According to The Birmingham Mail, by way of KickOff, Nottingham Forest have been linked with Wolves midfielder Romain Saïss. 

Forest have recruited heavily this summer as new manager Aitor Karanka hopes to build a squad worthy of promotion. With less than ten days to secure a loan signing in the Championship, signing Saïss (valued at £5.4m on Transfermarkt.co.uk) would conclude a solid summer’s spending for The Reds.

Forest have bolstered their defensive midfield successfully this summer, re-signing Adlène Guedioura and securing Jack Colback on loan from Newcastle. But Saïss would undoubtedly add to this quality in the midfield.

Guedioura has had a good start to the season for Forest, and may be hard to wrestle a starting shirt from, but Colback’s position would definitely be threatened. With a player like the 6ft3 Moroccan breathing down your neck, it would improve performances.

Saïss has not featured for Wolves this season in the Premier League, but was a mainstay at Molineux last season as The Wanderers dominated the Championship. Bringing that title-winning mentality to The City Ground may prove vital to Karanka’s men this season.

Forest currently sit in eighth place in the Championship after an acceptable start to the season. However, Karanka will certainly want his side to quickly shoot up the table, and Saïss may be the catalyst to do so. He will also hope the Moroccan will be able to shore up his side’s defence, as Forest have only kept one clean sheet this season.

Forest host struggling Birmingham this Saturday, and while it may be too early for Saïss to feature if he signs, he would still have a major say in Forest’s season.

There is a lot of uncertainty at Celtic right now with both the futures of Moussa Dembele and Dedryck Boyata in doubt. 

However, one player who looks set to to extend his stay at Celtic Park is Olivier Ntcham.

Manager Brendan Rodgers confirmed to the media that Ntcham is in talks over a new deal (via the Scottish Sun) with Celtic unwilling to part ways with the Frenchman amid interest from Porto.

Ntcham putting pen to paper on a new contract can only be seen as good news with the 22-year-old having become a key member of Rodgers’ squad since arriving in Glasgow from Manchester City last summer.

Ntcham’s contract situation, though, will not be enough to ease the fears of Celtic supporters who have been left worried with the club’s handling of Dembele and Boyata.

With Boyata having seemingly made it clear for some time that he wants out of Celtic Park either now or in the near future, there was the expectation that an adequate successor to the Belgian would have been brought in.

And, while there is obviously still time for that to materialise, leaving things this late in the transfer window is criminal, especially considering how early Celtic’s season starts compared to most other teams.

The arrival of a new central defender — who would have come in for the absent Boyata — could have made a huge difference in Celtic’s Champions League clash with AEK Athens.

Meanwhile, the decision to consider the possible sale of Dembele with little time left in the transfer window is also insane from the Celtic board’s point of view.

Finding a replacement for the Frenchman is one thing, but doing so with deadline day virtually here will be almost impossible.

With all of the above in mind, while also considering the club’s elimination from the Champions League, Celtic supporters will only continue to ask questions of Peter Lawwell and co — and rightly so.

Ligue 1 outfit Rennes are in discussions to sign Tottenham Hotspur flop Georges-Kevin N’Koudou, according to Sky Sports.

What’s the word?

Tottenham Hotspur fans endured a quiet transfer window, with Mauricio Pochettino’s side not making any signings during the course of the summer, but the lack of activity has not affected the Lilywhites on the field as they boast a 100% record from their opening three Premier League matches.

Amidst all the celebrations on the field, Spurs have work to do behind the scenes as their rejuvenation of White Hart Lane has been delayed and the squad also still has players within the ranks that are surplus to requirements – including Georges-Kevin N’Koudou.

Thankfully, it appears that Spurs could see a departure of the flop before the European transfer window closes later today as Sky Sports state that Ligue 1 side Stade Rennais are in discussions with the North London side regarding the player’s services.

It is not clear whether a deal will be permanent or on loan, potentially with an option to buy, but Spurs could finally get the 23-year-old off their books.

Stick or twist?

Signed in 2016 from Marseille, N’Koudou has failed to make an impact as he has accumulated just nine Premier League appearances in the two seasons since and failed to grasp his chance on loan with Burnley during the second half of last year.

