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According to The Daily Mail, Southampton are preparing to launch a £10 million offer for Genk right-back Joakim Maehle.

What’s the story?

Ralph Hasenhuttl is apparently lining up Maehle as a replacement for Cedric Soares and to provide cover for impressive youngster Yan Valery, as per The Dail Mail. 

Maehle has been in fine form so far this season. According to Transfermarkt’s statistics, the 21-year-old has racked up two goals and seven assists in 36 appearances in all competitions. 

Be sure to check out the incredible story of the man who rose from a Tanzanian refugee camp to become one of Australia’s biggest football stars in the video below…

By contrast – as per Transfermarkt’s stats – Cedric has registered just two goals and ten assists in his 119 games as a Southampton player to date.

Maehle, then, potentially offers a great upgrade in terms of producing in the final third for the south coast club, making him an exciting potential replacement for the Euro 2016 winner.

More than a back-up option

Since Hasenhuttl’s arrival at St Mary’s Stadium, 19-year-old Valery has been entrusted with regular game time as the first team right-back. The French teenager has excelled in this role, and The Daily Mail state that Maehle’s arrival could simply be to provide cover for Valery.

However, considering the Denmark under-21 international looks set to cost Southampton £10 million, it would be surprising if Hasenhuttl only saw him as a back-up option for a teenager. Maehle himself will have designs on forcing his way into the Saints’ starting XI, and he certainly has the capacity to shine in the Premier League.

Valery will have to up his game even more in order to rise above Maehle in the pecking order.

Giorgos Giakoumakis’ latest injury setback may only strengthen Ange Postecoglou’s desire to bring in Daizen Maeda in January, The Celtic Way’s Tony Haggerty writes.

The lowdown

Summer signing Giakoumakis missed Saturday’s Scottish League Cup semifinal against St Johnstone after struggling with a knee issue during the international break.

The Greek international has been limited to just two league starts since joining from VVV-Venlo.

And Celtic have begun looking for alternative forward options, with Yokohama F Marinos striker Maeda on their radar.

The £990,000-rated 24-year-old has banged in 21 goals in 38 appearances this season (via Transfermarkt).

The latest

Giakoumakis’ knee problem will, Haggerty reckons, ‘set alarm bells ringing with Ange and the supporters’.

In his opinion, it makes Postecoglou all the more likely to request the signing of Maeda in the mid-season market.

It would be ‘no surprise’ to see him join the Celtic ranks at the turn of the year, generating ‘stiff competition’ for places.

The verdict

Celtic are aware of what Giakoumakis is capable of. They brought him in off the back of a 26-goal, Golden-Boot winning campaign in the Netherlands.

But that ability will count for little without availability, and this week’s setback is by no means the first for Giakoumakis.

The worry now, if this transfer materialises, is that he slips to third in the pecking order behind Kyogo Furuhashi and Maeda, meaning he might struggle to get the run of games he needs to build up sharpness.

In other news, the Hoops are still keen on this EFL target. 

Southampton will be hoping to get their first win in three against Leicester City tonight at St Mary’s, as they attempt to escape the jaws of the relegation zone.

Currently sitting in 16th and just four points clear of the drop, Ralph Hasenhuttl has a lot of work to do to get back to safety and sit comfortably in the Premier League, to ensure the Saints are playing top-flight football next season.

Luckily for Hasenhuttl, Leicester City are showing huge inconsistencies in their form this season, winning only two of their last five games, where Southampton could capitalise on the Foxes shaky form.

One player who should be getting in the starting line up this evening is Nathan Redmond.

Southampton set up with a surprising 3-4-3 against Liverpool last weekend, where the manager changed the formation in an attempt to go into the Anfield clash all guns blazing on the attack.

However, the tactic fell flat very quickly and Southampton found themselves 3-0 down at half time. It was at this point that Hasenhuttl brought on Nathan Redmond, changing the formation back to 4-3-3.

As a result of the systematic swap and the addition of Redmond, the team were able to handle Liverpool a bit better, maintaining some damage control, only conceding one goal in the second half and creating a few chances themselves for the first time in the game.

Hasenhuttl must unleash the £16.2m-rated attacker against Leicester because if you keep a review from Danny Ings in mind, he could torment the Foxes. He once commented:

“Redders has got absolute quality and everybody knows that.”

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Redmond offers experience and presence in the Southampton team like no other, which will really help to boost and motivate the forward line going into their tough challenge for three points against Leicester City.

The forward has scored one goal and assisted his teammates three times in his twelve appearances for Southampton this season, in all competitions with his influence and selflessness on the ball to find goal-scoring opportunities for his team could be crucial in winning the much needed three points tonight.

