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Newcastle United goalkeeper Loris Karius has been offered to AC Milan and is keen to leave the Premier League, according to reports in the last 48 hours.

The Lowdown: Uncertain future

The German first arrived at St. James’ Park as a free agent back in September 2022 but has failed to establish himself under Eddie Howe.

The Magpies boss has predominantly opted for Nick Pope as his number one between the sticks and with Martin Dubravka as his back-up, the 29-year-old hasn’t had a proper look in.

Speaking during a recent interview, the 6 foot 2 shot-stopper admitted that he doesn’t know whether he’ll still be in the northeast beyond the summer. He said:

“I’m here until the summer. I don’t know if I’ll stay longer or not. We haven’t spoken about this – there was no need for it.

“There is so much going on here at the moment – we have important games, it’s a full schedule. There’s no rush.

“In football, you can never plan too far ahead, but I’m just enjoying my time here, really. Whatever role I have to play until the end of the season, I’m doing it for the team to be successful and then we will see.”

The Latest: Karius offered to AC Milan

According to CMW (via CaughtOffside), Karius’ agent has ‘already offered’ his client to AC Milan, with Inter Milan also interested in signing him in the upcoming window.

The Biberach native is reportedly ‘keen on leaving’ at the end of the season as a result of him wanting to spend more time with his partner who is based in Italy.

The Verdict: Let him go

Karius will be out of contract at Newcastle in the summer and his spell at St. James’ hasn’t been as successful as hoped so it would be the right decision to let him go.

Liverpool’s former star has made just one appearance during his time under Howe which was the Carabao Cup final vs Manchester United where he had a poor pass success rate of 38.5%.

The keeper is also the manager’s third choice having not even been named in the matchday squad for the last 13 top-flight games so it’s obvious he doesn’t view him as part of his long-term plans.

PIF won’t get any fee for Karius should he depart for nothing but his wages would certainly free up some money to invest in potential new signings in the months ahead.

Tottenham Hotspur have held investment ‘discussions’ with interested parties, and a possible windfall ‘could yet happen’ to boost the club.

The Lowdown: Spurs takeover talk…

Last week, news broke of US-Iranian billionaire Jahm Najafi – through MSP Sports Capital – plotting a multi-billion pound bid for Spurs. That offer is expected within the next few weeks, but the magnate may fall short given chairman Daniel Levy and owner Joe Lewis’ valuation of Tottenham.

Reports also suggest that both Levy and Lewis are undecided as to whether they wish to give away a minority stake, sell the club outright or take no action.

The Latest: Gold makes Spurs investment claim…

Writing in a Q&A for football.london, reliable reporter Alasdair Gold has claimed that Spurs have ‘certainly’ held discussions with interested parties over investment in the club.

Making a promising claim, the journalist also suggests ‘that could yet happen’ to boost Antonio Conte’s side financially.

Gold explained: “Spurs have certainly held discussions about potential investment with interested parties so that could yet happen to help them compete.”

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The Verdict: Good news…

The Premier League’s financial powerhouses are beginning to take monopoly of England’s top flight, and there could be a worry from Levy’s perspective that Spurs get left behind.

London rivals Chelsea have spent more than £500m since new owner Todd Boehly took over from Roman Abramovich last year, a sum which Tottenham can’t match in such a short space of time.

News of possible off-field investment comes as positive for the Lilywhites, and if Najafi ultimately fails in his proposed takeover bid, supporters may be hoping that the club can at least secure a windfall through minority investment.

Celtic defender Stephen Welsh will remain at the club amid Sheffield Wednesday’s interest, according to Anthony Joseph.

The Lowdown: Interest in Welsh

The 23-year-old centre-back was previously reported by Sky Sports reporter Joseph to be a possible departure from Celtic Park this month, with the Bhoys open to listening to offers within the opening weeks of the window.

Following just six appearances all season, Welsh hasn’t played in the SPFL since October and only featured in a matchday squad once since then.

