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Spurs head coach Ange Postecoglou has revealed the one Tottenham star who's really impressed him in training since arriving.

Spurs preparing for Chelsea

After their remarkable early-season run of eight wins in 10 league games, Postecoglou's in-form side take on Mauricio Pochettino's Chelsea at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Monday. The Lilywhites remain unbeaten over what has been the best start made by any new manager in Premier League history, and it's safe to say the mood around Spurs is one of real positivity right now.

In contrast, Chelsea are yet to realise the potential of their star-studded squad, with Pochettino's men winning just three matches so far. The west Londoners could not have asked for a tougher test after their 2-0 loss to Brentford last weekend, and it will be very interesting to see if Pochettino can cause an upset against his former club.

Tottenham are buoyed by the performances of some key men, like summer signing James Maddison and forward Son Heung-min. The duo are forming a truly electric Spurs partnership, with both Son and Maddison being praised for their phenomenal displays thus far.

Another two Tottenham stars who seem to really understand each other are Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven. The centre-backs are now a crucial part of Postecoglou's backline. Indeed, pundit Rio Ferdinand has even called van de Ven and Romero the best defensive pairing in England right now.

Ange hails "outstanding" Romero in training

Speaking ahead of their clash with Chelsea, Spurs' head coach has provided some insight into Romero's application behind-the-scenes at Hotspur Way. Postecoglou says Romero's a workhorse in Spurs training, admitting that the Argentine has been simply "outstanding".

"Since I've been here I just think he's an outstanding defender," said the Tottenham boss (via football.london).

"He's a real strong personality and he has a real winner's mindset in everything he does. For us, I think there's great growth in our front third but I think the way the defensive side of our game has come together, when you consider Vicario has just joined the club, Micky has just joined the club, Destiny has just come across in his first year and Pedro in his second year but probably first year playing in that position.

"I think the one constant and the rock in there has been Romero with the way he has taken on the responsibility of guiding the other guys around him so they look assured. I think they feel security having him beside them. I think he's a big part of why we've done so well defensively. Again there is more to come from him. He wants to improve. He works so hard every day. You need it, he's a winner and I can see that in him with the way he trains, the way it plays so it helps from a cultural perspective as well."

Likes to dribble

Likes to tackle

Commits fouls often

The World Cup winner has started every single league game so far, and looks set to be a crucial player for Spurs.

Tottenham Hotspur's acquisition of James Maddison for £40m from relegated Leicester City was an astute piece of business. The England international has already been labelled by football pundit Jamie Carragher as "one of the most influential players" in the Premier League this season.

However, Spurs' display against Wolverhampton Wanderers prior to the international break was living proof that the side have become quite reliant on Maddison to create chances under Ange Postecoglou, having had just six shots at Molineux with an expected goals total of 0.7 while the playmaker was absent through injury.

Reports are now suggesting that the North London outfit have set their sights on adding more midfield depth ahead of the January transfer window.

Jobe Bellingham to Tottenham Hotspur links

According to Football Insider, Spurs are keeping tabs on Sunderland's highly-rated youngster Jobe Bellingham and have been interested in securing the 18-year-old's signature ever since January, when he was in Birmingham City's starting lineup. The outlet are also reporting that Bellingham's impressive form with the Black Cats has garnered interest from other sides in the Premier League as well as clubs in the Bundesliga.

Despite, having just turned 18 in September, Bellingham has featured in all 16 games in the Championship for Sunderland as Tony Mowbray's side sit just inside the playoff places, seeking a return to the top-flight for the first time in seven years. The youngster has managed to bag three goals and record one assist in the process, having been deployed as both a central midfielder and a number ten.

Jobe, the brother of Real Madrid superstar Jude, has made waves in England's second tier, and has been described by former Premier League striker Troy Deeney as an "absolute monster" in the making.

Jobe Bellingham's stats this season

Some Sunderland supporters even believe that Bellingham is a "copy and paste" of his older sibling which could mean the youngster has a higher ceiling than Tottenham Hotspur's Maddison, should the English giants secure his signature this winter.

Bellingham's stats at such a young age certainly make for impressive reading when compared to all players in the same position from similar leagues to the Championship over the past calendar year. The £3m midfielder is ranked in the top 12% for non-penalty goals per 90 as well as the top 2% for non-penalty xG per 90. Additionally, Bellingham is currently sitting in the top 6% for touches in the attacking penalty area per 90 and the top 19% for progressive passes received per 90, according to FBref.

