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Arsenal have been dealt a frustrating setback to their January transfer plans after The Athletic’s David Ornstein dropped a gutting update on their pursuit of Joao Felix.

According to reliable journalist, Premier League rivals Chelsea have struck a “verbal agreement” to sign the Portuguese forward on loan from Atletico Madrid.

They are expected to pay around €11m (£9.7m) fee, which is below what the LaLiga outfit initially wanted, which was thought to be in the region of a €21m (£18.5m) package.

This leaves sporting director Edu Gaspar in a tricky situation as Mikel Arteta is surely desperate to add quality to his frontline following Gabriel Jesus’ gutting injury blow – right now, the Spaniard only has one striker (Eddie Nketiah) to call upon for the next few months.

Perhaps they could find the answer in a previous – and long-term – target in Wilfried Zaha.

Back in October, 90min reported that the Gunners were being kept informed of the 30-year-old’s situation as he enters the final months of his current £130k-per-week contract at Crystal Palace.

The north Londoners have long been interested in the Ivory Coast international, with him coming close to signing for the club in 2019 but instead, they gambled a whopping £72m on Nicolas Pepe.

Whilst Zaha doesn’t fit the project as much as Felix, given the seven-year age gap between the two, he would be a far more reliable and risk-free option given his vast experience in the top-flight.

280 of his 447 appearances for the Eagles have come in the Premier League, where he has delivered 89 goals and 76 assists, via Transfermarkt.

The majority of these games has seen the Palace “special talent” – as described by Gunners legend Patrick Vieira – play out wide but he’s more than capable of playing through the middle too, lending further reason to why he’d be a perfect alternative to Felix, who himself isn’t a natural no.9 by trade.

Zaha has a very good record against the team he supported as a boy, managing seven goal contributions across 15 outings, so it’s fair to suggest that he has given former manager Unai Emery plenty of nightmares over the years as the decision to sign Pepe instead now looks woeful, particularly as the now-Aston Villa boss wanted the Eagles gem instead.

The “game-changer” – in the words of ex-manager Roy Hodgson – could go out on loan this month, according to CBS Sports reporter Ben Jacobs, so it would completely make sense for Arsenal to reignite their interest in him.

With Felix now out of the picture, Edu must turn his attention to Zaha in a bid to solve Arteta’s attacking conundrum.

AND in other news, Alongside Mudryk: Edu could seal Arsenal’s “dream signing” in “ridiculous” £50m dynamo…

West Ham United manager David Moyes must ponder the option of re-signing Spanish striker Toni Martinez, who is now flourishing with FC Porto after he left the east London club on a free transfer in 2019.

According to prominent Portuguese publication A Bola (via Sport Witness) a host of clubs have been put on alert following the Spaniard’s rich vein of form, with a recent Portuguese Cup hat-trick against Arouca an emphatic stamp.

Waxing lyrical about Martinez’s skills to A Bola, Terry Westley stated that a number of Premier League clubs might turn in the 25-year-old’s direction following such scoring feats.

The former West Ham youth coach said: “I remember that aggressive desire to score goals. He was always ready to fight and try to score, he believed that he would be judged by the number of goals at the end of the season.

“If he continues to score goals at that volume at FC Porto, I think it’s inevitable that he’ll play more often at the start and be aware that there are many top-level clubs looking for young scorers. Toni is 25 years old and he’s still young, so he has every chance to be a top striker at a big club.”

Four years ago, the 25-year-old penned a deal with Portuguese outfit Famalicao, scoring 14 goals across 40 outings before signing for Porto in 2020, where he has gone on to make 93 appearances and has plundered 24 goals and three assists.

Having scored nine goals this season from just eight starts across all competitions, Martinez has already bettered his previous campaign with the Portuguese giants, when he netted seven times in 37 games.

While plying his trade with the Hammers in the maiden stage of his career, Martinez spent the lion’s share of his time on the club’s books cast out on loan deals, with his three senior appearances for West Ham all coming in the FA Cup, with one assist to show for it.

However, having netted 25 goals from 29 appearances for West Ham’s U21s, the foundation for a prolific career was cemented from the off, and he has been developing his ability and making incremental gains to his game with each passing year.