On Monday, Joseph reported another update on the defender that third-tier Sheffield Wednesday were interested in taking him to Hillsborough for the remainder of the season, though this came amid Moritz Jenz’s loan from Lorient being terminated earlier this month.

The Latest: Set to stay

Following a rollercoaster month regarding the Scotsman’s future, it now seems as though his short-term future has been decided, with Joseph’s latest update revealing he’s set to stay in Glasgow until at least the summer, saying:

“UPDATE: It’s unlikely Stephen Welsh will be leaving Celtic before tonight’s deadline.

“His situation will be reassessed in the summer.”

The Verdict: Summer exit?

After Jenz’s loan was ended, Ange Postecoglou has been left with four out-and-out centre-backs, providing him ample cover for the remainder of the season.

With Cameron Carter-Vickers and Carl Starfelt appearing the most amongst fellow centre-backs still at the club (via Transfermarkt), after a knee injury hindered Starfelt at the beginning of the season, he’s since played in the previous 10 SPFL games.

All but one of those games has been alongside the United States international, showing what Postecoglou’s defensive partnership is set to be for the remainder of the campaign, leaving Welsh likely to remain as nothing more than a backup should one of the pair become unavailable.

And after penning a four-year contract nearly two years ago (via Sky Sports), it’ll be interesting how he and Celtic see Welsh’s future come the end of the season – though we can see why the Hoops have opted against parting ways for now.

Transfer guru Fabrizio Romano has revealed that the agent of Eduardo Camavinga has denied talk that his client could join Arsenal on loan this January.

What’s the word?

The Real Madrid midfielder has been linked with a move to the Gunners of late, with reports claiming the Premier League club wanted to make the 20-year-old their “surprise” winter ambition.

The Gunners certainly look to be in the market for a new midfielder too, with West Ham United’s Declan Rice said to be a key target in the summer.

And so, in theory, Camavinga could join on loan now to help with the club’s title ambitions before then going back to Madrid, leaving space for Rice to join ahead of the start of next season.

However, while speaking on his YouTube channel, Romano has revealed that a deal doesn’t seem realistic at this stage.

Indeed, the journalist explained (1:26): “The agent Joshua Barnett told me no way for Arsenal loan or Chelsea loan or any other club.

“Because many clubs in Europe, all the top clubs in Europe, want Camavinga but Real Madrid are very happy with him and Camavinga is very happy with Real Madrid. So, no way.”

Too good to be true

Camavinga certainly would be an exciting name to bring to the Emirates before the transfer window slams shut at the end of the month. After all, as per Squawka, he has won more duels per 90 than any other player with 360+ minutes in La Liga or the Premier League so far this season.

Still, it sounds as though the Real Madrid ace won’t be allowed to go with Carlo Ancelotti backing up Romano’s reporting, as he recently told the press: “We will not let Camavinga leave, he’s untouchable, like [Luka] Modric and Toni Kroos.”

Saying that though, the Frenchman has started just five league games so far this season. So it’s not as if he’s quite like Modric or Kroos. And if the youngster feels as though he would prefer to move to try and get more minutes, Arsenal could be an attractive proposition.

Still, for now, everything seems to suggest a loan won’t be happening but you can never say never in the world of football.

BBC pundit Chris Sutton has claimed Antonio Conte may as well sign him if he wants ‘personality’ in the dressing room after the Tottenham Hotspur manager’s comments on Hugo Lloris.

What’s the word?

It was a day to forget in the north London derby this weekend when Spurs took on Arsenal in front of their own fans. Indeed, two-first half goals saw the Gunners claim a fairly routine 2-0 win over their local rivals.

Martin Odegaard added a second for his side but Arsenal were handed the opener when goalkeeper Lloris fumbled Bukayo Saka’s cross into his own net.

Unsurprisingly, the Spurs number one has faced a lot of criticism since then but his manager came to his defence after the game. Indeed, the Spurs boss insisted that his captain is in the team due to his ‘personality’.

