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Chelsea manager Graham Potter has had conversations with Moises Caicedo over a transfer, journalist Ben Jacobs has claimed.

What’s the word?

The Brighton midfielder has been the subject of heavy transfer interest from Chelsea and Arsenal, with both clubs bidding to bring him to London.

Potter originally signed Caicedo for Brighton during his time in charge at the club, and is seemingly keen on reuniting with the 21-year-old.

Speaking on Chelsea Fan TV, Jacobs claimed that Caicedo could choose either club, with no previous loyalty to either, but his previous conversations with Potter could play a part.

“So it’s going to be interesting to see what the direction of travel is with the actual valuation. My sense is the first club to agree a deal with Brighton will be the club that Caicedo goes to, because I don’t think that he’s got as defined loyalty to either,” he stated.

“Chelsea’s interest is definitely more long-standing. And he has already held conversations as I understand it with Graham Potter.”

A bigger role

If he were to join league leaders Arsenal now, he would predominantly act as cover to Thomas Partey, whereas Chelsea could be prepared to hand him a starting role upon arrival.

However, both clubs are well stocked in midfield, with Chelsea already possessing a lot of players on their books despite their interest.

Arsenal could entice him given their position in the table, but Potter’s presence at Chelsea, as well as the allure of a starting place, could sway his decision in Chelsea’s favour.

Newcastle United reportedly ‘asked’ about signing right-back Malo Gusto on Friday, just hours before he signed for Premier League rivals Chelsea.

The Lowdown: Chelsea sign Gusto

The Blues confirmed the signing of the 19-year-old from Ligue 1 outfit Lyon this morning on a contract until 2030.

He has been sent back on loan to the Groupama Stadium for the rest of the season, so he will not arrive at Stamford Bridge until the summer.

The Latest: Newcastle ‘asked’ about Gusto

Taking to Twitter, football.london’s Chelsea reporter Bobby Vincent says that Newcastle ‘asked’ about signing Gusto on Friday, only ‘hours’ before he joined the west London club.

The journalist tweeted: “I’m told Newcastle asked about Gusto on Friday, just hours before Chelsea struck a deal with Lyon.”

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The Verdict: Sign Ashby instead

Newcastle should not feel too aggrieved about missing out on Gusto, as they have reportedly agreed a deal to sign West Ham United right-back Harrison Ashby instead.

Hailed as ‘very dangerous’ going forward, as well as ‘very good’ at defending one-on-one situations by Vincent, Gusto has made a name for himself at Lyon.

The 19-year-old ranks in the 95th percentile of all full-backs in Europe’s top five leagues for passes attempted per game, as well as in the 91st for xAG, 88th for interceptions, 85th for assists and 84th for dribbles completed, among other impressive metrics (FBref).

Nonetheless, Eddie Howe’s focus will now be on getting Ashby in and working with him, as the Magpies look to give Kieran Trippier some competition in the right-back position.

Injury expert Ben Dinnery has admitted it ‘would be a big surprise’ if Leeds United midfielder Tyler Adams wasn’t pushing for a start, Football Insider report. 

The Lowdown: Accrington absence

Adams has been a regular under Jesse Marsch since joining in the summer, making 18 appearances in all competitions. The 23-year-old did miss out against Accrington Stanley last weekend, though, after he picked up an injury prior to the trip to the League One side.

The USA international has since been joined at Elland Road by close friend and fellow countryman Weston McKennie, and Dinnery is expecting a return to action for the former on Sunday.

The Latest: Dinnery’s comments

Dinnery, who contributes for Sky Sports, was talking to Football Insider regarding Adams ahead of this weekend’s trip to Nottingham Forest. He is expecting the player to be back in contention for a starting spot after a ‘minor knock’ and said it ‘would be a big surprise’ if he didn’t.

“I fully expect Tyler Adams to be back in contention for Leeds United this weekend for their trip to the City Ground.

“His absence last week can be given context.

“It was an away trip to Accrington Stanley in the FA Cup and Leeds had plenty of availability in that midfield, with some players needing minutes.

“So Jesse Marsch decided to keep Adams out of the firing line to help him recover from what turned out to be a minor knock.

