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Manchester United have identified rising Sporting Lisbon centre-back Goncalo Inacio as an option to assume a pivotal role at the heart of the defence over the coming years and could make a move this January…

What’s the word?

The Red Devils expressed an interest in the Portuguese ace’s signature last summer, with A Bola (via the Express) suggesting they had made a bid in the region of £35m for his services, with manager Erik ten Hag said to be a big admirer.

And now, O Jogo suggests that intrigue in his signature has been maintained by John Murtough and co, with his left-footed skill set a defining factor behind the desire to bring him to Old Trafford.

In the summer, Ten Hag ultimately went with Ajax Amsterdam’s Lisandro Martinez, signing the gem for £56.7m, but the allure of bringing another quality option into the fold, to partner Raphael Varane within the centre of the backline, could lead to a return.

Ruben Dias 2.0

Having won the past eight fixtures across all competitions, United are in contention for silverware once again. Indeed they are the only established ‘big six’ side to remain in the semi-final phase of the Carabao Cup and host EFL Championship outfit Reading in the FA Cup fourth round.

A forthcoming Europa League knockout tie against FC Barcelona will be a true test of the side’s abilities, but the varying elements have contributed to a navigated direction towards success once again, rather than the wayward, meandering travails that the club have been at the centre of over the past several years.

In order to maintain success, someone of Inacio’s ilk will indeed need to be slotted into the fold, cementing the resilience of the backline for years to come, and at just 21 years old the young titan could be the exact signing Ten Hag needs to ensure the ship does not sink.

As per FBref, the starlet ranks within the top 1% for passes attempted and progressive passes over the past year, also in the top 2% for pass completion and the top 9% for rate of assists, when compared to centre-backs across Men’s Next 8 leagues over the past year.

This innate ball-playing aptitude and knack for instigating offensive transitions, partnered with his Portuguese roots and career birth in his homeland, means that he could emulate the success of Manchester City titan Ruben Dias, who has flourished as one of European football’s supreme defenders since his arrival onto the major scene.

Forging 109 appearances for the Sky Blues, scoring four goals and five assists, the 25-year-old has become integral in his team’s exploits, winning two Premier League trophies, the Carabao Cup, and the 2020/21 Premier League Player of the Year.

And having not dropped below 90.5% in passing accuracy since arriving in Manchester, as per Whoscored, the phenom certainly stakes a claim for a pedestal among the very best passers of the ball within the game.

Inacio can replicate the feats of his positional peer by arriving in Manchester himself, but etching his name into prominence by plying his trade among the red half of the prestigious footballing city.

Arsenal are waiting for an update on their enquiry over Bayer Leverkusen winger Moussa Diaby, Sky Sports reporter Dharmesh Sheth has claimed.

What’s the word?

The Gunners are eyeing up another attacker after missing out on Mykhailo Mudryk, and Diaby could have been a signing for the short and long term.

A recent update has stated that Arsenal look set to sign Leandro Trossard from Brighton, which may put an end to their January pursuit of the Frenchman, but they could still return for the 23-year-old in the summer window.

Speaking on Sky Sports News, Sheth revealed that no answer had been given to Arsenal’s previous enquiry yet.

He said: “Arsenal are waiting for a response from Bayer Leverkusen over their enquiry for Moussa Diaby.”

A long-term goalscorer

If Diaby does join within the next two windows, he could provide cover across the attacking line, as well as inject goals into the Arsenal side.

Over the past year, Diaby ranks in the top 11% of wingers in Europe’s top competitions for non-penalty goals (as per FBref) and has scored six times in 15 Bundesliga matches this season.

He would be competing with Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli and would raise the standard of depth in attack, as having even one of them on the bench would add serious firepower as a substitute.

He was once described as “incredibly dangerous” by striker Nils Petersen and could help Arsenal compete on multiple fronts as well as reduce their reliance on Saka and Martinelli, as both players have started every Premier League match this season.

Should he join, Arsenal would be set up for the next few years in attacking areas, with the likes of Gabriel Jesus and Eddie Nketiah in the squad as well.

However, amid the Trossard reports, it remains to be seen whether Arsenal have already moved on to other targets for now.

