Key events
Right, that’s my hour done and I’ll hand back over to the dutiful Sarah Rendell, who will see you through to your Friday night drinks.
Sound that done deal claxon again. Lewis Travis has joined Ipswich on loan from Blackburn Rovers. He’ll wear the No 28 shirt with the Tractor Boys … and a quick glance at the X comments tells me that Blackburn fans aren’t too happy to see him going. The midfielder was captain at Ewood Park. Answers on a postcard please.
Luton’s Rob Edwards is delighted that Andros Townsend has signed a long-term contract with the Hatters after impressing in his short time at Kenilworth Road.
Andros has got an amazing attitude. He has some determination, is very driven, really focussed. He has worked tirelessly on himself to make sure he is in the best condition possible to perform.
I am delighted to make it more long term. The supporters have really taken to him. He has had a real impact on the club in a positive way. I am really pleased with him.
Eintracht Frankfurt in January 2024 = taking Premier League cast-offs on loan.
You’d hope that Wolves, after loaning Fabio Silva to Rangers as well, have a striker signing in mind this month.
🔴🦅 Eintracht Frankfurt have reached an agreement in principle with Wolves for Saša Kalajdžić, deal ready.
Verbal agreement on loan until June, as first called by BILD today. pic.twitter.com/atWKISMT1j
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) January 5, 2024
We can add Nottingham Forest to the of Premier League clubs who would probably rather use this month’s window to offload players rather than ship them in.
In fairness, with their bloated squad they need to. Andrey Santos has already gone after an unsuccessful loan, centre backs Scott McKenna and Joe Worrall could both leave and so could Andrew Omobamidele.
Nuno Espírito Santo expanded on the situation at the City Ground re January transfers:
We want to reduce the number of players in the squad, but at the same time we want to improve the quality. If someone comes, it is to help and to improve the quality. And it is not easy to improve the quality; it has to be the real one.
A quick rant/explainer on Manchester United and ambitous right-wing January targets and news stories:
United might be allowing Jadon Sancho to leave on loan this month, but the chances of a deal for Michael Olise, Nico Williams or any other young and expensive right-sided attacker are slim to nothing, unfortunately for them. That’s mainly due to Financial Fair Play restrictions and the fact the Premier League will take a few weeks to fully ratify the partial takeover by Sir Jim Ratcliffe and Ineos. That’s how United landed in a situation where a loan for former Stoke City flop Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting is currently their most likely January signing. Sir Jim and co will hope to change that in the long-term, but the short-term at Old Trafford still looks fairly bleak both on the pitch and in the transfer market.
Rant over. Smiley face.
Danny Ings. Where shalt thou head next?
This Manchester United fan expressed his concern over (very tenuous) reports linking Ings with an Old Trafford move. And Elon Musk’s social media disgrace responded accordingly.
Aston Villa will not delve into the notoriously tricky™ January market unless they really need to, according to Unai Emery.
Speaking at a press conference before their FA Cup third round tie against Middlesbrough, the man who’s managed all the Villas said on this month’s transfer window:
One or two players could leave. Maybe. It’s not clear. But if we are trying to get someone, it’s because we are very convinced they will increase the level in our squad.
Villa have been linked with former West Ham winger Felipe Anderson, Celtic mainstay Matt O’Riley and Hellas Verona’s Cyril Ngonge this month.
Thanks Sarah. Just the power hour for me today. Anybody heard from Jadon Sancho? His Dortmund loan deal is dragging its heels a tad.
Well I am off to take a screen break but I will be back in an hour. For now I leave you in the care of Dominic Booth who will take you through any breaking news and rumours that crop up. See you soon!
Swansea appoint Williams as manager
Swansea City have named Luke Williams as their new manager and he has signed a three-and-a-half year deal.
He joins from Notts County, who he led to promotion into League Two last season.
Swansea City Chairman Andy Coleman said: “As I have said previously, we have undertaken a diligent and detailed process to find our next head coach. I have been fortunate to spend a lot of time with Luke recently. I have looked him in the eye and know that we can trust Luke to be a coach and leader who is aligned with our vision for Swansea City.
