The Football Reporters: Early January transfer predictions

27:00And Newcastle had obviously established a rhythm with him. but could he go and deliver three times a week for nine months across the course of a season? Would his body hold up to that? I think that's still a question mark. And obviously there's a sort of wider malaise at Liverpool which you can't lay that squarely at Isak exclusively. Obviously Florian Wurz hasn't hit the ground running. We all know obviously the Yogo Yota tragedy and all the change that's taken place at the club and Arna Slott's difficulties in finding the right team. It's not just down to Isak But the point is, when you spend£125 million on one player, there is no margin for error.

27:37He has to come in and he has to deliver and he has to improve you as a team. And the fact is at the moment that Isak hasn't done that. Well, let's talk about Jokerez, another striker who moved in the summer. We've mentioned that you were at Stamford Bridge on Sunday. I know Jokerez is just coming back from injury, but Arsenal played against 10 men for an awful long time and Jokerez got 18 minutes, I think, off the bench. were you surprised that his introduction was so late is it simply because he's just come back from injury or is it more telling of where he is in Arsenal's pecking order well he's not fully fit I think you know that's fair to say and it's his first appearance back it would have been a gamble to throw him in especially when you consider the rhythm that the team's playing with at the moment and I have to say Mikel Marino I think has exceeded did all expectations in that centre-forward role.

28:29It felt like a sticking plaster last season, but the intelligence he plays with in that position and what he actually gives them, not just in his link-up play, but also off the ball being able to drop in. And they sort of played with two false nines against Spurs with Eberichieze alongside him. That kind of tactical versatility is a long way away from where Arsenal were in pre-season, where behind the scenes are the conversations that I had, they were talking about how they were going to have to be more direct. They were going to need to change their style and play to Jokeres' strengths. And I think Arsenal are obviously top of the league and they look the best team in the division.

29:09But where their struggles have been in an attacking sense have been, I think, in trying to make that switch to get the best out of Jokeres. And it probably isn't a coincidence that when he's dropped out of the team, they've reverted a little bit more to how they played last season. They look a little bit more fluid. Mourinho's able to somehow link it in a way that you're getting more out of the attacking players around him. And they've not therefore then made those strides towards getting the best out of Jokeres. I mean, it might be a bit harsh to include him on this list. I mean, he has scored six goals so far, but you break it down, those goals came against Leeds, Nottingham, Forrest and Burnley in the Premier League.

29:52and in the big games I wouldn't say he's looked lost but he's looked short of the level and again Arsenal looked at Jokeres they looked at Benjamin Sesko and we'll talk about him in a minute one of the main reasons they went for Jokeres is because he was a goal a game over three seasons in Sporting Lisbon he's 27 quite a few years older than Sesko and they thought this guy can come in he knows the English game having played obviously in the championship he can come in hit the ground running yes there'll be a period of adaptation in terms of how we get the best out of him, but he is the main man.

30:23He is our number nine. He can go and win us the league. And at the moment, they look like winning the league without him. And that is, again, quite a marked change from the summer. Now, obviously, Sesko is further back in his development. He's a much younger player. Tell me if I'm wrong, but I think it was a little bit of surprise that United shelled out for him when they did in the summer, given what they needed elsewhere. I mean he's looked quite short of confidence from what I've seen when he's played I mean what have you made of him is he behind schedule like the others seem to be perhaps a little bit I mean I think it's such a tough ask to A move to the Premier League at that age he's only 22 obviously got a lot of experience in Germany leading the line for Man United is an unenviable task you know it's the spotlight on you know how productive you are and how you're playing is intense and it's not for the faint-hearted.

31:19There's also this kind of debate among United fans. Did they just replace one Hoyland with another kid who came in for a big fee who never seemed to be particularly comfortable? Was he developed enough to be able to be that 20-goal-a-season striker? Obviously now he's at Napoli on loan and they've replaced him essentially with Cesco, a guy who have a similar age and similar kind of stats. That's, you know, United will tell you that Benjamin Sesko offers an awful lot more than Hoyland, even though I think he's only scored, Sesko scored two Premier League goals, I think. He's obviously injured at the moment, but United will tell you that the data and the kind of, the things that they see in their analysis will tell you that he's a far better player than Hoyland.