Arsenal are interested in a deal to bring Martin Zubimendi to the Premier League in the summer transfer window.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a recent report from Spain, who claim that, despite the Real Sociedad central midfielder reportedly having rejected the chance to join the Gunners after the Premier League side offered to pay the 23-year-old’s £52.5m release clause this winter, Mikel Arteta remains keen on a move for the Spain international at the end of the current campaign.

However, the report goes on to suggest that Arsenal are not alone in their pursuit of the playmaker, with Xavi Hernandez reported to view Zubimendi as the heir to Sergio Busquets in the heart of his Barcelona side – with the LaLiga outfit also believed to be keen on a deal to bring the Sociedad starlet to the Camp Nou in the summer transfer window.

Busquets 2.0

Considering the sheer amount of potential Zubimendi quite clearly possesses, coupled with central midfield arguably being the area of Arteta’s squad that currently lacks the most strength in depth, it is not difficult to understand why the Spaniard would be keen on a deal to bring the midfielder to The Emirates at the end of the season.

Indeed, over his 17 LaLiga appearances in the current campaign, the £22m-rated talent has been in sensational form in the heart of Imanol Alguacil’s side, scoring one goal, registering two assists and creating two big chances, in addition to making an average of 0.5 key passes, playing 2.1 long balls and completing 40.9 total passes – at a success rate of 85% – per game.

The £50k-per-week wonderkid has also caught the eye in more workmanlike metrics, making an average of 1.9 tackles, 0.9 interceptions, 1.6 clearances and winning 5.2 duels – at a success rate of 59% – per match.

These returns have seen the 23-year-old – who reporter Jose Alberto Chozas dubbed “exciting” and journalist Jacque Talbot labelled “the new Busquets” – average a simply sensational Sofascore statistical rating of 6.95, currently ranking him as third-placed Sociedad’s sixth-best performer in the top flight of Spanish football.

As such, with Zubimendi evidently being a midfielder who is incredibly creative in possession, strong in the tackle and excellent at reading the game, it is easy to see why the youngster has drawn comparisons to Barcelona legend Busquets, while it is also not hard to comprehend why Arteta would be keen to add the Spanish starlet to his midfield ranks in north London next summer.

Tottenham Hotspur’s proposed deal for the Sporting CP right wing-back, Pedro Porro, has hit the rocks with just hours before the transfer deadline.

What’s the latest?

On Saturday night, Fabrizio Romano reported the deal to bring Porro to north London had been agreed upon and the player would be heading for London following their game against Porto.

However, on Monday morning, David Ornstein broke the news that the proposed deal had hit an issue as Sporting reneged on the details of the deal.

The report suggests the player has been left distraught having been told by the club’s president he would be allowed to leave following their League Cup final on Saturday.

And speaking on Sunday night via his YouTube channel, journalist Alasdair Gold suggested if this deal was to hit the rocks – as it has done – it may take the player to cause an issue with Sporting to see it go through:

“Obviously, we know Porro wants to come and I do wonder if Sporting do make it difficult in the final stages whether he then has a problem with that because he does seem from everything I’ve heard to be quite keen to make the move.”

Late frustration

This is a deal which has been in the offing since the beginning of the January transfer window with the north London side having identified Porro as their main target.

Talks have proceeded since the early stages of the window with reports suggesting Sporting were intent on Spurs coughing up the player’s £39m release clause if they were to sign him.

Nevertheless, Spurs continued to negotiate and it was believed on Saturday night the two clubs had agreed on a deal which would see Spurs pay a fee close to the release clause.

And yet, with hours to go, it seems as if Sporting are now wanting more money for the deal with Gary Jacob suggesting the Portuguese side wants a further £2.6m out of Spurs.

With this in mind, we do wonder whether the player could be forced to kick up a stink in Portugal in an attempt to force through a move late on in the window.

This is a deal which Spurs have spent the entire month working on and it appears the player is desperate to make the move to north London.

We have already seen the likes of Leandro Trossard cause an issue over his future before making his move and although it is not always pretty, it can often be effective.

Tottenham Hotspur manager Antonio Conte may be hindering his side due to his unsettled demeanour and future, according to Tony Cascarino.

The Lowdown: Conte’s future

Tottenham’s form of late is patchy, to say the least, with one win in five league games after the return of the Premier League following the World Cup has been met with back-to-back wins for only the second time since the start of November.

