English Premier League

English Premier League

As a new year begins, the race to reach the Premier League is even by the Championship's usual standards absolutely wide open. Coventry remain the clear front-runners, but their blistering early form has slowed in recent weeks; Frank Lampard will seek to start the new year on a high against out-of-form Charlton today. Behind them, Middlesbrough (at Derby), Ipswich (at home to Oxford) and Hull City (at home to Stoke) will look to keep up the chase.

Nothing is done yet, but Newcastle are in the market for new attacking players and it looks like Bobb is a realistic and concrete target for Eddie Howe's side. Oscar Bobb to Newcastle transfer looks like one to watch this January City are known to be closing in on Antoine Semenyo as a major new signing, with the arrival of the Bournemouth forward only likely to make it even harder for Bobb to play regularly.

"We are running 18 coaches and people keep contacting us," said Mr Richardson, whose company TreadTracker is the team's kit sponsor.

After the bongs and fireworks, 2026 has finally begun. Naturally, no one really cares about resolutions, the real interest is in whether your team will sign a new left-back. Tittle-tattle is back in the limelight and the Rumour Mill will be firing up the very best and worst of it over the coming month. It seems like everyone in the Premier League needs to get the pen and chequebook out to solve their problems, making it an intriguing month ahead.

Inter Milan really likes Bayern Munich center-back Kim Min-jae, but is not willing to upset its budget structure to bring him in: Kim Min-jae is Milan's ideal solution to strengthen their backline in January. But to make him a viable option, it has to be a loan deal with a potential option/obligation to buy. Given his limited role at Bayern this season, Kim would be open to a return to Italy. But such a deal with Bayern is complicated.

Wolves want 40m for the Norwegian, whose wage demands are high. West Ham, who are closing in on a deal for the Fulham winger Adama Traore, made an informal inquiry for Strand Larsen this month but have identified Pablo as a cheaper option. Gil Vicente, the surprise package in Portugal this season, are expected to want 20m (17.5m) for the Brazilian. It is understood negotiations are moving in the right direction.

While the Bees might have opened up the 2025/26 campaign with many billing them to find themselves at the heart of a relegation scrap, Brentford have cemented their spot as one of the Premier League's ultimate surprise packages this time around. Claiming an essential boost on their travels last weekend, Tottenham will be desperate to find some essential stability in 2026 and Thomas Frank will be bracing himself for an emotional return to west London on Thursday night.

Andoni Iraola's had a decent 12 months at Bournemouth, too. The Basque boss has been near flawless since arriving in 2023 without his assistant manager because of visa issues, and with one recognised midfielder due to injuries. He then lost his star striker and four of his back five within three windows. Astonishingly, he led Bournemouth to back-to-back best points tallies in the top flight people don't realise how hard that is to do at Dean Court.

Manchester United's interest is not coincidental,

Liverpool need a quality alternative to Ibrahima Konate, who will be out of contract at the end of the season. He has not signed an extension with the club, and Liverpool need to start planning for alternatives. The Netherlands International could be ideal for them. It will be interesting to see if they can get the deal done. Liverpool have a strong Dutch contingent at the club, and they could play a key role in convincing the player to join.

Charlton's trip to Fratton Park brought more frustration than optimism, as two struggling sides served up a reminder of how unforgiving life can be near the foot of the Championship. Portsmouth may have been poor, but Charlton's failure to take their chances and a lapse in concentration at the end saw them leave empty-handed. Conor Shaughnessy's opener on his return from injury came just when Charlton looked to be gaining control.