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Everton have had a hectic January transfer window, making three signings early in the month and sacking their manager, Rafa Benitez, soon after, with all the attention firmly on the appointment of the next manager, Moshiri could be lining up a last-minute bid that could add a fourth new player to the squad.

What’s the word?

According to TEAMtalk, Everton are one of the three Premier League clubs interested in signing Armando Broja, who is currently on loan at Southampton from Chelsea.

The Toffees reportedly join Leeds United and Wolverhampton Wanderers in the race to sign the 20-year-old striker, with just four days left to go in the January transfer window.

The report claims that Southampton are keen to keep Broja with them at St Mary’s, but with many Premier League clubs now showing interest in the youngster, it could be a challenge for them to hold onto him.

Lukaku 2.0

Everton are no strangers to attracting young Chelsea talent, with the potential signing of Broja similar to the £28m club-record signing at the time of Romelu Lukaku back in 2014, when the Belgian goal machine was just 21 years old.

Lukaku was a huge success at Everton, scoring 87 goals and bagging 29 assists in just 166 appearances for the club, with a goal involvement every 120 minutes for the Toffees, so the club could be onto their next Chelsea swoop to potentially emulate the success of their former striker.

The £8.1m-rated monster who was hailed “dangerous” by his current manager Ralph Hasenhuttl, has been making his mark on the Southampton team with 21 appearances and seven goals, five of those have been scored in the Premier League.

However, goals aren’t the only attribute that Broja has been excelling in, according to One Versus One the youngster has been using his 6 foot2 stature to impose himself on opponents, making 170 aerial challenges this season so far, and ranking 8th in the Premier League for completing aerial duels, proving that he is not afraid to get stuck into the game away from just scoring goals.

There has been real upset and aggravation amongst fans with a protest staged last night at Goodison Park, so bringing in young players with bags of potential could be a move for Moshiri that could potentially settle the current outrage.

That’s especially if Broja could come in and make an instant impact in changing the fate of the Toffees nightmare season, and helping the side climb back into a safe position in the Premier League table.

In other news: David Ornstein drops major Everton manager update

In recent comments cited by Birmingham Live, West Bromwich Albion manager Valerien Ismael suggested that, despite having played a bit-part role at The Hawthorns so far this season, Kenneth Zohore could well still have a role to play for the Baggies.

Speaking about the centre-forward’s standing in his squad ahead of the January transfer window, Ismael said: “At the minute it’s early – you never know what can happen. You see with Kean [Bryan], that situation. In the next game, there could be another situation and the player is involved in the game.

“Just patience, work, he wants to play every time with the U23s which is a good sign. He wants to stay in the rhythm. He trains well. He is our player so everyone needs to be involved, stay focused and involved and you never know.”

Zohore must go

While Ismael’s suggestion that Zohore could still prove to be a useful part of his Albion squad if one of his favoured forwards becomes unavailable due to injury or suspension is perhaps sensible, it is nevertheless an unavoidable fact that, so far in his West Brom career, the 27-year-old has simply not been good enough.

Indeed, after making an £8.01m move to the Baggies back in 2019, the £1.8m-rated man failed to impress over his 17 Championship appearances in his debut campaign, scoring three goals, providing no assists and missing four big chances, as well as hitting the target with an average of just 0.6 shots per game.

These returns saw the player who Neil Warnock once dubbed an “outstanding” talent average a SofaScore match rating of just 6.67, ranking him as Albion’s fourth-worst performer in the league that season.

The £16.5k-per-week striker then endured an equally disappointing loan spell at Millwall last year, scoring two goals over 17 Championship appearances for the Lions, before returning to The Hawthorns this summer.

Furthermore, so far this season, Zohore has found himself left out of each of Ismael’s matchday squads since the second fixture of the campaign against Luton Town, a fixture in which the 46-year-old Albion boss was furious with the 27-year-old’s efforts upon his introduction to the game.

As such, considering the 6 foot 3 striker’s below-par performances and rather hefty weekly wage, Ismael simply must axe the centre-forward this winter, as he is undoubtedly becoming something of a burden for the club.

