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Middlesbrough reporter Craig Johns has dropped a managerial update after being in the stands for the Championship game vs Birmingham City on Wednesday night.

The Lowdown: Gibson’s manager hunt

Chris Wilder was sacked following the defeat to Coventry last weekend, with chairman Steve Gibson having since been on the lookout for a suitable replacement to take over in the dugout.

Former Watford boss Rob Edwards is currently a strong favourite to take the job, but any official announcement is still some way off.

Boro climbed out of the relegation zone after securing a 1-0 victory over the Blues at the Riverside Stadium, with caretaker manager Leo Percovich expected to still be in charge for the Millwall clash on Saturday.

The Latest: Johns’ update from the Riverside

Asked on Twitter whether he had seen any of the rumoured managerial candidates at the game whilst sitting in the stands during midweek, Johns responded:

“Been trying to have a spy but haven’t spotted anyone. I’m looking at backs of heads though so not easy!”

Seemingly then, there are no obvious front-runners in the public eye just yet.

The Verdict: Give Percovich a chance?

Whilst Middlesbrough will be looking to appoint someone who has a significant amount of experience under his belt, there’s no reason why they shouldn’t bring Percovich into consideration if he impresses while they seemingly loiter on a new top dog.

Undoubtedly it would be a risk given he’s never had a leading first-team role, but the 54-year-old has been at the club since 2013 and has a 100% win record in the games he’s taken charge of.

The Uruguayan is hugely popular amongst fans and would receive unwavering support, so he could provide more of a suitable option than first imagined.

Tottenham Hotspur summer signing Clement Lenglet has been praised for his ‘under the radar’ performances in a Lilywhites jersey.

The Lowdown: Lenglet joins…

The Frenchman, signing for Spurs on loan from Barcelona, was reportedly nearer the bottom of sporting director Fabio Paratici’s shortlist for a left-footed central defensive signing.

Tottenham’s top summer targets were apparently the likes of Josko Gvardiol (RB Leipzig) and Alessandro Bastoni (Inter Milan) who were preferred over Lenglet but the Catalan emerged as their ‘most attainable’ option (GiveMeSport)

Having struggled for game time at the Camp Nou, Spurs supporters could be forgiven for not being too excited by the 27-year-old’s capture.

The Latest: Lenglet praised…

Now, the defender is attracting praise for his ‘under the radar’ performances at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

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Club pundit and critic John Wenham, speaking to Football Insider, has been impressed by Lenglet’s showings as an alternative to Ben Davies.

“I have been really thinking about this, I want to give credit to Clement Lenglet.

“It was his first North London derby. I don’t watch every weekend but when I do, or I see the highlights, Bukayo Saka is always their most influential attacking player.

“He certainly was last season and I thought Clement Lenglet, on the whole, kept him fairly quiet, especially in the first half.

“I just wanted to give credit because I think his performance went a little bit under the radar. I have been impressed with him so far.

“The fact he has instantly come in for Ben Davies and we don’t look any weaker, that is a huge credit to him really.

“He’s a new signing to the Premier League, I know he has a lot of experience from Barcelona and with France but he already seems very reliable, like we could drop him in for any fixture.“

The Verdict: Good news…

Lenglet on loan from Barca was the cheaper option when compared to Bastoni and Gvardiol, but luckily for Paratici and Antonio Conte, it appears to be paying off thus far.

Hardly a combative defender when compared to the likes of Cristian Romero or Eric Dier when comparing their stats (WhoScored), Lenglet has however earned praise for his impressive outings recently.

Spurs legend Glenn Hoddle even singled out the former Sevilla star for praise after their 0-0 draw away to Eintracht Frankfurt, calling it his ‘best performance’ since signing.

If Lenglet carries on at this same rate, Paratici and Co could even contemplate securing him permanently.

West Bromwich Albion are still in the early stages of their managerial search, but have plenty of names as part of a reported shortlist.

What’s the latest?

According to the Daily Mail, Carlos Corberan is one of the numerous targets who Lai Guochuan and Ron Gourlay are considering as the next Baggies boss.

The former Huddersfield Town manager was sacked from his post at Olympiacos at the start of this campaign due to a poor start. He did nearly mastermind a return to the Premier League for the Terriers, which is exactly what West Brom will want from their new boss.

Steve Bruce was relieved of his duties on Monday morning, and names such as Roy Keane, Chris Wilder and Rob Edwards are also being cited as potential replacements.

