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Journalist Beren Cross has claimed that Leeds United goalkeeper Illan Meslier should be fit enough to play in the club’s next game despite recent fitness concerns.

What’s the word?

The young Frenchman was not involved at all on the weekend as the Whites managed to fight back from two goals down to pick up a 2-2 draw against Cardiff City in the FA Cup

Speaking to the press after the game, manager Jesse Marsch was able to explain that Meslier had been suffering from a muscle issue but he also needed rest due to a recent illness anyway.

He explained: “This week, Illan had a muscle issue with his kicking leg after being out for so long with mono or the glandular fever that it stretched him a little bit so he wouldn’t have been able to play either today.”

Despite that, Cross has stated that the goalkeeper should be given the all-clear to play against Aston Villa this Friday in the Premier League for Leeds’ next game.

Talking on a LeedsLive Facebook stream, the journalist said: “[Joel] Robles is a steady Eddie. He is a second-choice goalkeeper, he’s a veteran. He has been brought in for a reason

“He also stepped in today because Meslier had a problem with his kicking leg. He’s expected to be fine for Villa.”

Number one

Meslier has started every league game for Leeds this season and so there’s no doubt he is the undisputed number-one option for the club right now.

Indeed, Robles has only started in the cup games and so it’s clear that Marsch will hope to start the younger goalkeeper against Villa so long as he doesn’t suffer any setbacks this week.

If he can stay fit for the match, it will no doubt be a big boost for the Whites. After all, Meslier has put in some key performances of late for the club.

For instance, in late December he picked up consecutive SofaScore player ratings of 7.0 against Manchester City and then 8.5 again Newcastle United.

Arsenal could look to bring in a midfielder this month as well as the Shakhtar Donetsk winger Mykhailo Mudryk, according to journalist Pete O’Rourke.

What’s the latest?

It is believed the Gunners have made it their mission to bring in Mudryk this month with the likes of Chelsea also being linked to the Ukrainian.

However, Mikel Arteta’s side are yet to make a breakthrough in their pursuit of the 23-year-old who recently took off for a training camp in Turkey with Shakhtar.

But it now appears as if the potential addition of Mudryk may not be enough for Arteta who is chasing his first-ever Premier League title as a manager this season.

indeed, when speaking to Football FanCast, O’Rourke suggested there could be scope for the Gunners to also explore the possibility of bringing in another midfielder:

“I think there is scope for that to happen. Mikel Arteta has made it pretty clear that he would like another midfielder to be added to his squad to help them in their Premier League title bid.

“Again, it will all come down to budget and what’s available and if the right deal is out there, I’m sure Edu and the Arsenal board will back Mikela Arteta because they have been quite successful in the transfer market of late.”

Making moves whilst ahead

It has been a stunning start to the season for Arsenal who sit top of the Premier League table and hold a five-point advantage over their nearest rivals, Manchester City.

However, there is still a long way to go and Arsenal do still have to play City twice before the end of the campaign, so it seems as if Edu Gaspar and the Arsenal owners are looking to strike this month whilst the iron is hot.

And in doing so, they could potentially bring in one of the hottest young talents from across Europe in Mudryk but it is interesting to hear O’Rourke suggest Areta could still push for another midfielder.

The Gunners have seen a solid partnership form between Granit Xhaka and Thomas Partey this season but the Ghanaian midfielder does have a long injury list since he made the move to north London.

And there does seem to be a fairly large drop-off in class to Arteta’s next in line with Mohamed Elneny the likely replacement for either if they were to go down injured.

The Egyptian has made five appearances this season in the Premier League under Arteta, however, the 30-year-old’s stats from last season where he made 14 appearances, do not stand up in comparison to the starting midfielder duo.

Elneny provided fewer shot-creating actions, fewer ariel duels won and fewer goals to what Xhaka and Partey have provided Arteta this season (via Fbref).

With this in mind, it would be understandable to see Arteta bring in another midfielder who could provide Arsenal with some attacking thrust.

And with links to Youri Tielemans still circulating, we do wonder whether this type of midfielder could appeal to the north London side in the final weeks of this winter window.