32:01His movement is better. He runs the channels better. He holds the ball up better. He gets United higher up the pitch in a way that Hoyland struggled to. So even though he's not scoring a ton of goals, which he's not, that United are better with Sesko in the team than they are with Hoyland. I think the Sesco signing in general is quite interesting because it shows what United and Ruben Amrim are facing at the moment. We sat with Ruben on Friday before the Palace game and he started talking about short-term and long-term. He is leading a long-term project at United. Everyone can probably see that from watching games and the development of the squad.

32:36But he also knows that he needs to win now. Now, they've brought in Mbwemo and Cunha who are adapted to the Premier League of the right age profile. you assume that they can come in and make a difference straight away. Sesko is different in that you're probably banking on him having quite a slow start because he's so young and developing into the player that you want him to be. Ruben Amrim, behind closed doors, may argue that, well, I don't have that time. I don't have time for Sesko, Dorgu, Yoro and Lamens, four players who he relies on really heavily, to get to that point when they're 26, 27 to be the finished article.

33:10So it's this balance. and there was a suggestion during the summer that Ruben Amorim would have liked a more ready-made striker an Ollie Watkins type who's already scored 20 goals in the Premier League before could come in and be have the similar impact to Mbwemo and Cunha instead he's left with Sesko who is going to take time again it's difficult for Amorim because he is under no illusions that he cannot afford to not to win games now but there's no suggestion from United that they think that Sesko is ready-made in a way that maybe Jokerez or Isak is. I also think the part of the problem, I'm going to ask you this in relation to Isak and Jokerez in particular, is that all of these strikers, and you mentioned there that Jokerez has actually done all right, goal scoring wise, he scored six.

33:55Okay. Okay. When it's measured against Erling Haaland, which is obviously the benchmark for any striker, it doesn't look that great. And now I think that is a problem for Premier League strikers because if you're not catchy or around Haaland's numbers, you're deemed as sort of second rate. And that's obviously not true because Haaland is, in terms of numbers, is a freak. I imagine that's quite tough for someone like Jokeres and even Isak moving to Liverpool. If he scores 10 Premier League goals this season, everyone's going to say that's a failure. Yeah. Well, I mean, Haaland probably does ruin it for everyone else.

34:31You're right. In terms of just his ridiculous consistency and his numbers. And maybe the way that the league's gone as well now that it does, because a consequence of it being more direct and perhaps more reliant on set pieces, dead ball situations, that you are looking to your big number nine to have more of an impact in the final third and to score those goals where maybe if you're playing more football, they're shared around a bit more. Yeah, I mean, look, I think from Isak's point of view, I think the price tag alone is the pressure, you know, let alone comparing him to Haaland. I mean, I suppose you can't, there is maybe the argument that because Liverpool are champions, it's actually Haaland has got it to prove and City have got it to prove in that regard.

35:19And that's probably how Isak should look at it. The pressure on him will come from that price tag. And to say that, you know, the sort of longer the slow start takes place, the more there's a focus on the goals. And, you know, and you sort of see it with Arteta and Jokeres that he goes down that familiar managerial trope of, oh yeah, but it's not about goals. It's about what he brings to the team and it's about his aura and about his presence. And you're like, well, yeah, but you can't really spend the whole of the back end of last season and the summer talking about how we need this big number nine and we're going to go and sign a striker and we've got our man.

35:50And then when he comes in and he doesn't score, we were talking about everything else and oh, actually the goals aren't that important. So, you know, I suppose what's helped Jokeres in his case, of course, is the team's five points clear at the top of the table. So, you know, it hasn't really mattered yet. The question is whether when it comes to March, April time, and there's still a handful of points in it, and the big chances are falling to him, and he's showing the same kind of inconsistency that he is now. Well, that's a different kettle of fish. Well, it's time for a short break. When we come back, we'll be joined by a remote Mark Ogden this week.