This season, only Jack Clarke has scored more goals for the Black Cats than Bellingham, who is level with Dan Neil on three goals and boasts a 56% shot accuracy as well as a 17% conversion rate, according to the BBC.

The Sunderland starlet is also holding his own against Maddison in a number of key attacking metrics, proving Bellingham's frightening talent – despite his tender age.

Goals

0.22

0.31

Expected Goals

0.25

0.29

Assists

0.07

0.51

Expected Assists

0.1

0.33

Key Passes

0.89

3.16

Progressive Passes

4.07

9.9

Progressive Carries

1.78

2.96

Goals Per Shot

0.13

0.11

Stats via FBref

Maddison is still way ahead of Bellingham in quality, especially with his creative nous. However, the fact that the youngster can even keep up in certain stats is a testament to his ability and could point towards a future passing of the torch should Spurs make a deal with Sunderland over the coming months.

It may be Maddison who is the shinight light at N17 at present, but if a deal for the teenager is done in 2024, it could be Bellingham who reaches heights similar to that of his Golden Boy-winning brother.

It is hard to believe that Ipswich Town were a League One outfit last season but their tremendous start to this campaign has got the Tractor Boys dreaming of a return to the Premier League.

Despite losing 2-0 against West Bromwich Albion last time out, Kieran McKenna's side are still seven points above third-place Leeds United and will fancy their chances of bouncing back against Millwall.

Ipswich boast the best home record in the second tier with seven wins from eight matches, however, the Lions have only lost once on their travels this term but do find themselves in a lowly 18th position.

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Here's how Ipswich could line up against Millwall tonight, with two changes from that loss to the Baggies…

1 GK – Vaclav Hladky

The backbone of any successful team is having a goalkeeper who breathes confidence into the rest of the team. In the shape of Vaclav Hladky, who has kept the second most clean sheets in the division (6), Ipswich have just that.

An outstanding shot-stopper and exceptional organiser, the 33-year-old has prevented the most goals in the Championship this term – 4.04, as per Sofascore.

2 RB – Brandon Williams

McKenna deploys a system that allows his full-backs to make an impact in the final third and on-loan Manchester United defender, Brandon Williams, has benefitted from being awarded that freedom.

The 23-year-old remarkably ranks in the top 1% against his division positional peers for non-penalty goals per 90 (0.27) while he's equally strong the other way, placing within the top 4% for tackles (3.34).

3 CB – Luke Woolfenden

A towering presence at the heart of the Ipswich defence and equally comfortable with the ball at his feet, Woolfenden is an imposing, ball-playing centre-back who has gradually improved since making his debut for the club in 2017.

The 6 foot 4 goliath has set the tone this term by winning 82% of his ground duels and registering a pass completion of 86%.

4 CB – Cameron Burgess

Burgess formed an instrumental partnership with Woolfenden in their promotion-winning campaign last term and that understanding has only grown stronger in the second tier.

They say you should never break up a winning partnership and this duo has formed the backbone of their success under McKenna, with Burgess recording the fourth most clearances in the division (5.1).

5 LB – Leif Davis

Promotion rivals Leeds have been left kicking themselves since offloading their all-encompassing academy graduate, Leif Davis.

Of course, his powers as an assist machine have only been unlocked since the arrival of McKenna, with the 23-year-old projecting dynamite down the Tractor Boys' left flank. He registered a whopping 14 assists in League One last term and already has seven in the Championship this time around.

6 CM – Sam Morsy

The Ipswich captain leads by example on the field through his tough-tackling displays in the middle of the park and elegance in possession.

Adored by his manager, who praised him as an "absolutely outstanding" captain last season, the former Wigan Athletic star ranks in the top 11% against his positional peers in the division for tackles and top 15% for passes attempted per 90.

7 CM – Massimo Luongo

Massimo Luongo has been pushed out of the starting eleven by Jack Taylor in the previous two matches, however, the Australian international should start ahead of the youngster against Millwall.

The £5k per-week machine has averaged more balls recovered (5.2 v 2.4), key passes (1.3 v1.1) and tackles per game (2.5 v 0.7) than Taylor.

