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A closer look at some of the latest Premier League transfer rumours for this weekend.

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We are now into the final weeks of 2025, meaning the home stretch towards the end of the 2025/26 Premier League season is almost upon us. What’s sooner though, is the highly anticipated January transfer window looming on the horizon.

Plenty of clubs are expected to get business done in the new year to bolster their ranks. Liverpool are among those in dire need of some changes, and their miserable season continues to hit shocking new lows.

Manchester United are eager to add new firepower to their engine room, and multiple Premier League stars have made it onto their shortlist.

Tottenham sense chance to hijack Man United deal

One of the names heavily linked with United right now is Carlos Baleba. The Brighton star is hot property on the south coast right now and the Red Devils are eager to bring to him to Old Trafford.

However, they aren’t alone in their pursuit. According to CaughtOffside, Premier League rivals Tottenham Hotspur have ‘sensed a potential opportunity’ to snub United of Baleba’s signature.

Regardless of who make the first official move, Brighton aren’t willing to budge on the 21-year-old so easily. The report claims that the Seagulls plan to insist on their €100 million (£87m) valuation, which could be a tough ask for Spurs.

Despite United showing interest in other targets, it is ‘not ruled out’ that they won’t make Baleba a priority, even while they chase other big targets including Elliot Anderson of Nottingham Forest.

The 3AM Verdict: Having already sold Moises Caicedo to Chelsea for £115 million in previous year, Brighton know full well how much they can demand for top players, especially talentd midfielders. It wouldn’t be surprising if the Seagulls crank up the amount they are looking for once the transfer windows open for business. Whether United can spend such an amount on one player, while they are eager to sign mu;tiple midfielders, remains to be seen.

Liverpool could cash in on ace who Arne Slot ‘doesn’t trust’

Liverpool have a lot to consider in January. Their season has hit seriously concerning lows and the team are struggling to perform as a unit.

Despite spending a record-breaking amount of money over the summer, they may be forced to spend even more in the new year to salvage their season. They might also part ways with existing players.

Federico Chiesa is one name being linked with a potential exit, as Arne Slot ‘appears not to trust’ the Italian winger. That’s according to Football Insider, who claim that Liverpool ‘could be tempted’ to sell Chiesa in January, with interest growing from several clubs in Italy.

However, he will only be sold on if the Reds can sign new wide players in the new year to make up for his absence on the wing.

The 3AM Verdict: Chiesa has struggled to establish himself at Liverpool since his arrival but he has shown flashes of what he’s capable of. Sadly, that’s not enough to convince an under pressure Slot, though. Even Mohamed Salah is struggling for form this season and there’s no real back-up option to rely on when the Egyptian fails to perform at his usual standard. Chiesa has been linked with a potential exit for a while now but unless Liverpool can snap up an exciting new playmaker in the new year, they need to be careful who they sacrifice during this nightmarish period at the club.

Running the rule over the latest Premier League transfer rumours - with stories from Spurs, Manchester United, Newcastle and more.

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The weekend is upon us, but while most of us put our feet up for a couple of days the world’s gossip columnists don’t plan to take a break – so we’re here with our latest round-up of the biggest and sometimes strangest new Premier League transfer rumours.

Let’s start with a story from TeamTalk which looks at Tottenham Hotspur’s January transfer plans – and alleges that they’ve settled on two transfer targets and are “ready to splash” a hefty £145m to bring them both to North London.

The players in question are Porto striker Samu Aghehowa and Bournemouth winger Antoine Semenyo, who have release clauses worth £78m and £65m respectively (the article curiously claims that Port will accept £80m for Aghehowa but our understanding is that his release clause means that they wouldn’t have a choice).

Frank is said to want “firepower that terrifies defences” – the supposed words of an inside source – and these are alleged to be the players that Spurs have settled on to deliver it this January.

The 3AM Verdict: We’ve covered the interest in Semenyo in detail elsewhere and suspect that Spurs will have their work cut out to sign him, while Porto will force Spurs to pay off Aghehowa’s release clause (or close to it) if they want to buy him this January. There are a lot of stories like this which suggest that Spurs are going to spend very heavily this winter – we’ll find out if they’re true soon enough.

Arsenal & Manchester United join three-way race for Newcastle man

Let’s check out a story from Caught Offside now, which claims that not only do Manchester City have a “strong interest” in Newcastle’s Tino Livramento – a story that’s been circulating for a while now – but they may “face competition” from both Arsenal and Manchester United when they make their move.

