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Everton are reportedly ready to sign Southampton striker Che Adams ‘in a heartbeat’, if the Saints were relegated at the end of the season.

The Lowdown: Long-term interest

Everton have held a long-term interest in Adams, from last summer and in the January transfer window.

The Scotland international could well leave St. Mary’s this summer if Southampton are relegated from the Premier League, with them currently sitting in the relegation zone.

The Latest: Interest reignited

As per Football Insider, the Goodison Park outfit have reignited their interest in signing Adams this summer, and are ready to sign him ‘in a heartbeat’ if the Saints are relegated.

However, they will face competition from Leeds United and a number of other clubs in the top flight for his signature, but have put their interest on the back burner for now until their own safety is assured.

The Verdict: Smart move

It would certainly be a smart move from the Merseysiders to sign Adams this summer, especially if they stay up and Southampton in turn are relegated.

A fall to the Championship should see Adams’ market value plummet, meaning that he would be available for a cheaper price.

Hailed as a ‘ketchup bottle phenomenon’ by his former Saints manager Ralph Hasenhuttl, the striker has not been the most prolific in the Premier League, with 24 goals over four seasons so far.

However, the 26-year-old makes up with it with his attitude and work-rate, with Hasenhuttl previously lauding them as ‘fantastic’.

Adams could link up with Scotland team-mate Nathan Patterson, who he has previously dubbed ‘amazing’, should he make the move to the Toffees, and will no doubt want to be on the end of the right-back’s crosses should they play again together at club level.

When Unai Emery arrived at Aston Villa back in October 2022, it quickly became clear that certain players brought in by the previous regime wouldn’t have a future with the Midlands club.

One such example is Leander Dendoncker and after some woeful performances following his summer arrival from Wolves, Emery should look to get rid of the Belgium international for good at the end of the season.

Should Aston Villa get rid of Leander Dendoncker?

Steven Gerrard signed Dendoncker from Wolves on deadline day last summer in a deal worth £13m, with the defensive-midfielder perhaps expected to be the replacement for Douglas Luiz.

However, the Brazilian would later sign a contract extension at Villa Park, and considering fellow summer addition Boubacar Kamara has also established himself as a regular, Dendoncker quickly became surplus to requirements.

Since signing, the 27-year-old has managed just 14 appearances in all competitions for Villa, including just three starts in the Premier League.

It is easy to see why Emery has preferred other options in the middle of the park in his tenure at Villa Park as Dendoncker has averaged a shocking 6.26 rating from WhoScored for his performances in the Premier League.

This ranks him as the 20th-best performer so far this campaign, so it would certainly not be a surprise to see him moved on by Emery in the summer, which shows that the dud has struggled badly.

He has been a disastrous signing by Gerrard and the new Villa boss is unlikely to have been impressed with the Belgian international since taking over due to his antics in the FA Cup in January.

The former Anderlecht man has been limited to just one start since the World Cup break, which came in the embarrassing 2-1 home defeat by League Two side Stevenage, when his red card late on turned the game in the away side’s favour, with his tackle later criticised by Nedum Onouha.

He said: “Dendoncker tried to turn when somebody was on him and got the punishment that he deserved for the indecision. It’s rash and I think the red card is the right decision. You shouldn’t lose a match from being in a position of control 10 minutes ago.”

The defensive midfielder was once a reliable option for Wolves in the Premier League, averaging a strong 6.97 rating in the 2018/19 campaign, but he has managed above a 7/10 rating in just one of his appearances for Villa this season, which came in the 4-0 win over Brentford following Gerrard’s sacking.

Therefore, he hasn’t impressed once under Emery and the Spaniard should look to get rid permanently in the summer, as his time at Villa Park has been something of a disaster due to his woeful performances – as proven by his aforementioned WhoScored ratings – this season.

Arsenal are reportedly ‘keeping a close eye’ on Aston Villa striker Ollie Watkins ahead of a potential move this summer.

The Lowdown: In form

Watkins is a striker at the top of his game at the moment, with Premier League, including one in a 2-0 win away at Everton on the weekend.

He also netted against Arsenal the weekend before, but it was not enough as the Gunners ran out 4-2 winners at Villa Park.

