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Leeds United have been dealt a blow in their bid to bring Jose Cifuentes to Elland Road this summer.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by Colombian media outlet LA10 (via Sport Witness), who claim that both Leeds and Brighton & Hove Albion are pursuing a move for the Los Angeles FC midfielder over what remains of the summer transfer window, with the Seagulls currently thought to be leading the race for the 23-year-old after tabling a €6m (£5m) bid.

However, the report goes on to state that, with both Jesse Marsch – who is believed to be a big admirer of the Ecuador international – and Victor Orta being aware of Brighton’s offer for the midfielder, the expectation is that the Whites will launch a bid to gazump Graham Potters’ in the next few days.

“One of the best”

Considering just how impressive Cifuentes has been for LAFC so far this season, it is not difficult to understand why both Leeds and Brighton are keen on a deal to bring the 23-year-old to the Premier League prior to the closure of the summer transfer window next week.

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Indeed, over his 25 MLS appearances in 2022, the £9m-rated midfielder has been in remarkable form, scoring seven goals, registering six assists and creating seven big chances for his teammates, in addition to taking an average of 1.9 shots – 0.8 of which have hit the target – making 1.1 key passes and completing 1.6 dribbles per game.

The £6.1k-per-week talent has also caught the eye in metrics more typical of his position, making an average of 1.9 tackles, 0.6 interceptions, 28.4 passes, 1.5 long balls and winning 4.8 duels per fixture.

These returns have seen the eight-cap international who South American football expert Tim Vickery dubbed “one of the best all-round midfielders” average an extremely impressive SofaScore match rating of 7.13 – ranking him as Los Angeles’ third-best player in the current campaign.

As such, considering the sheer amount of ability Cifuentes possesses in both an attacking and defensive capacity, should Orta manage to get a deal in the region of £5m over the line for the Ecuadorean in the coming days – a figure considerably lower than the midfielder’s current market valuation – it would very much appear as if the Spaniard will have sealed an absolute steal for the Whites.

Leeds United are eyeing a late move for Sheffield United defender John Egan, according to The Daily Express.

The Lowdown: Egan profiled

The 26-cap Republic of Ireland international has been with the Blades since 2018 and is under contract until 2024.

The 29-year-old is primarily a centre-back but can also play as a full-back and has lined out on 174 occasions for his current employers.

Labelled by Republic of Ireland manager Stephen Kenny as someone who could “play in the Champions League”, Egan has previous Premier League experience, and it looks as if Leeds are keen on a late move.

The Latest: Leeds interest

According to The Daily Express, Leeds are pushing to bring Egan to Elland Road before tonight’s deadline.

The Whites are thought to be considering an offer and feel they could prise him away from Bramall Lane.

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The Verdict: Not needed

Jesse Marsch’s side are well-stocked at centre-back at this moment in time with four senior options.

One area where they are fairly light is in attack, especially following an injury to Rodrigo on Tuesday, so it would make sense for a new forward to arrive today instead of a defender.

Only time will tell if Victor Orta has one last summer window deal in him, and if he does, supporters may be hoping it is for an attacker, even though it won’t be Cody Gakpo, rather than Egan.

Liverpool have been struggling in the Premier League over their first six outings with the side making their worst start to a season under Jurgen Klopp.

The German coach will be hoping that the poor form doesn’t follow them to Naples in their Champions League clash with Napoli this evening.

There has been somewhat of an injury crisis at the club with Thiago Alcantara, Joel Matip, Jordan Henderson, Diogo Jota, Curtis Jones, Fabio Carvalho and Ibrahima Konate all sustaining injuries over the season so far.

Despite claiming that Liverpool would not make any more signings over the summer, the powers at Anfield surrendered to signing another midfielder after the Reds captain sustained a hamstring injury last week against Newcastle United prompting the swift arrival of Juventus ace Arthur Melo on loan on Deadline Day.

Although Thiago has returned to training following his hamstring injury it may be too fast to select him to start in the midfield three this evening after just two training sessions, so it could be the perfect opportunity for Klopp to finally unleash Melo, giving him his debut in the famous red shirt when they start their Champions League campaign this evening.

Arthur was an unused substitute during the Merseyside Derby on Saturday but could be given his first taste of football for the six-time European winners, and it would be a great game for the talented midfielder to deliver some much-needed experience in the centre of the pitch.

