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Tottenham Hotspur are running out of time to make any major additions as less than ten days remain in the January transfer window.

It’s only been a mere three months since chairman Daniel Levy pulled off a phenomenal summer of business, signing the likes of Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg and Matt Doherty on bargain deals, as well as securing the sensational return of Gareth Bale to north London alongside impressive left-back Sergio Reguilon.

But will any business be done before February 1st? Only time will tell.

Spurs have been linked to a vast array of names, but what is known is that manager Jose Mourinho is longing for a new pacey central defender and a box-to-box maestro, according to The Sunday Times’ Duncan Castles, before the month is out.

So, here’s how the Special One’s XI could look in time for their derby clash against Chelsea in two weeks time…

As the north Londoners find themselves still remaining in all competitions this term, we predict that Levy may well open the chequebook in the desperate attempted to pull them into lifting their first trophy since 2008.

With that in mind, Mourinho could get those two additions he’s desperate for.

In goal, club captain Hugo Lloris is likely to continue as the no.1 despite reported interest from former manager Mauricio Pochettino, as per The Sun.

A back four could see Toby Alderweireld partnering a new centre-back in another Madrid man, Eder Militao. The 23-year-old Brazilian is heavily out-of-favour under Zinedine Zidane, and according to Mundo Deportivo, he’s a player that interests Mourinho.

Indeed, he could fulfil the ‘pacey central defender’ requirement as he’s also been deployed as a right-back in the past too. An average of 0.7 dribbles per game over the course of his career is testament to that too as it shows he’s not afraid to bring the ball out from the back.

Sport (via Sport Witness) believe he’d be a loan arrival rather than a permanent one.

Both Sergio Reguilon and Serge Aurier are likely to continue as the first-choice full-back pairing in the league.

In midfield, Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg and Tanguy Ndombele remain as part of the starting XI, but the addition of that box-to-box star is going to cause trouble for several players.

£22.5m-rated Harry Winks, linked with a loan move to Villarreal by Sky Sports, could indeed be shipped out temporarily as a result.

Whilst forgotten man Dele Alli is likely to be shipped to PSG. That decision currently lies firmly in the hands of the stalling Levy, according to Fabrizio Romano “everyone is waiting” for the Spurs chairman to sanction any exit.

There’s also no place for £55m attacking midfielder Giovani Lo Celso as he’s been out injured for over a month.

Instead, we could see Spurs seal a move for Marcel Sabitzer – German transfer expert Max Bielefeld told Sky Deutschland that the north Londoners were keen on the Leipzig captain, and The Athletic believe he could command around £30m, which would be in their budget.

A front three of Heung-min Son, Harry Kane and Steven Bergwijn is likely to be the go-to for Mourinho despite having Bale fit and available.

AND in other news, £45m “warrior” could take Spurs onto the next level…

According to The Athletic’s Phil Hay, Leeds United are eyeing a summer transfer move for Stade Brest 29 left-back Romain Perraud.

What’s the story?

Marcelo Bielsa’s side had a quiet transfer window in January, with the Leeds boss choosing to stick with the same squad that has served him well thus far upon the Whites’ return to the Premier League.

But, attentions already seem to be turning towards their recruitment plans for the summer, with Hay revealing that the 23-year-old Perraud is someone who the club are genuinely interested in.

He adds that Brest were not willing to entertain any offers in the window just gone by, and that whilst they extended his contract just last week, Leeds will “consider tabling a formal offer for him once the season ends”.

He’s perfect for Bielsa

With the issues that Leeds have had over the past few seasons in trying to find a genuine, specialist left-back, it’s no surprise they’ve got their sights set on a summer move for one.

And in Perraud, they would be getting someone who appears to be tailor-made for Bielsa’s style of play at Elland Road. The 23-year-old is as dynamic as they come, with his heatmap from Sofascore showing someone who spends just as much time deep inside the opposition half as he does inside his own.

The Frenchman is a major threat going forward, bagging three goals and providing five assists in just 21 Ligue 1 games this season – in fact, his total of assists is the highest of any defender in the French thus far.

In fact, Hay himself wrote that Perraud “shows characteristics which would meet Bielsa requirements: a creative edge and a high number of dribbles and shots for a player at his position, combined with a very active role in pressing defensively.”

The £7.2m-rated gem could very well be the answer to Bielsa’s left-back question.

