With the January transfer window now upon us, it will be fascinating to see if Manchester United make any additions to their squad. The Red Devils are in poor form once again under Ruben Amorim, having won just three games since the start of November.

Injuries are affecting them, too. The United boss is currently contending with the loss of Bruno Fernandes, who is sidelined with a hamstring injury. Matthijs de Ligt, Kobbie Mainoo, Mason Mount and Harry Maguire are all out injured as well. Amorim will be hoping these injuries are not a theme of the second half of the season.

With that in mind, it would not be a surprise to see the Red Devils make some moves in the January transfer window.

Man United considering move for new attacker

It seems as though United’s attacking stocks this season will be cut somewhat short with a potential outgoing. Striker Joshua Zirkzee is linked with a move to Serie A giants Roma, which would see him return to the Italian top flight 18 months after leaving Bologna.

Well, with space in the squad for a new attacker, the Red Devils could well pursue a move for one of the brightest young wingers in European football, Yan Diomande.

Sky Sports are reporting at the beginning of 2026 that United are one of the clubs ‘monitoring’ the RB Leipzig star.

However, this will certainly be a tough race for the 13-time Premier League champions to win. They are facing tough competition for the Ivorian by Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain, in a deal that could be as expensive as £61m.

How Diomande compares to Amad

There is no shortage of exciting young wingers in the world at the moment. The likes of Lamine Yamal will probably spring to mind here, and United have one of their own in Diomande’s international teammate Amad.

Well, the Leipzig star can surely be placed in the same bracket as his countryman. He has shone for the German side this season, with seven goals and four assists in just 16 appearances across all competitions. Nine of those goal involvements have come in the Bundesliga.

One of the great things about Diomande is the fearlessness with which he plays. The 19-year-old is more than confident to drive at a full back one-vs-one and look to beat them. As football scout Antonio Mango said, he is a “defender’s nightmare.”

To further understand just how good he is in those sorts of situations, take a look at his underlying dribbling numbers in the Bundesliga this term.

For example, he averages 4.26 completed take-ons per 90 minutes, which puts him in the top 1% of wingers across Europe, a pedestal he sits on for most key stats.

Diomande key dribbling stats

Stat

Number

Percentile

Take-ons attempeted

7.3

99th

Take-ons completed

4.26

99th

Progressive carries

6.28

99th

Carries into final third

3.95

99th

Carries into penalty area

3.34

96th

Stats from FBref

Signing the 19-year-old could certainly be like the second coming of Amad. His international teammate has shone at Old Trafford under Amorim, becoming a vital member of the side, often from right wing-back but also as a number 10.

Life under the Portuguese manager has not been easy for a few United players, but Amad has played so well in an unfamiliar role. In 44 games with Amorim in charge, he has 11 goals and ten assists, including a 12 minute hat-trick against Southampton last season.

Well, if Diomande can have that sort of impact, he will be an instant success. The similarities between the two are clear to see, with both being talented Ivorian wingers who thrive against a defender in isolated situations.

Subscribe to the newsletter for smart transfer insight Explore why targets like Diomande matter for squad building — from elite dribbling metrics to fit alongside players such as Amad. Subscribe to the newsletter for in-depth transfer analysis, player profiles and scouting context.

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The addition of Diomande would be a huge coup for United. £61m for a top-level young winger with huge potential is a great fee in the current market, and if he is anywhere near as good as Amad, it will be a brilliant addition.

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Derek Johnstone reckons Rangers won’t be fazed by the short turnaround from the end of last season to pre-season training for 2019/20, as reported by The Evening Times.

What’s he said?

It’s been less than a month since Rangers last played in the Scottish Premiership and the club are due back for training as early as this coming Monday, meaning the concept of an off-season has been more of an extended holiday.

With some players also taking part in recent international matches, the chance to rest up has been exceedingly short and it could be factor when considering upcoming European qualifiers.

Former Wigan & Fulham man, Jimmy Bullard recently showed that he’s still got it! Check out the video below…

Derek Johnstone reckons it won’t be an issue though, telling The Evening Times:

“People might think they are tired after only having two or three weeks off, but most of the players have had a decent break.

A few of the players, like Steven Davis and Borna Barisic, have had international commitments and Scott Arfield and Nikola Katic still have games to play with Canada and the Croatian Under-21s respectively.

Both of them will need to rest once those fixtures are played and that will have an impact on their participation in the early Europa League qualifiers.

You do need a rest at some stage. You can’t just finish one season and then go straight into the next one. If you have had three or four weeks off, that is enough time for you to relax, recover and then get ready to get back into it again.

