Signings or no signings, Jamie Jackson says Manchester City’s title rivals should be very afraid. Check that bar chart. News from Scotland where SPL side Ross County have signed Brandon Khela on loan from Birmingham City. As reported by Sky Sports’ Dev Trehan, the Sikh-Punjabi teenager became the first British South Asian to represent Birmingham City’s men’s first team when coming off the bench in the Carabao Cup first-round win against Cheltenham back in August. Here’s today’s Football Daily, as Barry Glendenning discusses the scheduling of tonight’s Premier League match between Burnley and Luton Town. Apropos of nothing, a reminder that fans should never leave a Premier League match early. And if you must go for a wee before half-time, sneak out in the 43rd minute. Our man Fab about a Benfica move for Manchester United left-back Alvaro Fernandez. The 20-year-old, who United signed from Real Madrid in 2020, is currently on loan at Spanish club Granada. ‘X getting back to full fitness feels like a new signing’ – Pt II. This time, Manchester City’s Kevin De Bruyne. City boss Pep Guardiola has revealed that the Belgian, with his new floppy hairstyle, is ready to start Premier League games again after being reintroduced in the FA Cup win over Huddersfield. “I saw him [De Bruyne] yesterday and he feels good and dynamic. He played good, better than the sessions before Huddersfield. It was five months, he was high and low in training as he recovered which was normal but he’s getting better. He had a few days off then trained, then we have warm weather training in Abu Dhabi which helps him prepare.” In other City team news ahead of the trip to Newcastle, here’s a concise Pep. “Jack [Grealish] has been sick. Hopefully today he’s back. Erling [Haaland] is out and John [Stones] is out. I think that’s everything.” Man City transfer news? Nothing to see here. Aston Villa won’t be contributing much to this blog it seems. Here’s spoilsport Unai Emery on the prospect of any incomings. “We are not being very focused in the transfer window because we are second in the table and we are recovering some players that have been out since the start of the season [Alex Moreno and Jacob Ramsey],” said Emery, who won December’s Manager of the Month. “I am very happy with the players. The commitment with the players is really good and the wish and desire to work hard is really good. We are going to face three competitions until the end of the season, Premier League, FA Cup and Europa Conference League, and it will be very difficult. We need players to be available and be ready with good performances to play in our idea and our style. We have the players here to do that.” Chelsea is the place to go to for the classic ‘X getting back to full fitness feels like a new signing’. And it concerns left-back Ben Chilwell, who has returned to the Blues squad for Saturday’s home game against Fulham. Elsewhere in the Chelsea squad, there is contrasting news about Benoit Badiashile and Christopher Nkunku. Here’s Mauricio Pochettino: “It’s good news about Chilwell and Badiashile. For sure they’ll be in the squad. We need to assess Carney Chukwuemeka. Trevoh Chalobah is working with the group, we’ll assess day by day. He’s doing well. They’re so close to being involved again. “I am worried about the situation of Nkunku. [It has been] now 10 days that he can’t train. We’re assessing him. He suffered a small issue and it became complicated. After six months that we were waiting for him, he was so close to feeling comfortable, he started against Crystal Palace (December 27). We’re disappointed. We want him [back] as soon as possible.” Thanks John. Oxford boss Des Buckingham may be able to cast his transfer net far and wide given past experiences. And now I shall hand the baton over to David Tindall. The Saudi Pro-League has been quiet compared to the spree of the summer but there are reports in Spain that Luka Modric may be the next star to head there. He’s 38 now, the greatest midfielder of the 21st century (name a better one) and the talk within AS, the Spanish sports daily is that he has received a $330m offer. Madrid are in Saudi at the Spanish Supercopa, where Toni Kroos was booed for his dismissal of the huge investment taking place there. Modric will receive the same offer he turned down last summer. Arnaut Danjuma is staying at Everton, according to Sean Dyche. “He’s an Everton player. There isn’t really a story there I don’t know where these quotes come from. He’s a part of our plan and will be a part of what we do.” Two Aston Villa players are on open sale, according to Unai Emery. “Two are players who can leave: Callum Chambers and Bertrand Traore. They are two players