As per FBref, the imposing talisman ranks among the top 1% of strikers in Europe’s major leagues for total shots and touches in the attacking penalty area, and within the top 11% for aerials won, illustrating the formidable presence that he could bring if he returns to the London Stadium.

The time might be right for Moyes and West Ham to acknowledge the club’s mistake in letting such a blossoming talent slip from their grasp in 2019. With the Irons lacking any great goal threat (they’re the Premier League’s joint-second lowest scorers), Martinez could bring the spark that’s needed to truly ignite this stagnating team.

Southampton are reportedly in ‘advanced talks’ to sign Villarreal winger Nicolas Jackson.

The Lowdown: More signings to come?

Journalist Fabrizio Romano has recently claimed that Southampton could make two or three more signings before the transfer window shuts, and shared that Jackson was one player that they were looking at.

They have already made two new signings in the form of Mislav Orsic and Carlos Alcaraz, as Nathan Jones looks to bolster his squad for the second part of the season, where they go into a Carabao Cup semi-final against Newcastle United, and fight for survival in the Premier League.

The Latest: Jackson talks

Taking to Twitter, Sky Sports reporter Dharmesh Sheth says that the Saints are in ‘advanced talks’ to sign Jackson, although there is ‘work to do’ on the deal, which could cost up to €25m (£22m):

“Southampton in advanced talks with Villarreal over signing of forward Nicolas Jackson. Work to do on deal worth €25m. Jackson has started 8 league games this season but hasn’t featured in the squad for any of Villarreal’s last 4 games in all competitions.”

The Verdict: Get it done!

Southampton need all the help in attacking areas that they can get, given that they have only managed to score 17 goals in their opening 20 games in the Premier League, the fourth-fewest in the division.

Jackson has managed three goals and three assists in 24 matches in total over all competitions so far this season (FBRef).

Dubbed ‘the new Sadio Mane’ by sections of the media, and a player with ‘bags of potential’ by journalist Ashley Preece, the 21-year-old is thought of very highly, and would be a welcome addition at St. Mary’s Stadium.

Everton’s potential signing of Arnaut Danjuma could hinge on them not hiring David Moyes as Frank Lampard’s replacement, according to Alex Crook.

The Lowdown: Danjuma deal

Sky Sports reported just days ago that the Toffees were set to sign the Villarreal forward on loan until the end of the season.

It would see the 25-year-old return to the Premier League following a spell at Bournemouth before he moved to the Yellow Submarine for £21.3m in 2021.

Although he failed to score in the top flight, the Dutchman bagged 17 goals and seven assists in the Championship, earning him the move to La Liga.

Despite the deal looking set for the previous few days now, it’s yet to be confirmed with an interesting revelation seemingly behind that delay.

The Latest: Crook’s comments

Speaking on TalkSport following the sacking of Lampard, Crook let slip that Danjuma’s deal could hinge on who becomes the new boss at Goodison Park, with him reportedly unwilling to sign should a certain manager be named.

Crook said: “In terms of signings, I wonder if it might have an implication with the Arnaut Danjuma deal. That, I was told on Saturday was pretty much a done deal; it still hasn’t been formally confirmed by Everton yet.

“I was also told that Danjuma was seeking assurances, not necessarily that Frank Lampard would be the manager, but he had a particular manager that he didn’t want to come in and replace Lampard.

“Let’s just say that it was David Moyes that blocked Danjuma’s move to West Ham in the summer, so that might give you a clue.”

The Verdict: Eye-opening situation

Crook’s claim suggests there could be a huge problem with potential player power at Everton – and even from a player who’s yet to sign.

Danjuma has enjoyed a good spell in Spain with 22 goals and four assists coming in just 51 games, which has unsurprisingly caught the attention of the Toffees, who are in dire need of goals – they are the second-lowest scorers in the Premier League with just 15.

However, the idea that a player will push the board to appoint a different manager than they potentially planned is ludicrous to imagine it could happen.

Although Moyes isn’t one of the favourites to take up the reins at Everton again, there was still belief from The Telegraph’s Luke Edwards, who explained a scenario could have occurred where the Scotsman replaced Lampard in the hotseat at Goodison.