Bruce upgrade

Before taking a full-time manager’s job, Corberan worked as a part of Marcelo Bielsa’s coaching staff at Leeds United.

The Argentine was the mastermind behind returning Leeds United to the Premier League after their 16-year absence, and when asked if he had been influenced at all by his teachings the Spaniard replied: “In every single way you can imagine.”

This instantly marks an impressive benchmark from which to begin managing, and his success with Huddersfield saw them finish third in his first full season. Facing Nottingham Forest in the play-off final proved a step too far and he would resign shortly after.

The 39-year-old was then sacked after just two wins in Olympiacos’ opening 11 fixtures. 

It marks a small blemish on the record of a man clearly destined for big things in the managerial game. Bielsa himself even dubbed the 39-year-old “very talented”, reportedly claiming he valued Corberan’s opinion ‘more than his own’.

With a track record of leading teams to the play-off spots, he seems like a dependable option and given his youth and progressive nature he could stick around for a while at the Hawthorns, should his ambitions be matched.

It would mark a certain upgrade on Bruce, who seems to have been somewhat left behind by the demands and pressure of the modern game.

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta could be without left-back Oleksandr Zinchenko for their crunch Premier League clash away to Leeds United.

The Lowdown: Gunners flying…

The Gunners have made a soaring start to this 2022/2023 campaign, setting the early precedent that they are Man City’s main rivals for the top flight crown.

Arteta seems set to contend with former mentor Pep Guardiola as both sides keep battling at the top of the table, yet it’s Arsenal who have taken an early lead.

Just one point separates the sides with the north London side earning victories in eight of their last nine league matches.

By contrast, Leeds lie near the bottom three with no wins to show from their last five games.

However, Elland Road is a famously tough ground for any visitor regardless of form and Arteta may be without a brilliant player again.

The Latest: Arsenal could be without Zinchenko…

Indeed, Ukraine international Zinchenko remains a doubt for the trip to Yorkshire having missed their last league game against Liverpool with a calf injury.

As shared by The Daily Mirror, Arsenal’s makeshift defensive ace may not feature against Jesse Marsch’s side with the ‘persistent issue’ putting him in doubt.

The Verdict: Worry for Arteta…

When available, Zinchenko has impressed with WhoScored highlighting how he ranks in their top seven best-performing players by average match rating.

The 25-year-old league winner has been called ‘phenomenal’ by football writer Muhammad Butt for his exploits alongside fellow summer signing Gabriel Jesus, with both players dazzling since their Man City moves.

With any luck, Arteta will have Zinchenko at his disposal, but for now it is up in the air.

Sky Sports reporter Tim Thornton believes there is ‘a lot of excitement’ about Leeds United winger Luis Sinisterra.

The Lowdown: Two goals

Sinisterra was brought in from Feyenoord over the summer to replace Raphinha following his move to Barcelona.

The 23-year-old struggled with injuries during pre-season and had to wait until the end of August for his first Premier League start, scoring against Everton.

The Colombia international backed that up with a goal against Brentford but was sent off against Aston Villa earlier this month, returning to the side on the weekend in a defeat to Arsenal.

The Latest: Thornton’s comments

Thornton, talking to GiveMeSport, believes that there is plenty of ‘excitement’ at Thorp Arch when it comes to Sinisterra, with the Whites having ‘high hopes’ for the winger.

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“I think there’s a lot of excitement about him. I think of all the signings that came in, I think there are real high hopes about him. Obviously, he was the one that was injured in pre-season that had the setback and has been slower to come to the boil for those reasons. But when he has got into the team he’s shown flashes of what he can do. He can certainly finish and has scored a couple of great goals already.”

The Verdict: Time to kick on

As Thornton mentions, we have seen flashes of quality from Sinisterra, but now is the time when Leeds needs their star winger to kick on.

He has scored his first goals for Colombia during his time at Elland Road, and you’d expect he’ll be a key man for Jesse Marsch in the lead up to the World Cup.

The Whites need points on the board from their next five top-flight fixtures, and Sinisterra could be the difference maker for Marsch to get Leeds’ season back on track.

Arsenal returned to the top of the Premier League table on Sunday following a 5-0 thrashing of Nottingham Forest.

It comes after two recent poor performances against Southampton and then PSV Eindhoven and Arteta will surely be pleased that his side returned to winning ways.

What’s the word?

There was a scare during that victory, however, with key man Bukayo Saka suffering an injury after just 27 minutes and having to be substituted in place of Reiss Nelson, who scored two second-half goals.

