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Broadcaster Kevin Hatchard has claimed Newcastle United transfer target Moussa Diaby’s form has dipped since they attempted to sign the winger.

The Lowdown: Newcastle looking for attacking reinforcements

The Magpies were interested in Diaby over the summer but walked away once they realised Bayer Leverkusen were demanding a hefty price that they weren’t keen to budge on.

Since then, Newcastle have brought in Alexander Isak for £60m, so a move for Diaby this month is perhaps unlikely, although BILD in Germany is reporting that PIF remain keen on landing the winger later this year.

However, they will likely only move for Diaby if his price tag has come down, which it should have given he would have one year less on his contract, and with just nine league goal involvements this season, he may not warrant as hefty a fee.

The Latest: PIF remain keen on Diaby

Diaby certainly still has huge potential given how young he is, but Hatchard hinted live on Sky Sports that a deal may have to wait until the summer for Newcastle.

He said: “German media [are] talking about [Diaby], not for this window, but saying that Newcastle are still very much interested. They were heavily linked with him in the summer.

“He hasn’t had the best of seasons, but nor have Leverkusen – they’ve been hopeless for most of the campaign. So he’s definitely dipped, but there’s great potential there.

“When he’s at the top level, he is explosive; really quick, fun player to watch.”

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The Verdict: Diaby to take Magpies to the next level

It was reported over the summer that Leverkusen were wanting around £60m for Diaby, which was fair enough given he was coming off the back of a campaign that saw him register 17 goals and 14 assists across all competitions.

If Eddie Howe could get that tune out of Diaby on Tyneside, he could seriously improve the Toon’s fortunes because he would likely replace fellow countryman Allan Saint-Maximin, who has found starts difficult to come by this season.

Diaby is a bit younger than Saint-Maximin and is seemingly more effective when it comes to goal involvements when comparing the two, but any such move could depend on whether or not the former wishes to depart for regular first-team football or if wishes to try and develop his game under Howe.

Journalist Ross Gregory has claimed that Newcastle United will be in the market to sign a backup for Kieran Trippier this January.

What’s the word?

At the moment, the Magpies are flying. Indeed, they currently sit third in the league having just picked up a point away from home against table-toppers Arsenal.

With that in mind, Eddie Howe won’t want anything to disrupt his team’s momentum and it sounds as though the club are keen to bring in some fresh faces this winter.

While talking about it all on NUFC Matters, Gregory claimed that the club are looking to target ‘two or three positions’ with a new right-back one of those areas to strengthen.

He said: “My understanding, from people that I’ve spoken to, is that there are two or three positions that they have identified.

“And one is a backup right-back to Kieran Trippier. Javier Manquillo, I don’t think, is in favour, and obviously Emil Krafth’s got a bit of an injury situation.

“Then there’s the defensive midfield position, which we’ve talked about, and then there’s another forward attacking player.”

Squad depth

Obviously, seeing as Trippier has worn the captain’s armband on 17 of 18 Premier League starts this season, the Magpies aren’t looking to replace him.

However, should he get injured they could be in a bit of trouble. After all, Manquillo has just ten minutes of league football to his name this term and so clearly isn’t rated that highly by Howe. On top of that, as mentioned by Gregory, Krafth is out with a long-term injury and so won’t be ready to play any time soon.

Interestingly enough, Sky Sports have recently reported that the club are considering signing right-back Ivan Fresneda from Real Valladolid, having watched him on multiple occasions of late.

At the tender age of 18, the teen could be a good fit to come in and learn his trade under 32-year-old Trippier over the next few seasons.

Wolves are interested in signing Atletico Madrid pair Felipe and Matheus Cunha, according to an update from reliable journalist Steve Madeley.

The Lowdown: Lopetegui eyeing up new additions

Julen Lopetegui is preparing for his time in the Molineux dugout to fully click into gear once the Premier League gets underway again, having replaced Bruno Lage as manager last month.

The Spaniard is likely to want new signings as soon as possible, as he looks to bring in players who can suit his style of play and take Wolves to the next level.

Cunha has been linked with a move to Molineux recently, and a new update has emerged name-checking him and one of his Atletico team-mates.

The Latest: Wolves keen on Atletico pair

Taking to Twitter on Monday morning, Madeley communicated Wolves’ interest in Felipe as well as Cunha, attributing it to Fabrizio Romano.

