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Chelsea have by-and-large been the dominant force in London over the past few decades, winning five Premier League’s and two Champions League trophies among the whole gamut of major honours since the turn of the millennia.

Arsenal appear to be gunning for a shift in momentum this season, however, with the north London outfit perching atop the English top-flight with a seven-point cushion after 16 matches.

Swiping their heated city rivals’ prime target from under their nose would be typical Chelsea, and efforts must be intensified to secure the signature of Shakhtar Donetsk’s Mykhaylo Mudryk.

Fabrizio Romano recently stated that Arsenal, long-time admirers of the 21-year-old, had returned with a second offer, following months of speculation regarding his future, with his club reportedly holding out for a mammoth fee of £85m.

However, a recent report from The Guardian also confirms that the Blues’ technical director Christopher Vivell has added the Ukrainian phenom to their list of January targets, and might issue a move in the coming weeks.

This must happen; Chelsea boss Graham Potter can kill two birds with one stone and inject devastating life into the offensive flanks and prevent their divisional competitors from bolstering their ranks.

Hazard 2.0

Mudryk has scored ten goals and served eight assists from only 18 appearances this season, including three goals and two assists in the Champions League, and has swiftly established himself as one of the brightest young prospects on the footballing globe.

The eight-cap ace would bring a fearsome blend of direct firepower and fleet-footed rhythm to the offensive ranks of whichever team he chooses, certainly capable of establishing himself at the forefront of Europe’s elite forwards.

He could replicate the feats of Eden Hazard at Chelsea, with the Belgian sensation signing for the Blues in a £32m deal in 2012; the rest, as they say, is history.

Making 352 appearances for the Stamford Bridge side, scoring 110 goals and providing 92 assists, Hazard’s supreme dribbling and unparalleled creativity and flair established him as one of the Premier League’s finest-ever playmakers, captivating fans on countless occasions and winning two top-flight trophies among other major honours.

Mudryk must utilise his natural guile and innate ability to emulate the veteran star; as per FBref, he ranks within the top 1% of players in his position across Europe’s best leagues for rate of goals, the top 2% for rate of assists and crucially when comparing him to Chelsea’s former Belgian wizard, the top 3% for dribbles.

The “frightening” marauder – as once remarked by journalist Josh Bunting – could be a force of world-class credentials for years to come in the Premier League, likely spearheading an attack that will challenge for silverware across multiple fronts, it might be Arsenal, but if Chelsea forge ahead with a move, they could just be rewarded with the discovery of their next Hazard.

Tottenham Hotspur manager Antonio Conte could come under fire in the coming weeks as Alasdair Gold expects stories of unhappy players to hit the press.

What’s the latest?

Spurs entered the World Cup break feeling like they needed a breather from Premier League action after a run of concerning defensive displays and mixed results saw them hanging on by their fingernails to fourth spot in the table.

However, the return to action has not been kind to them having conceded four goals across their two games against Brentford and Aston Villa in which they have only taken one point away from a possible six.

With their on-field issues on full display for all to see, scrutiny is turning towards Antonio Conte who has been unable to turn around Tottenham’s dismal defensive showings in recent months.

And with pressure growing on the Italian to find a solution to these poo r results, Gold has suggested stories of unrest at Hotspur Way among the players will likely be leaked to the press as is normally the case when a manager is coming to the end of their time at a club:

“I would be stunned if this is the period where we don’t start getting, ‘training is boring’, ‘Conte is overworking players’, ‘a fractured dressing room’, ‘there’s discontent about his tactics’.

“Because what happens in these periods is you get let’s say, it’s not usually the players themselves, but it’s the unhappy people around unhappy fringe players that aren’t getting a shot. Suddenly those little things leak and emerge and maybe sometimes exaggerated. Sometimes they’re true.”

“Honestly, if we don’t see one of those in the next two to three weeks, I’d be stunned.”

Turning sour at Spurs?

Tottenham have certainly been hindered by injuries this season with Richarlison, Dejan Kulusevski, Son Heung-min and now Rodrigo Bentancur all suffering issue which has seen some of Conte’s starters sidelined for periods of time.

However, it appears as if something else is not right in north London with this Spurs side coming under scrutiny during the early stages of the season when there was a clean bill of health for their dull style of football.

And now with pressure growing on the Italian to find the answer to Spurs’ problems, it will be interesting to see if reports potentially leaked by unhappy players begin to emerge.

Even under Mauricio Pochettino, this happened. Perhaps the manager who has received the most affection from those at Spurs over recent years saw players hit out about their frustration under the Argentine towards the final months of his tenure.

It does feel as if Conte could have been the man who would finally guide Spurs to silverware given his illustrious track record of winning trophies across multiple European leagues.

