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West Ham should reignite their interest in Divock Origi this January as he could be a short-term fix to David Moyes’ ongoing striker woes…

What’s the word?

According to the ever-reliable ExWHUemployee, the 26-year-old striker is someone that the Irons have previously been keen on signing, as recently as the summer window and he has not ruled out a move for him this winter.

“There’s been interest in Origi at Liverpool before. But in the summer, Moyes turned down the offer to make a move for him,” he revealed to ‘The West Ham Way’ podcast.

“He’s out of contract in the summer, whether we’ll make a move for him now… I know that the chairman really likes him and he obviously scored against us this season but whether we’ll go for him or not, I don’t know.”

Short-term fix

It’s no secret that the Irons are treading a tightrope when it comes to their situation up top as Moyes has only one senior option in Michail Antonio, 31, who has dealt with his fair share of injury problems over the years.

If he does face time on the sideline in the near future, it could seriously scupper the Hammers’ immense progress under the Scotsman, with the side currently sat fourth in the Premier League and in the knockout stages of the Europa League.

January will mark two years since the manager last had more than one centre-forward at his disposal, so it’s something that must be rectified and Origi could be the perfect short-term solution, especially as he’s currently free to leave the Reds in the summer.

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A loan with a view of handing him a contract could suit all parties. It’ll be hard enough to convince any striker to join, given Antonio’s the main man in east London but the 31-cap Belgian’s experience in England could help.

Once described as a “monster” by former Man City colossus Vincent Kompany, Origi has found the net 38 times across 164 appearances for Liverpool, with a large majority of these coming in big occasions, such as against Barcelona in the Champions League semi-final and then against Spurs in the final.

He is currently valued at just £10.8m by Transfermarkt and is thought to be earning wages of around £60k-per-week at Anfield, so he wouldn’t be the most expensive option either, another benefit to bringing him in short-term.

The 6 foot 1 forward is also versatile, being able to play on either flank, so that could offer Moyes some cover when Said Benrahma goes to the Africa Cup of Nations this January, too.

Hammers head of recruitment Rob Newman should sanction a move for Origi next year, it could be a win-win for all concerned.

AND in other news, ExWHUemployee drops big transfer claim ahead of January…

Jamal Lewis could make his first start of the season when Newcastle United face Norwich City tonight, according to The Athletic’s Chris Waugh. 

The lowdown

The 23-year-old has only seen six minutes of Premier League action this season, having come on as a substitute in the 4-1 defeat against Manchester United. His solitary start in 2021/22 thus far came in the Carabao Cup defeat against Burnley back in August.

He may have hoped that Steve Bruce’s sacking would improve his prospects of game-time, but he didn’t feature under Graeme Jones’ caretakership and hasn’t been given a chance by Eddie Howe as of yet.

However, that could change when his former club visit St James’ Park tonight. Matt Ritchie, who started at left-back against Arsenal last time out, is suspended after picking up five yellow cards since the start of the campaign.

The latest

During a Q&A for The Athletic on Monday ahead of the match, one Newcastle supporter voiced concerns over Howe apparently being ‘uninterested’ in Lewis, but Waugh swiftly moved to allay those fears, even claiming that the Northern Ireland defender could come into the team against the Canaries.

The journalist stated: “As for Lewis, again, he was on international duty when Howe first arrived, but also his lack of game-time (and confidence) has been counting against him. But Howe is keen to improve Lewis, a young player he sees great potential in, and so in the medium term he the left-back could see more action – and could even start tomorrow night, with Ritchie being suspended.”

Waugh then added: “In time, I do think he will get more opportunities and I actually think he might start tomorrow night. It’s against his former club and Ritchie is suspended, so I do hope Lewis is given an opportunity.”

The verdict

Newcastle forked out £15m to sign Lewis in 2020 and they are paying him roughly £38.5k per week. It was a big investment, and expectations were perhaps heightened by the fact that Liverpool pursued him earlier in that transfer window.

If he can’t get a chance to impress now, so soon after a change of manager and with a positional rival suspended, then it mightn’t be long before he begins to consider his future.

On the other hand, if he does get picked, the challenge for the 23-year-old is producing a performance good enough to give Howe a selection headache when he’s had so few minutes under his belt and may be lacking sharpness as a result. Opportunity does seem to knock for Lewis tonight in the enforced absence of Ritchie.

In other news, Newcastle have enquired about this midfielder

The Athletic’s Phil Hay has delivered a worrying claim about Leeds United and the San Francisco 49ers.

What’s the story?

As revealed in recent days, the investment arm of the 49ers have the ability to buy the Yorkshire club for more than £400m by January 2024, making a full takeover very much on the cards.

