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Aston Villa have been sorely lacking creativity this season, however, with the appointment of Unai Emery, there seemed to have been a resurgence of sorts before the World Cup halted domestic play.

Just two wins on the spin for the Midlands outfit helped propel them from nearby the relegation spots to 12th, such is the tightness of the bottom half of the table.

There will be hope that once this break is over that they can recapture this form to continue their resurgence, with some January additions sure to help that process.

One man who has earned recent links is Turkish international Hakan Calhanoglu, who has starred for Inter Milan of late, which would have undoubtedly caught Emery’s eye.

With reports touting both the Villans and Arsenal for his signature, it could prove a pivotal transfer race that will culminate in an expected fee of €30m (£25.7m).

With Philippe Coutinho having disappointed for some time now, the 28-year-old could act as a revitalised version who might form a remarkable partnership with Emiliano Buendia on the flanks.

Having initially starred as an inverted winger on the left, this season for the Italian giants he has been deployed in a more conservative central midfield role, confirming him as an “intelligent player” who is “a leader on the pitch”.

However, he has not allowed his creativity to be stifled, as he still boasts eight goal contributions across both the Serie A and Champions League, looking to build upon his eight-goal and 13-assist haul last season.

Should he make the move to Villa Park, he would offer immense versatility and a silkiness that will have fans quickly forgetting about Coutinho.

To boast these numbers from midfield, pushing him up the pitch and pairing him with Buendia could form a frightening wide presence given their respective abilities.

Calhanoglu has become one of the most productive players in Europe of late, and as such sits at the top of most metrics for his position.

The £153k-per-week dynamo ranks in the top 1% for assists and shot-creating actions, and the top 6% for total shots. Meanwhile, his Argentinian counterpart ranks in the top 6% for progressive passes per 90.

With Danny Ings having also hit goalscoring form since the departure of Steven Gerrard, having scored four in his last four, this potential addition would surely send his exploits in front of goal to another level.

Never before in his career would he have boasted such incredible service, and he could finally ignite his career at Villa Park as the spearhead of this front three.

Despite the fee touted, this could even prove to be a coup, should Calhanoglu translate his form into the Premier League.

Wolverhampton Wanderers are interested in a move to sign Osasuna defender David Garcia and are ready to pay his release clause in January, according to reports.

The Lowdown: Release clause available

The Spaniard still has four years remaining on his contract in La Liga, but after an impressive start to the 2022/23 season, has been attracting interest from several potential suitors.

The centre-back does have a €20m (£17m) release option included in his deal at the El Sadar Stadium, and following a new update, it sounds like Fosun are ready to splash the cash to bring their target to the Premier League.

The Latest: Wolves eyeing Garcia

According to Spanish outlet AS (via Sport Witness), Wolves ‘would like’ to sign Garcia in the New Year and are ‘willing to pay’ his release clause.

Julen Lopetegui has made it ‘no secret’ that he has ‘always liked’ his compatriot, and Osasuna are ‘aware’ of the interest to take him to Molineux.

No official offers have yet been put on the table, though a transfer could ‘take shape’ should the owners decide to put the stated £17m on the table.

The Verdict: Get it done…

Garcia has been praised for his ‘commanding’ presence by journalist Josh Bunting, and looking at his numbers, this is a deal that the Old Gold need to get over the line as quickly as possible.

The 6 foot star currently averages 4.7 clearances and 2.6 successful aerial duels per league game, highlighting the rock he can be at the heart of a backline (WhoScored).

Wolves are bottom of the table after a poor start to the campaign and could certainly use some defensive reinforcements, so Garcia could be the perfect candidate to come in and sure up the goal leakage.

Leeds United were forced into a huge midfield overhaul in the summer, with the unfortunate departure of Kalvin Phillips leaving Jesse Marsch with a huge influx of money but a gaping hole in his engine room.

The Elland Road academy graduate had earned praise for his combative yet classy performances in the heart of midfield, breaking up play and boasting the technical ability to spray passes to set his team on the attack.