Newcastle aren’t keen to sell Livramento, as you might expect, but it’s claimed that City will “test the Magpies’ resolve” either in January or over the summer and that Arsenal and United could come along for the ride. There’s no suggestion that he’s a priority signing for either side, simply that they will be “in the conversation” when the time comes.

Livramento, it’s claimed, isn’t planning to try and force a move away from St. James’ Park, which could make life easier for Eddie Howe if he wants to keep the full-back for the long term.

The 3AM Verdict: We’ve seen enough sources say that City are interested in Livramento to believe it, but we’re less certain about the other two teams here – there’s not been any real evidence of interest to date, and we certainly can’t imagine why Arsenal would need another full-back. We’re gently sceptical, and suspect that City are the only real suitors here.

Manchester United ‘preparing’ shock £87.5m bid

Let’s round today’s rumour digest off with perhaps the most improbable new story of the past 24 hours, which comes from Spanish outlet Fichajes – they reckon that Federico Valverde has “emerged as a target” for Manchester United as they search for a new midfielder, and they pay an awful lot to get their hands on him.

The article claims that United are “preparing a bid close to €100m” (£87.5m) for the Real Madrid man, whose relationship with manager Xabi Alonso is said to be deteriorating. There’s no word on whether Valverde is keen to leave the Bernabeu, but it’s implied that the Red Devils are keen to take advantage of the situation.

Bizarrely, it’s suggested that United want to sign Valverde as part of their “commitment to youth” – he’s 27 – and there’s no suggestion that any kind of formal contact has been made. Or, if we’re honest, any evidence of their alleged interest whatsoever.

The 3AM Verdict: The article doesn’t begin to back the claim of a huge transfer bid up, and that leaves us assuming that it’s pure speculation – especially given that we don’t have a high opinion of Fichajes’ historical record of accuracy. United need a midfielder, so they’re going to be linked with everyone, and if Valverde is of interest we suspect that’s a coincidence.

The latest Tottenham Hotspur team news and predicted line-up ahead of the Premier League match against Fulham.

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Tottenham Hotspur will hope to halt their recent slide when they take on Fulham at home this weekend – but Thomas Frank still has a number of selection headaches as Spurs prepare for their latest Premier League fixture.

While they have been able to welcome back several injured players since the recent international break, they could still be missing as many as seven players through injury or suspension this weekend with Cristian Romero, Dominic Solanke and Dejan Kulusevski among those unavailable.

Ahead of kick-off, we’ve collected all of the latest team news and injury updates below, along with our prediction for Thomas Frank’s starting XI against Fulham.

Cristian Romero & Dominic Solanke among those out for Spurs

Last weekend’s crushing 4-1 defeat to local rivals Arsenal didn’t just cost them local bragging rights, but also the services of key defender Romero who collected his fifth booking of the season and will be suspended for one match as a result. The Argentine will be replaced by either Kevin Danso or the fit-again Archie Gray in the starting line-up.

Another key player who isn’t available is striker Solanke, who continues his recovery from ankle surgery. Early reports had suggested that he was expected to make his comeback shortly after the November international break, but Frank has since told the media that the former Bournemouth man is “not ready yet.”

With Spurs keen to ensure that there are no further setbacks once Solanke returns to training and to match action, it now appears more likely that his return will be delayed until mid-December. Winger Kulusevski, another key player who has been absent through injury, is also due back slightly later than many had hoped – Frank has been tight-lipped on when the Swede will come back from a serious knee injury but the player’s national manager, Graham Potter, has suggested that he was expected to return over the Christmas period.

Kota Takai and Radu Dragusin among doubts for Fulham fixture

Two of Spurs’ other injured players are closer to making comebacks, however, with both Radu Dragusin (ACL) and Kota Takai (thigh) back in training and pushing to make their first appearances of the season soon.

Takai, who hasn’t played for Spurs since signing from Kawasaki Frontale due to foot and quadriceps injuries, is the more likely of the two to be involved with his continued absence mostly now a matter of regaining full match fitness, while Frank told the media in midweek that Romanian centre-back Dragusin was “not ready to start yet” despite playing 45 minutes of a behind-closed-doors friendly during the November break. He is expected to miss the matchday squad once more, although his return is imminent.