Manchester United are currently flying high, having now picked up nine successive wins in all competitions, with Saturday’s latest triumph over local rivals Manchester City having illustrated the remarkable turnaround that the club have enjoyed since the start of the season.

The man who has engineered that changes in fortunes – Erik ten Hag – will no doubt be aware that there is still a long way to go for the Red Devils to truly become a consistent force both domestically and in Europe, with the 52-year-old likely to need further transfer windows to be truly able to put his stamp on the squad.

According to The Sun, the former Ajax boss is looking to do just that, having given club scouts a list of multiple Dutch talents to monitor, with the aim to seemingly help to lower the age of the current squad by targeting an array of youthful gems.

One of those on whom the United manager is said to be keen is AZ Alkmaar sensation Jesper Karlsson, with the 24-year-old currently thriving for the Eredivise outfit in his attacking role on the flanks.

The Sweden international – who was reportedly valued at around £13m during the summer amid interest in his services – is reportedly in line to leave his current club this year according to Fabrizio Romano, having caught the eye due to his standout form of late.

The eight-cap machine – who has previously been described as “impressive’ by journalist Josh Bunting – boasts a haul of 37 goals and 28 assists in 104 games in all competitions for AZ, including four goals and three assists in just 14 outings across all fronts so far this term.

That follows what was a particularly fruitful 2021/22 campaign as the former Elfsborg man chipped in with 15 goals and 13 assists in his 34 league appearances, with that tally of goal contributions better than that of any United player last season.

While perhaps not the glamour name that the Old Trafford outfit may be craving, Karlsson has clearly proven to be a handful in the final third during his time in Alkmaar to date, having notably been described as “inventive” and “unpredictable” by transfer insider Dean Jones last month.

That follows previous praise from the aforementioned Bunting, with the respected source having lauded him as a “very tricky winger, [with] quick feet and a constant threat going forward”.

The only potential concern for Ten Hag may be that the 5 foot 10 ace has typically done much of his damage off the left flank – a position where United are currently well-stocked with the likes of Marcus Rashford, Alejandro Garnacho and Jadon Sancho – although he does also offer the flexibility to feature in a more central role or on the opposite wing.

As such, should the Red Devils be able to secure a relative low-cost deal for the Swede either this month or in the summer, it could well be a rather ‘impressive’ and astute signing indeed for the Old Trafford club.

Arsenal have reportedly registered an interest in Brighton & Hove Albion winger Leandro Trossard this month and could instigate a move for the Belgian dynamo in the coming weeks.

According to talkSPORT’s transfer insider Alex Crook, the 28-year-old is among the options being explored by Arsenal technical director Edu following Chelsea’s recent £88.5m acquisition of Shakhtar Donetsk’s Mykhaylo Mudryk, a player the Gunners had been strongly pursuing prior to his transfer to Stamford Bridge.

Valued at €20m (£18m) by CIES Football Observatory, the winger is currently embroiled in an acrimonious dispute with Albion manager Roberto de Zerbi, with the player looking for an exit from the Amex Stadium in search of continental football and pastures new.

Speaking on Vibe with Five (via Daily Mail), Rio Ferdinand waxed lyrical over the skills of the 24-cap sensation, who has blossomed into a refined and deadly force on the south coast since his £15m arrival from Genk in 2019.

The former Manchester United defender said of Trossard: “The best part of his game is being creative. He’s just scored a few goals lately, that’s not even his game.

“I think the creative and the approach play in his game is unreal. The only thing I was asking for before was a bit more end product and he’s actually doing that now.”

As per FBref, Trossard ranks within the top 21% for goals and the top 14% for touches in the attacking penalty area among positional peers in Europe’s big five leagues over the past year, illustrating a goalscoring knack which would likely blossom even further at the Emirates Stadium.

Across his first two years in England, the £60k-per-week Belgian only found the net five times in each Premier League season, before tapping into his clinical prowess and increasing his goal return to eight in 2021/22.

In the current campaign, Trossard has already plundered seven goals from only 16 appearances in this high-flying Albion team.

When assessing comparable players to the 28-year-old (as per FBref), he can also find similarities in his game to Crystal Palace’s Wilfried Zaha, who has been the shining light at Selhurst Park for many years now.