He tweeted:

“Realise I’m very late to the party on this one but been laid low with a sickness bug since Friday. As per @FabrizioRomano , Wolves are keen on adding Atletico Madrid pair Felipe (centre back) and Matheus Cunha (striker) in January. Talks at an early stage but serious.”

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The Verdict: Get them both

If Wolves managed to acquire the signatures of both Felipe and Cunha, it would feel like hugely productive transfer business at centre-back and up front.

Felipe has been a stalwart at the back for Atletico, making 112 appearances, and while he may be past his best at 33, he could be an influential squad option for Wolves given his ample experience at La Liga and Champions League level.

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Meanwhile, Lopetegui will know that he needs more firepower in the final third given the injury problems suffered by Raul Jimenez and Sasa Kalajdzic and the Old Gold’s status as the Premier League’s lowest scorers.

Cunha is someone who has scored goals in both Germany and Spain, whether it be for Hertha Berlin, RB Leipzig or Diego Simeone’s side, so he appears to be a very worthwhile target for Wolves.

West Ham United are prepared to receive a ‘cut-price’ fee for midfielder Conor Coventry in the January transfer window as they tell him to find a new club.

The Lowdown: West Ham academy exodus?

The Irons could be facing an academy exodus, judging by recent reports out of east London.

Indeed, Claret and Hugh have suggested that West Ham are in danger of losing some young talent in the next 12 months as both Harrison Ashby and Coventry approach the end of their contracts.

The latter has struggled to fight his way into David Moyes’ plans since returning to the Premier League club from a loan spell at MK Dons last year.

The Latest: West Ham tell Coventry to leave…

As per Football Insider, it appears that West Ham have outlined a winter transfer plan for the 22-year-old as opposed to losing him for nothing in the summer.

It is believed that the Hammers have told Coventry he is free to begin the search for a new club, and West Ham would ‘would rather receive a cut-price fee’ for the midfielder in January than risk letting him go for free.

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The Verdict: Time to go?

Coventry playing just a solitary top-flight minute this season tells you all you need to know in that he doesn’t appear to be in Moyes’ plans moving forward.

Having been called an ‘exciting’ talent by members of the media, this could be deemed an underwhelming end to the Irish youngster’s time at the London Stadium.

The best solution now for both club and player is a mid-season move, mainly to gain West Ham some funds and grant the youngster some first-team minutes sooner rather than later.

Having been dumped out of the EFL Cup by Derby County earlier this season, West Bromwich Albion got a much-needed rest during midweek whilst the majority of their rivals faced the next round of the competition.

As such, their last game remains their impressive 1-0 win over Queens Park Rangers last weekend, which was the first time this season the Baggies had won two games in a row.

They now host Stoke City, knowing that a win could finally lift them out of the Championship relegation zone.

For once the Spaniard boss has few new injuries to report and actually could welcome back some new faces into the fold.

With that in mind, Corberan can be expected to make just two changes from that side that downed the Rangers on the road.

Alex Palmer will once again continue in goal, behind a back four bolstered by a big injury boost.

Whilst Erik Pieters and Darnell Furlong will remain in the full-back positions, Semi Ayayi is poised to make a return to the starting lineup after it was detailed nearly two weeks ago that he and two others were in the “last step of their recoveries”.

The “powerful” £16.5k-per-week stopper – as dubbed by Kevin Phillips – will be a welcome return to partner the resurgent Kyle Bartley. Young Dara O’Shea will be an unfortunate casualty of this recall.

Given their return to The Hawthorns, a midfield shuffle can be expected to allow West Brom to play more on the front foot.

As such, Taylor Gardner-Hickman will replace Jayson Molumby, whilst Okay Yokuslu will remain the sole enforcer in the engine room.

That, therefore, leaves an unchanged front four, which once again sees them start without a recognised striker.

John Swift will be hoping to continue his fine form in the number ten role, flanked by the talents of Jed Wallace and Grady Diangana.

Matt Phillips will remain up front, with his relentless running and experience sure to be imperative to maintaining an efficient press that could win them the game.

This game may come just too soon for the returning Daryl Dike.

Predicted West Brom XI: Palmer; Furlong, Bartley, Ajayi, Pieters; Yokuslu, Gardner-Hickman; Wallace, Swift, Diangana; Phillips.

Glasgow Rangers turn their attention back to Premiership action this weekend as they host Aberdeen at Ibrox on Saturday.

The Light Blues are without a win in their last two matches in all competitions and should be looking to return to winning ways on their own turf.

Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s men head into the game off the back of a 3-0 defeat in Italy to Napoli in the Champions League on Wednesday night.

It was a rough night in Naples for the Gers and the Dutch head coach may look to make some changes to his starting XI in order to come away with all three points against Aberdeen.

One player he must bring back into the XI after leaving him on the bench in Europe is right winger Rabbi Matondo. The Welsh international should be unleashed this weekend ahead of Scottish forward Scott Wright.

Van Bronckhorst selected Wright against Napoli and then substituted him at half-time after the attacker lost half of his individual duels and ceded possession six times from 20 touches in the first half.

In the Premiership, the former Aberdeen man produced one assist and failed to score a single goal in seven appearances for Rangers this season, whilst also failing to create a single big chance.

The 25-year-old has not been able to provide a consistent threat from out wide in the Scottish top flight. Whereas, Matondo has proven that he can regularly deliver quality service into the box from the right wing.

Former Wales boss Ryan Giggs once described the gem as “electrifying” and Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola previously dubbed him “incredibly fast”, which provides an insight into the threat he can offer in the wide areas by using his pace to go past players.

The £12k-per-week forward has racked up three assists in five Premiership starts this season. He has also created three big chances and averaged 1.1 key passes per game, which shows that he is creating a high volume of quality opportunities for his teammates when he is getting on the pitch,

Matondo, who scored nine goals and created four big chances in 23 starts for Cercle Brugge in the Belgian top-flight in 2021/22, has the quality to be a difference-maker at the top end for the Gers. He has shown that he has more to offer out wide than Wright does and that is why van Bronckhorst should unleash him from the start against Aberdeen.

Aston Villa correspondent Ashley Preece is ‘buzzing’ for teenager Aaron Ramsey after nailing down a place in Norwich City’s side.

The Lowdown: Ramsey at Carrow Road

Former Villa boss Dean Smith took Ramsey on loan over the summer, but the 19-year-old had to remain patient for an opportunity at Carrow Road.

Ramsey’s first Championship start came at the end of August, and the attacking midfielder has featured from the off ever since.

He’s registered three assists in the second tier, with the Canaries currently in the automatic promotion places looking for an immediate return to the Premier League.

The Latest: Preece’s comments

Taking to Twitter, Preece shared a story for Birmingham Live regarding Ramsey’s time at Carrow Road.

He said on social media that the player is ‘flying’ under Smith, adding that he was personally ‘buzzing’ for the youngster.

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The Verdict: Good signs

Ramsey has played as an attacking midfielder, right midfielder and left winger under Smith, showing his versatility.

He has registered more assists (three) than any other Norwich player and also ranks highly for key passes per game, as per WhoScored, so loan development coach Mile Jedinak should be happy with the progress so far.

Hopefully, Ramsey will continue to shine in the second tier, and if he does, he could be knocking on the door for a first-team breakthrough next season alongside his brother Jacob.

Jesse Marsch’s Leeds United have had a mixed start to the 2022/23 Premier League as they sit 11th in the table after six outings in the division.

The Whites have spread out their results equally with two wins, two draws, and two losses in the top-flight so far, whilst scoring 10 goals and conceding 10.

They avoided relegation back down to the Championship by the skin of their teeth last season as they finished three points above 18th-placed Burnley and will be hoping that they are further clear of the drop zone this time around.

Only Norwich (84) conceded more games than the Whites (79) in the Premier League in 2021/22 and their struggling defence has reared its ugly head again this term, with 10 goals conceded so far – including five against Brentford in their last outing.

Whilst the quality of the defending could be brought into question, Illan Meslier’s form has been a cause for concern over the last few months or so.

In 2021/22, Meslier ranked 18th out of the 21 listed Premier League goalkeepers in terms of save percentage, stopping 65.6% of the shots against him.

Out of the 42 goalkeepers used throughout the campaign, the Frenchman ranked bottom for goals conceded compared to the post-shot xG he faced. He conceded 7.3 more goals than the average goalkeeper would be expected to let in based on the quality of the shots against him.

This season, he ranks 19th out of 24 goalkeepers as he has allowed 1.4 more goals than expected after six appearances and these statistics suggests that he has been below par since the start of 2021/22.

The Leeds glovesman is – quite simply – not saving enough of the shots that he should be saving – if he wants to be a competent Premier League shot-stopper – and it is costing Marsch’s team on the pitch.

