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Leeds United want Jack Harrison to sign a new contract ‘as soon as possible’, according to journalist Dean Jones.

The Lowdown: Harrison rumours

Harrison has less than two years remaining on his current Elland Road deal and was linked with a move to Newcastle United over the summer.

Reports last month suggested that Leeds chiefs wanted to finalise a new contract before January, with speculation mounting over a new double-your-money deal.

As we know, fresh terms in West Yorkshire have yet to materialise for Harrison, and Jones has been giving his thoughts on the situation.

The Latest: Jones’ comments

Jones, talking to GiveMeSport, said that Leeds have ‘intent’ when it comes to Harrison’s contract and would like him to officially sign a new deal ‘as soon as possible’.

“Obviously, Leeds do have some intent around this and want to persuade him to put pen to paper as soon as possible.”

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The Verdict: Worrying times

Leeds and Harrison started the season in fine form, with the winger contributing to four goals in the opening three Premier League fixtures.

However, the Whites and Harrison have struggled since, so the player may feel wary of extending his stay, with the club currently in the relegation zone.

He may hold off signing a new deal with Leeds in danger of dropping back down into the Championship, so this could be one to keep an eye on heading into the new year.

West Ham United head into Thursday evening’s Europa Conference League meeting with FCSB safe in the knowledge that they have already sealed top spot in Group B, affording David Moyes the chance to field a rotated squad ahead of the Hammers’ meeting with Crystal Palace in the Premier League this weekend.

Indeed, the 59-year-old has left the likes of Declan Rice, Kurt Zouma, Jarrod Bowen, Tomas Soucek, Said Benrahma, Aaron Cresswell, Gianluca Scamacca and Michail Antonio at home for the trip to Romania, while a number of the club’s most promising youngsters are reported to have been taken along for the fixture at the Arena Națională this evening.

So, how many changes will the Scot make to the side that lined up in the 1-0 defeat against Manchester United last time out?

Here’s how we at Football FanCast think the Irons side could look, as well as the latest team and injury news…

With Moyes suggesting in his pre-match press conference that summer signing Nayef Aguerd could be handed a start as he continues his recovery from an ankle injury, while Maxwel Cornet, Lucas Paqueta and Lukasz Fabianski are all reported to miss out due to knocks, we predict the 59-year-old will make ten changes to the side that started at Old Trafford last weekend.

There are five fresh faces at the back, with European goalkeeper Alphonse Areola making it six starts from six in the competition, while Harrison Ashby, Aguerd, Angelo Ogbonna and 17-year-old debutant Regan Clayton come in at right, centre and left-back respectively.

In the middle of the park, “exciting talent” – in the words of Roshane Thomas – Conor Coventry partners 19-year-old Freddie Potts, while Flynn Downes starts in attacking midfield, with Manuel Lanzini and second debutant of the night, Kamarai Swyer, starting on the left and right flank.

There is a third senior debut awarded at centre-forward, with 18-year-old striker – who Manu Heredia dubbed a “pearl” – Divin Mubama being handed his first outing for the Hammers first-team after scoring an eye-catching 28 goals in the club’s youth set-up.

Celtic’s hopes of taking anything from their final European game of the season have now become even slimmer with the Hoops boss, Ange Postecoglou, revealing that his Parkhead troops will be a man down on Wednesday evening.

The Bhoys have had a rough time of it in the Champions League this term, with Celtic scoring just three times and picking up only two points from a tough group.

Tests get no sterner than the one they’ll face this evening too, with Postecoglou’s side travelling to the Bernabeu to face Real Madrid.

Perennial winners of the competition, it’s highly likely they’ll win the encounter, but there is still pride at stake and a chance to impress inside one of the greatest footballing theatres on the planet for Celtic.

Unfortunately, defender Cameron Carter-Vickers will not be afforded such a luxury, with the American defender ruled out of the clash after failing to come through Livingston’s plastic pitch unscathed.

He has been left at home in what can only be described as a big blow to Celtic. There is some good news, however, with Carl Starfelt among the travelling party.

The Swede hasn’t been seen since early September due to a knee injury which has subsequently kept him out of 13 matches.

Although the Scottish giants sit at the top of the Premiership table, there is a sense that they have missed his influence in the middle of the backline.

Initially enduring a slow start to life at Celtic when he arrived, he quickly became a crucial cog for his Australian coach, playing 34 times in the league throughout 2021/22.

His influence has obviously waned this term due to injury, but now is the perfect time to unleash him again. After all, Moritz Jenz and Stephen Welsh have struggled with their own fitness of late and it’s a scary thought thinking about how they might fare against a player of Karim Benzema’s class.

Starfelt, on the other hand, has been capped five times by Sweden, and is more accustomed to facing some of the very best attacking players on the continent.