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Signed for £9m two years ago, N’Koudou goes down as one of the worst signings of Mauricio Pochettino’s spell in North London and Spurs will be desperate to get the former France U21 international off their books.

Whether a deal is permanent or on loan is largely irrelevant, as Spurs should take whatever offer comes their way for a player who has not managed to score a single league goal during his time in English football.

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Stuart Dallas has been part of the Leeds United fold since 2015 when he signed from Brentford, but he has not always had a regular spot in the team.

This season, for example, the winger has played in just two Championship matches for Marcelo Bielsa.

On the international stage, though, he is a long-standing member of the Northern Ireland setup having earned 29 caps for his country.

On Saturday, the 27-year-old started against Bosnia in a Nations League match, but it was a disappointing day as Ireland were beaten 2-1.

Will Grigg managed to get on the scoresheet, but it was deep into injury time, therefore Michael O’Neill’s side were unable to challenge the scoreline.

Even though Northern Ireland were on the losing side, it was a positive individual performance from Dallas, who started on the wing of a three-pronged attack.

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On Twitter, some Leeds fans praised their player, with many hoping that he can carry that form with him to club level.

Loads of Leeds fans have been reacting to some horrific injury news from League One, as Eunan O’Kane suffered a suspected broken leg on Saturday.

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Leeds fans were relieved when O’Kane left the club late in the transfer window, as the Irish international was one of the main scapegoats for last season’s meltdown.

The 28 year-old is now on loan with Luton Town, but left the Hatters’ win over Bristol Rovers on Saturday in the 88th minute.

The club have since tweeted that the injury is a suspected broken leg, and the majority of Leeds fans are sending their best wishes.

O’Kane was part of the midfield that was simply overrun in the second half of last season, and he does not have the technical quality to be part of a Marcelo Bielsa side.

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He is certainly good enough to be a superstar in League One though, and the majority of fans are gutted to hear about his injury.

You can find some of the best Twitter reactions down below…

Arsenal have had a fairly average start to the Premier League season so far this year.

New boss Unai Emery would’ve hoped for an easier start to his Arsenal tenure but instead was handed two incredibly tough games against Chelsea and Man City. The Gunners lost both of those games but managed to follow those losses with wins against West Ham and Cardiff City, although against the latter they made it very hard for themselves.

One of the star performers so far for Emery has been 19-year-old midfielder Matteo Guendouzi, who was incredibly impressive against Chelsea and City. The Frenchman was the second midfielder to arrive over the summer as the Gunners also brought in the impressive Lucas Torreira.

With those two arrivals, the pressure has increased on the inconsistent Granit Xhaka, who according to the Sun, could be about to have another competitor for his spot in the form of Hector Herrera.

The Breakdown

The Mexican midfielder is out of contract next summer and is expected to leave Portugal after five years at Porto.

The combative midfielder has been a constant presence for both Porto and Mexico and considering that he’ll be a free agent, it could be a shrewd piece of business from Arsenal.

Xhaka hasn’t been poor this year but since his arrival in the Arsenal team, he hasn’t quite lived up to expectations. Moreover, with Aaron Ramsey stalling on a new deal, Arsenal could well do with some midfield depth if the Welshman leaves.

Arsenal fans what do you think? 

Arsenal have made Sevilla’s Ever Banega their January priority following the departure of Ivan Gazidis, according to The Sun.

What’s the word?

Further changes are afoot for Arsenal after it was confirmed that chief executive Ivan Gazidis is leaving for AC Milan, which led to the Gunners to promote former Barcelona transfer guru Raul Sanllehi to a head of football role.

According to The Sun, Sanllehi’s first priority in the January window is to reunite Unai Emery with Sevilla midfielder Ever Banega, a player the Spanish boss worked with during his years of success with the Andalusian side.

30-year-old Banega is being targeted to provide further competition to Arsenal’s midfield and additional creativity from a deep role with Mesut Ozil’s form being inconsistent and Aaron Ramsey’s future being shrouded in doubt, potentially seeing the Wales international leave on a free transfer next summer.

Where would he fit?

At his age, Banega is certainly not a long-term solution to any midfield woes that Emery faces but the addition of his experience and talent could spark a new lease of life into an Arsenal side that has been shaky at the start of the season.

