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As any optimistic insomniac will tell you, there are only five sleeps until Christmas, which means the January transfer window isn’t as far away as you think. A fact which leads seamlessly to the latest batch of rumours, featuring big names like Everton, Wigan, CSKA Moscow and Newcastle. The Life’s a Pitch panel rolls up a collective sleeve, sparks up a collective pipe, and muses over this tittle-tattle, before marking each rumour out of 10, with 10 being a certainty, zero a fantasy.

First to speak is John Cross of the Daily Mirror, who thinks that James McCarthy of Wigan could be just the shot in the arm Everton need once Marouane Fellaini does a runner. “I think he’s a really interesting player – lively, busy, inventive – and I think it would be a good switch for him. If they fear losing Fellaini next summer, maybe they’ll have to look at midfield options, so I’ll give the move a seven out of 10.”

Next Martin Lipton, also of the Daily Mirror, ponders these growing whispers about Seydou Doumbia (pictured) – a scoring machine from the Ivory Coast (sound familiar?) – upping and leaving CSKA Moscow with the slightly warmer climate of Newcastle in mind. “If they lose [Demba] Ba, they’ll need a striker,” begins Martin. “Doumbia was top scorer in Switzerland with Young Boys, then top scorer in Russia with CSKA. It makes a degree of sense, so I’d give that a seven out of 10.”

Watch the full video discussion by clicking on the play button in the image above.

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