Chelsea have arguably had a more turbulent start to 2026 than any other Premier League side. They sacked Enzo Maresca on New Year’s Day and are still on the hunt for a new manager as they look to have a strong second half of the season.

It will be interesting to see how this affects the recruitment at Stamford Bridge, although it is unclear how much say the manager gets.

Reports following the Italian’s sacking suggest that the signing of Alejandro Garnacho was simply “put to Maresca for his opinion” rather than him having much input.

It certainly seems like recruitment will continue regardless of the managerial situation, and they are reportedly eyeing up a big target.

Chelsea target big-name Premier League star

Chelsea have not been afraid to splash the cash under the new owners, who seem to have the majority of power when it comes to transfers.

Their midfield, for example, is made up of £107m Enzo Fernandez and £115m Moises Caicedo.

However, the Blues might not be done there when it comes to signing expensive midfielders.

According to a report from Football Insider, they are said to be ‘closely monitoring’ Newcastle United star Sandro Tonali and have a ‘firm interest’ as they search for ‘proven Premier League midfielders.’

This might be a deal that the West Londoners are more likely to do in the summer rather than this January, but they are getting their due diligence in early. As for a price, it was revealed back in October that the midfielder could cost as much as £130m.

What Tonali could bring to Chelsea's midfield

There is no doubting the ability of former AC Milan star Tonali. He has shone in the middle of the park for the Magpies, living up to the “generational” tag he earned from journalist Carlo Garganese as far back as 2020.

Fast forward to 2025 and in the words of Newcastle journalist Joel Bland, the Italian is “one of the best midfielders in Europe”.

Indeed, this season has been another impressive campaign from the 30-cap Italian international. He’s featured 25 times in all competitions, chipping in with four assists along the way, sitting at the base of midfield and dictating play from deep.

Tonali is one half of a dominant midfield duo for the North Eastern outfit, alongside Bruno Guimamares. The pair have formed a brilliant partnership, and are “one of the best in the Premier League” according to the Brazilian.

The fact that Tonali is part of such a high-class midfield might well be music to Chelsea fans’ ears. They would no doubt hope he can form a similar partnership with their own £100m midfield stars, Fernandez and Caicedo.

The importance and talent of that existing Chelsea pairing is a massive part of the furniture in West London. It is their first-choice pivot, although perhaps Fernandez is better in a more advanced role, and has operated as a number 10 this season.

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Indeed, the 2022 World Cup winner has played 25 times this season, grabbing five goals and two assists in that time, showing his natural attacking instinct. As for Caicedo, he’s one of the best defensive midfielders around, making 23 appearances this term.

If Chelsea were to secure the signing of Tonali, he could add the quality on the ball that Chelsea need to make this midfield truly unstoppable. This season, he’s averaged 16.6 forward passes per 90 minutes and done well off the ball, with 5.5 ball recoveries each game.

Tonali key stats in 25/26 PL

Stat

Per 90 mins

Season total

Chances created

1.2

17

Long passes completed

2.6

38

Forward passes

16.6

244

Duels won

3.8

55

Ball recoveries

5.5

80

Stats from Squawka

Imagine that as a trio. The combative Caicedo sat alongside Tonali, who can help dictate play and progress things forward, with Fernandez playing higher up, operating in the final third. It really does feel like a very well-balanced midfield, with progression, a real engine and attacking threat from all three.

There is no doubt that £130m is a huge investment for the Blues. Yet, they’ve proven they are willing to spend that money, so they could complete one of the most expensive midfields in the world by signing Tonali, which can surely only be a good thing for Fernandez and Caicedo.

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Manchester City are now reportedly positioning themselves to sign a £100m star ahead of Manchester United after already beating them to Antoine Semenyo.

Man City closing in on Semenyo

The Citizens are set to make quite the statement by welcoming Semenyo in the January transfer window. Recent reports have claimed that their £65m deal to sign the Bournemouth winger could be wrapped up within 48 hours as he prepares to bid farewell to the Cherries against Chelsea this evening.

Given the interest of Liverpool, Tottenham Hotspur and others, Semenyo’s arrival represents how quickly Man City have returned to the top of the pecking order following a mixed summer transfer window. Those at the Etihad, as ever, are set to splash the cash with great conviction.

The 25-year-old will be the final piece to Pep Guardiola’s frontline as he sets his sights on leapfrogging Arsenal in the race to win another Premier League title.

As things stand, his side are just two points behind the Gunners, who crucially square off against an Aston Villa side this evening that beat them just a few weeks ago.

