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Arsenal have a big opportunity to bring Marcus Thuram to The Emirates in the January transfer window.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to Fabrizio Romano, with the Italian transfer insider revealing in a recent interview with GIVEMESPORT that, following numerous reports linking Mikel Arteta’s side with a move for the Borussia Mönchengladbach centre-forward this winter, the 25-year-old will not renew his current deal at Borussia-Park – meaning he could be set to leave Germany in January.

Regarding the Gunners’ interest in the France international, Romano said: “So, there are many clubs approaching his agent.

“From what I’m told, he’s not going to extend the contract, so it makes a big opportunity for many clubs in the summer. Let’s see if Arsenal will decide – or any other club – to negotiate in January for a different price.”

Edu must move

Considering the quite incredible campaign Thuram is enjoying in Germany this season, should the striker be available on a cut-price deal in the January transfer window, it would appear extremely advisable for Edu to sanction an Arsenal swoop for the Mönchengladbach goal machine.

Indeed, over his 15 Bundesliga fixtures in 2022/23, the £26.2m-rated striker has been incredibly deadly in front of goal, hitting the back of the net on ten separate occasions, providing three assists and creating three big chances, as well as taking an average of 3.7 shots – 2.0 of which have been on target – making 0.9 key passes and completing 1.5 dribbles per game.

These metrics have seen the £82k-per-week talent who Bence Bocsák claimed has been “on fire” average a breathtaking SofaScore match rating of 7.19, not only ranking him as Gladbach’s fourth-best performer in the league but also as the joint 23rd-best player in the German football top flight as a whole.

These numbers see Thuram rank extremely highly amongst his positional peers in Europe’s big five leagues, with FBref ranking the four-cap international in the top 13% of forwards for non-penalty goals per 90, in addition to the top 5% for non-penalty xG, the top 10% for shots, the top 22% for shot-creating actions and the top 8% for dribbles completed over the last 12 months.

As such, it would indeed appear extremely wise for Arsenal to “seriously consider” – in the words of Bocsák once more – a move for the 25-year-old hitman this winter, as Thuram’s goals could well prove the difference between the Gunners’ securing a top-four finish and lifting the Premier League trophy come the end of the season.

Leicester City are eyeing a move for in-form Rennes forward Martin Terrier, with journalist Graeme Bailey sharing news on the in-demand Ligue 1 star.

The Lowdown: Leicester flying again…

Despite the Foxes’ recent 1-0 defeat to Premier League champions Manchester City, it’s safe to say that an air of optimism has returned to the King Power Stadium in recent weeks.

Brendan Rodgers’ side have lost just two of their last six top-flight matches whilst picking up crucial victories against fellow strugglers Nottingham Forest, Leeds United and Wolves. The Foxes have also kept four clean sheets in their last six whilst also conceding just three times in total, not to mention scoring an impressive 11 goals at the other end.

Their resolute display against Man City at the weekend was only undone by a superb free kick from Belgium superstar Kevin De Bruyne, and going by their latest showings, Leicester could fancy their chances of avoiding the drop.

The Latest: Leicester eye Terrier swoop…

As per 90min and reporter Graeme Bailey, who says there are ‘few better players in Europe’ than Terrier right now, Leicester are among a host of clubs to have scouted the forward recently.

Foxes officials have apparently ran the rule over Rennes’ star man, with the Midlands club taking an interest alongside many of their top-flight rivals.

The Verdict: One to watch…

The 25-year-old is in electric form right now and could certainly be one to watch heading into the winter, and it’s not beyond the realms of possibility that France head coach Didier Deschamps could consider the player for his 2022 World Cup squad.

As per WhoScored, Terrier stands out as Rennes’ top scorer and best player by average match rating, while he also tops their charts for most attempts at goal per 90 (three).

Dubbed ‘sublime’ by members of the press, the winger’s recent meteoric rise looks to have grabbed the attention of Leicester, and numerous others.

Tottenham Hotspur are reportedly readying an absolutely huge behind-scenes contract offer to convince manager Antonio Conte to extend his stay.

The Lowdown: Conte era in full swing…

Despite some tepid performances, like Spurs’ most recent 2-0 loss away to Man United in the Premier League, Conte has managed to steady the Lilywhites ship and instil real excitement around the club.

Tottenham’s qualification for the Champions League last season is a signal of real potential that this squad can achieve great things under the Italian, even if they do potentially need to iron out creative weaknesses in the final third.

The Lilywhites’ need for a playmaker is evident by their links to Leicester City star James Maddison and former favourite Christian Eriksen over the summer.

If Spurs do manage to improve in key areas going forward, their combined solidity defensively will make them a very formidable opponent.

This is all thanks to Conte, who has seemingly transformed the feeling at N17 both on and off the pitch.

