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Former Leeds United goalkeeper Paul Robinson has been reacting to the club’s attempts to sign Hoffenheim forward Georginio Rutter.

The Lowdown: Leeds make move for Rutter

The Whites have acted fast in their attempts to sign the young Frenchman, with speculation first emerging over the weekend.

Sky Sports stated on Monday evening that Leeds were hoping to have the forward undergo a medical in the subsequent 48 hours, with The Daily Mail reporting on Wednesday that the Premier League club are hoping to finalise a move today.

Rutter is just 20 years of age but is poised to become Leeds’ all-time record signing in a transfer worth £30m.

The Latest: Robinson’s comments on Rutter

Speaking to MOT Leeds News regarding the club’s attempts to sign Rutter, Robinson – who also contributes as a pundit for Sky Sports – described the forward as ‘decent’ and said that he has ‘proven himself at the level he’s been playing at’.

The ex-Whites goalkeeper said of the 20-year-old: “I know who he is. He’s decent, he’s not bad.

“It’s a slight risk when you sign anyone, especially when they don’t have Premier League experience or experience at that level.

“Leeds need to sign a striker who’s going to score goals and he’s proven himself at the level he’s been playing at. Anything is an improvement on what they’ve got, although Rodrigo is stepping up to the plate.

“If you look at the goals he’s scored this season, he’s done extremely well and he’s better operating as a number nine than a wide midfielder or attacking midfielder. He’s better as a striker, he looks more comfortable and he’s scoring goals.

“But you can’t rely on him and Patrick Bamford, especially with his fitness. Bamford’s had one really good season and everyone keeps saying, ‘we need to get him back and fit’. But how long has it been that he’s not been playing?

“They do need somebody else in that position.”

The Verdict: A risk for Leeds?

Rutter, who is just a few months older than Joe Gelhardt, appears to be a star in the making and can operate in all three forward positions, as well as a number 10 just behind the frontline.

However, he has scored just twice in 17 games this season, so you could question Robinson’s comments of the 20-year-old being a ‘proven’ forward and argue that a big-money move would be a risky one by Andrea Radrizzani and Victor Orta.

Leeds are once again flirting with the bottom three in the Premier League, so Rutter may not have the luxury of being able to slowly adapt to life in England, as you’d expect that the Whites could need him to fire in front of goal straight away.

Tottenham Hotspur target Pedro Porro is not likely to be Antonio Conte’s priority in January, according to transfer insider Dean Jones.

The Lowdown: Tottenham’s Porro interest

It was reported earlier this week that Tottenham were closing in on the signing of Porro, who currently plays for Portuguese club Sporting CP, with a £35m deal expected to be completed.

Conte was believed to be targeting a right-wing back due to the possibility of either Emerson Royal or Matt Doherty being sold in this transfer window, but a new update details that the position is not of the utmost importance to the Italian.

The Latest: Jones ‘surprised’

In an interview with GIVEMESPORT, Jones said the Porro news is surprising, claiming that the manager is more eager to strengthen two other positions:

“There are a few factors that make me question whether he would be a priority. Everything I hear, it’s a forward creative player or a centre-back rather than a right-sided wing-back.

“I’m not going to rule it out, but I’d be surprised if that was accelerated ahead of everything else.”

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The Verdict: Worth signing?

It is clear to see why Conte would prioritise the signing of a centre-back, considering his side’s terrible defensive record so far this season, conceding an average of 1.47 goals per game in the Premier League, more than the likes of West Ham United and Crystal Palace.

Spurs already have an array of options in attack, with fantastic players like Son Heung-min and Dejan Kulusevski at their disposal, although the latter is currently an injury concern due to an ankle problem, while Richarlison is also out with a hamstring issue.

Emerson Royal has looked unimpressive, while Porro has been lauded as a ‘baller’ by journalist Jack Collins, and has averaged 4.61 shot-creating actions per 90 over the last year, an increase on the 1.85 figure from Royal.

Being able to improve all three areas is no doubt the ideal situation for Conte, but injuries to attackers and the poor performances from centre-backs means that strengthening the right-wing back area should be of less concern.

Journalist Jacque Talbot has now revealed that it is ‘virtually impossible’ that Newcastle United could sign Enzo Fernandez in January.

The Lowdown: World Cup winner

Fernandez was a World Cup winner with Argentina, and made a big impression at the tournament in Qatar.

The 21-year-old won the Young Player Award, and was his country’s fourth-best performer overall, scoring one goal and making one assist in his seven appearances (WhoScored).

