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Leeds United are still in talks with Rayo Vallecano manager Andoni Iraola over the vacancy at the Premier League club, according to Football Insider.

The Lowdown: Iraola linked with Leeds manager job

The 40-year-old appeared to be one of the top targets at Elland Road after the club parted ways with Jesse Marsch last week.

Reliable reporter Phil Hay believed that the Spaniard was keen on a move to Yorkshire, but a potential move failed after he decided to remain with the La Liga club. It looks as if Andrea Radrizzani and the 49ers Enterprises haven’t given up just yet, though, following an update on Thursday.

The Latest: Talks continuing with Iraola

Football Insider’s Wayne Veysey shared a managerial ‘twist’ from Elland Road regarding Iraola.

He said that ‘discussions are still continuing’ directly with the 40-year-old, despite Leeds’ recent confirmation that Michael Skubala will continue to lead the first-team for their upcoming fixtures.

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The Verdict: Tricky…

It looks as if Leeds will find it extremely difficult to bring in Iraola before the summer, with the 4-2-3-1 style manager giving his word to Rayo Vallecano until the end of the season.

Therefore, should results not improve in the coming weeks, the Whites could find themselves in a tricky position. If a move for Iraola remains at a standstill, the club could be forced into an interim appointment or an alternative long-term successor, with relegation a real possibility once again this season.

It looks set to be a crucial few weeks both on and off the pitch, but it appears as if Radrizzani and the 49ers are still working on bringing Iraola to England.

West Bromwich Albion manager Carlos Corberan would be interested in talking to Leeds United about the vacancy at Elland Road, according to journalist Owen O’Brien.

The Lowdown: West Brom transformed under Corberan

Corberan only took over at The Hawthorns in October but has transformed The Baggies in a short space of time.

The 39-year-old has taken the club from the relegation zone to the play-offs in 13 Championship games, picking up an impressive 30 points out of a possible 39.

The former Leeds assistant could well be on the move already, though, with speculation claiming that he is a top target for Elland Road chiefs after the Yorkshire club parted ways with Jesse Marsch on Monday.

The Latest: Corberan linked with Leeds job

Freelance journalist O’Brien took to Twitter on Monday afternoon, stating that the Spaniard is Leeds’ ‘number one choice’ to take over. He added that Corberan would also be interested in talking to the Whites, in what is a worrying claim for all associated with West Brom.

O’Brien tweeted: “Understand West Brom manager Carlos Corberan is Leeds’ number one choice to replace Jesse Marsch. Sources say Corberan would be interested in talking to Leeds – Club are also refusing to rule out appointing an experienced Premier League manager.”

The Verdict: Fingers crossed

Corberan isn’t the only option for Leeds, with Rayo Vallecano’s Andoni Iraola also on the club’s radar according to reliable reporter Phil Hay.

Therefore, West Brom chiefs will be hoping that the phone doesn’t ring from those in Yorkshire over the coming days, especially with the Baggies looking good for a play-off finish at this moment in time.

Reports have even suggested that West Brom are ready to offer Corberan a new deal as a result of speculation over a move to Leeds, so hopefully the only talks involving the manager are those which involve a contract extension in the Midlands.

Manchester United have been linked with an audacious transfer bid for Barcelona phenomenon Raphinha, who could be subject to an official bid before the conclusion of the deadline day dealings…

What’s the talk?

While the Red Devils have yet to shed any serious expenditure this winter, rumours have materialised in the final hours of the transfer window linking them with a move for the Brazil forward.

According to The Mirror, Anthony Elanga and Facundo Pellistri could both be granted loan departures from Old Trafford before the end of the day, which consequently clears space for a major signing in attack.

The 26-year-old had previously been credited with an interest in coming to the Theatre of Dreams, as per The Express, and a deal could now be rekindled.

“Magician”

Having signed for the Blaugrana for £55m in the summer, the Brazilian maestro has struggled to channel the best of his form from the Premier League with Leeds United, and Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag could now offer him some welcome respite.

Having played 27 matches for his current club, Raphinha has scored four goals and chalked up seven assists. While such a tally is by no means shoddy, he has failed to alight the fire that many former positional peers at the Camp Nou left burning in their wake, in particular the triumvirate of Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Neymar in 2014/15.

The £212k-per-week winger has only managed to start nine league games for Barcelona, though, and has been attached to persistent rumours regarding his availability throughout the January transfer window.