With Adam Armstrong struggling last time out, missing a gilt-edged chance from a matter of yards out, perhaps it’s he who should be dislodged from the starting XI. The decision from Hasenhuttl could just prove game-changing in their pursuit of three points.

In other news: Southampton linked with Ben Brereton Diaz transfer

Aston Villa target Joe Gomez is ‘staying at Liverpool’, Pete O’Rourke has told Give Me Sport.

The lowdown

The Athletic’s Gregg Evans wrote earlier this month that Gomez is a player Villa ‘like’.

The Englishman has found game time hard to come by at Anfield this season, with just 11 appearances (four starts) under his belt.

Virgil van Dijk, Joel Matip and Ibrahima Konate all appear to be ahead of him in the pecking order.

Gomez is valued at £22.5million by Transfermarkt and his £75,000-per-week contract still has two and a half years to run.

The latest

O’Rourke has learned that Liverpool have absolutely no plans to offload Gomez at this stage.

“From what I’ve been told, Joe Gomez is staying at Liverpool, he won’t be going anywhere,” he told GMS when asked about the possibility of a deal by Johan Lange.

The verdict

Gomez would have been an excellent signing for Villa. In the words of Jurgen Klopp, he’s a ‘sensational’ player with ‘outstanding speed’.

He’s still only 24, so while he’s struggled for minutes this season, the Reds may well view him as part of their long-term plans. And, unless Liverpool’s stance changes, Villa need to move onto other targets.

After Axel Tuanzebe’s loan was cut short, they’ve been left with Tyrone Mings, Ezri Konsa and Kortney Hause as their only senior centre-backs.

And Konsa’s recent injury shows how perilous that situation is. All of a sudden, Steven Gerrard may find himself with no experienced back-up.

In other news, fans react to links with this forward.

An update has emerged regarding Newcastle United’s pursuit of Atletico Madrid right-back Kieran Trippier…

What’s the talk?

According to The Athletic’s Chris Waugh, the Magpies are confident of being able to agree a deal to sign the former Tottenham full-back next month.

The report claims that the player is keen on a return to England and is open to arriving at St James’ Park in the January window.

Fans will be delighted

Newcastle fans will be delighted with this update from Waugh for several reasons. Firstly, it indicates that the player is interested in a move, which surely improves their chances of being able to sign him. This does not appear to be a situation where the club are desperately trying to convince him to join.

Supporters will also be buzzing that the club are confident of sealing a deal, as it suggests that they believe they can tempt Atletico into parting ways with the 31-year-old. This could duly allow them to bring him in early in the month instead of it dragging out through to deadline day, which means that he can potentially play a part in some of Newcastle’s Premier League games in January.

Finally, the Toon Army will surely be delighted as he could be a terrific addition to the squad. England manager Gareth Southgate once lauded the defender for his form in Spain since leaving his home country, saying: “What Kieran has, firstly, is hugely underestimated. People are still seeing the lad that was at Spurs a couple of years ago and not the defensive animal that has grown at Atlético Madrid, trusted by one of the best and most successful coaches in the world.

“He gets his distances right on cover, he’s good one-v-one to stop crosses and his talking is really good. There was always going to be changes to our back four and we felt that communication and organisation was an important part.”

Trippier averaged an impressive WhoScored rating of 7.20 last season in La Liga. He made 3.6 tackles and interceptions per game, also chipping in with six assists.

This suggests that he could come in at Newcastle and offer a balance between defence and attack at right-back, bolstering Eddie Howe’s squad and possibly improving their chances of avoiding relegation.

AND in other news, Bye-bye Lewis: PIF can seal dream NUFC signing with £25m “monster” who can “win games”…

Celtic correspondent Kieran Devlin says there have been complaints about the club’s medical and sports science departments for ‘years’. 

The lowdown

Kyogo Furuhasi, Celtic’s top scorer this season with 11 goals, became the latest addition to the Hoops’ injury list when he limped out of Thursday night’s Europa League clash with Real Betis.

The Japan international sustained a hamstring injury, the same problem which befell Albian Ajeti against the La Liga outfit.

Christopher Jullien, Karamoko Dembele and Filipe Jota were already sidelined.

Manager Ange Postecoglou said after the game that his side were ‘just going through a bit of a rough trot which never seems to end’.

The latest

In the comments section of an article published by The Athletic, a supporter argued that ‘the sheer level and similarity of injuries in the squad is borderline professionally unacceptable’, and raised concerns over ‘the sports science, medical and coaching staffs’.