“He fits right into the mould of other talented and ambitious young managers who have succeeded here. I am confident our supporters will be excited by and proud of this Luke Williams-led Swansea City team.”
The press conference fun continues and West Ham’s team coach Billy McKinlay has spoken to the media. He was inevitably asked about defender Thilo Kehrer’s loan move to Monaco, which was confirmed earlier today.
“Thilo Kehrer had a good 18 months with us and was a significant part of our squad,” the coach said. “This year, he’s maybe not played as much as he’d like but moving to Monaco on loan is a good chance for him to get some minutes.”
Here’s the latest rumour mill to get your teeth into:
Some transfer news in the women’s game as Asia Bragonzi has been recalled by Juventus from her loan spell at Sampdoria. The Italian side are suffering with a spate of injuries and it’s thought forward Bragonzi is back to cover.
She scored one goal for Sampdoria while on loan and it came against Juventus in the final match of 2023 in the Serie A.
Is that a sound of a claxon I hear? Yes it is because there has been a new signing, this time in the Championship as Stoke City have signed Leicester City goalkeeper Daniel Iversen on loan for the rest of the season.
Iversen has not played for Leicester since May but did play in the Premier League for the club last season.
“We have been tracking Daniel since January of last year, prior to him making his Premier League debut for Leicester City,” said Stoke’s Technical Director Ricky Martin.
“He has gained a variety of experiences across all four divisions, including a successful spell in the Championship with Preston and his introduction to top-flight football last season.
“When we learned of Daniel’s availability, we were quick to act as we believe he is a high-quality addition to our goalkeeping group and someone who can help us climb the table during the second half of the campaign.”
Jacob Steinberg
Chelsea are expected to recall David Datro Fofana from his loan at Union Berlin. He has scored just twice in 17 matches for the Bundesliga club.
Sevilla and Real Betis are both looking at loaning the striker. It hasn’t happened for him in Germany.
Manchester City’s Pep Guardiola is the next up, before his club’s FA Cup match against Huddersfield on Sunday. He is first quizzed about injuries where he says Erling Haaland, Kevin de Bruyne and Jeremy Doku are progressing well but he is unsure about their involvement on Sunday or next weekend’s Premier League match against Newcastle.
He also added on John Stones, who picked up an ankle injury against Everton: “John Stones is getting better but he is not training with us.”
Guardiola was then asked about the transfer window but he didn’t give much away: “There is no news. The club did not inform me anything about that.
“Kalvin [Phillips] could not train the last five days because he was sick. What is going to happen is going to happen. I don’t know the desires of the players. He has been congested and had fever. I don’t talk about transfer windows here.”
Pochettino is not the only manager being asked about transfers, Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has also been in front of the press before the busy FA Cup weekend.
On transfers and injuries he said: “Unfortunately, Jurrien [Timber] has a very long-term injury. He’s doing really well but is still far from training with the team. It’s what we have, with Tomi having to leave. We’re open for the market, but the emphasis is of making the most of the players we have.
“We’ll work with the club to understand if there are any possibilities.”
There has been so much chatter about Conor Gallagher in this window, some reporting he is moving away from Chelsea and others saying he will remain at Stamford Bridge. With all the speculation Pochettino was asked about his player’s future.
“I think we need to talk about many many things,” he said. “I think it’s clear that Conor still has a one-and-a-half year contract with us. Of course that is like all the players in other clubs, you arrive at this point, always about to talk, to take some decisions for the future.
“Of course it is going to be between the club and player. But in the moment nothing to announce, nothing to say. The club is happy with him. He is happy here and I think at the moment there is nothing to announce.”
The chaos of afternoon press conferences begin. Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino has faced the media before his side face Preston in the third round of the FA Cup on Saturday.
The boss confirmed there are no new injuries in the squad but that Ben Chilwell, Carney Chukwuemeka and Romeo Lavia will not be available to play.
When asked about the transfer window, he said: “We need to sit together, in an official meeting. I think we are all always, every single day, talking about the squad. There are some players that we own like Andrey Santos [who can] come back from loan from Nottingham Forest. We need to take some decisions.
