With news of star-striker Danny Ings being out for three weeks, Southampton’s misery could actually work in Charlie Austin’s favour. The experienced striker has had a disappointing season, scoring only two goals in seventeen appearances, mostly from the bench.

However, with new manager Ralph Hasenhuttl trusting his out of form striker to come good, Austin needs to regain confidence in front of goal. The Saints face relegation candidates Fulham and defensively vulnerable Arsenal in the next few weeks, games which are primed for Austin to make a big impact.

The striker got his moment of glory earlier this season when he scored a thrilling winner against Arsenal. The former QPR striker’s goal-scoring ability is well known and he just needs to bring back that fire in him. The powerful Austin has the physical attributes to bully defenders and cause mayhem with his movement, something that could be vital during the business end of the campaign.

Facing the defensively shaky Fulham, amidst a tricky visit to the Emirates Stadium, Austin needs to come good. The Saints are enjoying inspired form under Hasenhuttl and the likes of Nathan Redmond & James Ward-Prowse are at their creative best. He’ll definitely get chances to score but needs to find back his lethal touch which terrorized opponents years ago.

Time is running out for Charlie Austin at Southampton. The upcoming weeks are his final ones to redeem himself at St.Marys’ or surely risk the end of the road for himself in the Premier League.

Rangers will look to close the gap at the top of the Scottish Premiership against mid-table St Johnstone at the weekend.

Celtic maintained their six-point lead at the summit of the standings and Steven Gerrard has a mountain to climb to overtake them in the race for the title. There is still plenty of football to be played and the former Liverpool captain will hope Celtic’s participation in the Europa League plays a factor. Nevertheless, the Gers must focus on winning all their remaining fixtures to have a chance at glory.

Regardless of whether they lift the title, there is no denying that the club have progressed in Gerrard’s first year in management. The former England international will be looking to build on his debut campaign at Ibrox with another strong transfer window in the summer. With many loan deals set to expire, plenty of new faces could arrive.

One man Gerrard should be keeping tabs on is Preston midfielder – Alan Browne. Valued at just £450k by Transfermarkt, the Irishman has developed into a crucial member of the first team after joining from Cork City as a youngster in 2014. Browne is enjoying his finest season to date in the Championship and has been tipped to move to a bigger club in the future.

The 23-year-old is extremely well rounded and has been in remarkable form in front of goal – leading the club’s scoring charts with 11 Championship goals this season. Browne has also chipped in with five assists, highlighting what he would offer Gerrard in the engine room. Not only does the Ireland international excel going forward, but Browne also tracks back and helps out his defence when necessary.

Outside of the Light Blues’ strikers, they’ve struggled for goals this season. Alongside Steven Davis, Browne could help ease that very burden at Ibrox.

With his contract due to expire in the summer, Gerrard should snap up a bargain when the window reopens.

Rangers fans, thoughts?

Leeds journalist Beren Cross has delivered fine praise in the direction of teenager Jack Jenkins after his display for the U23s on Monday evening.

Cross was giving his player ratings after the Whites thrashed Bolton 5-1.

What’s he said?

Carlos Corberan’s team were in mighty fine form at the beginning of the week as a mix of youth and more experienced players took to the field against the Trotters.

Eddie Nketiah started up front and scored twice while Gjanni Alioski also featured and got on the scoresheet.

Jack Clarke was back in the goals too, but it was one of the players in the middle of the park that convinced the most.

It wasn’t Mateusz Bogusz or Alfie McCalmont but instead, it was Jenkins who kept things ticking over.

He earned a match rating of 7 and the following review:

“Overshadowed McCalmont on the night with his midfield display during the first half and then went to right-back in the second period. Quieter there, but another of the under-18s who is well established now.”

Big potential

The 18-year-old recently earned a new deal at the back end of November and it appears as though that has spurred him on in terms of his performances.

Jenkins hasn’t yet featured for the first team but it says a lot about his potential that he’s overshadowing McCalmont, a player that’s featured on two occasions for Leeds’ first-team this term.

Not only that, but the Northern Irishman has even featured for his country at senior level in 2019/20.