that know their situation through different circumstances.” Ange Postecoglou on new Tottenham loan signing Timo Werner: “The opportunity presented to us before the new year with Son [Heung-min] going away we needed a player in the front third. “I thought Timo would be a very good fit for us. He can play all three positions. He is motivated and likes the opportunities Tottenham can give him.” AfCon begins this weekend, and here’s one of our previews. The Afcon had a much smaller footprint in 1984 – an eight-team format, with two centres in Abidjan and Bouaké, as opposed to the current 24-team, six-centre, month-long tournament, costing the Ivorian exchequer more than $1bn (£780m), which begins at 8pm GMT on Saturday, with the host country taking on Guinea-Bissau. Ange Postecoglou is delighted with the signing of Ragu Dragusin: “He is a good fit for us from a football perspective. He has some great attributes as a young player. Once we got down to the real detail for it, I thought he was the best option for us. “He was our number one target. I like his defence attributes and his physical attributes. We need more than two top centre-backs. He has come to a big club where he knows he has to compete to play. It will benefit the national team.” More Pochettino, this time on transfers: “The club, the owners, Laurence, Paul and Jesus. We are all in conversation. We are going to do what is best for the club. Our objective is to look after the squad, be involved with the players and all the staff.” One player not for sale is Antony of Manchester United. Some pretty amazing Mauricio Pochettino quotes today, after his Chelsea team’s loss to Middlesbrough: ““Other Premier League teams have lost to Middlesbrough. Moises Caicedo was telling me, ‘oh, last season we lost at Middlesbrough with Brighton’. “A lot of Premier League teams when they play there, they lose. It is the first leg and we are disappointed because we cannot afford these results. But it is important to realise that we are still alive and we have the second leg at Stamford Bridge. We are going to fight to be in the final. We know that when you lose a game against a Championship team, you have to accept that you will be criticised.” The facts: it was Middlesbrough 1-5 Brighton last season. Middlesbrough haven’t beaten a Premier League this season or last. Pep Guardiola on Kalvin Phillips: “He’s still our player.” So, no movement there. Coldness corner activated: Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag on Jadon Sancho’s loan move to Borussia Dortmund. I hope he is doing well, I wish him the best of luck. On the subject of David Datro Fofana: Chelsea head coach Mauricio Pochettino, who obviously hasn’t seen Fab’s snap, said: “The club is dealing with the situation and we will announce it if something happens. I cannot say at the moment. It is rumours still.” Ian Maatsen is joining Borussia Dortmund on loan. Said Poch: “It’s good for the club, it’s good for him. He will hope to have the possibility to play more than he could here. For both sides, I think it’s a good decision.” Our man Fabrizio has some photographic evidence of an imminent deal involving Chelsea and Burnley. It looks a bit poky in that jet. Safe flight, lads. Afternoon, all. Here’s where the magic happens. That’s my brief stint over. Time to hand over to John Brewin for more hot updates. It’s awards time! Don’t get too angry fans of Jürgen Klopp, David Moyes, Cole Palmer etc etc. There can only be one winner in each category and think of the curse that immediately follows. A reminder that earlier today Newcastle boss Eddie Howe ruled out a potential bid for Dominic Solanke. Chelsea’s Conor Gallagher continues to be linked with Spurs and, according to the odds (even money), is 50:50 to make that move across London. Newcastle and Crystal Palace, where he was previously on loan, are considered unlikely destinations for the midfielder despite a couple of rumours. There’s also further capital-based speculation involving Tottenham midfielder Oliver Skipp, who is admired by Crystal Palace. Gallagher in at Spurs and Skipp out to make way? There’s some sort of logic there I guess. Transfer news from the archives: Bryan Robson was signed by Manchester United from West Brom for £1.5m in 1981, a British record transfer fee at the time. The great man turns 67 today. By the way, the current record is the £106.7m paid by Chelsea to Benfica for Enzo Fernández. Thanks Barry. I’ll start with some Sunderland news and boss Michael Beale has been asked about the transfer speculation surrounding Jack Clarke. West Ham and Burnley are two clubs that have been linked. Beale said: “I’ve not heard of any inquiries come directly into