When Leeds were promoted from the Championship last term, all eyes were on Patrick Bamford.

The former Middlesbrough striker hasn’t had the easiest of rides in Leeds colours and was slated relentlessly by supporters at times last term.

Though, once all was said and done, he was the club’s top scorer as they sealed their passage back to the top-flight.

He had an awful conversion rate, finding the net just 16 times from an expected goals tally of 34.77. Bamford was being given plenty of chances to score but time and time again, he’d miss the target.

Based on that, you’d think he would have struggled this season. However, that has been far from the case. In fact, he’s lit up the Premier League with brilliant dynamic performances.

Bamford is now in the conversation to be picked for England and is the sixth top scorer in the division, amassing 12 strikes. His conversion rate of 18% still leaves plenty to be desired but he has a better shot accuracy than Harry Kane – that’s certainly no mean feat.

But what if we were to suggest he could get even better? Well, that would certainly be the case if the club sign Douglas Costa from Juventus.

The winger is currently on loan at Bayern Munich in Germany but recent reports claim that Marcelo Bielsa has identified him as a summer target. With Raphinha being linked to Liverpool, this piece of news is timely.

The 31-cap Brazilian might now be getting on a bit at the age of 30, but he’s still an incredibly dangerous player, possessing qualities that have the potential to usurp those of Raphinha’s.

Throughout his career, Costa has been a wizard in possession of the ball. When he cuts inside there are very few that can stop him, something testified by his attacking numbers.

The attacker has endured a few seasons of misfortune, generally playing more games as a substitute. Though, in his last term where he started regularly – 2017/18 – he was on fire. Costa picked up four goals but registered 12 assists in the process.

That type of creative record is only matched by Pablo Hernandez in the last few years at Leeds. It’s hardly a surprise that Italian newspaper Sport Mediaset (via Tribuna) once hailed Costa the ‘lord of assists.’

With that in mind, Bamford would surely benefit from further goalscoring opportunities. Add the Brazilian’s ability to beat players and drag defenders towards him and it would open up the space for Leeds’ current number 9 to move into and prosper.

You only need to look at the way Raphinha lures defenders in to get a sense for what Costa and Bamford could achieve together at Elland Road.

For context, the Leeds target has managed 2.5 dribbles per game throughout his club career. Raphinha, on the other hand, is considerably down on 1.3 take-ons.

It’s evident why Costa could improve Bamford.

AND in other news, Leeds must revisit move for “very special” 7-goal artist, he’s everything Orta needs…

Tottenham Hotspur are back in action a day earlier than expected as they welcome Austrian outfit Wolfsberger AC to north London for the second leg of their Europa League Round of 32 clash this evening.

Jose Mourinho’s men have won just two of their last eight matches, including the 4-1 whitewash in the first-leg of this encounter, so despite the result being a mere formality, the Portuguese will surely want to see a decent performance.

Indeed, the 58-year-old has already revealed that he is likely to name “a very similar” lineup to the one that demolished tonight’s opposition in Hungary a week ago.

He has also revealed that Ben Davies will take the armband, while Toby Aldwereireld will start, so how will the rest of the XI look? Here’s what we are predicting…

There could be as many as eight changes to the side that tasted defeat to local rivals West Ham on Sunday afternoon, as Eric Dier, Japhet Tanganga and Lucas Moura all remain.

It is the Englishman who gets the nod as Alderweireld’s partner over Davinson Sanchez, with Joe Rodon ineligible to feature in the Europa League.

Davies, as mentioned above, will come back in to replace Sergio Reguilon whilst between the sticks, back-up shot-stopper Joe Hart may be given his first run-out since the Wycombe FA cup win.

Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg and Tanguy Ndombele are in line to receive a rest, as is Heung-min Son and Harry Kane ahead of an important Premier League fixture with Burnley on Sunday – all four will be needed to turn around their domestic fortunes, more so than here.

So, as a result, we may see Harry Winks and Moussa Sissoko partner up at the base of midfield once again with Moura being deployed in the no.10 role.

That will allow Gareth Bale to start, having made such an encouraging impact against the Hammers from the bench at the weekend – he assisted the Brazilian’s sole consolation goal, and that duo could continue to deliver tonight.

Whilst on the left flank, we’re expecting Steven Bergwijn to be granted his first start since the Everton defeat over £80k-per-week Erik Lamela, who is axed after a string of poor performances.

