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Leeds United have been handed a boost in their bid to bring Kai Wagner to Elland Road in the January transfer window.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to Tom Bogert, with the American journalist revealing in a recent post on Twitter that, after being heavily linked with a $3m (£2.8m) move to Jesse Marsch’s side this summer, the expectation is that the left-back will be on the move to a European club at the end of the current MLS campaign this winter.

However, the MLS insider went on to state that, although Victor Orta will likely be interested in a move for the 25-year-old come January, a deal for the defender will not be as easy to get over the line as it would have been this summer, with a number of clubs now believed to be tracking the German.

In his tweet, Bogert said: “Sources: Expectation is that Philadelphia Union star left-back Kai Wagner will ‘absolutely’ be sold to Europe this winter. Leeds United far from the only club interested – will be difficult for them now rather than the summer. Wagner, 25, has 15 assists and is part of the best defence in MLS.”

Orta must move

Considering just how impressive Wagner has been for Philadelphia Union so far this season, coupled with left-back being something of a problem position for the Whites, it would appear extremely advisable for Orta to do everything in his power to fight off the competition for the 25-year-old’s signature this winter.

Indeed, over his 32 MLS appearances in 2022, the £3.6m-rated full-back has been in exceptional defensive form, helping his side keep 14 clean sheets, as well as making an average of 1.7 interceptions, 1.4 tackles, 1.7 clearances and winning 3.5 duels – at a success rate of 58% – per game.

The £10.3k-per-week talent has also been in astonishing form going forwards, registering eight assists and creating 13 big chances for his teammates, in addition to making an average of 2.7 key passes – the joint sixth-most in the league – 4.3 long balls and 2.8 crosses per fixture.

These returns have seen the player who CBS journalist Ben Jacobs dubbed “very creative” and “technical” average a simply breathtaking SofaScore match rating of 7.51, not only ranking him as Union’s best performer in the league but also as the fourth-best player in the MLS as a whole so far this season.

Furthermore, with Junior Firpo yet to feature in the current Premier League campaign as a result of a knock picked up in pre-season, in addition to Stuart Dallas remaining sidelined until at least the turn of the year with a fractured femur, Marsch has been left with no other choice but to deploy centre-back Pascal Struijk on the left of his backline this term.

And, while the 23-year-old has turned in a number of admirable displays from an unfamiliar position, following Leeds’ 1-0 defeat to Brighton & Hove Albion back in August, MLS journalist Matthew Doyle claimed that the Whites’ display was one of a “big ‘buy Kai Wagner ASAP’ performance” from the Premier League side.

As such, when taking into account just how impressive Wagner has been so far this season, coupled with left-back undoubtedly being the weakest position and biggest problem in Marsch’s first team squad at present, it would indeed appear highly advisable for Orta to do everything in his power to land the 25-year-old this winter.

Sky Sports pundit Paul Robinson has criticised Tottenham Hotspur star Harry Kane following a ‘stupid’ incident in the north London derby.

The Lowdown: Spurs take down turn?

Barring their brilliant 6-2 victory over Leicester City at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium last month, it’s fair to say Antonio Conte’s side have struggled to find an attacking spark recently.

Their latest outing, a 0-0 draw away to Eintracht Frankfurt in the Champions League, was a frustrating one for Spurs, and the north London derby spoils were taken by arch rivals Arsenal, who humbled the Lilywhites 3-1 at the Emirates Stadium last Saturday.

Tottenham are still in good shape, having lost just once in the Premier League so far, yet they aren’t exempt from criticism as Sky pundit Robinson goes after a ‘stupid’ moment from Kane at the weekend.

The Latest: Robinson criticises ‘stupid’ Kane…

Speaking to Football Insider, the former Spurs keeper has claimed the 29-year-old was ‘daft’ for his two swings at Arsenal star Gabriel Magalhaes.

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Kane luckily escaped without consequence, but according to Robinson, he was lucky to do so.

“You cannot get away with anything now because there is cameras everywhere.

“There is cameras in every single stand that they have got. You do not see it much now because players know they are going to get caught.

“It was a daft niggly one from Kane. He was frustrated because they were losing the game. You could see the way the game was going.

“It was a stupid one. He is running the risk of VAR intervening.

“Look, he should not have done it even though there was not much in it. I’m glad the referee just got on with the game.”

The Verdict: Silly…

The presence of Video Assistant Refereeing makes incidents like Kane’s almost in-excusable and there is certainly a case the England international was fortunate not to be punished further.

Tottenham’s striker appears to leave his leg in twice on the Brazilian but referee Anthony Taylor judged it to be unworthy of a booking or punishment.