It bodes particularly well that Jenkins is making such tremendous strides and the fact he’s a versatile individual should only help his cause in terms of making Marcelo Bielsa’s first-team plans.

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Normally a central midfielder, the way he slotted into right-back in the second period should stand him in good stead. Bielsa has relied on versatile players with great regularity this season, particularly with individuals like Stuart Dallas.

He’s another player to have featured both in midfield and in defence, alongside Alioski.

Jenkins currently has a contract until the summer of 2023 so he’s certainly someone to keep an eye on between now and then.

Meanwhile, one Leeds star has shown why promotion is anything but assured this season…

The following article is a special report; all information presented has been gleaned from Football FanCast sources unless stated otherwise.

Juventus are hopeful of signing Christian Eriksen from Tottenham Hotspur but may wait until the summer to take him to Italy, sources have told Football FanCast.

The Denmark international is out of contract at the end of the season and has thus far shown no indication that he would like to extend his stay at the club.

The Italian giants are said to be “sniffing” around the midfielder prior to a potential swoop, and their chances of signing him could be supported by the fact that Spurs would like to snap up Juve’s Turkish centre-back Merih Demiral.

The 21-year-old was signed from Sassuolo in the summer but has made just four appearances for Juve this season, even providing an assist in the 3-1 Serie A win over Udinese.

Those familiar with Spurs’ recruitment have made it clear that manager Jose Mourinho would like to sign a defender in one of the next two transfer windows and Demiral is a target. Scouts have watched him play for both Juve and Sassuolo.

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Thus, there is a possibility that Demiral could play some role in determining Eriksen’s future.

Of course, Spurs do not have a great deal of agency over his future – he can sign a pre-contract agreement with a foreign club next month – but there is the prospect of negotiations opening the door to talks over the Turkey international, who has won 11 caps for his country.

Sources within the club believe that Eriksen will leave in the summer because he wishes to receive a signing-on fee when he moves to a new club.

Spurs could feasibly open the lines of communication to Juve now, then, with a view to both finding out their plans for Eriksen – allowing them to prepare for his exit – and also making an enquiry as to their target’s availability. Sources have suggested talks may take place in January.

An exit for Eriksen in the next transfer window would be preferable for Spurs, allowing the club to receive a fee, but there has been no indication that the Dane would countenance such a possibility.

Manchester United had been linked with a possible January move but sources claim there is “nothing” coming from the Red Devils ahead of the winter window.

Nonetheless, there is the potential for a tacit quid pro quo between Spurs and the Italian champions; they do nothing to disrupt and possibly even help facilitate Juve’s discussions with Eriksen, in return for smoother negotiations over Demiral.

Juventus, of course, have signed a number of high-profile players on free transfers in recent seasons, including Aaron Ramsey from Arsenal and Emre Can from Liverpool.

Juve paid just €18m (£15.2m) for Demiral’s signature and one assumes that they would want to turn a profit.

Eriksen has previously told the club that he wishes to play abroad in order to broaden his horizons and it was anticipated that interest would come from Spain, namely Real Madrid and Barcelona, in the summer.

Mourinho’s produced some incredible footballing stars – how much do you know about them?

However, there were no bids forthcoming and a move to Italy now seems a realistic proposition for the want-away playmaker.

It could be a perfect situation for Spurs, who could use the Italian club’s interest to swoop for their little-used defender, Demiral.

Meanwhile, Spurs fans have been reacting to a link with a swoop for a Championship star. 

There was one notable absentee from Everton’s latest training video ahead of their Premier League match against Brighton and Hove Albion at Goodison Park on Saturday – defender Lucas Digne.

It has certainly been a tough week for the Toffees following their 1-0 loss against arch-rivals Liverpool in the FA Cup last weekend, with Carlo Ancelotti’s full-strength side being beaten by a Jurgen Klopp team containing inexperienced youngsters and fringe players.

Digne played the full 90 minutes at Anfield but was nowhere to be seen in the latest clip from Finch Farm, with the hosts looking to bounce back from successive defeats against the Reds and Manchester City by getting a positive result against the Seagulls the weekend.

