Chelsea have picked Benfica centre-back Tomas Araujo as one of their top targets ahead of the January transfer window, according to reports. The Blues are eager to strengthen their defensive options and asked questions about Araujo’s availability over the summer, but Benfica were unwilling to let him go.  But Chelsea have not given up on signing the 22-year-old talent, who started four out of his team’s six league matches so far this campaign.  Transfer journalist Fabrizio Romano reports that Chelsea want to sign a new centre-back in January and Araujo is at the top of their list. They also want RB Leipzig’s Castello Lukeba.  “Another player being linked with Chelsea is RB Leipzig’s talented centre-back Castello Lukeba. The 21-year-old is one of the most talented young defenders in Europe, for sure, and he’s been linked with some French clubs as well as with Chelsea, but what I can for the moment is that there is no concrete negotiation and no concrete talks taking place,” Romano wrote on his Daily Briefing Column.  “Leipzig recently sold Mohamed Simakan, so for another key defender to move on it would have to be a crazy proposal. Chelsea are following many centre-backs, so Lukeba is one of many players they’ve been monitoring, which is absolutely normal, just like with Tomas Araujo at Benfica. “Araujo in particular is a player Chelsea really like, and they tried for him in the final weeks of the summer transfer window. At that time, Benfica didn’t want to sell the player, but he remains someone on Chelsea’s radar, and they are also scouting Lukeba, but at this moment it’s too early to predict where he’s going.”

Ipswich Town face no threat to keeping Kalvin Phillips in January. On-loan from Manchester City, it has been suggested that Phillips could be recalled after Rodri suffered a season-ending injury.   However, according to TWTD, there is no break clause in the season-long contract.  “The truthful answer is I’ve not checked,” Ipswich boss Kieran McKenna said. “I don’t think there is, but I can’t tell you 100 percent. “I know the plan from our side, from his side, from Man City’s side is that he comes here and has a season with us and gets back to playing regularly and helps the team here. “And we’re going to try and help him develop while (he’s here) and build up to a good place in his career, while he’s going to do everything he can to help the team. That’s 100 per cent the plan and I’m sure that remains the plan on all sides.”

Former Chelsea manager Graham Potter revealed that during his tenure, some Chelsea players did not have seats. Those players resorted to sitting on the floor during club gatherings in 2022.  Taking charge at Stamford Bridge after Thomas Tuchel left, Potter received eight new signings that winter.  Speaking to The Telegraph this week, Potter said: “We tried to support it as best we could, but it left us with a challenge of a lot of players after January and then they can’t go anywhere.” He added: “A few of them just had to sit on the floor.  “It’s not ideal, of course. Everybody recognised it was a really difficult situation because you can only pick 11 players and if you’ve got 20 players not playing, it doesn’t matter where you are. If you can find a coach out there who says, ‘yeah, that’s the best condition for me,’ I’d be very surprised.”

Fabio Vieira will go back to FC Porto on loan from Arsenal after Mikel Arterta could not guarantee him any minutes.  Athletic’s David Ornstein, an Arsenal correspondent and reliable source is reporting this news.  According to Ornstein, Vieira is unhappy with his lack of minutes and the expected arrival of Mikel Merino which could steal the starring role he has been hoping for.  Due to injuries, the midfielder has struggled for regular matches for the Gunners, making only 15 appearances last season, with one goal and three assists. Vieira’s absence from the match with Aston Villa seemed to reaffirm his return to Invicta, where he shone before he went to London.  His exploits since joining Arsenal in 2022/23 has been overshadowed by injuries. In that campaign Vieira made a total of 33 appearances, with two goals and six assists. However, last season he only played 16 times and the last time he started was in November 2023, in the League Cup. When he came back to the club in February, he only played 57 minutes.  This pre-season, Vieira was back in the side and has been in good shape. But European champion Mikel Merino arriving and homegrown talent Ethan Nwaneri emerging will rob him of minutes he does not want to concede. On that note, he has accepted a return home after an excellent season in 2021/22, where he scored 7 goals and made 16 assists, which got him a move to Arsenal for up to €40m.

