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Everton are reportedly looking to terminate Jarrad Branthwaite’s loan deal at PSV Eindhoven. 

The Lowdown: Branthwaite’s move to PSV

Back in July, the Toffees defender joined the Dutch club on a season-long loan deal.

Since then, the Englishman has made 11 senior appearances for PSV across all competitions but has only started four games.

But despite being only a few months into his season-long loan spell, it appears that the defender could be set to see his time in the Netherlands come to an early end.

The Latest: Everton to terminate Branthwaite loan

According to a recent report from Football Insider, Everton have spoken to PSV about terminating Branthwaite’s loan deal in January after having discussions behind the scenes.

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The report adds that no decision has yet been made and there is still a possibility that Branthwaite could stay on at PSV for the rest of the season, as the Dutch club have increasingly warmed to the centre-back following some early struggles.

The Verdict: An extra option for Lampard

Despite his lack of regular playing time in the Eredivisie, the 20-year-old has still been able to show what he’s capable of on the pitch.

For example, in addition to having the highest passing accuracy percentage (89.6%) at the club, Branthwaite has also racked up the third-highest number of clearances (24) at PSV.

In terms of a potential early return to Everton, the fact that Frank Lampard already has the likes of Conor Coady, James Tarkowski, Ben Godfrey, Michael Keane, Yerry Mina and Mason Holgate as his disposal makes it hard to see why he would want Branthwaite back in the mix, even if Mina leaves the club.

In our view, if the defender is likely to be getting more time on the pitch at PSV, Everton should keep him where he is and let him continue his development.

Wolves have been linked with Sevilla defender Marcos Acuna recently and Julen Lopetegui should bring him to Molineux after an impressive World Cup display.

According to Spanish news outlet Vamos mi Sevilla, Wolves are keen on signing the versatile defender in next month’s transfer window but could face competition from a number. of clubs across Europe.

The report claims that the La Liga side wants just €12m (£10m) for the Argentina international in January, after informing the 31-year-old that his services are no longer required.

Loptegui is certainly a big fan of the former Sporting Lisbon man, as he played him on 84 occasions during his time in charge of Los Hispalenses, in which time he contributed two goals and eight assists.

Wolves have rotated between Rayan Ait-Nouri and Hugo Bueno at left-back for much of this season, so Acuna could add some much-needed experience at the back, as the Old Gold look to stave off relegation to the Championship.

If Acuna’s performance in Argentina’s penalty shootout win over the Netherlands on Friday night is anything to go by, then he would certainly be an excellent addition to Lopetegui’s squad.

As per SofaScore, the defender would earn an impressive 7.3/10 rating for his display, with only Lionel Messi and Wout Weghorst ranked higher.

During his time on the pitch, the Sevilla star would contribute three tackles, one interception and nine successful ground duels, as he epitomised Argentina’s battling performance in what was a fiercely contested tie against the Netherlands.

Acuna also looked going forwards, as he completed both of his dribble attempts during the game and won the penalty for Argentina’s second goal of the game after some good skill in the box to deceive Denzel Dumfries.

It is telling that both of the Netherlands’ goals came after Acuna was replaced on 78 minutes, as they clearly missed his experience and presence on the pitch to see the game out.

Therefore, after such a “huge” display on the biggest stage – in the words of journalist Ignacio Raposo –  Wolves should definitely look to bring Acuna to Molineux in January.

Indeed, performances like his one on Friday night could prove crucial in keeping the Old Gold in the Premier League.

Reported Newcastle United transfer target, Yannick Carrasco, is reportedly open to making a move to St. James’ Park during the upcoming January window. 

The Lowdown: Newcastle linked with Carrasco

The Tyneside club were linked with a move for the winger during the previous summer transfer window.

Since then, the 29-year-old has gone on to make 19 appearances for Atletico Madrid across La Liga and the Champions League, scoring two goals and delivering two assists along the way.

With the January transfer window on the horizon, Newcastle have a potential opportunity to secure a deal for Carrasco.

The Latest: Carrasco open to Newcastle move

According to a recent report from Marca (via Sport Witness), Atletico are open to cashing in on the Belgian in the near future.

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The report also adds that if Newcastle were to reignite their interest in signing Carrasco, he would be open to potentially moving to St. James’ Park.

