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Leeds United are eyeing a number of solutions for their striker issues, with one of their alternatives sure to impress…

What’s the latest?

That’s according to Phil Hay, who writes in The Athletic about their pursuit of several targets.

Of those mentioned, it is noted that Jesse Marsch is a huge admirer of Wolverhampton Wanderers’ Hwang Hee-chan, who moved to England permanently in a £14m move.

The two worked together at RB Leipzig and is seen as a direct alternative should they miss out on their marquee target Georginio Rutter.

Rutter alternative

Although he has had a poor season, the South Korean last season established himself as a fine forward for the Premier League.

The 26-year-old burst onto the scene and, acting as a versatile option for the Old Gold, he would score five times and assist once.

However, it was his display from the bench against Liverpool in the FA Cup that truly suggests he could be a fine asset for the Whites now.

Handed just 27 minutes with the Midlands outfit trailing, he earned the highest rating (7.4) of anyone from his side whilst scoring the equalising goal.

He would pair this with 100% of his duels won, outlining just how his workmanlike assets often match his offensive threat.

When he first moved to Molineux, journalist Nathan Judah captured his announcement to the home crowd whilst labelling him an “exciting talent”.

However, it seems he is yet to truly capture that potential.

Despite this, he still recorded 0.9 shots and 0.9 tackles per game during that first campaign, via Sofascore.

Whilst he is hardly prolific, it could be argued that neither is their main target Rutter. The Frenchman has only scored twice in the Bundesliga this season, yet is expected to command a fee of around €30m (£26m).

Meanwhile, his alternative would score 16 and assist 22 across both domestic and Champions League competitions in his final season for RB Salzburg.

Perhaps it might be a smart move to stay wary of the situation with Hwang, who arguably would not offer that much less than the 20-year-old for far less a financial output.

He can be a fine alternative that would instantly take to Marsch’s system, hopefully, to propel them to safety once more.

Crystal Palace could hold an advantage in any potential January deal for Middlesbrough star Chuba Akpom, so chairman Steve Parish should do all he can to bring him to Selhurst Park this month.

What’s the word?

Akpom has recently been linked with the Eagles, as well as Everton and Southampton, after hitting 13 goals during the first half of the Championship for Michael Carrick’s promotion hopefuls.

The 27-year-old’s contract at the Riverside is set to expire at the end of the season which could cause Boro to cash in, with the frontman no doubt targeting another shot at Premier League football having failed to make the grade with Arsenal as a youngster.

In a recent interview with Football FanCast, journalist Pete O’Rourke shared his opinions on a potential Palace move for Akpom, suggesting that manager Patrick Vieira could also be a big selling point.

He said:

“I think anyone with past Arsenal connections would want to work with an Arsenal legend like Patrick Vieira. I’m sure that will be something that is interesting to Chuba Akpom. Also, the chance to move back to London, I’m sure will be attractive to him as well.”

Parish must act

While Akpom never really cut it at Arsenal, managing no goals in 12 appearances for the senior side, he was described as “dangerous” by legendary manager Arsene Wenger.

He has certainly lived up to that praise this season, leading the goalscoring charts in the second tier after some sensational recent form which has fired Middlesbrough into promotion contention, with the northeast outfit currently sitting fifth in the second tier.

Palace’s form since the World Cup ended has certainly been worrying, as they have suffered two heavy defeats at home to Fulham and Tottenham Hotspur respectively, which may have Vieira concerned that the Eagles could still find themselves in a relegation battle this season.

A lack of goals in attack has also been a problem for the Frenchman, as none of Odsonne Edouard, Jordan Ayew and Jean Phillipe-Mateta have shown themselves to be consistent goalscorers at this level, as they have managed just five league goals between them this season.

Akpom would presumably be a low-cost, low-risk signing for Parish to make and given his excellent performances in the second tier this season, he should definitely be given another chance in the Premier League with the Eagles.

