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talkSPORT journalist Alex Crook has dropped a positive Arsenal transfer update regarding a key target, although Mikel Arteta might need to offload some players to make a deal happen.

What’s the word?

Crook was recently speaking to GIVEMESPORT about Arsenal target Yeremy Pino, saying:

“I think, maybe, it might be a bit rich. I think Villarreal are looking for about £40 million.

“Obviously Arsenal have already spent in excess of £100 million in addition to the £100 million-plus they spent last summer. I think they would probably need to shift people out to make that happen. But there’s definitely an interest.”

This update will give the supporters an added boost as the club look to add at least one more player to the squad.

Imagine him and Gabriel Jesus

Arteta might need to offload one or two players to make a deal for Pino happen, and with Nicolas Pepe reportedly closing in on a loan move to Nice, it might happen sooner rather than later.

Starting the Premier League campaign with three wins from three has generated a feel-good atmosphere around the club again and Pepe’s exit could pave the way for yet more excitement as Arteta looks to add the final piece to his jigsaw in Pino.

They might have to pay £42.2m to secure his signature, but it would be well worth it. Presenter and pundit Jack Collins once dubbed him as the “real deal” and a move to England under the watchful eye of Arteta and his footballing philosophy will only lead to further improvement.

In La Liga last season, the Spaniard played 31 matches, scoring six goals and registering four assists for Villarreal as they finished seventh, while also netting once in their excellent Champions League run where they were knocked out in the semi-finals by Liverpool.

Pino has also made his mark on the international stage, making four appearances for Spain, and even scored in the 5-0 win over Iceland in March.

He could form an excellent duo with new signing Jesus, with the Spaniard making 0.8 key passes and completing 0.8 dribbles per match in La Liga last season. As a result, the Brazilian would be able to feed off his ability to create chances for others.

Indeed, with Pino ranking in the top 1% of players in Europe’s top leagues for dribbles that lead to a goal, it says all you need to know about where Jesus could generate his own goals from.

The Brazil international has started his Arsenal career in some form, scoring seven times during pre-season and then bagging twice in competitive action so far. Although he has the services of the likes of Martin Odegaard and Bukayo Saka, adding another playmaker like Pino would certainly do him no harm.

It’s a move that makes perfect sense for Arsenal, and with Arteta riding on the crest of a wave right now, it could be the ideal time to make his move.

Arsenal midfielder Ainsley Maitland-Miles is ‘up’ for a move to Southampton, according to transfer insider Dean Jones. 

The lowdown: Wanted man

Maitland-Niles has attracted an abundance of interest as the transfer window heads towards its conclusion.

Following a loan spell at AS Roma last term, where he became a European trophy winner under Jose Mourinho, the 24-year-old England international has returned to Arsenal where he appears to be surplus to requirements.

As such, Bournemouth, West Ham and Nottingham Forest have all come forward as potential suitors for Maitland-Niles, although one well-informed insider believes Southampton could be the eventual landing spot…

The latest: ‘He’s up for the move’

Speaking to Give Me Sport, Jones – a journalist for Eurosport – has claimed that the five-cap ace would be keen on making the switch to St Mary’s.

He said: “Southampton are the most likely to get him at the moment, but there are as many as five clubs in the background waiting to see what happens with that.

“If that move doesn’t happen for any reason, then there will be a real battle to sign him before deadline day, but Saints does seem a good fit for him, and I think he’s up for the move if it can all come together.”

The verdict: Fingers crossed

Capable of operating across any midfield role and in both full-back areas, adding the versatile Maitland-Niles to Ralph Hasenhuttl’s squad truly would be an inspired piece of business prior to the September 1 deadline.

Despite never truly settling into a first-team anywhere, the Englishman has amassed 191 senior outings in his career to date, more than enough experience to call upon to slot straight into the Saints XI.

Holding a market value of £9million and in the final 12 months of a deal in London (Transfermarkt), this should be a wholly affordable venture for the Southampton hierarchy and a deal Hasenhuttl must be pushing to get over the line.

Aston Villa are interested in a late move for West Ham defender Craig Dawson, who is personally keen on a move to the Midlands, according to Sky Sports.

The Lowdown: Carlos injury

Steven Gerrard appears to be on the hunt for a new centre-back in the final days of the window following a serious injury to Diego Carlos earlier this month.

The Brazilian, who cost £27.9m from Sevilla this summer, is set to be sidelined for six months with a ruptured achilles tendon.