Former Arsenal captain Granit Xhaka has said he was relieved to have left the club for Bayer Leverkusen.  Xhaka had a tumultuous relationship with the club’s fans over the years. Unai Emery crowned him captain several years ago, but he fell out with the fans and lost his position.  But Xhaka went on to play a lead role in the Gunners’ squad that nearly won them a league title two seasons ago.  “My wife was there for the first meeting with Leverkusen,” he said during an Amazon Prime documentary on Leverkusen’s last season, which saw them win the Bundesliga unbeaten.  “I wanted to know how she felt.” He added: “It was pure relief for me. I said: ‘Yes! It’s not just me who feels that way, but the family too’.” “I was lucky enough to be booed in 2019, as captain at Arsenal, in front of 60,000 fans,” he elaborated.  “I say lucky because that made me brutally strong. “I’m grateful that I got out of there. Because it was a dark day for my family, my wife and my parents. I think it was even harder for them than it was for me.”

Manchester United are reported to be monitoring Leon Goretzka at Bayern Munich. The Red Devils mean business about signing the midfielder in the summer.  Goretzka has only played for five minutes in Bundesliga action this campaign, as he is out of favour with Bayern. The Sun reports that both Manchester and West Ham want to sign him.  “We communicated very clearly from the start,” Bayern’s sporting director, Max Eberl, told Sky Germany after Goretzka was left out of the squad for Saturday’s 6-1 win away to Holstein Kiel.   “Leon knew that we were relying on Pavlo (Pavlovic), and that we would bring in Palhinha and that Joshua (Kimmich) would play more in the centre again.  “We’ve also said that when Leon is there and ready to face the situation, he’ll be treated completely normally. Leon’s a great guy. I like him a lot, even though he’s obviously upset at the moment. I understand that too. But that’s part of life in football.” 

Liverpool got an injury  concern during the international break as Alexis Mac Allister suffered a setback while training on international duty. New head coach Arne Slot has had a great start to the season after winning three of his club’s opening matches and not conceding any goals.  Slot has also enjoyed the prowess of Argentina player Mac Allister, who has played for every game of the term so far. However, it seems Slot must now find a replacement for the midfielder after he was injured in training ahead of Argentina’s World Cup qualifier with Chile on Friday.  Manager Lionel Scaloni told TyC Sports that they are observing his progress. “Alexis didn’t train because he was overloaded, he was in pain. It always happens to us, they come out to do their part.  “We’ll wait and see how he responds today. It doesn’t change our way of playing much because we’ll stay the same, but it’s true that he gives us play, set pieces. The rest of the team is more or less decided.”  Argentina will play against Chile on Friday before visiting Colombia on Tuesday, whilst Liverpool will face Nottingham Forest on Saturday at the EPL, which may give Mac Allister enough time to recover.  If he does not, Liverpool have some talented replacements on the bench, including Harvey Elliott, Curtis Jones and Federico Chiesa who could make his debut for the club. 

Tottenham defender Micky van de Ven believes in his team after defeating Everton over the weekend. He says his squad will be more dangerous this year.  Van de Ven assisted Heung-min Son’s goal against Everton which helped the Spurs secure their first victory of the season.  The defender praised his teammates, who he thinks have become more of a threat this campaign as they look to clinch their first trophy since 2008. “I think we are more dangerous this year,” Van de Ven said afterwards. “Like the gaffer has said, we can play down the side or through the middle, and two or three balls from Cuti (Romero) to Maddison were really dangerous. I think there are more threats from us this year.  “We need to reach another level this season. Last year we were fifth, so it was a good season, but we want more. We want to win a trophy, that’s clear.”  He also spoke on how Ange Postecoglou’s tactics allowed him to set up the goal after being allowed more freedom in his new role.  “We have the possibility to do this, Ange gives us the possibility to do it and he’s never like, ‘The centre-backs have to stay behind’. I feel comfortable to play like this.  “He trusts his defenders, and he trusts everybody in the team to do what they want to do, and it’s really important for us to feel that trust and have the confidence to do it.”