36:26He'll be talking about the January transfer windows and what the big six Premier League clubs might do. Look, the economy is a lot right now. And if you're a small business owner, you probably feel it. You can't control interest rates or tariffs, but you can control how efficiently your business operates. Automating payroll and HR with Gusto is one of the fastest ways to cut friction and focus on what actually moves the needle. Gusto is online payroll and benefit software built for small businesses. It's all-in-one, remote-friendly, and incredibly easy to use, so you can pay, hire, onboard, and support your team from anywhere.

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37:51Well, Mark, you've written a piece that's on the ESPN site about the January transfer window and what the Premier League's big six might do. I know that the January window is notoriously tough to predict because it falls mid-season, but are you expecting it to be a busy month transfer-wise? I do think it'll be busy. I think, despite the fact that a lot of our big clubs spent a lot of money this summer, Arsenal's$250 million, Liverpool$450 million, there's still quite a bit of business to be done. So I think quite a lot of the clubs will be active in January. I think there could be some big deals.

38:21I think Man City are going to be active as well. So I do think it's going to be a busy window. I think there's some big players, Antoine Semenyo, maybe Elliot Anderson, possibly Kobe Menuh. There's going to be some big moves that could happen in January. So yeah, it could be an exciting window. Well, let's start with Arsenal then, obviously, the Premier League leaders. There's been a lot of talk about the depth that they've got and the options that Mikel Arteta has. But do you think the position that they're in, in the Premier League, the promise of a title to be won there in the second half of the season, do you think it may cause Arsenal to nip into the window and maybe just get that little extra something to push them over the edge?

38:57Well, Arsenal don't have a lot of headroom. Certainly PSR, they kind of went to the limit in the summer. They brought a lot of players in, as we know. But it looks like, for me, they've got a cupboard in every position. They've got two quality options everywhere. I think apart from in midfield with Martin Odegaard, obviously the captain, they haven't got anyone to replace his creativity. and he's missed a few games this season. He's been absent for a while with a couple of shoulder injuries. And although Arsenal are still top of the league, they've got a five-point gap, I think he's the one player that they could really miss towards the end of the season if he's not fit.

39:27So I don't think they're going to be busy in January. I think it's unlikely that it'll bring people in. But if there's an option they could find that would be maybe a loan, maybe a player that's got six months on his contract, or maybe a player overseas that fancies a Premier League challenge with a knowledge that he's not going to play every week, he's going to be a backup for Older Gabb, then I think he could do something. But I think it's unlikely. One of the names that you've mentioned talking about Odegaard, and I know lots of this is speculative, but it's Kobi Meynou, possibly. Now, Meynou is not playing at Man United.

39:56He clearly wants to play more because he wants to force his way into the England squad ahead of the World Cup. He's obviously not being used at Man United at the moment, but he is the type of player and the type of profile of player that might be good for some of the other top six clubs. Yeah, I mean, look, I don't think at this stage Kobe Mane will be an Arsenal player at the end of the January window, but in terms of options that are potentially available in January to fill that older guard hole, I think Kobe Mane is one. And, you know, looking back to the Euros last year, he played really well with Declan Rice.

40:28He dovetail fantastically with Rice. And that's the kind of player that he lacks at Man United. So Kobe Mane's United career is really flatlined. And United, I think they will listen to offers for him once the African Nations is over, middle of January. So, listen, Kaby Mane in an Arsenal shirt is unlikely, but I do think he's a player that would interest big clubs. Whether he'd be interested in going to a club where he might not play as regularly as he wants is another question. I think another option for Kaby Mane could be Chelsea. We know that Chelsea like players who are young with potential, and he's only 20 years old.

40:59And I think people forget that Kaby Mane was just a kid. And I think if he was 25 years old, he could probably understand his desperation to get away from United. But he's only 20, and I think maybe a bit more patience on his side. But I understand, you know, he's not playing. He doesn't seem to be an option for Ubrun Amarim at all. He's Casemiro every week. And then, you know, more often than that, it's Manuel Lugate who comes off the bench. So it's a difficult time for Kaby Maynou. United would prefer to keep my guess. But as we know, United are happy to let players go, our homegrown players.