Clearly viewing Phillips’ role as too important for a like-for-like replacement, Marsch instead opted to share the midfield workload between both Marc Roca and Tyler Adams, who are both among the Whites’ top five players this season according to Sofascore ratings.

Leeds could now be set to add another player into the fold who might boast the creative capabilities to complete their midfield and offer the perfect balance.

However, Victor Orta will need to wait to begin his pursuit, as Abdelhamid Sabiri still has a World Cup semi-final to play with Morocco.

The north African nation have been the surprise package of the competition, making history as the first team from their continent to reach this stage, whilst not conceding a single goal from an opposition player.

The Whites are one of many clubs reportedly interested in the 26-year-old Sampdoria ace, who will be available next month for a fee of €10m (£8.6m).

Dubbed a “great talent” by his former youth coach Daniel Meisinger, it is clear that despite his role being limited to cameo appearances, the Moroccan has still more than made his mark on this historic World Cup run.

It was his “clever” assist from a free kick – as dubbed by Statman Dave – which helped them to take the lead against Belgium, and despite averaging just 33 minutes per game, he still has recorded 0.8 shots and 0.8 key passes per match and a 6.8 average rating for his overall performances, via Sofascore.

He also scored in their penalty shootout win over Spain, highlighting his confidence to put himself in the firing line on the biggest stage.

To add this alongside Adams (who ranks in the top 7% for tackles and blocks among positional peers in Europe’s top five leagues) and Roca (who ranks in the top 8% for progressive passes) could be the final piece to complete the Leeds midfield.

Although Sabiri has been somewhat underwhelming domestically, with just three goal contributions for Sampdoria this season, he does maintain an impressive average of one key pass per game.

It would mark a shrewd signing with little risk, and it could boast the reward of extra midfield security and a fine foundation from which to build.

West Ham defender Vladimir Coufal is ‘frustrated’ behind-the-scenes with club owners GSBK now making a decision on his future, say Sky Sports.

The Lowdown: Coufal shunned?

The Czech Republic international, who seriously impressed under manager David Moyes during his debut 2020/2021 Premier League campaign, has been a bit-part figure this season.

As West Ham seemingly battle to avoid relegation at this moment in time, the east Londoners have started Coufal in just under half of their top fight matches.

The 30-year-old’s decline under Moyes is stark given Coufal’s past form earned him a new and improved Hammers contract, all whilst becoming a real club favourite.

The Latest: Sky Sports share Coufal exit news…

As per Sky Sports, there has been some news on the right-back’s future at West Ham.

Writing via their transfer blog (15:22, December 14), Coufal is committed to the club but grows ‘increasingly frustrated at his limited playing time’.

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It’s added that Bayer Leverkusen and two unnamed English clubs are keen on signing the defender with GSBK making a transfer decision.

West Ham will apparently look at concrete offers for Coufal but are reluctant to let him leave just yet with their mounting injury problems.

The Verdict: Don’t sell…

The Irons are right to be reluctant over selling the player in January given a real defensive shortage right now, with Kurt Zouma and Nayef Aguerd’s problems harming the depth in the middle while Aaron Cresswell has also been dealing with a hamstring issue.

Called a ‘top full-back’ and someone who still has a lot to offer by former England international Paul Robinson, we believe West Ham are best served waiting until the summer to make any calls.

Manchester United are ‘talking’ to David De Gea regarding a new long-term contract, according to Sky Sports reporter Lyall Thomas.

The Lowdown: Four deals extended

The Premier League giants have recently triggered one-year extensions on the deals for Luke Shaw, Marcus Rashford, Diogo Dalot and Fred, though doubts were raised when the 32-year-old’s name wasn’t included in the list.

The Red Devils goalkeeper will be out of contract at the end of the season, creating speculation surrounding his future, though a positive update on the club’s stance has now emerged.

The Latest: Negotiations ongoing

Taking to Twitter, Thomas revealed that MUFC are currently in discussions with De Gea over extending his stay at Old Trafford.