the club for him, and I’d be lying if I said they would be welcome. We want Jack here playing for a strong Sunderland team and trying to see out what we are trying to do this season. I’ve been super impressed by him.” Handover: With several Premier League press conferences scheduled to take place over the next couple of hours, I’m going to leave you in the capable hands of David Tindall. Chelsea women’s team: Reports are circulating that the club are currently interviewing candidates to succeed Emma Hayes, who is off to manage the USA women’s team at the end of the current WSL season. Chelsea’s players are believed to have expressed their preference for the appointment of another woman to the role and Casey Stoney, who played for Chelsea under Hayes, and Seattle Reign manager Laura Harvey are believed to be among the leading contenders to get the job. West Ham: Has Conor Coventry joined Charlton or has Conor Charlton joined Coventry? It’s the fomer, with the 23-year-old central midfielder moving to The Valley on a three-and-a-half year deal for a fee believed to be in the region of £1m. Jadon Sancho: The Manchester United winger has completed his loan move to Borussia Dortmuind and has been training with his new teammates, many of whom will be familiar faces from his previous spell at the club. Dortmund manager Edin Terzić has been talking up the player’s abilities and said he could feature in the side travelling to Darmstadt tomorrow. “We are happy that Jadon is finally with us,” he said. “He had a lot of fun on the training pitch. He is healthy, he has trained a lot in the last few weeks. We will use the session again today and see how far he is.” Wigan Athletic: The League One strugglers have signed Luke Chambers on loan from Liverpool until the end of the season. The 19-year-old left-back has made four appearances under Jurgen Klopp so far this season. Born and reared in nearby Preston, Chambers spent the second half of last season on loan at Kilmarnock, making 16 appearances for the Scottish Premiership side before making his senior debut for Liverpool off the bench in a Carabao Cup match against Leicester City in October. He has since played three Europa League games for his club. “I’m over the moon to sign here,” he said. “It’s such a historic club with a lot of great players here, and I’ve come here to help the team win games and get as far as we can in the league. “I came to watch a few of the games - I thought the style of play was good, and I feel like I fit right in. The club has a great following also, which makes it intriguing. “It’s about getting experience now. I had a little snippet of first-team football back in January, so it’s about building on that and looking to push my career. I can’t wait to get going, show the fans what I can do and hit the ground running.” Newcastle United: With quite a few managers not due to speak to the media until after training, early riser Eddie Howe is hogging the early headlines. The Newcastle manager was asked to address rumours linking Newcastle with a move for Bournemouth striker Dominic Solanke, who Howe signed from Liverpool during his time in charge of the Cherries. Howe said that Newcastle are not currently in a position to sign a player of Solanke’s lofty status and said his squad is more in need of short-term fixes but might struggle to bring anyone in on loan due to a reluctance on the part of other clubss to help out Newcastle. “It’s a frustrating story for me because, yes, I love Dominic Solanke,” he said. “I signed him and I rate him very highly but we have not made an enquiry for him and we don’t have the ability to sign a player of that level. “Sometimes you have to take your long-term vision away and do something to help us for the here and now. I’d be quite happy to do that. We’re probably in a short-term moment now where the squad needs help for the next few weeks. “There is value in the loan market but I’m not sure there is for us. I don’t think we have many friends in the market. I’m not sure anyone wants to help us out.” Luton Town: With their squad depleted through injury and the loss of players to the Africa Cup of Nations, Luton are in Burnley for a relegation six-pointer at Turf Moor tonight. Asked if he was envious of the comparatively massive resources other clubs have at their disposal when it comes to getting new faces into the dressing-room, Rob Edwards said Luton should not be viewed as the Premier League’s impoverished churchmice. “Maybe one day we’ll be in that position, but we’ve got to look at where we’ve come from and what we can do now and we’re doing pretty well, we can compete,” he said. “We’ve got to do it in our way, so I don’t see us as paupers, we