Spurs will also be forced to make do without the services of Yves Bissouma (ankle) and James Maddison (ACL) with no return dates yet set for either player. No new injury issues have been reported since the 5-3 Champions League defeat to PSG.

Analysing the biggest new Premier League transfer rumours - with stories from Spurs, Manchester United, Everton, Nottingham Forest and more.

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Another day of global gossipmongering has come to an end, and that means it’s time for us to sift through the stories and bring you our round-up of – and reaction to – the biggest new Premier League transfer rumours, starting with a story which should interest Tottenham Hotspur and Everton fans.

Sport Witness have brought together stories from multiple sources to suggest that Spurs “remain in the picture” for FC Midtjylland striker Franculino Djú, who has been scoring for fun in Denmark, with Everton also in the frame.

It’s claimed that Midtjylland have increased their asking price from €20m to €30m (£26m) which has been enough to scare off some suitors, including AS Roma, but not Spurs or Everton, who are apparently mentioned by the Danish media alongside Bayern Munich. Arsenal are mentioned in passing, too. It seems as though Djú has no shortage of suitors.

Both Italian and German outlets agree that Spurs have him down as “a target” but there’s no word on whether they’d be looking at a January deal or whether they’re planning ahead to next summer as they monitor the talented 21-year-old.

The 3AM Verdict: An awful lot of teams are being linked with Djú now – we’ve also seen West Ham mentioned in recent weeks – and it’s hard to build an accurate picture of who’s really in the race or not, but the sheer number of separate sources suggesting that Spurs are interested is hard to ignore. Everton are fairly well established as being keen by now as well, Arsenal rather less so. We’re discounting that one for now.

Manchester United have ‘made contact’ with world-class winger

Let’s take in a story from Caught Offside now which claims that Manchester United have “made contact” with the representatives of Vinícius Junior amid growing uncertainty over the forward’s future at Real Madrid.

While it’s said to be “too early” to know whether a deal can be done down the line, United have “established their interest” with the player as they look to learn what terms he might demand should he leave the Bernabeu. The Brazilian is said to be demanding a significant pay rise which his current club may not agree to, and there are also reports that his relationship with Xabi Alonso has become strained.

Should United make a move once it becomes clear whether or not Vinícius is leaving Madrid, it’s said that they are “likely to be joined” in the bidding by cross-city rivals Manchester City.

The 3AM Verdict: Assuming it’s true that United have reached out to Vinícius’ agents, we suspect it’s more preliminary contact than anything substantive – it’s just too early to know whether he really will leave Madrid or not, something that probably won’t happen until next summer. We’d also expect many more teams to make a bid if he does become available, including PSG and teams from the Saudi Pro League.

Nottingham Forest, Brentford & Crystal Palace among teams chasing promising Pole

Finally, let’s have a look at a story from TeamTalk which claims that Nottingham Forest, Brentford & Crystal Palace are all among the suitors for talented Pogoń Szczecin forward Adrian Przyborek, an 18-year-old attracting a lot of attention from teams outside of Poland.

Apparently Forest have made “repeated enquiries” about Przyborek’s availability, with the youngster alleged to “fit their profile perfectly.” Palace, Brentford and Championship side Southampton, meanwhile, have “also registered firm interest” and all three teams are said to have sent scouts to watch him in action for Pogoń.

Not that the four English teams are alone – there’s interest from both Benfica and Sporting in Portugal, with “initial discussions about a January move” already underway with the latter. Apparently Pogoń want a fee in excess of €10m (£8.7m), a club record for them but not all that much for some of the teams mentioned.

The 3AM Verdict: Another situation where so many clubs are allegedly interested in a player that it’s hard to know who’s at the front of the queue and who was never in it in the first place. It’s certainly implied that Nottingham Forest are the most eager of the English teams after Przyborek, anyway.

Rounding up the latest Premier League transfer rumours - with news from Spurs, Arsenal, Sunderland, Newcastle and more.

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Another day of gossip and speculation is in the books, and that means another edition of 3 Added Minutes’ morning round-up of all the biggest and juiciest new Premier League transfer rumours – starting with a story from Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal fans.

Spurs may have been thumped in the North London Derby last weekend, but Caught Offside believe that they could get one over on their old rivals in the transfer market, with Thomas Frank’s team said to be “leading the race” for Porto striker Samu Aghehowa.