Last term, no centre-back at the club won more than his 1.2 tackles or 4.4 aerials per game domestically, indicating he may well be the best defender Celtic have. Dominant whether the ball is in the air or on the deck, he has become a pillar of consistency and his re-emergence in the first-team picture will be huge for the team.

Perhaps the biggest compliment that has been paid since his arrival in Glasgow is from Paul John Dykes, who said of the 27-year-old last season: “He’s got a bit of Tony Mowbray to him. He reminds me of Tony Mowbray with the way he moves about the park.”

Should he register numbers like the statistics above, then there is every reason Celtic could keep Madrid quieter than was previously anticipated.

That said, not having his partner in crime next to him in Carter-Vickers, will be a seismic loss for the Hoops.

Glasgow Rangers are reportedly in a battle with their Old Firm rivals to sign Antoine Semenyo in the January transfer window.

The Lowdown: Out of contract

Semenyo is out of contract at Bristol City in the summer, meaning that he can leave as a free agent.

It also means that he can sign a pre-contract agreement with a non-English club in January, for a potential cut-price.

The Latest: Offer ready

As per Sportsworldghana.com, the Ibrox outfit are ‘ready to offer’ £5m to Bristol City to sign Semenyo in January, with the English Championship club making ‘provisions’ to sign his replacement.

However, he is a ‘long term transfer target’ of bitter rivals Celtic, so there could be an Old Firm battle for his signature after the FIFA World Cup in Qatar.

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The Verdict: Wait until summer?

Providing that he is still at Bristol City come the end of the season, the Gers could just wait to sign him for free and save themselves a significant amount of money.

Hailed as a ‘nightmare to play against’ by his manager Nigel Pearson, the six-foot-one striker comes off the back of an impressive Championship campaign last term, where he managed eight goals and 12 assists, while he has four goal contributions this season (Transfermarkt).

Semenyo will be hoping to be on the plane with Ghana for the World Cup, having earned three senior caps for his country already, and there is no doubt that the Light Blues would be keeping an eye on him ahead of January.

Journalist Pete O’Rourke has been left excited by the rumours linking Tottenham with a January move for Atletico Madrid star Yannick Carrasco.

The Lowdown: Carrasco transfer rumours

Spurs had a close eye on the winger over the summer, but as we know, a transfer failed to materialise. However, recent reports have suggested that Antonio Conte’s side will get another chance to sign the Belgium international in the New Year after he was put ‘on the market’ by Atletico.

Carrasco, who can play on either flank, is set to represent his country as part of the Belgian squad at the upcoming World Cup in Qatar, and O’Rourke has been having his say on a potential move to north London for the 29-year-old.

The Latest: O’Rourke’s comments

Asked if a move for Carrasco would be a statement signing by Conte and Spurs following the update, O’Rourke shared his excitement and hailed the winger as a ‘top player’ who ‘would bring a lot to this Tottenham team’.

He told Football Transfer Tavern: “Yeah, for sure. I think Carrasco is a top player who’s played at the highest level for club and country.

“He’s got great experience and Antonio Conte has said, it’s going to take him a few more transfer windows to try and mould this Tottenham side into a team that he thinks is capable of challenging for honours. So yeah, I think Carrasco would bring a lot to this Tottenham team if he was to be added to the squad.”

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The Verdict: One to watch?

Spurs appear to be long-term admirers of Carrasco, so this could be one to keep an eye upon heading into the January transfer window.

Labelled a ‘powerful’ player by journalist Josh Bunting, the 29-year-old has plenty of experience at the highest level for club and country, and his versatility could come in handy under Conte.

Who knows, the Spurs boss could even look to convert the player into an attacking wing-back, something he had been touted to do with another summer transfer target in Adama Traore, so Carrasco’s displays in Qatar could be monitored by Tottenham officials heading into January.

West Ham United manager David Moyes still has the backing of the club’s board according to Sky Sports journalist Dharmesh Sheth. 

The Lowdown: Pressure on Moyes

After getting his side to the semi-finals of the Europa League last season, this current Premier League campaign has been rather difficult for the Hammers.

Having lost nine of their opening 15 league games of the season, Moyes’ side find themselves in 16th place in the league table with just 14 points on the board, leading to reports of criticism and pressure being put on the manager.

With that in mind, it seems as though a behind-the-scenes update has emerged regarding Moyes’ current position at West Ham.

The Latest: Moyes still backed

Speaking to GiveMeSport, Sheth had this to say when asked if the Scotsman still has the backing of the West Ham hierarchy following the poor start to the season.

“As far as I’m aware, in a word, yes. I think he does. I think he’s built up enough credit in the bank.

“And what happened to him the first time as well, there’s probably a feeling that, you know, David Moyes is owed that time because of what happened.”