The immediate fear was whether or not the injury was bad enough for him to miss the upcoming World Cup, however, Arteta quelled these worries, saying:

“Hopefully not. It was a bad kick. Right from the beginning, he was limping, but I don’t see any further than that. Let’s see how he is in the next couple of days.”

A big bonus for the Gunners

This update will be a massive relief to both Arsenal and England, with the two teams chasing glory of some sort in the near future.

Saka has been outstanding this campaign, especially in the Premier League, averaging a SofaScore rating of 7.25, while chipping in with four goals and five assists and this has been a big factor in the club hitting the top spot in the league table.

In the Gunners’ squad, Saka ranks third for key passes per match (two), successful dribbles (1.3 per match), and rating (7.25) showing just how important he is to Arteta’s side.

With the club chasing its first Premier League crown since 2003/04, they will need everyone to be at the top of their game and the 21-year-old has certainly led the way this season.

There is still a long way to go in the season, especially with a World Cup to think about in a few weeks, but if Saka is fit for the tournament and impresses, he could return to Arsenal full of confidence.

Arteta will be able to use the likes of Nelson and even Marquinhos to fill the potential void left by Saka in the next few games, but any longer and the club may start to struggle. They will be praying for an immediate return to fitness for the energetic winger.

Newcastle United midfielder Bruno Guimaraes has been backed to ignore any transfer interest which could come his way and become a long-term figure at St James’ Park. 

The Lowdown: Transfer talk

Last month, it was reported that Barcelona have the Brazilian on their radar for a potential transfer swoop.

Given how the midfielder only joined the Tyneside club during the January transfer window, it would be unfortunate for the Toon to potentially see him leave any time soon.

Dan Ashworth has revealed plans to shut down the transfer chatter by penning the fan favourite to a new deal, and it appears one pundit has backed the player to do exactly that and stay put for the foreseeable future.

The Latest: Bruno backed for Newcastle stay

Speaking to Football Insider about the exit talk and Ashworth’s plans, former Premier League defender Alan Hutton admitted Barca is a ‘massive’ link but backed Bruno to stay with the Magpies.

The BBC radio pundit said of the 24-year-old: “He runs games, I think he has really come in and hit the ground running. He is a fan favourite now, he is a huge part of what Newcastle are doing moving forward.

“There is a massive draw going to a team like Barcelona. They are well-renowned in football. But if I was him I would want to stay at Newcastle.

“You can see the direction that they are going in, what they are trying to achieve. We are not talking about a team that want top four, they want to go and challenge for the league. Obviously not this season but in future seasons that is where they see themselves.

“Huge stadium, the manager has done really well, the owners are going to back them and he is a big part of that moving forward. So why wouldn’t he want to be a part of that because they only way they are going is up.”

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The Verdict: A key figure for Newcastle

This season has seen the 24-year-old, who will be hoping to be in Brazil’s squad for the upcoming World Cup, show in the Premier League how useful and effective a midfielder he is for Eddie Howe’s side.

In addition to having the joint-second highest passing success percentage (83.7%) in the squad, Guimaraes has also racked up the second-highest number of key passes (16) and passes into the 18-yard box (22).

Hailed by Howe for his “outstanding” performances this season, the midfielder also has the second-highest overall performance rating at Newcastle (7.39/10) from WhoScored.

Taking all that into account, it’s clear that Guimaraes is a key figure for Newcastle, who will undoubtedly be hoping that he takes Hutton’s advice and remains at St James’ Park for a long time.

Everton made eight new signings over the summer and it has made a huge improvement to the defensive performances the side have displayed over the Premier League season so far.

The Toffees are currently 12th in the league table collecting 14 points from their first 13 outings with the third-least goals conceded in the entire league which is a testament to the consistent and reliable defence that Frank Lampard has built.

However, it’s not all good news for Everton as they did lose Richarlison over the summer in a £60m move to Tottenham Hotspur and the Brazilian forward’s departure combined with Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s injury issues have contributed to the lack of goals in the team.

Only Wolverhampton Wanderers and Nottingham Forest have scored fewer goals than Lampard’s team and as a result, there will need to be improvements if the manager wants his side to climb up the table into an even more comfortable position.

The powers at Goodison Park could use the January transfer window as the perfect opportunity to not only find a hungry goal-scorer but a partner for Calvert-Lewin to get him back to his best in the final third too.

