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After winning their third-straight CONCACAF Nations League Sunday evening, USMNT captain Tyler Adams praised boss Gregg Berhalter's role in the team.

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• U.S. defeat Mexico 2-0
• Adams praises boss Berhalter
• Team heading in right direction

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Following their 2-0 victory over Mexico, where Adams himself notched a blistering goal in the first half to give the U.S. the lead at the break, the American captain showered praise on the team's leader on the touchline. The Bournemouth midfielder believes the USMNT is on the right track under their head coach and says he's "developing" the group in a proper manner.

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  WHAT ADAMS SAID

  "What are you really judging him off, you know what I mean? We continue to win in certain situations. Our first World Cup experience was a positive in a lot of people's minds. He's developing us in the right way. He's having conversations with us off the pitch that are continually developing us and, most importantly, he's challenging us," he told Fox reporter Doug McIntyre/

  "He won't talk about that goal that I scored ever to me. He'll talk about why didn't you hit this pass? Why didn't you do this? Why wasn't your body open to play forward in this situation? And as a player, you really, really embrace that.

  "He's doing more for us as a country in developing us as young players than people see, obviously, on the field. It's not easy to come into camp and have two days to train. Some guys played 90 minutes and get in a day before the game and have to play again. So this camp was a success, and I think we need to continue to have more moments like this."

• THE BIGGER PICTURE

  There has been criticism of Berhalter's reign, notably of late – after the U.S. nearly didn't advance to the final, escaping past Jamaica via an own-goal from the Reggae Boyz that sent the match to extra-time, where the USMNT came out on top

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• WHAT NEXT FOR THE USMNT AND ADAMS?

  Adams will return to Bournemouth this week looking to play a role at the weekend with the Cherries when they take on Everton in the Premier League. The USMNT, meanwhile, will report for action this June with a pair of international friendlies against Colombia and Brazil before the 2024 Copa America begins.

Newcastle United have held discussions regarding a deal to sign a physically imposing new defender, with the player’s agent opening up on the interest from St. James’ Park.

Who are Newcastle linked with?

Eddie Howe has Sven Botman, Fabian Schar, Jamaal Lascelles and Paul Dummett as his current options at centre-back in the northeast, but that hasn’t stopped the boss from wanting to bolster his ranks even further during the upcoming window in January.

The Magpies have been linked with moves for Club America’s Sebastian Caceres and Crystal Palace’s Joachim Andersen, the latter reportedly being made number one target, but should they fail to secure his services, an alternative has emerged.

At the Luigi Ferraris Stadium, Genoa’s Radu Dragusin only permanently put pen to paper this summer from Juventus following a successful loan spell the season before, and he’s now made a total of 50 appearances for the Rossoblu (Transfermarkt – Dragusin statistics).

Romania’s international still has another four years remaining on his deal (Genoa contracts), but regardless of his situation, the 21-year-old has caught the eye of the black and white stripes, so that hasn't prevented the hierarchy from exploring what the conditions of a deal would look like to bring him to the Premier League.

Radu Dragusin transfer update

Speaking to TV Play (via Sport Witness), Florin Manea shared a transfer update on Radu Dragusin and admitted that Newcastle are one of the clubs he’s held a meeting with to talk about a deal for his client.

He said: “It’s not an offer from Newcastle, I’ve had meetings with both Newcastle and other teams. Genoa would only sell him for an offer higher than €30m [£26m].

"Will Dragusin leave Italy? Probably. AC Milan and Inter have also asked, but [for] those figures, he can only go to Premier League teams.”

How good is Radu Dragusin?

According to football talent scout Jacek Kulig, Dragusin is a “dominant” and old fashioned centre-back in that he's safety first, averaging 5.8 clearances and two aerial wins per game in the Serie A so far this season (WhoScored – Dragusin statistics), showing what a rock he can be at the heart of a defensive backline.

Standing at 6 foot 3, Bucharest’s native is also capable of making a positive impact at the opposite end of the pitch having posted 12 contributions (ten goals and two assists) in 133 appearances since the start of his career, with his height posing a threat to the opposition when it comes to set pieces.

