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Nottingham Forest are in pole position to sign Atalanta midfielder Ruslan Malinovskyi in January, according to reports.

The Lowdown: Second attempt considered

The 29-year-old has now entered the final 12 months of his deal with the Italian side, meaning that a move in the New Year could be an option if he fails to renew his contract before that time.

The Reds were credited with an interest in the Ukrainian over the summer, alongside Premier League rivals West Ham, but decided against their pursuit due to the €50m (£45m) asking price.

However, Evangelos Marinakis could now be looking to take a second bite of the cherry in the winter market, and it’s sounding positive for Steve Cooper’s side.

The Latest: Forest in pole position

According to Italian journalist Paolo Bargiggia, speaking to 7 Gold (via Area Napoli and Sport Witness), Forest are currently leading the race for Malinovskyi.

He said:

“Malinovskyi, in all probability, will leave Atalanta. His future could be in England. 60% he will go to Nottingham Forest, 30% to West Ham, another club interested in the player. 10% for other possible destinations.”

The Verdict: No brainer

Cooper already has the likes of Jesse Lingard and Morgan Gibbs-White at his disposal, but should a cut-price deal become available, Malinovskyi is surely a no-brainer of a signing to make.

Possessing a ‘weapon’ of a left foot, as explained by football talent scout Jacek Kulig, the attacker is a huge threat in the final third having netted 30 goals and registered 27 assists during his time with Atalanta (Transfermarkt).

Forest’s new signings aren’t yet gelling given they are second from bottom in relegation, but Malinovskyi could be just the man they’ve been looking for to improve their record in between the posts.

Celtic may well have been left to rue their failure to land Scotland international Scott McKenna just over four years ago, with the current Nottingham Forest man having gone on to become a key figure for both club and country.

Reports back in 2018 suggest that the Hoops had seen an offer of around £3.5m rejected for the then-Aberdeen colossus, with those at Pittodrie having reportedly been demanding a fee of around £10m if they were to sanction a sale.

The towering centre-back subsequently submitted a transfer request a year later in order to engineer an exit from the Scottish Premiership side – amid interest from a number of Football League clubs – with the Old Firm outfit having been said to have made a ‘substantial offer’ in the January 2019 window.

As it proved, the 6 foot 2 brute was ultimately snapped up on a £6m deal by his current side in the summer of 2020, with the defender having since gone on become a vital presence at the City Ground.

There may well be a great sense of frustration that the Glasgow side – then managed by Brendan Rodgers – were unable to strike a deal in 2018, with potential question marks over whether the club could have made a more sizeable offer, particularly considering they would go on to fork out for £7m for Christopher Jullien instead a year later.

Pundit Peter Grant has since noted his astonishment that Rodgers – who admitted his interest in the player at the time – wasn’t able to secure his signature, stating:

“I 100 per cent thought that Celtic would take him from Aberdeen because he is a natural left-sider and they were only going to make money from him because he was only going to get better.

“I can’t believe they didn’t go for him. He was available and it’s so key to have a left-sided player in the modern game. He’s like an old school centre back. There are no tattoos. You can imagine him in the pub playing darts. He doesn’t get carried away with all the trappings of it he just wanted to get better.

“His distribution can be better but defending is his thing and he’s very good at it.”

That glowing praise comes amid what has been an impressive two years for McKenna in England, as he has gone on to rack up 83 games in all competitions for his current side thus far, scoring three goals and laying on four assists in that time.

That haul includes a tally of two goals and three assists in 51 games last term as Steve Cooper’s side secured promotion to the Premier League, while the £6.3m-rated man has gone on to start all seven games in the league in the current campaign.

At international level, the 25-year-old has also impressed of late, notably starring in Scotland’s impressive Nations League group stage performance, recording two clean sheets from his four outings, winning 93% of his aerial duels and recording an impressive 91% pass completion rate.

Clearly a player who can offer quality defensively but also in possession – having been lauded for having a “hell of a lot of attributes” by the aforementioned Grant – the £15k-per-week man could well have thrived under current Hoops boss Ange Postecoglou, with the title-winning coach currently lacking a left-sided option at the heart of the backline.