Rangers will return to pre-season training next week and Steven Gerrard will expect his players to be raring to go for what could be a really exciting season for us.”

Rangers’ summer challenge

Rangers enter the UEFA Europa League qualifying process at the first round, with the matches due to take place as early as July 9th or 10th. That leaves the squad less than a month to prepare for that initial action, with the opponents to be determined during this coming Monday’s draw.

So soon after last season it’s a massive challenge, even if Johnstone is trying to downplay it. This yearly cycle of football until late May then July qualifiers is gruelling, especially with international matches in between.

Nonetheless, the Rangers squad must rise to the expectations of the pundit and manager Steven Gerrard, who will be expecting his side to comfortably progress through the first couple of qualifying rounds, with the ambition being reaching the group stages for a second successive season.

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The money generated is huge for the club and subsequently from the squad, so there can be no tired legs when the action kicks off next month.

Paul Robinson has told Football Insider that Everton manager Frank Lampard must address ‘the centre-half area’ given Michael Keane’s tendency to suffer ‘lapses in concentration’.

The lowdown

Keane made his second error leading to an opposition goal this season against Manchester City on Saturday evening. No Toffees player has made more, with team-mate Seamus Coleman joining him at the top of that undesirable ranking.

The £22.5m-rated Englishman miskicked as he tried to clear Bernardo Silva’s deflected cross, allowing Phil Foden to sneak in and score what proved to be the winning goal.

Everton, who sit just one place above the relegation zone, were close to securing a valuable point against the Premier League leaders before Keane’s costly error.

The latest

Former England goalkeeper Robinson said that the defender’s fateful mistake against City was no ‘isolated incident’, bemoaning a ‘severe lack of leadership’ in the backline which Lampard simply must remedy.

The ex-Tottenham ‘keeper told Football Insider: “Keane suffers from lapses in concentration. It happens far too often. This is not an isolated incident. This is not a one-off.

“The centre-half area needs to be addressed at Everton. Lampard must have known he would have to look at it when he came in.

“There is a severe lack of leadership back there. There is too many errors leading to goals for them. It is costing Everton dearly. These are errors that could be and need to be stopped.”

The verdict

Journalist Pete O’Rourke told GiveMeSport in December that signing another centre-back was a priority for Everton in January. However, Rafael Benitez was sacked midway through the month and Lampard’s appointment was not finalised until transfer deadline day, so perhaps that left the club somewhat hamstrung in the market.

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Alas, with Ben Godfrey sidelined for at least another fortnight and Yerry Mina not due to be back until April (Premier Injuries), Everton are looking very light in the heart of defence at the moment. As they scrap for survival, they may be ruing a missed opportunity to add reinforcements.

In the meantime, Lampard may not have all that much scope to take Keane out of the firing line, so the 29-year-old will simply need to do better in terms of cutting out costly errors from his game.

In other news, this Everton ace could face an ‘uncertain’ future amid FFP issues

Rangers will be looking to return to winning ways tonight as Gio van Bronckhorst’s Gers side aim to avoid drawing for the third successive Premiership match.

The Ibrox giants have been unable to pick up all three points in both of their last two outings in the league and now have the opportunity to put things right as they return to action this evening.

Van Bronckhorst’s men are three points off the top of the table and are in desperate need of positive results to take them above their arch-rivals.

One change that the Dutchman must make for their clash with St Johnstone is bringing in Leon Balogun to play at the heart of the backline.

The £14k-per-week Nigerian must replace John Lundstram at the heart of the defence after the experiment of playing the latter in a back four against Motherwell backfired badly. The Englishman was caught out positionally and then burned for pace for the first goal for the away side in the 2-2 draw, with his lack of experience in the position being exposed on the day.

Former Ibrox boss Steven Gerrard claimed that Balogun plays with a “smile on his face” for the Gers and that shines through in his performances. Former Light Blues full-back Alan Hutton once dubbed him  “outstanding”, and his statistics this season back up that praise.

In the Rangers squad, the Nigeria international ranks ninth in the Premiership and second in the Europa League for average SofaScore ratings. This suggests that he has been one of the club’s top performers in 2021/22, which is why he must be brought back into the starting XI for tonight to replace Lundstram, whose error at the weekend proved that he is not a viable option at centre-back.

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In the Premiership, Balogun has averaged a SofaScore rating of 7.06. He has made 3.3 tackles and interceptions per game whilst winning 64% of his duels overall, as he has shown that he the ability to be a standout performer at this level.

