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Sunderland and Elliot Embleton’s representatives have started talks over a new contract at the club for the midfielder, according to Sunderland Echo journalist Phil Smith.

The Lowdown: Emerging talent

The 22-year-old has become a key figure in the Black Cats’ squad this season after helping Blackpool earn promotion to the Championship last term with two goals and four assists in 21 appearances while on loan at Bloomfield Road.

This season, the midfielder has already contributed to five goals (two goals and three assists) in eight League One games as Lee Johnson’s men sit top of the table, but his contract is set to expire at the end of the current campaign.

The Latest: New contract

According to Smith, who was talking on a Q&A for the Sunderland Echo, Embleton’s contract situation is a priority for the club.

The journalist said: “Elliot Embleton is the obvious priority and Sunderland have already made moves to start that process. Krisjaan Speakman is understood to have started talks with his representatives and at the moment, there seems to be a will on all sides to get that done.

“It’s by far the most important contract to get sorted at this stage, both in terms of protecting a real asset and also in retaining a player who has quickly become central to Lee Johnson’s plans.”

The Verdict: Needs to be done

Embleton showcased his talents last season for Blackpool and has continued his fine form into the current campaign since moving to the Stadium of Light. The midfielder has completed 81% of his passes and, as highlighted above, been a regular source of goals in terms of scoring them or setting them up, quickly justifying why the Wearsiders wanted to bring him in.

The left winger has formed a good partnership with Alex Pritchard and Aiden McGeady in Johnson’s 4-2-3-1 formation and has been a strong factor as to why they sit top of the table early in the campaign. Hopefully club and player can quickly come to a satisfactory resolution in contract talks, thereby securing his future at Sunderland for another few years.

In other news, Sunderland have received a boost ahead of this weekend’s game with Portsmouth. Find out more here.

Manchester United are reportedly one of several Premier League clubs who have enquired about Atletico Madrid forward Joao Felix as the January transfer window fast approaches.

What’s the story?

According to Spanish outlet AS, the Red Devils are interested in securing the highly-rated 22-year-old’s services over the coming months, although there is set to be a four-way tussle for his signature.

The report states that fierce rivals Liverpool, Arsenal and Newcastle United are also keen to prise Felix away from the Wanda Metropolitano Stadium, with the Magpies currently offering the highest fee following their Saudi-backed takeover.

Joao Felix could be outstanding for Man Utd

Felix burst onto the scene during 2018/19 after rising through the ranks at Benfica, scoring 20 goals and providing a further 11 assists in just 43 appearances as he fired the Eagles to the Primeira Liga title.

His outstanding exploits for the capital club saw him claim the Golden Boy award at the end of the year, awarded to the most promising player under the age of 21, seeing off competition from Jadon Sancho and Kai Havertz.

It capped a magnificent year for the Portugal international, who also became the fifth most expensive player in history behind Neymar, Kylian Mbappe, Philippe Coutinho and Ousmane Dembele after sealing a €126 million (£113m) switch to Atleti in July 2019.

However, the youngster has struggled to replicate his best form since switching to Spain, replicating his goals and assists output from his Benfica days in over double the number of outings.

Despite his struggles, though, Felix has still shown flashes of his truly world-class potential, with manager Diego Simeone hailing a particularly eye-catching display as “complete”, while Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp dubbed him “outstanding” ahead of a Champions League clash.

But there is no denying the fact that the £63m-rated gem has fallen down Simeone’s pecking order at Los Rojiblancos over the last 18 months.

During Atleti’s title-winning campaign last term, Felix started just 14 La Liga fixtures, and the return of Antoine Greizzman has seen his game time reduced even further this time around, opening the door to an imminent exit.

A fresh start at United under the tutelage of Ralf Rangnick could be the ideal scenario to get Felix’s career back on track then, and there’s no doubt he could flourish once more at Old Trafford due to the German tactician’s reputation with young stars.

And, in other news…Forget Greenwood: Man United beast who won 82% duels took his chance vs Young Boys

Journalist James Pearce has waxed lyrical over Thiago’s superb performance in Liverpool’s 3-2 win over Manchester City on Saturday.

The Lowdown: Thiago immense in Liverpool win

The Reds beat their title rivals at Wembley in a pulsating clash, with Jurgen Klopp’s men holding on late in the day to reach their first FA Cup final under the German.

On a day full of outstanding individual performances, Thiago was undoubtedly one of the star men, producing a sensational display in the middle of the park.