just do it our way and if – and it’s a big if – we can stay at this level, and keep competing for a longer period of time then we’ll be in a better position to keep growing and building. It’s just this is the nature of it. “It’s our first year in the Premier League, we’re never going to go out and be able to match a lot of the other clubs, but that doesn’t mean we can’t go out and sign good players. We’ve got good players in the building as well, so I don’t see it that way, I quite like the challenge of it.” The 100 Best Female Footballers in the World 2023 The countdown to No1 is complete and to the surprise of absolutely nobody, Barcelona and Spain’s Ballon D’Or-winning midfielder Aitana Bonmati is Top of the Pops. Of the 112-strong voting panel, 102 voted Bonmati their No1 while the other 10 are being hauled before the beak to explain themselves. Chelsea: Borussia Dortmund signed Ian Maatsen on loan from Chelsea. “I promise I will give everything for the team’s success and I’m really looking forward to the Yellow Wall,” said the 21-year-old Dutch defender, who has made 12 appearances for Chelsea and also had loan spells at Charlton Athletic and Coventry City. Maatsen will stay on loan at Dortmund until the end of the season and the deal includes an option for the Bundesliga side to make it permanent. The Rumour Mill Chelsea are eyeing up yet another Brighton starlet in the form of teenage striker Evan Ferguson, but will have to pay top dollar to lure the Irishman away from the Amex Stadium. John Brewin has the latest … More from Eddie Howe: “We’re really stretched in attacking and midfield areas and that’s inhibited our players from resting and bringing new players on to help with rotation,” he says. “In an ideal world given the freedom to act, we’d have brought players in already but we’re not in that situation because financial fair play is a problem for us. So, we’re having to navigate around that. It’s already a problem we’ve been dealing with but we’re trying to manage through it.” With his injury-ravaged squad ninth in the table, bottom of the form table and preparing for extremely challenging fixtures against Manchester City and Aston Villa, Howe was asked if he is frustrated by the manner in which Newcastle are being hamstrung by FFP. “It’s a frustration for everyone connected with us, as the owners are ambitious and they’d like to help us through this patch and improve the squad,” he says. “But there are rules and it’s the same for everyone. It is how it is and we’re acting in the best way that we can.” Joelinton out for at least six weeks Newcastle United: Always keen to keep the local press on their toes by getting his media duties out of the way early, Howe is conducting his press conference ahead of Newcastle’s match against Manchester City tomorrow and has revealed that Joelinton will be sidelined for at least six weeks, further adding to the club’s well documented injury woes. “He’s got a problem with a tendon in his quad, without getting too detailed,” said Howe. “It’s a very difficult place to get an injury, hence the timescale that he’s going to be out. He’s very disappointed; he wants to play and he wants to do well so we’ve had to do a job of trying to pick Joe up, really.” Newcastle United: While a few questions remain concerning Eddie Howe’s future at Newcastle United, assuming he is still in charge of the club come season’s end he may be forced to offload one of his star players if Newcastle are remain compliant with the Premier League’s profit and sustainability regulations. The club’s chief executive, Darren Eales, has also suggested that the club could leave their iconic St James’ Park stadium for new, bigger digs in order to get more Geordie backsides on seats and generate more revenue accordingly. Louise Taylor reports … Preamble With several Premier League squads looking forward to a weekend off as they recharge their batteries at warm weather training camps (or a cold weather boot camp in the case of Sheffield United, who haven’t gone anywhere), there are just five top flight matches scheduled for this weekend. It being January, much of the talk at today’s pre-match press conferences will be on the subject of transfers, as various managers are quizzed about potential incomings and outgoings as they try to reshuffle their decks before the window closes on 1 February. Keeping tabs on these briefings so that you don’t have to, we’ll bring you all the news that’s fit to print ahead of a weekend that kicks off with Burnley’s six-pointer against Luton at Turf Moor tonight and concludes when the final whistle is blown at the end of Manchester United’s set-to with Tottenham Hotspur at Old Trafford on Sunday.