Indeed, much like Trossard, the one-time Manchester United outcast has unearthed a cutting edge which previously evaded him, having scored 31 Premier League goals across the past two-anda-half campaigns.

To add fuel to the fire, the 30-year-old was subject to a £40m bid from the Gunners in 2019, which ultimately fizzled out as the club opted to sign Nicolas Pepe from Lille for a club-record £72m in a deal which failed to live up to expectations, with the 27-year-old now loaned out to Nice.

Brighton have been known to sanction the departures of high-profile players since their arrival in the Premier League – as seen with the likes of Marc Cucurella and Yves Bissouma – remaining reliant on their commendable business model which keeps the wheel turning without hampering their on-field prospects, and Trossard could be the latest player to depart the Amex at a huge profit.

Bearing a stylistic resemblance to Zaha, and given Arsenal’s smooth dealings with the Seagulls in the past after paying £50m to sign Ben White in 2021, a deal could be forged this month.

It would represent a shrewd move for the north London club and provide the perfect auxiliary for the club’s current first-choice wingers Gabriel Martinelli and Bukayo Saka, with the tantalising prospect of Premier League glory likely to be enhanced with Trossard’s prospective inclusion.

West Ham were dealt another injury blow last weekend as new signing Danny Ings picked up a knee problem which could rule him out for the next few weeks.

With summer signing Gianluca Scamacca also sidelined, David Moyes should now consider unleashing academy star Divin Mubama, as he looks to turn the Hammers’ woeful Premier League form around.

Although West Ham’s 2-0 win over Everton last time out lifted Moyes’ side out of the bottom three, relegation is still a real possibility this season, especially given their struggles in front of goal so far this campaign, with only Everton, Nottingham Forest and Wolves having scored fewer.

The addition of a proven Premier League scorer in Ings was sure to aid Moyes but with reports suggesting that he could be out for a number of weeks, Moyes once again finds himself with just Michail Antonio available as a senior striker.

The Jamaica international has struggled for consistent form so far this campaign, managing just two goals in 19 Premier League appearances, averaging a very disappointing 6.42 rating from WhoScored, which ranks him as the 17th-best performer at the London Stadium.

Therefore, Moyes should perhaps consider a different option up front for the Hammers’ upcoming fixtures, with academy star Divin Mubama a prime candidate after breaking into the senior side on occasions so far this term.

The 18-year-old has made two appearances for the Hammers this season, starting in the Europa Conference League win against FCSB, when he was unfortunate to see his goal ruled as an own goal by the hosts.

He also came on as a substitute in the recent defeat against Arsenal, so he is clearly in Moyes’ thinking and given his impressive form in the Premier League 2, where he has four goals and one assist in ten appearances, perhaps it is time he was handed his first start in the top flight.

West Ham’s U18s assistant coach Gerard Prenderville talked up the youngster to the Hammers’ official website after he scored a brace against Aston Villa last year.

He said: “It’s not only great to have Divin back on the pitch, but also in and around training sessions as well.

“I’ve coached him from a young age and he obviously loves to score goals, but he works really hard on it as well. To get him in and around the box, back firing and fully fit, is a real plus for any side.”

Given West Ham’s injury problems and woes in front of goal, it is surely time that Moyes handed Mubama a consistent run of games in the first team.

Leeds United would be making a massive statement by signing Weston McKennie in the coming days amid their battle against the drop.

What’s the latest?

Leeds now look on course to secure the signing after Fabrizio Romano officially gave it a ‘here we go’.

Speaking to Football FanCast, journalist Pete O’Rourke has hailed the potential signing of the 24-year-old midfielder as a massive statement from the Yorkshire club:

“It would be a big signing for Leeds. There’s been a number of top clubs linked with McKennie over the years as well and I think he’s shown at Juventus and also for the USA at the World Cup that is a top performer.

“So I think it’d be a huge boost and a huge statement signing if Leeds can get a deal done for McKennie.”

Statement of intent

It has been a difficult start to the campaign for the Whites who are currently sat just one point above Bournemouth in the relegation zone.

However, Victor Orta has not messed about this month having brought in two new faces already with Maximilian Wober and Georginio Rutter.

And having already spent £35m, the addition of someone like McKennie would be a big statement from the club when their relegation rivals such as Everton have barely made a splash in the market.