Related Man City submit £70m offer for "spectacular" star with Pep personally keen

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City, meanwhile, will travel to an impressive Sunderland side on New Year’s Day and Guardiola has been full of praise for his side in the build-up – telling reporters: “It is not easy but compete in a way we do. We have to improve, absolutely, but this mindset is better.”

The Citizens have rediscovered their ruthless streak on and off the pitch and they’re not stopping after Semenyo. According to TeamTalk, Man City are now positioning themselves to sign Elliot Anderson ahead of rivals Manchester United next summer.

Man City positioning themselves to sign Anderson

The Manchester club are reportedly confident of beating United to the midfielder’s signature next summer, but it won’t come cheap. Recent rumours have suggested that Anderson could cost them as much as £100m amid what has been an excellent individual season for the England international.

It’s easy to see why Man City have set their sights on Anderson. Guardiola has always progressed with Premier League trends and the current trend of added physicality is set to force the Spaniard away from the usual elegance of his midfield and towards the engine of the Forest star.

PL stats 25/26

Elliot Anderson

Bernardo Silva

Minutes

1,620

1,232

Tackles Won

33

8

Progressive Carries

24

26

Ball Recoveries

152

64

The numbers tell the story. Bernardo Silva, as much as his icon status is well secured at the Etihad, has struggled to make his mark in the current state of the Premier League. Anderson, meanwhile, has thrived.

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The Forest star has earned deserved praise as a result, with England boss Thomas Tuchel telling reporters earlier this season: “Anderson is a key player for us at the moment. He is one of the best midfielders in the Premier League – that’s why he is with us and starting for us.

“He deserves it because he has been nothing but impressive. He has to keep on going now though. He is a very complete and mobile midfielder, and that’s what he keeps showing me.”

With the Fifa approval of the goal-line technology ahead of the next Confederations Cup, followed by the Premier League clubs giving the thumbs up to its incorporation from next season, football takes its first steps into a new era with a general halo of agreement that proves that Michel Platini’s negative to implant the measurement in the Uefa competitions is just an inexplicable rant.

Even the old-school football top dogs and, in general, everyone with the mentality that ‘football is not the same as in the old days’ – often reluctant to any kind of evolution – have embraced the decision, leaving Platini on his own and fighting a lost battle with the poorest of the excuses: it’s too expensive.

At this stage it is perfectly clear that goal-line technology is needed and its implantation will be beneficial for football. But controversy arises when it comes to decide whether technology should be used to decide over other actions during the game. How far can we go using technology in football? What consequences would it have on the game as we know it nowadays?

We could admit that some important decisions that are, taken when the game is stopped, could be assisted by video replay without having a major impact on the pace of the game. For example, a player is down after a possible aggression and the referee has to stop the game. With simply another referee in front of a screen, the official could have information of what happened within seconds, and therefore act consequently.

It gets more complicated when it comes to decide over actions that will affect whether the game continues or not (i.e. a man goes down inside the box and the referee has to decide to give a penalty or carry on). In those cases, the teams would have to carry on playing until the game stops or the decision is communicated by radio.

The problem here is the subjectivity that many decisions imply. While deciding if the ball crossed the line or not doesn’t involve any assessment – sensors will cover that -, judging whether a challenge deserves a yellow or a red card can inevitably be attached to personal judgement. In numerous occasions we have been shown a replay from a hundred different angles and we still find it hard to decide.

It is in these situations where football, as it is now, could be affected. The idea of a relatively fast-paced sport could be blurred by the use of video replays to evaluate a controversial action. Besides, those who show their dis-conformity with the incorporation of technology in football rest their arguments in the difficulty of where to draw the line when deciding what actions should be decided by video.

Is a possible penalty worth a video assessment? Surely. And a hard challenge that could have injured a player? Of course. An offside position that ends up in a goal? The list could go on to the smallest of the debatable decisions, as all of them could result decisive in a punctual moment. Trying to rule what can or cannot be decided by replay could turn into a nightmare that only would bring controversy – one of the main things that technology should be aiming reduce.

The more reasonable step in this regard could be establishing a limit of actions that each team can recall, as it happens in tennis or American football. Giving the manager or the team captain the empowerment to decide when their team want an action to be reviewed would assure that the teams are acquiescent with when the game needs to be stopped, and setting a maximum of two or three recalls per game would guarantee its agility.

The fact that many decisions – even following the rules by the book – are subject to personal judgement is not reason enough to stop football from evolving. The controversial actions will remain controversial after a thousand replays, but the ones that are not should be judged fairly. There is too much in stake in football in these days for a goal, a game or a championship to be decided by a human error. Technology has to be there for when those human errors occur. After all, it doesn’t happen that often: many people would say ‘Hurst’, ‘Maradona’ and ‘Lampard’ if you asked them to name three.

