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Southampton ‘have had interest’ from former Premier League manager Frank Lampard in the vacant role on the south coast, according to recent reports.

The Lowdown: Marsch talks break down…

It was widely believed just two days ago that former Leeds head coach Jesse Marsch was set to take charge at St Mary’s after positive talks.

However, after a managerial twist, negotiations with the American broke down, with reliable sources suggesting that the main reason was down to contract length.

After sacking the under-fire Nathan Jones last weekend, Southampton are now back to square one in their search for his successor, and Sport Republic’s next move could be crucial.

The Latest: Southampton attracting Lampard’s interest?

According to The Guardian, in terms of alternatives to Marsch, there could be a handful of contenders for the vacancy at St Mary’s, with some big names displaying an interest in the role.

One of those is former Chelsea and Everton boss Lampard, with the report stating that apparently the Southampton board ‘have had interest’ from the 44-year-old among other candidates.

The Verdict: Good option?

The Premier League playing legend’s last two high-profile jobs at Stamford Bridge and Goodison Park ended in his prompt dismissal, but Lampard did guide Derby County to the Championship play-off final in 2019, and he has managerial experience in both of the top two divisions in England.

He has also survived relegation battles before, having steered Everton away from the drop zone towards the end of last season.

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp also once heralded the ‘exceptional job’ that he feels Lampard performed at Chelsea back in 2020 before his eventual sacking, so the 44-year-old does come with some credentials.

However, given that the majority of his roles have ended in disappointment, Southampton must be wary of hiring the former Everton boss and perhaps ascertain why – if they do indeed regard Lampard as a viable candidate.

Tottenham Hotspur are unwilling to match Bayer Leverkusen’s £80m valuation of defender Piero Hincapie.

The Lowdown: Hincapie targeted

It was reported at the end of December that Antonio Conte had spoken to the Spurs hierarchy and personally requested the Ecuador centre-back, with rumours of a move to north London persisting throughout this month’s transfer window.

Sky Sports reporter Dharmesh Sheth confirmed that Tottenham were looking at signing the 21-year-old at the start of January, while Christian Falk has more recently detailed that the Premier League club have continued to keep an eye on him.

The Latest: Huge valuation

According to The Sun, the Lilywhites are exploring a deal for the centre-back, with Conte placing him high on his shortlist of targets, although a January deal is not looking likely.

The 21-year-old is said to be happy at his current club, where he is still learning his trade, and Leverkusen have set a valuation of £80m, which Spurs are unwilling to match.

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The Verdict: Worth the money?

Football scout Jacek Kulig has gushed over the Ecuadorian, hailing him as a ‘top, top, player’, while also claiming that he could go on to be a ‘future legend’, and it is clear to see why the youngster has received such high praise.

The starlet is very assured in possession, as indicated by his ranking in the 96th percentile for dribbles per 90 compared to other defenders in Europe’s top five leagues over the past year, and his defensive qualities are also up to scratch.

An average of 2.15 tackles per 90 in the same timeframe places him in the 87th percentile, with this figure also far higher than those amassed by Eric Dier and Ben Davies, which indicates that he could be a real upgrade to Spurs’ backline if they take the plunge on him.

However, an £80m price tag is far too high for a player who is still relatively inexperienced, with 2022/23 being just Hincapie’s second season playing at a high level in Europe, and Tottenham should look to either negotiate a lower transfer fee or turn their focus towards alternative targets.

Reliable journalist Jordan Campbell believes Glasgow Rangers could still potentially sign midfielder Todd Cantwell during the January transfer window.

The Lowdown: Cantwell linked with Rangers move

Michael Beale will want to bring in his own signings in this window, the first of his tenure as Gers manager.

One player who has been heavily linked with a move to Ibrox is Cantwell, who has been limited to just nine starts for Norwich in the Championship this season.

A fresh update suggests that the 24-year-old could arrive at Rangers this month.

The Latest: January switch could happen

Taking to Twitter, Campbell claimed that Beale could look to sign a player who is out of contract this summer in January, mentioning Cantwell’s name in the process:

“Beale says that if an out-of-contract player is available to bring in early it is something he would look to do to help them adapt. Cantwell fits that bill.”

The Verdict: Great option for Beale

Cantwell would have the potential to be a superb signing for Rangers, bringing a combination of endless running and technical quality in midfield areas. He won two tackles and made three interceptions in his one EFL Cup outing this season, against Bournemouth, and has an 82.6% pass completion rate in the league.

The Englishman has 45 appearances to his name in the Premier League, as well as scoring six goals, and that experience at the highest level shows that he can be a hit at Ibrox.

Granted, his stock appears to have fallen a little at Norwich with his recent lack of game time, but a new challenge at Rangers, under a manager who he could thrive under, makes this an exciting potential signing, having been lauded for his ‘God-given’ talent by former coach Gary Cockaday.