The Verdict: A great signing for Newcastle

Having appeared in 13 La Liga games this season, the £126k-per-week winger has shown how much of an attacking threat he carries.

For example, Carrasco has made more successful dribbles (17) than any other Atletico player, highlighting how much of a tricky figure he can be to play against.

In addition to that, the Belgian has also racked up the second-highest number of key passes (18) and shot-creating actions (32) at the Spanish club as well the third-highest number of shots at goal (21).

Hailed as “phenomenal” in the past by journalist Dermot Corrigan on Twitter, Carrasco would certainly offer Eddie Howe’s side an extra attacking threat.

Moving forward, with January in mind, if Howe and the Newcastle hierarchy feel that the Atletico star would be a suitable addition to the squad at St. James’ Park, they should definitely explore the possibility of signing the winger and seeing what it would cost them to do so.

Newcastle United could turn their attention towards a move for Belgian hotshot Romelu Lukaku in 2023, according to reports from Italy.

What’s the word?

As per Calciomercatoweb, Magpies sporting director Dan Ashworth is keen on signing the 29-year-old next summer should the Tyneside club qualify for the Champions League, with the 6 foot 3 ace currently on loan at Serie A side Inter Milan from Chelsea.

The report suggests that, while the Nerazzurri could look to keep the striker on loan for a further year, the west Londoners’ preference to sell may give Newcastle the advantage, with Ashworth ready to ‘forcefully enter’ for the centre-forward’s signature.

The 104-cap menace made his return to San Siro on a temporary basis during the summer, having only rejoined Chelsea a year earlier for a club-record fee of around £97.5m.

Could be a ‘monster’ at St James’ Park

There is no getting away from what has been a miserable last 18 months or so for Lukaku – both for club and country – with the former Everton man having scored only twice in all competitions this term following a number of fitness and injury issues.

Prior to that, the £180k-per-week marksman had netted just eight goals in the Premier League following his return to Stamford Bridge, with that limp output ensuring that the Blues made the bold decision to loan him out during the summer.

Equally, at international level the typically prolific marksman came up short at the World Cup in Qatar, notably missing four big chances off the bench in the final group stage clash against Croatia as the Red Devils crashed out at the first hurdle.

Alas, while the last year or so has been notably disappointing for the Antwerp native, Lukaku remains a hugely impressive attacking asset regardless, boasting a remarkable club career tally of 268 goals at senior level.

The lethal “monster” – as described by journalist Thierry Nyann – also has 68 goals to his name for his national team, having regularly delivered the goods when it matters for almost a decade.

Despite his recent difficulties at Chelsea, the ruthless Lukaku has previously been a real force in English football, having scored 121 goals in 278 Premier League games in total.

The former Toffees ace particularly caught the eye as a result of his form at Goodison Park – scoring 87 goals in 166 games – while even his brief stint at Manchester United proved somewhat fruitful, with 42 goals to his name in 96 appearances.

The one-time West Bromwich Albion star had been especially prolific during his previous stint at Inter, with his total tally for the Nerazzurri now standing at 66 goals and 17 assists in just 100 games.

A striker who can be “unplayable” when in full flow – as lauded by Arsenal legend Sol Campbell – Lukaku would provide a real focal point to Eddie Howe’s attack if he were to arrive at St James’ Park, while also offering an almost guaranteed supply of goals such is his remarkable career record.

With the Belgian seemingly in need of a boost in confidence, joining such an ambitious and high-flying outfit as Newcastle could well prove to be the perfect solution.

Wolverhampton Wanderers are reportedly interested in signing Stoke City defender Harry Souttar in January and the Australian centre-back could be an ideal second signing for Julen Lopetegui at Molineux.

What’s the word?

According to TEAMtalk, both Wolves and West Ham are keen on adding the 24-year-old to their ranks in next month’s transfer window, after the six-foot-six defender caught the eye with the Socceroos at the World Cup in Qatar.

Souttar has been linked with the Old Gold previously but saw his hopes of a Premier League switch dashed when he suffered an injury to his anterior cruciate ligament in 2021.

It was even more impressive that he was such a star at the World Cup, as he had only just recovered from spending nearly a year on the sidelines when he featured for Graham Arnold’s side in Qatar.

