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An update has emerged on Chelsea and their plans to strengthen their squad at Stamford Bridge in the January transfer window…

What’s the talk?

Journalist Simon Phillips has claimed that the Blues are “considering” a swoop to sign Aston Villa right-back Matty Cash before the end of the month.

The reporter has also published an article stating that the club are poised to ‘step up’ their pursuit of a new player in that position to compete with Cesar Azpilicueta and Reece James.

However, it remains to be seen how open the Villans are to doing a deal for Cash and how much they would demand from the Blues for his signature.

James alternative

Graham Potter could land a dream alternative to James on the right side of the back five by securing a deal to sign the Villa dynamo in the coming weeks.

The England international missed nine matches earlier this season with a knee injury and is projected to miss seven games in total with his current knee issue, after sitting out of 20 outings in all competitions last term with various fitness problems.

His worrying injury record over the last 18 months indicates that the Chelsea manager needs a reliable, long-term, option to compete with James in that position and that is what Cash could be.

Firstly, the Villa gem is 25 and has plenty of years left ahead of him to be a frontline option for Potter and would not be coming in as a short-term fix as a veteran heading into the final throes of his career.

He has also played 81 matches in the Premier League and would be able to hit the ground running at Stamford Bridge as he would not be arriving as a player who needs time to adjust to English football or the top-flight.

Cash, who Villa podcaster Ty Bracey once dubbed “unreal”, has also shown that he has the quality to produce excellent performances at this level.

The £80k-per-week Poland international averaged a Sofascore rating of 6.96 across 38 appearances in the Premier League last season, scoring four goals and assisting three whilst also making 3.6 tackles and interceptions per match – as per Sofascore.

Only seven Chelsea players have averaged a rating higher than 6.96 in the division this term and this suggests that Cash has the quality to fit in as a rotation option for the club, which makes him a dream alternative to James for when the Englishman is unavailable for selection.

Reliable journalist Jordan Campbell believes Glasgow Rangers could still potentially sign midfielder Todd Cantwell during the January transfer window.

The Lowdown: Cantwell linked with Rangers move

Michael Beale will want to bring in his own signings in this window, the first of his tenure as Gers manager.

One player who has been heavily linked with a move to Ibrox is Cantwell, who has been limited to just nine starts for Norwich in the Championship this season.

A fresh update suggests that the 24-year-old could arrive at Rangers this month.

The Latest: January switch could happen

Taking to Twitter, Campbell claimed that Beale could look to sign a player who is out of contract this summer in January, mentioning Cantwell’s name in the process:

“Beale says that if an out-of-contract player is available to bring in early it is something he would look to do to help them adapt. Cantwell fits that bill.”

The Verdict: Great option for Beale

Cantwell would have the potential to be a superb signing for Rangers, bringing a combination of endless running and technical quality in midfield areas. He won two tackles and made three interceptions in his one EFL Cup outing this season, against Bournemouth, and has an 82.6% pass completion rate in the league.

The Englishman has 45 appearances to his name in the Premier League, as well as scoring six goals, and that experience at the highest level shows that he can be a hit at Ibrox.

Granted, his stock appears to have fallen a little at Norwich with his recent lack of game time, but a new challenge at Rangers, under a manager who he could thrive under, makes this an exciting potential signing, having been lauded for his ‘God-given’ talent by former coach Gary Cockaday.

An update has emerged on Newcastle United and their interest in signing Moussa Diaby during the January transfer window…

What’s the talk?

According to the Daily Mail, the Magpies have made a ‘fresh’ enquiry over the potential availability of the Bayer Leverkusen forward as Dan Ashworth scouts out targets for the final weeks of the month.

The report claims that the club have held a long-term interest in the former Paris Saint-Germain attacker and remains informed on his situation, with Leverkusen possibly needing to cash in on him if they are unable to move on over players before the window slams shut.

Sky Sports reporter Dharmesh Sheth recently claimed that the Bundesliga outfit wanted €100m (£88m) for the winger last summer and has stated that fellow Premier League side Arsenal made contact over a deal for the gem.

Ryan Fraser upgrade

Ashworth could land Eddie Howe a big upgrade on current Newcastle winger Ryan Fraser by beating off competition from the Gunners and securing Diaby’s signature.

Miguel Almiron has been the club’s go-to option on the right this season and the manager has flickered between Joelinton, Joe Willock, and Allan Saint-Maximin on the left.

