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The Mill is winding down for its seasonal spruce up, a chance to pick old bits of fluff about James Rodríguez and Philippe Coutinho out of its cogs. It’s an opportunity to look to new things. Fresh things.
In that spirit, Paul Pogba making it on to the pitch for Manchester United has, happily, quietened the murmurs surrounding his January plans. Thanks too to Graham Souness, certain that the way to put a rocket up Ole Gunnar Solskjær’s forward-thinkers is to … er … sign Jonny Evans. Mercifully, a bit more forward in all respects is word that Solskjær is interested in Jude Bellingham, the 16-year-old who back in August became Birmingham’s club’s youngest ever goalscorer and has since made a starting XI spot all his own. Mike Phelan was dispatched to “track” the England youth international at the weekend, almost certainly less sinister than that sounds. Meanwhile, “vocal calls” (aka “calls”) for Mauricio Pochettino to come in and help bolster the side’s place in the top half of the table were apparently heard in the Vicarage Road away end on Sunday. Fresh.
Related: Premier League: 10 talking points from the weekend’s action
Over at the Emirates, the Mikel Arteta feelgood factor is in full swing, the new Arsenal manager having identified the defence, midfield and forward positions as areas in need of addressing. Starting at the top, Bayer Leverkusen’s Kevin Volland has leaped into the top three or four of the Spaniard’s January targets, with a left foot almost going to be reported to be both sweet and cultured should the move come to fruition, potentially as a replacement for the disgruntled Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. For the central areas, the hope is that Leicester’s Wilfred Ndidi can be wooed to swap second place in the Premier League for 11th, with £40m and Granit Xhaka the honey-glazed carrots being dangled. With available funds likely to be dependent on outgoings, Ainsley Maitland-Niles has caught Arteta’s eye and could find himself stapled in as part of the backline for the rest of the season, though a busy summer is expected where the defence is concerned.
Hull’s Jarrod Bowen has a whole host of potential suitors on the other side of the Blind Date screen. Aston Villa are the latest, beaming broadly alongside West Ham, Newcastle, Brighton, Southampton and West Brom and wondering if £15m might bring some of the 15-in-23 form that’s enlivened a mid-table Championship campaign so far this season.
Elsewhere in the second tier, Senegal midfielder Badou Ndiaye – seemingly unfancied by Michael O’Neill at Stoke – may have an 18-month loan stay at Trabzonspor to look forward to in the new year: reportedly “a new challenge in an environment I know” after previous spells at Osmanlispor and Galatasaray. And if that doesn’t keep you going for the next week, I don’t know what will. Merry Christmas!
The Rumour Mill returns on 30 December
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