The Guardian claimed at the start of the month that although the Italian manager insists he is happy at Spurs, the realisation of not being at the level to win the Premier League or Champions League may see him leave.

This has since been followed up by Italian journalist Gianluca Di Marzio who claimed that Conte will likely leave Tottenham at the end of the season when his contract expires.

The Latest: Cascarino’s comments

Despite the claims from Di Marzio, there’s been no official confirmation of the news which is to be expected considering there are four months left of the season.

But speaking on talkSPORT, Cascarino claimed that the uncertainty won’t help Spurs over the remainder of the season, saying:

“The bigger picture for Spurs is that it’s always a tricky one when even your manager isn’t committed to the club or the future of the club yet.”

“To try and heal the club and get the club in the right direction if the manager’s not going well I want to stay, I’m going to see the project through, I know what needs to be done in the summer.

“I don’t really feel that at Spurs, it all feels a bit murky and a bit in the unknown.”

The Verdict: Impact on the club?

There’s no doubt that Spurs can enjoy a successful second half of the campaign with them still in the FA Cup following the 3-0 win at Preston North End, and they remain in the Champions League with a tie against AC Milan to come.

Harry Kane’s magic against Fulham was enough to pick up a 1-0 win last Monday and keep them just three points behind the top four with all still left to play for.

The recent signing of Aranut Danjuma and Spurs reaching a verbal agreement to sign right-back Pedro Porro (via Fabrizio Romano), show the club hasn’t given up on backing Conte yet.

With a report from The Athletic that Kane is open to penning a new deal in north London, the Italian does have plenty to smile about at the minute, you’d imagine any success this season hinges on the feel-good factor of late being retained with Conte’s role as manager leaving him at the centre of extending it.

Newcastle United manager Eddie Howe many have been left slightly concerned this morning after his options in midfield were reduced over last month’s transfer window.

What’s the latest?

Spirits will be high on Tyneside this week after the Magpies beat Southampton on Tuesday night to secure their spot in the Carabao Cup final.

However, the January transfer window only saw the Toon bring in two new faces across the month in Harrison Ashby and Anthony Gordon.

In addition, Howe also saw one of his veteran midfielders, Jonjo Shelvey, depart on deadline day in a deal seeing him move to Nottingham Forest.

And as a result, speaking on his YouTube channel, journalist Craig Hope has suggested Howe may have been left slightly concerned with this being a “dangerous ploy” from the club:

“Eddie Howe went into the window wanting to add an extra midfielder. As it is, he hasn’t got a midfielder and he’s lost one. So I do think that is a dangerous ploy. You know, we’ve seen now with the Bruno suspension. I do think it leaves them short. I don’t think he’ll be happy about it.”

Leaving themselves short?

There is certainly some merit to Hope’s comments with the game on Tuesday night showing how this may become an issue in the final half of the Premier League campaign.

Howe will now be without his star man, Bruno Guimaraes, for three games in the league after the Brazilian was shown a straight red card against the Saints.

But there will be some comfort taken from the performance of Sean Longstaff in the game on Tyneside with the 25-year-old netting twice at St. James’ Park.

And the addition of Gordon will mean Howe will be able to revert Joelinton back into his central midfield role after the Brazilian has played frequently in the left-wing spot this season.

It must be noted, though, Newcastle have already played the majority of this season without Shelvey who departed on deadline day with the Englishman sitting out all but five games thus far.

But with Guimaraes now out for a handful of games, it does feel as if an injury in the midfield could prove a big issue for Howe going forward.

There were links to the likes of Sander Berge, however, Newcastle did not proceed to bring in any midfield additions so it will have to remain to be seen whether that is something that comes back to haunt them in the coming months.

Leeds United’s now-former manager Jesse Marsch was left upset at Thorp Arch on Monday upon finding out he had been sacked by the Whites.

What’s the latest?

Following another disappointing result on the weekend, the Yorkshire club decided to pull the trigger on their managerial situation and parted ways with the American.

Marsch had not even been in post for 12 months with his one-year anniversary coming up towards the end of the month having succeeded Marcelo Bielsa last season.

It is already thought the Whites are looking to make their next appointment with Carlos Corberan believed to be one of the men near the top of their list.