The Latest: Spurs readying big new deal offer…

Now, the club are reportedly readying a huge contract offer to convince the ex-Inter Milan coach to stay.

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According to La Repubblica, via Inside Futbol, Spurs are ‘ready’ to hand Conte €20 million (£17m)-per-season until 2025 – alongside the promise of a huge €200m (£175m) transfer kitty.

It’s added that the club, and by extension chairman Daniel Levy, are ‘desperate’ to reach an agreement with their manager.

The Verdict: Get it done…

There has been talk of a possible Mauricio Pochettino reunion at Spurs, but we believe Conte’s achievements at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium so far warrant a significant attempt to tie him down.

The north Londoners could still clinch silverware and sit third in the top flight table nearly a third of the way through 2022/2023 – potentially putting them in good stead for European qualification again.

Conte guiding Spurs to a top four finish has debatably made all of this possible and it’s clear the near-future of this side is probably best placed in the 53-year-old’s hands.

Hugo Lloris missing Tottenham’s Premier League showdown against Arsenal next weekend would be a ‘big blow’ for his side, according to journalist Tom Barclay.

The Lowdown: Lloris an injury doubt

Spurs return to league action on Saturday lunchtime, facing their biggest game of the season so far as north London arch-rivals Arsenal welcome them to the Emirates Stadium.

The Gunners are currently top of the table but Antonio Conte’s side are only one point behind in third place, so a win would see them leapfrog their adversaries at the summit.

However, one player who could miss the match is Lloris, with the Tottenham captain suffering from a thigh injury picked up on international duty with France.

The Latest: Journalist reacts to Lloris’ potential absence

Speaking to GiveMeSport, Barclay admitted that the 35-year-old being ruled out would be an advantage for Arsenal and a significant setback for Tottenham.

The journalist said of Lloris’ potential absence:

“It would be a big blow, he’s the captain as well as their number one goalkeeper.

“Fraser Forster would come in and he’s earned his move to Tottenham, he’s got lots of Premier League experience, but you can’t take away the qualities that Lloris has as both a leader and as a goalkeeper.”

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The Verdict: He’d be a massive loss

Lloris has been an incredible servant for Spurs over the past decade, featuring 425 times for the club, and his vast experience could be crucial in north London derbies, given the frenetic and intense nature of such matches. Indeed, Graham Roberts described him as ‘outstanding’ earlier in the year, following a sustained good run of form.

The veteran Frenchman has the fourth-best save percentage in the current Premier League season with 72.7%, so to see him miss out would therefore be an enormous blow to Spurs, immediately making life harder for Conte’s men and meaning that Fraser Forster would likely come in.

While the Englishman has plentiful top-flight experience of his own, Lloris has been the undisputed first-choice at Tottenham for 10 years now, and Arsenal would immediately be buoyed by that enforced change.

The hope is that Spurs’ number one will be available, although he faces a race against time to prove his fitness ahead of Saturday.

Glasgow Rangers ended their run of three straight defeats in all competitions by winning 2-1 in the Premiership at Ibrox last Saturday to head into the international break on a high.

Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s men had lost their previous three games by an aggregate score of 11-0, against Celtic, Ajax, and Napoli, and were in desperate need of a lift.

They got their boost as the Light Blues beat Dundee United at home in the Scottish top-flight, thanks to a birthday double from summer signing Antonio Colak.

Despite the poor form in the build-up to the game and the senior players available for selection, van Bronckhorst opted to place his faith in the Rangers academy for the clash with United.

Charlie McCann and Leon King were both handed starts ahead of the likes of James Sands, Ben Davies, Fashion Sakala, Malik Tillman, and Steven Davies.

McCann started in the number 10 role and had a solid outing as he completed 84% of his attempted passes and created two chances in 90 minutes. It was his full debut in the Premiership after making two appearances as a substitute last season, in which he won 75% of his individual duels and completed three tackles.

The 20-year-old Northern Irishman earned his chance in the first team after catching van Bronckhorst’s eye for the B team at the start of this season. He has scored four goals and provided one assist in six B team fixtures so far, whilst he also registered an assist for the senior side in the League Cup.

This shows that he is a midfielder who is capable of being a difference-maker in the final third, which he showed glimpses of by creating two chances against United.

Journalist Josh Bunting once described him as “very sharp” and reporter Mark McDougall previously hailed the gem as a “terrific footballer”, which illustrates how much he has impressed of late.

His emergence at the first-team level could now allow van Bronckhorst to bin £16k-per-week Rangers veteran Scott Arfield. The former Burnley man is out of contract at the end of the campaign and he will be 34 by next summer.

His form in the Premiership has been far from impressive since the start of the 2021/22 campaign, with six goals and one assist in 36 matches – playing out wide or in a number 10 role.

