Newcastle United are now in the top half of the Premier League table as a crucial January continues to chug along.

Eddie Howe has come out to state that the Toon’s start to the year is “season-defining”, with a mammoth nine games heading their way in all competitions, as another EFL Cup final potentially waits on the horizon.

Howe would have been delighted by the performance against Crystal Palace to kickstart 2026 with a comfortable 2-0 victory, but he will know his squad could still do with some improvements here and there, with the transfer window now back open for business.

Newcastle United looking at striker deal

With Sandro Tonali struggling to hit the grand heights expected of him this season, it’s no great shock to see that the Toon are planning to bring in midfield reinforcements in January.

The incessant rumour at St James’ Park at the moment revolves around Newcastle preparing to go all out to snap up AZ Alkmaar sensation Kees Smit, with a wild £52m valuation above the in-demand Dutchman’s head.

It’s not just centrally where Newcastle could look to add in additional bits of quality, though, with a new development no doubt piquing the Toon’s interest.

Back in the summer, it was heavily reported that the Magpies had bid a whopping £50m for Jorgen Strand Larsen’s services, with the Wolverhampton Wanderers marksman fresh off a goal-heavy campaign in the Premier League.

Now, however, with the Nordic striker’s reputation taking a battering at Molineux this season, TEAMtalk is reporting that Larsen could be available for a discounted £40m, with Tottenham Hotspur, Crystal Palace, Everton, and Fulham all informed about the situation at hand.

Newcastle are also being kept up to date during talks regarding his cheaper availability, with Howe potentially winning another Nick Woltemade-style figure if the lofty centre-forward does desert the West Midlands for a chance at top-flight redemption on Tyneside.

How Strand Larsen is another Woltemade in the making

Immediately, the similarities are apparent when taking in their ginormous frames, with Larsen coming in at an imposing 6-foot-4 when powering through on goal.

Woltemade does have him beaten in this department, standing at a remarkable 6-foot-7, but, when weighing up the Wolves number nine’s debut season in the Premier League, next to the Bremen-born menace’s current potent campaign, the similarities are also clear for all to see in their shared goalscoring prowess.

Larsen’s debut PL numbers vs Woltemade’s

Stat

Larsen

Woltemade

Games played

35

17

Goals scored

14

7

Assists

4

1

Goalscoring frequency

186 mins

180 mins

Goal conversion %

26%

27%

Big chances missed

13

6

Big chances created

6

1

Stats by Sofascore

Looking at the table above, the numbers are eerily similar, with Woltemade surely in line to notch up 14 Premier League goals himself this season, if he can keep his blistering Toon stay up.

The table above is enough, though, to make Newcastle consider a £40m move for Larsen in January, even if he has just one league goal next to his name this season, with his finishing ability lauded as “phenomenal” last campaign by his ex-Old Gold boss Vitor Pereira, firing a goal home every 186 minutes.

It could just be that Larsen needs a change of scenery to get back to his best, having been plunged into a depressing relegation battle at Molineux, with his overall style of play – away from being a focal point with goals – also suiting Howe’s set-up.

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Indeed, although Woltemade has garnered a lot of praise this season so far for his “ridiculous” finishing ability – as he was once labelled by journalist Zach Lowy – he has also stood out for his general hold-up play, with the towering striker’s nous to find his teammates up top such as Harvey Barnes with ease even being heralded as “mesmerising” to watch by Sky Sports’ Andy Sixsmith.

The German’s perfectly timed backheel against Benfica in October would set Barnes on his way to slotting a chance home, with Larsen also known to be a selfless performer in trying to tee up his Wolves teammates, when at his Molineux peak, as seen in him creating six big chances last season.

Newcastle royalty in Alan Shearer has even praised Larsen’s hold-up play as “excellent”, with journalist Liam Keen also noting that the Scandinavian is “very strong” in holding off opposition defenders, before calmly playing a pass.

It’s a steep amount to fork out on a player who has seen his Wolves career fall to the wayside, but Woltemade cost a bomb, too, at £69m, as another £40m is possibly dropped soon.

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Everton sits just five points behind their arch rivals, Liverpool, in the current Premier League standings.

David Moyes’ Toffees are still in with an outside shout of a top-four position in the top-flight this season, with eight league wins now next to their name from 19 total games, after getting the better of ex-boss Sean Dyche with ease last time out to beat Nottingham Forest 2-0.