The strong 33-year-old tank must now be unleashed on St Johnstone to give Rangers a better chance of keeping a clean sheet, in comparison to keeping Lundstram out of position. Van Bronckhorst must start the veteran alongside Goldson, with the pair providing a solid defensive base for the forward players to go and work their magic in the final third to secure the three points.

AND in other news, Forget Roofe: Van Bronckhorst can save Rangers millions in “big talent” who scores every 41 minutes…

Journalist Pete O’Rourke believes the continued injury absence of Celtic forward Kyogo Furuhashi is a ‘big loss’ in the title race, GiveMeSport report.

The Lowdown: Rangers return?

Furuhashi has played just 15 minutes of action in Celtic’s last 14 Scottish Premiership fixtures, with Ange Postecoglou admitting last month he was ‘nowhere near’ a return.

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However, Mark Guidi recently stated that the forward could return to the bench at the beginning of April in time for the trip to Ibrox. Postecoglou is yet to put a real timeframe regarding the summer signing, and O’Rourke feels his absence may have dented the club’s title hopes.

The Latest: O’Rourke’s comments

Talking to GiveMeSport, O’Rourke had this to say on Furuhashi, with the race for the Premiership title heating up in the crunch period of the campaign.

“To be without his goals, movement and his intelligence, has been a big loss for Celtic. If he was fully fit and firing, Celtic would be big favourites to go on and win the league, instead of the position they find themselves in right now.”

The Verdict: Furuhashi key?

If Furuhashi fails to return to full fitness before the season is out, you’d expect Postecoglou will have to rely on Daizen Maeda and Giorgos Giakoumakis in a central role. Combined, the pair have played 32 games in green and white, scoring 12 goals and failing to register an assist between them.

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Meanwhile, Furuhashi has contributed to 21 goals in 26 games, showing his availability could be key as Celtic look to get over the line and take back the Premiership title from their rivals.

In other news: ‘Seems that’ – Journo now drops more Parkhead exit news on ‘horrendous’ Celtic ‘waste of money’. 

West Ham United travel to fierce rivals Tottenham Hotspur later today in the Premier League with both sides well in the race for European qualification.

The Hammers sit in sixth, level on 48 points with Spurs in seventh, although Antonio Conte’s side do have a game in hand.

However, they go into the match with just 48 hours of rest having famously beaten Spanish outfit Sevilla in the Europa League on Thursday night, with the contest going to extra-time.

With nine league matches to go as well as at least two more games in Europe as David Moyes’ side take on French side Olympique Lyon in the quarter-final, the East London club are now in their season’s crunch period, and the next couple of weeks could decide whether or not they will secure European football for next season.

Today’s meeting with Tottenham is of significant magnitude given the current placings of both sides, meaning that Moyes has to get his team selection spot on. However, having had a good chunk of his squad play 120 minutes on Thursday, the Scotsman may be keen to make a few alterations.

One change that could certainly be made is the expulsion of winger Said Benrahma from the starting lineup, who has blown hot and cold of late.

On the chalkboard

The Algerian did provide two assists in the 2-1 win against Aston Villa last weekend, however, the 26-year-old hadn’t offered a goal contribution prior since New Year’s Day.

After a strong start to the season, Benrahma’s form in front of goal has certainly tailed off. Having scored three goals and registered two assists in his first five appearances of the Premier League season, the 26-year-old has since scored just twice in the top-flight, with those goals coming in back-to-back games against Southampton and Watford at the end of December.

Last season saw the former Brentford man struggle in the final third too in his first season as a Hammer, taking until mid-May to score his sole goal for Moyes’ side despite making the move from West London to East London for a significant fee of £20m.

Of course, the £22.5m-rated Algeria international has improved, however, the lack of consistency must be infuriating for Moyes and the West Ham faithful, especially given how talented the playmaker can be on his day.

This was a topic the Scotsman discussed in his column in the Evening Standard last season after a game against Burnley, saying: “Said Benrahma also did well the other night [against Burnley].

“I am looking for more consistency from him, though, in his level of training and in the step up to the Premier League.

“He demonstrated in the Championship with Brentford what he is capable of achieving and he will be able to do it in the Premier League.

“His decisions have to be something we can all understand and we can read, and I actually think he needs to hit the target more often than he has done.”

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Comfortable on either side of a three-man attacking line, Benrahma can be suitably replaced by fellow winger Andriy Yarmolenko, who is certainly within a shout of starting a game soon having come off of the bench to score in the Hammers’ last two matches.

The Ukrainian celebrated both goals emotionally amid the ongoing conflict in his home country and will surely be in contention to play from the off.