“I think I am happy with the squad that we have. We are focused on recovering the players as soon as possible. But at the moment, yes we are assessing the things we see in the squad and see some possibilities. Maybe we can do or not, but at the moment we did not take any decisions.”
He also commented on Conor Gallagher, stay tuned for that update coming next.
Buchanan signs for Inter
New signing claxon! Inter have signed Tajon Buchanan from Bruges. The move is reported to be worth £8.6m and fans can expect to see the Canada midfielder in action for his first appearance on 13 January.
The star comes in as the team were reportedly looking for a replacement for the injured Juan Cuadrado.
A fun fact about this signing is that Buchanan is the first male Canadian player to compete in the Italian league.
The news from Everton is not too surprising, especially after manager Sean Dyche’s reaction to the decision after the match last night.
“I’m a fan [of VAR] but we’re all aware it needs tidying up,” he said. “I thought it was getting tidied up but it seems to have stepped back a little bit. I remain a fan, but it is beginning to test my patience.”
Everton to appeal Calvert-Lewin red card
A huge talking point from last night’s FA Cup 0-0 draw between Crystal Palace and Everton was Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s red card. There was debate around whether it should have been given and now Everton have announced they are appealing the decision.
In a statement, the club said: “Everton Football Club has today notified the FA of its decision to appeal the red card issued to Dominic Calvert-Lewin in our FA Cup third round fixture at Crystal Palace on Thursday evening.”
I’d love to hear from you, get in touch and let me know your thoughts on this transfer window. Who do you want your club to sign? What signing will have the biggest impact for the rest of the season? If you want to chat about anything else that is welcome too.
On my blogs I usually have a snack chat and today I have some Jaffa cakes. Here’s a discussion topic, are Jaffa cakes biscuits or cakes? I personally think they are cakes. You can get in touch via email or Twitter (or X as it’s not called) @rendellx.
Now this would be a big move if it comes to fruition, Eric Dier has reportedly agreed terms with Bayern Munich, according to Football Insider. The Tottenham Hotspur defender would link up with former teammate Harry Kane if they move goes through.
The England international has fallen out of favour at Spurs this season and so a move to Bayern could be a good option for the 29-year-old, whose Tottenham deal runs out at the end of the season.
It is thought though that the deal to Bayern will not be approved by Tottenham unless they sign a defender in the transfer window.
Nottingham Forest defender Scott McKenna is attracting attention in the transfer window, according to Sky Sports. The Scotland international has interest from Celtic and Rangers and it’s reported the move could start out as a loan move but then become a permanent deal in the summer.
The 27-year-old’s deal at the Premier League club comes to an end in June.
Let’s circle back to the latest news in men’s football with Ben Brereton Diaz signing for Sheffield United on loan from Villarreal. We had some reaction to it earlier, which you can see below, but for all the information you need in one place have a read of the story:
Manchester United have recalled winger Alyssa Aherne from her loan to Everton but it doesn’t seem the 19-year-old will be playing for Marc Skinner’s side for the rest of the season. The club said in the announcement of the recall that they are seeking “further development opportunities for her elsewhere”.
The teenager signed her first professional contract for the club in May after playing for the academy since she was 13-years-old.
Thank you Barry and good afternoon all, we do have a lot of press conferences coming this afternoon so strap in for all of those updates. But first some news from women’s football. Denmark international and former Everton defender Rikke Sevecke has been forced to retire at the age of 27 because of a heart condition.
“I’m not sure how to find the right words,” she said. “But as of now I will no longer be running around doing what I’ve done my whole life, playing football.
“The past months I’ve had some tests done and I recently got the results back which says that I have a heart condition. This means I’m not allowed to continue playing professional football and I’ve therefore been forced to stop playing immediately.” Read the full story:
Handover: With plenty more managers due to speak this afternoon, I’ll leave you in the very capable hands of Sarah Rendell, who will bring you the pick of their gems of wisdom.
Salford City appoint Karl Robinson
Done deal! The former MK Dons, Charlton Athletic and Oxford United manager is the new head coach of Salford City and will take over from Neil Wood, who was sacked by gary Neville and his fellow alumni from the Class of 91 after their team was hammered 5-1 by Tranmere Rovers on Boxing Day.