As it is, it looks as if McKenna will be a case of what-might-have-been as far as Celtic are concerned, with the champions set to have to see the 28-cap rock continue to impress both for his club and on the international stage.

Tottenham Hotspur return to action this lunchtime as they make the short trip to the Emirates Stadium to face arch-rivals Arsenal in the Premier League.

Just one point separates the two teams heading into kick-off with the Gunners just taking the edge as the division’s leaders after seven matches.

The north London derby is usually a fiery affair packed full of goals, so it will be interesting to see what sort of lineup manager Antonio Conte opts for as he looks to get another win over the club’s biggest nemesis.

There has been a lot of doubt over the fitness of club captain and no.1 shot-stopper Hugo Lloris after he pulled out of international duty but the Italian said during his pre-game press conference that he hoped “to see him on Saturday.”

He should, therefore, be fit to feature in what will be a late and big decision.

One player who won’t, however, is likely to be Ben Davies, meaning Barcelona loanee Clement Lenglet is set to continue in his place alongside England international Eric Dier and Cristian Romero.

There’s a choice to make at wing-back as, perhaps intriguingly, Conte started both Ivan Perisic and Ryan Sessegnon last time out, with the former starting on the right. This time, though, the Croatian veteran could be on the left as Emerson Royal returns to the fold.

The 22-year-old, once dubbed a “big talent” by former Fulham teammate Stefan Johansen, will be dropped, as a result.

In midfield, Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg and Rodrigo Bentancur have been mainstays, so it’s hard to envisage either of Oliver Skipp or summer signing Yves Bissouma breaking that trend, whilst in the attack, another doubt has emerged.

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Dejan Kulusevski, who started in the 6-2 demolition of basement boys Leicester City, could be absent, so it would make sense for hat-trick hero Heung-min Son to come straight back into the starting XI, having bagged all three of his goals from the bench against the Foxes.

He would be the second and final change to the side.

Predicted Spurs XI (3-4-3): Lloris; Lenglet, Dier, Romero; Perisic, Hojbjerg, Bentancur, Emerson; Son, Richarlison, Kane.

AND in other news, Spurs dealt injury worry ahead of Arsenal…

Everton have had their fair share of transfer disasters during the Moshiri era at Goodison Park, with more than £500m spent on signings and nothing to show for it beyond relegation scraps and financial concerns.

However, since the arrivals of Frank Lampard and director of football Kevin Thelwell in 2022, Everton are looking like a team who can compete comfortably in the Premier League this season so far after signing nine new players over the summer.

The Toffees are currently unbeaten in their last six games and have the best defensive record in the top flight after eight outings, with Conor Coady, James Tarkowski, Amadou Onana and Neal Maupay all becoming consistent features in the team since they joined the Merseysiders over the summer.

Nevertheless, it has taken a lot of trial and error to get the team into shape; and even when transfers have looked promising for the club, the reality sometimes hasn’t lived up to expectations, with James Rodriguez the perfect example of a player who was a superstar on paper but a flop for Everton.

Before he made the move to Merseyside, he was one of the hottest prospects in football, scoring 37 goals and delivering 42 assists in just 125 appearances for Real Madrid.

On the international stage for Colombia, he was the standout performer in the 2014 World Cup, scoring six goals in five games and winning the tournament’s Golden Boot.

Therefore, when the opportunity came for the attacker to join the Toffees in 2020, it was met with great excitement. The talented goal machine had worked with Carlo Ancelotti on two occasions already by that stage and on the surface seemed the perfect fit for Everton.

However, it turned out to be one of Moshiri’s biggest transfer disasters, and financially Rodriguez completely drained the club over his 12 months at Goodison Park.

The player joined on a free transfer from Los Blancos, as confirmed by then-Toffees director Marcel Brands despite initial reports of a £22m fee at the time of the transfer. However, when you take into account the player’s £140k-per-week salary during his 54 weeks at the club, it cost Moshiri £7.56m in total.