Furthermore, Dragusin will know what it takes to compete and be successful at a high level having secured three trophies during his previous time at Juventus, so he would be able to match the winning mentality of the current squad who are already at Newcastle.

Mauricio Pochettino came into Conor Gallagher's defence as the Chelsea boss hit out at social media trolls.

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• Pochettino defended Gallagher amid mascot incident
• Fans trolled Gallagher on social media
• The manager furious with the player's critics

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  The incident happened right before Chelsea's Premier League clash against Burnley last week in the Stamford Bridge tunnel. A young mascot was seen holding his hand out to get a high five from Gallagher but the player merely tapped his shoulder before heading out on the pitch. The video went viral on social media afterwards and a section of fans accused the midfielder of being racist.

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Chelsea later came out with an official statement defending their player as they claimed that the entire incident was 'taken out of context'. They also slammed the social media outrage and trolling against the England international.

• WHAT MAURICIO POCHETTINO SAID

  After the club released their statement, manager Mauricio Pochettino has now come out in defence of Gallagher as he told reporters at the pre-match press conference, "That has upset me so much because no one wants to do something like this with this intention. He was so wary of too many videos, photography and pictures about if he was really aware of both mascots. When you play football, when you are there and you are focusing on too many things, you focus on playing, to start the game, and that sometimes can happen.

  "But I think people want to abuse people. People always try to find things to create a mess and to abuse the people that, if you know … I know Conor. I know the people that are involved here in Chelsea. I can talk for the people that I know and come on, never is that intention. Conor is a great, great kid and is always caring about everything."

  He added, "I hate when the people feel free to abuse on social media in things like this. You don't believe that we need to stop these types of things? It's like today if abusing people is so easy and then it is to pay attention to that when it never happened. To give too much attention to the people who want to create this type of thing, this mess, and to insult and abuse other people, please stop. I think we are all responsible for that. How is it possible that the intention of Conor is to ignore a mascot? Come on. And then, come on, it makes me very sad because I know Conor and he does not deserve to be abused.

  "No one deserves to be abused but him, come on, knowing him… I am seeing too many things happening not only in England but in the rest of the world. Our responsibility altogether is to try to ignore these types of things and the people who try to create these types of things never help our lives. Of course, in the game that we are involved in, football, the people that come, do not deserve to pay attention. We need to keep moving and for me, it is about to support Conor, to support all the people that sometimes get abused."

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  WHAT NEXT FOR CHELSEA?

  Having won just two out of their last five Premier League games, the Blues will aim to get back to winning ways on Thursday when they host Manchester United in an important league clash.

West Ham are battling with a number of European powerhouses for the signing of an "impenetrable" defender, according to a new transfer claim.

Moyes under pressure at West Ham

The Hammers enjoyed a memorable end to last season, winning the UEFA Europa Conference League, with the victory over Fiorentina in the final one of the greatest nights in the club's history. It ensured that David Moyes is always remembered fondly at West Ham, having enjoyed a good second stint at the club, but there is also no doubt that he is under pressure at the moment.

While there were high hopes that the Hammers could push on in the Premier League in 2023/24, they have been too inconsistent since August and currently sit ninth in the table. That is still a reasonable position to be in, but last weekend's 1-0 defeat at home to struggling Everton summed up how unpredictable they are.

Moyes is out of contract at the London Stadium next summer, further clouding his future, and he may be looking for new signings in January to change his team's fortunes for the better before then. A new update has emerged regarding the east Londoners' pursuit of one player, as they tussle with some big clubs for his services.

West Ham want Isak Hien

According to Tutto Mercato Web, West Ham are interested in signing Hellas Verona defender Isak Hien, but face stiff competition for his signature. Both AC Milan and Juventus are mentioned as potential suitors for the 24-year-old, while table-topping Bundesliga side Bayer Leverkusen are also believed to be in the mix.

Hien isn't necessarily a household name to the wider footballing public, but he has grown into a strong performer for Hellas Verona, starting four Serie A matches this season. Meanwhile, Tutto Hellas Verona have lauded him in the past: "A practically impenetrable wall. He doesn't budge an inch with his physique and reads the game well."