The young defender was instrumental in their run to the quarter-finals, helping Australia to clean sheets against Denmark and Tunisia in the group stages before they were defeated by eventual winners Argentina in the round of 16.

Souttar an ideal second signing

Wolves have certainly regressed from a defensive perspective this season, with the departures of Romain Saiss, Conor Coady and Willy Boly proving extremely costly, as after looking so strong at the back in the last campaign, the Old Gold have shipped 25 goals in just 16 Premier League games this term.

Lopetegui has already worked to try and solve Wolves’ attacking woes in the second half of the season by signing Matheus Cunha on a loan-to-buy deal from Atletico Madrid.

The Spanish manager must now recognise the serious lack of depth at centre-back in his squad, as both Toti and Yerson Mosquera arguably don’t have the necessary experience or quality for a relegation battle.

Souttar showed with his performances in Qatar that he can be a leader at the back and he has also impressed for the Potters in the Championship so far this campaign, averaging a strong 7.02 rating from WhoScored for his performances in the second tier.

The Athletic’s Jordan Campbell was full of praise for the 24-year-old during the World Cup on Twitter. He wrote: “Big Harry Souttar. An absolute monster of a defender. Huge, quick, can head it and is also fairly comfortable on the ball.”

Lopetegui started his Wolves reign with a vital win against Everton but he needs to strengthen all over the pitch if he wants to pull away from the relegation places, and signing a giant of a defender could be exactly what the Midlands club needs to improve defensively in 2023.

Manchester City are reportedly keen on signing AC Milan winger Rafael Leao and the 23-year-old could be the man to finally replace Raheem Sterling in Pep Guardiola’s side.

According to German journalist Florian Plettenberg last month, the Portugal international doesn’t want to extend his contract at the San Siro beyond 2024, which has alerted City, Chelsea and Real Madrid to his availability after his sensational performances with the Rossoneri.

This season alone has seen the former Lille man contribute an impressive six goals and four assists in 14 Serie A appearances, with WhoScored awarding him a strong 7.12 average rating for his performances in Italy’s top flight.

He also caught the eye with two goals at the World Cup in Qatar, despite only playing 83 minutes for A Seleção as they crashed out in the quarter-finals against Morocco.

Should Leao arrive at the Etihad this year, he would provide the sort of pace, dribbling and finishing ability that Guardiola has arguably lacked since the departure of Sterling in the summer.

While there is no doubt that the England international was guilty of missing a lot of chances during his spell with the Citizens, his goalscoring record cannot be questioned, as he crashed in 131 goals and 95 assists in seven years with the club.

His exit left Guardiola with the main wide options of Jack Grealish, Riyad Mahrez and Phil Foden, none of whom possess the electric pace and goalscoring nous of someone like Sterling.

While Foden has certainly improved his performances in front of goal this season – bagging eight times – Grealish and Mahrez have just two goals and three assists between them in the Premier League, which suggests that another goalscoring wide player is needed in order to take the pressure off Erling Haaland in Guardiola’s side.

Only Kevin de Bruyne scored more in the Premier League for City than Sterling last term, which emphasises that he was a very important part of Guardiola’s squad and is arguably yet to be replaced.

Leao’s finishing ability is impressive because of his previous performances as a central striker and with City arguably lacking Sterling’s goals in this season’s title race, signing the young Portuguese forward could be the difference between Guardiola’s side and Arsenal.

The Milan star’s previous coach Tiago Fernandes was full of praise for Leao when he made the move to Italy in 2019.

He said: “I’d say that he reminds me of ‘Fenomeno’ Ronaldo for his pace, technique and the quality of his finishing.

“Perhaps he still has to improve in the air, but I want to tell the Rossoneri fans that Leao is a champion who can decide a game by himself.

“He certainly has the talent to play for Real Madrid, Barcelona and all the best clubs in Europe.

“He’s good enough for any team in the world and he has a glorious career ahead of him.”

Therefore, if City want to ease the pressure on Haaland this season they should look to sign a dangerous winger in the mould of Leao, in the hope that he can propel Guardiola’s side back above the Gunners in the next few months.

Newcastle United are unlikely to make a move for Leicester City’s James Maddison this month as Craig Hope believes he is out of their price range for the January window.

What’s the latest?

According to the Daily Mail journalist, Newcastle’s interest in the England midfielder is not expected to lead to anything this month as the Tyneside club look to operate on a smaller budget in January.