It is absolutely vital that Moyes picks the right side today given the significance of the match. Having played their biggest game of the season so far on Thursday, the trip to Spurs is certainly the Hammers’ biggest league match of the campaign thus far, with the race for Europe still in their hands.

In other news: “Magical” £100k-p/w ace starts and Areola axed in 2 changes: West Ham predicted XI

Having joined Tottenham Hotspur in what was an £11m move back in August of 2016, hopes for Georges-Kevin N’Koudou would have undoubtedly been extremely high in north London.

Indeed, the then-21-year-old – who himself claimed was an “explosive” player – had just enjoyed an incredibly impressive season with Olympique Marseille, scoring five goals and registering three assists over 28 Ligue 1 fixtures, as well as bagging four goals and two assists over seven Europe League outings and one goal in one Coupe de la Ligue appearance.

As such, Daniel Levy’s signing of the then-France U21 international, as well as the chairman’s decision to hand the winger a five-year deal on a reported £35k-per-week, appeared to be an astute piece of business for Tottenham.

However, after failing to make any real impression within Mauricio Pochettino’s side during his debut season in north London – starting just two of his 17 appearances in all competitions – as well as featuring sparingly in the first half of the 2017/18 campaign – starting one of his loaned out to Burnley that winter, where the attacker once again failed to impress over his eight appearances for the Clarets.

After returning to Spurs in the summer of 2018, the Frenchman once again spent the majority of his time on the touchline in 2018/19, making a mere shipped out on a temporary basis in the January transfer window – this time to AS Monaco, where the £4.23m-rated man would also feature just three times that season.

Then, in the summer of 2019, after making a grand total of just 27 appearances for Tottenham, the winger who Pochettino once dubbed a “problem” was finally cut loose, with Besiktas taking the 27-year-old off of Spurs’ hands.

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As such, considering his £11m transfer fee, in addition to his £35k-per-week salary over his 155-week stay in north London, it is clear to see that N’Koudou well and truly rinsed Daniel Levy – as the Frenchman undoubtedly proved to be one of the club’s biggest flops in recent memory.

AND in other news: Conte can unearth his next 19 y/o “killer” in THFC sensation who’s an “immense talent”

Alasdair Gold has delivered a hugely encouraging update on Tottenham defender Cristian Romero amid his recent call-up to the Argentina squad.

What’s the story?

Writing initially on Twitter, Gold revealed: “A little piece on Cristian Romero, who is expected to be back at Hotspur Way tomorrow and involved in training.”

Then, in a follow-up piece for Football.London, he added: “Cristian Romero is expected to train with Antonio Conte’s Tottenham side on Tuesday after his latest farcical international break with Argentina.

“The centre-back was called up for Argentina despite being suspended for both of their matches during this international break, as they awaited an appeal over his ban. That appeal was rejected and football.london understands that Romero is now expected to be back at Hotspur Way on Tuesday and involved in training with his Tottenham team-mates.”

Big boost for Conte

Romero’s return to Spurs earlier than expected meant that he missed Argentina’s clash against Ecuador on early Wednesday morning – a game if he had played, would have seriously put into doubt his status and condition for the Lilywhites’ Premier League clash against Newcastle on Sunday.

The centre-back has quickly established himself as the cornerstone of this Spurs defence when he’s been fit and available, starting the last nine games in the Premier League and completing the full 90 minutes in all but one of them – that was the game against Everton when the north London side had put the game to bed in the first-half and Conte could withdraw him early in the second period.

Romero having those extra few days back at Spurs to just further rest and ensure he is fully fit for Sunday is a welcome boost for Conte, who knows that Spurs have a real chance of clinching Champions League qualification this season.

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Every win counts, and having the Argentine available is a major boost to those chances of doing so.

AND in other news – Left for £0, now worth £40m: Spurs suffered huge howler over “very explosive” U21 star

Tottenham Hotspur are reportedly plotting a summer transfer move for Leeds United winger Jack Harrison, according to The Telegraph. 

The lowdown: Impressive top-flight exploits

The 25-year-old enjoyed a sensational breakthrough campaign in the Premier League at Elland Road having signed permanently from Manchester City for £11million in 2021 (BBC).

Harrison scored eight times and provided another eight assists in 2020/21 and a hat-trick earlier this season against West Ham put the former England youth international in the spotlight once again, despite this campaign seeing a slight drop-off in form overall.

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Having made an enquiry during the January transfer window, Spurs could be about to renew their interest.