Fraser, who can play on both flanks, has made eight appearances in the Premier League and struggled to prove that he is deserving of a place in the squad.

In those eight games, the Scotland international did not produce a single goal or assist and averaged a Sofascore rating of 6.71, after scoring two goals and providing three assists in 27 outings for the Magpies in the 2021/22 campaign.

These statistics show that the 28-year-old has found it difficult to make a significant impact on a regular basis at the top end of the pitch in the English top-flight.

Diaby, who was once praised as being “fearless” by Chronicle editor Aaron Stokes, could come in as a superior alternative to the former Bournemouth man, given his performances for Leverkusen over the last 18 months.

The 23-year-old Frenchman has scored six and assisted three goals – creating 10 ‘big chances’ – in 15 Bundesliga outings whilst averaging a Sofascore rating of 7.21 this season, and plundered 25 direct goal contributions in 32 matches in the German top-flight last term.

Since the start of the 2021/22 campaign, Diaby has created 1.9 chances per game on average in the division and this is far more impressive than Fraser’s creative statistics, as the Toon winger has not averaged more than 0.9 key passes per match since 2020/21.

Therefore, Newcastle could land an upgrade on Fraser by securing a deal to sign the Leverkusen forward, due to the dynamo’s potential to be a match-winner for Howe with his regular goals and assists from out wide.

Aston Villa have now approached Lyon over a potential move for striker Moussa Dembele, The Daily Mail report.

The Lowdown: Attacking options

Unai Emery appears to be on the hunt for a new striker at Villa Park after Danny Ings was sold to West Ham. The club have already reached an agreement to sign teenager Jhon Duran, however, Villa now have just Ollie Watkins and Duran as centre-forward options.

There has been some speculation surrounding a deal for Dembele, and it looks as if NSWE and sporting director Johan Lange have made their first move over a possible transfer.

The Latest: Dembele enquiry

The Daily Mail shared a story on Thursday regarding Villa and Dembele. They claimed that Emery has tracked the forward for some time and is an admirer, with Villa making an enquiry to Lyon.

The 26-year-old is out of contract at the end of the season, with a possible January transfer fee of around £3m mooted in the report.

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The Verdict: Smart move?

Dembele is valued at €18m by Transfermarkt, so a £3m swoop in the coming days could be a shrewd piece of business. The French forward has plenty of experience in a variety of divisions, scoring 139 club goals for Fulham, Celtic and Lyon – 21 of which came in Ligue 1 last season.

That was his best-ever league return in front of goal during his career, and you could also say that he still has plenty of high-level years left in the tank at the age of 26.

Villa have also struggled for goals this season, with Leeds and Leicester City, in 14th and v, scoring more than the club’s tally of 22, so a swoop for Dembele may well be a smart one by Emery and Villa.

Julen Lopetegui is reportedly keen for Wolves to sign Gerard Deulofeu this month and the Spaniard could be the man to reignite Raul Jimenez at Molineux.

Speaking on the House of Champions YouTube channel earlier this month, Italian football journalist Fabrizio Romano suggested that the 56-year-old manager is a big fan of the former Watford forward, but any deal for him could, according to the other reports, cost around €25m (£22m).

He said: “I think it’s about Udinese wanting to keep Deulofeu. For example, I’m told that also Wolves’ manager, Lopetegui, is [a] big fan of Deulofeu. So it’s true that Aston Villa like him, but also Wolves have been tracking him.”

The Spanish winger will be well known to Wolves fans after his remarkable goal and performance in the FA Cup semi-final defeat against Watford in 2019 and he has found a new level of consistency in Italy which suggests he could be a big help to Lopetegui in the second half of the season.

So far this campaign, the 28-year-old has contributed an impressive two goals and six assists in just 16 Serie A appearances, averaging a superb 7.05 rating from WhoScored for his performances.

It is his ability to find a teammate in promising situations that could be so game-changing for the Old Gold should he arrive at Molineux, as Wolves still find themselves bottom of the goals-scored table in the Premier League.

According to FBref, Deulofeu ranks in the top percentage of wingers across Europe’s big five leagues for expected assists, shot-creating actions and progressive passes, which emphasises just how creative a player he can be when he is at his best.

Meanwhile, at Wolves, no player has managed more than two assists in the top flight this season, while, despite spending most of the campaign on the sidelines, Pedro Neto leads the way for average key passes per game, with 1.6.