Carlos Vinicius is also in contention to lead the line without Kane.

This game will come too soon for Serge Aurier and Giovani Lo Celso as the pair have only just returned to training this week following their respective injuries.

Mourinho has also revealed that four academy prospects will be involved on the bench – record-breaker Dane Scarlett, Dilan Markanday, Marcus Lavinier and Nile John – they could all feature should Spurs have put this tie away by the hour mark.

The Evening Standard also claim Dennis Cirkin, Jamie Bowden and Alfie Devine are among those in contention, too.

AND in other news, Better than Dier: Levy could land Spurs a massive UPGRADE in £22.5m-rated “machine”…

Speaking to the press (via football.london), after lauding promising youngsters like Oliver Skipp and Dane Scarlett, Tottenham Hotspur boss Jose Mourinho has been wowed by another Tottenham talent in training – heaping praise on Joe Rodon.

The young Welshman, who signed from Swansea City last summer as part of a busy transfer window for Tottenham, hasn’t featured too regularly for Spurs and has been left out of the last three matchday squads in the Premier League (Transfermarkt).

When pressed about why Rodon hasn’t been included lately, and what the defender must do to fight his way back, Mourinho was quick to heap praise on his promising young talent – admitting he has been wowed by his “perfect” application in training.

Jose Mourinho wowed by Rodon

“He has to do nothing,” explained Mourinho.

“He works very hard, good professional. He has to do nothing. He cannot play in the Europa League so that makes his chances reduced, in relation to the other guys.

“Centre-back is a position where of course if he was in the Europa League he would have lots of chances to play in these 11 matches that we did.

“There’s nothing. He’s perfect, works very hard, young guy, wants to learn, very enthusiastic, He played already matches that represent a lot, he played important matches against some of the best teams. He has just to wait for his opportunities and to get it.”

Transfer Tavern take

Highly rated by certain sections of the media, former Tottenham Hotspur goalkeeper Paul Robinson dubbed him ‘outstanding’ after his first Premier League start against Chelsea (Football Insider).

Time will tell when Rodon is picked for match selection again by Mourinho, but the Lilywhites boss is certainly impressed by his attitude in training.

In other news: Daniel Levy is plotting to offload this Tottenham ace, find out more here.

Manchester United turned in a heroic effort to halt Manchester City’s 21-match winning streak at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday evening.

Bruno Fernandes gave the Red Devils the lead early on from the penalty spot after Anthony Martial was fouled by Gabriel Jesus. Left-back Luke Shaw then extended the lead just after the break to top off what was an impressive personal performance.

Starting his 22nd Premier League game of the season for the Red Devils, the second-most in a single campaign throughout his career with the club, he continued his eye-catching resurgence.

Faced up against the ever-tricky Riyad Mahrez, the former Southampton man kept the Algerian under lock and key throughout the 90 minutes.

He produced a tackle, an interception and a block in the game according to WhoScored and whilst they are not the most overwhelming numbers in the world, Shaw consistently looked like he was not going to be beaten or taken on.

Whilst he was solid at the back, it was the offensive side of his game where the £19.8m-rated full-back was the most efficient.

He had two shots against City, both of those on target, which is more than inspirational Red Devils figure Bruno Fernandes, who scored the opening goal of the game from the spot.

As a matter of fact one of those shots was indeed key as it saw Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s men double their lead at the Etihad. Shaw’s direct run at the City defence opened up the space before he played a clever one-two with Marcus Rashford. Receiving the ball back, the 25-year-old stayed cool to slot home into the far corner for just his third-ever Manchester United goal.

Shaw was not one for relinquishing possession either, having not been dispossessed or notching an unsuccessful touch throughout the 90 minutes.

He really is now playing a top form and looks to have secured the left-back berth for his own despite the summer arrival of Alex Telles from FC Porto.

Fernandes has often been Man United’s go-to player but in this game, it was Shaw who led the way to a derby day victory.

AND in more news, have a look why it’s a bad idea for Manchester United to splash the cash on Borussia Dortmund’s Erling Haaland…

In an exclusive interview with Football FanCast, Rob Lee says that Miguel Almiron has been one of Newcastle United’s best players this season, but could still do more.

The Paraguayan arrived for a then club-record fee of £21.6 million and famously struggled to get off the mark for the Magpies, despite no lack of endeavour.