Rodriguez made just 26 appearances for the Toffees, scoring six goals and delivering nine assists as he was plagued with injuries, suffering six separate instances of injury in just one year and missing 22 games whilst he recovered.

The former Bayern Munich ace has also branded “spoiled” by journalist Ivan Mejia in the past before he was sold for an undisclosed fee to Qatari club Al-Rayyan just over a year after his arrival on Merseyside.

With that in mind, there is no doubt that Moshiri will feel rueful over signing Rodriguez, but the club could have never predicted that a player with so much promise could be such a letdown at Everton.

West Ham ‘cannot afford’ to sell defender Craig Dawson in the January transfer window, according to former England goalkeeper Paul Robinson.

The Lowdown: Worrying exit links

The 32-year-old is now into the final year of his current Hammers deal, having been a solid servant for the club since arriving from Watford in 2021.

Dawson has been linked with a move away from West Ham, however, with fellow Premier League side Wolves seen as the major suitors.

It remains to be seen if the Englishman will depart in January as he seeks to be closer to his family in the Midlands, but Irons insiders Claret & Hugh reported last week that the club believe Dawson will turn down any new contract offers.

The Latest: Robinson reacts

Speaking to Football Insider, the Sky Sports pundit said that selling Dawson would be a big risk, in terms of David Moyes’ squad depth:

“Dawson is a fans favourite – he has done extremely well there. David Moyes will be very reluctant to lose him.

“If the player wants to move further north for personal reasons, you would think West Ham would do it in the right way. It will not be one they will do in January though, no chance. That is a deal to be done in the summer.

“They cannot afford to lose him in January, not with the injuries they have had in that position already this season.”

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The Verdict: Keep hold until the summer

Robinson is correct in his assessment, with Dawson still such a steady pair of hands and someone who is capable of thriving at both centre-back and even right-back in a pinch.

Michail Antonio has hailed the veteran as ‘unbelievable’ and it makes sense to allow him to leave on a free transfer next summer instead of losing him in January – it’s not as if a 32 year-old with six months on his deal would command a big transfer fee anyway.

It still isn’t out of the question for Dawson to sign a new contract at West Ham but he may just feel that one more fresh challenge in his career is needed before he hangs up his boots.

Tottenham Hotspur are ‘definitely in the conversation’ to sign RB Leipzig defender Josko Gvardiol and could beat Premier League rivals Chelsea to his signature, according to BBC pundit Alan Hutton.

The Lowdown: Gvardiol being monitored

Football Insider reported last week that the Lilywhites are keeping close tabs on the 20-year-old after a long-standing interest that runs back almost two years, but they are set to face competition from the Blues.

Antonio Conte is expected to be offered a new bumper contract that could see him earning up to £20m a year, and it’s believed that this could play a significant role in attracting potential transfer targets.

The Latest: Tottenham backed to win the race

Speaking to Football Insider, former Spurs defender Hutton claimed that Conte committing his future could make Spurs a more attractive project for Gvardiol.

“I don’t see why Tottenham can’t beat Chelsea to him.

“They’re definitely now in the conversation, fighting with the likes of Chelsea, and that attractiveness will only increase with cup runs and European football.

“I think for the player, he’ll be more than happy to be linked with both clubs.

“But with Conte potentially signing a new long-term deal, and the progress that they’re making – it’s something, as a player, that I would want to be involved in.”

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The Verdict: Davies replacement

Tottenham must be extremely keen to land Gvardiol seeing as they haven’t given up the chase since 2020, and he would be an ideal long-term replacement for Ben Davies.

The ‘aggressive’ centre-back, as labelled by football talent scout Jacek Kulig, currently averages an 89.5% Bundesliga pass success rate and can operate at left-back as well as centrally (WhoScored), showing he has the versatility and technical qualities to accompany his forceful style of defending.

The Croatian has a £44m release clause in his contract at Leipzig which is more than affordable for Fabio Paratici, so they should undoubtedly snap him up if given the chance.

Leeds United have seen a wide variety of players come and go at Elland Road in recent years, with naturally varying degrees of success.