Hay said: “This takeover isn’t going to happen as quickly as next month (unless something changes drastically) so any signings done in January would have to be done/funded within the existing 56-44 share split.

“As for the Championship, that would change the club’s valuation, without a doubt. Leeds wouldn’t be worth £475m at that level. But all bets are off if a club gets relegated from the EPL. The ramifications can be huge.”

Premier League safety is key

As Hay has suggested, relegation to the Championship is almost unthinkable when you consider the kind of consequences that could have not just in terms of being without Premier League football, but also the potential impact it could have on a potential takeover too.

The Whites only have to look to Tyneside and Newcastle and the looming spectre of relegation with which they’ve had to contend over these past couple of years before their takeover eventually went through.

If the 49ers do end up going through with a full takeover, that could spell exciting times at Leeds in terms of potential new signings and the ability to compete with teams far higher up in the table than they are right now.

Premier League safety will be absolutely paramount, though, and it’s exactly why Hay’s claim that “all bets are off if a club gets relegated from the EPL” might just worry fans, with the Whites still hovering a bit too close to the bottom three.

Meanwhile, Adam Pope has dropped an early morning Leeds United update…

Newcastle United are reportedly eyeing up a potential move to sign Ainsley Maitland-Niles in the January transfer window.

The Lowdown: Opportunity?

There may be a good opportunity for the St James’ Park club to sign the 24-year-old next month, as The Daily Mail have reported that he is ‘irritated’ by the lack of action that he is currently getting at the Emirates Stadium.

The Englishman has not played in the Premier League since the Gunners’ 4-0 drubbing at Liverpool last month, and he has started just two games in total, only playing the full 90 minutes once (Transfermarkt).

Given that he only has 18 months left on his current deal, Mikel Arteta’s team may look at January as the best possible time to sell.

The Latest: Newcastle monitoring

According to The Daily Mail, Newcastle are now ‘monitoring’ Maitland-Niles’ situation in north London ahead of a potential swoop in the winter window.

However, Everton could revisit the interest that they had previously showed in him in the summer, and a number of other clubs could also come in if he is made available.

The Verdict: Smart move

The Magpies should be familiar with Maitland-Niles and what he could offer given that they have faced a few times in the top flight. In fact, he has won more matches against them (five) than any other team in his career so far (Transfermarkt).

Nonetheless, despite his lack of playing time so far this season, he is still a ‘huge talent’ as Arteta has pointed out, and has probably not reached his full potential yet at 24 years of age. His ability to play in a number of different roles on the pitch would also be very useful to Eddie Howe if Newcastle start to pick up a lot of injuries or suspensions.

If Maitland-Niles can rekindle the form which got him in the England squad under Gareth Southgate last year, then he would surely be a valuable asset on Tyneside.

In other news, this explosive speedster is now ‘tempted’ by NUFC 

Pundit Alan Hutton thinks Albian Ajeti’s Celtic career could now be over, Football Insider report.

The Lowdown: Hamstring injury

Ajeti was given a rare start by Ange Postecoglou in the Hoops’ Europa League dead rubber against Real Betis last week.

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However, the 24-year-old lasted just 28 minutes before needing to be replaced with a hamstring issue.

He’s now joined a long list of players sidelined at Parkhead, with Celtic thought to be willing to cut their losses on the Swiss striker in the January transfer window.

The Latest: Hutton’s claim

Hutton, who regularly features on BBC Radio 5 Live, was talking to Football Insider regarding Ajeti’s future.

Asked if he thinks Ajeti will get another chance under Postecoglou, he said:

“I’m not so sure. “I think if we look at it, on the whole, he’s had enough opportunities to shine.

“When he was given the armband in pre-season you maybe thought he was going to get more game time. But the likes of Furuhashi have come in and done really well, and that’s just put him well down the pecking order.

“When he does get an opportunity he’s picked up these sorts of injuries, and they’ve kept him out.

“The one problem for Celtic is: are they going to get any of the money they spent on him back? That’s the one thing that could be a stumbling block if they look to move him on.

“I think he’s running out of time.”

The Verdict: Time up

Ajeti may well have played his final game in a Celtic shirt, with Postecoglou labelling his injury as ‘significant’.

The Hoops also appear to have a possible replacement lined up, with Daizen Maeda linked with a move to Scotland. The club are confident of sealing a January move, so it could be curtains for Ajeti as a result.

His Parkhead career has failed to get going after joining in a deal worth £4.5m from West Ham and has found the back of the net on just nine occasions in 48 appearances, so a permanent move away may make sense for all involved.

In other news: Ange now wants 49-cap colossus at the peak of his powers to end January business. 