At just 24, Hien would be coming in as a long-term signing for West Ham, rather than a panic signing for the short-term, and if the Hammers lose either Kurt Zouma or Nayef Aguerd in a future transfer window, he would be seen as an immediate replacement.

Hien's statistics show that he is now an established player for Sweden at international level too, winning eight caps for his country, and he has also made 36 total appearances in Serie A, showing he can cut it in one of Europe's leading leagues.

The fact that Italian giants Milan and Juventus are in the race to sign him does make life harder for West Ham, in terms of the wages they can offer him, but it also speaks to his potential, so he could be a brilliant signing if they manage to entice him to the club.

West Ham United boss David Moyes should drop one of his regular starters at the London Stadium as he does not fit a possession-based style of play, according to pundit Frank McAvennie.

West Ham United's up and down season

In the Premier League, West Ham sit 12th in the table having taken 14 points from their first 11 fixtures; nevertheless, Scottish boss Moyes has had to battle with a recent slump in form at the London Stadium. Questions surrounding Moyes' future have never been far away in East London, with a report from Football Insider last month claiming that a decision on his tenure could be set to unfold later this campaign.

The former Everton manager remains in his post for now and secured a much-needed victory on Thursday against Olympiacos in the Europa League, as a strike in the 73rd minute from Lucas Paqueta helped to alleviate some of the pressure on his shoulders.

Winning just his second match in seven games, Moyes complimented his side for navigating their way through a challenging tie against the Greek outfit, stating: "We were a bit gritty, we could have done some things better, but overall winning the games in Europe is really important. Tonight was a tough opponent, it really was, and it proved that way at Olympiacos and it was again tonight."

Domestic momentum has been something that has evaded the Hammers in recent times, though they could potentially move into the top half of the Premier League standings if they defeat Nottingham Forest at the London Stadium on Sunday Already undertaking his pre-match press conference duties before the Nottingham Forest clash, Moyes has indicated that it is too soon to know whether club captain Kurt Zouma will return from knee issues to play a part against the Tricky Trees.

Frank McAvennie not happy with Tomas Soucek

Speaking to Football Insider, pundit McAvennie has claimed West Ham boss Moyes should drop midfielder Tomas Soucek, or he will have a "problem".

McAvennie also indicated that he would like to see Moyes alter the Hammers' style of play, as he stated: "We’re a really good team with really good players and we don’t need to counter-attack. He doesn’t have to, we have players that can keep the ball for fun.

"Moyes is playing Soucek but I don’t think he’s been hitting the heights that he has been. He’s a good player, but David is going to have a problem. Mohammed Kudus can’t get out of the team now, Lucas Paqueta, Jarrod Bowen, Said Benrahma, James Ward-Prowse – you’ve got all these midfield players. They’re better than just counter-attacking.

“He’s going to have a headache. For me, they should all be playing before Soucek. He’s shown little flashes but for me, he’s not been influential the way he was.”

Of course, the Czech international has been linked with the likes of Serie A giants Inter Milan in recent times; nevertheless, it will be intriguing to see what the near future holds for Soucek.

The Premier League's hopes of securing an additional place in next season's Champions League have taken a hit following Arsenal's defeat to Bayern.

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• Arsenal beaten by Bayern in UCL
• Germany leapfrog England in the UEFA coefficient
• Will miss out on an additional spot

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Next season, two nations will be granted an extra spot in the expanded Champions League tournament. Initially, it seemed plausible that the Premier League might secure one of these additional places. However, the outstanding performance of Italian clubs in European competitions has all but guaranteed Serie A a place in the Champions League, leaving only one slot remaining.

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  The battle for this remaining spot was primarily between the Premier League and the German Bundesliga, determined by coefficients. Before this week's quarter-final fixtures, the Bundesliga held a slight advantage over the Premier League in the coefficient rankings. However, Bayern Munich's triumph over Arsenal further extended Germany's lead, tipping the scales in favour of the Bundesliga side.

• DID YOU KNOW?