However, with his remarkable feats with the Whites in the English top-flight, the “magician” – as he was once heralded by former Leeds winger Dan James – recorded 17 goals and 12 assists from 67 outings for the Yorkshire outfit, including a return of 14 direct contributions during his final league season in England.

As per FBref, he ranks among the top 7% of attacking midfielders and wingers across Europe’s top five leagues for progressive passes, and also in the top 14% for progressive passes received, illustrating his transitional nature, thriving up and down the right flank.

For a player with such deft wizardry brimming from his boots, he could bring flair and guile in abundance to get Old Trafford rocking, enhancing a frontline already exhibiting promising signs of shaping into one of the most formidable forces in Europe, spearheaded by the red-hot Marcus Rashford.

United technical director John Murtough must make the right moves in these delicate stages of transfer proceedings, and if Elanga or Pellistri do find themselves plying their trade elsewhere, then Raphinha must be brought in.

Leeds United are close to signing Hoffenheim striker Georginio Rutter in a club-record deal, according to Sky Sports.

The Lowdown: Rutter’s career stats

Rutter is 20 years of age and has 69 games of first-team experience under his belt. The French forward has scored 12 senior goals during his career to date, two of which have come during the current campaign.

He’s been hailed as a player who can turn out ‘in a variety of forward roles’ by former Hoffenheim manager Sebastian Hoeness, and it looks as if a move to Elland Road for the youngster, who can play in all three forward positions as well as a no 10, is on the cards.

The Latest: Sky Sports update

Sky Sports shared a story late on Monday evening regarding Leeds and Rutter.

They claimed that a record £35.3m transfer is close, with the player set to have a medical with the Whites in the next 48 hours.

The Verdict: Big gamble

You could say that Rutter is still unproven at first-team level, unlike the club’s first January signing, Max Wober, who has plenty of experience for club and country. Therefore, it’s easy to argue that smashing the club’s transfer record for his services is a big gamble.

Rutter is only a few months older than Joe Gelhardt, who could be allowed to leave on loan this month, so hopefully, he can hit the ground running in Yorkshire, providing fierce competition to top scorer Rodrigo.

Leeds United manager Jesse Marsch is an ‘admirer’ of Wolves forward Hwang Hee-chan, according to reliable journalist Phil Hay.

The Lowdown: Leeds looking for attackers

The Whites will hopefully make inroads in the transfer market this month, with their attacking options looking slightly sparse heading into the remainder of the season.

Hwang is a player who has been linked with a move to Leeds in the past and put himself in the spotlight as he scored at the 2022 World Cup for South Korea – a crucial goal that sent his country into the knockout stages.

Now, a fresh update has emerged that hints towards the Whites signing the 26-year-old imminently.

The Latest: Hwang on the list

Writing for The Athletic, Hay claimed that Marsch is ‘an admirer’ of Hwang, with the pair working alongside one another during their time at RB Leipzig.

The attacker isn’t out of contract at Molineux until 2026, however, so it may not be easy for Marsch to get their man.

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The Verdict: Proven PL quality

Hwang could be an intriguing option for Leeds, with the South Korean far from prolific but someone who can play across the front line and provide a strong work ethic.

Former Arsenal and England striker Ian Wright has said that the Wolves man has ‘got everything’ as a player, and his relationship with Marsch could bode well.

There is an argument to say that Leeds could do with more of a goal threat, though, so if Hwang was to join the Whites, his tally of six goals in 49 games for Wanderers would need to be improved upon.

Leeds United have been dealt a further injury concern regarding Sonny Perkins.

What’s the latest?

In a recent report for the Yorkshire Evening Post, Graham Smyth revealed that, in addition to Crysencio Summerville picking up an injury in Leeds’ 2-1 victory over Elche CF on Thursday, the 18-year-old also picked up a knock in the closing stages of the fixture – with the centre-forward having to be withdrawn as a result of his injury.

Regarding the England U19 international, the journalist wrote: “With Leeds suffering a second in-game injury, Sonny Perkins struggling to run off a knock late on, Jesse Marsch took the decision to go down to 10 men and passed a note to Cody Drameh. The young defender then dutifully ran all over the pitch to deliver the message to each and every teammate.”

Big blow

While it is true that Perkins has not been an overly regular part of Jesse Marsch’s first-team squad so far this season, considering Patrick Bamford’s continued struggles with injury, coupled with the youngster having recently broken into the Whites’ senior set-up, should the striker be ruled out for any real stretch of time, it would undoubtedly come as a big blow to the 48-year-old.

