For Gerard: Happy birthday and good luck in your career. Sincerely, Paolo Maldini," were the words written on the specially dedicated shirt given by the AC Milan legend. While the player's fond nickname may have initially started as light-hearted humour, Martin has stepped up his game and provided some good performances for Barcelona at centre-back to the point where he appears to be ahead of even Ronald Araujo.
It's rare that defenders are valued at 3m in the third tier of English football, but Stockport County's Ethan Pye fits that bill. The 23-year-old has already racked up over 125 appearances for the Hatters, and has frequently been eyed by clubs in higher divisions. Never heard of him? Not to worry: here's your quick scout report on the centre-back.
Mbekezeli Mbokazi is considered to be the standout prospect in South African football for a generation and the nation's best chance of seeing a star at elite level in the next few years. Having made his international debut as a teenager, he was a leader for Orlando Pirates at the peak of the South African Premiership, becoming the second-youngest captain ever for the Buccaneers.
Koni De Winter is heading for his fifth start in the last six games, and although there were concerns initially, the former Genoa man has grown into his role. Ahead of the January window, more specifically after the games against Sassuolo and Napoli (Supercoppa), there was a lot of discussion about the centre-back position at Milan. De Winter, who arrived for around €20m in the summer, hadn't exactly impressed at that point.
Liverpool and Chelsea may be interested to hear that Barcelona manager Hansi Flick is reportedly keen to offload Ronald Araujo in a squad overhaul. The Uruguay international has mostly been a key player for Barca in recent years, but it seems he is no longer considered a player trusted by Flick for the long term. As previously reported on the Daily Briefing, Araujo has had admiring glances from clubs like Liverpool and Chelsea,
Luka Vuskovic started out at Hajduk Split in Croatia, debuting at 15 years of age and became the club's youngest-ever goalscorer in a league match five days after his 16th birthday. It was a sign of things to come. The 6ft 4in central defender, who is currently on Tottenham's books, hails from a family of footballers which includes grandfather Mario, father Danijel and brother, also Mario.
Mario Gila's agent has attempted to cool some of the rumours about a mid-season move to AC Milan, by reiterating that his focus is on Lazio. Signing another centre-back is one of Milan's missions in the winter window, even if Igli Tare claimed before the recent win over Cagliari that the current defensive options are enough for the rest of the season. Various names have been linked, but one more than most: Mario Gila.
Arsenal youngster Marli Salmon was named on the bench for the first time in the Premier League in Saturday's game against Aston Villa. Salmon, 16, is one of a crop of exciting youngsters coming through the Arsenal academy and is in the same age group as Max Dowman, who has already made his first-team debut. He was one of two 15-year-olds on the Arsenal pre-season tour of Asia and featured against AC Milan and Newcastle United in Singapore.