8 RW – Wes Burns

Although he was restricted to just 23 touches of the ball against West Brom, Wes Burns has been a menace down the right flank all season, utilising his pace and fleet-footed dribbling to outfox defenders. Whilst he only has one goal and one assist to his name, the fact he registers 0.23 expected assists per 90 – ranking in the top 8% in the second tier – suggests he should have more.

9 CAM – Conor Chaplin

In League One last term, Conor Chaplin was devastating as a second striker, plundering 26 goals and five assists. Some questioned whether he could translate that form across to the Championship, but posting six goals and four assists to his name so far suggests he has.

He's at his most dangerous when he picks up pockets of space and drives at defences, so Millwall will need to be wary of his threat.

10 LW – Marcus Harness

Nathan Broadhead was bitterly disappointing in the defeat against the Baggies, only making 18 touches across 62 minutes of action and misplacing five of his 13 attempted passes.

Marcus Harness, who has predominantly featured from the bench but still scored four goals, deserves to start from the off tonight in his place.

West Bromwich Albion have been handed a boost after learning that one of their first-team players has returned to training, according to a fresh report that has emerged.

West Brom injury news

The Baggies haven't had the best luck when it comes to players being sidelined this season, but supporters have recently received some positive news surrounding the fitness of four of their senior squad members who have been out of action. Josh Maja, John Swift, Daryl Dike and Adam Reach have all returned to the grass during the international break as they step up their recovery and get closer to once again being competitively involved, and if the following update is to be believed, they aren’t the only ones who will soon stage their comeback.

Back in January, Martin Kelly sustained a serious knee injury and he’s been ruled out ever since having undergone surgery to rectify his problem, meaning that he’s hardly had a chance to prove what he’s capable of since putting pen to paper.

The Hawthorns right-back has only made seven senior appearances following his arrival from Crystal Palace last summer (Transfermarkt – Kelly statistics), though when he’s ready to return to action, the 33-year-old will be hoping that he can nail down a regular starting place and make a positive impression on Carlos Corberan.

Martin Kelly returns to full training

According to BirminghamLive, Kelly has returned to training and could be available for the first team in a few weeks time, with the plan being to build up his fitness by giving him game time with West Brom’s youth side.

“The lesser spotted Martin Kelly was welcomed back into first-team training this week by his teammates, who have long awaited his return. Still with some weeks to go, and likely under 21s minutes, before he might be considered for a place in the match-day squad, it's a significant step forward for Kelly.”

Corberan handed boost over "outstanding" Kelly

Whilst Kelly hasn’t been able to showcase his talents since joining, West Brom will know that they still have a fantastic player on their hands, so it will be a huge boost for Corberan to finally have the defender at his disposal having been ruled out since the start of the year.

Standing at 6 foot 3, the colossus was averaging 3.4 aerial wins and 2.6 clearances per game last season in the Championship for the Baggies (WhoScored – Kelly statistics), highlighting the rock he can be at the heart of the backline, but he’s also capable of getting involved in the final third.

The Whiston-born talent has posted 12 contributions (eight assists and four goals) since the start of his career, which shows that he can use his athletic pace to burst down the flank, take on his marker and create chances for both himself and his fellow teammates in the opposition’s half.

West Brom’s “outstanding” player, as hailed by Sky Sports pundit Don Goodman, even has the versatility to operate everywhere across the backline and slightly higher up on the right side of the midfield, so for all of the qualities that he brings to the squad, the sooner he returns, the better.

The momentum built by Rangers prior to the international break has come to a shuddering halt following the previous two matches.

First up was an away tie against Aberdeen in the Premiership and despite creating more clear-cut chances, they had to rely on a late penalty by James Tavernier to secure a share of the points.

The tie against Aris Limassol in midweek wasn’t much better either. Once again, the Gers conceded a tame goal, with the defenders caught in no man's land as a high ball over the top evaded them.

Ross McCausland did score an equaliser which salvaged a point, but it means they could drop into the Europa Conference League if results don’t go their way in the final group-stage matches.

Philippe Clement will be looking at rotating his starting XI for the league tie against St Mirren at Ibrox on Sunday afternoon and introducing a fresh face or two.

With three points vital in the chase for the Premiership title, we at Football FanCast predict the Rangers starting XI that will take to the pitch tomorrow at a packed Ibrox.