In the same time, he has failed to produce a single goal or assist in 19 Champions League and Europa League appearances, in qualifiers and in the actual competitions.

The dud has not been a consistent performer at the top end of the pitch and that is why van Bronckhorst could benefit from handing more game time to McCann this season with a view to him taking over Arfield’s minutes, allowing the Canadian to leave next summer.

Tottenham Hotspur have been dealt a big blow ahead of their Premier League clash with Wolverhampton Wanderers this weekend…

What’s the latest?

As revealed by ever-reliable football.london journalist Alasdair Gold, Spurs are set to be without starting centre-back and fan-favourite Cristian Romero, who could be set to miss the next four weeks with a muscular injury.

“Understand Cristian Romero is set to be out for a few weeks with a muscle injury,” he tweeted alongside an article.

In that piece, the reporter goes on to explain that the Argentina international picked up an issue during their 2-2 draw with Chelsea at Stamford Bridge last weekend and that could now rule him out of games in the Champions League and potentially their top-flight clash with champions Manchester City.

Big blow for Conte

Romero has played in every minute of competitive action for the Lilywhites this campaign and has emerged as one of Conte’s best defensive options ever since his arrival in the dugout last November.

Only Rodrigo Bentancur (four per game) has won more tackles than the former Atalanta centre-back (3.5 per game), whilst he tops the charts for passing accuracy (85.5%) when it comes to the Italian’s central defensive options, as per WhoScored.

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The 23-year-old’s form last campaign saw Sky Sports pundit Jamie Carragher deem him to be the “signing of the season,” which only goes to show how much of an impact he has made in England already, especially when there were other appealing transfers such as Luis Diaz to Liverpool and Cristiano Ronaldo’s return to Manchester United.

“There’s something special about him,” the ex-Liverpool centre-back told Monday Night Football at the time. “He reminds me of [Ricardo] Carvalho,” he added.

Elsewhere, the aggressive 6 foot 1 titan has been dubbed an “animal” who is “perfect for the Premier League” by former teammate Pierluigi Gollini, who told Standard Sport:

“I think he’s really impressive “on the man”, When he’s man-marking one-v-one, he’s a beast, an animal. The guy is very very strong,” the goalkeeper claimed. “I like him because he’s a very tough guy on the pitch, he’s a guy who never backs down, he always puts his foot, his face, where he needs to.”

Therefore, on the above evidence, Romero’s absence will come as a hugely gutting blow to the manager, who has trusted him to play 21 times since he took the helm.

Conte is likely to have to turn to Davinson Sanchez, who has previously been dubbed a “liability” by pundit Kenny Cunningham, and that’s a worrying sign heading into the weekend.

AND in other news, Levy could sign another £15m “Rolls-Royce” at Spurs as journalist drops transfer claim…

Ryan Kent will miss the first leg of Rangers’ Champions League qualifier tonight through injury, according to the club’s official media partners Heart & Hand. 

The lowdown

The Ibrox club are in Belgium to take on Jupiler Pro League side Union Saint-Gilloise in the third qualifying round of the competition.

In his pre-match press conference, Giovanni van Bronckhorst said that ‘a couple’ of unnamed players were considered doubts for the game.

It seems that Kent, who came through the full 90 minutes in Rangers’ Premiership opener against Livingston at the weekend, is one of those players.

The latest

The club’s media partners Heart & Hand stated on Twitter that ‘Ryan Kent didn’t travel to Belgium’. They added that, while this match ‘comes too soon for him’, Rangers have indicated that ‘it’s not a serious injury’.

In better news for Van Bronckhorst, summer signings Ridvan Yilmaz and Ben Davies are ‘in the squad’ for tonight’s clash.

The verdict

Even if it is a minor injury for Kent, this is definitely a blow to Rangers’ hopes of progression.

The 25-year-old is arguably the leading creative force in the team, having registered a whopping 20 assists in all competitions last season, three more than net-best creator James Tavernier.

The ex-Liverpool forward is already off the mark in that department for 2022/23, having teed up Scott Arfield’s equaliser against Livingston on Saturday. Indeed, his display at the Tony Macaroni Arena had Sky Sports and talkSPORT pundit Jamie O’Hara dubbing him a ‘baller’.

If the £18,000-per-week winger is back for the second leg, perhaps he can swing the tie in Rangers’ favour if they don’t get the desired result tonight.

Liverpool centre-back Ben Davies could join Blackburn Rovers or Stoke City this summer, according to a new transfer rumour.

The Lowdown: Davies’ strange Reds career

The Englishman signed for the Reds back in February 2021, as Jurgen Klopp dealt with a centre-back injury crisis that saw Virgil van Dijk, Joel Matip and Joe Gomez all sidelined.

Davies is yet to play a single minute of action for Liverpool, however, and he was loaned out to Sheffield United last season, making 22 Championship appearances.

