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Aston Villa are interested in a move to bring Pau Torres to Villa Park in the January transfer window.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report from Spain (via Birmingham Live), which claims that Steven Gerrard is hoping to secure a deal for the Villarreal centre-back in the upcoming winter market after falling in love with the 24-year-old’s style of play.

The report continues to state that, despite the Spain international having been linked with the likes of Manchester United and Real Madrid in recent days, should Aston Villa be willing to stump up the €50m (£42m) for the defender, a switch to Villa Park could well be a real possibility in January.

Lange must move

With Tyrone Mings being heavily linked with a move away from Villa in January, and with Axel Tuanzebe looking likely to return to Manchester United upon the completion of his season-long loan deal at the end of the current campaign, the heart of defence is perhaps an area of the pitch in which Gerrard will look to strengthen this winter.

And, considering just how impressive Torres has been for Villarreal in recent seasons, the 6 foot 4 centre-back would very much appear to be a fantastic signing for Johan Lange to get over the line in the January transfer window.

Indeed, over his 10 LaLiga appearances so far this season, the £45m-rated man has helped his side keep four clean sheets, scored one goal and created one big chance for his teammates, as well as making an average of 0.4 interceptions, 0.9 tackles, 65.2 passes and winning 4.1 duels per game.

These returns have seen the defender who Javi Calleja claimed has “no limits” in the game average a SofaScore match rating of 7.11, ranking him as Unai Emery’s fourth-best performer in the top flight of Spanish football.

However, it is not only domestically that the 24-year-old has impressed, as, over his four appearances in the Champions League, the £54k-per-week centre-back has helped his side keep one clean sheet, in addition to making an average of 0.5 interceptions, one tackle, 47.3 passes and winning 3.5 duels per fixture.

These metrics have seen the Spaniard average a SofaScore match rating of 7.03, ranking him as El Submarino Amarillo’s joint seventh-best player in Europe’s most prestigious club competition.

As such, it is clear for all to see that the addition of Torres to an Aston Villa defence that has already shipped 20 goals over 12 league games this season would be a very smart move by Lange, and, considering his reported affection for the defender, one that would undoubtedly please the club’s new 41-year-old manager.

In other news: Preece drops Villa transfer claim on £22.5m-rated “proper player”, he’d be a huge coup

Leeds United return to Premier League action later this evening and Marcelo Bielsa will be hoping for a change in fortunes on the pitch, having picked up just two wins from their opening 12 matches.

The Yorkshiremen head to the south coast for the late kick-off against Brighton and Hove Albion at the Amex Stadium off the back of a 2-1 defeat in north London last time out.

Bielsa’s men dominated spells of the first half against Tottenham Hotspur, even going into the break with a one-goal lead, but were undone in the second half.

The Argentine was clearly unimpressed by the performance from Mateusz Klich, who earned a recall to the engine room, as he was the first player hooked and that was just 14 minutes after half-time, right after Spurs’ equaliser.

‘Another difficult afternoon for Klich to shine. Looked despondent as he came off, but his pressing was non-existent in the second half. Summed up why he had not been in the team in recent weeks,’ wrote LeedsLive reporter Beren Cross in his post-match ratings column.

Indeed, the Poland international has been way off his usual standard for the bulk of the 2021/22 campaign.

His last three starts in the Premier League have drawn shocking WhoScored ratings of 6.34 against Southampton and Wolverhampton Wanderers, and his second-lowest of the season, a 6.17 against Spurs.

As per SofaScore, Klich lost every single one of his duels last Sunday, failed to record a successful dribble and was dribbled past twice by the opposition’s midfield. Passenger-like.

Only four players to have started eight or more games have managed a worse average rating for the entire season, and unsurprisingly they are mainly attack-minded players.

Valued at £8.5m and earning around £34k-per-week at Elland Road, Klich has surely lost his place in the starting XI heading into this weekend’s encounter. At the time of writing, Brighton are sat inside the top ten, so they will be a tough test and the struggling Whites can no longer afford to carry underperforming players like the Polish midfielder.

Bielsa must be ruthless and axe his long-serving favourite from his starting XI tonight.

AND in other news, Beren Cross drops Leeds United managerial update…

With David Moyes’ West Ham United side securing a famous 3-2 victory at the London Stadium on Saturday afternoon, it feels somewhat harsh to take aim at one of the club’s less experienced players for his display against an incredibly impressive Chelsea team.

However, it is, unfortunately, an unavoidable conclusion to draw from the fixture that 21-year-old Ben Johnson had something of a shocker against Thomas Tuchel’s side, a fact that, in being pointed out, is quite literally adding insult to injury – as the right-back was withdrawn shortly before half-time after pulling his hamstring.