Spurs have repeatedly been linked with the free-scoring Spaniard, who would apparently cost them €90m (£79m), just €10m less than his mandated release clause – but Arsenal are also one of the “two main teams to watch” in the bidding, apparently, despite having been mentioned far less frequently as a potential suitor.

Chelsea are “continuing to keep an eye” on Aghehowa, apparently, and Newcastle United are mentioned too although they are said to have “cooled” their interest due to Nick Woltemade’s impressive start at St. James’ Park. There’s no word on whether Spurs or Arsenal have made a formal approach, either.

The 3AM Verdict: Spurs certainly have at least some interest in Aghehowa, but we’d be surprised if Arsenal were in the bidding in the near future after spending so much on Viktor Gyökeres – and to be frank, we don’t expect them to be busy at all in January. They could perhaps be keeping tabs on him ahead of next summer should he still be available, but we doubt that their interest is quite as serious as suggested here, at least at this moment. We do think that Aghehowa is unlikely to move in January, wherever he ends up.

Sunderland get problematic update in midfielder hunt

Over to Sunderland now, who have been strongly linked with a January bid for Mattéo Guendouzi this January – but may find it tougher to sign him than they thought, according to Sport Witness.

Apparently there was “confidence” that the Black Cats could meet Lazio’s asking price for the midfielder (which isn’t specified) and that the Serie A side were happy to negotiate to help alleviate their financial situation, but there’s one unexpected barrier to a transfer – Guendouzi himself.

Reports from Italy seem to suggest that the former Arsenal man “isn’t interested in a move” and that he doesn’t want to go to the North East. Further complicating matters is the fact that Napoli might be interested, too, and are likely to be rather more appealing to Guendouzi.

The 3AM Verdict: The sources for this story are Italian journalists who may well have an inside track, and if they’re right then a deal which had seemed very likely to take place may be off after all. Don’t expected Sunderland to give up easily, but this deal could be in trouble.

Newcastle want £21m as Crystal Palace target midfielder

Let’s wrap up with a story from The Daily Telegraph which claims that Crystal Palace are “considering” a January bid to sign Newcastle midfielder Joe Willock, with the London club under the impression that he is available after falling down the pecking order on Tyneside.

Newcastle would apparently want to recoup the £21m they spent to sign Willock from Arsenal to help with their PSR position, although it’s suggested that Eddie Howe may be “reluctant” to let Willock leave mid-season. It’s unclear whether Palace are prepared to pay full whack or whether they are hoping to negotiate a reduced fee.

Newcastle’s transfer team may be more keen than Howe to sell Willock in order to provide funds for a bid for AZ Alkmaar midfielder Kees Smit, widely regarded as one of the most talented young players in the Netherlands. It’s suggested that an offer could well be made in January if the funds are there.

The 3AM Verdict: It’s hard to question the logic of trying to move from Willock, who has had a rough ride with injuries since the start of last season, to Smit, who seems to be a huge talent – the reporter behind the piece, Luke Edwards, is typically reliable for Newcastle-related stories, so we suspect there’s every chance that a deal takes place, although there could be a lot of haggling left to take place.

With rumours swirling around Antoine Semenyo, will his past help Manchester United to sign him this January?

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When Antoine Semenyo was a teenager trying to make his way in the cut-throat world of academy football, he didn’t have a great deal of luck, with at least four London clubs turning him down when he went for trials – an experience that he claims he “couldn’t cope” with.

Now, at the age of 25 and with speculation swirling that he will join one of the Premier League’s biggest teams in a £65m January deal, some reports suggest that Semenyo will have the chance to exact a measure of revenge on team like Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur that turned him away – by joining Manchester United, among the teams said to be keen on signing him. But how likely is that to happen this winter, and will Semenyo’s past experiences play a part in his own decision?

Can Manchester United incentivise Antoine Semenyo to sign for them this winter?

In an October interview, Semenyo described the experience of struggling to find a club at which to kick-start his career as a youngster, and at least two of the teams who now seem to want to sign him are among those who turned him down when they had the chance to get hold of him as a youth prospect.

“I think I want to Millwall four times, went to Tottenham, went to Arsenal, went to Chelsea,” he told The Daily Mail. “I went to so many clubs and I just got the same result – never making it. Being so young, I couldn’t really cope with the emotions of rejection. I felt I needed to take a break… go back to school, give myself a year to calm down.”