1 GK – Jack Butland

The former Crystal Palace goalkeeper was one of Michael Beale’s better signings during the summer transfer window, and it bolstered an area which was badly needed rejuvenating.

Butland has perhaps been let down by his defence on numerous occasions this season as he has single-handedly kept the club in matches.

The 30-year-old has kept 11 clean sheets in 25 matches and keeping a 12th one would go a long way to three points vs the Buddies.

2 RB – James Tavernier

The captain needs to start showing more leadership qualities, especially as the pressure is now firmly on the manager following two poor results.

The defender may chip in with crucial goals and assists and who knows where the club would be without these, yet he needs to give more belief to the team, as clubs like Aberdeen and Aris should be fearful of playing against the Gers.

3 CB – Connor Goldson

Connor Goldson was suspended for the European tie in midweek, and it was just the second game he has missed throughout the whole 2023/24 campaign.

The Light Blues missed his presence against Aris as John Souttar and Ben Davies played together for the first time this season.

His return would give Clement a boost, and he could turn to an experienced head to partner him…

4 CB – Leon Balogun

The 35-year-old looked like he was going to play a peripheral role under Beale, making just two appearances under the former manager.

Under Clement, however, he has been utilised more often, starting four of his opening nine matches in charge, and it would have been more had he been available to play in Europe.

5 LB – Borna Barisic

The Croatian will start against St Mirren on Sunday, and he will be looking to put in a solid performance, especially with his contract due to expire in the summer.

Across nine Premiership ties this season, the 31-year-old has registered two assists and while his defensive abilities are questionable at times, his attacking talents are solid.

6 CM – John Lundstram

The former Sheffield United midfielder has returned to form this term, having endured a rather forgetful 2022/23.

He has started every single game under the Belgian and across the whole squad in the league, the 29-year-old ranks third for accurate passes per game, along with ranking fourth for interceptions per game and fifth for big chances created, indicating how impressive he has been at the heart of the midfield.

7 CM – Jose Cifuentes

Despite arriving to much fanfare, the midfielder has failed to live up to the hype and his latest performance against Aris proved that he needs a spell out of the starting XI.

With Ryan Jack and Nico Raskin injured, however, Clement will need to play him against St Mirren.

Clement must now bench Rangers star who lost possession 12x vs Aris

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ByRoss Kilvington Dec 2, 2023

In midweek, the 24-year-old looked like a rabbit caught in the headlights at times as he lost possession 12 times along with being dribbled past twice.

A big performance on Sunday could go a long way to righting his wrongs from the other evening, but he really needs to step up to the plate.

8 RW – Ross McCausland

Todd Cantwell was substituted off after just 36 minutes against Aris due to not following Clement’s instructions and this gave the Northern Irishman another chance to impress, just days after signing a new contract until 2027.

He took full advantage of the opportunity and scored his first-ever goal for Rangers with a low drive that nestled into the far corner of the net and his future looks incredible.

Clement could unlock the St Mirren defence by unleashing the youngster, and he will be eager to build on his first-ever senior goal.

9 AM – Tom Lawrence

Sam Lammers was woeful against the Cypriots, being dribbled past four times across while completing just nine passes during his 58 minutes on the pitch and this is simply not good enough.

He is lightweight and clearly lets matches pass him by due to the lack of output and this should give Clement the licence he needs to unleash Tom Lawrence.

Hailed as “unplayable” by Steve Evans while at Derby County, the Welshman has built up his fitness and a spell in the starting XI could do wonders for his confidence.

He will surely offer a bigger threat than Lammers and his creativity could unlock the St Mirren defence.

10 LW – Abdallah Sima

The on-loan Brighton winger enjoyed a productive start to his spell in Scotland, scoring seven goals prior to Clement arriving, yet he has netted just twice since then.

He has gone off the boil recently, but until Rabbi Matondo is ready to start matches, the 22-year-old will continue to be used on the left wing.

West Ham have been given a spot of encouragement after making first contact to sign a Champions League-winning striker for manager David Moyes.

Steidten chasing new striker in January

As widely reported, the east Londoners could be set for a busy January window as technical director Tim Steidten and the board work on targets for next month.

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He’s been in red hot form this season.