This news will likely enrage the Everton faithful even further who have already protested against Farhad Moshiri’s ownership, and the idea of the already unpopular board being bullied by a player from another club would surely push that anger even further.

West Ham United are interested in a deal to bring Djed Spence to the London Stadium in the January transfer window.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to ExWHUEmployee, with the Hammers insider revealing in a recent post on Patreon that, having been linked with the right-back previously, David Moyes is once again interested in taking the Tottenham Hotspur defender on a loan deal until the end of the season.

Ex went on to suggest that, despite Spurs typically not being overly keen to do business with the Irons, as a result of West Ham’s poor standing in the Premier League table at present, Antonio Conte’s side could be willing to sanction the 22-year-old’s temporary departure this month.

In his post, the club insider said: “Another domestic loan that we have reported that we would be interested in is Djed Spence of rivals Spurs. The right-back was on our radar before.

“Usually, Spurs don’t like to deal with us but given our league differences we are not seen as a direct threat this year and they may be tempted to offer him a chance for first-team football without needing to uproot and move elsewhere again.”

“Unbelievable”

While it is true that, following his £20m move to Tottenham last summer, Spence has been largely overlooked by Conte – playing just 41 minutes of first-team football this season – considering just how much promise the right-back showed on loan at Nottingham Forest last term, the youngster would appear to be an unbelievable signing for Moyes to get over the line.

Indeed, over his 45 appearances in the Championship last time out, the £19m-rated talent was in sensational attacking form, scoring two goals, providing five assists and creating six big chances for his teammates, in addition to taking an average of 0.6 shots, making one key pass and completing 1.8 dribbles per game.

The defender also impressed in metrics more typical of his position, making an average of 1.4 tackles, 1.5 interceptions, 1.1 clearances and winning 5.8 duels per match.

These returns saw the player who legendary Arsenal centre-forward Ian Wright dubbed both “unbelievable” and “swashbuckling” average an astonishing WhoScored match rating of 7.05, ranking him as Forest’s sixth-best performer in the second tier of English football – playing a key role in the Reds sealing promotion back to the Premier League.

And, considering just how poor Vladimir Coufal, Ben Johnson and Thilo Kehrer have been for West Ham so far this season – averaging disappointing Sofascore statistical ratings of 6.83, 6.75 and 6.59 in the top flight respectively – it would indeed appear as Spence would add a much-needed spark in the Hammers defence.

As such, while his signing may only be short-term, the argument that the England U21 international would nevertheless be an unbelievable deal for Moyes to get over the line this month is indeed an extremely easy one to make.

Journalist Ben Jacobs has revealed that Liverpool defender Nat Phillips is wanted by Galatasaray and a loan deal may be possible with talks “active”.What’s the latest?While club manager Jurgen Klopp seems to have ruled out the likelihood of any new players joining his squad before January comes to an end, that doesn’t mean there won’t be any departures.Indeed, the manager did say “nothing will happen” with regard to any more winter incomings, but Phillips’ future still remains up in the air as a possible exit looms.While talking about it all on the Born and Red podcast, Jacobs has revealed the latest information he has, with Galatasaray in talks over a possible loan for the centre-back.He said (34:07): “With Nat Phillips, I think that Galatasaray are very genuine contenders.”They are certainly keen to secure his services and talks can be described at this point as active.”So then it becomes about what parties will be prepared to entertain. The last time I checked in on this, the loan until the end of the season was certainly a possibility.”I think from a Galatasaray point of view, they were quite keen on a loan with an opinion to buy.”Man on the moveSeeing as the 25-year-old has hardly had a kick so far this season – seeing just 55 minutes of action in the Premier League – it’s easy to see why he’s on the market.However, with a contract that runs until the summer of 2025, Liverpool are not necessarily in a position where they will feel as though they have to sell him.With that in mind, it could suit all parties to agree upon a loan until the end of the season. That way, the centre-back can potentially help build up his reputation and transfer value ahead of a permanent switch later down the line.Phillips has been linked with West Ham United too. So, as talks continue with Galatasaray, don’t be surprised if this deal is completed over the coming days one way or the other.

Newcastle United are expected to launch a summer move for the Wolverhampton Wanderers midfielder Ruben Neves in the summer.

What’s the latest?