A decade on, Semenyo, who eventually found an academy place with Bristol City, is a target for Arsenal, Chelsea, and perhaps Spurs as well, depending on which stories you believe. Both Manchester clubs and Liverpool are also interested.

It isn’t clear that Semenyo holds a grudge, but the Manchester press are starting to get a little excited about the possibility of getting hold of one of the best players of the 2025/26 season so far, who has already scored six goals for Bournemouth – and The Manchester Evening News even suggests that plans could be afoot to take the number 24 away from André Onana in order to give it to Semenyo, so he can have the same number he wears for his current club.

It sounds like a fairly thin incentive compared to, say, being the team that offers the highest salary or the best chance of silverware, and it’s worth noting that Semenyo was an Arsenal fan as a child – and they have the number 24 available too, should that be a genuine bargaining chip.

But if United can keep pushing towards European contention again, and keep playing as well as they had prior to Monday’s unexpectedly dismal 1-0 defeat to Everton, they might be able to offer much of what Semenyo wants anyway, and the sheer volume of stories suggesting that they’re keen suggests that their interest is very genuine. So what are the chances that they do indeed sign Semenyo ahead of their rivals and the teams that once turned him down?

Why Semenyo is more likely to end up at Liverpool or Manchester City than Old Trafford

Semenyo’s £65m release clause kicks in for a small portion of the January transfer window, but if he does leave over the winter than Manchester United have a significant problem – the Premier League’s PSR rules.

While top-flight clubs have voted to replace the profit and sustainability rules going forward, they still apply for the 2025/26 campaign and United are believed to have relatively limited headroom after their summer spending, which ran to around £220m.

There is usually some room to amortise costs, of course, but release clauses typically have to be paid in a strict structure for them to be triggered – which is why United ended up paying over Joshua Zirkzee’s release clause when they bought him from Bologna, for instance. They needed to get Bologna to agree to a payment structure which was more flexible for PSR purposes, and so offered extra as an incentive. Bournemouth may not be in the mood to play those kind of games mid-season, and it’s highly unlikely that United can afford £60m up front, as the release clause appears to demand.

That puts teams like Manchester City and Liverpool in the driving seat – other teams in the running either have financial hurdles to clear (including Chelsea) or are not believed to want to spend over the winter (Arsenal), but City and Liverpool have the resources to make a deal happen if they so choose.

If Manchester United are to sign Semenyo, their best hope may be that he opts to stay put until the summer, when his release clause reportedly drops slightly. Not only would it be cheaper, but it would be easier for teams like United and Chelsea to make the money work.

If Semenyo waits the winter out at Dean Court, then United become serious contenders for his signature, and Semenyo will have more choices in front of him – perhaps then we’ll find out whether shirt numbers and the shadow of past rejections has any impact on his decision.

The latest Tottenham Hotspur team news and injury updates ahead of the north London derby.

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Tottenham Hotspur return to Premier League action on Sunday when they face fierce rivals Arsenal in the latest edition of the north London derby – but they come into a crucial match in the teeth of an injury crisis.

As many as 12 Spurs players could be unavailable this weekend, including strikers Randal Kolo Muani and Dominic Solanke, winger Mohammed Kudus and midfielders Lucas Bergvall and Pape Matar Sarr, who picked up an injury while on international duty for Senegal.

With so many players out or doubtful for the game at the Emirates, we’ve brought together all of the latest Spurs team news and injury updates ahead of Thomas Frank’s pre-match press conference, and offered up our prediction for Sunday’s starting line-up.

Updates on Randal Kolo Muani, Dominic Solanke & Mohammed Kudus ahead of Arsenal showdown

Spurs seem set to be without several key attacking players this weekend, including strikers Kolo Muani and Solanke – with the former suffering a fractured lower jaw and the latter still unavailable following ankle surgery.

No official timeline has been placed on either player’s return but Kolo Muani was forced to withdraw from France’s squad and his participation is very much in doubt. A fractured jaw would normally put him out for around four more weeks, but he has since been training with a special protective face mask. It is unclear whether that will be sufficient for him to play. The Evening Standard, meanwhile, reports that Solanke remains out for the Arsenal match with uncertainty over when he will be back in training.

Kudus was another player who skipped international duty over the past fortnight after he picked up a “knock” – in Frank’s words – which kept him out of Spurs’ last two games. The Ghanaian winger is expected to be fit to face Arsenal, however, with Frank adding that he was “very confident” the summer signing would be available.