“Man Utd: Talking to David de Gea about a new longer-term contract, meaning they haven’t triggered the year extension in the current one (yet). They have triggered extensions until 2024 in the contracts of Rashford, Dalot, Shaw and Fred, however.”

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The Verdict: Correct decision

De Gea has been hailed a ‘world class’ shot-stopper by journalist Josh Bunting, and United wanting to retain his services for the foreseeable is completely the right decision given his impressive record between the sticks.

The Spaniard has kept a total of 174 clean sheets during his time in the top flight, and even despite a perceived dip in recent years, nine of those shutouts have come in just 20 games across all competitions this season.

Erik Ten Hag will know that the 6 foot 2 colossus is a key cog at the back which is why the club need to do everything they can to get him to put pen to paper on fresh terms as soon as possible.

An update has emerged on Tottenham Hotspur and their interest in signing Jordan Pickford ahead of the January transfer window…

What’s the talk?

According to The Daily Mail, Spurs are one of a number of Premier League clubs eyeing up a possible swoop to sign the England international.

The report claims that Manchester United and Chelsea are also in the market for a new shot-stopper and have identified the former Sunderland man as a target.

It is stated that the Everton board are hesitating over a new contract for the goalkeeper and that has led Tottenham, and their rivals, to think that they have a chance to sign him in the upcoming window.

His current deal is up at the end of next season and the report claims that Pickford had agreed to fresh terms and was expected to put pen to paper prior to the break for the 2022 World Cup break, only for the Toffees board to put the brakes on any potential extension.

Disaster signing

Antonio Conte must avoid a move to sign Pickford in January as it would be a disastrous signing for Tottenham.

He would not be an upgrade on number one Hugo Lloris or a suitable long-term successor as he has not proven himself to be a reliable, top-level, goalkeeper during his time at Goodison Park.

The 28-year-old, who joined his current club for a fee of up to £30m, is an erratic shot-stopper who has not done enough with the Toffees to suggest that he would be a useful signing for Spurs.

Speaking on Sky Sports in March of this year, former Premier League defender Stephen Warnock criticised the England international’s style of play. He said:

“There’s a way of telling people you’ve got to be tighter, you’ve got to be more organised. He is aggressive every time that he comes out, he’s shouting at things.

“He’s just so animated, that for me, every time I see him I think there’s a mistake coming or he’s out of control in what he’s doing constantly.”

Since the start of the 2017/18 campaign, Pickford has conceded 3.2 more goals than the average goalkeeper would be expected to concede from the post-shot xG of the efforts against him in the Premier League.

Essentially, he has let in a number of poor-quality shots that a goalkeeper in the English top flight is expected to be saving, which means that Everton have conceded more than their defending has warranted.

In the same period, Lloris has saved a whopping 17.6 goals that he was not expected to prevent and this shows that he has consistently bailed out the Spurs defence, whereas the Toffees man has let his side down as a whole over the last five years.

Therefore, Pickford, who was once dubbed a “liability” by pundit Jamie Smith, would be a disaster of a signing as his statistics indicate that he is a below-average shot-stopper and the questions over his stability between the sticks do not indicate that he would be a reliable goalkeeper for Conte.

Liverpool have reportedly ‘watched’ Atalanta defensive midfielder Teun Koopmeiners ‘in recent months’ ahead of a potential move in this window.

The Lowdown: More signings?

The Reds have already brought in Netherlands international Cody Gakpo from PSV in January, and could look to make more signings in order to push to finish in the UEFA Champions League places for next season.

They have been strongly linked with a move for Borussia Dortmund and England superstar Jude Bellingham, but it remains to be seen whether they will look to pursue that deal in January as well, or wait until the summer.

The Latest: Koopmeiners move

As per iNews, Jurgen Klopp’s side have ‘watched’ Koopmeiners ‘in recent months’ ahead of a possible move this month.

After the deal for Gakpo, there is an increasing Dutch influence on the Merseyside club, helped along by Klopp’s prominent assistant coach Pep Lijnders.