41:27PSR situations, it happened with Garnaccio in the summer to Chelsea. So I think Kaby Maynou will have an interesting window. I don't think you've got to Arsenal, but I think he's a player that Arsenal could look at if they were getting to the end of the window and they did a short-term option to be a cover option for Martin Oldgaard. You mentioned Chelsea there and Manu has been linked with Chelsea in the past. Obviously, on paper, it looks like one of those sort of stereotypical Chelsea signings, a young player with a high ceiling who they could try and develop. Just on Chelsea in general, they've kind of forced their way into the title race in the last couple of weeks.

42:01Whether you think that it's Chelsea or Man City as the closest challenges to Arsenal is probably a personal preference, but do you think Chelsea may look at this opportunity in the January window? I know they've signed an awful lot of players, they've spent an awful lot of money again, and look at it and think that they could maybe add one or two players to push them closer to Arsenal. And if Arsenal were to falter, they could be the team to capitalise on that. I think so. As we know, Chelsea have every window where they're one of the biggest spenders or they're certainly active. And I think they have got issues to address.

42:30Now, they are pretty overloaded with forwards, but I wouldn't rule out Chelsea moving for a forward. I mean, I wouldn't rule them out of the Antoine Semenu situation. has got a£65 million release clause of Bournemouth. And I don't think Chelsea are the front runners there. I think you're looking at Man City and Liverpool. But Chelsea, no deal can be done. And they could get it done. They spent a lot of money on Jean Pedran and Liam de Lapp in the summer, but neither has really kind of done it in the Premier League this season. So, you know, who knows? But I think Chelsea's priorities are more, you know, deep in the team.

42:55I think, you know, Enzo Fernandes and Moises Caicedo, a great double-acting midfield. But we know that discipline can be a problem there. We saw Moises Caicedo sent off against Arsenal. They haven't got a lot of cover there that's fit. Obviously, Romeo Lavia, cover, never fit. So, you know, Manu could fit in there in terms of Chelsea. Defensively as well, I think the short are centre-half. So, Chelsea could be a team that could look at Mark Guay at Crystal Palace out of contract in the summer. A deal could be done there. They need a centre-half, a commanding centre-half. I don't think they're going to win the league with Trevor Chalabra and other players that they've got there.

43:25I just don't think they're strong enough. And goalkeeper as well. We know that in the summer, they were very keen to sign Mike Manion from AC Milan. that didn't happen but he still hasn't signed his contract in Milan he's got six months left to go again Chelsea could do a deal there in terms of getting Mignon in on a relatively low fee so Chelsea have got a lot of options in the window I think they'll be busy Let's talk about Mark Gay's situation because you mentioned him there obviously at the end of the summer window he was on the verge of joining Liverpool it fell through Palace said that they couldn't let him go without a replacement he's still at Palace he's kind of suggested privately that he's not going to sign a new deal which means he can leave Selhurst Park on a free transfer at the end of this season.

44:04He's been linked heavily with, again, with Liverpool, Chelsea, a couple of others, a couple of clubs in Europe, Barcelona and Bayern Munich as well. Do you think there's a possibility that clubs could go to Palace in January and say, we'll give you£20 million now or£15 million now, you get a little bit of money, we get a player mid-season or do you think it's more likely that he stays, sees out his contract and leaves on a free at the end of the season? Yeah, I definitely think clubs will try Palace's resolve. I think Liverpool obviously need him but whether Liverpool's an attractive proposition now for Gay as it was in August, I'm not too sure because they haven't got a lot of cover for Canati and Van Dijk.