The Latest: Arsenal interest

Taking to Twitter, journalist Steve Kay says that the North Londoners are ‘keeping a close eye’ on Watkins, according to ‘sources’, and could make a move this summer, while Mikel Arteta is thought to be a ‘massive admirer’:

“Aston Villa striker Ollie Watkins is one of the strikers that Arsenal have been keeping a close eye on as a possible summer signing according to sources.

“Arteta is a massive admirer of the England international, who recently praised the forward in the away win against Villa.”

The Verdict: Smart move

Watkins would certainly be a smart move from the Emirates Stadium outfit, as he knows the Premier League already and is entering his prime at 27.

His former manager Dean Smith claims that the Englishman is ‘one of the best pressing centre-forwards’ in the division, as evident by the fact that he ranks in the 88th percentile of all forwards in Europe’s top five leagues for interceptions per game over the past year.

On top of his eye for a goal, his incredible work-rate would also please Arteta, and so it is no surprise to see the Spaniard’s admiration of him.

Nonetheless, the Gunners will feel that they will need extra forward cover next season, especially considering they look likely to qualify for the UEFA Champions League, and Gabriel Jesus has found himself injured for a large chunk of this campaign.

Arsenal could sell striker Folarin Balogun this summer, despite impressing on loan at Reims.

The Lowdown: Impressive season

Balogun is enjoying an impressive season at Reims, where he is currently Ligue 1’s top scorer with 14 goals, ahead of the likes of frightening PSG trio Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappe and Neymar.

He even scored a well-taken equaliser against the Parisiens recently, rounding Italy star Gianluigi Donnarumma to score in the 95th minute.

He only has 18 months left on his current deal at the Emirates Stadium, so Arsenal have a big decision to make over his future this summer.

The Latest: Could cash in

As per The Sun, the Gunners could still look to cash in on Balogun this summer, despite his impressive form in France.

They did not expect him to be as prolific as he has been so far this season, with Reims manager Will Still labelling him as a ‘super complete striker’ at the age of just 21.

He even asked if Reims could sign Balogun on a permanent deal in the January transfer window, but the North London club refused at that time.

The Verdict: Only for big money…

Mikel Arteta’s team should only consider selling Balogun for big money.

With only 18 months left on his contract, they need to tie him down to a new one first of all to protect his value, before deciding whether to move him on.

It would be very tempting to keep Balogun, given that he has come through and impressed in the Arsenal academy, scoring 75 times and producing 18 assists in 103 games in total (Transfermarkt), while he is also performing in a major European league.

However, with Gabriel Jesus and Eddie Nketiah already at the club, the Englishman may struggle for game time if he stayed, so this will be a very tough decision to make.

A deal to take Matteo Guendouzi to Aston Villa in the future cannot be ruled out – but the player is focused and happy at Marseille, insider Dean Jones has claimed.

What’s the word?

Villa were reportedly keen on a move for the France international in the January transfer window, with Unai Emery wanting to reunite with the midfielder he signed for Arsenal in 2018.

However, a deal failed to materialise, and it remains to be seen whether the club will pursue the 24-year-old again in the summer or look elsewhere.

Speaking to Football FanCast, Jones claimed that Guendouzi may not favour a move back to the Premier League for now, but did not think Villa need to give up just yet.

He said: “We all see the Premier League as the be-all and end-all, but players don’t necessarily see that that way – especially players from abroad.

“I’d say it’s not impossible, but I also think that he’s probably going to focus on the here and now, and look at the job in hand.”

Nothing to prove?

Although some may argue that his improved form at Marseille following his controversial departure from Arsenal means that he has something to prove by returning to England, Guendouzi himself may think otherwise.

Since his departure from the Premier League, he has played in the Champions League, made the France squad for the World Cup and has flourished in domestic competition.

The midfielder has previously spoken about his preference to play in France than in England, claiming that the atmospheres in his native country are better than those found in the Premier League.

“The Marseille fans are incomparable. At Arsenal, there’s a big stadium, but it’s totally different. The best atmosphere is here. It’s incredible to play in front of a crowd like this, it really lifts the players,” he claimed in 2021.

Now that he feels comfortable at one of the biggest clubs in France, it seems unlikely that he would push too hard for a move back to the Premier League, even if Villa and Emery came calling – but who knows where his mind will be come the summer.