Glasgow Celtic head into Saturday’s Premiership clash against Kilmarnock in an excellent run of form, with Ange Postecoglou’s side currently unbeaten in 12 league fixtures.

Indeed, Monday’s 2-2 draw against their Old Firm rivals ensured that the Bhoys remained nine points clear at the top of the table, with the Premiership crown very much being the Hoops’ to lose at present.

As such, the Celtic manager will undoubtedly be hoping that his side can continue their remarkable run against Derek McInnes’ ninth-placed Kilmarnock outfit at Parkhead this afternoon.

However, with a number of injury concerns to deal with ahead of the fixture, Postecoglou may well be forced into something of a shakeup in his starting XI against Killie.

How many changes will the 57-year-old make to the team which started at Ibrox last time out? Here’s how we at Football FanCast think Celtic could line up, as well as the latest team and injury news.

Predicted Celtic XI: Hart; Johnston, Carter-Vickers, Starfelt, Bernabei; McGregor, Mooy, Hatate; Abada, Kyogo, Jota.

With Sead Haksabanovic, Stephen Welsh, James McCarthy and Greg Taylor all ruled out as a result of injury, we predict that Postecoglou will make four changes to the side which lined up against Rangers last Monday.

The first of these alterations come at the back, with the aforementioned Taylor dropping out of the XI as a result of a hamstring strain picked up against the Light Blues, and the “exciting” – in the manager’s own words – £3.75m summer signing Alexandro Bernabei being handed just his sixth Premiership start at left-back.

The rest of the back five remains unchanged, with Joe Hart starting in goal, Alistair Johnston retaining his place at right-back and Cameron Carter-Vickers and Carl Starfelt being given the nod in the heart of the Hoops’ defence.

In the middle of the park, despite having featured in every league game so far this season, after a couple of below-par performances in recent weeks, Matt O’Riley – dubbed the “best player in Scotland” by one Celtic source – drops out of the XI, with Aaron Mooy being handed an opportunity to impress alongside Callum McGregor and Reo Hatate in the midfield three.

The final two changes come in the attacking trio, with both James Forrest – who was rather quiet against Rangers – and Daizen Maeda making way, while Liel Abada and Jota return to the starting XI, with Kyogo Furuhashi keeping his place up top.

Leeds United could look to the January transfer window to strengthen their team for the second half of the season and now a reliable source has delivered an update on a potential target.

What’s the latest?

Leeds have been linked with a move for Atletico Madrid striker Matheus Cunha and now journalist Pete O’Rourke has weighed in on the player’s potential move to Elland Road.

O’Rourke told GIVEMESPORT:

“He is probably a more recognised name than Raphinha was before he came to Leeds.

“Raphinha wasn’t in the Brazil squad before he came to Leeds and he then broke into the international set-up while he was at Leeds. He was a bit unknown when he came to Leeds from France, but I think Matheus Cunha has obviously got a bigger reputation than Raphinha had at that time.

“He’s played for Brazil and he was a big-money signing when he joined Atletico Madrid as well.”

It would be a risky move

There is no doubt that Jesse Marsch would have been spending the World Cup break looking for ways to improve his team’s performances to ensure they avoid another difficult relegation scrap over the rest of the season.

Leeds are currently 15th in the Premier League table after 14 outings and despite scoring more goals than Manchester United so far, the side are just two points clear of the relegation zone.

Although the Whites are not currently struggling for goal contributions it is clear Marsch is keen to strengthen and add depth to key areas of their squad with players who fit his philosophy at Elland Road.

As a result, the signing of Cunha – who was previously valued at £42m – makes sense from the manager’s perspective as the Brazilian striker worked with Marsch at RB Leipzig and is obviously a player he believes in, however, it could be a risky move considering his more recent form at Atletico Madrid.

Indeed, the ace – who was dubbed “unpredictable” by Maurizio Jacobacci – has certainly lived up to that billing this term. He has not scored a single goal over 11 La Liga appearances this season, whilst averaging just 13.3 touches, 0.5 key passes, 0.7 shots on target and 0.5 successful dribbles per game.

In fact, Cunha has netted just seven times over 54 appearances since his arrival at the Wanda Metropolitano Stadium in the summer of 2021 with a goal contribution every 255 minutes so far, proving that he is not a consistent or reliable threat in front of goal.

With Patrick Bamford’s injury woes continuing to plague him and the squad, signing a reliable player simply must be top of the agenda for Victor Orta. Unfortunately, the Atletico frontman doesn’t tick that box.

With that being said, the signing of Cunha does not seem like a worthwhile investment and if Marsch is considering a move for a striker he must identify a more prolific and clinical attacker to bolster the centre-forward position.