Other attacking players out for Sunday’s game include long-term absentees James Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski (both ACL) although the Swede is back on grass and is inching towards a long-awaited comeback which is likely to happen in December.

Pape Matar Sarr and Lucas Bergvall among fresh doubts for Spurs

The international break didn’t provide much good news for Spurs, with Sarr limping off during a friendly against Brazil which happened to take place at the Emirates – the midfielder remained in London as a result and left his international squad to recover.

Spurs have yet to offer an update on Sarr’s situation but Senegal manager Pape Thiaw said that the 23-year-old was taken off purely as a “precaution” and added that “I don’t think it’s a big deal.” As it stands, Sarr is expected to be ready to face Arsenal.

The same may not apply to Bergvall, who missed Sweden’s final World Cup qualifiers after failing to clear concussion protocol. It remains unclear whether he will be available this weekend. Archie Gray (calf) and Yves Bissouma (ankle) are not expected to be involved.

In defence, Cristian Romero is believed to be fully fit, while both Kota Takai and Ben Davies (both thigh) and Radu Dragusin (ACL) are getting closer to their returns – Dragusin played 45 minutes of a behind-closed-doors friendly against Leyton Orient during the break and could make the bench. None of the trio are liable to start, however, if they are ready for the matchday squad.

Running the rule over the latest Premier League transfer rumours.

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Another day’s worth of gossip and speculation is in the books, and that means that it’s time for our regular morning round-up of the biggest and juiciest new Premier League transfer rumours – starting, today, with a story for Manchester United and Arsenal fans.

They are two of the teams said to be “eyeing up” a January move for Borussia Dortmund striker Serhiou Guirassy, a rumour mill staple who is set to be available this winter as a release clause in his contract comes into force – according to Caught Offside, anyway.

Apparently the 29-year-old striker, who has 65 Bundesliga goals to his name since moving to Germany in 2022, can be bought for €50m (£44m) and both Arsenal and United are “showing an interest” in striking a deal, along with European champions PSG.

It’s claimed that the release clause only applies to a small group of elite teams and it isn’t clear precisely who can trigger it, but in any case there’s no suggestion that any formal approaches have yet been made by any clubs – or whether Guirassy himself is likely to push for a move.

The 3AM Verdict: Guirassy’s name comes around all the time and we don’t think a Premier League move is likely to materialise this time, either. United could be persuaded to spend that kind of money but may have other priorities, while Arsenal spending that much on another striker this summer seems very unlikely. We think this is pure speculation with nothing much to back it up, quite frankly, and don’t see it happening.

Spurs ‘zero in’ on £70m centre-forward

Let’s head over to Tottenham Hotspur, now, with a story from TeamTalk which alleges that the club have “zeroed in” on 21-year-old Porto striker Samu Aghehowa and have made him their “dream” transfer target.

The free-scoring striker has been linked with several teams in the past but this article reckons that Spurs are determined to get their hands on the Spain international, despite a price tag of €80m (£70m) being slapped on his head.

It doesn’t sound like it’s possible to get this deal done in January, unfortunately for Spurs. Porto’s club president, former Spurs manager André Villas-Boas, has apparently declared Aghehowa to be “not for sale at any price in the winter,” and the report reckons that any hopes of a winter deal are “dead in the water.” Ivan Toney remains of interest, but Aghehowa is the player Spurs “truly covet.”

The 3AM Verdict: We won’t know for sure whether Aghehowa really is their primary target until the summer, but they are in the market for a striker and have been strongly linked with the Porto man before, so it’s perfectly plausible. It will be expensive, but they have the money and sorting out Toney’s salary won’t be easy either.

Manchester City involved in £35m ‘auction’

Let’s wrap things up with a story for the Manchester City supporters reading – Sport Witness have corralled a number of sources to pull together a picture of their apparent pursuit of Udinese midfielder Arthur Atta, who is “attracting interest” from several big sides.

Barcelona, AC Milan and Napoli have all “sought information” about the player and while they have seemingly been told that a January deal is unlikely, Udinese are prepared to start an “auction” in the summer with the bidding to begin at €40m (£35m).

There isn’t any suggestion that City have made an enquiry of their own, merely that they have the 22-year-old Frenchman on their “radar” and that they could be involved in the alleged auction in 2026. No word on the player’s own thoughts about his future.