Hope was speaking on his YouTube channel following the Toon’s draw away at Arsenal on Tuesday night which provided Eddie Howe’s men with another big point in their race for a Champions League spot:

“One name I don’t expect them to go for this month is James Maddison. I think I’ve said this before, noises again I heard here tonight that I just don’t think a deal is viable.

“I don’t think that is the market Newcastle are in at the moment to pay an absolute premium for a player as Leicester would demand.”

Not only will the result provide fans in the north-east with a lot of optimism as to what is attainable this season, but with reports of Maddison pining for Champions League football, it will potentially improve their hopes of landing the 26-year-old.

High demand

The Leicester midfielder has been linked with a potential move to Newcastle for a number of months now with reports suggesting the Magpies saw two separate bids for the 26-year-old rejected in the summer.

However, they are not the only club believed to be looking at Maddison with Newcastle’s top four rivals, Tottenham Hotspur, also credited with an interest in the player during the summer.

If this is the case, landing a spot in the Champions League, potentially ahead of Spurs, could be absolutely critical for Newcastle if they are hoping to land Maddison in the coming months.

And it is no surprise to see clubs that are among the Champions League spots are showing a serious interest in Maddison given what he has shown over the last two seasons at the King Power Stadium.

This season alone, Maddison has provided the Foxes with seven goals and four assists in the Premier League alone following his return of 20 goal contributions last season in the league (via Transfermarkt).

In comparison to Newcastle’s Joelinton, Maddison has provided more shot-creating actions per 90 this season as well as providing more progressive passes (via Fbref).

With the Leicester man currently out of action due to an ongoing injury issue, this does allow Newcastle to assess other options this month with a belief they have to work cautiously due to the FFP restrictions on Tyneside.

Crystal Palace have been dealt a huge injury blow which should spur chairman Steve Parish into action as we enter the last two weeks of the January transfer window.

What’s the word?

Joachim Andersen was forced off in Palace’s 1-0 defeat against Chelsea last weekend, and The Athletic’s Palace reporter,Matt Woosnam has now provided an update on the centre-back via Twitter.

He wrote: “Palace defender Joachim Andersen expected to be out until next month with a calf injury picked up in Sunday’s 1-0 defeat by Chelsea.”

The Denmark international had started all but one game for Patrick Vieira in the Premier League before Wednesday’s 1-1 draw against Manchester United, which the former Lyon defender was forced to sit out.

He is also likely to miss tough upcoming fixtures against Newcastle United, Manchester United and Brighton, which is undoubtedly a blow to Palace’s chances when you consider his fine form this season, with WhoScored ranking him as the third-best performer in the squad.

Parish must act

Palace are not blessed with much squad depth in the heart of their defence, and while Chris Richards did an admirable job alongside Marc Guehi on Wednesday night – they were the Eagles’ two highest-rated players as per Sofascore – Andersen’s injury should spur the Eagles into action.

Should Guehi or Richards pick up an injury, it would leave just 33-year-old James Tomkins available as backup, as Nathan Ferguson is also still sidelined through injury.

The Eagles’ post-World Cup form has been far from encouraging, and throwing a 22-year-old Richards in the deep end alongside another 22-year-old in Guehi could spell trouble for Palace as they look to avoid being sucked into a relegation battle, which is not unthinkable given their upcoming fixtures.

Andersen has proven himself to be a leader at the back for Palace this season, leading the way for clearances, passes and long balls per game, which also emphasises the creative impact that he can have from centre-back.

Vieira was full of praise for the 26-year-old’s importance at Selhurst Park last season, saying: “He is massively important. Joachim played in France, he played in Italy, he was in the Premier League last year. He has this experience of moving around and going to a new club.

“When you want to have possession and you have a centre-back who is really comfortable having the ball at his feet it’s quite important. He will be a massive help for Marc to build his confidence and he is doing really well.”

Therefore, it is a significant blow to the Palace manager that Andersen will be sidelined for a month, and Parish should surely consider bringing in another centre-back to aid Vieira in this month’s transfer window.

West Ham United are reportedly interested in signing Brighton winger Leandro Trossard this month and the Belgium international could be David Moyes’ own version of Phil Foden at the London Stadium.