James Garner would collect a goal and assist to rub salt into the wound of his former employers, but Moyes would have been over the moon with Thierno Barry’s efforts at the City Ground, as well, as he collected just his second ever Toffees strike against Dyche’s hosts.

But, with only 20 goals put away all season long, the Merseyside giants could be tempted to make some signings up top this January, with a talismanic figure in attack no doubt steering Moyes’ men to even more victories.

Everton still keen on dream striker move

With Beto only on one paltry Premier League strike for the campaign, too, it’s clear why a whole host of attacking names are already being linked to the Hill Dickinson Stadium, a matter of days after the window has reopened.

Transfer Focus

Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.

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Indeed, rumours suggest that Everton have begun to discuss a January deal with wantaway Wolverhampton Wanderers striker Jorgen Strand Larsen.

Although with his tally of just three goals in all competitions this season, he won’t be viewed as a huge upgrade worth breaking the bank over.

However, landing the services of Ivan Toney would be a deal that would send shockwaves through the Premier League, as the ex-Brentford attacker continues to be linked with a return to England.

Realistically, the costs involved – with Toney’s wage for Al-Ahli coming in at an eye-watering £433k-per-week – render this deal somewhat of a pipedream.

But, the i Paper has suggested that this is a move that the Toffees ‘would dearly love’ to get over the line over the coming month, as they search for that missing focal point up top, with Toney picking up a stunning 131 goal contributions over his last five seasons in England and in the Saudi Pro League.

Landing the 29-year-old’s services against all the odds could see Moyes win his very own version of Romelu Lukaku, with the Belgian still revered to this day on Merseyside as a beloved goal machine.

Why Toney can be Moyes' own Lukaku

Lukaku’s lasting imprint at Everton is felt today, with Barry stating – after bagging his game-clinching strike against Forest – that he has tried to model his instinctive Toffees game on the 32-year-old during his Goodison Park peak.

Indeed, for the majority of his Merseyside stay, most of what Lukaku touched would turn to gold, with his deadly 87 strikes for Everton in total far outweighing his output at Chelsea, Manchester United, and West Bromwich Albion.

He would even be labelled a “world-class” finisher by one of his former Everton bosses in Ronald Koeman, with the Toffees often relying on the magic of their former number ten to get them out of some sticky spots.

Everton are crying out for a similarly impactful figure to lead the line under Moyes, as the mid-table outfit has fallen victim to a lot of goalless displays this season, with December seeing the Merseysiders draw blanks across three straight Premier League ties.

Toney’s goal record under Frank

Stat

Toney

Games played

141

Minutes played

11,992 mins

Goals scored

72

Assists

23

Hat-tricks

2

Sourced by Transfermarkt

This is where Toney could come to the rescue, looking at the table above, with the 6-foot-1 marksman hailed as a “special” presence in front of goal by his ex-Bees boss in Thomas Frank, when putting away a devastating 72 strikes from 141 games under the Dane’s tenure at the G-Tech Community Stadium.

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Moyes will hope he can strike up an equally red-hot relationship with the seven-time England international if an audacious move is successful, with the Glaswegian responsible for getting a hefty 55 strikes out of Michail Antonio at West Ham United, while also working alongside memorable attackers such as Lukaku during his first Everton reign in Tim Cahill and Steven Pienaar.

The “remarkable” goalscorer – as he has also been lauded by Frank – hasn’t seen his goals dry up in the Middle East, either, as seen in his 43 strikes and counting for Al Ahli, as Toney continues to impress wherever he goes, much like the well-travelled Belgian.

The financial aspects of this deal do make it a very far-fetched one to get over the line, with Strand Larsen’s signature a lot easier and cheaper to seal.

But, if arrangements can be made for Everton to somehow work around his steep pay packet, winning Toney this January could see a second coming of Lukaku arrive on Merseyside.

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With Frank Lampard trying to help Everton turn a corner this season in the Premier League, one thing the new Toffees boss will certainly be pleased about is the progress being made by some of his club’s brightest young talents.

It’s been an area where the Merseyside club have somewhat struggled to bring through in recent years, but one teenager who is delivering on some of the hype at academy level, is Tom Cannon.

The 19-year-old striker was a prolific goal-scorer for the club’s U18s, scoring a whopping 29 goals in 42 games and also providing a further nine assists too.

Since the step-up to the U23s, things have been a bit more slow-going however, with just the eight in his 33 games at that level.