Indeed, while it cannot be argued that Johnson is one of the most promising defensive talents to graduate from the Hammers academy in recent seasons, over his 45 minutes on the pitch against Chelsea, the versatile right-back far from enjoyed his finest game in claret and blue.

Being deployed on the opposite flank against the then-table-toppers, the £2.7m-rated man endured a rather torrid afternoon up against Hakim Ziyech and Reece James, managing a grand total of just 26 touches of the ball – 12 fewer than Lukasz Fabianski between the West Ham sticks – completed a mere six of his 12 attempted passes and lost possession of the ball on ten separate occasions.

The £19k-per-week defender also lost both of his two attempted duels – a failure rate of 100% – made no tackles, failed with all three of his attempted crosses and gave away one foul.

These returns saw the youngster receive a very disappointing SofaScore match rating of 6.4, with no other player who started for the Hammers earning a lower score.

Indeed, Football.London journalist Tom Clarke also awarded the fan-favourite the joint-lowest score in his own West Ham match ratings, stating of Johnson: “Unfortunate to be injured and out of position for Mason Mount’s goal but had found himself beaten a couple of times by Ziyech on the left – 6.”

As such, while the 21-year-old who Moyes dubbed a “really important” player will undoubtedly bounce back following his recovery from injury, this was far from his finest display for the Hammers, and is a performance he will be hoping to put behind him as quickly as possible.

In other news: Forget Bowen: West Ham’s “fantastic” 5-tackle beast seized his “big chance” vs Chelsea

Leeds United have been boosted in their attempts to sign Cagliari midfielder Nahitan Nandez, with a January exit potentially on the cards.

The Lowdown: Nandez constantly linked with Leeds

Few players were linked with a move to Leeds in the summer more often than Nandez, who was constantly tipped to head to Elland Road, with Victor Orta even jetting to Sardinia to try and complete a move.

Instead, the 25-year-old ended up staying at Cagliari, for the time being at least, where he has registered two Serie A assists this season.

It appears as though Nandez could still move on in the near future, however, with Leeds receiving a fresh boost this week, in that respect.

[freshpress-quiz id=“375277″]

The Latest: January exit could happen

According to CalcioNapoli24 [via Sport Witness], Nandez ‘can leave in January’, with the midfielder on the cusp of winning his 50th cap for Uruguay.

West Ham are mentioned as coming ‘very close’ to signing him in the summer, perhaps suggesting that the Hammers could also make a move in January alongside the Whites.

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/latest-leeds-united-news-27/” title=”Latest Leeds United news!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

The Verdict: Snap him up, Orta

As reports continue to link Kalvin Phillips with a move away from Leeds, it could be that Marcelo Bielsa and Orta have to find a tailor-made replacement for him.

In Nandez, the Whites could have exactly that, with the Uruguayan a force both in and out of possession, as is the case with Phillips.

The Cagliari man is averaging 1.1 key passes per game in the league this season, which is almost double what the Leeds hero has managed (0.6), as well as making the same number of clearances (1.0).

A tenacious midfielder, tough in the tackle and composed on the ball, Orta and co couldn’t ask for a much better Phillips replacement if one is needed.

In other news, Liverpool have again been linked with a move for a Premier League player. Find out who it is here.

A number of West Ham fans have urged David Moyes to sign a striker following the Irons’ stalemate against Burnley on Sunday.

The east Londoners were held to a 0-0 draw when they faced off against the Clarets in an underwhelming clash at Turf Moor. West Ham’s lone striker Michail Antonio had just two shots the entire game, and neither of those were on target.

After starting the season off with four goals in the opening three league games, the 31-year-old’s clinical form has begun to tail off. The Jamaica international has now failed to score in his last seven Premier League games, and there is no natural centre-forward alternative to call upon.

In a post-match interview on Sunday, Moyes said: “We just didn’t quite have the quality in the final third when we needed it today. We got in enough times to do so, but we couldn’t make a goal from it.”

Fans urge Moyes to sign a striker

After West Ham shared the interview on the club’s official Twitter channel and website, a number of fans reacted by highlighting their frustrations at the lack of investment in forward players, not the first time the club’s GSB ownership has come under fire.

Here are some of the supporters’ responses to what Moyes had to say:

“Well sign a proper centre forward then Mr Moyes. Put Antonio on the wing.”

Credit: @Ryline

“Agreed, proper striker needed to help Antonio out”

Credit: @marco1681

“Maybe it’s that one single striker who actually isn’t a striker in the entire squad thing we warned you about at the beginning of the season. What other top six side is this unbalanced? Owners taking cheap shortcuts as always.”

Credit: @W1zardOz

“I hope he gave Antonio a good talking to!”

