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Newcastle United have ‘been offered’ the chance to sign Brighton and Hove Albion forward Leandro Trossard, according to journalist Ben Jacobs.

The Lowdown: £25m valuation

The Belgian’s contract at the Amex Stadium is set to expire at the end of the season, and having previously admitted that he could leave at some point in the near future, his future with the Seagulls is currently up in the air.

The Magpies were reportedly one of two clubs, alongside Premier League rivals Chelsea, to have been tracking the 28-year-old, with a £25m price tag put on his head.

The Latest: Newcastle pull out of Trossard race

Taking to Twitter, Jacobs revealed that Newcastle were given the opportunity to sign Trossard towards the end of last year, but refused his services as they wanted to land someone younger.

The CBS journalist tweeted: “Trossard has been offered to Spurs, Chelsea, Liverpool, Newcastle and Manchester United over the past two months. #LFC and #MUFC made it clear very quickly they had no interest. #NUFC also prefer a younger option.”

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The Verdict: Wrong decision

Trossard would have undoubtedly made Eddie Howe’s attacking ranks even stronger, so the decision to not recruit him when given the chance was completely incorrect.

The Belgium international has netted 25 goals and provided 14 assists during his time on the south coast, form which has seen him dubbed a ‘wizard’ by Charlie Haffenden.

Indeed, Dan Ashworth has already signed him before from when he worked at Brighton, which potentially would have given the Tyneside club the advantage in the transfer race for the 28-year-old, but in the end that’s obviously not what they wanted.

Sunderland’s rumoured loan move for West Ham United starlet Pierre Ekwah is now ‘done’, according to reliable journalist Alan Nixon. 

The Lowdown: Ekwah profiled

The Irons midfielder joined the club’s youth side from Chelsea’s academy back in 2021 but is yet to make a senior appearance at the London Stadium, so a development loan would make complete sense in order for him to gain some valuable experience.

The Black Cats were reported to be considering bringing the 21-year-old to the Championship, and whilst Football.London later claimed that Tony Mowbray’s side held nothing more than an interest, a rapid development has now emerged.

The Latest: Ekwah to Sunderland ‘done’

Taking to Twitter, Nixon was asked by a Sunderland supporter whether there had been any progress on the move for Ekwah, to which the reporter simply replied:

“I’m told it’s done.”

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The Verdict: Another one?

Aji Alese permanently swapped West Ham for the Stadium of Light last summer, and Ekwah could be about to follow in his footsteps should he put pen to paper in the northeast, even if it is only on a temporary basis.

The Frenchman has posted ten goal contributions in 38 appearances for the Irons’ U21s and is a versatile player with the ability to operate in both defensive and central midfield (Transfermarkt).

Sunderland are only three points outside the playoffs following an excellent first half of the season, and the potential arrival of Ekwah could help them secure a top-six finish at the end of the campaign.

Newcastle United are receiving interest from a number of Championship clubs this month over the availability of their Scottish winger Ryan Fraser.

What’s the latest?

Although the Toon have not seen any new signings come through the doors at St. James’ Park this month, there has also not been many leaving the club.

Chris Wood became the first to leave this month after a deal with Nottingham Forest was confirmed on Friday.

And it seems as if the New Zealand striker’s expected departure could kickstart the Magpies into life in the January transfer window.

Speaking to Football FanCast prior to Wood’s departure, insider Dean Jones has suggested Dan Ashworth has been receiving some interest from a handful of teams in the second tier.

He said: “There’s a lot of options here. The one thing he’s really going to have to consider though is, would he go into the Championship?

“I think there’s a couple of the clubs interested in him that are at the top end of the Championship. So it’s a tough one for him to decide whether he’s ready to drop a level and hope he can get back to the Premier League.”

A big drop down to the Championship

What Newcastle have been able to achieve under Eddie Howe and the Saudi Arabian-based ownership has been nothing short of incredible.

The Magpies are sitting firmly within the Premier League’s top four and have a great chance of getting their hands of the League Cup this season.

There have been a number of new faces arrive on Tyneside since the takeover took place in the latter stages of 2021, but Howe has also developed a lot of the players he adopted when joining the club.

And perhaps the biggest example of this is Miguel Almiron who has been playing like a player reborn this season under the 45-year-old.

When Howe took on the job at Newcastle, you probably wouldn’t have been wrong in thinking the likes of Almiron could be the type of player who could be moved on under the new owners.

The Paraguayan has scored 23 goals for Newcastle in 146 appearances, however, nine of them have come in the 19 Premier League appearances under Howe this season (via Transfermarkt).

For a player like Fraser, he has clearly not had this sort of development under Howe with the 28-year-old netting just twice in their time together on Tyneside.

Not only does his lack of output in front of goal leave his spot in the squad vulnerable but the likes of Almiron’s progression will surely see his opportunities to prove himself pushed even further back.