West Bromwich Albion have been boosted by the news that midfielder Grady Diangana is expected to return to training, according to The Express & Star journalist Lewis Cox.

The Lowdown: Diangana absent of late

The Baggies are preparing for their return to Championship action away to Sunderland next Monday night, having not played since the 2-0 win over Stoke City on November 12.

Diangana featured for nine minutes towards the end of that game but he has been struggling with an injury of late, ruling him out of the recent training camp in Spain.

A positive update on the 24-year-old has now emerged, though, as Carlos Corberan continues to get important players back fit.

The Latest: Return to training expected

According to Cox for The Express & Star, West Brom ‘hope’ to have Diangana back in training this week, which suggests that he will be able for the trip to Sunderland next Monday.

Semi Ajayi and Daryl Dike are already back after long-term layoffs, playing in a 1-0 friendly defeat to Elche last week.

The Verdict: Massive boost for Baggies

This is an undoubted positive for the Baggies, with Diangana a formidable midfield presence during his time at the club, once being hailed as ‘magnificent’ by Lee Hendrie.

He has already made 16 starts in the league this season, and 114 appearances for the Baggies in total, and he could continue to be a key figure under Corberan if he managed to remain injury-free.

He can be pivotal to Albion’s attacking play, with his match average of 1.7 key passes the third-highest at Tthe Hawthorns, while only five players at the club have betted his 1.5 shots per game [WhoScored].

Should Diangana be deemed match fit for the trip to Sunderland, throwing him straight back into the team makes perfect sense, as West Brom look to pull away from near the bottom of the Championship table.

Incoming Glasgow Rangers boss Mick Beale will seemingly need to deal with the situation surrounding contract rebel Ryan Kent, amid an update on the Englishman’s future at Ibrox.

What’s the word?

According to Football Insider, the appointment of the former Queen’s Park Rangers manager will seemingly have ‘no bearing’ on talks over a contract extension for the 26-year-old, with the fleet-footed ace having just a matter of months left on his existing deal.

The report suggests that the former Liverpool winger has been offered improved terms by the Old Firm outfit, although appears to be keeping his options open ahead of the January window.

This follows previous claims that the one-time England youth international has his eyes set on the Premier League after rejecting an offer from the Light Blues, having notably been linked with a move to Leeds United in the summer.

Ruthlessly ditch

The uncertainty surrounding the future of the Oldham-born ace will no doubt be a notable issue on Beale’s in-tray, with the 42-year-old potentially having to decide whether to try and tempt the player into staying with the Gers, or to simply move him on sooner rather than later.

Having previously worked with the 5 foot 8 ace during his time as Steven Gerrard’s assistant, the up-and-coming coach may well be inclined to try and revive Kent’s fortunes in the coming months in order get the electric talent back to his best.

However, the best course of action could well be to ruthlessly ditch the £18k-per-week man when the market re-opens, with the dynamic speedster having perhaps become something of a problem for the Light Blues in recent times due to his underwhelming form.

The one-time Bristol City loanee – who arrived in Scotland on an initial loan deal in 2018 – has still chipped in with a respectable tally of six assists in all competitions this season, although has proven somewhat unreliable in front of goal with just one strike to his name thus far.

The club’s miserable Champions League run saw the £15m-rated dud particularly underwhelm as he failed to provide a single goal or assist, with pundit Neil McCann notably calling out the attacker for having “disappeared” during the shambolic, 7-1 home defeat to the Reds back in October.

Pundit Frank McAvennie also suggested that while Kent is a “wonderful player” he has seemingly been the Scottish Premiership outfit’s “biggest failure” of late, having come under scrutiny for his work ethic and attitude.

As Beale looks to stamp his authority on the side and spark a revival of fortunes for Rangers, the new head coach will seemingly not want to have problematic and uncommitted figures lingering in his dressing room, with a fresh start perhaps the best solution for all parties.

Southampton’s unbeaten run came crashing to an end yesterday, as they fell to a disappointing defeat in the Premier League against Crystal Palace.

With the Eagles coming off the back of a 3-0 drubbing at Goodison Park, there may have been widespread belief on the south coast that the Saints might be able to snatch some points from the hosts at Selhurst Park.

There were some decidedly poor displays from the visiting team, with full-back Lyanco arguably the pick of the bunch.

His SofaScore rating of 6.1 is indicative of an awful display, but it was the team’s toothless nature which truly cost them. This is no better exemplified than in Che Adams’ rating of 5.8, the worst of anyone on the field.

Despite Southampton having more of the ball and more shots than the Eagles, they somehow still managed to not find the net with any of their 14 attempts, via SofaScore. This was largely in part to the wasteful Scotsman, who showed little involvement throughout and when he did was instrumental in killing attacks.