Devlin responded: “Don’t disagree re: medical and sports science issues and it is feedback I’ve heard repeatedly over the years from sources close to players.”

The verdict

Intriguingly, Postecoglou suggested on Thursday that the injuries may partly be a consequence of the players adapting to his demands on the training pitch and on matchday.

So it could be argued that he should reduce the intensity of the sessions at Lennoxtown to mitigate the risk – this injury to Furuhashi could, of course, cause real damage to their title bid.

However, the Australian also blamed what he called a ‘ridiculous’ fixture schedule and pointed out that the injuries would be less of an issue if Celtic had greater squad depth, so he doesn’t appear to be overly introspective about the mounting injury plague.

In other news, Celtic have reached agreement over this transfer.

West Ham manager David Moyes is targeting more youthful signings for the squad moving forward, according to journalist Paul Brown.

The Lowdown: Hammers riding the crest of a wave

It has been a fantastic start to the season by West Ham, with their stunning 3-2 win at home to Liverpool in their last game perhaps the high point of their campaign so far. Moyes’ men sit third in the Premier League after a wonderful run of form, not to mention looking healthy in the Europa League and Carabao Cup as well.

The hope is that the Hammers’ superb run continues on Saturday, as they return to league action with a tough-looking trip to Wolves.

The Latest: Brown makes transfer claim

Despite their current success, West Ham always appear to be on the lookout for new signings, and Brown has revealed an insight into Moyes’ current approach. Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, the journalist claimed that the Hammers boss is eyeing up younger signings in order to plan for the future.

He outlined: “Moyes has said over and over again in public and in private to us that he’s trying to build a younger, hungrier side that can grow.”

The Verdict: Shrewd approach from Moyes

This is a refreshing update from Brown, as it shows that Moyes is very much looking at the long-term picture rather than just putting together a team for instant gratification.

The 58-year-old clearly sees that this is a wonderful opportunity to build something special at West Ham, with a great team at his disposal currently but also one which will eventually need freshness added to it.

Signing younger faces and integrating them into the squad makes total sense, allowing them to hopefully mature into key performers as they learn from more seasoned professionals who have grown into core players at the London Stadium.

In other news, some West Ham fans have erupted after an update regarding one player. Read more here.

Leeds United begin the first of two successive matches against Premier League rivals West Ham United with a trip to east London in the FA Cup third round proper this afternoon.

And Marcelo Bielsa has plenty of decisions to make heading into kick-off.

In his pre-game press conference, he alluded to taking the competition seriously despite their rocky form in the top-flight leaving them on the cusp of a relegation dogfight.

“We always try to win in every official game we have. There is never a need for added motivation. Every time that the group plays, the desire is always the maximum and to win,” he said (via the club’s official website).

“We’re going to try that the characteristics of our play are expressed and that will allow us to beat them. Every competition is a possibility and we take it in that way. Every game we focus on it with the intention to win it.”

The Yorkshire giants were not blessed by the draw as the top-four chasing Irons were pulled out of the hat but they will be buoyed by plenty of confidence, having defeated Burnley last time out as that created some breathing room to the drop zone.

However, with doubts still lingering over Patrick Bamford and his injury, it remains to be seen how Leeds will line up down in the capital.

At Elland Road last weekend, Bielsa opted for Wales international Tyler Roberts to lead the line but that failed to pay off as he was withdrawn after just 58 minutes.

And whilst there is now an injury concern with the 22-year-old forward, he should have little involvement going forward as he is just not good enough.

“You know what you’re doing to get with Roberts with his attitude, his dedication and his application. But there’s no end product and there hasn’t been enough end product for a long time now,” claimed ex-goalkeeper Paul Robinson to MOT Leeds News.

“He does get himself in the positions but he snatches at chances and it wasn’t his best game in a Leeds shirt.”

A 90-minute performance may be too much to ask of Bamford on his return and having already come back, only to pick up another problem, Bielsa must be careful with his star man going forward.

But turning to Roberts in this time of need must not happen again.

If nine goals in 104 appearances isn’t enough to put you off, then his display last week should be.

As per SofaScore, he failed to win any of his duels against the Clarets, nor did he have any sort of influence on the game, managing 11 passes and only 23 touches – the fewest of any Whites starter. Elsewhere, he was hugely wasteful as he failed to find the net from six shots, in which only one hit the target.

In the past, he is said to have left Bielsa “furious” for one poor performance against Arsenal, whilst Gabby Agbonlahor once deemed the £47k-per-week passenger “shocking” and “not good enough for Leeds or Premier League level” to Football Insider.