  In recent Champions League fixtures, Manchester City suffered elimination at the hands of Real Madrid, while Borussia Dortmund progressed to the semi-finals alongside Bayern Munich after defeating Atletico Madrid. Additionally, Bayer Leverkusen hold a commanding position against West Ham United, further enhancing Germany's prospects.

  Nation	Points
  Italy	18.248
  Germany	17.462
  England	16.875
  Spain	15.312
  France	15.250

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  WHAT NEXT?

  The Premier League's plight is exacerbated by the precarious situations of West Ham and Liverpool in their respective quarter-final ties. With Aston Villa likely to secure a spot in the Europa Conference League last-four, fifth place in the Premier League would then guarantee qualification for the Europa League rather than the Champions League.

  Currently, Tottenham Hotspur occupies fifth position in the Premier League standings, trailing fourth-place Aston Villa by three points with a game in hand. However, their hopes of Champions League qualification are still alive and kicking as they have six games left to try and turn around their fortunes and leapfrog Villa.

The midfielders were thwarted from the spot after Pep Guardiola withdrew his best penalty takers in the Norwegian and Kevin De Bruyne

Manchester City outplayed Real Madrid once more, but this time they lacked the cutting edge and the arrogance as their Champions League reign came to an agonising end on penalties at the quarter-final stage. Bernardo Silva and Mateo Kovacic were the culprits as they were thwarted by Madrid goalkeeper Andriy Lunin in the shootout after a 1-1 draw following 90 minutes and then extra-time.

City had done everything in their power to beat Madrid, but couldn't take their chances and when they most needed Erling Haaland, they couldn't turn to him as he had been hooked by Pep Guardiola after another another disappointing showing in a crunch game. Antonio Rudiger then ended hopes of a double-treble once and for all by sinking the 10th penalty.

In a reversal of the first leg, City fell behind early on to a strike from Rodryro, their bete noir in this competition as he celebrated his fourth strike against Guardiola's side. City responded well, though, with Haaland's header hitting the bar and Bernardo missing from the rebound.

They were even better after the break, boxing Madrid in, and their pressure finally paid off when Kevin De Bruyne fired in after a botched clearance from Rudiger. The Belgian then missed a glorious chance to settle the game before 90 minutes were up.

The extra half hour was also a City monologue, save for a sitter missed by Rudiger, and so it was left to penalties to separate these two giants of the modern European game. Julian Alvarez, Phil Foden and Ederson, remarkably, did their part from the spot, but Bernardo and Kovacic failed when it mattered most.

GOAL rates Man City's players from the Etihad Stadium…

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  Goalkeeper & Defence

  Ederson (7/10):

  Blameless for the goal, then mostly a passenger but stayed aware. Saved Modric's spot-kick and then nailed his own.

  Kyle Walker (5/10):

  A rusty return after a month out. Lost Rodrygo, and his footing, for the opening goal after playing Madrid's forwards onside. Redeemed himself by shutting down a Vinicius attack in extra-time.

  Ruben Dias (6/10):

  Dazzled by Vinicius for the opener then steadied himself and blocked Madrid's exit routes in the second half.

  Manuel Akanji (7/10):

  Took the hybrid-role baton from Stones and ran with it, playing a big part in City's turnaround.

  Josko Gvardiol (7/10):

  Given a rough time by Valverde at the start but came out fighting, making valuable blocks and interceptions until the 120th minute.

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  Midfield

  Rodri (5/10):

  Not at his best but played the game with his head, up to pulling back Brahim to stop him running clean through.

  Kevin De Bruyne (6/10):

  Looked like a man on a mission, relentlessly chasing the ball and trying to make something happen. After many bungled attempts he found the equaliser, and then should have wrapped the game up in normal time.

  Bernardo Silva (5/10):

  Helped drag Madrid from side to side and his tireless running contained Vinicius after the break. But his penalty was awful, straight down the middle and easily trapped by Lunin.

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  Attack

  Phil Foden (6/10):

  No firecracker goals this time and quiet by his usual standards, but played his part in the second half dominance. Bungled a big chance in extra-time, then banged in his penalty.