The 25-year-old has started 24 of the 25 games in all competitions he has been available for this term, missing the Carabao Cup clash against Leicester City having limped off in the first half against Manchester United a few days earlier.

His absence from training now could suggest that he is either injured or ill after what has been a busy festive period.

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However, one must also wonder whether this could be part of the fallout post-match at Anfield and whether he could potentially have been one of the players, as reported by The Athletic, who fired back at assistant manager Duncan Ferguson following the Scot’s post-match dressing room tirade.

The Athletic says that some senior players maintained they had given their all in the second 45 minutes against their local neighbours, with some said to have blamed the setup and tactics for the result.

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Ancelotti wouldn’t have taken kindly to that only having replaced Marco Silva last month, and perhaps Digne is one of the players who could pay the price in the short-term by being excluded.

That is complete speculation at this stage though, and we’ll wait and see what happens when the team-sheet is announced tomorrow afternoon.

In other Everton news, the Toffees are reportedly targeting a “leader” striker who is finally good enough to replace Romelu Lukaku…

After Aston Villa’s promotion to the top-flight, the big question no doubt would have surrounded whether they have the requisite quality to stay up this season. And after 21 games, the club find themselves 17th in the Premier League, and hovering just above the relegation zone by virtue of a single point.

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But one man who can’t be faulted for where Villa currently find themselves, is Jack Grealish. The play-maker has been at the heart of his side’s fight to stave off the drop, scoring six times and providing a further five assists in the competition. And naturally, fans of other clubs have taken notice.

Arsenal supporters have flooded to Twitter to voice their thoughts on the 24-year-old, and have urged their club to sign him up.

A couple of fans suggested that Grealish has proved he is ready for a move to a “better team”, with one supporter in particular urging the Gunners to move quickly so their rivals don’t sign him first.

A few fans brought up Mesut Ozil’s name in the conversation with Grealish, suggesting that the latter could potentially be the perfect man to replace the German talisman. In contrast, another supporter even felt the two could even perform in the same team together.

With Ozil not getting any younger, Arsenal may well be in the market for a number ten in the not-so-distant future. The former Germany international will turn 32 later this year, and whilst the Gunners may turn to an academy product like Emile Smith Rowe, there is no doubting they will be on the look-out for a proven player too.

Quickfire Quiz: How much do you know about Arsenal’s history in the January transfer window?

And Grealish’s performances in the Premier League have shown that he can handle the rigours of the top-flight, and could well be the man to carry the Gunners forward.

Meanwhile, Arsenal must avoid losing this much-criticised man due to their growing crisis.

Tottenham Hotspur are demanding ‘big money for a loan fee’ before allowing Kyle Walker-Peters to leave the club, according to journalist Alan Nixon.

The 22-year-old has allegedly decided that he wants to join Crystal Palace this month.

The Englishman started his team’s first three matches of the 2019/20 Premier League campaign against Aston Villa, Manchester City and Newcastle United.

He has not been involved in the league since, though, and has not even made the squad for a top-flight outing since Jose Mourinho’s arrival as head coach.

According to Nixon, any switch for Walker-Peters is currently being held up due to Tottenham wanting ‘big money’ before sanctioning a loan exit.

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Spurs are not exactly full of options at right-back having allowed Kieran Trippier to leave over the summer without signing a replacement, but it does not appear that Walker-Peters is anywhere near Mourinho’s plans in the league.

Nixon’s tweet on the subject is available to view below:

Meanwhile, journalist Fabrizio Romano has provided an update on the future of another unsettled player at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Leeds United’s pursuit of a striker seems to be at a bit of an impasse at the moment.

Che Adams doesn’t seem to be on his way, they’ve been knocked back in their pursuit of Andre Gray, and Dwight Gayle’s injury seems to be affecting their interest there.

Of course, they aren’t the only strikers available, and they’re not the only ones they’ve been linked with.

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It was a while back now, but Leeds have reportedly shown an interest in signing Matej Vydra in this window (The Mirror 22/11 page 74).

However, it seems as if the club are hesitant to go for that deal as Phil Hay has stated that Leeds’ history with Vydra may put them off looking into signing him again.