The report suggests that two new midfielders need to be signed at Anfield, and Bellingham and Koopmeiners have been named as potential targets.

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The Verdict: Get it done

With the arrival of Gakpo alongside fellow Dutch talisman Virgil van Dijk, Koopmeiners would be another class addition from the Netherlands.

He played in all five games for his country at the FIFA World Cup in Qatar, registering one assist (Transfermarkt), and at club level, he recently became the first player in the Serie A to create eight or more chances in one game this season when Atalanta drew against Spezia, with Koopmeiners also registering an assist.

Hailed as an ‘extraordinary footballer’ by Atalanta legend Domenico Progna, he ranks in the 88th percentile for xAG and shot-creating actions per match of all his positional peers in Europe’s top five leagues over the past year (FBRef), and would surely be a welcome addition to Liverpool.

Football Insider pundit Tam McManus believes that Celtic full-back Josip Juranovic may have impacted his chances of securing a ‘big transfer’ away from Parkhead.

The Lowdown: Glasgow derby display

The 27-year-old, who has been linked with a move away from the Premiership champions this month, returned to action on Monday for the first time following the World Cup.

The defender was brought on early in the Glasgow derby due to an injury to left-back Greg Taylor but struggled in the 2-2 draw against Michael Beale’s side.

Juranovic was Celtic’s joint-second worst outfield performer as per SofaScore, ending with a match rating of 6.4/10. He lost possession 12 times while also failing to complete a cross or win an aerial duel, and his display has come in for criticism.

The Latest: McManus’ comments

Talking to Football Insider regarding Juranovic, McManus didn’t hold back, describing the Celtic man’s display at Ibrox as ‘shocking’ and ‘terrible’, believing that his performance may have a negative effect on ‘securing a big transfer’ away.

The former Hibernian striker said of Juranovic: “I thought he was shocking. He was terrible. With Taylor going off early he came on and honestly he looked like he was still in Qatar.

“He was out of position so many times, it led to the goal. The distribution was poor as well. Sakala gave him a nightmare.

“It was such a poor performance. There were links with Chelsea the other week and based on that performance he is absolutely miles away.

“I was surprised he came on, actually. I was expecting Bernabei to come on because he is the natural left-back. But Juranovic came on and I honestly thought he was going to get taken off. He was that bad. In those games, those are the ones you are judged in as Celtic and Rangers players.

“The big clubs come and watch and I don’t think he did himself any favours of securing a big transfer based on that performance.”

The Verdict: Cash in?

January arrival Alistair Johnston appears to have been brought in as a replacement for Juranovic after unsuccessful negotiations over a new contract for the Croatia international.

Therefore, with his long-term future seemingly lying away from Parkhead, it makes sense to cash in over the coming weeks, looking to maximise his value after a promising World Cup in Qatar.

His poor display in the derby may have deterred potential suitors off, although Celtic have been confident of receiving more than £5m for the defender, which would represent a solid profit after paying half of that figure to sign him in 2021.

Chelsea are displaying notable signs of ambition under the new ownership of Todd Boehly, and could make an audacious move for Neymar Jr. this year…

What’s the word?

Neymar has been one of the most salient name’s in world football since his arrival onto the scene with Brazilian club Santos almost one decade ago, and now, playing for Paris Saint-Germain, could finally grace the Premier League with his enigmatic presence. 

According to reports stemming from Spain, the west Londoners are intrigued by the possibility of signing the fleet-footed artiste, and could look to instigate a transfer this year. 

Having starred for FC Barcelona and PSG, raining a thunderous collection of goals and assists and an abundance of major honours, Neymar would be a stellar addition to kickstart the new era at Stamford Bridge. 

“Phenomenon”

Since his £49m transfer to Barcelona from his South American homeland in 2013, the 30-year-old whiz has prospered as a truly generational talent, one of the greatest attackers of the modern age.

And as per FBref, he ranks within the top 2% of attacking midfielders and wingers for rate of non-penalty goals and progressive passes, the top 1% for shot-creating actions and the top 3% for rate of assists across major leagues over the past year.