“There’s nothing to suggest that it is going to be a long-term issue for the American so it would be a big surprise if he’s not pushing for a spot in the starting lineup on Sunday.”

The Verdict: Fingers crossed

Adams has been one of the club’s best-performing players this season, as per WhoScored, making more tackles and passes per game than any other Whites player, while also ranking highly in key passes per 90 and pass success percentage. Therefore, his availability could be pivotal on Sunday in what is a crucial game for both clubs towards the bottom of the table.

It will be interesting to see who Jesse Marsch goes with in midfield and in attack after an injury blow to Rodrigo, but hopefully, Adams will be back in the starting lineup alongside Marc Roca, with McKennie also possibly in line for a debut.

Journalist Fabrizio Romano says that Chelsea are not in talks with Galatasaray over loaning out David Datro Fofana to the Turkish club, contrary to recent reports.

The Lowdown: ‘Significant agreement’

It was reported in Turkey last week that the Istanbul outfit had reached a ‘significant agreement’ with the Blues to take the 20-year-old on a one-and-a-half-year loan.

There was set to be another meeting between the two clubs over the structure of the loan, with Fofana thought to prefer a six-month loan rather than the 18 months which was apparently agreed.

The Latest: No talks over Fofana loan

Taking to Twitter on Sunday night, Romano says that Chelsea are not in talks with Galatasaray over a loan deal for Fofana despite the aforementioned reports, adding that the striker is ‘expected’ to remain at Stamford Bridge.

The Italian tweeted: “Understand Chelsea are currently not negotiating with Galatasaray to loan out David Datro Fofana until the end of the season.

“Fofana, expected to stay at Chelsea as told on Deadline Day — while Gala are in talks to sign Nicolo Zaniolo from AS Roma.”

The Verdict: Keep him!

Fofana showed glimpses of what he can offer to Graham Potter’s side in the 0-0 draw at home to Fulham in the Premier League on Friday night, where he rounded goalkeeper Bernd Leno before seeing his shot cleared off of the line.

The stalemate means that Chelsea have only managed to score 22 goals in 21 games in the top flight, by far the worst record in the top half of the table.

Before joining the Blues from Molde last month, Fofana scored an impressive 24 goals and supplied a further 10 assists in 65 games in Norway (Transfermarkt); and at just 20 years of age, he still has so much potential to fulfil.

Of course, the Premier League is a big step up from that level, but the early signs are that he could flourish in west London, should Potter give him a sustained run of matches.

Chelsea have spent hordes of money on the transfer front since the arrival of Todd Boehly as the club’s new owner last year, but the answer to one position for the long-term could already be etched into the books.

This is left-back Ian Maatsen, who is currently plying his trade on loan with EFL Championship high-fliers Burnley, and the 21-year-old has certainly been staking a claim for a role in Graham Potter’s outfit next season, despite the position already being occupied by two lucrative names.

Ben Chilwell arrived in west London in 2020 after switching from Leicester City for £50m, while Marc Cucurella, formerly of Brighton & Hove Albion, was signed in a stunning deal in excess of £60m last summer, and as such, the left-back role should be gleaming and untouched for seasons to come.

But this does not quite feel the case, Cucurella has thus far failed to reach the same dizzy heights he did with the soaring Seagulls last season, while Chilwell’s fitness issues have plagued the efficacy of his progress at Stamford Bridge – partly why the club decided to spend such a heavy slice on his Spanish counterpart in the first place.

And with Chelsea currently ninth in the English top-flight, ten points adrift of the top-four and with just eight victories from 21 attempts, a shrewder, more unconventional route could go down a treat in providing the outfit with a new dimension next year.

As per Sofascore, the Dutch defender has recorded a splendid average league rating of 7.10 this term, starting 23 matches, scoring four goals and supplying five assists, and it is the all-encompassing scope of his play that is so striking.

Granted, the 20-year-old is a full-back with an innate knack for identifying and engulfing attacking transitions, but with an 84% pass success rate, ten big chances created and 1.3 key passes per match to complement an underrated defensive sheen to his game – Maatsen has averaged 1.3 interceptions and two tackles per outing – there is an undeniable full circle to his work that opens the door to a successful Premier League and serves it on a silver platter.

