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Leeds United return to action today but divert their attention away from the Premier League with a trip to Cardiff City in the FA Cup.

It is a wholly winnable clash, and despite the Whites’ precarious league position, Jesse Marsch will view the cup as a fine opportunity to gain some much-needed momentum after their poor run of form.

They have won just twice in their last 15 games in all competitions and as such sit just two points above the relegation zone.

It is a feeling that will likely be all too familiar for fans at Elland Road, given their narrow escape from the drop last season too.

The only saving grace is that the Bluebirds are in a similarly torrid run, as they are winless in their last seven games in the Championship.

Of that aforementioned 2021/22 campaign, one of the true villains to emerge for Leeds was Luke Ayling, who offered little defensively. This culminated in his reckless challenge against Arsenal for which he received a red card, an indiscretion that journalist Phil McNulty branded “reckless” and “awful”.

Although Ayling might have impressed in their hard-fought stalemate against Newcastle United a week ago with a 6.5 Sofascore rating, it is quite fair to say that Rasmus Kristensen has improved the Whites since his signing in the summer.

This is exemplified in his 6.91 average Sofascore rating, which is vastly superior to the 6.57 of Ayling this season and the 6.61 from the season prior.

The Denmark international has offered a fine foundation on the right flank despite Leeds’ overall defensive deficiencies, as outlined in his match averages of 1.5 interceptions, 2.8 tackles and 2.4 clearances (via Sofascore).

This is again a vast improvement on the 0.6 interceptions, 0.7 tackles and 0.8 clearances per game of Ayling (via Sofascore), who has a proven history of letting his team down, as evidenced by that red card against Arsenal last year.

The 31-year-old may have been a more than capable servant to the club across 231 appearances, but if Marsch truly values a run in the cup, thern he will want to return Kristensen to the starting line-up today in place of the £20k-per-week stalwart.

Reliable journalist Jordan Campbell believes Glasgow Rangers could still potentially sign midfielder Todd Cantwell during the January transfer window.

The Lowdown: Cantwell linked with Rangers move

Michael Beale will want to bring in his own signings in this window, the first of his tenure as Gers manager.

One player who has been heavily linked with a move to Ibrox is Cantwell, who has been limited to just nine starts for Norwich in the Championship this season.

A fresh update suggests that the 24-year-old could arrive at Rangers this month.

The Latest: January switch could happen

Taking to Twitter, Campbell claimed that Beale could look to sign a player who is out of contract this summer in January, mentioning Cantwell’s name in the process:

“Beale says that if an out-of-contract player is available to bring in early it is something he would look to do to help them adapt. Cantwell fits that bill.”

The Verdict: Great option for Beale

Cantwell would have the potential to be a superb signing for Rangers, bringing a combination of endless running and technical quality in midfield areas. He won two tackles and made three interceptions in his one EFL Cup outing this season, against Bournemouth, and has an 82.6% pass completion rate in the league.

The Englishman has 45 appearances to his name in the Premier League, as well as scoring six goals, and that experience at the highest level shows that he can be a hit at Ibrox.

Granted, his stock appears to have fallen a little at Norwich with his recent lack of game time, but a new challenge at Rangers, under a manager who he could thrive under, makes this an exciting potential signing, having been lauded for his ‘God-given’ talent by former coach Gary Cockaday.

Crystal Palace return to Premier League action on Sunday afternoon as they take on a struggling Chelsea side at Stamford Bridge.

Patrick Vieira’s side have endured a difficult spell of form since the World Cup, suffering home defeats against Fulham, Tottenham Hotspur and most recently Southampton in the FA Cup.

However, Sunday’s game could represent a chance to rediscover their best form as they face a Chelsea side who are extremely low on confidence, with new manager Graham Potter failing to replicate his success with Brighton at the west London club.

Here is how Football FanCast expects the Eagles to line up this afternoon, with four changes from the team that started against Southampton in the FA Cup last weekend.

After he was arguably at fault for both of Southampton’s goals last weekend, Vicente Guaita is dropped from the starting side, with Sam Johnstone handed a rare opportunity to start after struggling for regular game time since his summer switch from West Bromwich Albion.

There is one change in defence, as Tyrick Mitchell returns at left-back in place of Joel Ward, with Nathaniel Clyne switching back to his more natural right-back position, while Marc Guehi and Joachim Andersen continue their partnership in the middle.

After failing to make much of an impression in the middle of the park, Will Hughes is dropped with Jeffrey Schlupp joining Cheick Doucoure and Michael Olise in midfield at Stamford Bridge, as Vieira may need a more dynamic option to help support Doucoure defensively.

