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Chelsea’s rebuild under Liam Rosenior continues to gather pace following the dramatic departure of Enzo Maresca earlier this month.

The 41-year-old arrived from Strasbourg on a stunning six-and-a-half-year contract and has wasted no time identifying areas which require immediate strengthening in January.

Rosenior faces the challenge of transforming a squad that sits fifth in the Premier League table, 17 points behind leaders Arsenal, and on a run of just two wins from their last 10 games in all competitions.

The Blues have shown flashes of their best, reaching the Carabao Cup semi-finals, beating Barcelona 3-0 on a famous night in Europe and maintaining their charge for Champions League qualification.

However, they’ve been on a torrid run of late, with the largely inexperienced Rosenior now tasked with steadying the ship.

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The new manager has already made clear his transfer priorities as well, with Chelsea reportedly preparing a substantial £130 million January transfer outlay, which includes a potential move for 2025 summer target Fermin Lopez from Barcelona.

However, the former Hull City boss recognises that defensive solidity must form the foundation of any successful campaign.

Chelsea have looked vulnerable at the back this season, shipping goals at crucial moments and lacking the physical presence required to compete against the Premier League’s more direct opponents.

Taking this into account, Rosenior has now reportedly identified his primary centre-back target for the winter.

Rosenior asks Chelsea to sign Bayern Munich defender Kim Min-jae

According to reports from Spain, £200,000-per-week Bayern Munich defender Kim Min-jae has emerged as the leading candidate to bolster Chelsea’s defense.

The South Korea international currently finds himself in an uncomfortable situation at Bayern where playing time has become increasingly scarce in the German giants’ rotation system.

His lack of continuity represents a dramatic fall from grace for a player who joined Bayern with considerable fanfare.

The 29-year-old, who José Mourinho tried to bring to Tottenham when he was manager of the north Londoners, now finds himself facing uncertainty surrounding his future.

Kim has been in and out of the starting eleven this term, but made a solid comeback from injury in a 5-0 friendly win over Salzburg this week to round off Bayern’s post-winter break preparations.

Chelsea view his current situation as a genuine market opportunity, with Rosenior asking Chelsea to target the towering Asian defender.

Subscribe to the newsletter for Chelsea transfer insight Craving deeper transfer and tactical context around Kim Min-jae and Chelsea’s rebuild? Subscribe to the newsletter for clear transfer breakdowns, scouting insight, and tactical perspectives that make sense of the club’s plans and priorities.

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As well as this, it is believed that BlueCo are ready to pay up to £26 million for Kim’s signature this month, while Bayern are open to selling.

The Bavarians will apparently sanction a departure if an acceptable proposal arrives during the window. The Bundesliga champions need to adjust their squad and no longer consider Kim untouchable given his secondary role.

A sale would allow Bayern to free up significant wage space while generating funds, and their willingness to negotiate could encourage Chelsea to pursue a deal, with Rosenior conveying his belief that Kim represents exactly the profile Chelsea require.

The manager wants a physically imposing centre-back with international experience who can dominate aerial duels and provide leadership from the back. Kim’s attributes may align perfectly, and with just two years remaining on his current deal, he could be available for a cheap-ish fee.

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Posts ByEmilio Galantini

While it’s not all been plain sailing, Mikel Arteta has got an awful lot right since taking the Arsenal job six years ago.

One area where he’s seen more success than failure has been transfers.

The likes of Declan Rice, David Raya, Martin Odegaard, Leandro Trossard and Jurrien Timber have all been transformational additions made to the team under the Spaniard’s stewardship.

However, when it comes to Arteta’s best signing, it’s hard to look past the monstrous Gabriel Magalhães, and if reports are to be believed, Arsenal could soon sign their next version of the centre-back.

Arsenal target their new Gabriel

While most of the team have performed to a great level so far this season – they are top of the league after all – there have been a few real standouts for Arsenal.

Transfer Focus

Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.