The Toon’s January transfer window was not exactly a hugely exciting one with only two new faces coming through the doors of St. James’ Park.

But significant money was still spent with Anthony Gordon costing the Magpies in the region of £45m with £40m of that sent to Everton in one lump sum.

However, there was speculation surrounding potential interest in Neves as his contract at Molineux continues to wind its way down to its conclusion next summer.

And speaking on his YouTube channel, Craig Hope has mooted a potential swoop for the Portuguese midfielder in the summer with Wolves possibly sweating over his contract situation:

(6:00) “I wouldn’t be surprised to see them revisit perhaps maybe from a Premier League perspective a Ruben Neves-type. I know he’s got admirers within the club.

“He’ll have a contract situation with only 12 months to run come the summer. Now again, you know, they’ll probably be a premium price on that. And there’ll be a lot of competition, but I know, he’s certainly got admirers within.”

An opportunity to be had

Aforementioned, Neves is now just 18 months away from his contract at Molineux running its course which means this summer will be the last opportunity for Wolves to really cash in on the midfielder.

And this is a player – hailed “extraordinary” by Cristiano Ronaldo – who has received reported interest from some of the biggest clubs around with the likes of Arsenal and Barcelona said to be interested in signing him.

However, if Newcastle continues on their upwards trajectory they could be in a position to offer the Portuguese midfielder Champions League football for next season.

Neves has ranked highly among other midfielders for his defensive contributions with the 25-year-old in the top 10 percentile for interceptions and top three percentile for clearances (via Fbref).

And in comparison to Newcastle’s Bruno Guimaraes, the Portuguese star has provided more tackles and passes per 90 as well as more goals this season.

Considering Newcastle saw Jonjo Shelvey leave over January without any midfielders coming through the doors, it is a position which will likely need to be addressed in the summer.

And given there is still a reported interest in a potential big-money swoop for the attacking midfielder of James Maddison, a cheap option in Neves could prove a real steal to beef up Howe’s options.

Ewan Murray believes that not having control over signings would put Ange Postecoglou off the Leeds United move.

The Lowdown: Postecoglou not in the frame

While Sky Sports have indeed spoken about how long Leeds United have tracked Postecoglou, and believe he is ‘highly regarded’, it looks as though he isn’t featuring very prominently on their list of potential candidates.

This is because they have seemingly been interested in people such as Carlos Corberan, Andoni Iraola and Arne Slot already, with very little success coming out of any of their pursuits.

However, Posetcoglou may not even be a suitable fit for Leeds as he clearly has the final say on all transfers given the number of players that have arrived from the J-League, a league in which he worked in for a decent amount of time, and it’s unclear if he’d get that control at Elland Road.

The Latest: Lack of control may put Postecoglou off

Murray has spoken on The Press Box podcast that Victor Orta and Andrea Radrizzani not relinquishing control over transfers could be why Postecoglou doesn’t leave Celtic for Leeds right now.

He said: (4:15) “He is the master of all before him at Celtic and Celtic sign players that he wants to sign, they don’t have a sporting director, they have a recruitment department obviously but the manager has his own knowledge of players that Celtic sign in conjunction with the chief executive that is what they do.

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“He wouldn’t get that element of control certainly not at a Premier League club in England where there are layers upon layers, of sporting directors and more interference for more of a better word from recruitment people, he wouldn’t get the scope he has at Celtic to do his job and he will know that.

“If you were him you’d be careful where you went to because there are not many clubs in major leagues in Europe that would give him that level of control.”

The Verdict: Leeds look to have other ideas

There hasn’t been much talk of Leeds going for someone such as Postecoglou but after being rejected by Slot from Feyenoord, they may well look towards the Australian as someone they could tempt.

With their next game on Sunday, it appears very clear that someone won’t be in the dugout on a permanent basis, but Orta and Radrizzani must get someone in at the beginning of next week as they have a huge game against Everton.

Whoever is going to be the next Leeds manager will want as much time as possible to look at what they will be working with as it’s a squad that was seemingly assembled for Jesse Marsch, only for the boss to be sacked a few days after the window closed, showing he probably had little say on the signings.

