Tottenham boss Thomas Frank will be eager to snap up some new signings in the January transfer windowplaceholder image
Tottenham boss Thomas Frank will be eager to snap up some new signings in the January transfer window | Getty Images
The latest January transfer window news and rumours, including stories on Tottenham, Arsenal, Man United, Sunderland and more
And so it begins. The refreshing social media every thirty seconds. The following twenty new ‘in the know’ football journalists who it soon transpires don’t know their Nicky Butt from their Jermaine Defoe. The getting convinced by a ropy YouTube compilation that your club has signed the next Neymar, only for him to shuffle off on loan to Rotherham United six months later.
Yes, the January transfer window is finally here, ladies and gentleman. Fabrizio Romano has once again risen from his dormant state to unleash a torrent of relentless, molten football news from dawn ‘til dusk and seemingly all the hours either side.
Strap yourselves in, the relentless roller coaster ride that absolutely won’t end up being a deeply underwhelming month of your life begins right here, right now. Light the beacons, sound the transfer klaxon. Here. We. Go.
Tottenham ‘move ahead’ of Man United and Arsenal in Goretzka race
We are merely a day into the January transfer window, and it already looks like Tottenham have flown straight off the blocks and are hurtling towards their first signing of 2026.
That’s what Caught Offside would have you believe, anyway. They claim that Bayern Munich have ‘quietly opened the door’ to midfielder Leon Goretzka potentially leaving the club. Quietly opened the door? That’s not very ‘January transfer window’. Bayern Munich has hauled open the door and smashed it off its hinges. There, that’s better.
Goretzka, who falls neatly into the bracket of ‘German footballers who are significantly younger than you thought’ is only 30-years-old, but it’s claimed that the Bavarian powerhouse club are already sewing the seeds ahead of his exit, with the club keen to get him off their books before the end of next season, due to his apparently rather generous salary.
The report goes on to detail that Tottenham, Man United and Arsenal - the latter of whom we’ve pretty much figured out a January transfer wish list for - have all been in talks with Goretzka’s entourage, and that Spurs are the most likely of the three to launch a move this month, with the other two content to keep their powder dry until the summer transfer window.
The 3AM verdict: Would Tottenham like to sign a player of Goretzka’s calibre in the January window? Certainly. Will they pull it off? That’s perhaps unlikely. While the club are said to be keen, there’s no real indication as to who the player’s preferred option is at this stage.
On top of that, Bayern may well not jump at the chance to break up their squad mid-season, when they could simply wait until the summer and mull over the decision in the meantime. There’s also the consideration of Spurs being a highly unpredictable side - Goretzka would do well to hold his horses and see whether they qualify for next season’s Champions League before making his final decision.
Sunderland in battle with Fulham and Crystal Palace for Ilan Kebbal
Not content with just the six players taking part in the ongoing 2025 Africa Cup of Nations, Sunderland are apparently now lining up another - Algerian winger Ilan Kebbal.
Football Insider claim that the Black Cats have joined Fulham and Crystal Palace in a three-way battle royal to sign the 27-year-old Paris FC gem, who has largely gone under the radar in his footballing career so far.
In the report, Kebbal’s impression on Ligue 1 is lauded, with claims that he’s excelled since making the step up from the second tier, despite his side’s overall struggles so far this season.
The three sides linked with Kebbal are all said to be ‘eyeing moves’ for the former Reims star, but thes story offers little else in the way of detail, other than pointing out that the right wing is an area that all three clubs could do with strengthening.
The 3AM verdict: Call us sceptical if you must, but the lack of detail in this report suggest that Football Insider’s ‘sources’ don’t really have that much information on Kebbal moving to any of the three clubs mentioned. Of course all the clubs ‘are looking to strengthen’, but there’s little reliable evidence here to suggest that Kebbal is involved in any of their plans. Don’t rush out to get his name on the back of that shiny new shirt you got for Christmas just yet, Sunderland fans.
Chelsea line up ‘outstanding’ Enzo Maresca successor
Lastly, we jet over to west London, where Chelsea parted company with Enzo Maresca in a bit of a New Year’s Day bombshell moment.
Which lucky manager will be brought in to have seemingly no control over players signed and perhaps live in constant fear of the axe swinging their way? Ex-Hull City boss Liam Rosenior, if Team Talk (among many others) have got this one right.
It might sound like left field a move to those unfamiliar with the Blues regime’s current set-up, but Rosenoir is currently managing RC Strasbourg, who are part of the owner’s multi-club ownership portfolio. The report claims that BlueCo are keen to ‘promote from within’ and that they believe the 41-year-old has done an ‘outstanding job’ with his current club, qualifying for the UEFA Conference League last season - a competition in which they currently sit top of the table in the league phase.
The 3AM verdict: This one does actually seem to make sense. It would presumably be a relatively straight forward deal to make happen, with the Ligue 1 side and the Blues so closely intertwined. Other names supposedly in the running are Crystal Palace boss Oliver Glasner and Barcelona icon Xavi, but given the mid-season nature of the appointment, a high-profile arrival seems unlikely.
If Rosenoir does get the job, he’ll be under intense pressure from the beginning, and you’d imagine he’ll be expected to toe the company line with serious caution.
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