Dawson, hailed as an ‘incredible’ defender by Alan Pardew, has been linked with a Villa Park switch, and Sky Sports have now shared an encouraging update on his future.

The Latest: Dawson update

Sky Sports reporter Dharmesh Sheth provided an on-air update regarding Dawson on Tuesday.

He said that Wolves have made an offer but Villa are also interested in the centre-back, who is keen to move to the Midlands to be closer to his family.

The Verdict: Get it done

Dawson appears to have fallen out of favour under David Moyes, who admitted that a move away for the 32-year-old is a possibility.

He’s also been struggling with a thigh problem, however, Villa are in desperate need of a new defender, so Dawson could be an ideal signing providing he passes the medical checks. The centre-back was a regular for the Hammers last season, can even play as a right-back and has 238 games of Premier League experience under his belt.

Therefore, you’d like to think that Dawson could be a suitable stop-gap signing for Gerrard to provide competition to the likes of Ezri Konsa, Calum Chambers and Tyrone Mings, so hopefully, Villa can pip their rivals to a deal.

Newcastle United will no doubt be one of a handful of sides who are currently ruing their inability to sign Ajax starlet Mohammed Kudus, with the Ghana international having thrust himself into wider focus following his sensational display against Rangers in midweek.

Reports late last month had suggested that the Magpies were one of the clubs who were eyeing a possible swoop before deadline day, while fellow Premier League side Everton were also believed to be in talks regarding a potential deal.

As it proved, despite the 22-year-old reportedly going on strike, no departure came to fruition, with his current boss Alfred Schreuder having insisted that he wanted to keep the youngster having already seen a host of top talent leave the Johan Cruyff Arena.

Managing to keep the 5 foot 10 sensation – who was reportedly the subject of a £15m bid from the Toffees – in Amsterdam has proven a real masterstroke for Erik ten Hag’s successor, with Kudus having showcased his quality on the European stage on Wednesday night.

Thrust into the starting lineup as the Eredivisie side’s main focal point, the £9m-rated man simply ran Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s side ragged in the Champions League group stage opener, notably laying on an assist and netting a goal of his own in that brutal 4-0 triumph.

That effort unsurprisingly stole the headlines such was its brilliance, as he simply shrugged off Gers skipper James Tavernier before rifling a stunning left-footed strike into the far corner past a helpless Jon McLaughlin.

The former Nordsjaelland ace dazzled with both his speed and trickery throughout that one-sided affair, notably almost netting a second after the break after weaving his way past the opposition defence with ease, as the likes of Connor Goldson and James Sands simply could not live with him.

Lauded as a “superstar” by journalist Owuraku Ampofo for that display, the highly-rated prospect also caught the eye with his impressive overall statistics, completing five of his six attempted dribbles, while also achieving a 100% pass accuracy rate.

That is no mean feat in a game of such magnitude, with that performance an indication as to just why he was so highly coveted by Newcastle – and others – in the recent window.

While he has just eight goals and five assists in 49 games for his current side at present – after netting 14 goals in 47 games during his time in Denmark – it looks as if this could well be the season that the young “baller”, as dubbed by Kwame Benaiah, truly explodes.

Amid the current shortage of quality attacking options at Howe’s disposal at St James’ Park – a fact exacerbated by injuries to both Callum Wilson and Allan Saint-Maximin – it appears a notable blunder not to have got a deal over the line for Kudus this summer.

Southampton are a side always looking for the next young star, with an academy that has given us Theo Walcott and Gareth Bale, and a recruitment staff that has allowed Virgil van Dijk and Sadio Mane to dominate the world stage.

It could be the former this time that will bring them their newest hero at St Mary’s, as Diamond Edwards looks to break through into the first team.

The 19-year-old attacking midfielder was signed from Reading but had suffered a length layoff last season through injury.

His return however had U18s coach Mikey Harris delighted: “Since he’s come back into the team, he’s scored some fantastic goals and he’s definitely a player that will get the fans off their seats. 

“He’s an excellent dribbler. And yeah, he can work a shot and can score goals and create goals. He also runs really hard for the team.”

A hard-working midfielder with an eye for goal, it is hard not to instantly draw comparisons with Chelsea’s own graduate Mason Mount.

The England international ranks in the top 1% for assists and total shots, as well as the top 3% for shot-creating actions across Europe’s top five leagues in the last year.

This, combined with ranking in the top 7% for progressive carries amongst midfielders all outlines what Edwards could become if he can perfect the qualities that Harris claims he has.

