talent,” he said to The Blue Room.”He’s a Tchouameni, he’s a Pogba, those kinds of players.”

Indeed, he could well be cut from the same cloth, offering up unique and outstanding box-to-box qualities. After all, he was once dubbed as a “one-man army” by talent scout Jacek Kulig.

The Belgian is proving to be a key influence at either end of the pitch, with an average of 2.97 tackles, two aerials won and 1.1 interceptions per 90 defensively, as well as an average of 2.26 progressive passes and 1.23 shots per 90 in the Premier League too, via FBref.

They also liken his statistical profile to that of West Ham United titan Tomas Soucek and you could argue that all three use their towering, bustling frame and physicality to get the better of the opposition, maybe even in a very similar nature to Gunners legend Patrick Vieira in his heyday.

It’s perhaps why Onana – who is thought to earn around £100k-per-week at Goodison Park – has also been lauded as a “monster” and as a “giant of a midfielder” in recent times.

As such, Arsenal chief Edu Gaspar could well hand Arteta his very own Pogba with a stunning January move for the Toffees star before next week’s transfer deadline.

Given the evidence above, Onana would be one fine signing indeed.

AND in other news, Arsenal could land their own Bentancur as Edu begins talks for £22m “absolute steal”…

Tottenham Hotspur have put a lot of faith in incoming right-back Pedro Porro this month, as Antonio Conte’s side made the decision to loan out Djed Spence to Rennes and remarkably release Matt Doherty on deadline day.

Fabio Paratici was able to get a deal done for the Sporting Lisbon defender with plenty of time to spare, with the Spaniard likely to compete with Emerson Royal for a starting spot at right wing-back for the remainder of the campaign.

So far, Conte has alternated between the Brazilian and Doherty in that position, with Spence failing to get much of a look in since his summer switch from Middlesbrough, so it is a bold decision by Paratici to get rid of the Republic of Ireland international completely.

Although he perhaps hasn’t lived up to expectations since joining from Wolves in 2020, he had still made 12 appearances in the Premier League this season and certainly wasn’t amongst the poorest performers, with WhoScored awarding him a 6.70 average rating for his displays in the top flight.

However, the 31-year-old has now joined Atletico Madrid after his Spurs contract was cancelled by mutual consent, in a move which could see him follow in the footsteps of former Spurs man Kieran Trippier.

The Englishman would swap north London for Madrid in 2019, eventually helping Diego Simeone’s side to the La Liga title during his spell in Spain before returning to England with Newcastle United this time last year.

He has since established himself as one of, if not the, very best right-backs in the division, playing a huge role in the Toon’s drastic turnaround following the Saudi takeover at St James’ Park.

This season has seen Trippier make 20 appearances in the top flight, in which he has contributed one goal and four assists, averaging a phenomenal 7.71 rating from WhoScored for his performances, with the 32-year-old showing no signs of slowing down.

Harry Kane’s 7.49 average rating sees him ranked as the best performer in Conte’s squad so far this campaign, so it could definitely be described as a disaster by Daniel Levy to let Trippier go back in 2019.

While Doherty is also struggling for consistent form at Spurs, he was dubbed “sensational” in 2022 after a superb performance against Leeds United, so perhaps just needed a regular run in the team to find his best form.

If he can impress with Atletico Madrid and see his value increase then the Irishman could well be looking at an Indian summer of his own with Spurs potentially set to repeat their blunder of a decision on Trippier.

Journalist Ross Gregory has admitted that he has sympathy for Newcastle United as they can’t keep everyone happy with supporters set to miss out on tickets to Carabao Cup final.

What’s the word?

After beating Southampton in the semi-final stage of the competition, the Magpies are now set to play in their first cup final since 1999.

Indeed, manager Eddie Howe and his team will travel south to London to take on Manchester United at Wembley Stadium on 26 February.

With it being such a big occasion, every loyal fan will want to go but of course, plenty will miss out as the club has been given a 32,761-ticket allocation for the 90,000-seater stadium.

While speaking about the disappointment supporters may feel on NUFC Matters, Gregory explained how he felt the number of tickets available was a fair amount even though it will be “unfortunate” when certain fans can’t go.

He said: “Unfortunately, there’s only 32-33,000 tickets, and like I say, we could be looking at it selling double that, probably triple that.

“Newcastle could have potentially sold out Wembley themselves, never mind with the Man United fans in there and the corporates and everything else like that.”So yeah, it’s unfortunate, but I really feel for the club on this one. I think there was very little, little wiggle room for them. And I think it’s a fairly fair way that they’ve allocated the Wembley tickets.” Wembley awaits

As per 90min, each team has roughly 33,000 tickets to hand out to their own set of fans, while the remaining seats will be filled by corporate seats, VIPs and the media.