£30k-per-week “magician” Eberechi Eze – as once dubbed by Micah Richards – was surprisingly left out against the Saints and considering the Eagles may be relying on a piece of individual magic against Chelsea this weekend, he looks to be the ideal man to replace Jordan Ayew in the attack.

He is joined by Wilfried Zaha and Odsonne Edouard, both of whom could be crucial to Palace’s chances of picking up a vital three points on their short trip to Chelsea this afternoon.

Predicted Eagles XI (4-3-3): Johnstone, Clyne, Guehi, Andersen, Mitchell, Doucoure, Schlupp, Olise, Eze, Zaha, Edouard

Everton are believed to be working on a deal to sign Manchester United forward Anthony Elanga in January, according to a fresh transfer update.

The Lowdown: Elanga out of favour at United

The 20-year-old enjoyed something of a breakthrough season at United last term, scoring two goals and assists apiece in the Premier League, as well as netting once in the Champions League.

Elanga has struggled to enjoy regular football for the Red Devils in 2022/23, however, managing only five league starts and finding himself behind the likes of Antony and Marcus Rashford in the pecking order.

Everton have been linked with a move for the youngster recently, and another update has emerged.

The Latest: Everton working on deal

According to Football Insider, United are ‘working on a deal’ to sign Elanga, who is described as one of the Blues’ ‘top targets’ in the January transfer window.

They are thought to be in ‘negotiations’ with the player, whose current United deal doesn’t expire until the summer of 2026.

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The Verdict: Ideal wide addition

Elanga could be exactly what Everton need in wide areas, providing Frank Lampard with extra attacking ammunition ahead of their current relegation battle.

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He has been hailed as a ‘great talent’ by Zlatan Ibrahimovic – high praise from such a legendary figure – and his performances last season show what he is capable of.

At 20, Elanga is still a work in progress, but he could end up proving to be an upgrade on some of the current options, with the likes of Demarai Gray and Dwight McNeil proving to be inconsistent, in terms of end product.

Everton ‘would love’ to sign Manchester United winger Anthony Elanga this month, according to Fabrizio Romano.

The Lowdown: Elanga struggling for game-time

With the Red Devils signing Antony for £86m in last summer’s transfer window, and Alejandro Garnacho bursting onto the scene, appearing in their last eight matches in the Premier League, the Swede’s game-time has become increasingly limited of late.

The 20-year-old has been an unused substitute for the last three top-flight games, failing to start in the league since the 2-1 win at Fulham in November. That has led to rumours that he could exit Old Trafford, with Frank Lampard said to have discussed him as a potential option for Everton prior to his sacking this afternoon.

The Latest: Everton interested in Elanga

Romano was speaking to GIVEMESPORT about where the 20-year-old’s future may lie.

The Italian outlined: “For Anthony Elanga, Everton are still interested. They would love to sign the player, as would Borussia Dortmund. So these two clubs are interested.”

The Verdict: Get it done?

Hailed as ‘sensational’ by reporter Alex Turk, the speedster – who was singled out by Bryan Robson as United’s fastest player – has shown some promising signs in a Red Devils shirt, weighing in with an assist against bitter rivals Liverpool earlier this season. However, it is questionable whether he is the signing that Everton need right now.

The Toffees need players with a little bit more experience, given that the threat of relegation is currently looming, and they have been linked with other attackers who have a better recent history of weighing in with goals and assists.

One such player is Tete, who is bang in form at the moment, amassing six goals and five assists in 19 appearances for Lyon this season, giving off every indication that he would be able to hit the ground running at Goodison Park.

That is a vast improvement on the one assist totalled by Elanga this term, so while the Swedish youngster may be a good long-term option, Everton should wait until at least the end of the season before attempting to sign him.

Leeds transfer target Weston McKennie has spoken with manager Jesse Marsch about a potential Premier League move, according to Ben Jacobs.

The Lowdown: McKennie linked…

The USA international has been linked with a move to Elland Road this January and reports have suggested that contact has been made over the player’s signature.

Leeds are reportedly chasing the midfielder with talks ongoing with Juventus over a potential deal according to reliable transfer journalists like Fabrizio Romano.

The Whites are currently battling for survival and have won none of their last five league matches, highlighting the need for further additions.

The Latest: Jacobs shares McKennie update…

CBS reporter Jacobs, writing on Twitter, says McKennie is ‘happy’ to join Leeds and has even spoken to Marsch over a possible move.

He explained:

“Weston McKennie is happy to join #LUFC and has spoken to Jesse Marsch and Tyler Adams. Juventus open to a late window deal, but not at a cut price. Club deny they’ll be forced to offload players following their 15-point deduction, an expected response given they are appealing.”