Leeds United boss Marcelo Bielsa has been dealt another setback this week…

What’s the latest?

According to The Athletic’s Phil Hay, central defender Diego Llorente’s absence during their 4-1 defeat to Arsenal on Saturday evening was likely to be down to him contracting the virus, meaning he is set to be absent for at least ten days.

‘Llorente was not confirmed as suffering from [the virus] but Bielsa’s admission that the centre-back would be missing for up to 10 days sounded like a fairly clear hint that the virus had got to him. But there was no mass outbreak, no spread of infections, so the game went ahead,’ he wrote in a recent column.

Instead, Robin Koch, who has been out injured since August, was thrown straight into the starting XI, as a result of the Spaniard’s omission.

Bitter blow

This would be yet another cruel blow to Bielsa and the Yorkshire giants, who have been dealing with an array of injury woes since the start of the season.

The situation is that bad that the bench was full of the club’s academy prospects, including 15-year-old Archie Gray. As many as 11 first-team players missed the clash through injury.

Llorente joined Charlie Cresswell as the latest two to miss out, having already been without the likes of star defensive midfielder Kalvin Phillips and leading talisman Patrick Bamford, as well as attacking duo Jack Harrison and Dan James.

Pascal Struijk, Rodrigo, captain Liam Cooper and Jamie Shackleton are all also on the treatment table, whilst Junior Firpo was suspended.

What an absolute nightmare.

Now the 28-year-old is expected to be out for the next week or so means he is surely likely to miss the Whites’ Boxing Day clash with Liverpool at Anfield, so they could well be in line for another thrashing, having lost 7-0 to Man City recently.

Currently sat just three points behind the league leaders, Jurgen Klopp’s side could close the gap with a win against Leeds on Sunday.

Not having a first-choice defender available again after back-to-back embarrassments is certainly a huge blow to Bielsa, who must be absolutely fuming by this dire situation seemingly getting worse every week.

It could get worse yet with a trip to Merseyside on the horizon.

AND in other news, Orta must seal Leeds swoop for 31-goal demon who can “replicate a Pablo Hernandez”…

Now that the 2022 January transfer window has opened, this will allow a wide variety of clubs to make some transfer deals to help them strengthen their squads.

One deal that Aston Villa and Steven Gerrard should be looking to complete would be to move Trezeguet out and potentially bring in a new winger to replace him.

Since joining the Midlands club back in the 2019 summer transfer window from Turkish club Kasimpasa, the winger has made a total of 64 appearances for Villa across all competitions but has only managed to score nine goals and provide five assists along the way.

His latest appearance for the Villans came during their recent 2-1 defeat against Brentford where he came off the substitutes bench to replace Bertrand Traore in the final ten minutes of the match to try and grab a positive result for the travelling side.

Instead of that, the only notable thing Trezeguet did during his short spell on the pitch was an eye-catching attempt to win a penalty for his side which did not go down well on social media, as he threw himself to the floor after no contact.

Prior to the serious knee injury that has kept him out of action for a considerable amount of time from April to October last year, Trezeguet, who is currently picking up a weekly wage of £47k-per-week according to Salary Sport, was on the end of some criticism from former Villa attacker Gabby Agbonlahor who had previously described him as a “frustrating” player to watch.

In addition to this, there have been reports in recent weeks and months that the Egyptian could be one of a number of Villa players that Gerrard could look to move on in January, as well as there being a number of different attacking players linked with a move to Villa Park in January.

Taking all of this into account, it could be worth Villa getting Trezeguet off their wage bill this month if Gerrard thinks he isn’t capable of delivering the sort of performances he wants to see from his players and isn’t likely to be playing regularly, especially if they’re able to bring a new player into replace him.

After all, after his horrendous bit of play-acting last weekend, it would be a surprise if we saw him in the claret and blue again.

In other news: Lange could solve Gerrard’s big AVFC issue with swoop for “complete” £24.3m-rated gem – opinion

Newcastle United have reportedly now ‘started discussion’ over the potential signing of Issa Diop in the January transfer window.

The Lowdown: Centre-back wanted

The window is certainly heating up despite being just a week in, and the St. James’ Park faithful have already made their first signing in Kieran Trippier.

Now, the focus from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) consortium seems to be on a new central defender, with links to Sven Botman and Diego Carlos intensifying.

Nonetheless, with 42 goals conceded in the Premier League so far this season, the defence certainly needs reinforcements, and the new owners will surely have a lot of potential targets mapped out in case moves for the likes of Botman and Carlos fall through.

The Latest: Diop talks

As per L’Equipe (via Sport Witness), the North East club have now ‘started discussion’ over the possibility of signing Diop this month, and the ‘door is open’ for him to make the switch.