Now, it looks as though he could be back in the second tier in 2022/23, following a fresh update.

The Latest: Defender linked with exit

According to Sky Sports on Sunday morning, both Blackburn and Stoke are eyeing up a move for Davies, with the 26-year-old left out of Liverpool’s pre-season tour because of the interest in him.

Both Championship clubs see him as someone who can bolster their defensive options ahead of next season.

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The Verdict: Time for permanent move

Davies is almost a cult figure at Liverpool in some ways, given his surprise arrival and subsequent lack of minutes, but for the good of his career he should now move on permanently this summer.

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The former Preston man has been a strong performer in the Championship, making 150 appearances in the competition overall, and his best years should still be ahead of him – Jurgen Klopp has called him a ‘proper leader’, which speaks volumes.

Davies deserves huge credit for never complaining about his situation at Liverpool and now is the perfect time for him to move on from his strange Anfield stay, becoming a key starter elsewhere.

Leeds United’s Jamie Shackleton could be set to join Millwall on loan, according to two separate sources. 

The lowdown

The Whites have offloaded five players so far in the summer transfer window, with Kalvin Phillips’ £45m move to Manchester City the headline departure.

Meanwhile, Laurens de Bock has left for Zulte Waregem on a free transfer, Liam McCarron has joined Stoke City and Tyler Roberts has sealed a loan switch to Queens Park Rangers.

Intriguingly, Leeds have already sent one player to Millwall, with 19-year-old centre-back Charlie Cresswell heading to the Championship outfit earlier this week.

The latest

Graham Smyth, chief football writer at The Yorkshire Evening Post, says that there is the ‘potential’ for Shackleton to make what would be a ‘good’ loan move to The Den.

Meanwhile, Football Insider reported that Millwall have already agreed a deal with Leeds to take the 22-year-old to London on a temporary basis.

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The verdict

Shackleton may only be 22, but he has already clocked up 78 first-team appearances for Leeds.

He made seven Premier League starts and 14 appearances overall in the top flight last season, with two more outings in the Carabao Cup.

Only one player who started at least five league matches could better his passing accuracy of 86.1% (Pascal Struijk), while only Phillips and Junior Firpo averaged more tackles per 90 minutes.

If you apply the same filter, Shackleton recorded the best xG plus/minus per 90 in the entire squad, which duly indicates that he’s a valuable player for the Whites.

Capable of playing at right-back and central midfield, he also brings welcome versatility; while he was named the club’s fittest player in 2021, which Jesse Marsch will surely appreciate given the American’s preference for a high-pressing approach.

If the mooted loan move to Millwall proves to be a success, Shackleton could conceivably force his way into the Leeds manager’s plans in the longer-term.

Crystal Palace are interested in signing RC Lens defensive midfielder Cheick Doucoure but may have to ‘compromise’ in order to complete the deal.

What’s the word?

GiveMeSport spoke to The Sun journalist Tom Barclay who expects both clubs to meet in the middle and for a deal to eventually be completed.

The French side could demand up to £26m for the player, which despite having already agreed to personal terms, is a fee that Palace consider too much.

There appears to be no rush from the London club and they are willing to wait if it means getting a better deal.

“My gut feeling is that it probably gets done eventually, but it will take a bit of compromise on both sides, and we’re just waiting for that to happen,” he said. “You’ve got to remember that the transfer windows got so long to run, it’s only just opening, isn’t it, so there’s no rush.”

He’s better than Hughes

If the deal is completed and Doucoure ends up moving to Selhurst Park then a player he will be competing with for a spot in Vieira’s side is Will Hughes.

The English midfielder joined Palace last summer from Watford for £6m and was a solid option last season. However, if the club want to move forward and push to finish in the top half they need more quality.

We think Doucoure has that and is a better option. If you compare the Mali international to Hughes the difference in talent is clear to see, not only is he good defensively – having tackled a higher percentage of dribblers last season – but he can also create.

One of his standout performances was against Nice where he earnt high praise for “destroying everyone” in front of him. He tallied seven goal-creating actions across the campaign compared to Hughes’ three, that’s impressive for a holding midfielder.

In possession Doucoure also excels which will appeal to Vieira. He has a higher pass completion percentage at 88% compared to Hughes’ 82% and also scores higher when it comes to successful dribbles.

At 22 years of age, he is only going to improve, and he has the chance to move to Selhurst Park and be coached by one of the Premier League’s best-ever midfielders, it would be hard to turn down.

Hughes could still play a part in the squad but Doucoure would certainly be an upgrade.

If a compromise can be reached then it would be a good addition to Palace’s squad and would help make them a lot more competitive next season.

AND in other news: Vieira now given green light for £12.9m-rated Palace target, supporters surely buzzing…