But as the results continue to get worse alongside the performances, it will be interesting to see how this relationship develops with the Italian sharing his concerns amid the January transfer window.

Frank Lampard could be on the brink of being sacked as Everton manager but Wayne Rooney would be a disastrous replacement at Goodison Park.

Reports, via the Daily Mail, have claimed that the former Manchester United man is on Farhad Moshiri’s shortlist of potential replacements for Lampard, who is under serious fire after overseeing an embarrassing 4-1 home defeat to Brighton and Hove Albion last time out.

The Toffees are without a win in all competitions since October and have just one point from their last five Premier League games, which have seen them drop into the relegation spaces in the top flight.

Since Lampard took over at Goodison Park, the former Chelsea man has taken charge of 41 matches, of which he has won just 12, drawing eight and losing 21, averaging a shocking 1.07 points per game.

His previous spells with Derby County, where he failed to achieve promotion despite benefitting from quality loan signings such as Mason Mount and Fikayo Tomori, and Chelsea, where he was sacked in difficult circumstances, did little to suggest that he would be a success at Everton.

That has sadly proven to be the case and if the club does opt to sack the 44-year-old, then they need to look for an experienced manager as his replacement, rather than going down the wrong path once again.

Rooney’s first job in management also came at Derby County after a spell as a player there and while he did an admirable job in extremely tough circumstances, the Rams were ultimately relegated from the Championship, so there is nothing to suggest that he would avoid the same feat working in a tougher division.

The 37-year-old was linked with Everton at the time and talkSPORT journalist Simon Jordan made his feelings on the former England international clear, describing him as a managerial “minnow.”

Rooney would leave Derby after their relegation and made the somewhat strange decision to join former side D.C. United, where he has endured an awful start to life back in the MLS, overseeing nine defeats in his first 14 games as manager.

Any Everton move for Rooney would be dictated entirely by his playing reputation at Goodison Park, similar to Chelsea’s appointment of Lampard, and given what is at stake this season, it could prove to be a truly disastrous decision by the board to bring him back to Merseyside.

CBS Sports journalist Ben Jacobs has claimed that Arsenal have held ‘very positive talks’ with Shakhtar Donetsk over the possible signing of Mykhaylo Mudryk.

The Lowdown: ‘Agreed in principle’

It has recently been reported that the 22-year-old has already ‘agreed in principle’ to join the Premier League leaders and that both clubs are ‘closing in on a full deal’ for the winger’s move to north London.

However, the clubs have not yet agreed on a fee or the structure of payment, which means that Mudryk remains at Shakhtar for now.

The Latest: ‘Very positive talks’

Taking to Twitter on Tuesday night, Jacobs has shared that ‘very positive talks’ took place between both clubs on Monday, with ‘sources close to Mudryk’ claiming that he will be ‘very disappointed’ if a deal is unable to be done in January.

The reporter stated: “Told very positive talks took place between Arsenal and Shakhtar on Monday. As reported, sources close to Mudryk say he will be “very disappointed” if a transfer doesn’t happen in January. #CFC have not placed any bid following their own meeting with Shakhtar.”

The Verdict: Promising…

The noises around Mudryk’s potential transfer sound promising for the Gunners, and it seems like they will eventually get their man.

Lauded by Arsenal legend Kevin Campbellas a player who would be “devastating” in Mikel Arteta’s system , the 22-year-old is enjoying an outstanding breakthrough season. He has scored ten goals and supplied a further eight assists in just 18 matches across all competitions so far in 2022/23, including five goal contributions in the Champions League (Transfermarkt).

Given that Emile Smith Rowe only just returned from injury in the 3-0 win at Oxford United in the FA Cup on Monday night, and with both Gabriel Jesus and Reiss Nelson still sidelined, Arsenal are in need of further attacking reinforcements, and Mudryk would seem to be the perfect player to bring in.

Sheffield Wednesday have submitted an official enquiry to sign Burnley defender Luke McNally, according to reports.

The Lowdown: Out of favour

The Clarets centre-back put pen to paper on a four-year deal at Turf Moor from Oxford United last summer, but after falling out of favour under Vincent Kompany, could be set to make a temporary exit.

The League One high flyers were initially credited with an interest in the 23-year-old at the start of the winter window, and have now reportedly made an approach to bring him to Hillsborough.

The Latest: Owls make approach

According to The Star, Wednesday have ‘made an enquiry’ to Burnley to discover McNally’s availability ahead of a potential loan move before the end of the month.

The Owls are ‘eager’ to get the Irishman on board, though it’s currently unknown whether the Championship side ‘would be open’ to him going somewhere he might not be a guaranteed starter.