Moyes was reportedly keen on signing the exciting winger in 2022 and an exit from the Amex Stadium this month certainly looks to be on the cards after his recent fallout with manager Roberto de Zerbi.

Reports have suggested that the 28-year-old is keen to leave the Seagulls this month after a recent dispute with the manager, which saw him leave training to return to Belgium ahead of his omission from Brighton’s squad as they beat Liverpool 3-0 on Saturday.

With Moyes in desperate need of some more attacking quality at the London Stadium, as he looks to drag West Ham out of the relegation zone, surely he would consider another approach for a player of Trossard’s quality, especially after his superb start to the campaign.

Rio Ferdinand was full of praise for the Belgian forward on Vibe with Five after a superb performance in Brighton’s 4-1 win over Chelsea earlier this season.

He said (via Daily Mail):

“The best part of his game is being creative. He’s just scored a few goals lately, that’s not even his game.

“I think the creative and the approach play in his game is unreal. The only thing I was asking for before was a bit more end product and he’s actually doing that now.”

The former Genk star has seven goals and two assists in just 16 Premier League appearances this campaign, with WhoScored awarding him a 6.96 rating for his performances in the top flight.

For context, no player in the Hammers’ squad has scored more than three times in the Premier League this term, while Declan Rice is ranked as the top performer with a 6.91 rating from WhoScored, so it is clear the quality that Trossard could add to Moyes’ squad.

Should West Ham reignite their interest in the winger this month, then he could prove to be Moyes’ own version of Manchester City and England star, Phil Foden.

According to FBref, the City academy graduate is the second-most similar player to Trossard when compared to other wingers across Europe’s top leagues.

This season has seen the two tricky wingers register extremely similar stats with regard to expected goals and assists per 90 (0.45 vs 0.49), key passes (23 vs 22) and shot-creating actions (50 vs 55).

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This emphasises that they are very similar types of player and considering that Foden is ranked as the fourth-best performer in Pep Guardiola’s side so far this season, Moyes would surely be foolish to turn down any chance to sign the £18m-rated Trossard this month.

Everton are reportedly closing in on their first signing of the January transfer window as Arnaut Danjuma is poised to arrive at the club on loan from Villarreal.

The Netherlands international is set to join until the end of the season to provide Frank Lampard’s squad with an injection of quality in their fight against relegation in the coming months.

However, Danjuma may not be the final addition of the month for the club as Atalanta centre-forward Duvan Zapata is reported to be of interest to Lampard.

The Serie A side value the Colombian international, who is wanted by multiple English teams, at £25m and journalist Simon Phillips told GIVEMESPORT that it could be a “big risk” to sign the striker.

Farhad Moshiri could now repeat the blunder he made with Salomon Rondon by pursuing a deal to sign Zapata for £25m before the end of the month.

The Toffees swooped to sign the striker on a free transfer in the summer of 2021 to bolster their options at the top end of the pitch, potentially because of his previous record at Premier League level.

He had scored 11 goals and provided seven assists in 32 top-flight appearances for Newcastle in his last season in the division, after also scoring 28 goals for West Brom prior to his spell at St. James’ Park, but was unable to replicate that success at Goodison Park.

Before departing the club at the start of this month, the 33-year-old marksman scored an unimpressive three goals in 31 appearances for the Toffees in all competitions – including one strike in 27 Premier League games.

Zapata, whose former teammate Papu Gomez claimed is “like a train”, could be a similarly poor signing for Everton as his form this season suggests that he is not the player he once was.

The Colombian centre-forward scored 10 or more goals in each of the past four Serie A seasons for Atalanta, including 15 or more in three of those campaigns, and proved that he could consistently find the back of the net in a major European league – as Rondon did with Newcastle and West Brom.

However, Zapata has only scored once in 12 appearances in the Italian top-flight this term and managed one in his final 12 Serie A matches at the end of the 2021/22 season.

Therefore, the 31-year-old may not arrive as the prolific scorer that he once was in Italy and, instead, could struggle to be a consistent scorer for Lampard in the Premier League, due to his struggles for Atalanta over his last 24 games.

The worrying downward trend in Zapata’s scoring suggests that he could end up being Rondon 2.0 for Moshiri if the Everton chief opts to pay £25m to sign the striker this month, which is why the club should reconsider swooping for the attacker.