However, Cannon has shown signs of finding his feet in recent weeks, including notching twice in a 2-0 win over Derby County on Monday night.

Speaking after his brace, U23s boss David Unsworth raved about the kind of development Cannon has enjoyed recently.

He said: “We all know about Tom’s goalscoring, he does the hardest thing in the game, he puts the ball in the back of the net. We just need to get the other areas of his game up to speed and he’s done so well this year.

“He’s developed at a really fast rate and we’re all delighted for him.”

Unsworth’s verdict on Cannon makes for promising reading for Lampard, and the youngster’s style of play certainly makes him a different option to the likes of Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Richarlison in the senior team.

A player profile done by The Liverpool Echo back in the summer of 2020 revealed: “Due to his willingness to run in behind, play on the shoulder of defenders and work between the lines, comparisons to Leicester City forward Jamie Vardy have been drawn.”

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While Lampard may be reluctant to throw Cannon into the deep end anytime soon, especially with how the club have been performing in the Premier League this season, the Toffees may well have a real breakout star on their hands in the future.

With his goal-scoring instinct and pace to run in behind, it’s no surprise the 19-year-old is likened to a young Vardy, and that’s something Everton fans should surely be excited about.

Meanwhile, Patrick Boyland has dropped an update on Jean-Philippe Gbamin’s Everton future…

New Leeds United manager Jesse Marsch could potentially use Patrick Bamford in a front two when he returns from injury, according to journalist Phil Hay.

The Lowdown: Marsch replaces Bielsa at Leeds

The 48-year-old was confirmed as the Whites’ new boss on Monday following the sacking of Marcelo Bielsa 24 hours earlier.

The former RB Leipzig and Red Bull Salzburg manager is tasked with staving off the threat of relegation, with Leeds now very much finding themselves in a battle to remain in the Premier League.

The return of key players such as Bamford could go a long way to succeeding in that mission, and a new update suggests that a tactical change could be on the cards with Marsch at the helm.

[freshpress-quiz id=“383507″]

The Latest: Hay predicts possible formation change

Writing in a Q&A for The Athletic on Monday, Hay claimed that the returning Bamford could be used in a two-man strike partnership alongside either Rodrigo or Joe Gelhardt.

When asked about what formation the new Leeds manager could potentially deploy, the journalist replied: “Marsch has used a front two before. When Bamford is back, does that create and opportunity to pair Bamford with Rodrigo? Or Gelhardt? Fascinated to see what he does formation wise. It surely won’t be 4-1-4-1.”

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The Verdict: More attacking threat?

This could be an intriguing move by Marsch and it may even bring the best out of Rodrigo, whose time at Leeds has certainly been underwhelming so far.

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He has scored just three times in 12appearances as a centre-forward this season, but with Bamford alongside him once the latter is back from injury, the Spaniard could benefit from his team-mate’s link-up play and selflessness, becoming more of a force in the process.

Gelhardt could also thrive in attack with the 28-year-old, using his colleague as a perfect foil to do the dirty work while the youngster looks to produce the firepower which has seen him score 18 goals in just 27 appearances for Leeds’ under-23s.

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

West Ham United host in-form Aston Villa in the Premier League this afternoon, with the Hammers looking to consolidate their place in the top six.

David Moyes’ side are sixth in the league and three points behind Arsenal, although the Gunners have a whopping three games in hand. Moreover, both Tottenham and Wolves are breathing down the Irons’ necks, so victory over Steven Gerrard’s side will be crucial in the hunt for a European place.

With ten league games to go this season, plus potential progression in the Europa League with the Hammers 1-0 down against Sevilla going into the second leg at the London Stadium next Thursday, the final two months of the campaign will be massive in deciding what awaits West Ham in 2022/23.

Therefore, it is crucial that Moyes gets his team selection spot-on today. To that effect, Nikola Vlasic should not start against Villa.

On the chalkboard

Since joining from CSKA Moscow last summer, the Croatian has struggled to live up to his £69k-per-week wage in east London, with the 24-year-old finding the back of the net just once in 32 appearances across all competitions.

A lack of squad depth and a plethora of injuries has meant that Moyes has had little option but to involve Vlasic, who started Thursday evening’s 1-0 defeat to Sevilla.

Usually a left winger, the Croatian would come up against Villa right-back Matty Cash should he feature today, with the English full-back in the form of his life after two goals and two assists in his last three league outings whilst also keeping three clean sheets. Therefore, it would likely be another tricky afternoon for the 24-year-old if he starts this afternoon.