His value is estimated at between €10-12m (£8.4-10m), and so they could ‘very quickly’ make an offer.

The Verdict: Bargain

If the Tyneside outfit can get Diop at that kind of price, then it would certainly represent a bargain.

Transfermarkt currently rate him at £10.8m, and being just 24 years of age and already possessing plenty of experience in the top flight, his value will only increase.

Once called a ‘monster‘ by Jose Mourinho back in 2018 after dominating the duels against his Manchester United side, Diop’s six-foot-four frame is a real asset to have in both boxes, and his experience in the division will no doubt be vital in a relegation battle, with six goals in 89 Premier League showings.

Nonetheless, this is a deal that the Magpies should do straight away considering the kind of price being quoted.

In other news, find out who NUFC are now ‘having contacts’ over signing here!

Even just a few days into the 2022 January transfer window, Wolves have been rather busy with their business deals already by recalling Ryan Giles from his loan deal with Cardiff City, as well as signing midfielder Hayao Kawabe from Swiss Super League side Grasshopper Club Zurich.

In terms of outgoing transfers, however, it seems as though the Old Gold could be in danger of losing one of their key players, which will be a big worry for the fans and surely be a potentially big blow for Wolves manager Bruno Lage.

According to a recent report from Spanish media outlet Marca (via Sport Witness), La Liga club Atletico Madrid have added Wolves defender Nelson Semedo to their list of potential replacements for Kieran Trippier who is reportedly close to finalising a deal with fellow Premier League club Newcastle United.

Since joining the Midlands club from Barcelona back in September 2020 in a deal worth a reported fee of around £37m, the Portuguese international has made a total of 53 appearances for Wolves across all competitions, cementing himself as a regular figure in the team.

This season has seen the 28-year-old make 17 Premier League appearances and earn himself an overall performance rating of 6.77/10, making him Wolves’ fifth-highest rated outfield player according to WhoScored, further highlighting how significant he has been for Lage this season and why it would be a disaster if he were to leave this month.

With Diego Simeone’s side being linked with a move for Semedo before he left Barcelona and joined Wolves, it’s easy to see why it has now been reported that they see him as a potential replacement for Trippier this time around.

Moving forward, with Semedo’s current contract at Wolves set to expire in the summer of 2023, it could be worth the club offering him a new deal to keep him at Molineux beyond his current terms to make sure he doesn’t get tempted with a move away.

With this in mind, if the Old Gold were able to finish this season in a European place and Lage was to reassure how important Semedo is to his team, this could persuade the defender to extend his deal at the club and put to bed any concerns there may be about his future.

In other news: Shi could blow Wolves fans away with January swoop for “impeccable” £74k-p/w machine – opinion 

Leeds United are said to be scouting Brenden Aaronson ahead of a potential move this month…

What’s the word?

That’s according to journalist Pete O’Rourke, who delivered a fresh claim to GIVEMESPORT.

“With Aaronson at RB Salzburg, I know Leeds scouts have been watching him,” he said.

Just last month, the Sunday People reported that the Yorkshire giants were tracking the 21-year-old attacking midfielder after losing Kalvin Phillips to a long-term injury.

Aaronson is said to fit the athletic profile of what manager Marcelo Bielsa is looking for in the engine room.

Sign him up

Valued at £10.8m by Transfermarkt, the Salzburg sensation would be a quality addition for Leeds.

Having already notched 15 caps and five goals for the USA, Aaronson has also gained valuable experience in the Champions League for the Austrian outfit – across 51 appearances, he has provided ten goals and 12 assists, via Transfermarkt.

In his six UCL appearances this term, the young 5 foot 10 dynamo has proven to be an absolute workhorse at either end of the pitch, having averaged two tackles, 1.3 dribbles, 1.2 shots and one key pass per outing, as per WhoScored, despite featuring against Ligue 1 champions Lille, Sevilla and Wolfsburg.

During his time in the Major League Soccer, Aaronson earned praise from one of the country’s greatest players in DeMarcus Beasley. “Watching this philly/Mia match… and I like this kid Aaronson. He is silkyyy! Is he in any of the youth national teams? Full team?” he tweeted.

Leeds’ current midfield options have struggled greatly this season, in particularly Mateusz Klich, who has failed to replicate the sort of form that has seen him emerge as a reliable and regular option under Bielsa.

They have also struggled to replace Pablo Hernandez in the no.10 role, so Aaronson could well be a player that the Argentine badly needs. Not only that, on the above evidence, he is a player the 66-year-old would love to manage.

Victor Orta and co must push ahead with plans to sign him now.

AND in other news, Fabrizio Romano drops big Raphinha update…