Banega would slot into midfield to compete with the likes of Matteo Guendouzi, Lucas Torreira and Granit Xhaka for starting opportunities in the heart of Emery’s side, while his creativity could create the link between defence and attack.

Emery is attempting to install a specific style of play into his Arsenal side that sees the Gunners start attacks from the back but his team has so far lacked the drive from midfield, although Torreira’s introduction off the bench against Newcastle provided that spark.

Should he be signed?

Rated as worth £10.8m by TransferMarkt, Arsenal should only sign the veteran midfielder if Sevilla negotiates a fair price for the Argentina international as the Gunners cannot afford to pay over the odds for a player of his age.

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The issue is that Sevilla will likely want to retain the services of a player who has featured in all of their four LaLiga matches so far this season and one who always has the capability to catch the eye, as shown by his two assists in three World Cup appearances in the summer.

However, if it becomes clear that Ramsey will not extend his stay at the Emirates Stadium then Arsenal should go all-out to bring Banega to North London to ease the midfield transition that would follow the exit of the Wales ace.

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Leeds United have enjoyed a tremendous start to their Championship campaign but defeat to Birmingham City last time out has raised the pressure ahead of Friday evening’s stern test against Sheffield Wednesday.

The Owls are rivalling Marcelo Bielsa’s side for promotion this season and enter the match at Hillsborough in a strong vein of form, which means Leeds will need to be at their best to take all three points off their Yorkshire rivals.

While there has not been too much for Leeds fans to complain about this season, the defeat to Birmingham raised eyebrows last weekend and some called for a tactical change to be made between the sticks despite Bailey Peacock-Farrell’s fine performances this season.

We asked supporters whether they would like Bielsa to switch his goalkeepers for the match against Sheffield Wednesday and, while the majority want to stick with Peacock-Farrell, others called for Jamal Blackman to earn his chance.

32% of polled Leeds supporters stated they would like to see the Chelsea loanee drafted in for Friday’s match, although it seems unlikely that Bielsa would make such a bold call after just one defeat.

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West Brom’s Matt Phillips missed the 4-1 win over Reading on Saturday through injury, and Baggies fans slated his replacement Tyrone Mears’ performance on Twitter.

The Scottish international excelled at the start of this season in a right wing-back role for Darren Moore’s side, but has now missed the last three matches with a muscle strain.

According to the Birmingham Mail, Phillips was in contention to start the game against the Royals, but he failed to even make the bench, signalling that his injury was worse than the manager had counted on.

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Mears played the first hour at the Hawthorns, but was dragged off for Kyle Edwards with the scores still at 1-1 and the Baggies then went on to net three and win the game comfortably thanks to a double from Dwight Gayle and one each from Harvey Barnes and Kyle Bartley.

35-year-old Mears only joined the Baggies from the MLS in the summer, but wouldn’t have expected to be asked to play so often until Phillips’ injury. Check out some of the tweets in reaction to his performance below.

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Loads of Liverpool fans have been reacting some comments from Ronald Koeman, who has criticised Virgil van Dijk for being too “laid back”.

Liverpool’s defence has been completely transformed since the arrival of van Dijk, and the Dutch international’s individual qualities aren’t the only reason for that.

The colossal centre back is a fantastic leader, and exerts a real calmness over the rest of the Reds’ defence, but Netherlands manager Koeman thinks he might be a bit too calm.

“I know him so well – and that means I know where all his little faults are,” the former Everton boss said.

“Virgil has to improve. Not a lot. But sometimes he is a little too laid back. That needs to change.

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“There are moments as a defender when you should be no more than three feet away from the striker you are marking.

“And, particularly in Van Dijk’s case, because of the strength and power he has he is too laid back.”

Van Dijk is a phenomenal defender, but he can his languid style can sometimes be a bit too casual, so Koeman’s criticism could well make him an even better player if he takes it on board.

Premier League strikers like Troy Deeney and Glenn Murray have often spoken about how powerful van Dijk is, and he could certainly use that power even more if he was a little more switched on in certain situations.

Liverpool fans aren’t too impressed by the comments though, particularly as they are coming from the former Everton manager.

You can find some of the best Twitter reactions down below, look away now Ronald…