Upon replay, Kane’s contact does appear worse than in real time, so Robinson’s point comes as a sound one and a fair warning to the England skipper.

Crystal Palace will be looking to pick up just their second Premier League win of the season when they take on Leeds United at Selhurst Park on Sunday.

Patrick Vieira’s side have endured a tough start to the new campaign and sit in 17th position, although they have played two fewer games than some of the teams around them.

A home game against Jesse Marsch’s Leeds side presents a great opportunity to move away from the sides currently in the relegation spots but the Eagles will have to be at their best if they want to earn three points.

Here is how Football FanCast expects Vieira to line his side up against the Yorkshire outfit, with two changes from the team that started in the 2-1 defeat against Chelsea last weekend.

Vicente Guaita unsurprisingly keeps his place in goal after some impressive recent performances, with the Spaniard showing his class in the 0-0 draw against Newcastle United last month where he made an eye-catching five saves.

There is one change in defence, as Joachim Andersen was confirmed to be back in contention for this weekend, so he resumes his partnership with Marc Guehi in the middle.

Joel Ward moves over to right-back to replace the injured Nathaniel Clyne, while Tyrick Mitchell keeps his place on the left-hand side.

There is another change in the middle, as Vieira opted for an incredibly attacking side against Chelsea, so the more conservative Will Hughes comes in for the “unbelievable” – in the words of Ian Wright – Michael Olise in the hope that the Eagles look more solid in midfield.

He starts alongside Cheick Doucoure, with Wilfried Zaha and Eberechi Eze hoping to provide the magic out on the wings.

Finally, Jordan Ayew and Odsonne Edouard continue together in attack after they combined for the Eagles’ goal against Chelsea, with the Eagles hoping for more moments like that as they look to get their season going at Selhurst Park this weekend.

Newcastle United return to action in the Premier League tonight as they welcome Everton to St. James’ Park in search of getting back to winning ways.

The Magpies failed to extend their run of wins to three matches in the division as they held Manchester United to a 0-0 draw at Old Trafford on Sunday.

Eddie Howe’s side had beaten Fulham and Brentford in the two games prior to that but were unable to find a way past David De Gea, although they are now five matches without a defeat in the competition.

They now come up against an Everton side sitting one point above the relegation zone. Frank Lampard’s men have only won two of their ten outings in the Premier League and Newcastle should be looking to pick up all three points against the Toffees.

One player who struggled in the draw with the Red Devils was left-back Dan Burn. The former Brighton man has been shifted out on the left and away from his more natural centre-back role and he looked out of his depth at Old Trafford.

Burn, who journalist Ciaran Kelly once dubbed a “colossus”, lost six of his seven individual duels – including all six of his ground battles – and only completed 11 passes (14 attempted) in 78 minutes on the pitch.

As per SofaScore, he failed his only attempted dribble, did not provide a single key pass, and did not complete any tackles in his time on the pitch and Howe must now unleash £15m signing Matt Targett ahead of him at left-back.

The former Aston Villa defender could be a better option than his compatriot in terms of what he can do in possession of the ball, as he has the quality to put in teasing deliveries from out wide.

Targett has created seven chances for his teammates in four Premier League starts, playing eight times in total, this season. This comes after he created five ‘big chances’ and managed 1.2 key passes per game in 33 top-flight outings in the 2021/22 campaign for Villa and Newcastle combined.

These statistics show that he could provide the likes of Callum Wilson and Miguel Almiron was good service into the box from a wide area, whereas Burn failed to show any signs of doing that against United.

He has also completed 12 tackles in that time and this shows that he has the defensive awareness to be solid at the back, as he has been able to regularly dispossess opposition players.

Therefore, the £35k-per-week dynamo is not a liability defensively and he has plenty to offer as an attacking threat from left-back, which is why Howe must unleash the gem – who he once dubbed “fantastic” – against Everton.

Journalist Paul Brown has raved over the ‘massively exciting’ Tottenham Hotspur links to Leicester City star James Maddison.

The Lowdown: Spurs eye Maddison move…

The Lilywhites are said to be eyeing a move for Maddison as manager Antonio Conte and sporting director Fabio Paratici decide how best to strengthen the Spurs squad.

Indeed, Football Insider most recently claimed that the Premier League top-four contenders are keeping ‘close tabs’ on the playmaker heading into January’s transfer window and their interest has not been ‘diluted’ since the summer.

What’s more, it is believed that Maddison himself would be ‘very keen’ on a move to north London and would jump at the chance to join Conte if Spurs up their interest in 2023.

The Latest: Brown thrilled by ‘exciting’ Maddison links…

Amid these reports, reporter Brown has been left thrilled by the possible addition of Leicester’s star man.