[cat_link cat=”premiership” type=”grid”]

Leeds United director of football Victor Orta will leave the club at the end of the season, Leeds Radar report.

The Lowdown: Kinnear to resign?

It has been a busy five days at Elland Road following the 4-0 defeat to Tottenham on Saturday lunchtime, with Andrea Radrizzani and the 49ers enterprise deciding to sack Marcelo Bielsa.

Jesse Marsch was announced as the Argentine’s successor on Monday evening, with reports on the same day suggesting that chief executive Angus Kinnear will resign over the coming months.

It seems as if he won’t be the only Whites official to depart ahead of the 2022/23 campaign, though, with a claim now made on Orta.

The Latest: Orta claim

Leeds Radar posted on Twitter regarding the Whites DoF, claiming he will also depart once the season comes to an end, adding that the 49ers want to bring in their own board of directors.

“Victor Orta will leave Leeds United at the end of this season, along with Angus Kinnear. The 49ers want to bring in their own board of directors, which will likely have a very different structure.”

The Transfer Tavern contacted Leeds Radar about their information, and were told it came directly from a club employee.

The Verdict: Plenty of change…

Radrizzani, Orta, Kinnear and Bielsa enjoyed a strong relationship for three-and-a-half years, however, all four may no longer be a part of the club by the end of the calendar year.

It seems as if Orta and Kinnear will both follow Bielsa out of Thorp Arch by the summer, whereas the San Francisco 49ers have a deal in place to buy Leeds from Radrizzani for more than £400m by January 2024.

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Should the club remain in the Premier League for the 2022/23 season under Marsch, it wouldn’t come as a shock if the 49ers exercised their option to take 100% control, meaning fans may have to be braced for plenty of off-field change.

In other news, Leeds could sign one player this summer, according to a journalist. Find out who it is here.

The Athletic’s David Ornstein has revealed that Real Madrid and Manchester City are the favourites to sign Borussia Dortmund star Erling Haaland in the summer transfer window.

The Lowdown: City’s striker pursuit

Over the past year, City have been linked with numerous high-profile attackers, with many rumours exacerbated by the lack of an out-and-out striker fielded in many of Pep Guardiola’s starting XIs.

One of their main targets has been Harry Kane, who was desperate to make the move to the Sky Blues last August. However, the Citizens had a sensational £125m bid rejected, ending their pursuit of him in the summer transfer window.

Ex-Fiorentina marksman Dusan Vlahovic was another prospect linked with City due to his incredible form in Italy, with 20 league goals already this season. However, the Serbia international instead opted to join Serie A giants Juventus, sealing a £66.6m move in January.

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The Latest: Man City in the frame for Haaland

In early January, Ornstein revealed that City’s latest ‘top target for summer is Erling Haaland’, and he has now reported that Real Madrid and Manchester City are the favourites to sign the Norwegian in the summer.

Taking to Twitter on Monday morning, the reporter claimed: “Contenders to sign Erling Haaland expect to learn his decision in next few weeks. Believed to be Real Madrid or Man City. #RMFC want Mbappe this year & Haaland next but may need to move now as #MCFC ready to do it (though won’t wait long)”

In the corresponding report for The Athletic, it is claimed that the destination will come down to the 21-year-old’s personal choice. Despite talks with Barcelona and Bayern Munich, it is thought that it is a straight contest between Real Madrid and Man City for the Norwegian.

The Verdict: City would be unstoppable

Haaland has already secured his status as one of the best strikers in world football. At just 21 years of age, the Norway international should still have more than a decade remaining at the top level, so signing the player could solve the purchasing club’s attacking issues for many years to come.

Having ranked in the 99th percentile for non-penalty goals, non-penalty expected goals, non-penalty expected goals plus expected assists (via FB Ref), it is safe to say that he is one of the best goalscorers around.

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With a well-documented £62m release clause which becomes active in the summer, this could well and truly be one of Guardiola’s greatest deals – if the Premier League champions can get it over the line.

With the number of chances that City create, the goalscoring figures that Haaland may produce (129 career goals at club level well before his 22nd birthday) could be phenomenal, and could well make the current English league leaders an unstoppable force.

In other news: Journalist shares big transfer update on this Man City-linked beast

West Brom managed to snatch an unexpected draw in their previous Championship game against Huddersfield Town with two late goals from Karlan Grant and Andy Carroll rescuing a point for the Baggies after they found themselves 2-0 down with 74 minutes on the clock.