Whilst some have had forgettable stays, there were plenty who came and impressed before leaving for bigger and better things.

In the case of Stuart Dallas, though, they were repaid with a level of longevity and leadership which is paramount to any club’s success.

The 31-year-old epitomises everything good about the Whites since their revival under Marcelo Bielsa, with his unrelenting energy making him the perfect player for the Argentine’s brand of high-intensity football.

Having been signed by Uwe Rosler for just £1.3m back in 2015, the Northern Irishman has gone on to play 267 times for the Yorkshire side in both the Championship and the Premier League.

Despite having featured all across the defence and in midfield, a return of 28 goals and 18 assists is certainly solid.

It marks a huge blunder from Brentford to have allowed such a stalwart to leave for so cheap, especially given how he has blossomed since departing west London.

The defender became a mainstay under Bielsa, featuring 45 times in the Championship as they strolled to the title in 2019/20 and playing in every Premier League game in the following season.

It therefore makes his recent injury troubles even more frustrating, as he was relied upon so heavily. The fact that it was an innocuous blow is also upsetting, given how he never seemed to suffer from muscular injuries.

Despite barely featuring for his current boss Jesse Marsch, the American still described Dallas as a “fantastic person and player”, as well as an “ironman”.

His importance and contribution to the success of this Leeds side has understandably resulted in an upshoot in his value, which CIES Football Observatory now cite at €8m (£7m). This marks a sensational 438% increase over his time at the club.

Rosler did not do much during his short stay at Elland Road, taking charge of only a dozen matches, but his decision to bring in the 56-cap Northern Ireland ace was a stroke of genius.

Leeds struck gold with this signing, who will hopefully feature heavily once again whenever he returns from his lengthy layoff.

While Wolverhampton Wanderers are languishing in the Premier League relegation zone with just two wins to their name this season, loan star Luke Cundle is enjoying the polar opposite at Swansea City in the Championship.

The 20-year-old joined Russell Martin’s side on loan this summer and has made six appearances in the second tier thus far, with Swansea winning every single game that he has featured in, which is certainly not a bad record to boast.

In those six appearances, Cundle has contributed one goal and one assist, with WhoScored awarding him a solid 6.65 rating for his performances, which is an impressive return given that this is his first real taste of senior football.

The attacking midfielder has progressed through the academy at Wolves and has made 53 appearances for the U21s, in which he has contributed nine goals and 14 assists, but he has been limited to just seven outings for the senior side.

He certainly caught the eye of academy manager James Collins last season after a win against Birmingham City in the Premier League 2 and given that he is now assisting Steve Davis with first-team matters at Molineux, it would perhaps not be a surprise to see Cundle progress into the first team squad after his spell with the Swans.

Collins said: “Cundle scored a brilliant goal. I thought he was magnificent all night, showed his quality tonight and ran the game.

“I was delighted to have him back because he’s ready for that step up. Whether that’s with our first team or whether that’s a loan, because watching him out there, I thought he was magnificent.

“He’s got an outstanding brain and drives the game, he runs the game and dictates it which is a great skill. He’s intelligent, makes good decisions, can attack and defend and when you first see him, you wonder whether he could be a Premier League player because he’s slight and small.”

Considering Cundle is an attacking midfielder who is catching the eye in the Championship, there seems no reason why he can’t follow in the footsteps of Morgan Gibbs-White.

The 22-year-old also spent time with Swansea in the second tier before enjoying a superb season with Sheffield United in the 2021/22 campaign, scoring 12 goals and registering 10 assists for the Blades, which convinced Nottingham Forest that he was worth £42.5m in the summer.

The prospect of having another player of that ilk come through the academy will surely be an exciting one for Wolves fans, so they will be keeping a close eye on Cundle’s progress at Swansea, in the hope that he can have a similar impact to Gibbs-White in the not-too-distant future.

In their current run of form, it is fair to say that Newcastle United look close to unstoppable.

Having lost just once all season, the Magpies hold company with only Manchester City and Arsenal in this regard and have won five of their last six matches in the Premier League.