The 3AM Verdict: Atta’s reputation is certainly growing but it’s too early to have a clear picture of which teams will make a bid – we’re at a speculative stage where a host of teams are said to be keen but where it’s also too early to know which will decide to make a move and which will hang back. At this point, Manchester City could fall into either camp.

Arsenal’s predicted XI against Tottenham Hotspur as they look to further cement their status as league leaders

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After falling to a surprise 2-2 draw against newly-promoted Sunderland in a roller coaster afternoon of football before the international break, Arsenal return to action to face North London rivals Tottenham Hotspur this weekend.

It’s a derby match and an occasion which always has an extra edge due to the long-standing rivalry between both players and supporters. Arsenal have the chance to try and further cement their status at the top of the table, but are more than aware of the threat posed by a Tottenham side that would love nothing more than putting a dent in their local rivals’ title dreams.

Arsenal remain in pole position to end their 21-year-wait for a league title but know that there’s plenty more challenges that they’ll have to overcome if they are to end up in the summit by the final kick in May.

The latest challenge and the one that everyone at the club’s been dreading is an injury to star defender Gabriel, who is out until January. But how will Arsenal replace him? And could we see a return for stars like Martin Odegaard and Viktor Gyokeres this weekend?

Arsenal predicted line-up vs Spurs: goalkeeper and defence

GK: David Raya: The Spaniard has arguably been the best goalkeeper in the Premier League this season and more than justified Arteta’s decision to bring him in for the popular Aaron Ramsdale over the course of the last few seasons.

RB: Jurrien Timber: Timber was injured by a bad tackle during the first half of the Netherlands' win against Lithuania, adding to the growing list of injury concerns. However, he was treated by physios and played on for another 30 minutes after the challenge, raising hope that he should be fit enough to start against Tottenham.

CB: William Saliba: French international Saliba has been one of the best in the business for a number of seasons now and will hope for another stellar defensive showing on derby day.

CB: Piero Hincape: The likes of Ben White, Timber and summer signing Cristhian Mosquera could all feasibly step up to replace Gabriel. However, this could be the time for Hincapie, a Bundesliga winner with Bayer Leverkusen to make his first league start since arriving from Germany.

LB: Riccardo Calafiori: The 23-year-old Italian is a slight doubt after suffering a knock on international duty, but is expected to regain fitness in time for this game as Myles Lewis-Skelly waits for an opportunity to shine.

Arsenal predicted line-up vs Spurs: midfield and attack

CM: Declan Rice: One of the Premier league’s finest midfielders on current form. Rice has lived up to the hype of being a £100m+ player from the moment he signed for Arsenal. His set piece ability is amongst the best in the league and could prove to be the difference-maker.

CM: Martín Zubimendi: Spanish midfielder Zubimendi has adapted excellently to life in English football and really looks at home in Arteta’s midfield. He’s expected to retain his starting spot.

CM: Eberechi Eze: Martin Odegaard is approaching a return to fitness and could feature in a cameo role, but we expect Eze to get the nod from the start. He’s shown plenty of promise since joining and has looked decent in the middle of the park so far.

RW: Bukayo Saka: Arguably Arsenal’s most influential attacking player. Saka often turns up in North London derbies and has delivered three goals and as many assists when facing the Lilywhites, winning six of his 10 matches against them.

ST: Mikel Merino: Spanish international Merino may have been signed as a central midfielder, but he’s often proved incredibly useful as a makeshift centre forward in a crisis. The former Newcastle United man could be asked to lead the line once again.

LW: Leandro Trossard: Gabriel Martinelli missed the last outing with a groin problem and is pushing for a return, but for the time being Trossard seems to be the first choice. The Belgian has been a great signing since his move from Brighton and is amongst Arsenal’s top players for goal contributions over the last 18 months.

Spurs are reportedly searching for a new top class goalkeeper

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If the gossip columns are even half-right, then Tottenham Hotspur will be one of the Premier League’s busiest teams come January. Scarcely a day goes by without the club being linked with a new player, be it a striker, a winger, a midfielder – or, now, a goalkeeper.

A new report from The Daily Mail claims that Spurs are actively pursuing a deal for a “world-class goalkeeper” to replace Guglielmo Vicario, and even gives Aston Villa’s Emiliano Martínez as a player they might go after in 2026. But is that a deal they could really make – and do they really need a replacement for their current number one?