And speaking on the Don’t Go To Bed Just Yet podcast, BBC man Adam Pope has provided behind-the-scenes insight of how the decision went down at Thorp Arch:

“As I understand it, you know, Jesse upset at the training ground, has been told the news by Victor Orta and obviously chief executive Angus Kinnear, who effectively run the club.

“And him and his immediate backroom staff – bar Chris Armas, who’s just come in – so Pierre Barrieu on the fitness side; Cameron Toshack who arrived, if you remember, with him at the beginning; and Rene Maric have all gone along with Jesse.”

Marsch left gutted

There will likely be few people who would have any frustrations with Marsch’s personality with the American showing a lot of passion from the sidelines.

He has been in bother with the officials on a few occasions in the little under 12 months he has experienced in the Premier League.

However, there can be no grumbles over the decision with the way the results have been heading this season despite the investment over the last two transfer windows.

The Yorkshire club have spent around £130m this season and it is apparent that a lot of the players who have been brought in have been signed specifically for Marsch.

But given they sit just outside of the relegation zone only on goal difference, it feels like Victor Orta and Andrea Radrizzani were left with no other choice but to let him go.

And now the players who have been brought in – likely to work under Marsch – will have to quickly adapt to whoever they are able to bring in through the doors.

This is probably not what the likes of Weston McKennie had in mind when putting pen to paper on their deals to join Leeds.

However, the players are in no position to dwell on what has happened with two huge games against Manchester United coming up this week.

Glasgow Rangers’ academy is full of youngsters who have the potential to become first-team regulars at Ibrox over the coming years.

The likes of Zak Lovelace, Ross McCausland and Robbie Ure have shown plenty of promise in the B team, and it seems only a matter of time before Michael Beale starts integrating youth into his senior squad.

It certainly makes a change, as before Steven Gerrard took over in 2018, the number of Rangers youth prospects who successfully made the leap from the academy to senior football was few and far between over the previous 20 years.

Of those who did make the cut, Allan McGregor, Barry Ferguson and Alan Hutton are three who instantly spring to mind, the latter enjoyed a sparkling early career with the Light Blues.

The right-back broke into the first-team during the 2003/04 campaign and was a mainstay on the right-hand side of defence over the next three-and-a-half seasons, although a broken leg kept him out of the last few months of the 2004/05 title-winning campaign.

Following a stellar first half of the season under Walter Smith in 2007/08, Tottenham Hotspur signed the defender for £9m, which was a club-record sale by the Ibrox giants.

Fast forward to 2023, and Adam Devine is a right-back who has been making waves at the club recently, having made his debut under Giovanni van Bronckhorst last season, and he could well be the club’s next £9m talent.

Could Devine become Rangers’ next big thing?

The 19-year-old made his debut against Dundee United last May before getting his first start against Hearts a week later as a clutch of academy players were given a runout.

With Borna Barisic recovering from his World Cup exploits for Croatia, Devine was given an opportunity at left-back just before Christmas and performed admirably in what was an unfamiliar position for him.

He is certainly embodying the same attacking qualities as Hutton in the full-back role, evidenced by the fact that he has made 1.2 key passes per game, created two big chances and completed 100% of his attempted dribbles.

Hutton mixed defensive acumen with the ability to bomb forward whenever possible, averaging 0.7 key passes, 0.7 crosses and 0.6 dribbles per game in his playing career (as per WhoScored), and Devine looks like he could be in a similar mould to the former Rangers star.

Over his five Premiership appearances this term, the 18-year-old has made 0.8 tackles per game, won 55% of his duels and been dribbled past just 0.2 times per match, showing a remarkable defensive maturity for someone with such limited experience at senior level.

Journalist Craig Vickers dubbed him “powerful” last year, and while Devine still has a lot of developing to do and many lessons to learn, he could well be the next big-money right-back to come out of Ibrox, following in the footsteps of Hutton and Nathan Patterson before him.

Journalist Ryan Taylor has hinted that Liverpool could make some high-profile summer sales this year, in the same manner as Gini Wijnaldum and Sadio Mane’s departures in previous windows.

The Lowdown: Massive summer ahead

The Reds have had an extremely challenging season, with too many key players not performing, and both mental and physical tiredness appearing to hold them back.