Credit: @reelsophiec

“Good that he knows what the problem is. Looking forward to fresh quality in Jan.”

Credit: @kaisermaschine

“Lack of investment in key areas, simple. #Irons”

Credit: @gazhxc

In other news: West Ham backed to sign £40.8m ace who Virgil Van Dijk included among the world’s best defenders

Many Everton fans have been left flocking to some transfer news on Lucas Digne, Fabian Delph and Cenk Tosun.

As per football journalist and transfer expert Santi Aouna, the Goodison Park faithful would ‘like to get rid’ of all three players in the January transfer window.

The latter two are no surprise really, given that Delph is 32 years of age and has struggled with injury problems at the Merseyside club, while Tosun has simply not scored enough goals for the Toffees, and being 30, now is the optimum time to sell.

A lot of Blues supporters seem happy for them to leave, but it is different with Digne. After a reported row with Rafa Benitez, he has missed their last three games in the Premier League, and so could now be sold.

However, he still remains the only senior left-back in the squad, and so selling him over a row that can be patched seems silly business.

Everton fans on transfer news

These EFC fans flocked to the exit rumour as it was shared on Twitter, with one Evertonian even going as far as to claim that it was ‘shocking’:

“Absolutely shocking news if true.”

Credit: @benzoscifo

“Disgrace what Rafa’s done with Digne”

Credit: @Patrickcuthber3

“Digne should be nowhere near leaving the club. We have players who should be moved on first before him”

Credit: @EFCJosh7

“Please do”

Credit: @1986samc

“There’s fuel in the car there just give us the nod”

Credit: @Ledger89

“Couple of seasons too late on those two but Digne didn’t need to happen. #RafaOut”

Credit: @KingMantisBand

In other news, find out who Everton are ‘very close’ to signing here!

Leeds United are among the teams interested in Manuel Lanzini ahead of the January transfer window…

What’s the word?

That’s according to TEAMtalk, who claim the Yorkshire giants have submitted an enquiry to West Ham over the 28-year-old attacking midfielder, though the Irons have rebuffed such advances.

Premier League rivals Newcastle United, Aston Villa, Southampton and Everton are also said to be keen.

It remains to be seen how much the Argentinian would command next month, having cost the east London outfit just £9m from UAE Pro League side Al Jazira back in March 2016.

He is thought to be on around £70k-per-week at the London Stadium.

Creative solution

Although the Hammers are rejected the idea of letting Lanzini leave this winter, it would be hard to imagine them rejecting a substantial bid for his signature considering he has slipped down the pecking order this season.

Both Pablo Fornals and Said Benrahma are often preferred to him, whilst Irons boss David Moyes made a €39m (£33m) investment in Nikola Vlasic in the summer.

The 28-year-old’s vast experience in the top-flight would make him an interesting candidate for this struggling Leeds side – one that could ultimately do with some creativity in the final third.

Only five teams have scored fewer goals than the Whites from 18 league matches this season, two of which sit in the relegation zone. 44% of these goals have come from set pieces and they are amongst the four worst teams when it comes to scoring from open play, per WhoScored.

Lanzini, who has never really been a regular figure at West Ham, has still proven to be a playmaking influence, having averaged 1.7 key passes per 90 throughout his time in east London.

If he were to perform to that level at Elland Road right now, then only two players would rank ahead of him, one being the wing threat of Raphinha.

“In training, being around this player all the time, he’s brilliant, he’s amazing. I’ve never seen a player like him,” once claimed former teammate Jordan Hugill. “The things he can do with a football, it’s incredible just to watch him and in training, it’s even better.”

Ex-manager Slaven Bilic even likened him to Ballon d’Or winner Luka Modric, whilst Darren Bent dubbed him a “top player” with “wonderful feet” to Football Insider just last year.

On the above evidence, Bielsa signing his fellow countryman could be quite a shrewd move, whether it can definitely happen or not remains to be seen but United would be foolish to not try again next month.

AND in other news, Leeds source drops major behind-the-scenes Bielsa update at Thorp Arch, fans will be worried…

Many Arsenal fans were critical of the performance of Granit Xhaka in their 2-1 loss at home to Manchester City in the Premier League on Saturday lunchtime.

The home side would have felt very hard done by at the end, as a penalty given away by the Switzerland international was followed by a quick red card for Gabriel, which essentially turned the game on its head after they were 1-0 up at the Emirates Stadium.

Aside from the penalty that he gave up, Xhaka also lost out on seven of his duels and failed to record a single shot on goal, successful dribble, key pass, cross or accurate long ball, while he managed fewer touches than his own goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale (SofaScore).