In other news: West Brom confirm exciting development which is sure to leave Baggies fans buzzing

As per Juve Live, as also relayed and translated by Sport Witness, Fabio Paratici’s stance on signing Dejan Kulusevski for Tottenham Hotspur has become even more clear.

The Lowdown: Juve gearing for sale…

Italian reporter Niccolo Ceccarini has already shared news that the Old Lady are ‘ready’ to offload the Sweden international ‘as early as January’ to fund a swoop for Fiorentina star Dusan Vlahovic (Twitter).

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This comes amid reports that he is a serious transfer target for Tottenham, with Tuttosport (via SW) recently claiming that Antonio Conte’s side are in pole position.

Another journalist in Daniele Longo, meanwhile, recently revealed that contact has been made for Kulusevski and Spurs may be boosted further by another development courtesy of Juve Live.

The Latest: Paratici would ‘gladly’ sign Kulusevski…

As per the website, relayed by SW, their managing director Paratici would ‘gladly’ sign the 21-year-old for Conte at Tottenham.

Italian sides cannot afford his minimum €30 million (£25.4m) price tag, opening the door for interested Premier League and La Liga sides to swoop.

However, north London rivals Arsenal are also genuine contenders from England’s top flight, meaning Spurs, Paratici and Conte may face stern competition.

The Verdict: Good option…

Lauded as ‘explosive’ by former Sweden striker Marcus Allback, the winger can also operate as an ‘advanced playmaker’ according to Football Talent Scout – potentially earmarking him as a possible candidate to replicate Christian Eriksen’s past influence.

It is no secret that Tottenham have missed the Dane since his 2020 departure to Inter Milan and Kulusevski could come as a fairly shrewd heir given his affordable £25.4m fee.

Over the 2019/2020 campaign, his best season in Serie A to date, the ex-Parma man averaged an impressive 2.2 key passes and 2.1 completed dribbles per 90 – emulating Eriksen’s numbers somewhat during his time at Spurs (WhoScored).

The case is there for Paratici to make a move, but only time will tell whether Spurs can win the race.

In other news: ‘Coming from Tottenham’…Journalist makes exciting transfer claim with ‘biggest offer’ on the table, find out more here.

Wolves shouldn’t consider making a move for Tottenham midfielder Dele Alli in the January transfer window, according to journalist Luke Hatfield.

The Lowdown: Alli linked with Spurs exit

The 25-year-old’s stock has fallen rapidly in recent years, going from one of England’s World Cup stars in 2018 to an outcast at Spurs.

Alli could leave the north London club in January in order to earn more playing time, considering that he has only started six Premier League games this season, and none since the end of September.

While Wolves haven’t officially been linked with a move for the midfielder, Paul Merson recently said on Sky Sports (via Molineux News) that the Old Gold should consider him as a prospective signing.

The Latest: Hatfield plays down interest

Alas, Hatfield has been quick to play down this potential transfer. Speaking to Give Me Sport, the journalist had no doubt that Alli would jump at the chance to join Wanderers but doubted that it would work out well for the Black Country outfit

He said: “It wouldn’t work if you’re Wolves. I could understand it from the player’s perspective because he’d want to go to a club where they’re not worried about relegation.”

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The Verdict: Not worth the risk

It is sad to see what has happened to Alli’s career, given the potential he had as a teenager, but the fire in him appears to have gone out, despite being hailed as a ‘machine’ by Rio Ferdinand.

While the 25-year-old’s natural talent is undeniable – he once scored 18 goals in a Premier League season in north London – he simply isn’t worth the risk for Wolves, with far too many ineffective performances thrown in for Tottenham under the likes of Jose Mourinho and Nuno Espirito Santo.

Alli has only scored three league goals since the beginning of last season, which sums up his struggles considering that he is an attack-minded player, and he hasn’t completed 90 minutes in a league outing since September. When you also factor in criticism of his application at times, it’s easy to see why Hatfield has his reservations about the Spurs playmaker succeeding at Molineux.

In other news, some Wolves fans are buzzing over an injury update. Read more here.