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The Verdict: A big turnaround needed

In terms of West Ham’s failings in the league this season, only six clubs have a lower average percentage of possession than the Hammers (45.8%), as well as the Hammers being in the bottom half of the table for the percentage of accurate passes they have made.

This shows that while they don’t always dominate games in terms of possession, they aren’t always particularly careful when they do have the ball.

Also, with only Wolves (26.3%) having a lower percentage of shots on target than West Ham (26.6%), this highlights how much they have lacked a clinical edge in front of goal.

Taking all of this into account, it’s safe to say that a big turnaround is needed at the London Stadium to get the Hammers on track and further up the table.

Now that Sheth has claimed that Moyes still has the backing of the club’s owners, it will be interesting to see what the club gets up to during the upcoming January transfer window.

Wolverhampton Wanderers were linked with signing former Arsenal midfielder Aaron Ramsey in January but his performances at the World Cup suggest that the Old Gold dodged a bullet.

It was suggested last season that Wolves were offered the chance to sign the Wales international on loan from Juventus after a torrid spell with the Old Lady in Turin.

There were high expectations for Ramsey with the Italian giants after such an impressive spell with the Gunners, where he contributed 65 goals and 65 assists in 371 appearances.

However, he would muster just six goals and as many assists in 70 appearances for the Serie A side, with injuries hampering his time at the Allianz Stadium.

Had he signed for Wolves on loan, it would have certainly opened the door for the 31-year-old to make a permanent move to Molineux in the summer, when he was available on a free transfer.

Instead, he would join OGC Nice in France, where he has continued to struggle, tallying just one goal and one assist in his first 11 appearances for his new club.

There was perhaps hope that the Welsh maestro would rediscover his best form for Rob Page’s side in Qatar, but in truth, he was one of the poorest performers in the squad as Wales crashed out in the group stages with just one point to their name, following disappointing defeats against Iran and England.

WhoScored ranked the midfielder as the worst-performing in Page’s squad of those to start every single game at the World Cup, and his 5.97 average rating suggests that he is a long way from the player who was starring in the Premier League just a few years ago.

Arsenal journalist Mark Mann-Bryans summed up how much difference a few years can make with his tweet about Bukayo Saka replacing the midfielder for the Gunners four years ahead of the Wales vs England clash on Tuesday, with the youngster now starring in Qatar, while Ramsey has been “rubbish.”

Although Wolves can’t claim to have too many players who are performing to their full potential so far this campaign, it seems clear that Ramsey wouldn’t have been a good signing for the Molineux outfit given how his form has drastically declined in recent years.

West Bromwich Albion have seen themselves linked with few new players for the January transfer window, likely due to their financial issues that saw Steve Bruce hampered in the summer.

The ex-Baggies boss was afforded just £1.1m to spend, yet with a combination of shrewd business and free transfers managed to bring in eight new faces, however their form was so poor that he did not get to see out the season.

His replacement will now have to battle with the same issues, however having taken them on a three-game winning streak before the World Cup break, it seems that Carlos Corberan is having a better go at it than his predecessor.

Both seem to have suffered from a lack of goals however, which could soon be rectified by the return of Daryl Dike.

The 22-year-old marksman did not make it in time for a trip to Qatar with his nation, but had impressed previously with Barnsley and Orlando City.

At the former, he bagged nine times in just 22 appearances, whilst for the American outfit he had scored 19 times in 41 showings.

He had marked himself out as a consistent presence in front of the goal, making his injuries following last January’s transfer even more frustrating.

This season, his absence has likely led to one of the few rumours that have actually persisted, in Aston Villa youngster Cameron Archer.

The 20-year-old was linked all throughout the summer, but news has emerged over the week that suggests Sunderland could now be set to land him in January.

It would be a shame not to lure this young star to the Hawthorns, where he would surely strike up a fearsome partnership with the lethal American.

Having seen his chances limited this season, last campaign he proved his ability at all levels despite his youth.

After notching nine goals in eight appearances for the under-23s, he would also score four times in just two EFL Cup games for the senior squad before Preston North End would secure his services on loan.

His seven goals in 20 games would impress Ryan Lowe so much that he would lavish him with praise in the media: “Cameron has got an abundance of talent.

“His quality levels are fantastic, he’s bullish, strong, he can roll, he has got that little burst of pace too.”

To combine this with the goalscoring exploits of Dike, it could finally solve a long-standing problem for the Midlands outfit to build upon the already solid foundations Corberan has brought.

Arsenal will return from the World Cup break with some troubling news.

Several of the Gunners’ stars are currently in Qatar competing for the world’s biggest prize but one player has been sent home early. On Friday night, striker Gabriel Jesus was struck with a tournament-ending blow as he picked up a knee problem in Brazil’s 1-0 defeat to Cameroon.