While it’s fair that both clubs will have an equal amount of tickets to sell to their own, it does feel as though more places could be given to supporters and less to neutrals who will be in attendance simply due to the privilege of their status. However, this is simply how modern football works and should come as no surprise.

Regardless of who will be in attendance at Wembley, however, a much greater number than that estimated 30,000 will fill the streets of London to cheer on their team as Newcastle push for their first major honour since their 1969 Inter-Cities Fairs Cup triumph 54 years ago.

Chelsea have considered replacing manager Graham Potter with Hansi Flick as an ‘idea’, according to journalist Christian Falk.

The Lowdown: Boehly’s new era…

The west Londoners are well into a new era under owner Todd Boehly after the American business tycoon took over from Roman Abramovich.

Chelsea have since spent lavishly in the transfer market with their total spend amounting to around £489 million since Boehly’s acqusition of the club.

The Premier League giants are attempting to invest heavily in their squad with the aim of competing past this 2022/2023 season.

The Latest: Chelsea consider Flick…

According to reporter Falk, Boehly has already considered a replacement for his own managerial appointment Potter.

It is believed that a middleman of the Chelsea owner ‘knocked on the door’ of Flick, who is currently in charge of Germany’s national team, as the Blues think of the former Bayern boss as an ‘idea’ to potentially succeed Potter.

It’s added that Chelsea were also eyeing a move when Marina Granovskaia was sporting director.

Falk claimed:

“I heard that Hansi Flick is an idea as a potential replacement for Graham Potter. I know about the rumours that surfaced after he was spotted at Stamford Bridge for Chelsea’s clash with Fulham but he was actually there because of Kai Havertz,” the BILD reporter wrote.

“Chelsea were knocking at Flick’s door back when Marina Granovskaia held a role with the club. Hansi Flick also told me that there were concrete talks with Tottenham at this time but then he decided on taking up the position of Bundestrainer (Germany head coach).

“But now, not Todd Boehly himself, a middleman knocked on the door of Hansi Flick. I asked Flick about this and he said ‘no comment’. It would be easier for him to say it wasn’t true but he didn’t, so you see there is something there but it’s not an option for Hansi Flick because he wants to remain in charge of Germany for the Euros taking place on home soil in 2024.”

The Verdict: Right man?

Potter’s time isn’t likely to be up any time soon with reports suggesting that Boehly wishes to stick by his manager at least until he has had sufficient time.

Beyond that, however, Flick could come as a good option to potentially succeed Brighton’s former boss past Euro 2024 – if it does indeed come to that.

Flick won trophies galore at the Allianz Arena before being appointed Germany boss – honours which include domestic titles and Champions League medals.

The 57-year-old, who has been called ‘world class’ by members of the media is on a reported wage of $7.08 million-per-year – which roughly translates to around £121,000-per-week.

This salary would be more than affordable from Boehly’s perspective but the question is will Chelsea’s owner wait that long for Flick to become available?

Leeds United are still searching for their next manager after sacking Jesse Marsch earlier this month, and an update has emerged on a potential target for the role.

What’s the latest on the Leeds manager search?

According to Portuguese news outlet Zero Zero, the Whites have made an approach for Al-Gharafa SC manager Pedro Martins.

As per the report, talks are set to take place with the manager after the Yorkshire club made an informal approach for the 52-year-old, and negotiations are expected to go through his current employers should Leeds advance in their interest.

Would hiring Martins be a big risk for Radrizzani and Leeds?

The Whites have found themselves in a vulnerable position in the Premier League this season and could be facing a difficult relegation scrap if performances don’t improve quickly.

Leeds are currently teetering on the edge of the relegation zone in 17th place, with two crucial bottom-of-the-table clashes ahead of them. First up is a trip to Goodison Park to face Everton on Saturday, followed by a visit from Southampton to Elland Road, fixtures which give Leeds two golden opportunities to distance themselves from the bottom three.

It has been confirmed that Michael Skubala will lead the team in their forthcoming fixtures whilst the powers at the club continue their search for a permanent manager, although the interest in Martins could carry a big risk for Andrea Radrizzani.

The 52-year-old – who was hailed as “special” by Wolverhampton Wanderers winger Daniel Podence – is renowned for his time with Olympiacos, where he took charge of 221 games with a points average of 2.13 before he was sacked and replaced with now-West Bromwich Albion manager Carlos Corberan last August.

Indeed, there is an element of risk which comes with appointing any manager at this stage of the season, especially considering the unstable situation in which Leeds find themselves. However, the club have been linked with managers who, unlike Martins, already have Premier League experience under their belt.

Both Nuno Espirito Santo and Steven Gerrard have been linked with the vacant role in West Yorkshire, and although the trio may not be long-term solutions when it comes to a top-flight relegation battle, surely hiring a short-term manager with experience in the league would be advantageous.