Why Spurs might want to replace Guglielmo Vicario this season

At first blush, Spurs’ interest in moving on from Vicario after just two full seasons may seem a little strange. While not necessarily regarded as one of the very best in the business, Vicario has scarcely been the club’s biggest problem since he joined in 2023 and is currently having a highly productive season between the sticks.

Vicario is currently operating at a towering 77.3% save percentage, the best of his top-flight career to date and the third highest mark in the Premier League behind only Sunderland’s Robin Roefs and Manchester City’s Gianluigi Donnarumma. Meanwhile, he’s prevented 3.7 goals compared to the number he ‘should’ have conceded according to the xG model – only Dean Henderson has prevented more. By any standards, his shot-stopping has been superb since the summer.

Shot stopping isn’t the only metric by which a goalkeeper is judged, however, and there are areas in which Vicario can be improved upon, with his handling of set pieces and high balls into the box chief among them.

Vicario has previously acknowledged his need to work on the way he deals with dead ball situations and while it’s an area in which Spurs have improved considerably since Thomas Frank took over (they have conceded just two league goals from set pieces so far), Vicario is still finding the high ball to be a problem.

So far this season, Vicario is credited with having directly stopped just five of the 134 crosses he’s had launched into his box – a success rate of just 3.7%, a worrying low mark. It’s been a persistent weakness for much of his career, with the 2024/25 season when he handled 9.7% of crosses (an above average mark for the top flight) a distinct outlier. For much of his career, he has lacked conviction against the high ball, and it’s a concern in an age in which set plays are becoming increasingly important.

Vicario’s distribution may be making Frank fret, too. While accurate over short distances – he has completed every single attempted pass of under 30 yards he has attempted this season – he isn’t at his best playing the ball over longer distances, and that’s something Frank wants him to be doing. Since Ange Postecoglou left the club, the number of long kicks Vicario has been asked to attempt has more than doubled and while he isn’t the worst in the league by any stretch, his success rate with long passes is more than 10% lower than that of Alisson, who sets the bar for the Premier League right now. There is room for improvement.

The bigger picture does not suggest that Spurs should be immediately worried about Vicario, and replacing should surely not be the club’s first priority, but there are clear-cut weaknesses in his game and those provide reason to believe that the club can do better. But would Emi Martínez really be the answer?

Why Aston Villa’s Martínez is not the solution to Spurs’ goalkeeper search

It should be noted from the start that The Daily Mail did not suggest that Spurs have made a direct approach for Martínez, or that he is necessarily their preferred target – but he is suggested as a possibility, and is the only player named in their report about the club’s transfer strategy.

Martínez has, undeniably, been among the best goalkeepers in the world in recent years, winning the Yashin Trophy twice as well as a World Cup and the Copa America – but there have been definite signs of decline since last summer, and Villa appear to be relatively keen to move on from him themselves, with recent reports suggesting that they’re open to offers a few months after they came close to selling him to Manchester United.

As is the case with Vicario, Martínez’s shot stopping is now the primary concern, but his stats are still worse than those of Spurs’ current number one this season and have, more disconcertingly, fallen away considerably since some very impressive peaks in 2023/24.

His work against the high ball has also dropped off. Between 2022 and 2024 his work in the air was exceptional but he has only dealt with around 7.8% of crosses this year – better than Vicario, admittedly, but down from a single season peak of 12.4% not long ago. To cap it off, Martínez is also not noted for the quality of his long-distance distribution.

At best, Martínez would be a slight improvement in the short term, and given that he is 33 and showing clear signs of decline it would be a rather idiosyncratic decision for Spurs to sign him – there are goalkeepers out there who are stronger in the areas of concern while being rather younger and in no apparent danger of dwindling in the immediate future.

A slightly more thorough search would surely yield better options – perhaps players like Cagliari’s Elia Caprile or Valencia’s Julen Agirrezabala, both 24 and fine shot stoppers who are also superb in the air, or SC Freiburg’s Noah Atubolu, a raw 23-year-old whose positional game needs work but whose distribution is impressive and whose reflexes are beyond question. Chelsea and Manchester United have been linked with the latter already.

Spurs have some reasons to believe that moving on from Vicario at some stage would be the right move, depending on the qualities they prioritise in their goalkeeper – but there are surely better options out there than Martínez, and probably bigger fish to fry in January.