The Verdict: Promising…

This comes as a promising update for supporters given McKennie’s versatility, quality and possible ability to upgrade Marsch’s options in midfield.

The 24-year-old is able to play across the midfield and even at centre-back – providing many scopes for Leeds to utilise the American in their dogfight.

Called a ‘rock’ by Andrea Pirlo and ‘incredibly underrated’ by football talent scouts, McKennie played a starring role for the USA during their 2022 World Cup campaign in Qatar,

The former Schalke star even ‘caught the eye’ against England in the group stage, and while Juve are open to selling, their loss could well be Leeds’ gain.

Still young and able to provide a sense of longevity with his signing, securing a deal for McKennie before January 31 should be a real priority for Andrea Radrizzani and Victor Orta.

Insider ExWHUemployee has revealed that West Ham United are in talks to sign young Northern Irish player Sean Moore.

What’s the latest?

With transfer deadline day now upon us, plenty of Irons fans will be excited to see who their club could land, if anyone, in the remaining hours left this January.

For instance, the club have been linked with a possible loan move for Premier League and Manchester City midfielder Kalvin Phillips, though that doesn’t look likely.

One potential deal that is a little more realistic, however, is a move for 17-year-old winger Moore who would then potentially be loaned back to current club Cliftonville.

While talking about it on The West Ham Way Patreon, Ex revealed: “West Ham are in talks with Northern Irish player Sean Moore of Cliftonville over a possible move to the club today.

“There has been discussions that we would buy the player and loan him back to Cliftonville.”

Planning for the future

Depsite still being a teenager, Moore has already established himself as a regular in the Cliftonville set up and has played 19 times in the Danske Bank Premiership this term.

In that period, he has scored two goals and created to more, while in total across the span of his short career, he already has 25 senior appearances for the Northern Irish club.

Clearly, the player is doing very well to catch the eye of a Premier League side like West Ham. However, if they can get a deal done this January, it would make an awful lot of sense to loan him back to Cliftonville seeing as he is currently thriving there and at 17 years of age there is no rush to get him over to England permanently just yet.

Arsenal were involved in three major incomings this January window, as Mikel Arteta welcomed some key additions in the hope it will propel them ever closer to the Premier League title.

The way in which they went about their business was markedly different to the brash and overbearing plan Chelsea undertook, in which they spent a total of £318.7m whilst breaking the English transfer record with a move for Enzo Fernandez.

Another of their significant outlays was to secure the signing of Benoit Badiashile for a £35m fee, despite the French defender being a relative unknown.

The former AS Monaco mountain had impressed in Ligue 1, but hardly warranted the price tag that the Blues eventually settled on.

It arguably marks far worse value than the Gunners’ £20m acquisition of Jakub Kiwior, who also joined this month.

The Polish centre-back signed from Spezia as a ball-playing asset with phenomenal defensive statistics. Such was his importance to the Italian outfit, he was dubbed “untouchable” by transfer expert Fabrizio Romano in November of 2022.

His qualities are best outlined through his 85% pass accuracy combined with 1.3 tackles, 1.4 interceptions and four clearances per game, via Sofascore.

When compared to Badiashile, who arguably played in a far better side, the gulf in quality is not so apparent as to outline a £15m disparity in prices. The Frenchman himself recorded 3.5 clearances per game, but could only manage 0.9 tackles and 1.5 interceptions, as per Sofascore.

What also sets them apart is the reasons for their signing, as Chelsea desperately seek someone around whom they can rebuild their defence around. As such, their new man enters under intense pressure, and despite impressing in his two matches so far, is bound to falter eventually.

Meanwhile, Kiwior enters a pressure-free environment, where he can provide ample cover for William Saliba and Gabriel, who have both shone this season.

Should the Pole be called upon, he boasts more than enough quality to compensate but does not shoulder the whole defensive burden at his new club.

The 6 foot 2 titan is poised to have a fine career ahead of him, and with the magic Arteta has already worked on his squad, there is reason to believe the 22-year-old can also benefit.

He boasts all the attributes needed to succeed, and the perfect environment to continue growing. Meanwhile, Badiashile joins a team under construction, and therefore will likely remain a work in progress for some time. 

Arsenal are producing both on and off the pitch, with recent news emerging from the Emirates Stadium which will surely please the supporters.

Mikel Arteta has managed to tie down Gabriel Martinelli to a new long-term contract, and the Gunners boss will now be looking forward to seeing the 21-year-old’s continued development after lavishing praise on the forward upon confirmation of that internal deal.