What makes this achievement even more impressive is that Eddie Howe has navigated the team through numerous injuries to some key individuals.

Arguably their biggest miss has been Allan Saint-Maximin, who has only managed 16 minutes across their last ten league games.

Having made a four-minute cameo against Aston Villa, and with a lengthy break imminent with the World Cup just around the corner, perhaps the former Bournemouth boss might risk the maverick winger today and pair him with the red-hot Miguel Almiron.

Southampton would surely struggle to deal with both the Paraguayan, who has six goals in his last six games, and the Frenchman, who has terrorised them before.

Of his 12 Premier League goals, Saint-Maximin has twice scored against the Saints, including a stoppage time equaliser at St James’ Park last season.

Any viewer of the English top flight is aware of the talents that he possesses, but when he is in form there is little that can be done to stop him.

Now that Newcastle have built a team with top performers all across the pitch, it alleviates his creative burden and will likely offer him even more space to do damage.

He ranks among the top 1% for dribbles completed when compared with wingers across Europe, boasting “magical” properties, as Howe gushed in February. The 44-year-old also claimed: “He’s such a difficult player to play against when he’s in that mood.”

There will be hope amongst the Toon Army that they will get to witness Saint-Maximin’s genius once more before that aforementioned six-week World Cup break, which will give him time to return to his brilliant best.

For now, even if they can only squeeze 60 minutes out of him today, it would be a welcome return for a player who has a history of causing trouble for Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side.

Tottenham’s match with Sporting Lisbon in the Champions League a few weeks ago was significant for a number of reasons.

First and foremost, it saw former Spurs academy darling, Marcus Edwards, return to the club he grew up at.

It was an emotional return for the Sporting winger who, typically, found the back of the net to haunt his ex-employers.

Much of the talk in the build-up to the clash had been surrounding the 23-year-old, who ended up beating the goalkeeper with a delightful goal from range.

After making just one appearance for the first team, a 2016/17 League Cup tie, he decided a move to Portugal would be best for his development. A spell with Vitoria Guimaraes was his first port of call where he scored 20 and assisted 14 in 96 outings.

One of those goals came in 2019 against Arsenal in Europe, a strike that demonstrated his immense talent.

Since leaving for the Portuguese capital, his record is now even better, bagging ten and assisting nine in 34 appearances.

In short, Edwards has proven Spurs wrong, irrespective of the talent they’ve brought through in the subsequent years after his exit.

One talent hoping to get a great deal more time to prove himself in north London is Bryan Gil, although that is currently looking slim.

The Spaniard appeared off the bench in that game with Marseille, managing 19 minutes in the second half, the most amount of minutes he’s been afforded in a single game this term.

Conte doesn’t seem to like him and at this rate, he could become the “new Marcus Edwards” in the words of the Daily Mail’s Paul Newman.

There may have been an element of sarcasm in that comparison but it stands true. Like the English attacker, Gil isn’t being afforded many opportunities despite his immense skill set.

They are like-minded players too, with both ranking highly across a number of important offensive metrics per 90 minutes. Indeed, Spurs’ 21-year-old starlet registers 3.81 touches in the opposition’s penalty area, completes 1.96 dribbles, receives 5.94 progressive passes and manages 3.81 shot-creating actions.

Edwards, by comparison, completes 2.59 dribbles, makes 3.81 touches in the opposing area, receives 5.99 progressive passes and delivers 3.81 shot-creating actions per 90 minutes.

It paints the picture that both are extremely creative players, possessing the tools to fly past their man with trickery and panache.

Compared to a certain Lionel Messi, it would appear that Gil has the world at his feet, but like those who have come before him – specifically the Sporting ace – the £40k-per-week earner is in danger of not fulfilling his potential in the English capital.

That said, now could be the perfect time for Gil to earn his chance. Heung-min Son is out injured with a fractured eye socket, while Richarlison is also on the sidelines. Even Dejan Kulusevski is only just working his way back to full fitness.

The disappointing thing is, however, that even with all of those injury issues against Liverpool, the Spanish youngster still didn’t get his chance. It feels like a wasted opportunity for Conte.