Aston Villa have now approached Lyon over a potential move for striker Moussa Dembele, The Daily Mail report.

The Lowdown: Attacking options

Unai Emery appears to be on the hunt for a new striker at Villa Park after Danny Ings was sold to West Ham. The club have already reached an agreement to sign teenager Jhon Duran, however, Villa now have just Ollie Watkins and Duran as centre-forward options.

There has been some speculation surrounding a deal for Dembele, and it looks as if NSWE and sporting director Johan Lange have made their first move over a possible transfer.

The Latest: Dembele enquiry

The Daily Mail shared a story on Thursday regarding Villa and Dembele. They claimed that Emery has tracked the forward for some time and is an admirer, with Villa making an enquiry to Lyon.

The 26-year-old is out of contract at the end of the season, with a possible January transfer fee of around £3m mooted in the report.

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The Verdict: Smart move?

Dembele is valued at €18m by Transfermarkt, so a £3m swoop in the coming days could be a shrewd piece of business. The French forward has plenty of experience in a variety of divisions, scoring 139 club goals for Fulham, Celtic and Lyon – 21 of which came in Ligue 1 last season.

That was his best-ever league return in front of goal during his career, and you could also say that he still has plenty of high-level years left in the tank at the age of 26.

Villa have also struggled for goals this season, with Leeds and Leicester City, in 14th and v, scoring more than the club’s tally of 22, so a swoop for Dembele may well be a smart one by Emery and Villa.

Tottenham Hotspur could now pay the release clause for Pedro Porro, amid growing interest in the Sporting CP right-wing back from across Europe.

The Lowdown: Spurs’ Porro pursuit

There have already been plenty of twists and turns in Tottenham’s pursuit of Porro, with it emerging at the beginning of the month that a transfer was close to completion for a fee of roughly £35m.

Antonio Conte ‘really isn’t happy’ with his current options at right-wing back, but Daniel Levy was then hesitant to pay the Spaniard’s £40m release clause, a stance that Fabrizio Romano claims will make the transfer difficult, as Sporting won’t settle for less.

The Latest: Levy changes his mind…

According to a report from Portuguese publication Record (via Sport Witness), Barcelona and Atletico Madrid have now asked for information about the defender, amid concern about Tottenham advancing in the race to sign him.

The Spanish clubs intend to submit offers at the end of the season, so Daniel Levy is now considering an offer that will meet the requirements of Sporting, who continue to refer to his release clause.

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The Verdict: Make it happen

Spurs cannot afford to risk letting this transfer break down, and it appears as though they are still in the driving seat, given that the other interested parties are set to wait until the summer before making an offer.

Hailed as a ‘baller’ by journalist Jack Collins, the 23-year-old has Champions League experience, playing 12 games in the competition, and he has been a consistent performer for Sporting this season, ranked fourth in the squad with an average match rating of 7.20.

While Tottenham can depend on Ivan Perisic, in an attacking sense, at left-wing back, with the Croatian bagging five assists in the Premier League, they currently lack a similar player on the opposite side, and so Porro would be the perfect signing, offering up ten assists in 22 games this term.

Arsenal progressed through to the fourth round of the FA Cup on Monday night as they beat League One outfit Oxford United 3-0 away from home.

The third tier opponents were no pushovers as they gave Matt Turner a scare at times in the first half and held the Gunners to 0-0 heading into half time.

However, the Premier League quality of Mikel Arteta’s side eventually came through and they scored the opener through Mo Elneny, who powerfully headed home from a corner.

Eddie Nketiah then added to his season’s goal tally by racing onto a through ball and rounding the Oxford goalkeeper before slotting it into an empty net.

The England under-21 international then scored his second and Arsenal’s third to put the tie to bed by brilliantly dinking the ball over the goalkeeper at an awkward angle.

Whilst the centre-forward got himself on the scoresheet twice and ultimately won the match with his strikes, the real FA Cup hero for Arteta on the night was central defender Gabriel.

The hosts played 53 long balls and 10 crosses in the match and this shows that they were direct and willing to put pressure on the Premier League side in the hope of causing an upset.

They were not there to be easily beaten and put up a good fight but Gabriel’s performance at the back played a large role in Arsenal overcoming their efforts to cause a stir in the first half, particularly.