Therefore – fit or not – Bielsa must be ruthless in his decision-making. He needs to axe Roberts from Leeds’ lineup for the foreseeable future. He’s been poor for a very long time and that does not look like changing.

AND in other news, Reliable journo drops huge behind-scenes Thorp Arch update, Leeds fans will be buzzing…

Tottenham Hotspur are seeking to finalise a move for winger Adama Traore, with the completion of the deal dependent on Wolves’ decision regarding the structure of the transfer fee, according to reports by football.london’s Alasdair Gold.

The Lowdown: Traore not a regular starter

Despite having featured in 19 Premier League games this season, only 10 of these saw Traore in the starting XI, with the majority coming at the beginning of the campaign.

The Spain international has never been known for his clinical nature in the final third, yet it seems that his end product is proving to be even more of an issue this season than before. The 25-year-old has scored just once in the league this term, breaking his duck on Saturday against Southampton, and more shockingly has failed to produce a single assist from a playmaking position on the wing.

As a result, Bruno Lage seems to prefer other options on the right-hand side, opting to utilise Traore’s lightning speed in the final 20 minutes to run tired defenders ragged in search of a late goal.

The Latest: Spurs want to make Traore deal happen

According to Gold for football.london, Spurs remain keen on the signing of Traore during the January window. However, the move ‘all depends on’ whether Daniel Levy and Fabio Paratici can come to an agreement with Wolves over the structure of the fee.

Tottenham would prefer a loan deal with an obligation to buy, as this would free up funds which could be used to pursue additional signings in the current window. However, Wolves were resistant to that idea last summer, as they preferred a deal where they would receive the transfer fee sooner rather than later.

The Verdict: Circumstances may make the deal more accessible

Despite the summer’s outcome, it remains to be seen whether Wolves’ stance has softened. Given that Traore is not a regular starter under Lage, and with his contract set to expire in 18 months’ time, it begs the question whether the Midlands club will choose to cash in whilst his value is high.

With Antonio Conte looking for a new right wing-back, Spurs could ramp up their pursuit of the Spaniard, with the hope that the former Inter boss may be able to spark Traore’s previous ‘unplayable’ Premier League form, as Jurgen Klopp called it.

We’re now into the final two weeks of the transfer window, so the clock is ticking if Tottenham want to secure the 25-year-old’s services this month.

In other news: Paratici now incredibly keen to sign ‘formidable talent’ for Spurs; Pochettino called him ‘wonderful’

Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Harry Winks is attracting increasing interest ahead of the summer transfer window.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by the Daily Star, who claim that both Southampton and Crystal Palace are keeping a very close eye on the situation of the England international ahead of a potential move for the midfielder at the end of the current campaign.

The report goes on to state that Tottenham are prepared to listen to any sensible offers for the 26-year-old this summer, as Antonio Conte does not view the academy graduate as part of his long-term plans at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, while it is also said that, despite being a boyhood Spurs fan, Winks would welcome the chance of becoming a first-team regular elsewhere.

Conte must axe winks

Considering just how little Winks has featured since Conte’s arrival in north London last November, in addition to the fact that the midfielder is one of the higher-earners in the Italian’s squad, it would appear a wise move for the 52-year-old to move the Englishman on this summer.

Indeed, despite the fact that Winks’ fellow central midfielder, Oliver Skipp, has been sidelined since January due to injury, the £15.3m-rated 26-year-old has started just eight Premier League fixtures under the management of Conte, having played a total of just 137 minutes of league football since the back to back defeats against Southampton and Wolves in February.

Furthermore, the £91k-per-week man – who Tottenham placed a £40m price tag on last summer – has been criticised for his lack of urgency in the middle of the park, none more so than by former Spurs defender Graham Roberts, who dubbed Winks “Mr Conservative.”

In an interview with Football Transfer Tavern last year, Roberts said of the 10-time capped international: “When Harry Winks got in the team years ago, it’s not the same Harry Winks now. He’s Mr Conservative.

“I’m watching games with people and they say: ‘Harry Winks had 347 passes of the ball today.’ I say: ‘Well, how many went forward?’ It’s always back to the centre-half or square to a centre-half or square to another midfield player. He never ever looks forward.”

As such, should Southampton and Palace indeed be considering a move for the 26-year-old at the end of the current campaign, Conte simply must cash in on the midfielder while the interest is there, as the hefty wages of the player who Tony Cascarino claimed is “casting shadows” at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium could be easily be put to much better use by the Italian this summer.

AND in other news: Bid made: Spurs move for “special” £42m-rated “talent”, he “can be as good as Ronaldo”