ByEmilio Galantini Dec 13, 2023

Reliable journalist Fabrizio Romano, speaking to CaughtOffside earlier this week, shared his expectation that West Ham will be active when the winter transfer market opens for business.

“I expect West Ham to be busy in January as they’re looking at opportunities around, though it’s still too early to say anything about specific names. The owners and directors are working on it," said Romano.

Another very reliable source, club insider ExWHUemployee, claimed last month that a striker is chief among West Ham's top January priorities. The Irons, as highlighted by Michail Antonio's recent injury, are desperately short of options in that position with both Jarrod Bowen and Mohammed Kudus used as makeshift options this season.

2023 signing Danny Ings appears out of favour at the London Stadium right now, and as things stand, the former Southampton striker looks set to go down as yet another failed forward transfer for West Ham. The club also failed to replace Gianluca Scamacca in the summer, who is now scoring consistently for new club Atalanta in Serie A.

All of this makes bringing in a new number nine absolutely imperative for Moyes, especially as the Scotsman looks to ease pressure on his precarious position at West Ham.

West Ham given Werner hope after "first contacts"

One forward option who's been repeatedly linked lately is RB Leipzig ace Timo Werner, who won the Champions League with former club Chelsea in 2021.

Werner has found life difficult since returning to Leipzig from Stamford Bridge, though, with a host of Premier League clubs looking to take advantage. Specifically, the Germany international is being courted by Man United, Crystal Palace, Fulham and West Ham. That is according to Fussball Transfers, who also say West Ham have made "first contacts" for Werner.

The 27-year-old, as Moyes' side make an approach, is now "thinking about a change of air" mid-season in what will be viewed as a real bit of encouragement from West Ham's perspective. Little else is added beyond that, but there is a belief are now "dealing with personnel" – which presumably means the player's representatives.

While his spell at Chelsea was largely one to forget, Werner was praised by former Arsenal striker Kevin Campbell as an attacker who gets into "unbelievable positions" (Football Insider).

"Werner is a very good player," said Campbell on Werner during his Chelsea stay. “The problem is, I think he needs a change. He needs to get out of that spotlight. He needs to go somewhere else. It may all turnaround and click for him once he does that. The spotlight at Chelsea might be too much for him.

“He gets into unbelievable positions. His movement and speed are a constant threat."

Aston Villa are considering a move to bring a new striker back to the Premier League in January, according to a fresh report.

Unai Emery's Villa in flying form

The Villa Park outfit have made nothing short of a remarkable start to the new campaign having won 12, drawn two and lost just three of their opening 17 fixtures, meaning that they currently find themselves third in the top-flight table, level on points with Liverpool.

Despite having Ollie Watkins and Jhon Duran at his disposal at centre-forward, Unai Emery is looking to strengthen his options in that particular area of the pitch, and the manager has set his sights on one target in particular who will know current Villan Youri Tielemans well.

Back in 2017, Leicester City’s Kelechi Iheanacho first put pen to paper from Manchester City, and he’s since gone on to become a regular feature at the King Power Stadium, making a total of 226 senior appearances (Transfermarkt – Iheanacho statistics).

However, Nigeria’s international will have reached the expiration of his deal at the end of the season, so should he not be signing fresh terms, the upcoming window will present his club with their final opportunity to cash in on the 27-year-old so that they don’t risk losing him for free next summer (Leicester contracts).

Aston Villa eyeing Iheanacho

According to Football Insider, Aston Villa are interested in signing Iheanacho, alongside RB Leipzig's Timo Werner in January.

"Aston Villa have set their sights on RB Leipzig striker Timo Werner and Leicester City star Kelechi Iheanacho ahead of the January transfer window, sources have told Football Insider. The duo are on the radar for the Midlands giants as they step up their push for a forward signing in the new year."

Iheanacho could be a "prolific" addition

Since the start of his career, Iheanacho has posted 134 contributions (87 goals and 47 assists) from 299 appearances, showing how prolific he can be in the final third, and he’s actually comfortable operating in all four roles across the frontline.

Standing at 6 foot 1, the left-footed finisher has previously been deployed as a left-winger, right-winger and a second striker alongside his usual role leading the line through the middle, so his versatility to play in other areas will be yet another attractive attribute.