In reaction to this, though, while speaking on BBC Radio Show 606, Sutton said: “Conte backing Hugo Lloris. And I can understand that to some extent, but where are you on this, Spurs fans?

“He says, ‘I consider Hugo one of the best goalkeepers in the world. It can happen, Hugo for us is one of the players who is really important for the dressing room, for his personality.’

“Well, if he wants personality in the dressing room, he might as well sign me on a five-year deal.”

Time to move on?

As much as it was a bad afternoon for all the Spurs players, Lloris stood out as one of the worst performers. For instance, in the football.london player ratings, Alasdair Gold gave him a 3/10 for his efforts and claimed: “his mistake turned the match and they’re becoming too frequent”.

It’s easy to see why certain parts of the media are begging to lose faith in the goalkeeper. After all, according to Squawka, with ten mistakes, Lloris has made more errors directly leading to goals in the Premier League since the start of the 2016/17 season than any other player.

And so, while Conte may like his personality in the dressing room, it’s surely more important that he can step and up and deliver on the pitch when needed. It’s no wonder, the club have been linked with Brentford shot-stopper David Raya recently.

The January transfer window is now open for business and Newcastle United may look to utilise the market to bolster their squad heading into the second half of the campaign.

Eddie Howe and PIF are no strangers to doing work in the window midway through the season after they brought in Bruno Guimaraes, Chris Wood, Dan Burn, Matt Targett, and Kieran Trippier to the club in 2022.

Targett has only started four Premier League matches so far this season but enjoyed a fantastic 2021/22 campaign as he averaged a Sofascore rating of 6.96 across 33 starts for Aston Villa and the Magpies combined.

Howe could now find a clone of the £100k-per-week Englishman, but on the other side of the pitch, by securing a deal to sign Real Valladolid right-back Ivan Fresneda.

The Spaniard, who Ashworth is reportedly considering a bid for, is a talented young defender who could be an excellent signing for the Toon Army this month.

Journalist Dean Jones has recently revealed that the Magpies have submitted a proposal to the youngster and could tempt the teenager into making the switch to England.

He told GIVEMESPORT: “It’s a possibility. He’s had a lot of interest from all over Europe and Newcastle have made a good case from what I understand.

“Obviously, they do offer good prospects at the moment. They’re in a very healthy league position, and I think a lot of players would be very intrigued by the project that’s already underway under Eddie Howe.”

FBref lists Targett as the most similar player to Fresneda based on their statistics in Europe’s top five leagues over the last 365 days, with both players ranking in the 82nd percentile or higher for tackles and interceptions per 90 minutes amongst their positional peers respectively.

They also both rank in the 75th percentile or higher for clearances per 90 and these statistics indicate that they are both terrific defenders who can contribute a lot to the team out of possession by winning the ball back for their side.

The Spanish gem, who has a €30m (£26m) release clause in his contract, has averaged a Sofascore rating of 7.04 across seven appearances in La Liga this season, which would place him seventh in the current Newcastle team.

At the age of 18, Fresneda is a player with potential, who talent scout Jacek Kulig dubbed “talented”, but the dynamo’s form in Spain this term indicates that he could also have an impact in the short term as he is producing a high volume of defensive contributions.

Everton and sporting director Kevin Thelwell are reportedly eyeing up a potential move for Torino central midfielder Sasa Lukic in the January transfer window.

The Lowdown: World Cup star

Lukic is in the Serbia squad for the FIFA World Cup in Qatar, and could feature against Brazil tonight.

The 26-year-old has 32 senior caps for his country, scoring two goals and making a further two assists (Transfermarkt).

The Latest: Everton interest

As per Italian news outlet Torino Granata, it is ‘highly probable’ that Lukic leaves Torino in January, with the Goodison Park outfit holding an ‘interest’ in him.

However, they will face competition from fellow Premier League rivals Leeds United for his signature, and Lukic will evaluate his future after the World Cup.

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The Verdict: Prioritise other areas

Having signed central midfielders Amadou Onana, Idrissa Gueye and James Garner in the summer, the Merseyside club need to prioritise strengthening in other areas of the pitch before bringing in another one in Lukic.