Once hailed as a “phenomenon” by compatriot and ex-Blues defender David Luiz, there are very few professional footballers that yield as much natural talent and physical brilliance as Neymar, who could take the reins at Chelsea, lead them away from obscurity, and pave the way for a successful future of immense proportion.

Indeed, with the club losing six of their first 17 Premier League matches this term and consequently languishing in tenth place, a flair of creativity, an introduction of resounding ingenuity could prove to be the key to unlocking defences and returning the Blues to their full-firing excellence that lies dormant beneath Stamford Bridge.

Neymar’s introduction would be a stellar and auspicious improvement on winger Christian Pulisic, who has struggled to live up to the £57.6m price tag since arriving from German outfit Borussia Dortmund in 2019, scoring only 26 goals and serving 21 assists across 136 competitive outings.

And over the current campaign, the American flanker has netted just once across 21 outings, providing two assists; his floundering form has resulted Chelsea in looking to initiate a transfer away from Stamford Bridge, with The Athletic reporting that £35m would be considered sufficient to part with the player.

Neymar, in retrospect, has recorded 15 goals and 13 assists this season, and is indeed one of the most prolific wingers of the last decade, tallying a total of 220 goals and 149 assists from 351 showings at club level since his arrival in Catalonia.

And his international record is also not to be sniffed at: scoring a remarkable 77 goals across 124 appearances for Brazil, tied as the record alongside the legendary late Pele, the “artist” – as dubbed by PSG boss Christophe Galtier – would likely pump vibrant life into the Chelsea engine.

Potter must swoop for the phenom, a deal may prove strenuous to see over the finish line, with PSG likely to repel any advances for one of their most coveted assets, a sensation they signed for a world-record fee of £200m in 2017, but with Boehly already demonstrating convincing signs of targeting big, bold transfer manoeuvres, Neymar could be the marquee move to take the Blues right to the very forefront of the global rankings.

Tottenham Hotspur have been handed a potential boost in their reported pursuit of the Sporting CP right wing-back Pedro Porro with the Spaniard believed to be keen on a move to N17.

What’s the latest?

Strong reports suggest Fabio Paratici has entered the January transfer window with Porro at the very top of his to-do list for this month.

However, the concerns lie surrounding the player’s price tag with suggestions Sporting will not allow the 23-year-old to depart this month for anything less than his €45m (£39.5m) release clause.

But there has been some positive news suggested by Fabrizio Romano who has been sharing the latest transfer news on the House of Champions YouTube channel.

Although the two clubs appear to be at other ends of the spectrum when it comes to the player’s valuation, it appears the 23-year-old would be keen on a potential move to north London:

“So at the moment, Sporting insist on that money, but Tottenham are trying, Tottenham are pushing. The player is keen on the move. This is good news for Tottenham because [this] can help in the negotiation. And so Pedro Porro is the priority.”

Positivity over Porro?

This will be a potential boost for the Lilywhites who may be hoping the player’s desire to play at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium could possibly help get a deal over the line this month.

However, the issue does seem to lie with Sporting’s stubbornness to get the full valuation for their player with the wing-back only singing for the Portuguese outfit permanently back in the summer.

Porro has played a huge part in Sporting’s season so far with 22 appearances across all competitions to his name in which he has returned 10 assists and two goals (via Transfermarkt).

And given Sporting are well in the mix for a potential spot in the Champions League places, it is no surprise to hear Ruben Amorim’s side is wanting to keep the wing-back in Lisbon.

Whether Spurs value the player at £39.5m is a different matter, the issue could lie in the way the transfer could have to be paid with the release clause potentially meaning Spurs would have to pay all in one go.

Whereas, with the likes of Spurs’ traditional signings, like Dejan Kulusevski, the payments are often spread out over a number of years – five years in Kulusevski’s case.

And if this is the case, it could seriously hamper Spurs’ ability to bring in their other target – a forward – this month if they were to pull the trigger on the proposed Porro deal.