Tonight, the Midlands club are back in action against another tough side as Fulham make the trip to the Hawthorns as they look to increase their hefty lead at the top of the league table.

On the chalkboard

One player that did start against Huddersfield that shouldn’t be in the team on this occasion is defender Semi Ajayi.

Despite assisting Carroll’s dramatic goal against the Terriers, the centre-back showed in that game that he may not be the best defensive option for the Baggies as he failed to block any shots or make any interceptions or tackles.

He also showed that he can be a liability at times in terms of his defensive play having lost six of the eight duels he was involved in last week and getting dribbled past on three occasions.

This ultimately earned the 28-year-old, who is currently picking up a weekly wage of £13k-per-week according to Salary Sport, a disappointing overall match rating of 6.3 from SofaScore, making him the lowest-rated Baggies player on the day, which would have presumably been even lower had he not grabbed the assist that gained his team a point.

Having been slammed in the past for being “very poor” on the ball and dropping a “stinker” of a performance against QPR earlier in the season by West Brom podcaster Adrian Goldberg, Ajayi has shown that he isn’t the most consistent of performers.

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With this in mind and the fact that tonight’s opponents have scored a whopping 90 goals in 36 league games this season, it’s safe to say that the Midlands club will need to be at their very best to get a positive result against Marco Silva’s side, which could then lead to the Nigerian being left out of the team.

In other news: Sold for £10m, now worth £2.7m: Dowling sealed WBA masterclass on £60k-p/w “disaster” – opinion

Liverpool striker Divock Origi is reportedly a ‘concrete target’ for Serie A giants AC Milan ahead of a likely move away from Anfield this summer.

The Lowdown: Origi likely to leave Anfield

The 26-year-old has become a cult hero during his time as a Reds player, scoring some genuinely iconic goals in the Jurgen Klopp era.

Origi has become an increasingly bit-part figure this season, though, making no starts in the Premier League, and Luis Diaz’s January arrival has only made him even more peripheral.

It seems likely that the Belgian will enjoy a fresh challenge at the end of the season, with a new update suggesting as much.

The Latest: Milan interested in move for Origi

According to Milan News [via Sport Witness], Origi is a ‘concrete target’ for Milan as they eye up a younger alternative to 40-year-old Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

They have ‘identified’ the Liverpool striker and have also ‘already started’ making contact with his representatives over a summer transfer, with the report calling him a ‘serious’ target.

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The Verdict: Makes perfect sense

Origi will forever be remembered fondly by Liverpool supporters, having scored memorable Champions League goals against Barcelona and Tottenham, not to mention some crucial last-gasp winners in the Premier League. Indeed, Klopp himself has called the Belgium international a ‘monster’.

However, it makes complete sense for the 26-year-old to leave this summer and enjoy regular football elsewhere at a prime period in his career, in terms of age.

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There is simply no way for him to get constant minutes at Liverpool these days, but perhaps he has one last major contribution in his locker over the coming months.

In other news, Liverpool have reportedly made an unofficial bid for one player. Read more here.

Tottenham defender Ben Davies has returned from international duty as a precaution after picking up a minor injury, according to football.london’s Alasdair Gold.

The Lowdown: Davies’ importance to Spurs

The Welshman has become a prominent figure under Antonio Conte’s management, slotting in as the left-sided central defender in Spurs’ back three.

Since the Italian arrived at Hotspur Way in November, the 28-year-old has started all but two matches for the Lilywhites.

Consequently, Davies has been very complimentary of his boss, saying: “To have the opportunity to work under a world class manager is always nice as a player.”

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The Latest: Davies withdraws from Wales squad

Davies withdrew from the Wales squad after playing 90 minutes in his country’s 2-1 win over Austria on Thursday evening. However, Alasdair Gold has now revealed the specifics on his withdrawal, claiming in an article for  football.london that it was due to precautionary measures.

Taking to Twitter, he shared the article and captioned the story: “Good news on Ben Davies it seems.”

In the article, Gold shared that the defender had picked up a minor injury whilst on international duty. Due to feeling tightness in one of his quad muscles, the Wales international returned to Tottenham as a precaution.

As a result, he should be available for Spurs’ upcoming clash against Newcastle on Sunday.

The Verdict: Good news

As Gold put it, this will come as “good news” for Conte, who will presumably slot the left-footer back into that left-sided centre-back position against Newcastle.

In the Lilywhites’ last five Premier League games, Conte’s side have won four and lost one, with the Welshman having nearly played the full 90 minutes on each occasion. To highlight how impressively he has been playing, former Spurs centre-back Michael Dawson said that Davies is “perfect” for the Italian’s system.