However, Moyes does have alternative options as to who is deployed out wide, with Said Benrahma coming off the bench on Thursday in place of Vlasic, who was on the right-hand side in Seville.

Although he is in the midst of an eight-match goal drought, the Algerian has been significantly more prolific than his Croatian team-mate, with eight goals and four assists in 35 appearances so far this term.

Even Pablo Fornals has enjoyed more success in front of goal, with the Spaniard netting on five occasions, all of them in the Premier League, along with setting up a further four goals.

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West Ham’s attacking options are limited enough as they are, and with the Hammers in pursuit of a top-six finish, the match against Aston Villa is arguably a must-win.

Therefore, Moyes should change it up out wide and give the goal-shy Vlasic a rest after his involvement in the Europa League on Thursday. Frankly, the 24-year-old has been stealing a living since his move to east London.

In other news: West Ham are eyeing “sensational” £22.5m-rated star, supporters will be buzzing

Everton ended their FA Cup run in disappointing fashion this afternoon with a 4-0 defeat away at Crystal Palace.

Goals from Marc Guehi, Jean-Philippe Mateta, Wilfried Zaha and Will Hughes comfortably booked Patrick Vieira’s side in the next round of the competition, leaving the Toffees dejected as they head into the latest international break.

In terms of individual performances on the day, one player whose display will have been particularly disappointing for Frank Lampard is Anthony Gordon.

Having played through the entire 90 minutes, the 21-year-old had 43 touches of the ball, which is only five more than goalkeeper Jordan Pickford had and could only complete 12 of the 21 passes he attempted, misplacing three crosses and one long ball, ultimately losing possession on 20 occasions.

The attacker, who was described as “frightening” by Boreham Wood manager Luke Garrard, also failed to register even one shot at goal and lost three of the four dribbles he tried to make to get his team up the pitch.

Things were equally as disappointing for the Englishman off the ball, having lost 11 of the 16 ground duels he was involved in as well as getting dribbled past twice and giving four fouls away.

This display eventually earned the youngster an overall match rating of 6.3, making him one of the lowest-rated outfield players on the day according to SofaScore.

Given how well the winger has done for his side in the Premier League this season with WhoScored listing him as the sixth-highest rated outfield player currently in the squad, it’s safe to say that Lampard will feel let down to some extent with what Gordon delivered on the pitch in south London today.

Moving forward, now that they have been booted out of the FA Cup, Everton’s main objective for the rest of the season now will be to avoid getting relegated to the Championship, meaning that they will need all of their players, including Gordon, to be in top form in terms of their attacking and defensive output.

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With the latest international break around the corner, the Everton players should be using this defeat at Palace to focus on what they need to improve on as a team and let the disappointment fuel them to attack their remaining league games.

In other news: Lampard can finally axe Everton liability with £11.8m gem with “natural explosiveness”

An update has emerged on Newcastle United’s interest in signing Everton centre-back Ben Godfrey…

What’s the talk?

According to The Mirror, PIF are plotting a new Magpies bid for the England international after failing to land him in January.

The report claims that the defender, who the Toffees signed from Norwich for £25m in 2020, is high up on the club’s list of targets.

Coloccini 2.0

Eddie Howe can find Newcastle’s new Fabricio Coloccini in a deal to sign the former Canaries machine at the end of the season.

Coloccini was not the tallest of centre-backs, at 6 foot, and Godfrey is built in the same mould – standing at 6 foot himself. Instead of towering above strikers to dominate them in the air, they were and are able to use their reading of the game and athleticism to cut out attacks and defend their own goal.

The Argentine Toon icon has a career average 1.6 tackles per game along with 0.6 blocks, whilst only winning 1.3 aerial battles per match. Godfrey, meanwhile, has a career average of 1.3 tackles, 1.0 blocks and 2.0 aerial battles won per game, which suggests – along with their shared height – that they share a similar style of defending in terms of the volumes of specific defensive actions they complete.

He also has the potential to follow in Coloccini’s footsteps as a leader. Daniel Farke tipped him to become England’s captain in the future, whilst he has captained Norwich, England U21’s and Everton at points in his short career so far. This suggests that he has the leadership qualities to don the armband at St. James’ Park, just as the Argentine gem did for many years.

Godfrey has also shown that he can perform at Premier League level. Famous Toffees fan Tony Bellew called him a “revelation” last season and current Everton attacker Andros Townsend previously claimed that the 24-year-old has “massive potential”.