Indeed, the £1.7m-rated forward recently made his first-team debut following his summer switch to Elland Road, playing 71 minutes of Leeds’ 1-0 Carabao Cup defeat to Wolverhampton Wanderers back in November, while the former West Ham United starlet was also an unused substitute in the Whites’ 4-3 Premier League defeat to Tottenham Hotspur the following weekend.

And, considering just how impressive Perkins has been for Michael Skubala’s U21 side so far this season, it is not difficult to understand why Marsch had started to give the teenager a shot in the first-team prior to the break for the Qatar World Cup.

Indeed, over his nine Premier League 2 appearances in the current campaign, the centre-forward has already bagged seven goals, as well as adding a further strike to his haul over three outings in the Papa John’s Trophy.

As such, should Perkins indeed be sidelined for Leeds’ return to Premier League action later this month – or potentially even longer – it would undoubtedly come as a gutting blow to Marsch and his side, as the youngster very much appears to be one of the club’s most exciting youth prospects at present – one who could come in very useful over the second half of the campaign.

Antonio Conte and Fabio Paratici were hard at work throughout the last summer transfer window as they attempted to improve the Tottenham Hotspur squad.

Yves Bissouma, Clement Lenglet, Richarlison, Djed Spence, Ivan Perisic and Fraser Forster all came through the door, whilst Destiny Udogie arrived before heading back out on loan to Udinese.

These signings have helped Spurs to sit fourth in the Premier League table after 15 matches and qualify for the knockout stages of the Champions League.

However, this does not mean that the Italian duo will not look back on the summer window with some regret as there were players that they missed out on who could have been excellent additions to the squad.

This was also the case with the January window in 2022 as Tottenham failed to get a deal for Sofyan Amrabat over the line. Fabrizio Romano claimed that the club were in “advanced” talks over a swoop for the central midfielder but they did not end up bringing him to England.

Their failure over a move for the gem has turned out to be a nightmare as the 26-year-old is currently thriving at the World Cup in Qatar for Morocco.

The Fiorentina machine has caught the eye with a couple of impressive displays in the middle of the park for his country, contributing to his side picking up four points and keeping two clean sheets against Croatia and Belgium.

Journalist Ryan Taylor claimed that Amrabat was “excellent at nullifying Kevin De Bruyne” against the Red Devils and the statistics back that up. The Manchester City superstar only created one chance in 90 minutes, failed both of his attempted dribbles, and lost possession of the ball 28 times – as per Sofascore.

These statistics show that the Moroccan gem, who made two tackles and one interception, helped to keep the former Wolfsburg talent quiet throughout the game, which stifled the Belgium attack and allowed Amrabat’s side to win the match.

The midfielder also caught the eye for his country at the African Cup of Nations earlier this year. He averaged a Sofascore rating of 7.10 across five appearances in the competition as he made 3.6 tackles and interceptions per game and won 65% of his ground duels.

Morocco manager Walid Regragui described him as “world-class” and backed the gem to seal a big transfer away from Fiorentina in 2023, with Liverpool reportedly eyeing up the talent.

This suggests that Spurs will now face stiff competition for his services if they attempt to reignite their interest in the upcoming January window, due to his performances at the World Cup.

Therefore, failing to sign the £32k-per-week gem in January was a nightmare for Conte and Spurs as his subsequent performances indicate that they missed out on signing an excellent, combative, midfielder and they may struggle to snap him up this time around due to interest from elsewhere.

Everton are following a similar trajectory as they were last season in the Premier League as they teeter on the edge of the relegation zone once again just one point clear of the bottom three.

Frank Lampard has been holding the reins at Goodison Park for less than a year and has had just one full transfer window so far to fix the numerous problems caused by the reckless spending and poor transfer decisions made by Farhad Moshiri since he became the majority stakeholder of the club back in 2016.

The former Chelsea boss commenced a cut-throat clear-out in the summer, getting rid of many players who were not committed or offering the quality that Everton desperately need to retain their top-flight status comfortably.

Allan, Cenk Tosun, Andre Gomes, Dele Alli and Jean-Philippe Gbamin were all given their marching orders over the last transfer window and it would come as no surprise if Lampard continues to get rid of the deadwood in the team over the next few transfer windows too.

One player who has been rarely seen for Everton this term, but has been the centre of speculation surrounding his future on Merseyside, is Yerry Mina. Indeed, it could be the perfect time in January to find a suitable replacement who can offer an upgrade in availability to the team.

It has been reported this week that Lampard is looking to part ways with the Columbian centre-back who is currently the highest paid player at the club, and long-term transfer target Rodrigo Becao could fit the profile of player to replace Mina’s role in the team.