As per FBref, when compared to positional players across Men’s ‘Next 8’ divisions – the eight preceding leagues under the big five – the Claret gem ranks among the top 4% for rate of goals, the top 6% for passes attempted, the top 8% for progressive carries and the top 14% for progressive passes.

He could actually end up replacing Cucurella, in a bold move on Potter’s part which could end up both bearing fruit and maintaining an emphasis on the roots of the club, the Cobham Academy.

The 24-year-old has forged a rating of 6.96 this season, a noticeable dip in form from the 7.11 rating that left him in such stellar stead on the south coast, and by instigating a shuffle of the pack Potter could recuperate a sum after such hefty expenditure and indeed offer the platform to a truly dazzling young starlet.

Lauded as a “dangerous” asset and a “tough cookie” by Peter van der Veen, Maatsen encapsulates all that is needed to flourish on the major stage, and if he can ramp up the gas on his development, there is no reason why Chelsea cannot find a place for him next season, wading into prominence amid the abundant opulence.

West Ham United have enjoyed considerable success under the tutelage of David Moyes, and certainly owe a lot to the veteran Scottish manager, having risen to European stature over the past two campaigns.

Granted, progress has fallen by the wayside this term, and the Hammers languish near the nadir of the Premier League after 22 matches, just two places and two points above Everton in 18th place, but there have certainly been the highest of highs to counteract the perils that plague the outfit at present.

But after confidently winning their Europa Conference League group, West Ham await the results of the first knockout phase in the competition as they prepare for their opposition, sights fixed on a surge towards what would be a monumental European triumph, should they succeed.

Did Olivier Giroud nearly join West Ham?

Moyes will be confident in his side’s ability to rectify the wrongs and end the season on a high, but he might cast a rueful gaze back to the transfer activity of 20/21 when assessing his team’s prospects of success, both domestically and in Europe, when a certain record-breaking French talisman slipped through Iron fingers.

Olivier Giroud, formerly of Arsenal and, more recently, Chelsea, departed Stamford Bridge for AC Milan in the summer of 2021, mere months after West Ham’s swoop for the veteran striker fell wide of the mark.

Did West Ham miss a trick with Giroud?

The roaring success of the past few years will have swiftly dissipated any dark clouds that followed the failed transfer to sign Giroud, with last season’s run to the Europa League semi-final an indication that the Hammers were on the up.

However, his abundant pedigree could have been just what Moyes needed, with his physicality and towering presence the perfect magnet to draw in defenders and create pockets of space for the likes of Jarrod Bowen and Said Benrahma to weave into.

And his experience, indeed a winner of the World Cup and Champions League among many other major honours, could have been the catalyst to ensuring the club overcame adversity against Eintracht Frankfurt, eventual Europa League champions, in the bitter disappointment of the penultimate stage.

Since the failed bid, the Hammers have spent £35.5m on Gianluca Scamacca and now £15m for Danny Ings, and with Giroud reportedly costing Milan just £855k, the deal certainly could’ve been one of the shrewdest, most prudent buys in recent West Ham history.

The latter, Ings, fell out of favour under Unai Emery at Aston Villa, starting only on two occasions in the league since the Spanish manager’s debut against Manchester United, and given that the fee paid dwarfs what Milan parted with for the illustrious Giroud, there might be a sense of resentment over the predicament – that could have been averted – that resulted in the requirement for a new forward.

Giroud is not only an imposing and physical forward threat, but an exquisite master of ball control, selfless, and a wise reader of the game, one of the more abundant footballing intellects on the major stage.

The World champion, hailed as “intelligent” and “exceptional” by Gary Lineker, is France’s all-time top goalscorer, plundering 53 goals from 120 appearances and breaking Thierry Henry’s record at the 2022 World Cup, and the storm that is his attacking calibre is showing no sign of abating, despite his twilight age.

The 36-year-old has scored 262 goals and supplied 91 assists at club level over the duration of his professional career, and despite his age, has landed 35 direct contributions from 67 appearances for the Rossoneri, including 11 goals this season.