Arteta said: “Gabi is still very young, so we know there’s still much more to come from him. Our supporters see his quality and energy every single time he puts on the shirt and he’s the same every day in training, with his hard work and positive values.

“We’re now excited to continue to develop his huge talent and look forward to seeing him perform with Arsenal in the years to come.”

The Brazilian arrived in north London in 2019 for a fee of just £6m, and the next three-and-a-half years have seen the youngster embark on a journey as one of the finest wingers in the Premier League, and possibly even Europe.

Since joining Arsenal, Martinelli has played 112 times for the club, scoring 25 goals and registering 16 assists. He has been truly excellent during the current campaign as the 21-year-old has played an integral part in Arteta’s men forging clear at the summit of the league table.

Across 20 top-flight appearances, the winger has achieved a Sofascore rating of 7.09/10, ranking him as the club’s sixth-best performer this term. He has scored seven times, added two assists and created six big chances while making 1.9 key passes per match to underline just how crucial he has been for the Gunners in proving his attacking qualities.

He is still developing and clearly isn’t the finished article yet, but the CIES Football Observatory have valued the winger at €100m (£90m), and it’s abundantly clear that Arsenal have struck gold with the signing of Martinelli.

If he keeps up his high level of performance until the end of the season, there could be plenty of suitors lining up to try and prise him away from London. However, by tying him down to a new contract, Arteta has some degree of leverage which can be used to prevent him from departing anytime soon.

Jurgen Klopp previously dubbed the youngster the “talent of the century”, and as excellent as Martinelli has been this season, he should still be nowhere near his peak, which is a frightening prospect for every defender in the Premier League.

Signing Jorginho, Jakub Kiwior and Leandro Trossard was all good business by Arteta last month, but tying Martinelli down for the next four years arguably trumps them all.

Chelsea have spent a lucrative amount of money since Todd Boehly assumed ownership of the club last year, but could look to the esteemed Cobham Academy in order to replace one first-team star seemingly closer to the exit than ever before at Stamford Bridge.

Despite forking out over £550m on new additions, Chelsea might be set to unleash their next big midfielder from the ranks at the Cobham Academy, with dynamic midfielder Harvey Vale impressing of late.

With Vale looking to secure minutes for the first-team with greater regularity now that he approaches his 20th birthday, his ascension could coincide favourably with the prospective departure of a cemented figure at Stamford Bridge.

A recent report from the Daily Mail claims that Chelsea have now halted contract talks with Mason Mount, who is apparently looking to triple his current £80k-per-week wages.

A breakthrough in negotiations does not appear to be forthcoming at present, with the 24-year-old having already rejected a proposal, and should an agreement fail to materialise, separate reports from the likes of transfer guru Fabrizio Romano state that Liverpool might be poised to pounce on the player if an apt opportunity arises.

And Vale could certainly adopt the role in the Blues’ burgeoning squad, capable on the offensive left flank and in a more central midfield role, much like Mount, the 19-year-old has impressed thus far across the maiden period of his career, and could soon earn regular shots for action under Graham Potter, who has been known to lay trust in the younger members of his teams before.

A player who has been “impressing” – as lauded by Henry Winter – for some time now, Vale has scored three goals and served two assists from just four appearances in the Premier League 2 this term, having scored five times and registered three assists from 22 appearances in the competition last year.

Midfielder Ruben Loftus-Cheek was impressed with the 19-year-old after his substitute appearance for the senior squad during last season’s 3-2 FA Cup victory over EFL Championship outfit Luton Town, with the young ace coming on and looking threatening with his pace and ball-playing prowess.

Loftus-Cheek said: “He did really well, he held his own against some physical and strong players.

“He didn’t look out of place at all. Well done Harvey, I’m sure it felt natural to him. It looked very natural. Hopefully he can kick on now.”

The Athletic’s Liam Twomey remarked over Vale’s apparent ease in gelling together with Potter’s squad, saying “Harvey Valelooks at home at this level and that’s not nothing” after he made a cameo against Brentford last season. 

And with the maestro penning a new three-year deal with the west London club in September, he is evidently entrusted with the confidence in his skill set and blossoming into a player of Premier League-level capabilities.

While the majority of Chelsea’s young stars fail to earn sustained prominence within the first-team fold, Vale is certainly of the mould to nurture his ability into one of the side’s most dynamic members, and if given the opportunity to flourish, he might just take it.

From a young kid who had “begged” his mother to change his name to Ronaldo, he is now beginning to make his own name in the game. Such is the funny nature of football, perhaps it won’t be too long before Chelsea supporters are wishing they were called Vale.