  Erling Haaland (5/10):

  An improvement on his dire display in Madrid, hitting the bar with a header, but it was yet another big game he failed to score in.

  Jack Grealish (6/10):

  Had a fascinating duel with Carvajal and was responsible for some of City's best attacks. A surprise substitution for Doku, but Pep knows best.

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  Subs & Manager

  Jeremy Doku (7/10):

  His pace and trickery gave Madrid an extra weapon to deal with and he sparked the equaliser, albeit with helping hand from Rudiger. Continued to cause havoc in extra-time.

  Julian Alvarez (5/10):

  Replaced Haaland for extra-time to offer fresh legs and more movement, but couldn't have much of an impact. Took his penalty perfectly.

  John Stones (N/A):

  Introduced in the 112th minute.

  Mateo Kovacic (N/A):

  Replaced De Bruyne in the 112th minute and lost his nerve in the shootout.

  Pep Guardiola (6/10):

  Got a proper reaction after half-time and bringing on Doku gave his side an edge. But taking off Haaland when a shootout was likely will go down as an error of judgement.

Chelsea are starting to see their staggering investments in the transfer window pay dividends on the pitch.

In the 4-1 victory over rivals Tottenham Hotspur, Nicolas Jackson plundered in a second-half hat-trick to lead his side to victory against nine men, preceding a penalty from Cole Palmer – two players who were brought to the club in the summer from Villarreal and Manchester City, respectively.

On Sunday, that duo played a pivotal role once more, getting their name on the scoresheet in an enthralling encounter with City that ended 4-4, with Palmer smashing a penalty past Ederson in the 95th minute, equalising proceedings against his former employers.

Throughout that captivating fixture, it wasn't just the new boys who starred. Chelsea's current longest-serving player, Reece James, put in a monstrous performance down the right flank for the Blues.

Reece James' statistics against Manchester City

A fully fit and firing James is arguably the best right back on the planet, as hailed on several occasions by many, including Ian Wright.

“He’s easily one of the best right-backs in the world at the minute,” Wright said on Match of the Day after James scored twice against Newcastle United in November 2021.

Since that outstanding 2021/22 campaign, in which he recorded five goals and nine assists in the Premier League – the joint most goal contributions from a full-back in the division – the Englishman has seen injuries hamper his progression further.

A series of knee and hamstring issues saw him only make 16 appearances in the top flight last term but since returning from his latest injury, which saw him miss nine games at the start of this campaign, the 23-year-old has been nothing short of phenomenal.

He's captained the side in the Carabao Cup win over Blackburn Rovers, victory against Spurs and draw with Man City, but it was the latter of those performances that impressed the most.

Not only did he assist Raheem Sterling for his goal, but he also made the most tackles in the match (5) and pocketed the dangerous Jeremy Doku, won six of his nine ground duels and accurately placed three of his four long balls, as per Sofascore.

Lauded as "sensational" for his performance against the champions by journalist Felix Johnston as Doku struggled to get past a seemingly immovable object, James provided a searing indication of his qualities.

Yet, it seems remarkable that a fellow right back, currently plying his trade in Chelsea's youth setup, has also sparkled of late and could well be a future heir to the Englishman's crown.

Josh Acheampong's statistics this season

Aspiring to break into the first team as James did, Aceampong is a 17-year-old right back who joined the development centre programme as an U8 and has the capabilities to play in multiple positions across the back line.

While he's operated as a centre-back on numerous occasions – as James can also do – the teenager boasts the explosive pace and power that has seen him flourish as an attacking wing-back.

At the age of 16, he stepped up to Chelsea's under-18's last term, making ten appearances in Premier League 2 – scoring three goals from right back – including a thunderous match-winner against rivals Tottenham in November 2022.

It's this outstanding form, especially in attack, that has seen him feature a further five times for the under-18s, grabbing one assist, while his rapid rate of development rewarded him with a call-up to the England U17 World Cup, where he played a starring role in the tournament opener.

The Young Lions demolished New Caledonia 10-0 and the Chelsea starlet, who was dubbed by journalist Antonio Mango as "sensational" for his performance, scored and assisted in a near-faultless display.