In McKennie, Leeds could potentially be adding a 24-year-old who already has 24 in the Champions League.

So putting a player of that ilk into a side who are battling the drop would surely provide Leeds with a boost in the second half of the campaign as they look to pull away from the drop zone.

After all, this is a player who was not so long ago linked with a potential move to north London with Tottenham Hotspur believed to have monitored his situation.

Not only would adding a player like McKennie hopefully see Leeds rise above the relegation scrap, but there will be the hope these additions over January will help Leeds get back to their ninth-placed finish of the 2020/21 campaign.

Scottish champions Celtic are back in action at home to Livingston this evening, with Ange Postecoglou’s side having run out 2-0 winners over Dundee United in their most recent league clash last weekend.

That rather comfortable outing saw second-half goals from Jota and Aaron Mooy prove the difference for the Old Firm outfit, with the Glasgow side having re-established their nine-point advantage at the summit with what was their 21st top-flight win of the season.

The rampant league leaders will also go into tonight’s encounter having already beaten David Martindale’s men on two occasions so far this term, notably claiming a 2-1 victory when the two sides met at Parkhead back in December.

With the Hoops looking to inflict even more misery on Livi this time around at Paradise, how will they line up?

Here’s what Football FanCast are predicting:

Postecoglou revealed in his pre-match press conference that the only injury absentees are likely to be that of Anthony Ralston and Benjamin Siegrist, while on-loan Danish midfielder Oliver Abildgaard has subsequently sealed a move to Italian outfit, Hellas Verona.

With that in mind, we predict that there will be four changes from the side that claimed victory at Tannadice on Sunday, with January arrival Yuki Kobayashi potentially set to be the only alteration in the backline, allowing the Japan international the chance to partner Cameron Carter-Vickers in the centre of defence for the first time.

A further two changes could lie in midfield, with the midweek clash potentially allowing the chance for Postecoglou to hand reliable skipper Callum McGregor a well-earned rest, with Tomoki Iwata in line to take his place for what would be his first start for the Bhoys.

With the aforementioned Mooy likely to remain in the side following his goal and assist against the Tangerines, it could well see Matt O’Riley come in to take the final midfield berth, with the £12k-per-week “magician” – as lauded by talent scout Jacek Kulig – having struggled for a regular role of late.

That should well see “outstanding” asset Reo Hatate – as described by former Celtic Park hero Chris Sutton – drop to the bench, with the 25-year-old another to potentially benefit from a brief break from the action amid what is a hectic fixture schedule.

As for the forward line, the only tweak could see Liel Abada make way for Daizen Maeda on the right flank, with top scorer Kyogo Furuhashi and Portuguese gem Jota set to retain their places in the side.

John Gibson believes it would be a big game to hand Anthony Gordon his first Newcastle United start this weekend.

The Lowdown: Selection dilemma for Howe

Bruno Guimaraes’ midweek red card has handed Eddie Howe a very interesting selection headache with several players capable of moving to the left-hand side while Joelinton drops into midfield.

Howe obviously has tricky winger Allan Saint-Maximin sitting on the bench in recent weeks, £40 million January signing Gordon who’s trained this week and the ever-regular Jacob Murphy also available.

Gordon has indeed been training with his new teammates this week but with less than a week under his belt to get to know people and understand the tactics, it would be bizarre to see him starting against West Ham.

The Latest: Howe must be sensible

Given how little time Gordon has spent with his new teammates, Gibson has claimed on the Everything is Black and White podcast it would be a big gamble to throw him into the starting lineup.

He said: “There are four choices for Saturday, there’s Saint-Maximin, there’s Isak with a twitch in the tactics, there’s Gordon if you decided to gamble and start him straight away which would never happen if Bruno wasn’t suspended and the other one is the rank outsider which is Murphy.”

The Verdict: Gordon not ready to start

It would be very uncharacteristic for Howe to throw Gordon straight into the firing line at St James’ Park as that didn’t happen with the likes of Sven Botman and Guimaraes who both had to wait for their chance.

Also, if Howe doesn’t hand Saint-Maximin his first league start since August then that won’t likely go down very well within the Frenchman’s camp and could well show he has no future on Tyneside.