Several other options have also been ‘identified’, but it’s the 6 foot 4 colossus who is currently seen as ‘one of the top priorities’.

The Verdict: McGuinness replacement?

Mark McGuinness has recently been recalled by Cardiff City, leaving a vacant spot in defence, and McNally would be the perfect replacement.

The Enfield-born talent averaged a remarkable 5.6 clearances and 5.4 aerial wins in League One with Oxford last season, highlighting the rock he can be at the heart of a backline (WhoScored).

McNally has also been described as ‘very good on the ball’  by journalist Josh Bunting, and looking at his numbers, he would be an excellent acquisition for Darren Moore.

Journalist Joe Donnohue was awestruck by a ‘moment of magic’ from Wilfried Gnonto in Leeds United’s 0-0 draw at home to Brentford in the Premier League on Sunday.

The Lowdown: Leeds held by Brentford

The Whites faced another big game in their battle against relegation, as an in-form and dangerous Bees outfit made the trip north to Elland Road.

It was a game which had plenty of needle to it, with tackles flying in from both teams (31 in total), but technical quality came at a premium for much of proceedings.

In the end, both Leeds and Brentford had to settle with a share of the spoils, the goalless draw likely to please the visitors more than the home side.

The Latest: Gnonto catches Donnohue’s eye

Gnonto was a vibrant presence throughout the game, and while providing live updates via Twitter, Donnohue lauded one particularly eye-catching dribble from the Leeds starlet in the 32nd minute.

The Yorkshire Evening Post reporter gushed:

“Willy Gnonto with his first little moment of magic today. Wrestles possession free from Roerslev and just drives through the Brentford midfield, picking his pass and releasing at the right moment. Nothing comes of it in the end, but it was gooood.”

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The Verdict: Huge talent

This was another hugely encouraging performance by Gnonto, who caused Brentford problems all afternoon with his pace, trickery and unpredictability.

The aforementioned dribble was just one moment of class and he always looked like making someone happen, making one key pass and taking two shots (one on target), as per Sofascore.

Gnonto is someone whose inclusion in Jesse Marsch’s starting line-up is swiftly becoming a regular occurrence, and the hope is that the eight-cap Italy international continues to go from strength to strength.

Journalist Jacque Talbot says Everton ‘look ready to accept’ Newcastle United’s bid for Anthony Gordon, and personal terms are ‘not expected’ to be an issue.

The Lowdown: Bid made

Talbot reported on Tuesday night that Newcastle had made a bid worth £35m rising up to £50m for Gordon.

They have reportedly been in formal talks with Everton over a potential deal, and now it looks like they are stepping up their move with less than a week of the transfer window to go.

The Latest: Bid to be accepted?

Taking to Twitter on Wednesday morning, Talbot says that Everton now ‘look ready to accept’ the Magpies’ offer for Gordon, and personal terms are not thought to be a problem:

“Understand Everton look ready to accept Newcastle’s opening bid for 21-year-old Anthony Gordon and that personal terms are not expected to be a problem ahead of a move to the northeast.”

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The Verdict: A lot of money…

While Gordon is no doubt a good player in his own right, with former Premier League striker Tony Cascarino hailing him as a ‘very special talent’ and a ‘fearless’ and ‘tenacious’ prospect, potentially paying £50m for the Englishman is still a big risk.

He has only managed to score seven goals and make three assists in his previous four seasons in the top flight including this one (nine goals this season alone.

The numbers that Gordon is producing is simply not enough to warrant paying such a heavy transfer fee, but as it is the last week of the window, Eddie Howe’s side may feel like there are not any better options out there, and so they might have to bite the bullet on this one just to get it over the line.

Nonetheless, Gordon is still only 21, and so his work in the final third can be coached on to reach his full potential, but it is certainly an expensive outlay for someone who is likely to serve as no more than a rotation option with Almiron.

Newcastle United are reportedly ‘in talks’ to sign Leicester City attacking midfielder James Maddison.

The Lowdown: More incomings?

It seems as if the Magpies are not yet done in the transfer market, having captured the signing of Anthony Gordon from Everton.

They have also reportedly agreed a £3m fee with West Ham United to sign right-back Harrison Ashby, who is ‘expected’ to travel to Tyneside for a medical.

Even though they look solid as ever defensively, having kept eight clean sheets in nine games since the season resumed after the World Cup in Qatar, they are almost as parsimonious in attack, with just nine goals scored in the same number of matches (Sky Sports).

With Eddie Howe’s side chasing down a Champions League place for next season, they will not want to see their goals dry up too much over the next few months, so they could seek additional firepower this month in order to help them get over the line.