They are the joint-second lowest scorers in the top flight, and so they should be looking to sign another forward first of all.

Lukic is a tidy player, having ranked in the 80th percentile for all midfielders in Europe’s top five leagues for pass completion over the past year, and sharing a similar playing style to the likes of Aston Villa’s Douglas Luiz and Tottenham Hotspur’s Rodrigo Bentancur, he could be well-suited to the Premier League.

However, the Toffees should look at other positions in January first before bringing him in.

Tottenham Hotspur moved seven points clear of fourth as Antonio Conte’s side recorded another victory in the Premier League, this time seeing off Everton in north London on Saturday evening.

It’s now their best start to a season since the 1963/64 campaign and the Italian, as well as the Lilywhites faithful, have Harry Kane – scoring a penalty in his 400th appearance for the club – and Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg to thank given their second-half goals steered Spurs to a 2-0 win.

In what was a pretty dominant affair, the Denmark enforcer took plenty of plaudits from the press, with football.london and the Evening Standard highlighting his display as a viable ‘Man of the Match’ candidate.

But further back in defence was a particularly glowing performance from Cristian Romero, who was an absolute titan in Tottenham’s quest to seal a clean sheet.

As per SofaScore, the 24-year-old colossus – who has now signed permanently at Hotspur Way – had a better match rating than the ex-Southampton man, with only the goalscoring Kane beating his exploits.

The ruthless Argentinian led Conte’s squad for three key defensive attributes – tackles (two), interceptions (one) and clearances (one), whilst he also won six of his aerial and ground duels, so he clearly was a beacon of strength and aggression on Spurs’ way to the three points.

And as usual, he excelled with the ball at his feet after he registered a total of 65 accurate passes at an accuracy rate of 88%, of which one was a key chance created. Meanwhile, his 87 touches were the second-most of any home player and that merely signals his influence on the game as it was more than every single one of Conte’s midfield options, via SofaScore.

Once lauded as an “animal” by two-time former teammate Pierluigi Gollini, the £42.5m star also caught the attention of journalist Alasdair Gold, who claimed he was ‘dominant in everything he did.’

“It’s a good Tottenham performance this. At the heart of it, Romero has had one of his best and most proactive games in a while,” The Athletic’s Seb Stafford-Bloor also tweeted during the encounter, only adding to the way in which the Argentina international ran the show at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium this weekend.

So forget Hojbjerg and Kane, it was Romero’s night on Saturday as he put in an aggressive and encouraging display to help Spurs on their way to another Premier League victory.

AND in other news, Conte could unearth his next Lukaku as Spurs eye Jan swoop for £45m “absolute machine”…

Tottenham Hotspur manager Antonio Conte is searching for his first win since the international break and after a goalless draw in midweek, he’ll be hoping his side can go one better at Brighton and Hove Albion this evening.

The Lilywhites were held by Eintracht Frankfurt in the Champions League, just a few days after their 3-1 defeat to Arsenal in the Premier League last weekend.

It’s a short turnaround for the Italian and his squad, so rotation could be in order, whilst Emerson Royal is one of a few confirmed absentees after he received a careless red card in the north London derby.

Conte could finally switch to a 3-5-2 formation, as a result of their form and congested schedule.

That would see another midfielder enter the fray, likely to be £30m signing Yves Bissouma. The box-to-box powerhouse – who journalist Aaron Stokes once dubbed an “absolute monster” – joins Rodrigo Bentancur and Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg in the engine room but does mean that a forward needs to be dropped.

Given his struggles this season, Heung-min Son could be axed to the bench – just as he was against Leicester City – meaning it’s Harry Kane and Richarlison up front.

The 6-2 whitewash over the Foxes also provided a clue as to how Spurs could lineup without Emerson, so Ivan Perisic may switch to the right wing-back role, with Ryan Sessegnon coming in on the left.