“We are delighted to welcome Karl to Salford City as our new Head Coach,” sasid Nicky Butt, one of the club’s co-owners. “Throughout the interview and appointment process he impressed us with his wealth of knowledge and ability.
“Salford City’s ambition is to play as high up in the Football League as possible so when we entered the recruitment process we felt it was important for us to appoint someone with experience of managing at a higher level, and Karl’s long-term vision for the club, drive and determination excited us”
Salford currently sit fourth from bottom in League Two and host Troy Deeney’s Forest Green, the worst side in the division, tomorrow afternoon.
Ben Brereton Diaz signs for Sheffield United
Done deal! The Chilean international winger was rumoured to be undergoing a medical with the Blades this morning and it has now been confirmed that he has signed on loan from Villarreal until the end of the season.
“For me, the fact that he really wanted to come here and play in the Premier League was a big factor,” said Chris Wilder.
“I didn’t have to say much about Sheffield United because he knows all about us already, he’s done his homework and liked what he’d heard and what we had to say to him.
“Bringing players to this club, first and foremost they need to want to be here, and Ben showed a real appetite and enthusiasm for the challenge ahead, and that was key for me.”
“He’s excited about playing for this club and I have no doubt this is a signing which will be a major help to us in the second part of this season.”
Manchester City: Zack Steffen has left the treble-winners and signed a three-year deal with MLS side Colorado Rapids. The goalkeeper made just 21 appearances in four years as a City player but leaves the club with two Premier League medals and a Carabao Cup winner’s medal to his name.
The American spent last season out on loan at Middlesbrough and the one before that in Germany with Fortuna Dusseldorf. His only appearance for City this season came in their Carabao Cup defeat at the hands of Newcastle in September.
Newcastle United: Having seen his side lose seven of their past eight games, exiting the Champions League and Carabao Cup in the process, Eddie Howe is under pressure to get his Newcastle team back to winning ways. There could be few places better to do so than at the Stadium of Light, where his team will face Sunderland at lunchtime tomorrow.
Due in no small part to the weird apathy of their previous owner Mike Ashley, Newcastle’s FA Cup record over the past 20 years is pretty dismal but they have also gone out to lower league opposition in the third round on both occasions since the Saudi takeover. Cambridge United beat them in a seismic upset at St James’ Park during Howe’s first season in charge, while Sheffield Wednesday knocked them out this time last year.
“I’m we’ll aware of my record here,” he told reporters. “It’s not been good. The two games we’ve had have been really disappointing so can’t shy away from that. We need to hit that head on and try and make up for it in this game.
“It’s our opportunity to progress in a cup competition, we want to do well in and we want the extra games in the other competitions. Every part of us wants to progress and do well.”
While it has nothing to do with Howe or his current crop of players, Newcastle’s recent record against Sunderland in Wear-Tyne derbies is not good. They’ve lost six out of the past seven, while the most recent one, played in March 2016, ended in a 1-1 draw.
Liverpool: With both Kostas Tsimikas and Andy Robertson currently sidelined with shoulder injuries, the club have recalled 21-year-old left-back Owen Beck from a loan spell with Dundee. Klopp has been discussing the decision to recall a youngster who has just two senior appearances for Liverpool to his name.
“We are really positive about Owen. He had two difficult loan spells but at Dundee everything was fine. Things can happen when you move away from home. It must be the right manager, right team … another experienced left-back already there, so many things can happen. The situation here is clear; we’ve lost two left-backs, so the boy we like is available so we bring him back. That is it.”
Liverpool: Juregen Klopp has been attending to his media duties ahead of Liverpool’s third round showdown against Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday. He confirmed that midfielder Dominik Szoboszlai will miss the game with a hamstring injury and was asked how he bade farewell to Mo Salah and Wataru Endo when they set off to compete in the Africa Cup of Nations and Asian Cup respectively.
“I said if I wish them good luck it would be a lie,” he said. “From a personal point of view, I would not be overly unhappy if they went out in the group stage, but it is probably not possible.