One player who Kevin Thelwell identified as a good fit for the Everton front line over the summer was Ajax forward Mohammed Kudus, with the club making a £15m bid for the rising star. Now, they should make a second offer in the new year.

The 22-year-old – who was dubbed a “star boy” by Alimo Philip – has had a spectacular campaign for the Dutch giants. He has scored nine goals and delivered one assist over 17 appearances in all competitions so far, and it’s not just his goal contributions that have made him one of the most promising prospects in Europe.

Kudus ranks in the top 1% of his positional peers in the next best eight divisions outside of the big five leagues for dribbles completed, touches and progressive passes received and ranks in the top 20% for pass completion and shot-creating actions.

The versatile attacker has played comfortably in several roles including central midfield, attacking midfield and as a centre forward, but this season has spent most of his time predominantly in the striker role.

Calvert-Lewin has struggled with several injury concerns and since returning to the side without his former strike partner Richarlison has only scored one goal so far, but if Thelwell could pull off a deal for Kudus in the next few months it could be a huge boost for the Toffees striker to have a fresh face by his side.

With that being said, Everton have nothing to lose by going in again for Kudus but they may have competition due to his incredible start to the season as Tottenham Hotspur are now reportedly interested in signing the player too.

Sunderland are reportedly now in a fight with a number of their rivals in the Championship to sign Bradley Dack.

The Lowdown: Out of contract

Dack is a player that is out of contract in the summer, meaning that he can leave as a free agent once it expires.

The Blackburn Rovers attacking midfielder could also be available for a cut-price in the January transfer window, should they decide to cash in at the risk of losing him for free.

The Latest: Sunderland interest

As per Football League World, the Stadium of Light outfit are interested in signing Dack, but are waiting to see what Rovers’ stance on him given his contract situation.

However, they will face competition from fellow Championship rivals Millwall and Luton Town for his signature.

The Verdict: Wait until summer

Given that the Wearside club are sitting comfortably in midtable, they may not need too many reinforcements come the January transfer window.

With Dack’s contract up in the summer, they could sign him for free then, which would represent a great piece of business.

The 28-year-old has scored an impressive 91 goals in his senior club career from midfield, and 50 of those came under former Rovers manager Tony Mowbray, of course now at the Black Cats.

Once dubbed ‘amazing to watch’ by Mowbray himself, he will know how to get the best out of Dack, and so reuniting him with his old boss seems like a smart move, especially if no transfer fee is involved.

Sunderland head into the World Cup break in 15th place in the Championship table after beating Birmingham 2-1 away from home on Friday night.

The Black Cats, who have one game in hand on the majority of the teams ahead of them, won two of their last three matches in the division to end the first portion of the campaign in good spirits.

They have taken to life in the second division well after being promoted out of League One last term and should be hoping to push further up the table in the second half of the season.

Sunderland only have five more games before the January transfer window opens for business and sporting director Kristjaan Speakman may work with Tony Mowbray to improve the squad.

One area in which they should be looking to strengthen is the striker department. Ross Stewart and Ellis Simms have both suffered from injuries this season and that has left the likes of Jack Clarke and Elliot Embleton playing up front at times.

The club were reportedly interested in signing Aston Villa forward Cameron Archer on loan in the summer but a move never came to pass, as he remained with the Villans.

Villa and the striker may now be regretting that decision as he has only played 54 minutes of Premier League football this season, making eight appearances as a substitute.

However, his form for his parent club and Preston North End last season suggests that he has the quality to be an excellent addition to Sunderland’s squad.

He could strike an exciting partnership with Jack Clarke as he has shown that he has the finishing ability to make the most of the chances the Black Cats winger can create.

Archer, who has been dubbed “clinical” by journalist Josh Bunting and a goal “machine” by reporter Ryan Taylor, produced ten goals and two assists in six appearances for Villa in the EFL Cup and EFL Trophy combined last season.

The 5 foot 9 dynamo then scored seven goals and assisted one in 18 Championship matches on loan at Preston, which shows that he has the ability to score goals at the level Sunderland are playing at.

Clarke has been in fine form for the Black Cats this season as he has created 1.4 chances per game and registered six assists in 19 appearances.

The Englishman has proven that he can create opportunities for his teammates on a regular basis and he could provide quality service for Archer to make the most of, with the clinical finishing that his statistics suggest he possesses.

Therefore, Sunderland reignite their interest and swoop to sign Archer, who has been rarely seen at Villa Park this season, in January to bolster their attacking options.