Having been allowed to leave Aston Villa on loan in the January transfer window, it’s fair to say Conor Hourihane is doing his best to remind those at his parent club why he should have been kept.

The Republic of Ireland international had struggled to get much game-time at Villa Park in the first half of the season in the Premier League, playing just 228 minutes of top-flight football before his departure for Swansea.

Speaking in his pre-match press conference ahead of a game against West Ham earlier this season, Villa manager Dean Smith was quick to acknowledge that it was difficult for Hourihane. He said: “Conversations can be difficult but if you’re just speaking to the players with honesty then you usually find a way through that.

“We’d played two, won two and Conor had come off in both games. We signed Ross and I felt we needed to go a different way against Liverpool given who we were playing against. I explained that to Conor and, yes, he was disappointed because he had been involved in the first two games but we felt we’d brought in a real, high-calibre, different type of player.”

Now on loan at the Liberty Stadium, Hourihane is underlining just what a talented player he is on his day, already racking up five goals in just 12 games in the Championship.

It’s no surprise that Steve Cooper, his manager at Swansea, has raved about the Irishman, saying: “He’s been so impressive from the day he’s come through the door, which wasn’t that long ago. I thought his composure and quality on the ball is what we want it to be. If that’s the start of things to come then happy days.”

Last summer, Villa journalist Dan Bardell waxed lyrical about the midfielder’s ability following an impressive performance in a 2-0 win over Crystal Palace towards the end of the 2019/20 season.

He said: “Whether you rate Conor (Hourihane) or whether you don’t, and obviously we’re two people that rate him highly, you can’t deny that when he’s on the pitch, we’ve looked better this season. And he’s a weapon from set pieces.

“The way he looks after the ball is very underrated as well. I think a lot of people take that for granted.”

Given how well he has performed for Swansea in the short time he has been there, and the troubles which Villa themselves have faced in recent weeks (they’ve managed just three goals in their past five games), Smith must surely be ruing letting the 1.81m-tall (5 foot 11) Hourihane leave in January.

Meanwhile, Villa are making a big mistake over signing this midfielder…

Southampton are reportedly interested in signing Hatayspor forward Aaron Boupendza this summer and, if he makes the move to the south coast club, he could prove to be their next Sadio Mane.

According to a report from 90min, a host of Premier League clubs including Southampton, Spurs, Leicester City, West Ham, Newcastle United, Crystal Palace, Brighton and Wolves are interested in signing the 24-year-old this summer, whilst Rangers and Celtic are also said to be keen.

The report suggests that Boupendza’s priority is to move to the Premier League and that the Turkish club would be willing to sell if anyone meets their asking price of £8.5m.

The Gabon international is a relatively new arrival at Hatayspor, having joined on a free transfer from Bordeaux last summer, but it appears as if he could be on the move again this year after an impressive debut campaign in Turkey.

In 26 league appearances, the forward – who can play as both a left-winger and a striker – has managed an impressive 18 goals, so it is no surprise that he is attracting interest from across Europe.

Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side have been extremely reliant on the goals of Danny Ings and Che Adams for the past two seasons, and although James Ward-Prowse steps up with the occasional goal from midfield, the goal contributions from the wingers are far from good enough.

The two main culprits here are arguably Nathan Redmond and Moussa Djenepo, with the two left-wingers having scored just two Premier League goals between them this season.

A prolific winger is something Southampton have arguably lacked since Mane was sold to Liverpool in 2016, with the Senegalese forward having contributed 25 goals and 14 assists in 75 appearances during his time at St Mary’s.

There are a lot of similarities between the transfer which saw Southampton sign Mane and the potential deal for Boupendza, as the Liverpool man moved to RB Salzburg after a disappointing spell in France before completing a £20m move to the Saints after impressing in a fairly obscure footballing league.

Like Mane, Boupendza likes to cut in from the left, with WhoScored suggesting that his dribbling and finishing are two of his main strengths, so again it is easy to see the likeness to Mane.

Therefore, CEO Martin Semmens should definitely push for Southampton to sign the Gabon international this summer, as it could prove to be a masterstroke if they end up with a player similar to Mane on their books.