Having touched the ball just 36 times and lost it on 12 occasions, the 26-year-old was dispossessed once for every 2.9 touches. However, it was in the final third that his lack of contribution really stood out.

He missed an astonishing three big chances, not managing to score with any of his five shots. His lack of proficiency will surely leave his manager furious that he squandered so many opportunities, in a game which was wholly winnable.

To further compound his miserable performance, Adams also won just three of his 11 duels throughout the game.

Lyanco might have made the error which led to the goal, but had his attacking team-mate finished any of his three fine opportunities, then it would have been a different game. Therefore, it is the Scotland international who should face the brunt of Hasenhuttl’s wrath.

Southampton now sit just one point and one place above the relegation zone, with their unpredictable form lending to their slump down the table.

Perhaps the manager might think twice about Adams inclusion after yesterday’s performance, in which the 26-year-old showed himself to be the team’s true villain.

There seems to be no end in sight for Wolves after their search for a new manager took another setback on Thursday, with QPR boss Michael Beale the latest to turn down the vacant position at Molineux.

Wolves made an approach to bring the 42-year-old to Molineux but it was reported not long after, that the former Aston Villa and Rangers assistant had turned down the opportunity to move to the Premier League in order to remain with the Loftus Road outfit.

It is easy to see why Fosun were keen on appointing Beale, given that the Hoops sit top of the Championship after winning eight of their opening 15 games.

For now, they will stick by interim boss Steve Davis, but they will eventually need to turn their attention elsewhere and could find a solution to their current woes in Peter Bosz.

The Dutch manager was linked with the Old Gold earlier this week before Beale became the first choice, and perhaps Fosun could return to the former Lyon and Ajax boss in the new year.

French news outlet Le10 Sport claimed that Bosz is keen on a return to management and had discussions with the Wolves board about potentially joining before they decided on Beale, which suggests that he could be an option now that the 42-year-old will be staying in the Championship.

Bosz was only sacked by Lyon earlier this month after a disappointing run which saw them win only four of their opening ten games in Ligue 1, which suggests that he wouldn’t be able to bring much of a winning mentality to Molineux. That factor is drastically needed given that the Midlands club find themselves in the Premier League relegation places.

However, Bosz has enjoyed impressive spells with Ajax and Bayer Leverkusen in the past, averaging 2.13 points per game and 1.79 points per game with the Dutch and German sides respectively with a play style that he deemed “rigorous.”

Both of these are an improvement on the 1.69 points per game averaged by Beale at QPR, and at a higher level too, which suggests that the 58-year-old Dutchman might even be a better option.

Given that Wolves are very much in a relegation battle this season, hiring a manager as inexperienced as Beale could have been a big risk, and as a result, they must approach Bosz again in 2023.

Sunderland made it back-to-back home stalemates on Tuesday night as they were held to a disappointing 0-0 draw against Blackpool.

The Black Cats couldn’t find a way past the Tangerines despite a dominant first half, with the result leaving Tony Mowbray’s side in seventh position in the Championship.

One man who disappointed in the draw at the Stadium of Light was Manchester United loanee Amad Diallo, who started alongside Alex Pritchard in attack in the absence of Ellis Simms and Ross Stewart.

As per SofaScore, the Ivory Coast international would earn a shocking 6.4/10 rating for his performance, which was the joint-worst of any player to feature in the game.

Sunderland seriously missed the physicality and aerial presence offered by both Stewart and Simms, as Diallo would win just one of his five duels during the game, meaning that 80% of the time, he was bettered by a Blackpool player.

Diallo usually excels with the ball at his feet but he simply failed to get involved on Tuesday night, as his one dribble attempt was unsuccessful, while he failed to register a single shot on target during his time on the pitch.

By comparison, even with all of his previous appearances in the Championship coming from the bench this season, Diallo has averaged 0.4 shots, 0.8 key passes and 0.2 dribbles per game, which emphasises just how poor he was when given the opportunity to start on Tuesday.

He would also have just 30 touches of the ball, which was the lowest of any Sunderland player to start the game, including goalkeeper Anthony Patterson, who would have 36.

Therefore, it was no surprise to see him replaced by Jewison Bennette on 58 minutes, with the Costa Rican managing more key passes, successful dribbles and successful duels than his teammate despite being on the pitch for nearly half an hour less.

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This again goes to show just how poor the Manchester United loanee was against Blackpool, and when Mowbray needed him to step up with some goals due to Simms and Stewart being injured, he sadly failed to perform.

Indeed, he even ignored his manager’s instructions by refusing to shoot, something that will do little to help his cause in the future.

This was the attacker’s first start for the club and on this evidence, another one shouldn’t be forthcoming anytime soon.