Will Tottenham boost their attack in January with a virtually unknown forward from Spain? Are Chelsea about to sign another left back to compete with Marc Cucurella? And can Everton make a big splash by signing a talented footballer from Champions League side AC Milan?
Here are the latest Premier League transfer rumors.
Everton linked to Samuel Chukwueze transfer
According to a report from Football Insider’s Pete O’Rourke, Everton are interested in signing AC Milan right winger Samuel Chukwueze in the January 2025 transfer window.
Chukwueze is one of the most talented right wingers in European football, having made a name for himself over multiple strong seasons in La Liga with Villarreal, getting international attention for an eye-catching hat trick in the 2022/23 season against Real Madrid.
He joined AC Milan in the summer 2023 transfer window, but he hasn’t been able to get regular game time since Milan have one of the best winger duos in world football in Rafael Leao and Christian Pulisic – both are world-class and two of the best players in Serie A.
So Chukwueze, who scored the decisive goal this weekend in Milan’s crucial win over Udinese, is now a transfer possibility and should have interest from several Premier League clubs.
Everton probably aren’t going to get to sign Chukwueze, as he remains valuable to Milan this season as a backup. However, he is very much worth pursuing in the winter, as he would be a substantial upgrade for a Toffees side that continues to lack attacking juice as they battle the drop.
Chelsea, Tottenham in the race for Patrick Dorgu
Patrick Dorgu is one of the most popular left backs on the transfer market, as it is very rare to find a 19-year-old getting regular starts at the position. Premier League clubs have been circling the Lecce star, as Dorgu is the latest intriguing talent produced by the Serie A underdogs.
According to a report from the Mirror’s Ryan Taylor, London giants Chelsea and Tottenham remain interested in Dorgu despite the fact that Lecce bumped up his transfer valuation by agreeing to an extension with the talented prospect.
Tottenham already have one great left back from Serie A in Destiny Udogie, who has only grown in importance this season. However, they could use a strong backup.
Meanwhile, Chelsea have Euro 2024 standout Marc Cucurella, though the Spanish international has failed to impress for the Blues themselves. Dorgu could be a replacement for Ben Chilwell as Cucurella’s backup and then even his eventual replacement.
This season, Dorgu is averaging about three fouls drawn per game and three combined tackles and interceptions per match. He isn’t at the level of a starter for Chelsea or Tottenham yet, but he has the athletic traits and intensity to develop into one.
Chelsea have more money to spend, more prestige, a project focus on youth, and the advantage in the fact that Dorgu was a Blues fan growing up. But Tottenham have made more Serie A coups in recent years, so this could be an interesting transfer battle if Spurs push hard enough (but usually they don’t).
Tottenham pushing for Espanyol’s Javi Puado
Meanwhile, Tottenham are also interested in a little-known veteran forward in La Liga, Javi Puado, according to a report from Spanish outlet La Razon. Puado will be a free agent at the end of the 2024/25 season, so Spurs could negotiate with him on a pre-agreement in January.
Tottenham could also potentially offer a modest transfer fee in order to secure Puado sooner, which is a strategy clubs have taken in the past with players like Denis Zakaria. But Puado may not be a big enough name for that approach to be worth it.
The 26-year-old scored seven goals in his last La Liga season in 2022/23 with Espanyol, and he already has three goals in eight matches this season, mostly starting as a striker with one appearance from the left wing for the Catalan club.
That said, while Puado can bring some secondary scoring off the bench for Tottenham, he is several steps below Spurs’ current players and doesn’t offer any sort of all-around ability, particularly when he starts from the wing.
Tottenham will need more athletic players than Puado in the Premier League, which they already have. Their key is to find players who both meet the requisite athletic traits of the English top flight while providing a little more finishing ability.
Puado isn’t the worst outside-the-box option for free, but you get what you pay for. Tottenham are after the clubs in the top four, and a free alternative like Puado isn’t going to cut it when the top La Liga options like Takefusa Kubo or Nico Williams are so much better and so much more dynamic.
The managing editor of The Trivela Effect, Kevin has 15 years of experience in digital media. He covered Real Madrid from 2019-2022 for The Real Champs as a site manager. His work has been featured in ESPN, Bleacher Report, Yahoo! Sports, NBC Sports, and other major outlets. You can contact him at the site’s official Twitter handle @TrivelaEffect or via the site’s official email thetrivelaeffect@gmail.com.