In other news… Southampton potentially signing 11-goal beast could be bad news for 22 y/o Ralph loves.

A big Newcastle United update has emerged on Brentford striker Ivan Toney… 

What’s the talk?

According to 90min, the Magpies are one of the teams showing an interest in signing the English centre-forward at the end of the season.

The report claims that it would cost a sizeable fee of around £50m to prise him away from the London club, with Arsenal, Everton and West Ham also keen on him.

Meanwhile, a Football Insider source suggests an asking price of £30m has been slapped on his shoulders with Newcastle keeping tabs.

Imagine him & Allan Saint-Maximin

By signing the Bees frontman this summer, Eddie Howe can seal a dream duo by pairing him with French attacker Saint-Maximin.

Toney has shown, this season, that he can thrive as part of a two-pronged attack as he has built an exciting relationship with Bryan Mbuemo. The Brentford pair have 16 goals and 11 assists in the Premier League between them and this shows that they have been superb together in the top flight.

Since making the jump up from the Championship, the Englishman has taken to the division like a duck to water – earning plenty of plaudits along the way.

Bees boss Thomas Frank has been effusive in his praise of the goal machine. He said:

“Ivan is very intelligent, because he’s reflecting, and he deserves a lot of praise himself for also coming into a well-run club and listening to all the small bits and adding extra layers to his development and performance.

“If you want to be a top player you need to work hard, constantly reflect and want to learn and then of course you need to have that confidence that he’s got so naturally.He’s coming across so fantastically: he’s humble, calm, but with a mindset of a lion.”

His statistics back up the acclaim as he has produced 12 goals and four assists in 27 league starts, averaging a sublime SofaScore rating of 7.33. He has been able to regularly provide quality on the pitch and still has room to improve at the age of 26, which is why he can be a fantastic signing for the Magpies.

Now, imagine him lining up alongside Saint-Maximin in black and white. The French winger has five goals and three assists in the Premier League and has created 1.4 chances per game. This suggests that he can supply Toney with the opportunities he needs to find the back of the net, whilst Toney’s assists suggest he can also put the ex-Nice man into positions to score for himself. Simply mouthwatering.

AND in other news, Howe can unearth his own Ginola in Newcastle’s rarely-seen 19 y/o “bright talent”…

Italian football journalist Fabrizio Romano has recently suggested that Liverpool are working to extend the contract of Virgil van Dijk and will open negotiations with the Dutch international this year.

The 29-year-old defender has well and truly established himself as one of the world’s best in his position since joining from Southampton in January 2018, as he came second in the Ballon d’Or awards in 2019, with Lionel Messi beating him to the award.

The centre-back was instrumental in Liverpool’s title win last season, as he appeared in every single Premier League match, scoring five goals and averaging an incredible 7.32 rating.

Unfortunately, a shocking tackle from Jordan Pickford resulted in the defender damaging his cruciate ligament in October 2020, ruling him out for much of Liverpool’s 2020/21 season but he is making strong progress in the gym and could well make a return before the end of the current campaign.

Despite this injury, which may result in the former Celtic man no longer being the same type of player, the Reds must prioritise tying him down to a new deal this year, as his current deal is set to expire in 2023, and this new contract would surely see him stay with the Reds for the rest of his peak playing days.

Whilst Liverpool are said to be in negotiations with Georginio Wijnaldum over a new deal, as his contract expires in the summer, the former Newcastle man is far more replaceable than Van Dijk is.

The 30-year-old has disappointed with his performances this season, averaging a 6.66 rating for his performances in the top-flight, with fellow midfielders Jordan Henderson, Naby Keita, Fabinho and Thiago all rated higher, whilst young Curtis Jones is narrowly behind, suggesting that he would not be missed if he left this summer.

Meanwhile, both Real Madrid and Barcelona have been linked with Van Dijk in the past and if he is able to rediscover his form from last season when he returns from injury, it would not be a surprise to see those transfer links resurface.

Therefore, extending the £72 million-rated centre-back’s contract must be a priority for Liverpool, as he is clearly a huge part of the way Liverpool play, evidenced by him winning the Premier League player of the year last season following the title win.