When you compare the 26-year-old warrior – who was hailed “insurmountable” by journalist Bruno Queiroz – to Mina last season, Becao outperformed the Everton defender in many attributes including aerial duels won (66.3% v 65.2%), tackles and interceptions completed (123 v 23), as well as completing more blocks (45 v 13).

Above all, Becao has offered Udinese full availability, making 36 appearances last season and nine in the present campaign so far, whilst Mina has only been seen 16 times in all competitions for Everton since the start of the 2021/22 season due to injuries.

With that being said, it would be a no-brainer for Everton to reinvest in their defence with players who can deliver availability and consistency at Goodison Park as Lampard cannot currently rely on Mina to deliver for the team when he is needed the most.

Glasgow Rangers continued their miserable return to the Champions League on Wednesday evening, having suffered a 3-0 defeat away to Serie A side Napoli in what was a truly one-sided affair on the night.

That result saw the hosts secure a 12th consecutive victory in all competitions for the first time in their history, while Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s side are now currently nearing a record of their own, as the Old Firm outfit edge closer to what would be the worst group stage record in the tournament’s history.

The Glasgow side appear destined at present to suffer a worse fate than current record holders Dinamo Zagreb who lost all six group games during the 2011/12 season and finished with a goal difference of -19, with that ‘achievement’ one that the Scottish giants will be desperate to avoid.

This latest loss saw an early brace from Giovanni Simeone swiftly shelve any slim hopes of victory for the visitors, albeit with the Gers putting up a brave second-half display to limit any greater damage, with only a late Leo Ostigard header bolstering the scoreline further for Luciano Spalletti’s side.

In truth, it was the same old story as far as the Ibrox outfit are concerned as they were simply outclassed by their in-form opponents, with Van Bronckhorst’s men having found the step up to life in Europe’s premier competition particularly difficult.

Although such struggles could well have been expected from the club’s younger core, there has no doubt been surprise at the lack of impact from the more senior members of the squad, with the likes of Ryan Kent, Alfredo Morelos and James Tavernier having been particularly off the boil of late.

The latter man has looked a shell of the figure who helped drag his side to the Europa League final last term – providing nine goal contributions in just 14 games during that surge to the showpiece – having failed to register a single goal or assist in the group stage thus far.

There have been suggestions that the £9m-rated skipper is struggling for fitness at present, although whatever the case ‘something just doesn’t feel right’, as stated by Glasgow Live’s Ben Banks.

The 30-year-old’s woes have been somewhat “baffling” according to The Athletic’s Jordan Campbell, with the Englishman having made “such simple mistakes” once again away in Italy, notably losing possession 19 times from his 81 touches.

The £24k-per-week full-back also won just three of his eight total duels and completed only three of his seven crosses, with his match rating of 6.2, as per SofaScore, the second-worst of any player on the day.

To see the Bradford-born ace – who only recently signed a new long-term deal at the club – struggling is a real cause for concern for Van Bronckhorst at present, particularly with no senior alternative to take the right-back’s place in the side.

Sunderland have been handed an injury boost before they play Burnley at home in the Championship on Saturday afternoon.

The Lowdown: Gooch absence

Lynden Gooch was not in the squad in the Stadium of Light outfit’s 2-0 loss away at Blackburn Rovers in midweek.

Tony Mowbray confirmed after last weekend’s 2-1 win at home to Wigan Athletic that he picked up a foot injury which forced him to come off at half-time, and then miss the match against the Rovers.

The Latest: Injury update

Speaking to the media in his pre-game press conference on Thursday ahead of their match against Burnley, Mowbray has now confirmed that Gooch has ‘got a chance’ of making a return, adding that he is ‘hopeful’ after the 26-year-old joined training today:

“Lynden has got a chance.

“The hope is that he puts his boots on tomorrow and comes out to train. 

“I think people wouldn’t question Lynden Gooch if he’s got half a chance to play. I’m hopeful but he hasn’t trained today. He’s probably still aware of his injury but the hope he has improving every day. 

“We’ll see how he is on the grass tomorrow and hopefully he will be available.”

The Verdict: Big boost

It is certainly a big boost for Mowbray that Gooch has a chance of returning to the team so soon after injury.

Against Blackburn, they clearly missed him, as the American has been a key player for the Wearsiders this season.

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Nonetheless, the Black Cats are a better team with him in the mix, and if Gooch returns, it should give supporters more confidence that they can get all three points at home.