The Spaniard enjoyed a 90% pass completion rate, according to Sofascore, and also played six out of seven accurate long balls and won eight out of nine ground duels.

The Latest: Pearce lauds Spaniard

Someone who was clearly impressed with what he saw was The Athletic’s Pearce, who took to Twitter to laud the midfielder:

“Thiago was so good yesterday. You could see what it meant to him after the heartbreak of missing out on Wembley in the Carabao Cup final. Such a special player.”

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The Verdict: Truly special player

Thiago’s performance was a joy to watch all afternoon, with the 31-year-old showing exactly why he is arguably one of the best midfielders of his generation.

The level of control he brought was huge in Liverpool outplaying City and he produced some moments of magic, not least one outrageous pass to Mohamed Salah.

Thiago staying fit is vital to the Reds’ hopes of winning the quadruple this season, with the three-man midfield of himself, Fabinho and Naby Keita beginning to purr together.

In other news, one Liverpool player is reportedly on the verge of joining another club. Find out who it is here.

Pundit Kevin Campbell believes Celtic goalkeeper Vasilis Barkas could seal a late Parkhead exit, Football Insider report.

The Lowdown: Blades interest

Sheffield United recently showed an interest in the Greek shot-stopper, who has featured just twice under Ange Postecoglou this season.

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However, the Blades pulled out of a possible loan move following talks with the Hoops. Reports suggested that Celtic wanted a loan fee and for Sheffield United to cover the goalkeeper’s £20,000-a-week wage, while they also wanted to place a £2.5m option-to-buy in any loan deal, along with a sell-on clause.

Despite a breakdown in talks, Campbell feels a move to Bramall Lane could still be on the cards.

The Latest: Campbell’s comments

Campbell, who features on Sky Sports, was talking to Football Insider regarding Barkas.

He feels a move to Yorkshire could still materialise in the final days of the winter window.

“A decision is going to have to be made.

“Sheffield United and Celtic are going to have to come to a compromise because at the moment Celtic are looking to lighten the load on a signing that hasn’t worked out.

“Watch this space, because that deal could go right down to the wire.”

The Verdict: Unlikely

The Blades were seemingly after a new goalkeeper after loanee Robin Olsen cut his stay in Yorkshire short to join Steven Gerrard at Aston Villa.

Barkas could well have been an option for Paul Heckingbottom’s side, however, they have since signed Adam Davies from Stoke City.

That leaves them with Davies, Wes Foderingham and Jake Eastwood as goalkeeping options, so a move for Barkas doesn’t look likely.

Hopefully, the Hoops can move Barkas and his high wages on before Monday, so it could be one to keep an eye on, but we’re not so sure it’ll be to Sheffield.

Leeds United appear to be closing in on bringing former midfielder Ronaldo Vieira back to Elland Road, according to Italian outlet Club Doria 46.

The Lowdown: Vieira’s injury issues

Marcelo Bielsa has a number of his Leeds United players out through injury at this moment in time, including two of his four midfielders in Kalvin Phillips and Jamie Shackleton.

However, Vieira, once labelled as ‘different class’ by Ian Holloway, has also had his injury issues. The 23-year-old made just four Serie A appearances last season due to hamstring and thigh problems and is yet to turn out for Sampdoria during the 2021/22 season.

Despite this, it seems as if he could be about to move back to the Whites, more than three years after he was sold.

The Latest: Vieira ready to return home

Club Doria 46 provided an update regarding Vieira ahead of the January transfer window, which was relayed by Sports Witness on Wednesday.

They claimed that Vieira is ‘ready to return home’, with a move back to Leeds, owned by Andrea Radrizzani, ‘approaching’.

The report adds that Vieira ‘packs his bags’ ahead of a Sampdoria exit, where Leeds ‘awaits him’.

The Verdict: First January signing?

It seems as if Vieira could well become the club’s first signing of 2022 following this update, but it could well be a risky move due to his injury issues over the last 18 months.

Bielsa needs a midfielder who can come in and hit the ground running in the second half of the season, especially with the Whites short on numbers and flirting with relegation.

Leeds will know all about Vieira’s attributes, however, he’s hardly featured over the last two seasons. Adam Forshaw has proven that you can return from a lengthy spell on the sidelines and become a regular in the Premier League, so should Vieira move back to Yorkshire, the Whites will have everything crossed he can stay fit.