Liverpool have been linked with a move for Sander Berge for quite some time, and a new update has emerged from a reliable source regarding the club’s pursuit of the Norwegian.

What’s the latest?

According to journalist Dean Jones, the Reds are “definitely interested” in signing the Sheffield United midfielder in 2023, amid recent links from French publication Jeunes Footeux.

The transfer expert told GIVEMESPORT: “There’s definitely interest here and there’s been an interest for a long, long time. Liverpool have looked at this in the past but he got a pretty serious injury and that was around the time when they probably had the most interest in him.”

Imagine him & Enzo

There is no doubt that Liverpool are in desperate need of reinforcements in midfield, especially after their worst start to a Premier League season in a decade.

The Reds are currently sixth in the table after a run of inconsistent form which has left them 15 points adrift of league leaders Arsenal.

Furthermore, Liverpool have several midfielders who will be out of contract at the end of the season, with Naby Keita, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and James Milner all entering the final six months of their deals at Anfield.

As a result, the upcoming transfer window could be the perfect opportunity for Jurgen Klopp to refresh the heart of the Liverpool team, and the prospective signing of Berge could be a major coup.

The £25m-valued Norwegian has been a consistent and reliable performer for Sheffield United since he joined them in 2020, and this season has offered glimpses of how he could be a valuable asset to Klopp.

In 13 Championship appearances, Berge – who was dubbed a “fine talent” by The Athletic’s Richard Sutcliffe – has scored three goals, registered three assists and created four big chances, along with averaging 1.4 key passes, 1.5 shots, 1.3 tackles, 1.5 dribbles completed and 4.1 duels won per game.

Berge isn’t the only midfield talent with whom Liverpool have been linked, with Argentine World Cup winner Enzo Fernandez reportedly close to agreeing a move to Anfield.

The Benfica youngster started five of his country’s seven matches in their route to glory in Qatar, scoring once, creating one big chance, completing 88% of his passes and averaging 0.9 key passes, 3.1 tackles and 5.7 successful duels per game in the tournament.

If FSG can secure the signatures of Berge and Fernandez, it could give Klopp the chance to form a fantastic partnership between the pair, who are both complete midfielders with sound defensive and attacking attributes, as seen from their aforementioned performance metrics.

Signing Berge could be a fantastic move for Liverpool in their pursuit to improve performances on the pitch and build an imposing future midfield partnership at Anfield alongside Fernandez.

Liverpool are nowhere near appointing a new director of football at Anfield after being shocked by the resignation of Julian Ward, according to a fresh update.

The Lowdown: Ward’s shock resignation

Last month, the Reds were rocked by the news that Ward would step down from his high-profile role at the club once this season is done and dusted.

He only replaced Michael Edwards in the job earlier this year and was seen as a key figure for years to come, particularly in terms of player recruitment.

Ward’s exit means that Liverpool are on the lookout for a replacement, although it appears to be slow progress currently.

The Latest: Replacement far from sorted

According to Football Insider journalist Wayne Veysey, ‘no appointment is close’ for the Reds, having been ‘taken aback’ by the timing of Ward’s departure with no succession plan in place.

Former Borussia Dortmund and Arsenal man Sven Mislintat is one name who has emerged as a possible candidate but the report states that Liverpool are ‘not in talks’ with him.

This follows the resignation of a number of key figures at the club, like Ian Graham, the club’s director of research.

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The Verdict: Choppy waters at Anfield

It certainly feels like a rocky period at Liverpool after years of such seamless work, with everyone pulling in the same direction on and off the pitch for so much of Jurgen Klopp’s time in charge.

The possibly imminent sale of the club by owners FSG has clearly affected the stability at Anfield and Ward’s exit suggests that all is not well at the moment, having been described as ‘incredible’ by Klopp in the past.

It is important that Liverpool don’t rush a replacement for him, however, instead bringing in the ideal person to work alongside Klopp and ensure that this great period continues.