44:41If one gets injured, then you're playing all the time in a team that is struggling right now. So I'm sure Liverpool will try and I think they'll have to try early because they have to try early enough so that Palace can get somebody in to replace him. I think Man City will be interested in Marguerite. I'm pretty sure Chelsea will be as well. So they won't lack interest and even the big clubs in Europe, Bayern Munich, Real Madrid, Barcelona, have all been linked with Marguerite in recent months. but it depends on where you want him to go and I think it suits Palace to let him go for the money but I just think that Mark Gray seems to be content to run his contract down exploit free agent status in the summer and I think that's what Oliver Glasner would prefer because obviously Glasner made it clear at the weekend that he was unhappy with the business done by Palace in the summer if they let Mark Gray go their best player basically in the window they're going to have to replace him very quickly and very well so we could see a bit of tension there at Palace if they let Mark Gray go but ultimately I don't think he will go I think he'll stay and see his contract.

45:33He doesn't have to leave. They can accept an offer, but he doesn't have to go. So I think he'll stay. I think he'll be one of the best free agents in the summer in terms of a deal for a big club to do. So they're on to Liverpool then. Obviously, they were very close to signing Gay in the summer window. They clearly want or need a centre-half. If they're going to go back into the market in January, considering how much money they spent in the summer, do you see it being a centre-half that they target? Because there's also been links with another player you've mentioned earlier Semenya at Bournemouth?

46:03Liverpool, despite spending so much money this summer,£450 million a massive spending speed, they're still quite clear on PSR. They've got quite a lot of headroom to do deals. They brought in about£250 million with players on the way out. So they made loads of money in terms of Premier League prize money, Champions League money last season. So Liverpool can get players in. Like I said, I think they will make another bid for Guayi, but whether they'll get him or not is a different matter. And then do they go for a second or third choice when their first choice is still likely to be available next summer.

46:30So it's a big question. Obviously, Ibrahima Kanata has had a terrible season and he's out of contracts in the summer. So they may find a way to offload Kanata in January. But again, it's unlikely when players get to the final six months, they don't tend to leave unless there's a really good offer on the table. So Liverpool are going to find it difficult to get a centre-half in that will do what they want to do. Semenyo is the interesting one because they are really keen on Semenyo. And obviously, Richard Hughes has that connection to Bournemouth, Liverpool's sporting director, and it might help sway a deal.

46:57but they brought a lot of forwards in. Can they afford to bring another forward in and kind of ask Semenyo, Isak, Eketike, Verts, Cody Gakpo, all these players, are they going to gel together? Got Mo Salah coming out from the African Nations mid-January as well. But the one advantage with Semenyo is that Ghana haven't qualified for the African Nations. So he's a very attractive proposition to Liverpool and also to Man City who are very keen as well. On to City then, they've also been linked with Elliot Anderson and Semenyo. they're probably a bit light in the fullback areas if anything really.

47:30Do you expect City to go into the January market? Obviously last January they were the big spenders pushing forward some of their summer business with signing the likes of Marmouch and Nico Gonzalez to fill holes in the squad. Yeah, I mean City spent£360 million over two windows in 2025 so they've still got quite a bit of money to spend. They obviously had that Club World Cup win fall in the summer so City have got headroom to do deals. I mean, Nico O 'Reilly's kind of stepped in at left-back, so I think Pep seems to have found a bit of a solution there. But right-back, yeah, they could look for him as a right-back.

48:02But I think City's priorities, to me, it sounds like it's going to be a midfielder because, you know, Rodri, he's struggling, isn't he? He's struggling to get back from his crucial ligament injuries. I think he's started, what, four games. So Elliot Anderson is a player they like, and I don't think Forrest want to let Elliot Anderson go mid-season. But City are powerful. City have got the money to do it. City could easily say to Forrest, there's£100 million for Elliot Anderson. They might not go that high, but I think they could do it because they've got the money there. They're able to get players in in mid-season.

48:31And that would make it difficult for Forrest. We know that Forrest fought too thin and nailed to keep Morgan Gibbs-White in the summer when he was going to go to Tottenham. But if they get offered a big bid for Elliot Anderson, City could offer it. And I think that would make it very hard for Forrest to turn it down. But we'll have to wait and see on that one. But obviously Semenu is another one that they're quite keen on. And so two more big six clubs to hit. We'll start with Man United. We mentioned Maynou, the possibility that he could leave in January. I think Joshua Zerkesy is another one in a very similar situation to Maynou, hasn't played enough minutes, wants to go to the World Cup with Netherlands, probably needs game time to force his way back into that squad.