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Perhaps the most impressive, alongside Rice, has been Gabriel.

The Brazilian titan has combined his no-nonsense throwback style of defending with an often underappreciated level of technical ability to become arguably Arteta’s most important defender, just ahead of the unreal William Saliba.

On top of his work at the back, he’s also become an even bigger goal threat at the other end of the pitch, be that with his head or, like against the Cherries, with his feet.

With all that said, it’s hardly a surprise to see the club eyeing up another defender who could be their next Gabriel.

At least, that’s according to a recent report from TEAMtalk, which claims Arsenal are among several sides interested in Jeremy Jacquet.

Alongside the Gunners, the report has revealed that Real Madrid, Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester United are ‘tracking’ the 20-year-old gem.

A potential price for the youngster is not mentioned in the report, but stories from earlier this month stated that £35m could be enough to tempt Stade Rennais into selling amid claims the Gunners had already held initial talks over signing the youngster.

Therefore, it could be a complicated and somewhat costly transfer to get over the line, but given Jacquet’s ability and potential, one Arsenal should be all over, especially as he could be another Gabriel.

Why Jacquet could be another Gabriel

Now, there are, of course, some differences between Jacquet and Gabriel, but there are more than a few similarities between them and their potential transfers.

The first is that, as with the Brazilian in 2020, if the Frenchman were to join the Gunners in January or the summer window, he would be moving from Ligue 1 as a highly rated defensive prospect.

For example, ahead of his move to the Emirates, former LOSC Lille owner Gerard Lopez described the Gunners’ number six as “among the top five dominant central defenders in Europe” and that “he’s an absolute machine.”

Similar things have already been said about the Rennais gem, with respected analyst-turned-scout Ben Mattinson describing him as having “top five centre-back in the world potential” and U23 scout Antonio Mango claiming that “whoever signs him is getting a monster.”

Subscribe to the newsletter for in-depth transfer analysis Get deeper scouting breakdowns by subscribing to our newsletter — stats, scout notes and positional context on transfer targets like Jacquet and how they compare to Gabriel, giving focused coverage and expert analysis of Arsenal’s recruitment.

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Another trait that the “insane CB in the making,” as dubbed by talent scout Jacek Kulig, shares with the North Londoners’ star man is that he’s a colossus at the back while also having real quality on the ball.

For example, FBref rank him in the top 3% of centre-backs in Europe’s top five leagues for tackles in the attacking third, the top 4% for interceptions, the top 6% for tackles plus interceptions, the top 12% for key passes, the top 15% for expected assisted goals and more, all per 90.

Finally, as Mattinson highlights, the Frenchman’s “jumping prowess and ability to create separation” helps him to “be dominant in aerial duels and on set-pieces”, which sounds a lot like the Gunners’ Brazilian star.

Jacquet’s Scout Report

Statistics

Per 90

Percentile

Tackles (Att 3rd)

0.27

Top 3%

Interceptions

1.69

Top 4%

Pass Completion % (Long)

75.1%

Top 5%

Tkl+Int

3.64

Top 6%

Tackles (Mid 3rd)

0.77

Top 11%

Key Passes

0.46

Top 12%

% of Aerials Won

67.6%

Top 14%

xAG: Exp. Assisted Goals

0.05

Top 15%

Tackles Won

1.23

Top 15%

Tackles

1.95

Top 16%

Successful Take-Ons

0.34

Top 18%

All Stats via FBref

Ultimately, it won’t be easy to get over the line, but Arsenal should do what they can to sign Jacquet, as he looks like a superstar in the making and could be another Gabriel.

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Eddie Howe will soon know what the complexion of Newcastle United’s season is going to look like after a hectic January is over and done with.

Indeed, in the Premier League alone, the Magpies have a jam-packed schedule to contend with, as five league fixtures come thick and fast.

On top of wrestling with this tricky string of clashes, the Tyneside titans also have the Champions League and the EFL Cup still on their agenda, in a month that has been rightly dubbed as “season-defining” by their manager.