Notably, it was around this time last year that Marsch – who like Martins had no Premier League experience beforehand – was brought in to replace Marcelo Bielsa. While the American succeeded in staving off relegation in 2022, he failed to win over much of the Elland Road faithful or prevent the Whites from dipping into trouble again this time around.

With that in mind, hiring Martins could indeed carry a risk of a repeat scenario.

It will be interesting to see how Michael Skubala gets on against Everton this weekend, as victory could take the immediate pressure off the Leeds hierarchy to find an instant solution in the managerial market so that they can focus on appointing the right coach at the right time.

Chelsea are now interested in signing Inter Milan forward Lautaro Martinez this summer, according to a report.

The Lowdown: Chelsea spending big

Chelsea are estimated to have shelled out whopping £323m in the January transfer window, with marquee signing Enzo Fernandez arriving on deadline day, in a British-record £106.8m deal.

However, the Blues did not bring in an out-and-out striker to provide competition for Kai Havertz, and they are now looking at potential options for the summer, with Martinez said to be emerging as a target.

The Latest: Interested in Martinez

According to a report from TEAMtalk, Chelsea are ready to battle it out for the forward in the next transfer window, with Manchester United and Arsenal also named as potential suitors.

Inter’s financial problems mean they may have to sell the 25-year-old at the end of the season, opening the door for a move to Stamford Bridge.

The Verdict: Get it done

Striker is the one area of Graham Potter’s squad that still needs to be strengthened, given that Havertz has scored just one goal in his last seven Premier League starts, and the opportunity to sign Martinez should definitely be taken advantage of.

The Argentinian has received his fair share of plaudits, being lauded as ‘ridiculous’ by Luis Miguel Echegaray, while he has also been called a ‘beast’ by Inter Milan teammate Romelu Lukaku, and it is hard to disagree given his recent form.

In 21 Serie A games this season, the marksman has netted on 12 occasions, while he has also displayed his creative side, weighing in with four assists, with the latter figure being more than he managed across the whole of the previous campaign.

However, given the quality possessed by the 46-time Argentina international, he is only likely to favour a move to a club that manage to qualify for the Champions League, and so Chelsea will need to focus on overturning a ten-point gap from the top four in the second half of the season.

Wolverhampton Wanderers forward Pedro Neto was absent from the Premier League game vs Bournemouth due to his ‘fitness’, according to journalist Liam Keen.

The Lowdown: Neto’s absence

The Old Gold suffered a 1-0 defeat to the Cherries at Molineux on Saturday, as Julen Lopetegui was once again without the services of the 22-year-old Neto, who has suffered torrid luck with injuries over the last 24 months.

The Portugal international has been out of action since October 2022 with an ankle injury but was named as an unused substitute for the previous 2-1 victory over Southampton, so the fact that he was missing completely this weekend caused concern that he had suffered a setback.

The Latest: Lopetegui’s update

Taking to Twitter after Saturday’s loss, Keen relayed an update from Lopetegui on Neto’s whereabouts, stating that he’s simply working his way back up to normal speed.

“Lopetegui confirms Neto is still building up his fitness, hence why he wasn’t involved today. Says he is ‘improving’.”

The Verdict: Missing piece of the puzzle?

Neto is yet to make a single appearance under Lopetegui due his long-term issue but Wolves could do with him returning to first-team action as soon as possible.

The Midlands winger has clocked up 23 goal contributions during his time at the club and is a great option to have available with his ability to operate in six different attacking positions (Transfermarkt).

The Viana do Castelo native was also averaging 1.6 key passes and 1.4 shots per top-flight game prior to his absence, showing the positive impact he has on the side (WhoScored).

Wolves are in need of attacking assistance given their league position, and with Neto having been hailed for his ‘electric’ pace by talent scout Jacek Kulig, he could be exactly what they have been missing.

Newcastle United became renowned for their turnover of players during the Mike Ashley era, however, since the takeover in 2021 the club has become much more stable and has more structure to their transfer business which has been reflected in the performances on the pitch.

The Magpies went to their first domestic cup final at Wembley Stadium last weekend since 1999 and have been hugely consistent in their Premier League campaign – so far only suffering two defeats and are currently fifth in the league table.

As many Newcastle supporters will know, the stability and consistency at St James’ Park today are a far cry from the frustrating 14-year reign under the Sports Direct tycoon.

Indeed, there are many transfer howlers that were committed by Ashley but there is one, in particular, in more recent times that could be considered one of the biggest mistakes the owner made in his final years at the club.

Back in the summer of 2019, the club confirmed that Newcastle striker Joselu had made the permanent move to Deportivo Alaves for an ‘undisclosed fee’, however, The Chronicle further stated that the Spaniard parted ways for a transfer fee of £2.5m.