With a fixture against Brazil to close out the group phase, it will be interesting to see how the youngster performs against opposition with much more quality, but on current evidence, the future is certainly bright for Chelsea's latest homegrown full-back phenomenon.

Enzo Maresca's side have played some lovely football this season, but their on-field performances ceased to be the story some time ago

Leicester City are back in the Premier League. Leeds United's 4-0 loss to QPR on Friday confirmed as much, as the Foxes sealed their return to the top-flight at the first time of asking. Under normal circumstances, this would be cause for hopeful celebration.

The Foxes' relegation last term might have been shocking, and their current squad may be the best – and most expensive – in the Championship by a distance, but there are plenty of recent examples of ex-Premier League sides finding themselves marooned in the second tier for far longer than they would like.

Leicester have just about prevented their names being added to this list, though, recovering from a recent wobble to re-establish themselves in the top two, and they remain favourites for the title. So why isn't the mood more euphoric?

Well, not for the first time in their history, the Foxes find themselves in financial bother. Below, GOAL takes a closer look at exactly why Leicester find themselves in such a predicament:

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  King Enzo!

  Leicester's current problems couldn't have seemed further away in the first half of the season. Under the guidance of Pep Guardiola's former assistant Enzo Maresca, the good times returned to the King Power Stadium before Christmas.

  The Foxes won 13 of their first 14 Championship games and had already racked up a remarkable 58 points by the halfway point of the season. An immediate return to the top-flight seemed certain and the team was likable once again.

  The goalkeeping issues that plagued Leicester the previous year disappeared, with Mads Hermansen starring between the sticks. Jannik Vestergaard and Hamza Choudhury, both pariahs in the 2022-23 campaign, were back to their best too, while their strength in depth up front was scary – with new arrivals Stephy Mavididi and Abdul Fatawu looking electric.

  In Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, Leicester also possessed arguably the division's best footballer, and Ricardo Pereira was dominating in an inverted full-back position. Everything seemed to be falling into place perfectly.

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  Gigantic wobble

  But things eventually began to unravel. The genesis of their downfall was a demoralising defeat to second-placed Leeds in February. Heading into the game, the Whites were nine points adrift of the runaway leaders, but that gap was cut by a third following an eventful evening at Elland Road.

  Leicester created more than enough to win the game, and had a perfectly-good goal to make it 2-0 wrongly ruled out for offside, but a remarkable Leeds rally condemned them to a 3-1 defeat. Before that contest, Marseca had said: "[It's] a huge game for Leeds. For us? It's just another game," a comment some pilloried as arrogance.

  And Maresca's words would continually be used as a stick to beat Leicester with as their title charge collapsed in quite spectacular fashion in the weeks that followed. The Leeds result kickstarted a run of just three wins in 10 Championship games, with a 1-0 defeat to Bristol City eventually resulting in them relinquishing top spot.

  Leicester fans have seen collapses like this before, with their side foregoing significant leads in the race for Champions League qualification during the 2019-20 and 2020-21 campaigns, but at least they were underdogs in those tales. This time around, they were the Championship's big dogs, possessing a wage budget big enough to make rival owners' jaws drop.

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  Premier League charges

  This on-field collapse was made more painful by the concerning financial saga playing out in the background. After several months of rumblings, it was eventually announced that Leicester had been referred to an independent commission by the Premier League for an alleged breach of the competition's profit and sustainability rules.

  "The alleged breach relates to the assessment period ending Season 2022-23, when the club was a member of the Premier League," a statement read. "Leicester City were relegated to the EFL Championship prior to the introduction of the Premier League’s new Standard Directions, which prescribe a timeline within which PSR cases should be heard. Therefore, the proceedings will be conducted in accordance with a timetable to be set by the independent commission, and its final decision will be published on the Premier League’s website."

  The outlook for Leicester was only made gloomier when they released their accounts for 2022-23 at the beginning of April. These reported that the club had made a £89.7 million ($113m) loss for the period. Chillingly, it was the the fifth-consecutive year Leicester had ended up in the red.