And, in other news, 10 duels won: LFC target’s monstrous weekend display proves that Edwards must swoop…

With Wolves’ season essentially done and dusted for another year, the focus at Molineux is on next campaign.

Nuno Santo has already made it clear that he wants the club to plan better for the transfer market and with nothing left to play for this term, they should have no trouble making early preparations.

What’s the word?

Equally as important as signing new players will be to keep the ones they already have.

Pedro Neto has been regularly linked with the exit door while another player who could be heading for the departure lounge is Adama Traore.

Wolves have been growing frustrated over his contract talks with an update a few weeks ago revealing the Old Gold hadn’t met his demands.

However, reporter Tim Spiers had an exciting update for supporters on Tuesday, announcing some fresh details on where Traore and the club stood.

In his latest column for The Athletic, he wrote that talks had moved from ‘deadlocked’ to ‘ongoing’.

There is still a difference in opinion over the Spaniard’s salary demands but Wolves feel as though they’re in a strong position at the negotiating table.

Nuno will be thrilled

If contract talks are being moved on again, then it should be music to the ears of the Wolves boss.

After all, the last thing he wants is another of the club’s major players departing when the transfer window opens next month.

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Last summer was an arduous one for the Molineux outfit as they saw a whopping 25% of their goals wiped away. Matt Doherty left for Tottenham while Diogo Jota completed a big-money move to Liverpool.

Keeping Adama, therefore, is absolutely imperative.

He has only scored two goals this season but he is still one of the most exciting players in the entire Premier League.

Covered in a thick and shiny coating of baby oil, the flying winger is incredibly difficult to stop when he gets going, combining electric speed with tricky dribbling.

No player in the Premier League has completed more than his 143 dribbles throughout the current campaign. He is ahead of the next player by 48, succeeding with 4.1 take-ons per match.

Those numbers are remarkable and if they lost him, Wolves would be without a player who can create a moment of magic from nowhere.

Once Dubbed “unplayable” by Jurgen Klopp, he’s caught the eye of plenty in the top-flight with Leeds in particular strongly attracted to him.

Thus, if he fails to pen fresh terms in the Midlands, there’s every chance he’d be causing danger against Wolves, rather than for them.

For Nuno and Fosun, that would be simply disastrous. They must keep him at all costs.

AND in other news, Wolves could sign the next Van Dijk in 6ft3 colossus who’s “physically very strong”…

Sheffield United’s hopes of signing Ryan Gauld this summer have taken a blow after Southampton joined the race to sign the Scottish midfielder, with reports suggesting that he would prefer a move to St Mary’s.

Sheffield United were one of several sides including Norwich City, Brighton, Blackburn Rovers, Swansea City and Brentford to be linked with a move for the former Sporting Lisbon man recently.

However, the Daily Record have now claimed that Southampton have also registered an interest in the 25-year-old, who would be happy to join Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side in order to link up with Scottish compatriot and fellow former Dundee United man Stuart Armstrong.

The 25-year-old has enjoyed a superb campaign with SC Farense in the Portuguese top-flight but will be a free agent this summer when his contract at Estadio de São Luís expires, so it is no surprise that so many sides including the Blades are keen on signing him.

In 33 Liga NOS appearances this season, the Scottish midfielder has contributed an impressive nine goals and seven assists, earning a superb 7.19 average rating from WhoScored.

Considering this is more goals and assists than any Sheffield United player has managed this season, it is clear they need a player of Gauld’s ilk ahead of next season in the Championship, otherwise a return to the Premier League is looking extremely unlikely.

One of Gauld’s coaches at Farense was full of praise for him recently, dubbing him a “top player”, and considering he will be available on a free transfer, he looks to be a must-have for Sheffield United this summer if they want to improve their squad, so it is definitely a blow that an established Premier League side like Southampton have seemingly joined the race.

Therefore, current sporting director Jan van Winckel must act quickly if is going to be able to convince Gauld to make the switch to Bramall Lane this summer, as otherwise, it seems clear that he will be snapped up by another Premier League or Championship club.

And, in other news… Sheffield United handed huge boost with “shining light”, Blades fans will be buzzing