Almiron went 27 games without a goal for Newcastle before netting the winner against Crystal Palace last season. The attacker is a testament to the fact that Newcastle fans will embrace anyone if they give their all, something Lee claims has never been in doubt over Almiron.

The 27-year old has turned a corner this season and is currently the club’s second top scorer with five goals and three assists, only behind Callum Wilson with 10 goals. However, Lee still believes there is more Almiron can give to Newcastle during this crucial time.

Lee gave his thoughts to Football FanCast on Almiron and where he can still improve his game and help Newcastle.

“He is one of our better players,” when asked about Almiron and how the team will cope during his injury.

Lee added: “I mean, one thing you can never say about him is he doesn’t try, he’s always giving 100%.

“My criticism is if I’m get attacking players in they’ve either got to create or score. He runs around but I’d rather someone not run and score 10 goals and create me 10 goals.”

There is no doubting Almiron’s commitment to Newcastle, which is something they need in a relegation fight. However, could he preserve some of his energy for when he’s in and around the box?

Lee was a midfielder himself for Newcastle and knows how you have to play to be loved by the fans, hence his admiration for Almiron’s workload. The need for goals is paramount for the Magpies now though.

Mike Ashley should block Newcastle United from signing Nuno Tavares after it was revealed that SL Benfica will demand £25.5m to sell the young defender this summer.

What’s the word?

According to O Jogo, the Liga NOS giants have slapped a €30m (£25.5m) valuation on Tavares as SSC Napoli prepare to launch an assault on the Estádio Sport Lisboa e Benfica.

The Serie A outfit are seen as the most determined party in the race to sign Tavares, but believe As Aguias’ asking price does not reflect the 21-year-old’s true value and will strive to reach an agreement at a lesser sum.

Napoli are confident they will be able to edge out rival Premier League interest to land Tavares, who is being closely tracked by scouts from Newcastle and Burnley.

Neither the Toon nor Clarets have yet formalised their position on the full-back as they focus efforts on top-flight survival, which has left the door wide open for Napoli to swoop.

The Diego Armando Maradona Stadium natives are keen on signing Tavares as they consider the Portugal U21 international to be the best option available to improve the left-back position in Gennaro Gattuso’s squad.

Tavares has stood out to the decision-makers in Naples for his speed and physical talents, as they expect the former Sporting CP trainee to offer a strong offensive presence but with the ability to track back and deliver an effective defensive contribution.

He has offered three assists and helped Benfica to keep eight clean sheets in 21 games under Jorge Jesus across all competitions this term, but has only started 11 of his outings and featured for a combined 1,097 minutes or an average of 52 per match.

Should Newcastle sign Tavares?

Tavares appears to have a high ceiling to his potential with Napoli also noted to consider the 21-year-old as having more room for development than Benfica’s €40m (£34.5m) valued Grimaldo, whom they had targeted for the past two seasons.

O Jogo revealing that Benfica have set a £25.5m asking price for Tavares should be enough to see Ashley step in and block Newcastle from contending with Napoli or Burnley for the defender’s services, as it is a high price to pay for a relatively unproven talent.

Newcastle are thought to be in the market for a new full-back to support Jamal Lewis after his £15m transfer from Norwich City last summer, with Matt Ritchie likely to leave at the end of the season, per The Shields Gazette.

Tavares would have made a good signing for the Magpies if As Aguias were open to a move closer to his TransferMarkt valuation of £6.5m, as he would then have represented a far smaller risk than becoming United’s second-most expensive signing of all-time – behind only Joelinton’s £40m arrival in 2019.

The Toon would need Tavares to come in and be an instant upgrade on Lewis and start most, if not every, week if signed for the alleged fee needed, which cannot be guaranteed as he is susceptible to the same failings as Steve Bruce finds in Lewis.

Benfica boss Jesus hit out at the Portuguese prospect for the goal he allowed Arsenal score and eliminate his side from the Europa League earlier this month, as Tavares failed to prevent Bukayo Saka from crossing to Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang in the closing stages.

“In those two goals, both Everton [for Kieran Tierney’s goal] and Nuno Tavares [for Aubameyang’s] had the play controlled and we could have prevented the finish. These are two important details, after the team played an excellent game against a great team,” Jesus said, via quotes by Tribal Football.