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The journalist, speaking to GiveMeSport, claims Maddison’s signing would be a ‘massively exciting’ one at N17.

“Maddison would be a massively exciting signing for Tottenham, it would give them a load of things they don’t have at the moment.”

The Verdict: Get it done…

The Englishman’s contract expires in June 2024, potentially giving his current club just next year to command a decent fee for him.

Leicester, on the back of this, may have to consider making a profit off the midfielder whilst they still can – and it would certainly be worth the effort on Tottenham’s behalf.

Called ‘unplayable’ on his day by Owen Hargreaves, Maddison has been an indispensable member of the Foxes squad this season – ranking as their best top flight player by average match rating.

He’s also their current top goal scorer and tops Leicester’s charts for most efforts at goal and key passes made per 90 (WhoScored).

By far the King Power Stadium’s biggest threat going forward, Maddison is perhaps the playmaker Spurs have been missing.

An update has emerged regarding Newcastle United’s plans for the January transfer window as they close in on their first signing of 2023…

What’s the talk?

Journalist Guido Bortolomasi has claimed, via Brazilian youth football expert Andre Noruega, that the Magpies are closing in on the signing of Angelo Gabriel for a fee in the region of £22m.

The teenage forward is poised to arrive at St James’ Park as their first signing of the January window from Santos, with the deal able to go through as he can sign a professional contract from December onwards.

Noruega tweeted: “According to @gbortolomasi, Santos will sell Ângelo Gabriel to Newcastle for €25m, transfer to happen in January as the player turn 18 in December. Ângelo is one of the most promising talents in Brazil and has already played 92 professional games for Santos aged just 17..”

Eddie Howe’s own Neymar?

The Magpies head coach could be set to land his own version of Neymar if the Tyneside club are able to get a deal over the line for the attacker, who talent scout Jacek Kulig believes has “crazy potential”.

His former coach Betinho previously lauded the young gem and compared him to the Paris Saint-Germain star, saying: “He is like Neymar in terms of his dribbling at speed and his change of direction.”

This is backed up by his statistics in the Brazilian Serie A, as he has completed 3.3 dribbles per match at a success rate of 68%, which shows that he excels at taking the ball past opposition defenders.

Meanwhile, Neymar has completed 4.3 dribbles per game across his career, and Gabriel is showing that he has a similar drive in possession of the ball.

Argentine coach Holan also heaped praise on the Santos youngster, saying: “I see a lot of potential in Angelo. he is a boy who likes to go for the goal. I really like Brazilian football, and Angelo plays Brazilian football. This essence of dribbling, of taking on the opponent, is very important.

“He has a huge future. By working hard, he will be able to play not only at Santos, but I believe that, in the future, he will be able to play in major leagues around the world.”

Gabriel has already played 92 matches for his club by the age of 17 and has chipped in with three goals and seven assists. His goal contributions do not stand out as being particularly impressive on surface level, but to rack up 92 senior games before turning 18 is an astonishing achievement, which highlights his vast potential.

Therefore, Newcastle could land their own version of PSG and former Barcelona forward Neymar – who has scored 287 club career goals – by signing the 17-year-old. It is a gamble at such a young age, but the statistics and quotes around the gem suggest that it could be a phenomenal signing for the future of the Tyneside club.

Journalist Josh Bunting has been left stunned by Celtic midfielder Reo Hatate’s surprise omission from Japan’s squad for the 2022 World Cup.

The Lowdown: Hatate left out of World Cup squad

The 24-year-old has proved to be an excellent signing the Hoops, adding quality and dynamism to their midfield and starting eight Scottish Premiership games this season.

On Tuesday, it was confirmed that both Hatate and Kyogo Furuhashi have not been selected in Japan’s World Cup squad, while teammate Daizen Maeda has made the 26-man list.

It certainly comes across as a strange decision, considering the Celtic man has been capped by his country and appears to be improving all the time.

The Latest: Bunting shocked by news

Taking to Twitter, Bunting of the Islington Gazette was left bewildered by the decision, providing his thoughts on the situation:

“I am stunned Reo Hatate hasn’t made the Japanese squad, honestly can’t believe that. His technical ability alone is just so so good. Not saying he should go and start every single match but what I am saying is he would be a great option from the bench with his vision.”

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The Verdict: Very strange decision

This is a cruel blow for Hatate, who will no doubt be shattered by the news, given his incredible form this season and the magnitude of a World Cup for any international player.

It’s certainly a massive call by the Japan national team, considering they don’t have an array of players performing across Europe’s major leagues, and it remains to be seen if it will backfire.