Aston Villa have had a number of players breaking through their academy and into the spotlight in recent seasons with both Carney Chukwuemeka and Jacob Ramsey becoming well-known Premier League regulars since graduating.

The arrival of Unai Emery at Villa Park will leave supporters hopeful that he can build and develop the current squad to improve their consistency in the top flight over his tenure whilst also attracting some of the top talents across Europe with his experience of managing giant clubs like Arsenal and Villarreal.

Indeed, Aston Villa were linked with some of the hottest young prospects in European football over the January transfer window with Matteo Guendouzi, Nico Williams and Nicolas Jackson all touted for a move to the Midlands, however, nothing substantial materialised.

The Villans will need to significantly improve their balance of goals scored and conceded if they are to better their chances of breaking into the top half of the table over their remaining fixtures as they currently have the worst goal difference (-6) in the top 11 and the joint-highest amount of goals conceded in the top 12 Premier League teams.

Clearly, there will need to be improvements made to the defensive set-up at Villa Park which Emery will surely be keen to address in the summer transfer window, however, he may not need to look too far to find the solution to the inconsistency in the back-line.

The Villa boss may already have his Tyrone Mings heir in the academy with U21s centre-back Kerr Smith showing glimpses of quality that could see him follow in the footsteps of Ramsey by breaking through to the first team in no time.

The 18-year-old Scotsman – who was dubbed “talented” by Micky Mellon – completed a move to the club in January 2022 from Dundee United, becoming a consistent and reliable performer in the youth set-up over the last 12 months.

Smith has already tallied up 28 appearances in the Villa youth teams and this season has featured in the U21’s Football League Trophy campaign – tallying up an 88% pass completion rate and winning 100% of his aerial duels, proving himself to be a dominant but composed asset.

He also averaged two tackles and a whopping five clearances per game over his two appearances, proving he is a huge presence in his position.

The teenage machine has attracted a lot of praise over his short career so far with Daily Record journalist Scott Burns hailing Smith when analysing the player’s strengths upon his move to Villa:

“He’s done well, considering he’s only 17. He’s obviously quite big and strong, but he’s also very good on the ball.

“I remember Micky Mellon saying Kerr Smith was as good as anyone he’d seen at that age group.”

With that being said, the future is looking bright for Smith and if he can continue to develop and thrive in the U21s he could the perfect player to succeed Mings in the first team.

Insider ExWHUemployee has revealed West Ham United that Mark Noble is looking to establish a relationship with Monaco amid transfer interest in Axel Disasi.

What’s the latest on Axel Disasi to West Ham?

At the start of this year, having retired just last season, the former club captain took over as sporting director for the Hammers.

It seems as though he is wasting little time in getting his feet under the table and making an impact. Indeed, in January, with Noble now involved, the club signed proven Premier League striker Danny Ings from Aston Villa.

It remains unclear just how much of an influence he has on that deal but it looks as though he’s helping the club potentially line up a deal for Monaco defender Disasi, who was linked with the Hammers during the January transfer window.

And while speaking on The West Ham Way podcast, Ex revealed that the sporting director had recently been in France on a business trip.

He explained the reason for the visit, saying: “Mark Noble was a guest at the Monaco-PSG game.

“He does know Monaco sporting director Paul Mitchell there, was invited as a result of [the relationship between] him and the Monaco sort of hierarchy.

“That was to get to know the role of sporting director, but also as a way of establishing strong links between us and Monaco. With the potential signing of Axel Disasi – a French centre-back that we were looking at previously – and he could be one that we’d look to sign.”

What does Noble’s relationship with Monaco mean for West Ham?

Still only 24 years of age, Disasi could be an interesting signing in the future for the Hammers. He’s clearly well-rated in Ligue 1 as he travelled to Qatar with France for the 2022 World Cup and featured three times, starting once.

If the East London club can establish a relationship with Monaco too, that wouldn’t be a bad thing. After all, they did help produce global superstar Kylian Mbappe.

Seeing as their sporting director Paul Mitchell is an Englishman who worked with Southampton and Tottenham before heading to France, it’s no shock to learn that he’s familiar with Noble and this could certainly help with a connection between the two clubs.

Taking it all into account, transfer dealings between West Ham and Monaco could be something to keep an eye on in the near future.