The latest: Summer swoop pending

As per the report, Tottenham are believed to be ‘planning’ a summer offer for the highly-rated left-winger.

Moreover, it’s claimed that sporting director Fabio Paratici has received a recommendation from Italian icon Andrea Pirlo – who was impressed by the two-cap England Under 21 ace at New York City FC.

The report also states that Harrison could be viewed as an alternative option to Adama Traore after Spurs missed out on the powerful Spaniard in January when moving from Wolves to Barcelona on loan until the end of the season.

The latest: A ‘brilliant’ signing?

Capable of operating in advanced wide positions as well as in wing-back roles (WhoScored), Harrison would appear purpose-built to flourish in Antonio Conte’s system.

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Despite the struggles at Leeds this season, the man recently described as ‘brilliant’ by Kevin Phillips has enjoyed a decent campaign in the top-flight, scoring seven times and providing two assists in 30 appearances across all competitions.

Valued at £13.5million and under contract in Yorkshire until 2024 (Transfermarkt), signing the versatile star would be a wholly affordable option and could see Conte cast aside an injury prone Ryan Sessegnon.

In other news: Journalist drops huge claim in Spurs’ pursuit of Serie A hitman. Read more here.

West Ham’s nightmare season descended into further crisis as they suffered a comprehensive 3-0 defeat at the Etihad Stadium.

Man City 3-0 West Ham as Hammers humbled

Nuno Espírito Santo’s side are now condemned to spending Christmas in the relegation zone after their tenth Premier League defeat of a dismal campaign.

Erling Haaland was the architect of City’s dominant victory, scoring twice and creating the other goal as Pep Guardiola’s side registered their fifth consecutive Premier League win to temporarily move top of the table.

The Norwegian striker needed just five minutes to open the scoring when Phil Foden delivered a cross from the left that Haaland swept home, setting the tone for a one-sided encounter that exposed the gulf in class between the hosts and the struggling visitors.

West Ham offered precious little in response during a lacklustre first-half display, with only a Jarrod Bowen cross that ran through the box representing any sort of threat to City’s dominance at the Etihad.

The Hammers’ defensive frailties were brutally exposed again in the 38th minute when Rayan Cherki beat Mateus Fernandes to the ball and wriggled into the penalty area before feeding Haaland, who had no room to shoot himself but intelligently laid the ball off for Tijjani Reijnders to smash into the roof of the net from close range.

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The visitors showed greater energy after the interval and briefly threatened when Crysencio Summerville won possession on the left and crossed from the byline, forcing Gianluigi Donnarumma to react quickly and parry Freddie Potts’ shot before Fernandes blasted the rebound over the crossbar.

Bowen dragged another effort wide as the Hammers enjoyed their best spell of the match, but City had further opportunities with Ruben Dias heading at Alphonse Areola and Foden shooting wide before Haaland killed off any lingering hopes of a West Ham comeback.

The third goal arrived in the 69th minute as City swept forward through substitutes Savinho and Rico Lewis, with Haaland finishing clinically to take his tally for club and country this season to 38 goals and put the result beyond any doubt.

Donnarumma was forced to block from Summerville as West Ham briefly flickered again in search of consolation, but Foden and Josko Gvardiol went close for City before Haaland shot narrowly wide in stoppage time, coming inches away from completing his hat-trick.

The defeat extends West Ham’s winless streak to six matches and leaves them marooned on 13 points from 16 games, three points from safety and guaranteed to spend the festive period in the bottom three for the fifth time in their history.

Nuno’s side were without both starting full-backs Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Malick Diouf who are on Africa Cup of Nations duty, further depleting a squad already struggling badly for form and confidence as the relegation battle intensifies heading into the new year.

Commentator makes brutal Max Kilman claim after West Ham defeat

It was also a nightmare afternoon for Max Kilman.

The Englishman failed to nullify Haaland’s constant threat throughout, adding to his collection of somewhat unconvincing displays, with commentator Tom Rennie making a brutal claim on X.

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Rennie, who also works for talkSPORT international as an editor, called Kilman the worst footballer he’s ever seen.

West Ham’s leaky backline is seriously contributing to their downfall this season, and a new centre-back next month is believed to be in their January transfer thinking.

While a striker is seen as the priority to replace the departing Niclas Füllkrug, Toulouse defender Charlie Cresswell is a top target for West Ham with internal discussions held over a move.

Having a genuine alternative to the likes of Kilman and Jean-Clair Todibo could be crucial if the east Londoners are to avoid a dreaded drop to the Championship.

Related West Ham in pole position to re-sign former star after holding talks with him

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