Magpies legend Alan Shearer recently joked that he would like to see Fernandez play for his old club, to which Eddie Howe admitted that his transfer fee may be ‘quite lumpy’.

The Latest: January move ‘virtually impossible’

Taking to Twitter, Talbot has revealed that a January deal for Fernandez would be ‘virtually impossible’ to do, amid recent links to the St. James’ Park outfit and Liverpool:

“Hear from Portugal that a January move for Enzo Fernandez, the World Cup winner recently linked to Liverpool and Newcastle, would be virtually impossible to do. It’ll be summer transfer – he’ll remain Benfica for the remainder of the season.”

The Verdict: Big blow

The fact the Tynesiders would have to wait until the summer if they wanted to sign Fernandez is a big blow in terms of their ambitions of securing a UEFA Champions League place for next season.

They are currently in third place in the Premier League table, four points clear of fifth, and a marquee signing like the Benfica star would definitely elevate their chances.

Hailed as ‘extraordinary’ by CBS Sports’ Nico Cantor after his World Cup exploits, Fernandez has also been a mainstay in a Benfica team sitting comfortably top of the Portuguese top flight, and in the last-16 of the Champions League after qualifying from their group.

Nonetheless, the central midfielder would surely thrive playing alongside fellow South Americans Bruno Guimaraes and Joelinton, but a January deal for the North East club now looks highly unlikely.

Glasgow Rangers sporting director Ross Wilson is currently in the process of finding a manager to replace the recently sacked Giovanni van Bronckhorst in the Ibrox hot seat.

The Dutch head coach was relieved of his duties earlier this month and the Light Blues are now attempting to find a replacement before the club return to action in December after the 2022 World Cup.

Rangers’ next manager will only have four competitive matches before the January transfer window opens up and this means that the club’s new boss will have an almost instant chance to bring his own players in to improve the squad.

One gem who must be targeted in one of the next two windows is Sheffield United centre-forward Oliver McBurnie, who is out of contract at the end of the season and was linked with a move to Ibrox in 2021 by the Daily Mail.

Former Hibernian attacker Tam McManus recently claimed that the club may take the forward if he is available for nothing next summer, telling IbroxNews:

“I don’t know if his goalscoring record would stand up to the scrutiny at Rangers but he’s a massive Rangers supporter and that immediately buys into the fans.

“If he’s out of contract, you can get him for nothing. But let’s not forget he cost [up to £20million].

“If you’re getting a guy like that for free then I think Rangers would probably take him.”

Rangers’ next manager must now reignite the club’s prior interest in the striker and make McManus’ prediction a reality by swooping to sign the Scotland international in January or next summer.

The 6 foot 2 striker joined the Blades in 2019 after plundering 22 goals in 42 Championship outings for Swansea in the 2018/19 campaign and scored six goals in 36 Premier League matches during his first season at Bramall Lane.

He then struggled as he only scored two league goals in the following two terms, with 23 top-flight games and 28 in the second tier, before finding his feet again in 2022/23.

McBurnie has scored nine goals in 12 Championship starts for Sheffield United this season, averaging a SofaScore rating of 7.18 – which would place them sixth in the Rangers squad in terms of their current Premiership ratings.

Ex-Scotland attacker Chris Iwelumo once told BBC Sport that the forward is “unplayable” at times and Danny Mills previously claimed that the 26-year-old could “thrive” and score goals at Ibrox.

The 17-cap international’s form this season suggests that he is getting back to his best and that he could be a fantastic signing for the Gers on a free transfer next summer, which is why the club must swoop for him, as he is smashing in goals in England.

McBurnie has plenty of room left to grow and improve, at the age of 26, and could be a signing for the future as well as the here and now, with the Rangers supporter looking like exceptional value for money if the next Light Blues boss can sign him for nothing.

Carlos Corberan has already had a monumental impact on West Bromwich Albion given his short tenure thus far at the club, having managed to drag them from the relegation zone off the back of three successive victories.

It marks a fine turnaround, but he has seemingly only fixed the defensive issues for now given their clean sheets in those wins.

Their toothless nature remains, as they have still only scored 24 goals in 20 Championship games this season.

One man who could arguably revolutionise both of these issues in one fell swoop is James Tavernier, who has established a reputation for being one of the finest goalscoring defenders of his generation.

Whilst this may seem like a random solution, the truth of the matter is that the Baggies could have signed him back in 2018.

Although their £2m bid was rejected during the summer window, it did provoke the manager Steven Gerrard to claim: “We’re at a club where every player does have a price so that may affect us…”.

Had they pushed harder, it might have been the Hawthorns that was being lit up by his sensational offensive displays.