West Ham expect to lose Declan Rice to a Champions League side next year, regardless of where they place this season.

The Lowdown: Constant improvement

Having earned the role as the Irons’ skipper at the tender age of 23, Rice is clearly valued in more ways than one. His emergence into stardom has been sensational, and he has continually improved specific parts of his game.

For instance, last season, he struggled to create chances from midfield and was arguably too conservative in his approach play.

He ended the season with just 24 chances created, and has almost matched that with just 15 games played, ranking as the Hammers’ second-most creative attacking threat this season with 19 chances created, leading the charge for most assists with two.

The latest: Expected to leave

According to a report from Football Insider, sources expect West Ham’s £62k-per-week talisman to depart the London Stadium, with his contract set to expire in the summer of 2024.

Whilst the Hammers have the option of another 12-month extension according to the report, as the piece states, the next couple of windows represent the last realistic chance of securing a favourable fee for the England World Cup star.

The Verdict: True sentiment

Whilst West Ham will be doing everything they can to keep hold of Rice, ultimately he is destined to depart the side in search of Champions League football, having stated his goals in an interview with Gary Neville on The Overlap.

He may not achieve that at the London Stadium, which is why he will inevitably seek pastures new. Ultimately, West Ham will want to keep him as long as possible, but the report reflects true sentiment in the fact that his price tag will dwindle down with each window that passes by.

Next year could well be the year.

Tottenham Hotspur reportedly have an interest in signing Sassuolo midfielder Hamed Junior Traore. 

The Lowdown: Shopping in Italy

Since Antonio Conte took charge of the north London club back in November last year, the 53-year-old has not been shy in terms of signing players from his homeland.

Under the guidance of Conte and Fabio Paratici, Spurs have secured deals for the likes of Rodrigo Bentancur, Dejan Kulusevski, Ivan Perisic and Destiny Udogie from clubs across Serie A.

Looking ahead to the next January and summer transfer windows, it seems as though Traore could be the next player to join Conte’s ranks from Italy’s top flight.

The Latest: Spurs eyeing Traore

According to a recent report from MilanLive, Spurs are one of the clubs interested in signing the 22-year-old Traore, alongside West Ham United, AC Milan, Napoli and Juventus.

The report also adds that Sassuolo would be looking for a transfer fee of at least €30m (£25m) to sell the midfielder.

The Verdict: A worthy investment?

After scoring 20 goals and providing 14 assists in 110 appearances for his previous club, FC Empoli, across their senior and youth sides, the Ivorian joined Sassuolo back in the 2021 summer transfer window.

Since then, Traore, who was previously described by Brighton & Hove Albion manager, Roberto De Zerbi, as a “pure talent”, has gone on to score 18 goals and provide nine assists in 102 appearances across all competitions.

Traore ended his previous Serie A campaign, which was labelled as “magnificent” by talent spotter Jacek Kulig, with more successful dribbles (61) than any other player at the club as well as the second-highest number of passes into the 18-yard box (35).

This highlights how tricky he can be to play against and how much of a creative threat he can provide in attacking areas.

Moving forward, despite potentially having to battle numerous clubs for the player’s signature, this is a move that could be well worth the effort and money for Spurs.

Celtic manager Ange Postecoglou has not enjoyed the best of luck in the Champions League so far this season as his side sit bottom of their group after four games.

The Hoops have lost three of their four matches, drawing the other one, as the Australian has been unable to muster up a win in the competition.

He is not the first manager of the Glasgow giants to struggle in Europe, though, and one man who failed to achieve success on the continent was Ronny Delia.

The Norweigan manager was knocked out of the Champions League in the qualifying rounds in both of his seasons at Celtic Park, whilst also failing to make it to the last 16 of the Europa League in those campaigns.

He struggled badly in European competitions and was also no stranger to a big blunder in the transfer market during his time in Glasgow.

The most expensive purchase in his four windows in charge was Croatian central defender Jozo Simunovic in the summer of 2015 from Dinamo Zagreb for a fee reported to be in the region of £5.5m.