49:05In terms of incomings at United, I mean, I think it's pretty clear to anyone who watches United regularly that they need at least one top-level central midfielder. They also probably need another wing-back, if not someone to start every week, but someone to add some kind of depth and give Ruben Amrim some options in those positions. United, I think we've both written that United are approaching January in quite a cautious manner. They prefer to do their business in the summer, but are open to things happening if opportunities arise. Do you see United sticking to their long-term plan and maybe targeting players in the summer?

49:40Or do you think there's a situation where something could come up mid-season in January to make United act? Well, I know United want to see out their summer plan and wait, but if they get to January and they are, well, I mean, it's unlikely they're going to get to January and be so far out of the top four, they can't qualify. So I think if they continue their kind of current rate of progress, which is top six, seven, they're going to be with a chance of getting in the Champions League next season. So for me, it would make no sense for United to say, no, we're going to wait till the summer. Because it could mean that if they spent£60 million,£70 million in January to get the player that would make all the difference, that could be the difference between qualifying for the Champions, they can get him back to where United feel they belong and where United need to be are missing out again.

50:20So I think they have to go for it. They have to find a way in January to bring somebody in. Now, they can do that by letting people go. As we know, I don't think anyone's going to go before the end of the African nations. But you mentioned there, Rob, you mentioned Mainu, you mentioned Zerksi. I think Mainu will have potential options. United are convinced that if Joshua Zerksi was to go back to Italy, having come from Bologna, they would get their money back. I'm not convinced about that because apart from the goal he scored at Salas Park at the weekend, he doesn't really score many goals or create many goals.

50:47but he's still got a reputation in Italy where people are interested, like AC Milan and Napoli are both skirting around the edges there. Manuel Agate, again, could they get him off the books? Difficult considering how much money they spent for him. So, Tiro Molassi, another one, but again, they're not going to bring a lot of money in there. So, United are going to find it difficult to raise money in the early part of the window. So, they're going to have to find a way, but the names that we know that they're interested in in terms of midfield, they're looking at Elliot Anderson, but they're going to have big competition there from Man City for a start.

51:17You look at other players, Adam Wharton, will Palace let him go in January? Unlikely. Then you're looking around and you're thinking Carlos Balaba at Brighton. Tried that one in the summer. £100 million plus deal, no chance. Angelo Stiller at Stuttgart is a player that I guess is more affordable. I think you could get Stiller for around£40-50 million and that is a deal that United could do. Whether he's Premier League ready, we don't know, but obviously sometimes you have to take a gamble. So I think United need to get something done, whether they'll get it done or not. I don't know. I mean, obviously you hear as well from people at the club that they're preferring to stay on their hands really until the summer.

51:55So do you think they're going to bring somebody in in January? Do you think it's possible? I think it's possible. I mean, the one message that we keep getting from Man United is that obviously it's very important that they sign the right players, but it's also just as important that they don't sign the wrong players. And there is this kind of worry that because of the nature of the January window. It is a seller's market. I think we all know that January lends itself to transfer mistakes and that they wouldn't want to be in a situation where they've spent some of the money in January. For whatever reason, that deal looks like it's not working out and you get to the summer and maybe the money you've set aside for an Elliot Anderson or an Adam Wharton has been reduced because you've spent some of it in January.

52:35I do think it's interesting though United kind of, obviously they set their aim at the start of the season to qualify for Europe. so that would mean Conference League, Europa League. They are in and around those Champions League places and obviously playing in the Champions League is a massive boost compared to playing in just the Europa League. So it's whether United look at what is happening right now and the progress that we're kind of seeing with Ruben Amrim and his team and think there is an opportunity this season because of, I don't know, maybe because it's Liverpool who have dropped out.