The 31-year-old since went on to play an instrumental part in Rangers’ title-winning season, where they wrestled back the Scottish Premiership to prevent Celtic from winning ten in a row.

During his career at Ibrox he has boasted 91 goals and 112 assists, and although the bulk of his career has been spent in Scotland, in total he has scored 100 times. For a right-back, this marks outstanding numbers.

His consistently impressive performances led Gerrard to lavish the praise on the former Newcastle United man, labelling him “very robust” before claiming:” I think Tav is someone that, when he goes through the gears, he is unstoppable…”.

Tavernier certainly would mark a better option than Matt Phillips, who has often had to deputise as a wingback. His average SofaScore rating of 6.64 and two goal involvements further outlines the gulf in class between them, as despite Rangers’ poor form, their star full-back has still recorded 13 goal contributions this term.

Currently captain of the club, he will likely go down as a Rangers legend when he hangs up his boots.

Had they pushed a little harder back in 2018, it could instead be West Brom lauding his talents as they established themselves as Premier League mainstays.

Leeds United are interested in making a move for impressive Marseille midfielder Pape Gueye, according to reports from France.

The Lowdown: Gueye impressing for Marseille

The 23-year-old has stood out as a solid performer for his club in recent times, making three appearances in the Champions League this season.

Gueye will be hoping to shine for Senegal at the upcoming World Cup, too, as he aims to add to the 12 caps he has already won for his country to date, playing in all but one match of their triumphant Africa Cup of Nations run at the start of 2022.

It looks as though there is interest in the midfielder from England, with Leeds one of those tracking his progress.

The Latest: Leeds linked with Gueye

According to French outlet Jeunes Footeux [via Sport Witness], the Whites are ‘notably’ keen on adding Gueye to their squad, boosting their midfield options in the process.

Southampton are also mentioned as potential suitors in the report, with the pair among those who are ‘attentive to the situation’, and the player himself could wish to leave Marseille due to a rarity of starts, having been selected just three times in all competitions so far this season.

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The Verdict: Good young option

Gueye could be a brilliant prospective signing by Leeds, adding defensive expertise in an area of the pitch where the Whites appear to be quite threadbare, especially with Stuart Dallas and Adam Forshaw both out injured.

At 23, the Marseille man is still an improving footballer, and an average of 1.5 tackles per game in Ligue 1 so far this season highlight his off-the-ball influence.

Gueye has been described as a cross between N’Golo Kante and Paul Pogba, and it speaks volumes that he has been compared to two men who have won the World Cup and major European honours.

If he comes to Elland Road, he could help to fill the void left by Kalvin Phillips’ departure for Manchester City in the summer.

Aston Villa have finalised the terms to bring in Unai Emery as their new manager, swiftly replacing the recently dismissed Steven Gerrard with a coach with proven European pedigree.

As a huge statement of intent, quickly getting the Villa fans onside will be instrumental in the 50-year-old’s continued success during his second stint in England.

One way that he could become an instant crowd favourite is by somehow managing to reignite the career of Philippe Coutinho, who this season has been one of the most disappointing players of an  underperforming squad under Gerrard.

Having impressed on loan last season, it seemed like the smart move to spend £17m to bring him in permanently, especially after he had scored four goals and set up another three in his first eight matches upon returning to the Premier League.

However, the signs were there that he might not hit the ground running once moving permanently. He had scored just once in their last 11 games of the season and has continued this dismal form into the new campaign.

In his 11 league games so far this term, he is yet to score or set up a goal at all, and what seemed like a bargain at first has quickly devolved into a financial nightmare.

However, with the arrival of Emery, he could be the man to change things around for Coutinho.

Perhaps the Spaniard could instil a new lease of life into the £125k-per-week star, giving him similar treatment to that which spurred on Arnaut Danjuma to score 16 goals and set up four last season for his Villarreal side.

Coutinho boasts a “magic” that few others in the league do, as Melissa Reddy claims, so to unearth it once more would be instrumental in Emery becoming an instant success at Villa Park.

Due to the 50-year-old’s reliance on defensive solidity, he might look to this renegade talent to produce individual moments of skill before he can properly implement his style and patterns of play.

It was only last season that Coutinho seemed set to dominate the Premier League once more, so his talents are not far away from being tapped into.

Emery must do all that he can to ensure that this happens if he is to become an instant fan favourite at Villa Park.

Tottenham Hotspur are staying ‘tight-lipped’ over the injury to goalkeeper Hugo Lloris, according to The Sun journalist Tom Barclay.