Deulofeu has averaged nearly double that with three key passes per match in Serie A this term, which suggests that he has the quality to consistently create good opportunities for strikers.

He has also proven himself in England in the past, with former Everton boss Roberto Martinez full of praise for him back in 2015.

He said: “He was outstanding when he came on. His pace, penetration and ability in one-on-one situations was something that inspired our second-half performance.”

While there is little doubt that Jimenez hasn’t been the same player since his horrendous skull injury – scoring just three goals this term – the forward is still a good finisher and perhaps has lacked quality service over the past two seasons at Molineux.

Therefore, signing someone such as Deulofeu could be a great idea for Wolves this month, as it could be the catalyst in getting the Mexico international back to his best ahead of a hugely important final few months of the season.

Everton have reportedly had a €23m (£20m) bid rejected from Sheffield United for striker Iliman Ndiaye.

The Lowdown: ‘Outstanding’ this season

Ndiaye is enjoying a terrific season at the Blades, with Sheffield Star reporter Alan Biggs labelling him as an ‘outstanding player’ earlier this month.

He has hit no fewer than ten goals and eight assists in total over all competitions so far this season, with 17 of those contributions coming in the Championship (look set for promotion up to the Premier League with Burnley.

Sean Dyche is the new manager at Goodison Park, and it looks like he has already tried making moves, looking to take Ndiaye away from his old club Burnley’s main competitor at the top of the table.

The Latest: Bid rejected

As per French news outlet L’Equipe, the Blades have rejected an offer worth around £20m from the Toffees for Ndiaye, and the striker ‘intends’ to stay at Bramall Lane until the end of the season.

He really burst onto the world stage with Senegal at the FIFA World Cup in Qatar, making three appearances, including against England, and recording one assist (Transfermarkt).

The Verdict: Desperate times…

These are desperate times indeed at the Merseyside club, with just a few days left of the transfer window remaining and them in the relegation zone in the Premier League.

Anthony Gordon is also on his way to Newcastle United for a reported £45m, so attacking reinforcements are needed quickly.

The Blues need to use this money to invest in one and maybe two attackers before the window shuts, as they are also the second-lowest scorers in the top flight with 15.

Ndiaye looks like he will be unattainable in this window, so they will now have to move on to other targets quickly.

Nottingham Forest are believed to have made an approach to sign Atalanta defender, Merih Demiral, according to reports in Italy.

What’s the word?

As per TUTTOmercatoWEB, Steve Cooper’s side are said to have made an initial loan offer for the Turkey international, with the proposal said to include an obligation to buy for a fee of around €28m (£25m).

The report goes on to add, however, that while the Serie A outfit are seemingly open to negotiations regarding the 24-year-old, the player himself is unconvinced at present at the prospect of making the move to the City Ground.

Cook upgrade

This comes amid uncertainty surrounding the future of current Forest man, Steve Cook, with the experienced centre-back believed to be attracting interest from a number of Championship clubs, after falling down the pecking order under Cooper of late.

The former Bournemouth skipper – who joined the Garibaldi a year ago – has failed to start any of the last six Premier League games, having notably been part of the much-changed side that was ‘torn apart’ in the 4-1 FA Cup defeat to second tier strugglers Blackpool, as per Nottinghamshire Live’s Sarah Clapson.

As such, Cooper and co could well find a notable upgrade by turning to the aforementioned Demiral before the deadline, with the former Juventus ace able to help strengthen a backline that has already shipped 34 top-flight goals this season.

The 6 foot 4 “monster” – as lauded by journalist Josh Wright – has showcased his defensive prowess for Gian Piero Gasperini’s side of late, having averaged 1.8 tackles and 1.2 interceptions from his 17 league appearances this season, with Cook averaging just 0.7 and 1.0 for the same two metrics, respectively, from his 12 top-flight outings.

Equally, Demiral has also illustrated his commanding brilliance as he ranks in the top 3% among those in his position in Europe for aerial duels won, as well as in the top 10% for interceptions, while Cook ranks in just the top 22% and the bottom 65% for those two metrics.

That should indicate that Forest would be making an instant improvement to their backline if they can convince the Turkish titan to make the move to England in the coming hours, with such a deal no doubt set to heighten the club’s chances of survival.

Manchester United midfielder Casemiro would be capable of playing in a more advanced role in light of the recent injury to Christian Eriksen, according to journalist Steve Bates. 