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Therefore, given his importance to the Tottenham back line, Conte will be relieved to see the 28-year-old come back from international duty relatively unscathed.

In other news: Pete O’Rourke makes Paulo Dybala to Spurs claim

Tottenham Hotspur are leading the race to sign Memphis Depay this summer…

What’s the word?

That’s according to Spanish newspaper Mundo Deportivo, who claim that several Premier League teams are eyeing up an English return for the Dutch international after slipping down the pecking order under Xavi at Barcelona, despite being their top goalscorer on ten goals.

Spurs are thought to top the list of potential top-flight suitors and are said to be interested in signing him. The report even goes as far as suggesting that a bid has been made.

French outfit Lyon, who he left to join the Nou Camp giants on a free transfer, are keen to bring him back, whilst there are plenty of Italian teams also interested, including AC Milan, Inter and Juventus.

It remains to be seen how much it would take to entice the Catalan side into a sale, though CIES Football Observatory currently value him in the region of €50m (£42m).

Conte’s next talisman?

Tottenham being on the lookout for another striker should surprise no one as manager Antonio Conte does not have sufficient options in his attacking department – it’s really only Harry Kane.

And if you look at the success he’s had more recently, with Inter, you’ll see that his tactical system was on the basis of two strikers being deployed in tandem.

One of which being Romelu Lukaku and the other being Lautaro Martinez.

There are some parallels to be drawn between the latter and Depay, so it’s a foreseeable situation that the Barca outcast could pair up with the England skipper to form a similar partnership in north London.

Once described as a “special talent” by Marco van Basten, the 28-year-old has earned a very respectable goalscoring record over the course of his career.

Now behind the likes of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Ferran Torres and Ousmane Dembele, he still leads the squad on 20 appearances, in which just 15 have been starts.

Back in Lyon, the former Manchester United ace provided 76 goals and 55 assists in 178 appearances, which included a career-best of 20 in the season prior to his departure, as per Transfermarkt.

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Just like Martinez, Depay stands at 5 foot 9 and can act as the smaller forward that plays off a Lukaku, or in this case, a Kane. If anything, the Spurs striker’s ability to drop deep and be just as effective will only benefit the 28-year-old, should he make the move to N17.

In the search for a new frontman, sporting director Fabio Paratici could do little wrong in signing Depay this summer. He could well become Conte’s next Martinez at Spurs next season.

AND in other news, £68m down the drain: Spurs dud has stolen a living for over 130 weeks, he must be sold…

Ange Postecoglou’s Celtic extended their lead at the top of the Premiership table with a 2-1 win in the Old Firm clash on Sunday.

It was a horror start for the Hoops as Aaron Ramsey put the hosts in front early on. Josip Juranovic was caught out from a ball in behind as he allowed Ryan Kent to breeze past him to tee up the Welshman for his strike.

Postecoglou’s men were able to turn it around before half-time, though, as Tom Rogic equalised quickly after the opener as he reacted quickly in the box to sweep the ball into the net. Cameron Carter-Vickers then fired home just before the break as he pounced on a loose ball to make it 2-1.

The second half was a tense affair as both sides pushed and pulled throughout the 45 but Celtic were able to hold out for the three points.

Despite the positive result, one player almost cost Postecoglou on the day – central midfielder Reo Hatate. The Japan international did not raise himself to the high standards the majority of the team set on the pitch.

Against the ball, he offered nothing. As per SofaScore, he lost 100% of his duels on the pitch as he failed to win a single individual battle. He made zero clearances, interceptions, blocks, or tackles throughout the match as he was unable to keep up the physicality of the occasion.

Ally McCoist noted in the Sky Sports commentary that he was “absolutely spent” in the second half as Aaron Ramsey raced past him down the wing with ease, with Postecoglou taking him off not long after that incident. This illustrated how sluggish he looked at Ibrox as he struggled with the pace of the game.

In possession, he did very little to justify his inclusion. Although his shot led to the opening goal, his effort was poor and should have been held by Allan McGregor as the 40-year-old gifted it to Rogic. Via SofaScore, he failed with all of his attempted crosses and long passes, whilst also failing to create a single chance.

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This means that he did nothing on or off the ball to contribute to the team and that is why the £14.5k-per-week dud almost cost his side with a poor display and was lucky that his teammates were able to bail him out with an excellent team performance. Postecoglou will surely be hoping that he can quickly get over this poor display and get back to his best sooner rather than later.

AND in other news, £3m wasted: Celtic had a shocker on £7.9k-p/w “loner” who rinsed Desmond for 129 weeks…