Fraser’s time at Newcastle has not particularly done him any favours with just three goals and six assists to show across the 59 appearances he has made.

Although it may be difficult to leave a club on the up like Newcastle, at the age of 28, perhaps it would be wise for Fraser to leave and pick up some more frequent game time elsewhere.

Matheus Nunes has been heavily linked with a move away from Wolves in recent weeks, and the Old Gold could potentially return to Sporting Lisbon by bringing in Manuel Ugarte as his replacement.

According to Media Foot, the Midlands outfit and Atletico Madrid have both been in talks with Sporting over a potential move for the 21-year-old, with Wolves’ relationship with his agent Jorge Mendes likely to be crucial in any deal.

The young midfielder has established himself as a key player in Ruben Amorim’s side and has been one of their stars so far this season, although his current €60m (£53m) release clause means that it would be another expensive transfer for the Old Gold to complete.

Wolves already spent big when bringing in Nunes from the Estadio Jose Alvalade last summer, with the midfielder joining in a club-record deal worth £42.2m.

Despite some disappointing form so far in the current campaign, which has seen him register no goals and just one assist in the Premier League, the 24-year-old still has multiple suitors, with recent reports suggesting that Liverpool are especially keen on signing him in 2023.

If Julen Lopetegui does opt to cash in on the young midfielder, then Ugarte could be an ideal replacement, and he may even prove to be an upgrade when you compare their respective statistics from the season so far.

This graphic emphasises that the Uruguayan would be a significant upgrade from a defensive perspective in Lopetegui’s side compared to Nunes, and on current form, he could be a far better player to have in a relegation battle.

Ugarte’s ability to win back possession  has earned him praise from football talent scout Jacek Kulig, who called him a “midfield machine” after topping the charts for tackles and duels won among all players in the Champions League so far this season.

While Nunes has hitherto struggled to adapt to the Premier League, Ugarte’s strength in winning physical battles suggests that he could be an ideal fit at Molineux.

Therefore, if Wolves splash the cash on another player from Sporting Lisbon this month, then it would not be a surprise to see Nunes offloaded amid Liverpool’s interest in him.

Newcastle United may now face an obstacle in their pursuit of Hakim Ziyech with Chelsea believed to be unwilling to deal with the Magpies.

What’s the latest?

There are reports suggesting the Toon are eyeing the Moroccan forward, Ziyech, this month with a potential loan deal until the end of the campaign on the radar.

However, it seems their targets may now be narrowed down to just Gordon in the final days of the window which now seems to be all set to happen with the Londoners believed to be wary of sending any players to Tyneside.

Speaking on the Ranks FC Patreon page, insider Dean Jones has shared the word coming out of Stamford Bridge suggesting they are not keen on selling to their top four rivals:

(23:45) “They’ve obviously had interest in Ziyech too. I have heard from the Chelsea end that they wouldn’t be entirely willing to help Newcastle out right now. Obviously Newcastle, potentially stealing their top-four position at the moment.”

Not dealing with rivals

Although this may not be what some Newcastle fans want to hear, it has to be said many Toon fans would likely be unhappy to offload some of their players to the teams around them.

However, the irony comes in Chelsea’s struggles this season with Newcastle now 10 points clear of the Blues with over half of the campaign already gone.

There is a big gap between the two sides so there could be the view that loaning Ziyech to Newcastle may not make much of a difference with the Toon already well clear in third spot with Chelsea down in 10th.

However, there is still a long way to go and although Chelsea may need a miraculous second half of the campaign to land a spot in the top four, they could still battle for a spot in the Europa League.

And although Newcastle fans will not want to think about this, a handful of results going against them over the coming weeks could quickly pack the group back up together.

Now, Ziyech is a player who has not played much of a role in the Chelsea side this season and will likely return to the bench – at best – in the coming weeks with players returning from injury and with new faces having arrived in the transfer window.

However, he has shown his class with Ajax and it is apparent the Blues are wary of Eddie Howe helping the Moroccan to rediscover this form and help Newcastle secure that spot in the top four.

Reporter Adam Pope has been discussing the rumoured injury that Leeds United ace Rodrigo may well have picked up.

The Lowdown: Leeds face a nervous wait

Leeds have been relying heavily on Rodrigo this season, with the Spaniard finally starting to find his goalscoring boots that have evaded him ever since he joined back in 2020 from Valencia.

The Spaniard had been pretty poor in front of goal prior to this season, scoring just 13 times in the league. But he is now in a rich vein of form with 10 goals to his name in 17 league starts – though it could soon be coming to a halt.

This is because there has apparently been talk that Rodrigo may well have picked up an injury over the last few days, which would be a monumental blow for Jesse Marsch and Leeds.