In other news: ‘Unbelievable’ Leeds man may now need an operation after injury and could miss 12 games – expert. 

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Chelsea progressed to the fifth round of the FA Cup with a routine over Championship outfit Sheffield Wednesday on Sunday and, while the victory was against weaker opposition, the performance of one Blues man has got Arsenal fans dreaming of a shock swoop, while others have bemoaned the lack of such a player at the Emirates Stadium.

Callum Hudson-Odoi has been featuring heavily this month, although not in the way he would have hoped – as opposed to getting regular minutes from Maurizio Sarri, the youngster has been a popular name amongst the papers and outlets who have been linking him with a move away from the capital.

The Stamford Bridge outfit could face losing yet another talented youngster and they hardly did themselves any favours in their bid to keep him satisfied that first-team opportunities are to come his way as the club completed a deal for Borussia Dortmund winger Christian Pulisic.

Arsenal, meanwhile, have had a quiet window, but recent reports linking them with a move for Inter’s Ivan Perisic have surely raised the hopes of fans who were told that loan signings were the only possibility in terms of January transfers.

However, as Hudson-Odoi capitalised on a rare start against The Owls on Sunday – he scored and looked threatening throughout – many of the Gunners faithful are calling for the interest in 30-year-old Perisic to be dropped; others commended the Londoner’s performance and compared his quality to players already at the club.

Arsene Wenger is back and he’s not happy with what’s going on at Arsenal. Check out the hilarious parody video by 442oons above…

You can check out the best reaction on Twitter below…

Many Everton fans have been left fuming over some early team news ahead of their game at home to Watford in the Premier League this afternoon.

Speaking in his pre-game press conference ahead of the match against the Hornets at Goodison Park, Rafa Benitez has revealed that Yerry Mina will now miss it, as he has to follow COVID protocols after coming back from international duty with Colombia, while he also felt a tight hamstring in training.

This comes after separate injury setbacks to Abdoulaye Doucoure and Dominic Calvert-Lewin, meaning that the Merseyside club will now have to try and find a way to get all three points without three key members of their squad.

Mina’s importance can be highlighted when the Toffees conceded a goal from a set piece against West Ham United at home last time out to lose 1-0, as the six-foot-five-inches tall central defender certainly gives them a threat in both boxes.

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Everton fans on Mina injury news

These Blues supporters fumed as the team news was shared on Twitter:

“We’re actually gonna get hammered”

Credit: @blue_toffees

“It goes from bad to worse to even worse”

Credit: @victoriacarlin_

“Can’t wait for a 3-0 drubbing against Watford”

Credit: @Day89

“Circus. The club is a joke.”

Credit: @SteveDow1

“Hands up if your club’s a joke”

Credit: @EFCTanya

“Hate my life”

Credit: @morganxcollins

In other news, find out what club news has Evertonians buzzing here!

Rangers had no issue getting past their opposition in their latest SPFL match on Saturday with a 3-0 win thanks to goals from Alfredo Morelos, Joe Aribo and an own goal from Ryan Sweeney.

Other than Morelos and Aribo, one Rangers player that featured in the win over Dundee at Ibrox that deserves a lot of credit for his performance today was left-back Borna Barisic.

With 90 minutes under his belt on this occasion, Barisic showed Rangers manager Giovanni van Bronckhorst just what a crucial figure he can be for the team in a defensive and attacking regard.

From a defensive point of view, Barisic managed to make one tackle, one interception and five tackles as well as winning all six of the duels he was involved in, showing just how vital he was in Rangers keeping a clean sheet on this occasion.

In an attacking sense, Barisic also managed to show off his talents by making two key passes, two accurate crosses and having one shot on target, showing how he ran the show for Rangers up and down the pitch today.

This overall display earned the defender an impressive overall match rating of 8.1/10, making him the joint-second highest rated Rangers player on the day according to SofaScore.

FootballScotland also picked up on the full-back’s solid display by saying that he “provided a good outlet on the left-flank and supported [Fashion] Sakala well.”

With Barisic being praised in the past by former Rangers midfielder Alex Rae for having “terrific quality,” the defender certainly had that quality on display this afternoon for everyone to see.

Looking at the season so far as a whole, with 18 appearances and two assists under his belt across all competitions, this shows just how important he is for Rangers and how significant he can be under van Bronckhorst going forward.