Last term, Godfrey averaged an impressive SofaScore rating of 7.03 for the Blues, winning 66% of his individual battles and making 2.9 tackles and interceptions per game. This shows that he has the ability to perform consistently to a high level in the top-flight, which is why he would be an excellent signing for the Magpies.

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He has also shown off his versatility whilst playing for the Toffees. The defender has been deployed at left-back and right-back, whilst he played as a holding midfielder for Norwich before Daniel Farke converted him into the centre-back he is now. This means that he could be a manager’s dream for Howe as he would be able to use him in a multitude of ways.

PIF must now work hard to land Newcastle’s Coloccini 2.0…

AND in other news, Left for £0, now worth 1100% more: Rafa had NUFC howler on “beautiful” £2k-p/w tank…

Wolves have been dealt a huge blow in their search for qualification for European football, as key midfielder Ruben Neves has suffered a significant knee injury which will keep him out for over a month.

The club released a statement yesterday detailing the injury in full, which will surely frustrate supporters and Bruno Lage, who has now got to plan without his star man for four crucial upcoming fixtures in April.

The statement read: “Ruben Neves suffered a medial collateral ligament injury to his knee in the match against Leeds United on Friday evening.

“He travelled to Portugal with members of the Wolves medical team to see a knee specialist, where the injury was confirmed as uncomplicated.

“He will spend this week in Portugal with the Wolves physio before returning to continue his rehabilitation at Compton Park. We are hoping for Ruben to be fit to return in May.”

Up next for Wolves is a Midlands derby with rivals Aston Villa at home, and supporters will be especially disappointed to not see Neves, who has been linked with a move away in the summer – and could just play one more game for the club at Molineux if he returns for the games in May.

This season, the Portuguese midfielder has averaged a 7.20 match rating in the Premier League according to SofaScore, scoring four goals and assisting two more in 28 appearances.

In addition, he has staked a claim for being one of the top passers in the world, evident by him ranking in the top 1% among midfielders across Europe’s top five leagues and continental competitions for long passes completed per 90 (14.92), top 3% for cross-field switches per 90 (4.49) and top 6% for passes into the final third per 90 (7.16).

He has also remained defensively solid throughout the last year, ranking in the top 5% for dribblers contester per 90 (3.39), and top 15% for tackles in the defensive third per 90 (1.38).

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The 25-year-old will be a huge loss for the club, who are still in the hunt for European football and their chances of securing it may now be derailed without him.

In other news: Forget Traore: Lage must unleash Wolves’ rarely-seen 18y/o who is “such a good talent”

According to Italian newspaper Il Messaggero, via TUTTOmercatoWEB, Tottenham Hotspur have set their sights on a new striker target in Roma star Tammy Abraham.

The Lowdown: Conte eyes striker move…

As reliably reported, Tottenham and manager Antonio Conte see the signing of a back-up to star striker Harry Kane as one of four priorities (Alasdair Gold).

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The likes of Andrea Belotti and Alvaro Morata have been linked in recent months with Kane currently unchallenged and unsupported for the attacking role in north London.

It could be imperative for Spurs and Conte to have another option in the event of a serious injury to the England superstar with their eyes now apparently turning to Abraham.

The Latest: Spurs set sights…

As per Il Messaggero (via TMW), it is believed that Tottenham, and by extension transfer chief Fabio Paratici, have ‘already set their sights’ on the former Chelsea star.

Man United and his ex-club also hold a serious interest amid his fine debut campaign in Italy with the latter side possessing a €80 million (£67.6m) buy-back clause.

The Verdict: Big challenge…

It is little wonder Abraham has caught the attention of Spurs as he dazzles in Rome and earns the affection of both Jose Mourinho and supporters alike.

However, if Paratici and co. truly wish to sign the attacker, they will have to pay big.

Reliable journalist Sami Mokbel of The Daily Mail recently revealed that Roma are expected to place a £100 million price tag on Abraham this summer, a valuation which could well dent Spurs’ summer hopes.

If Tottenham did somehow do the very improbable, there is little denying he would upgrade Conte’s options, with pundit Alex McLeish calling him ‘phenomenal’.

He’s lived up to that tag in Italy with 15 goals and three assists in the league alone so far this season, and amid his huge hike in value, Spurs may be regretting not signing him when they had the chance last summer.