The hope is that this update doesn’t have a negative impact on Hatate’s form for Celtic – he currently ranks as their second-best midfielder this season, as per Whoscored – and Ange Postecoglou now has a job on his hands picking his player up.

West Ham United have been backed to reignite their previous transfer interest in Rennes defender Arthur Theate. 

The Lowdown: West Ham’s previous interest in Theate

The Hammers were linked with a move for the Belgian during the summer transfer window, at which time he reportedly had a €18m (£15m) price tag put on him.

The east London club did manage to bring in a new centre-back over the summer in the shape of Nayef Aguerd, who has seen an ankle injury keep him out of action for most of the season so far.

However, it now appears that the Premier League outfit could turn their attention to Theate once again.

The Latest: West Ham to reignite Theate interest?

Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, French football journalist Robin Bairner said that, while he doesn’t expect any movement in January, West Ham could try for the 22-year-old next summer.

He predicted: “Whether it’s quite the time to take a chance on him, I would be a little bit surprised. This is a move that I would expect to see develop over the course of the season. I wouldn’t imagine it will happen in January, but potentially next summer. They could revisit it then.”

The Verdict: West Ham should consider it

This season has seen the 22-year-old centre-back play every minute of all but one of Rennes’ games across all competitions, showcasing how important he is for the club.

In terms of his ability on the pitch, Theate has made more clearances (40) in Ligue 1 this season than any other player at Roazhon Park.

Described as an “aggressive” player by Italian football expert Conor Clancy, the Belgian could be a smart prospective acquisition for West Ham given his age and the fact that the Irons have two centre-backs in Craig Dawson and Angelo Ogbonna who are set to see their contracts expire in the summer.

If the opportunity arises for West Ham to sign the Rennes defender in next summer’s transfer window, they should do their best to try and secure his signature.

Liverpool are set to open talks with Roberto Firmino regarding a new contract at Anfield, according to Football Insider.

The Lowdown: Firmino revitalised for Reds

The Brazilian hasn’t been at his best over the past couple of seasons, with his output diminishing significantly from the 25 goals that he netted in 2017/18.

Firmino has enjoyed a welcome resurgence in 2022/23, though, scoring six goals and registering three assists in just 11 Premier League appearances, already surpassing his top-flight goal tally from last term.

The 31-year-old is out of contract at the end of the season, and while his ailing form of previous campaigns might have suggested that he could be sold, the situation now appears to have changed.

The Latest: New deal incoming?

According to Football Insider, Liverpool are ‘preparing to open talks’ with Firmino over a new deal, with discussions set to take place during the World Cup break.

Jurgen Klopp still thinks the Brazil international ‘still has a big role to play’ moving forward, believing he has a number of years left in him at the top, and the German is a ‘huge admirer’ of the player.

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The Verdict: No-brainer for Liverpool

This would be great news for Liverpool, with Firmino a modern-day hero of the Kop, having scored 106 goals, been vital to the Reds’ system and won every trophy possible for the club.

There was a point when it looked as though he was past his best and handing him a new contract would feel reckless, but he has shown this season that there is still plenty left in the tank.

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Iconic strikers such as Robert Lewandowski and Karim Benzema are proof that players can remain at the top well into their 30s in the modern era, too.

Firmino has been hailed as ‘world class’ by Klopp himself and would hopefully jump at the chance to stay on at Anfield, so it should suit all parties for them to arrive at an agreement.

Nottingham Forest reportedly watched Michael Keane in action for Everton last week ahead of a potential move in the January transfer window.

The Lowdown: Lack of minutes

The 29-year-old played the full 90 minutes in the Toffees’ 4-1 loss at Bournemouth in the Carabao Cup last week in what was only his third appearance of the season (Transfermarkt).

He has only played a mere Premier League, having fallen behind summer arrivals Conor Coady and James Tarkowski in the centre-back pecking order at Goodison Park.

The Latest: Nottingham Forest’s interest

As per the print edition of The Sunday Mirror (13 November), Forest are interested in signing Keane on loan in January after asking about his availability in the summer.

The Reds’ new sporting director Filippo Giraldi watched the Everton defender in action against the Cherries in the Carabao Cup and is ready to go back in for him during the winter.

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The Verdict: Get rid

Given his lack of game-time, and the arrivals of Coady and Tarkowski, Frank Lampard’s team can afford to let Keane go in January, even it is only on loan and to one of their top-flight rivals.

The 29-year-old was one of the Toffees’ most disappointing players against Bournemouth in the Carabao Cup on a wretched night for the team, failing to take his chance to impress Lampard.

On £80,000 per week, Keane is one of the higher earners in the squad, and Everton would certainly benefit from getting him off the wage bill, which might just help to fund one or two potential signings in January.