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  Only themselves to blame

  Leicester's account were accompanied by an ominous message from chief executive Susan Whelan, who blamed several factors, including the sacking of Brendan Rodgers and the club's lack of UEFA competition money, for the concerning figures.

  “Having achieved finishing positions in the Premier League of fifth, fifth and eighth in the three preceding seasons, our targets and associated budgets for 2022-23 were entirely reasonable,” she said. “However, for a club such as ours, whose sustained sporting achievements have justified the levels of investment required to compete with the most established clubs and pursue our ambition, a season of such significant under-performance on the pitch presents financial challenges, particularly from the perspective of the game’s current profit and sustainability rules.”

  Perhaps the most concerning aspect of the accounts, however, was the jaw-dropping sums Leicester were spending on wages. As calculated by , the Foxes wage-to-turnover ratio was a brain-melting 116 percent. In other words, for every £1 that came in, £1.16 was going out paying a squad that floundered to an 18th-placed finish.

  For that, Leicester have no one else to blame but themselves. Despite their attempts to pin their shortfall on relegation, even a cursory look at the actual expenditure breakdown reveals how feeble an excuse this is.

  Over an extended period, it's clear the club overreached massively, handing out bumper contracts and shelling out exorbitant transfer fees, with their various European runs and exceptional record selling players for profit papering over the cracks.

Arsenal reportedly have a real chance to sign one club's £50 million star in the January transfer window.

Edu chases winter signing for Arteta

While the north London club haven't got a deep history of opening their wallet mid-season, widespread reports in the last few weeks have suggested that Arsenal intend to do just that this time round. Led by sporting director Edu Gaspar, they apparently want to bolster manager Mikel Arteta's squad in two key areas – central midfield and striker.

Thomas Partey's injury problems, coupled with rumours he could leave Arsenal in January, seem to have motivated Arsenal to target new midfield options this January.

Aston Villa star Douglas Luiz is a top target for Arteta, according to Fabrizio Romano, while it is believed Arsenal are serious contenders to sign Andre from Fluminese. Both Mohamed Elneny and Jorginho are also out of contract at the end of this Premier League season, meaning Edu and co may have to seriously pursue another option soon.

Meanwhile, there are also suggestions that Arsenal are keen on signing a new striker in 2024, with both Gabriel Jesus and Eddie Nketiah coming as their only natural choices up front right now. Brentford star Ivan Toney is a player widely linked with an Arsenal move, while there have been recent murmurs that Juventus striker Dusan Vlahovic is emerging as another potential signing.

Arsenal "could get" Vlahovic in January

The Serbia international, after a pretty underwhelming debut campaign in Turin last season, is now rediscovering his best form under Massimiliano Allegri. Vlahovic has scored four goals in 10 Serie A appearances so far this season, which has apparently done enough to attract Arsenal's attention. (Dusan Vlahovic stats – Transfermarkt)

According to Steve Kay, speaking on the KS1TV this week, Arteta "could get" Vlahovic in January as the Italian heavyweights quite simply need to sell a big name due to their financial problems.

“Unlike Victor Osimhen, Vlahovic is possibly someone they could get in January," said the Football Transfers reporter.

"Juventus have to sell someone big in January. I’ve had conversations with people close to Juventus and fans of Juventus who have said they need to sell, Vlahovic is someone they could get good money for. It’s one to keep an eye on."

It is believed that Vlahovic could cost somewhere in the region of £50 million to prise away from Juventus, according to other media sources. The former Fiorentina star's best season came during 2021/2022, where he bagged a pretty impressive 17 goals in just 21 starts for his ex-club.

Juve legend Alessio Tacchinardi, speaking to Tuttosport (via juvefc.com), called Vlahovic "extraordinary".

“He is an extraordinary player," said Tacchinardi.

"He is a player who has one goal per game and therefore for Juve, having lost Ronaldo, he goes to tremendously increase the score of this team, which suffered a lot in front of him. This is a goal that is invented by itself.

“He’s very good at waiting for the defender, then puts his shoulder, moves him. He’s a bit lucky in the rebound, but many compliments to this player.”