Defensively, the centre-back was almost faultless for the Gunners. As per Sofascore, the Brazilian colossus won ten of his 11 individual duels (91%) at the back as he won 100% of his ground battles and seven of his eight in the air. He also made four clearances, one block, and one tackle and he repelled numerous attacks from the home side.

The enforcer displayed his Premier League quality against the League One attackers on the pitch for Oxford and used his physical strength to dominate them in duels throughout the match, which allowed Arsenal to nullify the direct threat that they offered with their longer passing and crosses into the box.

Gabriel was also reliable in possession, as he completed 93% of his 59 attempted passes, and did not gift the hosts any chances to counter due to sloppy passing out from the back.

Therefore, he was the real for Arteta’s side as his dominance in defence and quality in possession provided the attackers with the dream platform to go and win the game from.

Chelsea are in regular contact with the representatives of Juventus midfielder Adrien Rabiot, according to 90min.

The Lowdown: Potter’s options

Graham Potter has a plethora of midfield talent on the books at Stamford Bridge as he enters his first transfer window as Blues manager.

The club have three defensive midfielders, four central midfielders and three attacking midfielders, as per Transfermarkt. One of those is loanee Denis Zakaria from Juventus, and it looks as if a move for another midfielder from the Italian giants could be on the cards.

The Latest: Rabiot news

90min shared an update regarding Rabiot on Thursday, claiming that Chelsea are in regular contact with the player’s representatives.

The report says that Chelsea and a number of other Premier League clubs have been offered Rabiot’s services, with his contract set to expire in the summer.

The Verdict: One to watch?

It looks as if Chelsea are set to sign exciting forward David Datro Fofana from Molde in what could be Potter’s first signing in charge.

The club may then look at Rabiot’s situation, and should it stay the same, Chelsea would be able to offer pre-contract terms in January.

Rabiot, described as ‘very strong’ by Gianluigi Buffon, has plenty of experience at the highest level for club and country and is preparing for the World Cup Final with France. He’d provide an option as a holding or central midfielder and is still just 27 years of age, so could be a shrewd signing for Blues officials to explore further.

Glasgow Rangers could face a mass exodus by the end of the season unless Ross Wilson and Michael Beale manage to tie down several first-team players on extended contracts.

No fewer than ten players in the Light Blues’ squad could leave Ibrox for free next summer, most notably Ryan Kent, Alfredo Morelos and Ryan Jack.

Beale will be looking to secure a new deal for Morelos sooner rather than later. In October, Rangers managing director Stewart Robertson claimed that contract talks were ongoing for both the Colombian and Kent, with the Premiership giants keen to tie down their biggest assets in bumper new deals.

With just a few weeks left until January, no further progress has been made, and Beale might find himself looking at potential heirs to the South American striker.

The 42-year-old might not need to look far, as he could reunite with QPR frontman Lyndon Dykes, especially with journalist Pete O’Rourke suggesting that a raid of Beales’ former club could be a possibility.

The reporter told This Is Futbol: “It’s one that does have obvious links. You’ve got Lyndon Dykes who has played under Michael Beale and scored goals in the Championship for Queens Park Rangers.

“Rangers possibly could be in the market for a new striker and especially if Alfredo Morelos was to leave the club as well so I’m sure Lyndon Dykes is somebody that would definitely be on the radar for Rangers if they do need to bring in a striker.”

Dykes scored six Championship goals this season under the leadership of Beale at Loftus Road, and he could thrive under his former boss in Scotland.

Although not quite an out-and-out striker like Morelos, Dykes could be the perfect foil for Antonio Colak, who could score even more abundantly if he has someone like the 27-year-old creating chances and flicking balls onto him regularly.

That’s not to say that the Scotland international isn’t fond of a goal or two himself. He has scored 64 times during his club career, while also finding the net eight times for Scotland, proving that he can offer a major threat at the highest level.

Dykes’ former manager Mark Warburton heaped praise on the striker, saying: “He has all the physical attributes and an eye for a goal but we have done loads of work on his touch.”

If Beale wants an ideal heir to Morelos, someone who can bully defenders and create chances for others while also getting a few goals too, then Dykes seems to be the perfect option.