Reports in Brazil (via talkSPORT) are now suggesting that the £45m summer signing is in line to miss a whopping three months of action as he needs surgery.

That would put a serious dent in Arsenal’s title hopes as they went into the international break sitting top of the Premier League standings. Mikel Arteta only has one other ‘out-and-out’ forward option in Eddie Nketiah and he’s yet to deliver on his new contract.

If the aforementioned claim is true, then the 25-year-old is likely to miss some crucial encounters, including games against arch-rivals Tottenham Hotspur, Manchester United and his former club Manchester City.

As such, sporting director Edu Gaspar may want to rectify the issue by utilising the January transfer window and he could do so by swooping for a player that caught the eye just a few hours before Jesus agonisingly went down injured.

Earlier on Friday, Granit Xhaka and Switzerland went to battle with Serbia for a place in the knockout stages and whilst the Rossocrociati came out on top, it was a familiar name for the opposition that starred in the defeat.

Much of the Emirates faithful will know about Dusan Vlahovic, who was embroiled in a long transfer saga with the club before opting to sign for Serie A giants Juventus.

Things haven’t gone to plan in Italy since then and ahead of the January window, the Gunners have been linked with interest once more, as per 90min.

Vlahovic isn’t the first choice for Serbia, at least when Fulham’s Aleksandar Mitrovic is available but both started together against the Swiss, with the former particularly impressive.

He bagged a deft goal – described by CBS Sports journalist Ben Jacobs as “clinical” – to put the Eagles in the lead ten minutes before the break but Xhaka’s men came on strong in the second half to seal a place in the last-16.

The 22-year-old could be an interesting solution with Jesus facing some time on the sidelines. Juventus are in turmoil off the pitch after the whole board resigned, with some suggestions that the club would have to sell several of their key stars.

It remains to be seen if the £70m man is one but with the Gunners in need, Edu could chance his arm with a move.

Despite a slow start to life in Turin, Vlahovic has found the net six times in ten league appearances this term, reverting back to the sort of form we witnessed at Fiorentina, where he scored a whopping 21 goals in 2020/21.

That free-scoring output once saw him lauded as a “monster”, whilst Serbian FA president made a rather bold claim suggesting he was better than Erling Haaland. He told Tuttosport (via GOAL): “Vlahovic is better and more complete than Haaland.”

After his arrival on the world stage – combined with his early season form – the Juve frontman may be back to his best and it would be wise for Arsenal to capitalise on the Italian outfit’s ongoing situation to aid their own woes.

Vlahovic could be what Arteta needs to soften the blow to Jesus this January.

AND in other news, Arteta could land his own Van Persie in Arsenal swoop for “dangerous” £34m sensation…

Manchester City star Jack Grealish will not be sold in the near future despite the rumours about replacing him, according to transfer insider Dean Jones.

The Lowdown: Grealish’s future

It has been reported by Football Insider that Man City would be willing to sell Grealish to fund their pursuit of Borussia Dortmund midfielder Jude Bellingham.

With the former Aston Villa man only arriving at the Etihad Stadium last summer in a British-record £100m deal, it would surely be a premature departure if he were to be sold already, and Jones has now given an update on whether this is likely to be the case…

The Latest: Jones’ comments

Jones tells GIVEMESPORT that the Englishman will not be leaving at this early stage, despite a difficult start to his City career:

“I just see no chance of Man City actually looking to cash in on Jack Grealish at this point. I know that he probably hasn’t transitioned into the team as well as you might have hoped in terms of stats, in terms of maybe even minutes.

“But it was a really big signing for them, and it’s a player that Pep Guardiola really has spoken about with great admiration and great hope. And it’s not very often Man City quickly turn their back on someone.”

The Verdict: Too soon?

While it is true that the 27-year-old has not recorded the best numbers for the Sky Blues up to this point, registering six goal contributions in 26 appearances last season, Pep Guardiola should give him more time to replicate his Villa form.

Jamie O’Hara has previously lauded the £300k-per-week earner as being ‘world-class’, and he has shown this in glimpses for City, starring in a 3-0 away win at Wolves earlier this season ,with a goal and an 8.1 SofaScore rating, the highest received by any player.

Hia manager has also been keen to stress that goals and assists are not the be-all-and-end-all for the maestro, saying:

“We didn’t sign for the incredible goals or assists at Aston Villa. It was another reason and when he played he did it. I want [him] to make goals and assists and he does too. But it’s not about that, it’s about his contribution without the ball and what he can produce for the other ones.”

As such, Grealish is still playing his part in the Man City team, even if he is not recording the same sort of numbers as the likes of Kevin De Bruyne or Phil Foden, and Guardiola should at least give him until the end of the season before making any hasty decisions.