At the time of the sale, it surely wouldn’t have bothered supporters too much as the forward only tallied up seven goals and two assists over 52 appearances but when you take a closer look at his output since leaving Tyneside, it will surely frustrate Newcastle fans.

Where is Newcastle flop Joselu now?

It is safe to say, the Spanish striker’s form considerably improved when he made the move to Alaves – scoring 36 goals and registering 11 assists over 113 appearances with a goal contribution every 195 minutes.

Following his consistent output with Alaves, Joselu joined Espanyol last summer on a free transfer and has since become the joint-second top goal-scorer in La Liga this season – currently level on goals with Real Madrid’s Ballon d’Or-winning striker Karim Benzema (11) and chasing down Barcelona’s Robert Lewandowski (15), who is only four goals ahead of him.

To put that into perspective with Newcastle’s top scorers this season across all competitions, the 32-year-old – hailed “complete” by one of Alaves’ analysts – has 12 goals which is more than the club’s leading scorer Miguel Almiron, who has 10 goals so far, and the club’s main striker Callum Wilson with seven.

Over 20 La Liga appearances – aside from goals scored – Joselu has delivered two assists and created two big chances, as well as averaging 2.5 shots on goal, 1.4 clearances, and a whopping 8.7 duels per game, proving that his in-game involvement is also much improved and a huge asset to Espanyol.

With that being said, supporters may wonder whether Joselu could have thrived under the management of Eddie Howe at Newcastle considering how well the dynamo is playing now as the gem could have been a valuable attacking threat to the team, based on his impressive form in Spain.

Therefore, the Magpies fumbled the experienced striker with their sale in 2019 and missed out on the chance to see an excellent striker, alongside Alexander Isak and Wilson, in action under Howe.

Leeds United correspondent Phil Hay has shared an injury update on Stuart Dallas.  

The Lowdown: Three operations

Dallas has been out of action since April 2022 after suffering a broken leg against Manchester City. The Northern Irishman has been on the road to recovery ever since and had a third operation on the issue at the beginning of the year.

It was thought to be a clean-up issue after picking up an infection, but it seems as if he is making good progress at Thorp Arch.

The Latest: Hay’s update

Hay, talking in a Q&A for The Athletic on Tuesday ahead of Leeds’ FA Cup clash with Fulham, was asked for an update on Dallas.

He said that ‘it sounds like he’s going in the right direction’ with an aim ‘to be back before the end of the season’, describing it as a ‘major injury’.

“RE: Dallas. His aim was always to be back before the end of the season but neither he nor the club were setting any more ambitious targets like that.

“Every time I ask it sounds like he’s going in the right direction – so hopefully he’s not a million miles off. It was a major injury and was inevitably going to take a long time to recover from.”

The Verdict: Good news

Dallas has been a key man for Leeds over a number of years, helping them return to the Premier League under Marcelo Bielsa. He won three honours following the club’s first season back in the top flight, turning out in a number of different positions.

This update on his condition appears to be a positive one, and hopefully, he’ll be able to build up some minutes over the coming months for the U21s, potentially leading to a return to the matchday squad towards the end of the campaign.

His experience could come in handy under new head coach Javi Gracia both on the training ground and in the dressing room, while his versatility of being able to provide an option as a full-back or in midfield would also be welcomed.

Sky Sports reporter James Green was left shocked by the penalty missed by Mohamed Salah as Liverpool lost 1-0 away at AFC Bournemouth in the Premier League.

The Lowdown: High and wide…

Salah was gifted a golden opportunity to draw Liverpool level from the spot, after a penalty was given for handball after a VAR check.

However, he shot his effort high and wide, which summed up his and the rest of his team’s afternoon.

The Latest: Green shocked

As quoted by Sky Sports’ live match blog (14:00pm), reporter Green was in disbelief at how poor Salah’s penalty was, exclaiming:

“Wow! What have I just witnessed?! Big miss from the usually reliable Mo Salah. 

“Liverpool fans chanting his name still, but they’re looking very despondent right now.” 

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The Verdict: Not their day

After the highs of thrashing their bitter rivals Manchester United 7-0 at Anfield last weekend, today was certainly not Liverpool’s as they slumped to defeat.

Salah, described as ‘non-existent’ in the first half alongside Darwin Nunez by Liverpool journalist Paul Gorst, was not the only player who had a bad game, as Virgil van Dijk was heavily criticised for his role in Philip Billing’s goal, while Trent Alexander-Arnold was also a frustrated figure.

It is these inconsistencies in results and performances that puts an uncertainty over whether the Reds will finish in the top four this season, and ultimately qualify for the UEFA Champions League, with them overturning a three-goal deficit against Real Madrid looking unlikely.