Moyes would have dearly benefitted from a signing of Giroud’s ilk, and while £15m has been splashed on Ings to combat the club’s concerning position in the Premier League, one can’t help but feel the impact won’t be quite as profound, had Giroud donned the claret shirt.

Phi Hay has insisted that if results don’t go Leeds United’s way in the next two games a new manager could arrive.

The Lowdown: Leeds left themselves in a mess

Leeds tried and failed miserably to find a Jesse Marsch successor but were greeted by either clubs or managers rejecting any approaches and that has seen them turn to an in-house appointment in the form of Michael Skubala.

The former caretaker coach was in charge for the two games against Manchester United which saw Leeds concede four goals although they did pick up a valuable point at Old Trafford.

While it appears as though Skubala is to be the man asked with keeping Leeds in the Premier League if they don’t pick up positive results in their next two matches against Everton and Southampton that could quickly change.

That Latest: Skubala not guaranteed to last the season

Hay has claimed on The Phil Hay Show he wouldn’t be surprised to see Leeds’ managerial search kick into gear once again if the next two games don’t go as planned for the Whites.

He said: (17:50) “We almost don’t need to timestamp this as much as we know that Skubala, Gallardo and Chris Armas are going to be caretakers now, certainly I would expect for Everton and Southampton and I think if those games go to plan then beyond and most likely until the end of the season given how few games are left.

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“But I think if those games don’t go to plan and the league table worsens then I’m not sure we’re done with this yet.”

The Verdict: Huge task for Skubala

Given that Skubala has no first-team managerial experience it is a huge ask for him to now keep an out-of-form Leeds side in the Premier League given that this squad of players were seemingly brought in for Marsch specifically.

However, Leeds fans could perhaps be more confident under Skubala given that he picked up a point away to one of the most in-form sides in the entire Premier League just last midweek which should have instilled confidence into his players as well.

The fact that this could easily go one of two ways for Leeds and Skubala over the next few games, it would be smart for Victor Orta to keep sounding out potential new managers that may be able to come in at relatively short notice.

Presenter and YouTuber Conor McGilligan has been reacting to an update on new Leeds United manager Javi Gracia.

The Lowdown: Work permit issues

The Whites confirmed the 52-year-old as their new head coach on Tuesday and were hopeful that he could be in the dugout on Saturday, should he obtain a work permit. However, that has proven a complicated process, with Gracia unable to take training until he has been granted a work permit.

He does not meet the criteria required, so his application could be put to an ‘exceptions panel’ to determine whether or not he will be in the home dugout against Southampton at Elland Road this weekend.

The Latest: McGilligan reacts

McGilligan, the presenter of One Leeds Fan Channel, took to Twitter to give his thoughts on this news regarding Gracia.

He didn’t seem too impressed, simply saying: “Can we just have some good news? Just one thing.”

The Verdict: Fingers crossed

Michael Skubala looks set to remain a part of the first-team setup at Leeds under Gracia, but if a work permit isn’t granted before the weekend, you’d expect that the 40-year-old will more than likely be in charge once again after overseeing the Whites’ last three Premier League games.

Hopefully Gracia will be allowed to take control of the match on Saturday in what appears to be a relegation six-pointer, although there will need to be a development relatively soon for that to happen. However, with the head coach unable to implement his plans at Thorp Arch this week due to the ongoing work permit complications, it isn’t exactly ideal preparation for the Southampton showdown.

Journalist Dean Jones has claimed that Mauricio Pochettino will return to north London to become Tottenham Hotspur manager again this summer.

What’s the latest on Mauricio Pochettino to Spurs?

Up to this point in the season, it’s been a bit of a mixed bag for the Premier League outfit under current boss Antonio Conte. While the club are still in the Champions League, and pushing for the top four, the quality of football hasn’t always been at its best.

Indeed, an article in The Guardian noted at the start of the year that the Italian was hired to change the culture of the club but they remain “as Spursy as ever” with an “air of discontent” still around the team.

It could be argued that since former boss Pochettino left, the club have struggled to truly be at their best again. This is why some fans will be delighted to learn the latest news.