The Lowdown: Eriksen injured

Eriksen suffered an ankle injury after being caught by a heavy tackle from Andy Carroll during Man United’s 3-1 FA Cup victory against Reading last time out, in what is a blow for Erik ten Hag.

The Denmark international has seven assists to his name in 19 Premier League appearances this season, after a very impressive first half of the season, and the manager is now tasked with finding someone to replace these goal contributions.

The Latest: Casemiro’s role to change?

Speaking to GIVEMESPORT about the options Ten Hag has at his disposal to replace the 30-year-old, Bates indicated that Casemiro could be considered.

The journalist said: “I think one option they have is probably to push Casemiro forward. Casemiro’s been an absolute dream as a buy for the whole club.

“He’s made an instant impact in a few months at the club, not many players managed to achieve that, but he has done that and I think you saw it against Reading in the FA Cup. He has the ability to score a goal and obviously, if you were to push him further forward, maybe, he might even be more of a goal threat.“

The Verdict: Right call?

There is some evidence that the Brazilian is capable of playing in an advanced position, given that he has two goals and three assists in the Premier League this term, however he is much more well-drilled in the defensive side of the game.

The 30-year-old midfielder ranks in the 99th percentile for blocks and 95th percentile for tackles per 90 compared to his positional peers in the past year, while he has only averaged 0.09 assists per 90.

Not only that, but Ten Hag choosing to bring in Marcel Sabitzer on deadline day indicates that he feels a more proven attacking option is required to replace Eriksen, and the Austrian is more suited to playing further forward, even playing as a second striker on 49 occasions in his career.

West Bromwich Albion manager Carlos Corberan is not currently leading the race for the vacancy at Leeds United, according to reports.

The Lowdown: Leeds target Corberan

The Premier League outfit relieved Jesse Marsch of his duties on Monday after failing to secure victory in any of his last seven top-flight games, and to find his replacement, the hierarchy are believed to have turned their attention towards the Championship.

The Spaniard had reportedly been identified as the number one candidate for the job at Elland Road, with the boss said to be keen on the move, though an update regarding the 39-year-old’s future has now emerged contrary to these suggestions.

 The Latest: Corberan not first choice

According to the Yorkshire Evening Post, Corberan could find himself ‘in the frame’ to succeed Marsch, but it’s claimed that he is ‘not currently the frontrunner’ to become the next manager of Leeds.

The Baggies coach ‘remains highly thought of’ by the Whites board, though right now, they are looking to bring in someone with more ‘experience’ at the level they require.

The Verdict: Huge boost

Corberan has made an instant impact at the Hawthorns and it will come as a massive boost to West Brom supporters to learn that an exit at this stage looks unlikely.

The Cheste native has won an outstanding top six from being in a relegation battle when he first took to the helm.

Corberan will know what it takes to be successful having guided Huddersfield Town to the play-off final last season, and there’s no reason why he can’t do the same or go one better this campaign in the Midlands.

West Ham United have set their sights on Maurizio Sarri as a potential replacement for David Moyes, according to a new report.

The Lowdown: Moyes’ future in doubt?

The Telegraph reported last month that Moyes faced the sack if his West Ham side were defeated by Everton, however they ran out comfortable 2-0 winners, buying the Scot some more time in the dugout.

Since then, the Hammers have progressed in the FA Cup but they have drawn twice in the Premier League, meaning they sit just two points clear of the relegation zone, and talk has continued about their manager’s future.

The Latest: Contacted Sarri

According to reports from Italy (via Sport Witness), the 59-year-old’s future at the club remains uncertain, and so the West Ham hierarchy have identified a target to potentially replace him.

Sarri is unsettled in his current position as Lazio manager, and the Irons could look to capitalise on that, having already contacted him about taking over at the London Stadium.

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The Verdict: Get it done?

The 64-year-old has been lauded as ‘extraordinary’ by Jorginho, who now plays for Arsenal, and there are indications that he would be an exciting appointment for the Hammers, as he most often utilises an attacking 4-3-3 system.

That said, it would be a risk to part with Moyes in the middle of the season, especially considering there have been improved signs in recent weeks, picking up decent draws against good sides in Newcastle United and Chelsea.

As such, West Ham should give their current manager until the end of the season, before re-assessing their options in the summer once they have more time to embark on a proper rebuild.