“But no, it’s fine, of course, I would be happy for them to go on and win it. I said good luck and come back healthy – that is pretty much the words and that is it. Now we have to deal with it and we will deal with it. I am pretty positive we will find a way but obviously we have to show that on the pitch.”
Howe on plans: ‘There’s a need to bring players in’
Newcastle United: Eddie Howe’s side will make the short 14-mile journey to Sunderland’s Stadium of Light tomorrow for the first Wear-Tyne derby in almost eight years.
Much of the pre-match hoopla has revolved around the Sunderland hierarchy’s baffling decision to redecorate one stadium bar with Newcastle colours and slogans ahead of the FA Cup tie, a move that has prompted understandable outrage from their fanbase and no end of derision from Newcastle supporters.
“These things can happen,” said Howe, with the faint traces of what could definitely be described as a smirk playing on his lips. “It’s up to Sunderland what they do with their stadium, it’s nothing to do with us.”
Asked about his plans for January, Howe said he had been given no assurances he will be given funds to spend this January but also claimed he is looking forward to freshening up his squad, whether it was with new faces or the more familiar ones of players returning to action after spells on the sidelines with injury.
“We will assess the month as it goes on,” he said. “In the short term there’s a need to bring players in with the dynamic of the squad currently. We hope we can get players back towards the end of January that will make a difference.”
Sheffield United: The Blades travel to Gillingham in the FA Cup tomorrow to negotiate what can safely be labelled a “potential banana skin”. Ahead of the game, Chris Wilder remained tight-lipped about the club’s efforts to bring the former Blackburn striker Ben Brereton-Diaz to Bramall Lane on loan from Villarreal, where he has failed to make much of an impact since moving to Spain in the summer.
“There’s names that have been put to us and we have talked to them and I have put the phone down and gone ‘No, it’s not the right one.’,” said Wilder. “We have to make that assessment. It’s everything – from a physical point of view with the way the Premier League is now, as we need some robust players and physicality about our play to freshness coming into the group, which I am sure we will get back.
“I want players who want to come here as well, which is massive and I believe that all those who come here will make a difference and the mentality will be good and strong and they will want to improve the group and themselves and make a difference to our results.” Sky Sports News are reporting that Brereton-Diaz is undergoing a medical with Sheffield United this morning.
Brentford: With top strikers thin on the ground and so many elite clubs in need of one, Ivan Toney is a player who will be in big demand once his ban for illegal betting activities ends on 20 January. The Brentford striker scored 21 goals in 36 appearances in all competitions last season but has not played since being disciplined in May.
Despite fears the 27-year-old may be a little ring-rusty upon his return to action, there is likely to be plenty of interest in Toney but his boss insists any club wishing to secure his services will have to pay top, top, top, top dollar.
Speaking ahead of Brentford’s FA Cup third round match against Wolves tonight, Thomas Frank said he hoped Toney wouldn’t be going anywhere. “He is a Brentford player,” he said. “He is here. Clearly, we miss a few offensive players and I can’t see why we should sell him. I would love to have him here for a long time. It would need to be an unbelievable price [for us to consider selling him], so he will stay here.”
The Brentford manager refused to talk numbers, or be drawn on what kind of price he would consider “unbelievable”, telling one reporter “you have a good imagination so you can figure it out”.
West Ham: Thilo Kehrer has finalised his loan move from the Europa Conference League champions to Monaco. Signed from Paris Saint-Germain in the summer of 2022, the 27-year-old German centre-back has not started a single Premier League game for David Moyes’s side this season and will move to Monaco for an initial loan deal of £431,000, with a £9m option to make it permanent at the end of the season.
Preamble
Good day, everyone. It being the Friday of a massively busy weekend of FA Cup third round action, managers the length and breadth of the UK will be pulling up chairs in media rooms around the country, ready to face barrages of questions regarding their January transfer plans, among other topics of interest.
While most, if not all of them will be keeping their cards close to their chests at this early stage of the window, we’ll bring you all the news that’s fit to print and some that will almost inevitably prove not to be as the day’s media briefings unfold.