Additionally, with his performances in the nine league appearances he’s made this season earning Barisic an overall rating of 7.27/10, making him Rangers’ third-highest rated player according to WhoScored, this shows just how impressive he has been for them.

Moving forward, if Barisic can continue delivering performances like the one he produced this weekend, he could give Rangers a great chance of securing the league title once again by keeping the team sturdy at the back but dangerous going forward as well.

In other news: Big boost: Rangers receive fresh injury update which is sure to have fans buzzing – opinion

According to journalist Adam White (via Give Me Sport), Lille attacker Jonathan David would be a ‘statement signing’ for West Ham if they are able to secure his signature in the January window.

The Lowdown: Hammers interested in David

Reliable source ExWHUemployee previously claimed that West Ham are interested in the signing of prolific Ligue 1 striker David, who has netted 12 league goals in 19 appearances this season.

However, he further downplayed this rumour by stating that the likes of Real Madrid, Barcelona and Liverpool are also interested in the player.

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Despite this, the Mail on Sunday have reported renewed interest in the signing, which came to excite a lot of Hammers fans, with many having tipped the club to sign another striker to rival Michail Antonio.

The Latest: White thrilled by links

Considering the European giants who are reportedly interested in David, White thinks it would be extremely impressive if the Hammers were to pull off the signing.

Speaking to Give Me Sport, White claimed: “It would be a huge statement signing given the clubs that are interested.”

This arises after Jeunes Footeux have revealed that a move for David would cost £45million; the same fee that the Irons paid for current Ajax star Sebastien Haller.

The Verdict: Incredible but unlikely?

Whilst he was playing in the Belgian league, former Gent manager Hein Vanhaezebrouck described David as ‘a phenomenon’ and further claimed that he was ‘the best player in the country’.

The striker is Lille’s top scorer by some margin this season, having netted eight more than second place Burak Yilmaz. He is as equally prolific on the international stage, having totalled 18 goals in 24 appearances for the Canadian national team.

David’s qualities are evidently clear. However, this has never been a debate for the Hammers. What David Moyes will be worried about is whether they can compete with the European giants, as they set to battle it out for the player’s signature.

Even if they can convince the promising young forward to join, then comes the price tag – can we really expect GSB to shell out another fee similar to the one they spent on Haller after how that went?

In other news, West Ham allegedly have their eyes on a player who Zinedine Zidane rates extremely highly…

Tottenham Hotspur have been linked with a move for Juventus star Paulo Dybala upon the expiry of his contract in the summer, but the north London club are waiting on Fabio Paratici to green-light the transfer.

The Lowdown: Dybala’s situation at Juventus

With just a few months remaining on his Juventus contract, the 28-year-old has been at the centre of various transfer rumours amid his negotiations over a new deal with the Turin club.

However, according to reliable journalist Fabrizio Romano, the Argentine failed to agree terms with the Serie A outfit, so the forward is set to leave in the summer.

This has since sparked huge interest in the player, with many clubs across Europe on full alert for the potential signing of the £36m-rated hitman.

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The Latest: Paratici waiting

According to journalist Niccolo Ceccarini (via Sport Witness), Tottenham are ‘at the window’ for Dybala this summer, as he prepares for a move away from Juventus. However, Ceccarini further reported that there will be a ‘phase of waiting’ before the striker makes a decision over his future.

Spurs have been named as one of the most likely suitors, given that Lilywhites chief Paratici was the man to sign Dybala for Juventus.

Alongside Atletico Madrid, Tottenham remain ‘at the window’, which suggests that Paratici is eyeing up a deal from the outside before committing to making a move for the player.

The Verdict: Quality player

Having totalled a sensational 113 goals and 48 assists in 283 appearances for Juventus, Dybala is certainly not short of talent. Hailed by a group of legends – including the likes of Michael Laudrup and Alessandro Del Piero – as a “special” talent, the Argentine’s contract situation will have alerted some of the biggest clubs across Europe to his availability.

With the fact that he will be available on a free transfer, several clubs appear to be lining up to secure the player’s signature. However, the likes of Tottenham may be wary of his salary demands, as he currently earns a staggering £220,000 per week. By comparison, Spurs’ highest earner Harry Kane takes home £200,000 every week.

Either way, the race to sign Dybala will be a hard-fought battle. For Tottenham, it could all come down to whether or not Paratici gives it the go-ahead.

In other news: Tottenham Hotspur: Conte now wants to keep Lucas Moura