The £53k-per-week Brazilian who was hailed “extraordinary” by Massimiliano Allegri, has a lot of experience in playing against Italian sides following his two-year stint in the Serie A and was part of the Juventus team who beat Napoli in the Supercoppa Italiana final back in 2021.

In terms of how he can help Liverpool gain a good start in the prestigious European competition, the midfielder’s strength in passing will be the perfect replacement for Thiago’s position in the team if he is unavailable to play tonight.

Arthur ranked in the top 10% of his positional peers in the top five European leagues over the last 12 months for passes attempted and pass completion, as well as ranking in the top 20% for progressive passes and carries, proving that he is more than capable of linking play in his central role.

With that being said, it will be interesting to see if Klopp gives Arthur the chance to make his first appearance for Liverpool or play it safer with his fit midfielders that are already very familiar with the system and style of play the coach expects from his team.

Despite Tottenham Hotspur having been heavily linked with a move for Paulo Dybala for the best part of three years, when the 28-year-old became available on a free following the expiry of his contract at Juventus this summer, Fabio Paratici reportedly turned down the opportunity to bring the forward to north London ahead of the 2022/23 campaign.

Indeed, although Spurs were said to be willing to pay as much as £72.5m to land the Argentina international as recently as January of last year, the Daily Mail revealed back in June that the attacker’s £280k per week wage demands were too expensive for Paratici to sanction a move for the playmaker in the transfer window just gone.

And, while this salary would have seen the former Palermo prodigy quite comfortably become the highest earner at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, considering the impact Dybala has made within Jose Mourinho’s AS Roma side this season, the Spurs sporting director’s decision on the Argentine is already looking to have been something of a mistake.

Indeed, over his six Serie A appearances in 2022/23, the £30m-rated talent has been in sensational form, having already scored three goals, provided two assists and created four big chances for his teammates, in addition to making an average of 3.2 key passes, taking 3.3 shots – 1.3 of which have hit the target – and completing 1.3 dribbles per game.

These metrics have seen the player who James Horncastle dubbed “unreal” and who Mourinho claimed “always makes a difference” average a simply sensational SofaScore match rating of 7.67, not only ranking him as Roma’s best performer in the league but also as the best player in the top flight of Italian football as a whole so far this season.

For comparison, should the 28-year-old have achieved these returns for Tottenham in the Premier League this season, he would rank as Spurs’ joint second top scorer, joint third-highest assist provider and best big chance creator, as well as highest key pass maker, second most frequent shot taker and joint most successful dribbler – while his average match rating would also rank the Argentine sensation as Tottenham’s best performer in the league.

As such, while a £14.5m salary is a great deal of money to spend on one player each year, considering the fact he was available on a free transfer, coupled with his astonishing returns in Serie A so far this season, Paratici must be red-faced whenever he watches Dybala play – as the forward has already proven that the Italian sporting director was wrong to turn him down this summer.

Newcastle United are – quite literally – still paying for the mistakes of the Mike Ashley regime, with the former Magpies owner having overseen a chequered transfer record that has left the club lumbered with a number of unwanted assets.

One such peripheral figure is that of Jeff Hendrick, with the Republic of Ireland international currently out on loan at Championship side Reading, just over two years on from having joined the Tynesiders from Burnley on a free transfer.

While the midfielder is no longer part of Eddie Howe’s squad, the club’s desperation to move him on in the recent window has ensured that they are still liable for a fair chunk of his £50k-per-week wage, as per the Telegraph, with Paul Ince’s side paying just a ‘tiny faction’ of that hefty salary.

The report suggests that the northeast side were essentially forced to agree to such a costly deal – as well as a handful of others – in order to persuade the second-tier side to take him off their books, with PIF now left to suffer financially as a result of Ashley’s failings with the midfielder setting them back around £5.2m in wages since arriving.

Howe and co had been so keen to move the player on as a result of his dismal performances at St James’ Park in recent seasons, with the £2.7m-rated man having been restricted to 27 appearances in all competitions in that time, scoring three times and laying on only one assist.

While the 74-cap dud’s impact was no doubt limited, when he was able to feature he rarely took the opportunity to impress, having notably been dubbed “sloppy in possession” and a “liability” by journalist Scott Wilson during a clash with Southampton back in November 2020.