Indeed, while talking on the latest edition of Chasing Green Arrows on YouTube, Jones claimed that Pochettino will rejoin Spurs this summer.

He began (17:22): “He’ll be at Tottenham. I think it’ll be at Tottenham. Yeah, I think so.

“They’ve got a decision to make. It sounds to me that it’s more likely than not that we might see him as Tottenham manager in the summer.

“I can’t guarantee that Conte is going but Poch is lingering there.”

Could Pochettino end up at Spurs if Conte goes?

Interestingly enough, the former Tottenham boss has also been linked in the media of late as a possible replacement for Chelsea manager Graham Potter if he is sacked in the near future. On top of that, with David Moyes under threat at West Ham United, the Argentine is said to be keen on joining the Hammers too.

With that in mind, if Spurs want to rehire the former PSG man, they may have to act soon instead of waiting until the summer as he may be off the market by that stage.

Still, perhaps Pochettino would be loyal and hold out for a call from his past club before opting to join anyone else. After all, he enjoyed some great years with Spurs and averaged 1.84 points per game while working in north London.

In comparison, Conte has done pretty well too with 1.81 points per game. Though this has been across a shorter span of time with the Italian overseeing 70 games so far compared to Pochettino’s 293.

Taking it all into account, this certainly looks like one rumour to keep an eye on as it develops over the coming months.

Premier League leaders Arsenal are back in action against relegation-threatened Everton at the Emirates Stadium this evening, with the Gunners looking for swift redemption after suffering a 1-0 defeat at the hands of Sean Dyche’s side just a few weeks ago.

That clash at Goodison Park – which was the former Burnley man’s first game in charge of the hosts – saw a James Tarkowski header ultimately prove the difference on the day, with Mikel Arteta’s men suffering a momentary wobble in their title charge after subsequently being held by Brentford and losing to rivals Manchester City following that defeat on Merseyside.

The north Londoners have since recovered with wins over both Aston Villa and Leicester City – affording them the chance to move points clear at the summit with victory tonight – although there will undoubtedly be fears of being undone again by the Toffees.

Although Arteta will likely be keen to forget the reverse fixture, the Spaniard may have that previous meeting on his mind when selecting his starting lineup later today, with versatile defender Ben White one man who could make way, following his horror show at Goodison.

Will Ben White play against Everton?

The 25-year-old – who signed from Brighton and Hove Albion on a £50m deal back in 2021 – produced arguably his “worst performance of the season” in that loss to Dyche’s men, according to journalist Jason Soutar, having struggled up against the lively Dwight McNeil, who provided three key passes and laid on 11 crosses as a marker of his joy down the left flank.

Having gone into the match off the back of his woes against Manchester United – in which the full-back was axed at half-time in the eventual 3-2 win – the Englishman was again something of a liability against the Toffees, notably giving the ball away ‘far too often’, according to football.london’s Kaya Kaynak.

That was evidenced by the fact that the one-time Leeds United man lost possession on 12 occasions during his 85-minute outing, having at one stage inadvertently given the ball to opposition midfielder Amadou Onana early in the first half, with the Belgian colossus nearly teeing up Dominic Calvert-Lewin with an inviting pullback.

White’s struggles were also laid bare by the fact that he failed to win any of his three aerial duels – winning two of his three ground duels – having also been unable to offer much in an attacking sense after making no key passes and providing just one, unsuccessful cross in total.

As a result, the £120k-per-week gem ultimately received a rather lowly 6.5 match rating, as per Sofascore, with that the joint-lowest of any starting player for the Gunners, alongside both Gabriel Martinelli and Aaron Ramsdale.

The concern will be for Arteta that the Poole-born defender – who also won just three of his eight duels against the Foxes last time out and lost possession 13 times – could put in a repeat performance this time around, with Dyche no doubt set to target a player who proved something of a weak link in the reverse fixture.

While White’s potential replacement Takehiro Tomiyasu hardly covered himself in glory against Man City earlier this month – having inexplicably teed up Kevin De Bruyne with an errant back pass – it could be the case that the Japan international is handed another chance to impress this evening on the right side of the defence.