The Latest: Maddison ‘talks’

Taking to Twitter, transfer expert Rudy Galetti says that Newcastle are ‘in talks’ with Leicester over the potential signing of Maddison and are ‘ready’ to make a first offer of around £45m for him.

However, the Foxes want at least £55m, and if no agreement can be reached, then he will remain a target for the Tyneside club in the summer.

Galetti tweeted: “#Newcastle are in talks with #Leicester for #Maddison. #NUFC are ready to make the first offer for the AM of around £45m. #LCFC want at least £55m (£40m upfront). In case of no agreement, the player will remain a target in the summer.”

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The Verdict: Get it done now!

If Newcastle have an opportunity to sign Maddison now, then they must get it done.

The 26-year-old is sure to attract plenty of suitors in the summer, given that he would have only one year remaining on his contract at the King Power Stadium and Leicester are struggling near the bottom of the Premier League table, sitting just one point above the relegation zone.

Before an injury that he picked up in December, Maddison was on fire in the league despite his team’s struggles, racking up seven goals and four assists in 14 games (Transfermarkt).

Hailed by BBC writer Raj Chohan for his ‘unbelievable’ vision and ability to score with both feet, the Englishman ranks in the 94th percentile of all attacking midfielders and wingers in Europe’s top five leagues over the past year for non-penalty goals. He is also in the 91st percentile for assists (FBref), showing that he is not just one of the star players in the Premier League, but in Europe as well.

Maddison could well make the difference for the Magpies in terms of securing a Champions League spot for 2023/24, if they can strike a deal to sign him before Tuesday’s transfer deadline.

The Daily Mail journalist Sami Mokbel says that Everton could yet sign free agent Andre Ayew, who is set for talks with them in the UK within 24 hours.

The Lowdown: Talks already held

It was reported late at night on Transfer Deadline Day that the Goodison Park outfit were in ‘advanced discussions’ with Ayew over a potential move.

Given that he is a free agent, he can move outside of the transfer window, and so the Merseyside club still have a chance of getting a deal done.

The Latest: More talks planned

Taking to Twitter, Mokbel says that Ayew is set to arrive in the UK ‘in next 24 hours’ to hold more ‘talks’ with Everton over a potential move:

“Andre Ayew set to arrive in the UK in next 24 hours after receiving £2.5m golden handshake freeing him to return to the Premier League. He has held talks with Everton – but no guarantees he ends up there.”

However, expanding in this corresponding article for The Daily Mail, Mokbel adds that other Premier League clubs have also registered an interest in signing him, and that the chances of him signing for Sean Dyche’s side are currently only ’50/50′.

The Verdict: Get it done

After the Toffees signed nobody in the January transfer window, it is imperative that they get at least some form of recognised goalscorer in through the door before they play the top-flight leaders Arsenal at home over the weekend.

Ayew is a decorated player at 33, having captained his country Ghana at the FIFA World Cup in Qatar, also scoring the first goal from an African side at the tournament.

At club level, he has plenty of experience or playing in the Premier League, scoring 21 goals and making a further 12 assists in 89 appearances over three seasons for both Swansea City and West Ham United (Transfermarkt).

After losing Anthony Gordon to Newcastle United, the Blues need to bring in an attacking reinforcement, and Ayew gives them an opportunity to do that.

Arsenal goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale has been praised for his ‘superb’ save during the Premier League game vs Everton by journalist Josh Bunting.

The Lowdown: Defeat on the road

The Gunners were the visitors at Goodison Park where they suffered an unexpected 1-0 defeat at the hands of Sean Dyche’s side, with the new boss securing victory on his first game in charge.

Despite failing to pick up any points on the road, one of the most positively notable moments was when the Reds shot-stopper made a wonderful save to prevent a deflected effort from Gueye entering the net, even though the flag was raised anyway.

The Latest: Bunting’s reaction

Taking to Twitter, Bunting couldn’t rate Ramsdale’s reflexes highly enough, especially considering that he was unaware of the linesman’s signal. He wrote:

“Wouldn’t have counted but that is a superb save from Aaron Ramsdale, he wasn’t to know it wouldn’t have counted and the way he adjusts his body to make the save is outstanding. The reactions, the way he moves his body is stunning goalkeeping.”

The Verdict: No need to panic

Arsenal definitely had an underwhelming day at the office, but Ramsdale was able to continue his impressive form between the sticks which was proven in that one moment of magic.

The England international has kept 10 clean sheets in 21 games across all competitions this season and has played a significant role in the Gunners’ success so far.

Regardless of today’s result, Arteta’s men still find themselves five points clear at the top of the table, so as long as their form can be regained moving forward, there’s no need to panic.