Howe can flesh out his squad more with some January signings, though, as the up-and-down Magpies continue to be linked with a whole host of names, to ensure the intimidating fixture schedule doesn’t swallow them whole.

Newcastle prepared to spend big on midfield signing

Newcastle’s squad has often been stretched to its limits this season, with Lewis Hall unfortunately finding himself in and out of his manager’s starting XI plans, owing to recurring injuries.

To lessen this concern, Newcastle could soon go after rising Toulouse star Dayann Methalie, with reports suggesting that an enquiry will soon be made by the Magpies involving the promising left-back.

Moreover, Howe and Co. could be prepared to splash the cash on AZ Alkmaar midfield sensation Kees Smit, as he remains at the top Newcastle’s list when it comes to potential midfield additions.

This had been reported by the Daily Mail’s Craig Hope, with the i Paper further adding fuel to the fire to suggest that if Newcastle are to ‘go big’ for anyone this January, it will be the Dutch midfielder.

The piece notes that while the Magpies are expecting it to be a ‘quiet month’, the situation could change if they feel there is a deal there to be done for Smit.

If Newcastle are prepared to spend big to land the Real Madrid-linked ace, who has been valued at £52m, it could be bad news for Lewis Miley.

Miley is currently starring at St James’ Park, but the competition for midfield spaces would only intensify further with the arrival of the classy 19-year-old.

Why Smit joining would be bad news for Miley

While Newcastle weren’t always at their electric best towards the latter stages of 2025, Miley still managed to stick out, with the homegrown product even bagging his first-ever Champions League goal last month, when placing this header past Bayer Leverkusen goalkeeper Mark Flekken.

It wasn’t just this header, though, with the 19-year-old battler also managing to score a last-minute goal in the EFL Cup to send Newcastle to the semi-final stages of the competition.

Moreover, he further looked lively when others downed tools versus Burnley, with four duels won, capping off a brilliant individual month for the teenage sensation, as the December player of the month accolade also fell into his lap.

Still, even with the special number 67 being at the top of his game at the moment, he would find it a lot harder to keep a firm grip on a spot in the main lineup, if Smit were to talk through the door at some stage this month.

Smit vs Miley – League stats (25/26)

Stat – per 90 mins*

Smit

Miley

Games played

15

15

Goals scored

2

1

Assists

2

2

Touches*

62.3

41.3

Accurate passes*

42.7 (89%)

27.8 (89%)

Key passes*

1.7

0.6

Big chances created

3

1

Ball recoveries*

5.6

3.3

Total duels won*

3.3

2.7

Stats by Sofascore

While Miley continues to generate a lot of hype in Newcastle circles exclusively, Smit seems to be the talk of the town in the whole football world this January, with one scout even revealing to TEAMtalk that the 6-foot midfielder is a talent “everyone is watching” at the moment.

Subscribe for in-depth Newcastle transfer analysis Curious how a big signing could reshape Newcastle’s midfield? Subscribe to the newsletter for focused coverage of transfer targets, player comparisons and squad impact – clear, expert analysis that explains what signings mean for players like Miley.

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It’s clear to see why there is so much interest at his door, when taking in the table above, with Smit displaying very few flaws in his well-rounded game in the Eredivisie this season, with more accurate passes averaged by the 19-year-old per 90 minutes than Miley, alongside also displaying more vigour and energy when trumping the Englishman’s ball recovery and duels won numbers.

With a fierce effort up his sleeve, too, seeing content creator Spencer Mossman hail him as a “difference maker” from the middle of the park for Maarten Martens’ side, Smit could well be capable of storming straight into the Newcastle XI without looking out of his depth, with Miley tumbling down the pecking order, subsequently.

After all, Smit looks to be the real deal, already, while Miley arguably needs to fine-tune aspects of his game to be on the same level as the £52m-rated star.

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