Centre-Forward

218

Second Striker

27

Right Winger

10

Left Winger

8

Sponsored by Nike, Emery’s target even has an excellent record against his admirers having scored seven goals against Villa – his most vs any opponent – so if he’s capable of performing at this high of a level for the opposition, imagine what he could do under Emery.

As hailed by football talent scout Jacek Kulig, Iheanacho is a truly “prolific” striker, and with him likely to be available for a potential cut-price due to his contract situation, Aston Villa should definitely capitalise on this to try and bring him to the Midlands in January.

Tottenham have now reached a full exit agreement right after their signing of Radu Dragusin, with news breaking on Thursday morning.

Spurs getting business done early

The north Londoners are getting most of their business done nice and early, just as manager Ange Postecoglou intended, with the club signing both Timo Werner and Radu Dragusin already.

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Werner joins on a six-month loan deal with the option to make it permanent in the summer, while Dragusin signs for around £26 million with right-back Djed Spence going the other way temporarily.

Strengthening both attack in defence in one quick swoop, Postecoglou will be thrilled with his side's haste so early in the transfer window – something he said would be imperative.

"If you can bring them in early, even if they don't play you can bed them into training and our style of football because it's not like we're going to sign somebody and they'll hit the ground running. Maybe they could," said Postecoglou on Spurs transfers last month.

20

13

6

1

45

25

20

13

3

4

42

16

19

12

4

3

40

24

20

12

4

4

40

17

"Whereas if you leave it towards the end of January, it's potentially not until mid to end of February when they get up to speed, depending where they're coming from, the league they're coming from. So there's a whole lot of moving parts. So yes, I'd love to do something early in the window but even me saying that puts a challenge on us – because other clubs know we want to do something early."

Outgoings will be just as important when it comes to balancing the books and trimming unwanted members off Postecoglou's squad, and it appears some real headway has been made when it comes to out-of-favour defender Eric Dier.

Tottenham reach agreement to sell Dier

The 29-year-old doesn't feature in Postecoglou's plans at all, made evident by the fact Spurs would rather play a makeshift pairing of Emerson Royal and Ben Davies when Micky van de Ven and Cristian Romero aren't available.

Dier has been linked with a move to Bayern Munich, where his former teammate Harry Kane is currently flying. Sky Sports reporter Florian Plettenberg, sharing breaking news on Thursday morning, says Dier to Bayern Munich is now a "done deal".

It appears the Englishman's long stay at Spurs is coming to an end, and while the latter part of his stay was one to forget, he will be remembered as a faithful N17 servant.

Sunderland will hope fortune favours the bold at the Stadium of Light today, the Championship underdogs raring to go in the Tyne-Wear Derby to potentially unsettle hated neighbours Newcastle United further with an FA Cup scalp.

The Black Cats go into this full-blooded affair off the back of two wins on the spin in the second tier with spirits high, whilst a depleted Newcastle side arrive to Wearside down on their luck with three defeats from their last three in the division above.

Regardless of Michael Beale's men coming into this Cup tie full of confidence, the new Sunderland boss will potentially drop this out-of-sorts figure for the match today.

Aji Alese had only just come back into the side after being sidelined with a long-term knock in the Preston North End win, but could find himself pushed out of the team even when back to full fitness by missing the fiercely contested Magpies encounter.

Aji Alese's game vs Preston North End in numbers

With a whole host of defenders making up Sunderland's injury list at this moment in time – Niall Huggins and Dennis Cirkin notable absences – Aji Alese was given the nod to start for the Black Cats last time out in Championship action.

Thrown in at the deep end at left-back by Beale, an unorthodox position for Alese to take up in a starting eleven, the 22-year-old was poor throughout the 2-0 victory without ever really impacting proceedings as his side picked up a straightforward three points.

Minutes played

70

Clearances

1

Blocked shots

1

Interceptions

1

Duels won

1/2

Possession lost

18 times

Sourced by Sofascore

Only going in for two aerial duels all game – as per Sofascore – Alese would win just one of those battles on top of failing to launch himself into a single tackle during his forgettable 70-minute spell on the Stadium of Light turf.

Alese was notably lacklustre on the ball too, letting himself down with various wayward balls in the victory with 13 of his 43 passes in the game failing to reach their intended target.

In stark contrast, his defensive teammate, Daniel Ballard, would misplace just two of his passes as a calmer head in the back four.