Such a performance seemingly epitomised his failings at Newcastle, while he has hardly proved the doubters wrong during his spells in the second tier of late, having underwhelmed during a temporary stint at Queens Park Rangers in the second half of last term, failing to provide a goal contribution in 11 appearances at Loftus Road.

That lack of quality has again been on show this term with the 30-year-old having been unable to register a goal or an assist in his opening 11 games at his current home, with his average match rating of 6.69, as per SofaScore, only the 17th best among the Royals squad.

With the one-time Derby County man not exactly pulling up any trees at present, it remains to be seen if this latest move will lead to a permanent exit, with there a potential for him to still be on Newcastle’s books next season with his existing deal set to run until 2024.

That would no doubt be a nightmare scenario, with the club having seemingly already been rinsed enough by the Irishman as it is.

Everton have reportedly told Salomon Rondon that he is free to find a new club in the January transfer window.

The Lowdown: Exit talks

It has been reported that Rondon was in talks to leave Goodison Park outside of the Premier League’s domestic transfer window.

He reportedly had the option of moving to Turkey, Qatar or the United Arab Emirates, but none of those materialised in the end, and thus he has ended up staying in Merseyside.

The Latest: Rondon can leave

As per Football Insider, Frank Lampard’s team have told Rondon that he is now free to leave in January, amid interest from abroad in his signature.

The striker could slip further down the pecking order at the Toffees once Dominic Calvert-Lewin comes back from injury, as new signing from Brighton and Hove Albion Neal Maupay grabbed the winner in a 1-0 victory at home to West Ham United in the top flight last time out.

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The Verdict: Get rid

If an opportunity in January arises, it is time for the Blues to finally get rid of Rondon.

Currently earning just over £20,000 per week, he has not justified his worth with just three goals and one assist in 28 matches in total over the course of his Everton career (Transfermarkt).

Former top-flight striker Gabby Agbonlahor has claimed that Rondon is ‘not good enough’, and the Venezuela international has been on the back of heavy criticism for some of his performances already this campaign.

Nonetheless, if the Toffees can find a buyer in January, then they should be looking to get Rondon off of the wage bill.

Celtic midfielder Matt O’Riley isn’t likely to have his ‘head turned’ despite being the subject of summer attention, according to BBC pundit Alan Hutton.

The Lowdown: Newcastle’s scouting mission

The 21-year-old put pen to paper with the Scottish Premiership giants in January, but has already been attracting interest after making an instant impact under Ange Postecoglou.

Newcastle United were credited with a strong admiration for the Danish starlet, and despite failing to complete a summer deal, seem to have continued their pursuit by sending scouts out to watch their target in action during the international break last month.

The Latest: Hutton’s praise for O’Riley

Speaking to Football Insider, Hutton insisted that O’Riley won’t be phased by the attention, even if he’s seeing constant rumours all over social media.

“I am sure if he is on social media at all he would know about all the speculation out there.

“He will know about it. The club don’t have to come and say to you every single time they get an enquiry, it doesn’t really work that way. He will know himself he played well so there will be teams watching.

“He doesn’t seem the type of player that will have his head turned. He is focused on what he is doing best which is playing for Celtic at this moment in time.

“He has just got to the club, even though he is doing well and is a standout player, he still has time on his hands. I am sure there will be teams snooping about, so it will be interesting over the next season to see how he develops further.”

The Verdict: Celtic’s strong position

Celtic have the upper hand when it comes to O’Riley given he’s still got four years left on his contract, and they must do everything they can to keep hold of him.

The Hoops ace has already provided five assists in seven league starts this season, and currently averages three shots and 2.4 key passes per 90 minutes (WhoScored), proving to be a constant threat in the final third.

He will undoubtedly receive even more interest in the New Year should his excellent form continue, but whether he will decide to stay at Parkhead if a big club were to come in yet remains to be seen.

Celtic’s wastefulness in front of goal was to blame in their Champions League defeat to RB Leipzig in midweek, according to former striker Frank McAvennie.

The Lowdown: Hoops beaten by Leipzig

Ange Postecoglou’s side suffered a damaging setback against the Bundesliga outfit on Tuesday night, all but sealing their Champions League exit in the process.

It was a bitterly disappointing night at Parkhead, with Celtic actually playing well for much of proceedings but Leipzig proving to be far more ruthless.

Such fine margins can make all the difference at the top level and it looks to have cost the Hoops a shot at the knockout rounds.