Conte should also revert back to his usual three-man defence after Ben Davies returned from injury in midweek. The versatile Wales star is likely to start alongside Eric Dier and Cristian Romero, who are protecting club captain Hugo Lloris between the sticks, in what would be the third and final change from Tuesday.

The likes of Oliver Skipp, Davinson Sanchez and Bryan Gil may have to wait for further minutes and there are continued doubts over the fitness of Dejan Kulusevski, who has missed Tottenham’s last two fixtures.

Predicted Spurs XI (3-5-2): Lloris; Davies, Dier, Romero; Sessegnon, Bentancur, Bissouma, Hojbjerg, Perisic; Richarlison, Kane

AND in other news, Spurs could end creative crisis with 22 y/o “superstar”, he’s 82% cheaper than Maddison…

Fabrizio Romano has dropped an update on reported Leeds United transfer target Noa Lang.

What’s the talk?

Speaking in a video posted on his YouTube channel, the Italian journalist confirmed that Victor Orta and his Leeds United transfer team were interested in a deal for the Club Brugge KV forward this summer – having been linked with the 23-year-old for the best part of two years – however, no move ultimately materialised for the Netherlands international.

The transfer insider went on to state his belief that this was a missed opportunity for the Whites, as well as a host of other clubs who failed to submit an official bid for the winger, although, the journalist did go on to claim that Lang will be still available in the coming transfer windows – potentially opening the door for a Leeds move further down the line.

Speaking about the situation of the attacker, Romano said: “Noa Lang, a player I really appreciate, I think he’s really underrated. It’s true that Brugge already sold Charles De Ketelaere to AC Milan, but Noa Lang was available on the market. He will be available in the future transfer windows, so a really important and interesting opportunity.

“He was on the list of Leeds, for example, and also some other clubs around Europe were tracking him, especially in Italy. But now, Noa Lang is still available on the market, so a missed opportunity.”

Orta must avenge missed opportunity

Considering just how exciting a talent Lang has undoubtedly proven himself to be over the past few years, should the Dutchman indeed be available for as little as €25m (£22m) once again in the January transfer window – as Romano suggests – Orta simply must avenge his missed opportunity by launching a move for the 23-year-old when the winter market rolls around.

Indeed, after making a loan move from Ajax to Brugge in the summer of 2020, the £17.1m-rated talent enjoyed a stellar debut campaign over his 29 Jupiler Pro League appearances in 2020/21, scoring 16 goals, registering seven assists and creating 11 big chances for his teammates, as well as taking an average of 2.9 shots, making 1.7 key passes and completing 1.4 dribbles per game.

These returns saw the versatile winger – who can operate from any position across the front three and in both central and attacking midfield – average a quite extraordinary SofaScore match rating of 7.37, not only ranking him as his club’s third-best performer but also as the joint eighth-best player in the top flight of Belgian football as a whole that season.

Then, after sealing a permanent £5.4m switch to the Jan Breydel Stadium in the summer of 2021, Lang once again shone over his 37 Jupiler Pro League fixtures last season, bagging seven goals, providing 12 assists and creating 19 big chances for his teammates, in addition to taking an average of 2.0 shots, making 1.9 key passes and completing 1.7 dribbles per game.

These metrics saw the £20k-per-week sensation yet again average an extremely impressive SofaScore match rating of 7.20, ranking him as Brugge’s joint fifth-best performer in the division, as well as the joint 20th-best player in the league as a whole last time out.

Furthermore, the five-cap international has also impressed for Brugge on the European stage, scoring one goal and registering two assists over 12 appearances in the Champions League – despite playing for a club who are not typically considered one of European football’s bigger sides.

As such, with Lang quite clearly being a versatile, consistent, creative and deadly attacker, exactly why Orta did not sanction a move for the Dutchman this summer is rather baffling – particularly after missing out on the signing of Charles De Ketelaere to AC Milan.

However, with Romano suggesting that the 23-year-old could well be available in January, Orta will not have to wait long before he can amend this mistake – with a move for the Brugge star appearing an absolute must for the Whites this winter.