53:06City aren't particularly consistent. Chelsea aren't particularly consistent either. Spurs have dropped. there would seem to be an opportunity there to get into the top four. It's whether they decide that the opportunity is too great to turn down and they want that extra one player to push them into the top four and maybe take a little bit of a risk because the one thing we heard, particularly in the summer, and again when we approach January, is that they are just risk averse now with transfers because they've made so many mistakes in the past. And it will be interesting to see what they do because I think on one side you'll have the board, Omar Barada and Jason Wilcox may be sort of pushing for patience a little bit but Ruben Amrim because all managers do it all managers want more options and he will want ready-made players to come into his team right now and improve them for the second half of the season so there will be I'm not suggesting there's going to be any kind of breakdown in that relationship but there will be two sides of that debate Amrim on one side saying I want players now go and get them and Wilcox and Barada and Sir Jim Radcliffe sort of saying well hang on we've got this long-term plan let's just kind of but I'll foot on the ball a little bit.

54:10Yeah, I think United have got to pick up the pace. I think the long-term plan is fine and progress is being made but you can basically stall your progress if you take too long. If you're too kind of cautious, you miss the opportunity to make rapid improvements. I appreciate the money situation. They're in a catch-22 situation now. The money isn't quite there but the money will be there in the summer if they qualify for the Champions League having taken a bit of a gamble in January. So I think that they risk their progress, their slow progress, being stalled completely if they don't make the right signings in January to kind of accelerate that process.

54:45You can't stick to the plan. It's that whole Mike Tyson line, isn't it? Everyone's got a plan to get a punch on the nose. And I think it's a punch on the nose this season is the fact that they've got a chance of getting in the Champions League. So they have to change the plan and accelerate their acquisition strategy a little bit just to make sure that they're in with a chance of being where all the money is, and that's the Champions League. So yes, they're making progress, but they have to up the pace to get where they want to be. So one last one to touch on. Tottenham, we've seen progress or signs of progress at Man United.

55:15It seems like it's going the opposite way for Thomas Frank and Spurs. Lost again at the weekend to Fulham. Do you think that Spurs will go into the market in January? Do you think that Thomas Frank will be pushing for more players? because out of all those top six managers, it appears like he's in the most need of just new faces, fresh blood in that squad. It's a trickle with Tottenham because they're in a bit of a weird situation because they brought a lot of players in over the years. You look at the stuff in recent windows, they brought a lot of forwards in. They brought in Kudos, they brought in Matthijs Tell, they brought in Colin Mouane in the summer.

55:52But their attacking options aren't great. Solanke's not fit, Madison and Kulosev have been out for quite a long time. So do you spend more money on forwards to replace the ones you sign in the summer who aren't really pulling up any trees? Or do you wait for the likes of Madison and Kudasetsky to get a fee, even though they might miss the majority of the season? So they obviously need better players in all areas, but where do you start? I mean, there is a suggestion that Richarlison might be allowed to go. Everton, quite keen on Richarlison, and that would open the door for maybe me for Ivan Toney.

56:20Now, Ivan Toney, great record in the Premier League, knows Thomas Frank brilliantly because we worked at Brentford together. I think Ivan Toni would certainly improve Tottenham, but then Solanke's due back soon, so do they need Solanke and Ivan Toni? So I don't quite know where Spurs go, apart from obviously trying to upgrade every position that they've got. They have got a lot of players, and maybe it's more on Frank to find a way to get more out of these players because they can't keep going to the transfer market. We know that the owners put£100 million into the club in October to help with the running costs of the club, but that money, we've all been told, is not for transfers.

56:51So they're going to have to find a way to kind of work the market a little bit, and that may involve offloading a player like Richarlison to create a little bit of money, but it's where you spend it because, like I say, they need all areas strengthening, but all areas have been strengthened in the not-too-recent past. So I think it's more on Frank, really, to get a way to find these players to make them better. Well, you can read Mark's full piece on the January window and what the top six clubs might do in the transfer market on ESPN.com now. That's all we've got time for from the Football Reporters this week.

57:20Join us again next week.

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