Former Hoops full-back Tosh McKinlay showered the centre-back with praise at the time of the move, saying:

“Simunovic will be top drawer. He’s different class. This is a guy who has already played over 50 times for Dinamo Zagreb, has captained Croatia’s Under-21s and has great pedigree.

“I have seen a lot of footage of him, he’s a fantastic footballer. Simunovic is Rolls Royce material. He will make a big impact in the Scottish game.”

However, he only made 11 Premiership appearances in his debut campaign with the club as he missed a whopping 42 matches due to injury that term.

This ended up being a recurring theme of his time in Glasgow as he only played more than 18 top-flight games in one of his five seasons, which came in 2016/17 as he featured in 25 matches.

In total, he was injured for 108 competitive games for Celtic in his five years at the club, whilst making 126 competitive outings in all competitions in that time.

TheCelticBlog previously described him as ‘error prone’ and claimed that he had made ‘calamitous’ mistakes, whilst former Hoops shot-stopper Pat Bonner once stated that the club had seen big errors from the defender “so many times”.

Celtic eventually decided to part ways with the centre-back at the end of his contract in the summer of 2020, allowing him to leave on a free transfer.

This meant that the Hoops did not recoup a single penny of the significant £5.5m they paid for him in 2015 and were not rewarded with a great deal on pitch, as he struggled with injuries and became too prone to making mistakes when he was available to feature.

Therefore, Delia dropped a clanger by splashing out to sign the flop in the summer of 2015 and it is not a transfer that should be looked back on as a success.

West Bromwich Albion lost yet again today, in a game that will leave Steve Bruce furious that his side could not hold out and claim a result at home to Swansea City.

Despite falling behind early on, two goals for the Baggies after the restart meant they held a 2-1 lead with just 25 minutes to go. Unsurprisingly, the lead slipped away with an equaliser on 71 minutes, before Michael Obafemi’s 89th-minute strike won it for the visitors.

This marks the Baggies’ sixth game without a win in the Championship, as they failed to beat a side that started the day within touching distance of them in the league, but now find themselves now five points clear of Albion.

David Button dropped a terrible performance, as the shot-stopper conceded three times whilst making only one save. His SofaScore rating of 5.2 was horrendous, but it was Darnell Furlong who most disappointed on Saturday.

His SofaScore rating was only marginally better than the goalkeeper’s at 6.0, however, the defender was a liability at the back and offered little when venturing forward.

The full-back did not make a single interception or tackle and won just one of his six duels – an 83% failure rate.

He managed this whilst losing possession 11 times, outlining just how toothless he was offensively. His contribution to Bruce’s team was decidedly negative, and his 39 touches demonstrate that he was largely a passenger in the match.

Neither of his two crosses found his intended target, and to cap his performance off he was booked just before half-time for a cynical foul.

Button may steal the headlines for another invisible performance between the sticks, but it was Furlong who truly stunk out The Hawthorns.

It will be all the more disappointing given how he was dubbed “integral” to the side not too long ago.

This game against the Swans was one which Bruce would have marked as a fantastic opportunity for them to get their season back on track, so to see another defensively questionable display must disappoint him.

His side have now leaked seven goals in their last three games.

Perhaps to prevent this he will look to change some of the personnel. If so, following today’s performance, Furlong’s place in the team may well be in jeopardy.

West Ham United defender Craig Dawson is a target for Premier League rivals Aston Villa, according to a report from the Daily Mail. 

The lowdown: Mr Reliable

Signed from Watford for £2m in July 2021 following a successful loan spell with the Irons, Dawson has become a key figure in the heart of David Moyes’ defence during his time in east London.

The 32-year-old has already amassed 74 outings for the Hammers, taking his overall career tally to a staggering 440 senior appearances across spells at West Brom, Rochdale, Bolton and the Hornets.