This summer is a massive one in Liverpool’s recent history, with transfer funds surely having to be made available by FSG, especially in terms of midfield additions.

It could be that some individuals leave the club, too, and it may even be that a high-profile name heads out of the Anfield exit door.

The Latest: Journo hints at high-profile exits

Speaking to Give Me Sport, Taylor was asked if he could see a Wijnaldum or Mane-like departure at Liverpool, to which he responded:

“Absolutely, because we’ve seen Georginio Wijnaldum and Sadio Mane leave. They’re in the biggest rut of the Jurgen Klopp era, arguably, so why wouldn’t that be the case?

“I feel like Klopp needs to keep a core. The Wijnaldum and Mane sales will haunt Liverpool forever. They just really did not make sense to me.

“I know Klopp’s been keen to make an example, with the likes of Philippe Coutinho, of the fact that nobody is bigger than the club. I know Wijnaldum’s representatives and the player himself were looking for a contract more reflective of his value to the team. Once he didn’t get that, obviously he was shown the door, but I feel like it was a bad decision.”

The Verdict: No need to sell a star man

There are arguments to make either way when it comes to Wijnaldum and Mane – some feel they should have been retained and others think they were past their very best – but it would be a surprise to see similar happen this summer.

[freshpress-quiz id=“419074″]

The Reds certainly have certain players who it makes sense to move on, with Naby Keita and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain standing out, given their injury-prone nature and the fact that their contracts expire this summer.

While many top players have underwhelmed this season, from Trent Alexander-Arnold to Virgil van Dijk, they all remain absolutely massive players moving forward, with potential midfield signings making a world of difference, such as Jude Bellingham.

To sell one of them or a player of similar importance would make no sense at all and the hope is that some top players come in to aid the current heroes.

Wolverhampton Wanderers have enjoyed a successful run of late both on and off the pitch. Julen Lopetegui has led the Old Gold to victories over Liverpool and Southampton recently which have moved the club away from the Premier League relegation zone.

The Spaniard has also bolstered his squad significantly in January, signing players such as Matheus Cunha, Pablo Sarabia and Joao Gomes who could give the Molineux side a major boost not only for the rest of this season but ahead of the 2023/24 campaign.

However, Lopetegui did have one big howler in the transfer window in failing to sign right-back Milan van Ewijk, as he could’ve been an upgrade on Nelson Semedo, who has struggled this season.

Indeed, Benfica were reportedly eyeing a move to re-sign the Portuguese defender in the summer according to CNN Portugal (via Record), with his current contract expiring at the end of the season.

The 29-year-old is ranked as Wolves’ 19th-best player this term, proving how ineffective he has been. He has kept just two clean sheets, lost possession 9.1 times per match and been dribbled past 0.5 times per game, and it’s time for Lopetegui to move him on and secure an upgrade in that problematic position.

Could Van Ewijk have been an upgrade on Semedo?

Van Ewijk was linked with Wolves during the January transfer window and was available for a bargain fee of around £4m.

The Dutchman has impressed this season for Eredivisie side Heerenveen, averaging a Sofascore rating of 7.11/10. This ranks 22-year-old as the fourth-best performer in their squad this term, which is no mean feat for the young defender.

Such is his confidence in his own abilities that the player even praised himself while discussing his own strengths back in 2019, saying: “I’m a fierce right back who can attack well, but also defend well and I’m in good shape. I can certainly be found in the front. Last season I also gave a number of assists. I’ll show the rest during the matches.”

This positive attitude and mentality could see him become a star in the future, and there is no doubt that he would have been a significant upgrade on Semedo at Molineux for the rest of the campaign.

In fact, during both players’ respective league campaigns, the Dutchman has registered more goals (three to none), shots (23 to three), interceptions (28 to 15) and crosses (77 to 22), and won more challenges (88.9% to 71.9%) than his Portuguese counterpart.

This clearly proves that not only is Van Ewijk more capable in defence, he also poses a much greater attacking threat than the current Wolves defender, and he could have been extremely useful for Lopetegui going forward.

It is a howler that the Spaniard won’t want to repeat again, with the 56-year-old surely hoping that he can get another bite at the cherry for the highly-rated Van Ewijk during the summer transfer window.