The Latest: McAvennie rues poor finishing

Speaking to Football Insider, McAvennie said he was proud of Celtic’s efforts but bemoaned their profligacy in front of goal:

“The biggest thing was creating chances and not scoring them. Celtic have always had people to score goals. It would be a different discussion if they took their chances.

“From where they were last year to now, it is night and day. Everyone is complaining because they got knocked out of the Champions League with the amount of chances they have had. One against Real Madrid, I was there and I was so proud of them.

“It could have been a completely different story. They could have been through already if they had taken their chances. The game is all about taking chances.”

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The Verdict: Must improve in that area

In the Scottish Premiership, Celtic are so dominant in many games that a lack of ruthlessness isn’t an issue, with opponents eventually ground down regardless.

At the very top level in Europe, however, it is a very different story, with games being decided by which teams have the most clinical finishers in those couple of key moments.

It is something that Postecoglou and his players must work on moving forward and also ensure that it doesn’t hamper their title chances up against Rangers.

Glasgow Rangers have been dealt an injury concern over Ridvan Yilmaz ahead of their game at Ibrox in the Scottish Premiership this afternoon.

The Lowdown: Injury pile-up

Giovanni van Bronckhorst is seeing a heavy injury pile-up in his squad at the moment, with as many as seven first-team players out for the longer term.

The break for the World Cup cannot come soon enough for the Rangers boss, and he will hope that some of the injured players will be able to regain their fitness in training and ideally come back stronger after the break.

The Latest: Yilmaz concern

Speaking to the media in his pre-game press conference on Friday ahead of their match at home to Livingston, Van Bronckhorst has confirmed that Yilmaz has picked up a ‘knock’ on his knee and is a ‘fresh doubt’ for today’s clash.

The Dutchman said: “Ridvan had a knock on his knee, and we will assess him for tomorrow, our only fresh doubt. A short-term one if misses out.”

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The Verdict: Not ideal

With all of the injuries that Rangers have at the moment, adding another player to the list is certainly not ideal.

Even though Yilmaz has £5m summer signing, so Van Bronckhorst is surely going to give him more game-time as the campaign progresses.

Nonetheless, Borna Barisic has been on the end of much criticism this autumn, so the 21-year-old left-back would relish getting more chances to impress if the Croatian continues to falter.

For now, though, it looks as if he may have to sit out this afternoon’s game.

Everton saw many changes take place in the team at Goodison Park over the summer, with eight new signings making the move to Goodison Park whilst several players also moved on to pastures new.

One of the most notable transfers of the entire window in the Premier League was Brazilian forward Richarlison’s £60m move to Tottenham Hotspur, leaving Everton with a weakened attacking arsenal ahead of the new season.

Indeed, the powers at Goodison Park attempted to replace the talented goal machine by signing Neal Maupay and Dwight McNeil but were unable to secure a deal for a prolific finisher before the transfer window slammed shut on September 1st.

Despite Richarlison’s exit, Everton are in a much better position this season than they found themselves towards the end of the last campaign, although they are still struggling to consistently find the back of the net in the Premier League.

Only Wolverhampton Wanderers, Nottingham Forest and Bournemouth have scored fewer goals than the Toffees this season so far, so there is definitely still an opportunity to strengthen the forward line.

Whilst Frank Lampard may be scouring the upcoming transfer market for attacking players who can make a positive impact on the attacking threat in the team, the manager could potentially save millions by unearthing a homegrown talent to replace Richarlison’s goal contributions instead.

Francis Okoronkwo completed a move from Sunderland to Everton back in 2021, signing a professional contract with the Toffees just days after his 17th birthday, and the player Craig Hope dubbed a “talent” has been impressing ever since.

Just like Richarlison, the 18-year-old Blyth-born forward is comfortable and capable of providing goal contributions in both the centre-forward position and on the left flank – with this trait being on display during his time with both the U18 and U21 teams.

Okoronkwo has scored eight goals and delivered three assists over 27 appearances across the two youth teams – averaging a goal contribution every 141 minutes – and most recently bagged the second in the U21s’ clash with Hertha Berlin earlier this week.

With that being said, the future is looking bright for Okoronkwo and if he continues to flourish in the youth teams, he should begin to catch Lampard’s eye in no time at all, potentially becoming the Richarlison heir Everton so desperately need.