Some Gooners were most disappointed with him giving the penalty away on Bernardo Silva, a moment which got City back in the game at a point when they were trailing to the home side.

Arsenal fans slam Xhaka

These Arsenal slammed Xhaka’s performance on Twitter, with one going as far as to claim that he was a ‘liability’:

“Get Xhaka out of my club. So painful to watch.”

Credit: @Ludakhalifa

“Xhaka is a liability”

Credit: @SiHanTheGooner

“Xhaka needs to be sold though. It’s been known.”

Credit: @fabianmanzoni

“Xhaka spoils the game yet again”

Credit: @LloydBurns

“Xhaka needs to leave Arsenal…”

Credit: @towluuh

“That’s why we’ll never go anywhere with Xhaka. Simple.”

Credit: @JayRowlatt

In other news, find out which City player’s display was slammed by some of their fans

Wolves have suffered a potential blow in the transfer market, with long-time target Sven Botman thought to be on the verge of joining Newcastle United.

The Lowdown: Botman linked with Wolves move

Bruno Lage may be flourishing in his first season as Wanderers manager, but he will be keen on bolstering his squad, in order to keep moving in the right direction.

One player Wolves have been linked with recently is Lille centre-back Botman, with the 21-year-old impressing for the Ligue 1 champions. Back in September, the towering defender even admitted publicly that Wolves tried to sign him in the summer transfer window, so he is clearly a long-term target for the club.

Newcastle have also continually been tipped to snap up the Dutchman, however, and it looks increasingly likely that the Magpies will get their man.

The Latest: Defender set for Newcastle switch

According to The Athletic‘s Chris Waugh on Twitter, Newcastle are ‘pressing ahead’ in their efforts to sign both Botman and Diego Carlos, as they look to make significant inroads in the January transfer window.

The Lille man’s current deal doesn’t expire until 2025, meaning a hefty fee may be needed to prise him away.

Botman also added fuel to the fire by ‘liking’ pictures of himself in a Newcastle kit on social media (Caught Offside).

The Verdict: A shame, but unsurprising

Newcastle’s recent takeover has given them a major advantage in the market, suddenly giving them a huge amount of funds for signings, not to mention the ability to offer big wages to players as well.

Sadly, that appears to have put paid to Wolves’ chances of acquiring Botman’s signature, with the club simply unable to offer the same amount of money.

Losing out on Botman would be a blow, considering he has averaged a monstrous 2.3 aerial duels and 4.6 clearances per game in the league this season. Only Romain Saiss (2.6 and 5.1) has averaged more for Wolves, and he is not even with the squad at the moment due to AFCON.

In other news, Tim Spiers has hinted at one player leaving Wolves. Find out who it is here.

David Moyes’ West Ham United side went into Wednesday evening’s Premier League clash against Norwich City in a much-improved run of form, with the Hammers winning their last three games in all competitions.

As such, the 58-year-old West Ham boss will have been quietly confident heading into the fixture against the bottom of the table Canaries, something which will have undoubtedly been helped by the return from injury of the club’s influential defender Aaron Cresswell.

And, it proved that the Scot’s confidence was not misplaced, as a brace from the increasingly impressive Jarrod Bowen sealed a commanding 2-0 victory against Dean Smith’s side – with the Hammers enjoying 62% possession, creating a whopping five big chances to Norwich’s none and completing 213 more passes than the visitors.

However, in terms of individual performances, while Bowen will quite rightly have stolen the headlines on Thursday morning, the display of Manuel Lanzini alongside Declan Rice in the middle of the park also deserves a considerable amount of praise, as the Argentina international very much ran the show at the London Stadium.

74 passes completed

Once again being deployed in a deeper role than his typical position behind the centre-forward, the 28-year-old continued his run of highly impressive recent form with yet another dazzling display over his 90 minutes on the pitch against the Canaries as he gave them nightmares.

Indeed, the £9m-rated man enjoyed 92 touches of the ball – the second-most of any player to feature in the game – completed 74 of his 81 attempted passes – the most of any player – and created one big chance for his teammates.

The £70k-per-week midfielder also completed all five of his attempted long balls and his one attempted dribble, took three shots at the Norwich City goal and made one interception, one clearance and won two duels.

These returns saw the Argentine earn an extremely impressive SofaScore match rating of 7.5, ranking him as Moyes’ third-best performer on Wednesday night.

As such, while Lanzini has been used as something of a bit-part player for West Ham so far this season, the 28-year-old’s display against Norwich will have undoubtedly caught the eye of the 58-year-old Hammers boss, who may well now look to stick with the midfielder when Leeds United visit East London on Sunday.

In other news: Moyes could land his next Lingard as source reveals WHU contact for £41m “playmaker”