However, following the signings of Nayef Aguerd and Thilo Kehrer this summer, an injury-hit Dawson has had to start the campaign on the periphery of matters and could be targeted by Premier League rivals as a result…

The latest: Dawson wanted

As per the Daily Mail, Villa are believed to be ‘keen on recruiting’ the 32-year-old before the transfer deadline passes on Thursday night.

It’s claimed that the Midlands outfit have ‘made a move’ for the man who was praised by Gary Neville for a ‘brilliant’ performance against Chelsea in April as Steven Gerrard attempts to bolster his own defensive department after a poor start to the new season.

The report states that Moyes ‘wants Dawson to stay’ at West Ham, but the veteran defender is seemingly ‘unhappy’ with a lack of opportunities in east London.

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The verdict: No chance

As the Irons deal with their own defensive crisis, allowing a player of Dawson’s proven ability to leave the club so close to the end of the transfer window is not a viable option for Moyes and GSB.

Instead, West Ham could be looking to bolster their own options at the back, having been linked with a move for Attila Szalai over the weekend.

Last season, the experienced Englishman scored four times and provided two assists whilst amassing a mammoth 50 appearances across all competitions, earning a 6.94 SofaScore rating whilst winning 4.1 duels, making 4.1 clearances and helping to keep five clean sheets in the league.

Valued at £2.7m and into the final 12 months of his contract at the London Stadium (Transfermarkt), the West Ham hierarchy could be looking to tie Dawson down to a new deal in the near future to avoid losing the defender for nothing down the line, rather than allowing him to join Villa now.

There has been an update regarding the future of Everton starlet, Anthony Gordon…

What’s the word?

According to Football Insider, Premier League rivals Newcastle United are preparing a £40m bid for the 21-year-old, having reportedly seen a £35m offer knocked back by the Toffees already this summer.

The report suggests that the Magpies have ‘not given up hope’ of signing the young Englishman, with manager Eddie Howe potentially set to sanction the departure of Allan Saint-Maximin in order to fund the move.

As for the Merseysiders, they have already seen Richarlison join Tottenham Hotspur in a £60m deal while Dominic Calvert-Lewin is currently sidelined with injury, with Frank Lampard’s side already somewhat depleted with regards to forward options.

Gordon heir

That potential exit would appear a notable blow considering that Gordon had looked set to be a key figure at Goodison Park this season, starting the first two games of the campaign in a makeshift centre-forward role.

The local lad had enjoyed a real breakthrough campaign last time out, scoring four goals and providing two assists in 35 top-flight games, having forced his way into the first-team reckoning under both Lampard and his predecessor Rafa Benitez.

While he has the chance to blossom into a potential talisman for the club moving forward, it may prove difficult for the club to turn down what would be a hefty fee for a player who has made just 51 league appearances to date – particularly when they already have his possible heir lying in wait.

That potential replacement is that of 18-year-old Stanley Mills – son of defender-turned-pundit Danny Mills – with the teenager tipped to make a big impression after making his mark during the club’s pre-season tour of the United States.

A winger by trade, the youngster has been lauded by Lampard for his remarkable versatility, with the former England international stating that: “I think he can do wing-back, I think he can do a number eight in midfield, more central, a right-sided central midfield player, depending on how you are playing, and an aggressive right-back. He can run, every running session we are doing he’s right at the front. He can run all day.”

Also dubbed “outstanding” by U21 coach Paul Tait after netting a 54-minute hat-trick, the teenager is yet to make a first-team appearance for the club thus far, although the indication is that he could have a role to play this season, having been named on the bench in the opening two games of the Premier League season.

With Cup commitments to come, he will no doubt earn a debut sooner rather than later, although Gordon’s possible departure could speed up that process, with Lampard in need of another relentless and energetic asset in his attack should the more senior man make the switch to St James’ Park.

It would be a source of frustration to lose such a promising academy graduate to the Tynesiders, although in Mills, Everton potentially already have their next rare gem.