The Lowdown: Lloris’ thigh injury

The 35-year-old was between the sticks for the emphatic 6-2 Premier League victory over Leicester City almost a fortnight ago, before heading off on the international break with France.

However, the experienced shot-stopper was dealt a huge setback after having to withdraw from his side’s Nations League fixtures against Austria and Denmark due to picking up a thigh injury.

As a result, he is now a major doubt for the north London derby on Saturday, with no further details having been announced since.

The Latest: Barclay’s update

Speaking to GiveMeSport, Barclay admitted that he is none the wiser over what’s happening with Lloris, with Spurs so far keeping quiet on the situation. He said:

“I’m still trying to find out the details on how likely he is to [be fit against Arsenal] after missing the France games.

“Tottenham have been tight-lipped about it generally, that’s what they do with injuries unless it’s like a player is set for surgery, so I’m still waiting to find out.”

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The Verdict: Blow for Conte

If Lloris is indeed unavailable for the trip to the Emirates, this will come as a huge blow to Antonio Conte who knows how important his number one is to the starting XI.

The Frenchman, dubbed ‘world class’ by Lilywhites pundit John Wenham, has kept 145 clean sheets during his time with the Lilywhites, and hasn’t missed a minute of football in his last 93 top-flight games.

The boss will no doubt be hoping to have his captain at his disposal again as soon as possible, with Fraser Forster waiting in the wings to take his place should he be called upon.

Wolves have joined the race to sign talented PSV Eindhoven winger Cody Gakpo before Thursday’s deadline, according to reports in the player’s homeland.

The Lowdown: Gakpo a wanted man

The 23-year-old has been linked with moves to various Premier League clubs in recent months, with Liverpool and Manchester United among those believed to be interested.

Gakpo has been one of PSV’s most influential players in recent years, scoring 12 goals and registering 13 assists in the Eredivisie last season, labelled as ‘incredible’ and ‘fantastic’ by football talent scout Jacek Kulig.

With Wolves looking for attacking reinforcements by the end of deadline day on Thursday, it looks as though they are in the mix to snap up the Dutchman.

The Latest: Wolves keen on winger

According to Einhovens Dagblad [via Molineux News], Wanderers have been eyeing up a move for Gakpo for a number of weeks and he is happy to leave PSV this summer if the ‘whole picture is right’ for him.

The winger’s current deal doesn’t expire until 2026, however, and his current club are expected to demand €50million (£43m) for his services.

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The Verdict: Statement of intent

Gakpo is a hugely exciting prospect who has already matured into a formidable attacking player, so Wolves’ rumoured interest is extremely encouraging.

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Admittedly, it could mean that Pedro Neto is set to leave Molineux in the coming days, but ideally, one of them on either wing would make Wanderers so much more of a threat in the final third. It could also be that he is seen as a replacement for Hwang Hee-chan instead, which makes more sense given the January arrival’s links to Leeds.

Gakpo’s aforementioned end product last season speaks for itself and there is no reason why his speed and unpredictability out wide can’t be similarly influential in the Premier League, with the Dutchman also hoping to star for the Netherlands at the upcoming World Cup.

West Brom are still ‘looking’ to sign a new striker in the summer transfer window after failing to bring in Liam Delap, according to journalist Alan Nixon.

The Lowdown: Striker required at the Hawthorns

The Baggies have made a hugely disappointing start to their Championship campaign, sitting in the relegation zone after drawing three and losing one of their opening four games.

Their current plight hasn’t been helped by an injury blow to striker Daryl Dike, who is expected to be sidelined for the next several months, potentially missing the 2022 World Cup with the USA.

West Brom had been linked with a loan move for Manchester City youngster Liam Delap but he has joined Stoke City instead, another blow as Steve Bruce looks for a new signing in that area.

The Latest: Journalist provides update

Taking to Twitter on Thursday, Nixon confirmed that the Baggies wanted Delap but says they are still on the lookout for a striker before the end of the transfer window:

“Looking around (for a striker). Delap a blow.”

The Verdict: Imperative that business is done

Dike’s injury really has caused an issue at the Hawthorns, with so much dependent on the form of Karlan Grant, in terms of the firepower at Bruce’s disposal.

It is essential that a new striker comes in in the next few weeks – if that fails to happen, it is hard to see how West Brom are going to mount a genuine promotion push, while an injury to Grant would then prove catastrophic.

Failure to fill the Dike-shaped void in attack would feel like negligence and they still have a healthy amount of time to ensure that doesn’t happen, with the American hopefully then returning to play a key role in the second half of the season.