Although likely tender upon his return, he has started off life in Premier League 2 with ease. In his opening five games of the season, he already has two assists. They are numbers that follow a 2021/22 campaign where he registered five goal involvements.

Head coach of the Southampton B team, Dave Horseman, had the following to say about his young prodigy: “Diamond I think has done really, really well, but we have to be patient.”

He continued: “He’s a brilliant boy, really wants to learn, he’s enthusiastic and because of that he has a chance of playing at a decent level.”

He also made a late appearance off the bench for the Saints in their EFL Cup win over Cambridge United.

Having also been included in this summer’s pre-season tour, it is clear that Ralph Hasenhuttl sees a future for Edwards in his squad.

If he could get him acclimatised to senior football, he could certainly reach the heights of Mount and save the club a fortune.

Reliable journalist Mike McGrath has now revealed a worrying transfer update at Everton involving Jordan Pickford.

The Lowdown: Thigh injury

Pickford unfortunately picked up a thigh injury after his heroics in the Goodison Park outfit’s 0-0 draw in the Merseyside derby against Liverpool in the Premier League earlier this month.

Speaking to the media in his pre-game press conference ahead of their 1-0 win at home to West Ham United on Sunday afternoon, Frank Lampard confirmed that his number one goalkeeper was not set to return until after the international break, where they are targeting matches against Southampton and Manchester United for his comeback.

The Latest: Man Utd interest

Writing in his latest piece for The Daily Telegraph, McGrath has now revealed that Pickford is one of a number of goalkeepers in the frame to replace David de Gea at Man Utd, should he not receive a contract extension.

The Spaniard only has nine months left on his current deal at Old Trafford, and the Red Devils are thought to be weighing up a one-year extension, but if they do not take up that option, then they could turn to Pickford to replace him.

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The Verdict: Worrying

It will certainly come as worrying to Toffees supporters that Pickford is being considered as a transfer option for United.

One of the most prestigious clubs in the game, and a team that could offer him European football, it would surely be difficult for the England international to turn them down should they make an approach.

Nonetheless, Pickford has been excellent again this season, receiving a lot of praise for some of his performances, and so he would not be an easy player to replace.

Aston Villa forward Cameron Archer will ‘be back’ amongst the squad for this afternoon’s trip to Leeds United, Ashley Preece reports.

The Lowdown: Archer’s absence

Archer was hailed as “fantastic” by Preston North End manager Ryan Lowe during his loan spell last season and remained at Villa Park over the summer.

He has been included in six of Villa’s seven Premier League matchday squads, missing the 1-0 win over Southampton with an adductor issue.

The 20-year-old is one of three centre-forwards available to Steven Gerrard, and it looks as if he could return to the squad this afternoon.

The Latest: Preece’s update

Preece took to Twitter on Friday lunchtime to relay ‘team news’ from Gerrard’s pre-match press conference.

He stated that Boubacar Kamara, Lucas Digne and Matty Cash will all be missing today, but offered the welcome news that Archer ‘will be back amongst the squad’.

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The Verdict: Timely boost

Villa have struggled for goals this season, netting just six times in their opening seven games.

As mentioned, they are short of central attacking options and have plenty of other injury issues to worry about, so having Archer to call upon can only be viewed as good news for Gerrard prior to the trip to Yorkshire.

You’d expect that the 20-year-old could feature from the bench at Elland Road, with Ollie Watkins and Danny Ings potentially starting together, with Archer looking to net what would be his fifth Villa goal in just 10 games.

Liverpool youngster Sepp van den Berg has suffered a serious ankle injury on loan at Schalke, reliable journalist James Pearce has confirmed.

The Lowdown: Van den Berg suffers injury

The 20-year-old joined the Bundesliga side during the summer transfer window, as he looked to earn regular minutes away from Anfield.

Van den Berg has impressed to date in Germany, making four league starts and averaging 4.8 clearances, 1.8 aerial wins and 2 interceptions per game while completing roughly 84 per cent of his passes.

The young defender was hurt in Sunday’s 3-2 defeat at home to Augsburg though, with a bad ankle injury now confirmed.

The Latest: Pearce confirms long-term absence

Taking to Twitter, The Athletic‘s Pearce confirmed that Van den Berg would be out of action until next year, such is the severity of the problem, calling it a ‘cruel setback’.