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The Telegraph explained that Abraham had been ‘offered’ and ‘made available’ to Spurs in 2021 with the price tag around that time amounting to £40m.

Now, it appears Paratici faces a much bigger challenge to sign him.

In other news: Conte now eyeing £25.2m-rated ‘game-changer’ who Spurs once agreed personal terms for…find out more here.

There were several reasons Arsenal failed to win the Premier League last season.

One was that Liverpool and, in particular, Mo Salah were practically unbeatable; another was that the Gunners drew too many games and had too many moments when they were subpar.

However, arguably the most significant reason of all was that, throughout the campaign, Mikel Arteta had to deal with an absurd number of injuries that utterly decimated the first team.

Unfortunately, Arsenal are on track to be as unlucky with injuries this season as well, with the backline being a particular concern at the moment.

However, there are some solutions, and one of them involves Arteta unleashing the Max Dowman of defenders.

How injuries are impacting Arsenal

Injuries are nothing new, and every team has to deal with them at some point, but what is also true is that last season and so far this year, Arsenal have been more unlucky than most.

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This isn’t just a feeling either, as according to Sky Sports’ Sam Blitz, Ben White’s recent injury marks the 100th different injury the club have faced since the start of the 24/25 season.

That is more than any other current or ever-present side across the same period.

The good news for Arteta and Co is that most of his important attacking players are now back, with Kai Havertz reportedly aiming to return to the squad before the end of the year.

However, the bad news is that the club’s injury problems have shifted to the back, with Gabriel Magalhães, Cristhian Mosquera and now White all out of action.

Arsenal’s current injuries

Player

Injury

Return

Mosquera

Ankle

01/26

Havertz

Knee

12/25

Gabriel

Groin

01/26

Dowman

Ankle

N/A

White

Hamstring

N/A

Now, the manager does still have the likes of Riccardo Calafiori, William Saliba, Jurrien Timber, Myles Lewis-Skelly and Piero Hincapie to call on, but it’s not that simple.

The Italian has a long history of injuries, and the Dutchman underwent surgery last season.

Therefore, with them already playing 1313 and 1668 minutes this season, they are in desperate need of rotation and rest.

Finally, the Frenchman has only just returned from a few weeks out with an ankle injury, so there is also concern that overplaying him in the coming weeks could be problematic.

However, in addition to having Christian Norgaard spend more time at the back, there is another potential solution to this problem: for Arteta to unleash Arsenal’s centre-back version of Max Dowman.

Arsenal's Dowman of centre-backs

Despite still being just 15 years old, practically every Premier League fan has now heard of Dowman; that is the level of talent Arsenal are dealing with.

He made his debut in the competition back in August, running circles around the Leeds United defence and winning a penalty.

Over the following months, he became the youngest player to start for the club in the League Cup and then the youngest player to play in the Champions League.

So, to be compared to, let alone described as the ‘Dowman of’ a youngster has to be pretty special.

Fortunately for Areteta and Co, special seems to be an apt way to describe Marli Salmon.

For example, respected analyst-turned-Como scout Ben Mattinson has been bold enough to describe the exceptionally talented prospect as “the best CB Hale End has produced.”

Moreover, Hale End expert Will Balsam has heaped praise on him for being “different gravy on the ball” and has gone as far as dubbing him the “crown jewel” of the club’s recent scholarship intake.

Join the newsletter for deeper Arsenal injury insight Subscribe to the newsletter for focused analysis of Arsenal’s defensive injury crisis and academy prospects. Get expert breakdowns on how injuries shape tactics and why youngsters like Marli Salmon matter to the backline. Subscribe Join the newsletter for deeper Arsenal injury insight Subscribe to the newsletter for focused analysis of Arsenal’s defensive injury crisis and academy prospects. Get expert breakdowns on how injuries shape tactics and why youngsters like Marli Salmon matter to the backline.

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The reason Balsam gives for this glowing praise is the fact that the teen phenom is already marrying technical composure with “freak physical attributes.”

It’s not just analysts that rate the youngster, though, Arteta seems to as well.

The manager took the 16-year-old on the pre-season tour of Asia and, alongside Dowman, handed him minutes against Premier League sides, minutes in which he shone.

Finally, the boss also trusted him enough to give him a runout against Club Brugge in the Champions League, making him the sixth youngest to play in the competition.

Ultimately, Arsenal are going through a defensive injury crisis at the moment, and while it won’t solve it entirely, Arteta can help manage it by unleashing Salmon.

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