The Latest: Rodrigo set for time on the sidelines

Pope was asked what he knew about Rodrigo and his potential injury on the Don’t Go To Bed Just Yet podcast as deadline day loomed large for Leeds.

He said: “Well, nothing official, but there’s loads of talk that he might have injured an ankle, but we’ll have to see. We won’t know until we speak to Jesse officially – the club aren’t going to say anything. You don’t want to send anything out in a window, do you?”

The Verdict: Marsch must now adapt

It would be a monumental loss for Leeds to lose their top goalscorer, although if Rodrigo has been struck by injury, this may well have been the best time, with Patrick Bamford back starring in the FA Cup alongside Georginio Rutter last weekend.

However, Bamford simply cannot be relied upon fully by Marsch given his atrocious run of injuries over the last 18 months, while Rutter is still young and will likely need time to adapt to the Premier League following his move from Hoffenheim.

Therefore, Marsch and Leeds fans will be crossing their fingers and hoping Rodrigo hasn’t picked up anything serious over the past few days as they have a big game at the weekend against Nottingham Forest.

Arsenal are reportedly still favourites to sign Lazio midfielder Sergej Milinkovic-Savic in the summer.

The Lowdown: Arsenal in pole position

It was reported in late December that Mikel Arteta’s side were in pole position to sign the Serbian either in the January transfer window or in the summer.

A January move never materialised but a summer deal is still a possibility, although the Gunners have also been strongly linked with moves for both West Ham United’s Declan Rice and Brighton and Hove Albion’s Moises Caicedo.

The Latest: Arsenal still favourites

As per Italian news outlet Corriere dello Sport (via Sport Witness), the Emirates Stadium remains the ‘favourite destination’ for Milinkovic-Savic this summer, as Arsenal have taken the ‘most convinced steps’ to sign him.

The Serbia international has made the ‘irreversible decision’ to leave Lazio this summer, and he could be allowed to depart for offers of less than €50m (£44.5m).

The Verdict: Cheaper alternative

Milinkovic-Savic would be a cheaper alternative to the likes of Rice and Caicedo this summer, with Arteta’s side making a second bid of £70m for the latter in January.

Lauded by his Lazio team-mate Ciro Immobile as a ‘magic’ midfielder and on the ‘same level of Kevin De Bruyne’, Milinkovic-Savic has 20, with one fewer match played.

Among the rest of midfielders in Europe’s top five leagues over the past year, the 27-year-old Serbian ranks in the top 7% for as many as nine key metrics and has truly established himself as one of the world’s best in his position.

With that in mind, Arsenal could do a lot worse than bring him in for next season.

The Athletic’s Dan Bardell noticed that Unai Emery was ‘losing his mind’ at Aston Villa full-back Matty Cash in their most recent match.

The Lowdown: Substitute cameo

Cash came on 59 minutes into their Premier League clash at Villa Park on Saturday, where he lost possession on seven occasions, gave away one foul and failed to win his only duel on the day.

The 25-year-old has played 17 league matches for Villa this season, but he’s only played one full game in the Premier League in 2023.

Having initially been a starter under Emery, it appears as though he has a fight on his hands to reclaim his first-team place following his World Cup exploits with Poland.

The Latest: Bardell notices interaction

Speaking on The Villa View after the game, Bardell said that Emery was extremely frustrated with Cash once he came on and was constantly shouting at him from the sidelines.

He stated: “I did notice something at the game yesterday.

“Unai Emery was losing his mind at Cash a couple of times on the touchline for whatever he was doing, so I think says a lot about maybe why Ashley Young is perhaps doing more of what Unai Emery wants.

“Emery threw his arms up in the air and lost his cool at Cash a couple of times, I noticed during the game, so that’s something to keep your eye upon.

“I wouldn’t expect Matty Cash to be coming back in the team anytime soon if Emery’s reaction to a couple of elements of his play is anything to go by.”

The Verdict: Back Cash

We believe that Cash has the potential to be a long-term mainstay in the Villa starting XI, despite Emery opting to play Ashley Young in recent weeks.

Cash clearly holds Emery in high regard and likely won’t have his opinion changed by his recent touchline antics.

He described the ex-Arsenal boss as an ‘incredible’ manager and claimed that even some of the experienced players were learning a lot from the Spaniard (via Birmingham Mail).

But Cash is 25 years old and so has plenty of time to develop his game as time goes by.

A number of top names have played under Villans boss, including fellow full-back Jordi Alba, David Villa and Angel Di Maria.

Our belief is that Cash has a great opportunity to learn a lot under his current manager and we hope Emery gives him the chance to do so.

Wolverhampton Wanderers are plotting a summer swoop for a La Liga winger as Julen Lopetegui aims to continue his rebuild at Molineux.

What’s the latest on Abde Ezzalzouli’s move to Wolves?