For anyone who can’t remember, the Czech forward was due to sign for Leeds in a deal worth £11m, but that fell apart late on as the two parties couldn’t agree personal terms.

Vydra went to Burnley and Leeds signed Patrick Bamford, and from that point the rest is history.

However, with Vyrdra only playing 100 minutes of league football this term, and Leeds’ need for a striker the interest has seemingly been drummed up again, but the feeling around the club is seemingly that they don’t want the same thing to happen again.

Perhaps the club are being overly-pessimistic with that view though.

The former Derby man was a hot commodity last time Leeds went for him, as he’d just won the Championship Golden Boot, but since then he’s become something of a forgotten man at Burnley as he’s played just 100 minutes this term.

He wouldn’t be able to be as picky with his destination this time, as he’s not done enough lately to warrant huge interest in his services, but if he can rekindle the form that saw him score 21 times for the Rams last time he was in the Championship he could be a wonderful addition to United’s frontline.

Leeds should swallow their pride and take the plunge and ask about Vydra as the transfer window is ticking down and their options are becoming more limited by the day.

In other news, Phil Hay has hinted towards a late transfer twist for Leeds United.

According to John Percy of The Telegraph, Aston Villa forward Scott Hogan is set for another temporary exit away from the club.

What’s he said?

Hogan is currently on loan with Stoke City but it was made apparent over the weekend that the Potters didn’t want him.

It also appeared as though Villa wouldn’t be too active in trying to find him a new club.

However, it now looks like he’s found himself a new side and it’s none other than Villa’s fierce rivals Birmingham City.

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In a post on Twitter, Percy laid down the news, claiming that he was set to join the Blues.

Tough times

It’s hard to think this is the same player who scored 14 goals in 25 outings for Brentford in 2016/17.

Since making the move to Villa Park he simply hasn’t lived up to expectation and has netted just 11 times in the league. Six of those have been for Villa as the forward has struggled significantly to make an impact wherever he’s gone.

At Sheffield United last term, he found the net twice while he’s only started on four occasions for Stoke this season.

That’s seen him bag three strikes but it’s clearly not been enough to keep him at the bet365 Stadium.

Alan Nixon noted last week that the Villans didn’t want to recall him, something that says an awful lot given they have minimal options in attack despite signing Mbwana Samatta – he is yet to play for the club while Keinan Davis has only just returned to fitness too.

Hogan’s contract expires in the summer and with a further loan spell beckoning, it feels unlikely that he’ll ever play for the club again.

Meanwhile, Villa have been linked with a move to sign a former Premier League forward…

According to Sky in Italy, via Sky Sports, Tottenham Hotspur target Olivier Giroud is a wanted man in Serie A, which leaves Jose Mourinho staring down the barrel of yet another striker setback.

What’s the word?

It’s claimed that Lazio are keen on signing the Frenchman on a permanent two-and-a-half-year deal, worth €3m (£2.5m) per season.

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But Inter Milan are also said to be keen on bidding for Giroud, as his time at Stamford Bridge appears almost certain to come to a close by the end of play today.

Sky Sports believe that the 33-year-old would be open to a move to Spurs and indeed Tottenham have been credited with an interest.

However, the sudden competition for Giroud’s signature isn’t good news for the Lilywhites.

Another setback

The north Londoners have already missed out on one of their reported targets, and now they could lose out yet again.

Spurs were linked to then-AC Milan striker Krzysztof Piatek, but Mourinho wanted to sign the Pole on loan whereas the Serie A giants preferred a permanent move – resulting in him joining Hertha Berlin for £23.5m.

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Now they could see another strike target slip through their fingers as a number of alternative suitors, who may not view Giroud as simply a stand-in for the injured Harry Kane, emerge ahead of the Friday deadline.

Giroud is likely keen on sourcing regular game time with the 2020 European Championship this summer, and Lazio’s offer a sign that they would trust him to feature often, given his deal would run until 2022.

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Mourinho now faces a race against time if he is to secure a player that can deputise in the absence of injured top goalscorer Kane.

And in other news, Alasdair Gold says Spurs targeting two additions before the deadline…