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The Verdict: Massive blow for youngster

This is a huge setback for a talented young footballer after his impressive campaign at Preston and Jurgen Klopp will no doubt be devastated to hear that his player’s progress has been halted in such a way.

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At 20, the hope is that Van den Berg can make make a fully successful recovery, however, potentially even returning to Liverpool and becoming a regular one day.

He was described as ‘magnificent’ by Frankie McAvoy during his loan spell at Deepdale last season and his form in the Bundesliga in 2022/23 to date is further proof of his quality.

Sunderland have been hit with a selection setback ahead of their Championship clash with Wigan next weekend…

What’s the latest?

Black Cats captain Corry Evans will be unavailable for their match against the Latics at the Stadium of Light after picking up his fifth yellow card of the season against Swansea.

The central midfielder was shown a yellow card for a challenge on Luke Trundle in the first half and that was his fifth caution of the 2022/23 campaign, which means that he is now suspended for the club’s next competitive fixture.

Jack Clarke and Luke O’Nien are both currently on four yellow cards for the season and will face the same punishment if they pick up another one within the next six Championship outings.

Big blow for Tony Mowbray

The Sunderland manager will surely be frustrated by this suspension as it comes as a big blow to the team heading into their match against Wigan.

He made a late challenge whilst the team were already 1-0 down to Swansea and the manager may feel like it was a tackle that could have been avoided. It was poorly timed and the midfielder will now have to watch on from the sidelines as his side look to bounce back from four league matches without a win.

The Black Cats lost to the Welsh side after drawing their last three Championship fixtures prior to that and now come up against a Latics team who have lost three of their last four in the division.

They will be without Evans for the game and that is a setback for Mowbray because he has been an important member of the side throughout the season so far. The central midfielder has played in 12 of the 13 league matches thus far, starting 11 of those, and put a shift in defensively.

No player with at least one start has averaged more tackles per game and only Luke O’Nien has averaged more interceptions per match in the Championship for Sunderland than Evans in 2022/23. The Northern Irishman is averaging 3.7 tackles and interceptions per outing, showing that he has made a big impact on the pitch when the team is out of possession.

He has been a rock in the holding midfield position, as evidenced by his strong defensive statistics in comparison to his teammates, and the side will now be without his presence in the middle of the pitch against Wigan.

Therefore, Mowbray will be frustrated that Evans will be unavailable next weekend as losing him is a blow to Sunderland’s defensive solidity.

Celtic bounced back from their recent Champions League disappointment in emphatic fashion on Saturday afternoon, with the Hoops securing a stunning 6-1 victory over a hapless Hibernian side at Parkhead.

Much of the talk following Tuesday’s loss to RB Leipzig had been focused around the Old Firm outfit’s failings in front of goal, with manager Ange Postecoglou stating in the aftermath of that defeat that his side had paid the “ultimate price” for their profligacy, having seen their hopes of progression ended.

The Scottish champions moved to somewhat put that to bed during yesterday’s convincing triumph over Lee Johnson’s side, with long-serving forward James Forrest notably netting a hat-trick to bring up a century of goals for the club.

That ruthless outing also saw striker Giorgos Giakoumakis once again get himself on the scoresheet with a clinical brace, with the Greek having potentially sent a message to his manager with regards to his importance to the side.

The 27-year-old has not been blameless for the club’s European woes – with pundit John Hartson suggesting that the marksman “should have done better” in the group stage thus far after failing to find the back of the net – although the £3.6m-rated man’s impact has been limited as he started on the bench in three of the four games, with Kyogo Furuhashi still the preferred pick in attack.

The latter man has also failed to score in the competition to date, while he has just one goal in his last four league outings, with Giakoumakis having potentially staked a claim for a more prominent role with his recent exploits.

Fresh from netting a dramatic winner away at St Johnstone last week, the former VVV-Venlo man took his league tally for the season to five goals in just eight appearances, with that an impressive record considering only two of those outings have come from the start.

That haul of three goals from his last two league games has served as a reminder that the 11-cap menace is a truly lethal figure in front of goal, having scored 17 goals in just 29 outings in all competitions during his debut campaign last term.

Such a cutting edge could well be what the Bhoys are missing on a regular basis, with that clinical nature potentially outweighing the 6 foot 1 machine’s failings on the ball, as he notably lost possession every three touches against the Easter Road outfit.

The towering striker may not offer the relentless, hard-working figure in attack of Kyogo – who “hounds defences” according to pundit John Collins – although he seemingly can produce the most important quality which is putting the ball in the back of the net.