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Alese's lack of concentration on the ball would see him give up possession 18 times in the 2-0 victory, hauled off by Beale on the 70th-minute mark to give Timothee Pembele a run-out instead and a chance to impress.

The 22-year-old won't be frozen out completely from the first team plans at Sunderland after this sub-par reintroduction into the team however, Alese could still play a key role in the months to follow as a presence to rely upon when rotation is required, with Tony Mowbray once referring to the young defender as being as "steady as a rock".

Pembele could well have played himself into contention for the Tyne-Wear Derby subsequently, the summer signing from Paris.St Germain one option who could come in for the returning Alese.

The players who could replace Aji Alese

Alese being given a breather for the Newcastle Cup game could see Pembele afforded his first-ever Sunderland start, the former PSG man utilised twice this season as a late substitute.

His efforts against the Millers as a second-half substitute at the end of December were impressive, completing two successful dribbles as a slaloming full-back despite only being on the pitch for a mere 26 minutes.

Beale could also opt to start Jenson Seelt at left-back if he really wants to shake things up, the Dutchman filling in as a makeshift full-back on occasion this season and not looking out of place.

Whatever team is fielded by Beale for the hotly anticipated Tyne-Wear Derby, the Sunderland boss will hope the eleven on the pitch can do themselves proud on the big occasion and maybe even gain bragging rights at full-time over the Premier League favourites.

Arsenal's form has fallen off a cliff in the last few weeks, with two back-to-back losses in the Premier League and a 2-0 loss in the FA Cup.

However, with half of the season to go and plenty to fight for, Mikel Arteta won't have lost hope, and with the transfer window now open, he has the chance to bolster his squad, and one name that just won't go away is Everton's Amadou Onana.

The Belgian ace has been touted for a move to the Emirates several times this month and prior, but he isn't the only Toffees star that the Spaniard has been looking at in January.

Arsenal target Onana's impressive teammate

According to talkSPORT, Arsenal are one of several major clubs that 'admire' Everton's exciting young centre-back, Jarrad Branthwaite.

The report has revealed that alongside Manchester United, Real Madrid, and Newcastle United, the Gunners are keen to add the promising defender to their young and dynamic team.

Unfortunately, it could well take a mammoth fee to prise the defender away from the Toffees, with one report detailing a £100m valuation.

While it would be a complex deal to complete with so many massive teams after him, signing Branthwaite would make Arsenal's defence so much more impressive, although it could spell trouble for Gabriel.

How Jarrad Branthwaite compares to Gabriel

The arrival of a player that football talent scout Jacek Kulig described as "an absolute monster" would likely be welcomed by the Arsenal faithful with open arms, especially if he arrived with Onana in tow.

The Carlisle-born centre-back has started 86% of Everton's league games this season, while the Belgian has started 76%. While there have been some losses in those games, the pair have starred in some of the Toffees' most impressive wins this season, such as the away win over West Ham United and the EFL Cup win away to Aston Villa.

The only person who might secretly hope Arsenal don't get this deal over the line is Gabriel. If Branthwaite does sign for the Gunners, it would be so under the promise of regular first-team football, and for as talented as the Brazilian is, it would likely be him that lost out and not William Saliba.

However, how do the pair's underlying numbers compare? Would Arteta be justified in dropping the former LOSC Lille man for the Toffees star?

Well, unfortunately for the Gunners' number six, while his defensive numbers are undoubtedly impressive, they aren't as remarkable as Branthwaite's.

Stats per 90

Branthwaite

Gabriel

Tackles Won

1.06

0.61

Blocks

1.17

1.53

Interceptions

1.78

1.04

Clearances

4.78

2.45

Ball Recoveries

6.39

4.29

Aerial Duels Won

2.56

2.45

All Stats via FBref for the 2023/24 Domestic Season

The English "wall", as described by Kulig, comes out on top for tackles won, interceptions, clearances, ball recoveries, and even aerial duels won per 90.

In contrast, the only defensive metric in which Gabriel comes out ahead is in blocks per 90, and that just won't be enough to justify his place ahead of the 21-year-old if a transfer can be agreed upon.

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Ultimately, if Arsenal can get ahead of the pack and agree on a deal for the promising defender, they should, especially if they can complete a double swoop for Onana.