According to the print edition of the Sunday Mirror (12/2/22, page 73), Barcelona are now open to offers for young winger Ezzalzouli as Xavi seeks to improve the club’s financial situation by selling a few players, and the 21-year-old is one for whom he is willing to entertain bids.

The Old Gold were linked with a move for the youngster during the January transfer window but nothing materialised, although this recent update from Barcelona could well pique Lopetegui’s interest once again.

Could Ezzalzouli become Wolves’ next Adama Traore?

The Moroccan winger has spent the season on loan with Osasuna, playing 14 matches in La Liga while registering two assists, and it seems evident that he could have a bright future in the game.

He made his Barcelona debut last season and Xavi lavished praise on him, Gavi, and Ronald Araujo, describing them as players who are “bursting with personality”.

Ezzalzouli has similar attributes which could see him become Wolves’ next Traore if he continues on his upward trajectory. The Barcelona coach even dubbed him as “spectacular” previously, and the Old Gold could be signing a wonderful talent if the 21-year-old makes the move to England this summer.

Traore has been a bit hit-and-miss since joining the club in 2018. Across 178 matches in all competitions for the Premier League outfit, he has scored just 13 goals and registered 18 assists, yet his relentless nature and explosive pace ensures that he is always a threat when playing.

Over the course of his career, the 27-year-old has averaged 4.1 dribbles and one key pass per game, proving that despite his lack of goals, he is certainly able to create plenty of chances for others.

According to FBref, Traore and Ezzalzouli are statistically similar footballers, with the Wolves star the fifth-most similar player to the Barcelona sensation.

This season has seen the two players register similar statistics when it comes to goal contributions (two each), total shots (14 to 13), goal-creating actions (three each), successful take-ons (23 to 14), and touches in the attacking third (220 to 196).

These figures clearly show that both players have a keen eye for goal while retaining the ability to successfully beat opponents and create chances for team-mates.

Ezzalzouli is still quite raw, although Lopetegui could see a move as the chance to develop him into one of the most talented wingers on the continent. He could well blossom into the next Traore at Molineux, albeit one who is far more clinical.

Leeds United are still without a permanent manager to take over from Jesse Marsch at Elland Road, with former youth coach Michael Skubala taking the reins for forthcoming fixtures.

The caretaker has given glimpses of his capabilities when he led the Whites to a draw with Manchester United at Old Trafford last week, and he has been confirmed as the coach who will lead the team in their must-win relegation six-pointer against Everton at Goodison Park this weekend.

The Whites are teetering on the edge of the Premier League relegation zone, just one point clear of Saturday’s opponents in 18th, so it will be imperative that Skubala picks up the crucial points needed to widen the gap between Leeds and the jaws of potential relegation back to the Championship.

As a result, the precarious position in which they find themselves will require caution from the powerbrokers at the club when appointing the next permanent manager should they do so before the end of the season, as the wrong appointment could be an absolute disaster and cause major uproar should it lead to the drop.

A silver lining has emerged, though, with stalwart Luke Ayling signing a contract extension to remain at the West Yorkshire club until the summer of 2024, which means the new manager will have the experienced right-back at his disposal whenever they take charge at Elland Road.

One manager who has been linked with the head coach vacancy this week is Andoni Iraola, as the Elland Road hierarchy continue talks with the Rayo Vallecano manager, who is set to be out of contract with the Spanish club this summer.

Could Iraola get the best out of Ayling?

The 40-year-old has had a limited managerial career so far, although his invaluable experience as a player could be hugely valuable to Ayling over the remainder of his time at Leeds.

Iraola was a combative right-back in his playing career, tallying 551 appearances, 38 goals and 47 assists. Most of his playing time was earned with Athletic Bilbao, completing 12 years of service with the Basque club before moving onto New York City FC, playing under Patrick Vieira.

The now-Crystal Palace manager held his former player in high regard in terms of his presence on the pitch when coaching him in the latter stages of career in America, saying of Iraola’s qualities: “A lot of players get a lot of credit but the work he does on and off the field deserves recognition.

“There are players who work really hard for the team but never get mentioned and those kind of guys are really quite special because they sacrifice themselves for the team. Andoni is the perfect image of a team player – everyone loves him on and off the field.”

Across 31 MLS appearances in his final season in New York, Iraola tallied a pass completion rate of 87%, registered one assist and completed 72% of his dribbles, along with averaging 56.6 touches, 38 accurate passes, 1.4 interceptions, 2.2 tackles and four successful duels per game, proving to be a huge presence on the pitch right up until he ended his playing career.

The Spaniard could channel that experience, quality and work rate into Ayling by coaching the Leeds stalwart to improve his game even further and give the team their best chance at competing comfortably should they remain in the top flight next season.

If Leeds could secure the prospective appointment of Iraola, it could be massively advantageous to Ayling to have a coach with an expert knowledge of his position and teach him a few things about that particular role in the team.