Fabrizio Romano described the gem as being “untouchable” during the summer transfer window but director of football Victor Orta could now land an upgrade on him by signing Yassine Bounou, who has been linked with a January switch to Elland Road, from Sevilla.

Journalist Josh Bunting previously claimed that the Morocco international has “outstanding reflexes” and his statistics back that up, as he ranks in the 92nd percentile among goalkeepers in Europe’s top five leagues over the last 365 days for goals conceded compared to post-shot xG – saving 0.20 more than expected.

During the 2021/22 La Liga campaign, he saved 76% of the shots that he faced and his shot-stopping statistics suggest that he would be a major upgrade on Meslier between the sticks and improve the club’s defensive record.

Over the last 365 days, he has also stopped a higher percentage (8.6%) of crosses into his box than the Leeds man (7.1%) and this means that the Sevilla man could be more effective at dominating his box.

Meslier, 22, is still learning and gaining experience in the game and spending some time on the sidelines as the number two to Bono, 31, could be a tough learning curve that he needs to go through to take his game to the next level.

He could learn from the 6 foot 4 Moroccan machine and improve his own performances and this is why Orta must bring the Sevilla man in during the January window because he can be an upgrade on the Frenchman in the short-term whilst also helping the young gem to develop for the future.

Liverpool have shown an interest in signing Benfica midfielder Enzo Fernandez before deadline day ends, according to reliable journalist Melissa Reddy.

The Lowdown: Midfield search continues

Injuries to the likes of Thiago, Naby Keita, Curtis Jones and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain have left the Reds in a perilous situation, with midfield options severely lacking.

It means there is a real need to bring in a new signing before the Thursday night cutoff, or risk leaving Jurgen Klopp with a far weaker-looking squad until at least January.

A number of players have been linked with solving the issue – such as Ruben Neves and Frenkie De Jong – but a new name has now been thrown into the mix.

The Latest: Fernandez scouted

Writing for Sky Sports, Reddy claimed that Julian Ward and Liverpool scouts have kept a ‘watching brief’ on Fernandez, following his move from River Plate to Benfica.

No bid has been tabled but he appears to be someone who could potentially be a late-window target.

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The Verdict: Feels increasingly unlikely

As frustrating as it will be for many supporters, it does feel as though the chances of Liverpool signing a new midfielder are diminishing all the time, with Klopp only wanting someone who is close to the perfect fit.

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It is an approach that has worked superbly throughout his tenure, in fairness, but this is a desperate situation and the Reds need to take a punt on someone who could end up being more of a gamble. If not, their season could be affected greatly.

And Fernandez is a player who would be an exciting addition, with Premier League legend Robert Pires once saying that he ‘loved’ watching him and that he ‘gives solutions’ for his teammates, suggesting the 21-year-old could bring much some much-need guile in the middle of the park.

Talent scout Jacek Kulig delivered an in depth profile on the player when Benfica brought him to Europe, describing the youngster as a ‘fantastic midfielder’ and a ‘playmaker’ with great technique, versatility, ‘very high’ football IQ and top tackling ability.

Everton centre-back Yerry Mina could be sold between now and the end of the summer window, according to reliable journalist Paul Brown.

The Lowdown: Mina out injured for Everton

The Blues have made a disappointing start to their Premier League season, losing their opening two matches to Chelsea and Aston Villa.

Mina picked up an ankle ligament injury in the opening game against the former, with the Colombian expected to be sidelined for around eight weeks.

It could even be that he has played his last game for Everton, however, if a new update is to be believed.

The Latest: Defender could be sold

Speaking to Give Me Sport, Brown claimed that Mina could be sold before the transfer cutoff on September 1:

“It wouldn’t surprise me. He is expected to be out for eight weeks, but it wouldn’t surprise me if Everton try to sell Mina before the end of the window.

“His contract is coming down and I’d be surprised if they offered him a new one, personally.”

The Verdict: Right time to sell?

There is no denying Mina’s quality as a centre-back when he is fully fit, with the 27-year-old winning 39 caps for Colombia and being hailed as a ‘monster’ by Michael Ball.

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Injuries have continually hampered his time at the club, though, and with James Tarkowski and Conor Coady arriving this summer, there could finally be enough depth to get by without him.

Selling Mina would also allow Everton to generate some much-needed transfer funds, with his current deal expiring next summer and a healthy fee potentially coming the Blues’ way for his services, rather than losing him for free in a year.