Football news - Ole Gunnar Solskjaer meets Erling Haaland

Following his meeting with RB Leipzig and Borussia Dortmund, RB Salzburg’s striker Erling Haaland met Ole Gunnar Solskjaer on Friday. The manager met the teenage forward in order to convince him of a move to Manchester United, according to the Daily Mail. United want to sign a striker as well as two central midfielders, and any move for Haaland could be fast-tracked.

Paper Round’s view: Signing Haaland might mean that Anthony Martial’s place is under threat, or that Jesse Lingard’s time at the club is up. More pressing is a central midfielder, but with transfers in January often difficult to pull off, it would make sense to get a deal for Haaland done, even if he is not the number one priority for the rest of the season.

Manchester United’s desire for a midfielder might be what has led them to a potential bid for Atletico Madrid player Saul Niguez. The Telegraph believes that the 25-year-old Spanish international could be available for around £85 million. The energetic midfielder could be used instead of Paul Pogba, who has been out with an ankle injury for much of the season.

Paper Round’s view: United are in need of adding real quality to the side after too long spending money on mediocrity and underperforming superstars. Niguez is young enough to keep improving but has the experience and talent to start delivering for the team right away. Any move would also allow Pogba to move onto somewhere he might start to perform more consistently.

Arsenal caretaker manager Freddie Ljungberg is unlikely to be given the job full time, according to a report in the Sun. The club are continuing to search for a permanent replacement for departed coach Unai Emery, and Ljungberg said on Friday: “Maybe we can do something with the staff when they make that decision or if I’m obviously leaving. But it’s up to the club. I haven’t got any indications of whether I’m staying or not.”

Paper Round’s view: Ljungberg and Arsenal were presumably hoping for a Solskjaer-style turnaround with a couple of quick wins, but instead it seems the players’ malaise persists. There could be something done in the winter transfer window to continue to rebuild, but there are plenty of talented players at Arsenal, they just need to be shown how to play with more tactical discipline.

The Daily Star thinks that Emery himself is in no rush to move on after departing Arsenal. The paper reports that the Spaniard turned down Everton because he would prefer to take time out from the game rather than returning right away. That also led him to turning down approaches from Chinese Super League sides. Everton have also been rejected by Vitor Pereira.

Paper Round’s view: Everton pulled the trigger on Marco Silva without having a replacement lined up. Given they are not in danger of relegation it seems a foolhardy move to take, but Everton do not appear to be a club that can stick to long-term plans. Duncan Ferguson could convince the club to let him stay on for the rest of the season if he impresses against Manchester United on Sunday.