Given the speed Gordon has showcased this season, he could well be a solid option to terrorise West Ham with deep into the second half after having to deal with Saint-Maximin’s willingness to dribble at them as he has done this season with 21 completed dribbles in just four starts (FBRef).

Insider ExWHUemployee has revealed that West Ham United striker Danny Ings is pushing to feature this weekend despite his recent injury struggles.

What’s the word?

The Englishman only arrived in east London as a new signing for £15m this January but has already faced a major setback during his short time with the club.

Indeed, he picked up a knee injury after making his debut off the bench for the Hammers against Everton and was expected to be missing for the next “several weeks”.

However, it looks as though David Moyes’ men are set for a big boost ahead of their Premier League game against Newcastle United this Saturday, with the striker back in contention.

Indeed, while writing on The West Ham Way Patreon page, Ex said: “West Ham have been boosted by the return to fitness of Danny Ings following a series of injections into his swollen knee.

“The forward sustained the injury against Everton in the league and was cup-tied for the Derby County game anyway. Ings is pushing for a place on the bench and has travelled to Newcastle.”

Shock return

Seeing as this injury was reported on 23rd January, it seemed quite likely that Ings wouldn’t be fit to play any games in February – let alone the first week of the month.

However, as Ex points out, injections seem to be doing the trick, and the 30-year-old may make the bench with West Ham taking on high-flying Newcastle away from home.

Ings has seven goals in all competitions this season – all scored for his previous club, Aston Villa – with six of those coming in the Premier League. This is more than any other Hammers player and two more than Jarrod Bowen, who has four to his name.

With that in mind, Moyes will be desperate to have his new £15m man back on the bench this weekend. Even if he can’t play, it’s certainly a surprise boost to even have him in contention.

Like most clubs, Tottenham Hotspur have endured their fair share of blunders with regard to letting young players move on over the years, with the likes of Sporting Lisbon starlet Marcus Edwards and footballing icon David Beckham just two of the names to have initially been on the books in north London before blossoming elsewhere.

One further howler that current chairman Daniel Levy has overseen in recent times is the exit of fleet-footed winger Noni Madueke on a free transfer back in 2018, with the 20-year-old having only recently been snapped up by Premier League rivals Chelsea following a fruitful spell in the Netherlands.

The Barnet-born speedster had initially joined the Lilywhites in his early teens following a brief spell at Crystal Palace, notably going on to make his debut for Spurs’ U18 side at the age of just 15 as a marker of his exciting potential.

That rapid development left the youngster hungry to secure a place at first-team level, having duly decided to make the bold move to join Eredivisie giants PSV Eindhoven in order to realise that ambition.

Reflecting on that decision in a recent interview with The Mirror, the 6 foot winger revealed that he had been craving a shot in the senior ranks, hence his decision to depart Spurs at the age of just 16.

He said: “At 16 year old I felt I was ready for a first team. I backed myself 100 percent. I am very impatient! The quicker you get young talents into first team football the quicker they get ahead of the talent of other nations.”

The frustration for Levy and co will be as to why there was no clear pathway for the promising forward in N17, with Tottenham having been left to rue their inability to keep hold of the “sensational” gem, as he was dubbed by journalist Danny Rust.

As for Madueke, the eye-catching dynamo reaped the rewards of his bravery to move abroad, having made his first start for PSV just a week prior to his 18th birthday, before going on to truly cement himself in the team over the subsequent few seasons.

The England U21 international ultimately racked up 34 goal involvements in 80 games in all competitions for the Eindhoven outfit, while also helping the club to secure the KNVB Cup and the Dutch Super Cup last year.

That impressive form unsurprisingly sparked interest in his services, with the Blues moving swiftly to strike a deal last month for a fee of around £29m, with such a sizeable figure likely to sting as far as Spurs are concerned after letting him depart for nothing five years ago.

While it is still early days with regard to his time at Stamford Bridge, Madueke notably caught the eye on his Chelsea debut in their draw against Fulham last weekend, recording two key passes and completing 100% of his dribbles in that 45-minute cameo.

That brief showing would appear to suggest that he can go on to thrive under Graham Potter moving forward, which would be of real frustration to Tottenham supporters and to Levy.