“We conceded goals in two situations that have nothing to do with the team, because the team was all positioned in the back. We were easy in those two plays and we were beaten one-on-one.”

AND in other news, Newcastle have landed a boost in any hopes of signing a “terrific” £20k-p/w star…

Newcastle United will strive to get back to winning ways in a crucial relegation six-pointer with Brighton & Hove Albion on Saturday night, but Steve Bruce is set to remain without Callum Wilson and Allan Saint-Maximin.

The Toon have failed to win any of the five matches played since Wilson sustained a hamstring injury against Southampton last month to now sit only two points clear of the drop zone, having once held a nine-point gap to the relegation places.

Newcastle can move five points clear and still hold a game in hand over 18th-placed Fulham with a win at the Amex Stadium, where Miguel Almiron could make his return from the knee injury sustained in the 1-1 draw with Wolves which also saw Saint-Maximin sidelined with a groin issue.

Almiron is unlikely to be the only change Bruce makes from the line-up which drew with Aston Villa last time out. With that in mind, here’s a potential United XI that Brighton could face…

Joelinton and Dwight Gayle led the line at St James’ Park as Newcastle drew 1-1 with Aston Villa last Friday, but neither could end their droughts in front of the net to remain on a single goal each in the Premier League this season.

A change to a more centralised position for the second half also failed to help Gayle find a foothold in proceedings, as he cut an invisible bystander for much of the game and will likely make way for Almiron to return if the latter is passed fit.

Joelinton is expected to remain as one of Bruce’s two split strikers on Saturday, as the Toon boss was pleased with his efforts against the Villans despite failing to find the back of the net.

“I thought Joelinton, arguably, had his best game in a Newcastle shirt,” Bruce said, via quotes shared by the Shields Gazette. “I thought he was terrific on the night. But, of course, a striker has to top it off by scoring a goal. He understands that, but his overall performance was very, very good. I thought he led the line very, very well.”

Ryan Fraser, who initially occupied a false nine role against Aston Villa before a move to the wing to accommodate Gayle, will also be expected to drop to the bench at Brighton after being slammed for underperforming in the 1-1 draw.

Bruce opting to axe Fraser may see Jacob Murphy awarded first Premier League start in nine games, having impressed the United boss from the bench last week while setting up Jamaal Lascelles’ stoppage-time equaliser.

[snack-amp-story url=”https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/latest-newcastle-news” title=”Latest Newcastle news!”]

“I thought he was very, very bright when he came on [against Villa],” Bruce said of Murphy. “We like Jacob, he trains well every day and gives us a different option with his pace and directness. He had an impact last week, which is what we’re looking for.”

Bruce will be expected to name a mostly unchanged defensive and midfield line at Brighton, with Jonjo Shelvey, Isaac Hayden and Joe Willock once again protecting Paul Dummett, Ciaran Clark, Lascelles and goalkeeper Martin Dubravka.

However, the right-back spot could feature a new name after Emil Krafth struggled with closing down opposing players against Aston Villa before the £58k-per-week defender was replaced by the returning Javier Manquillo.

Manquillo had played no role in his side’s previous four games due to an ankle injury sustained against Southampton, but returned to fitness quicker than expected and may now be given his 10th start of the Premier League season.

AND in other news, Newcastle’s hopes of signing a “standout performer” have taken a major blow…

Manchester City are reportedly considering a move for Juventus midfielder Adrien Rabiot this summer and the Frenchman would arguably be a better fit in Pep Guardiola’s side than Borrusia Monchengladbach midfielder Denis Zakaria.

What’s the word?

According to Calcio Mercato (via Sport Witness), Juventus are planning on selling the former PSG man this summer, which has alerted both Barcelona and Manchester City, who have ‘begun to follow’ the French international.

Despite finding his feet in Turin after a difficult start, it is claimed that Andrea Pirlo wants to make improvements to his midfield in the summer, so Rabiot could be one who is moved on in order to raise some funds for transfers.

A better fit than Zakaria?

Man City have also been heavily linked with a move for Swiss international Denis Zakaria ahead of the summer window and since they both play in midfield, you would imagine that it would be one or the other, rather than both, for the Citizens ahead of next season.

Zakaria is more of a defensive-minded midfielder, whereas Rabiot can play further forward, and yet the 25-year-old Juventus man seemingly has had the edge when it comes to defensive statistics this season.

He has averaged 2.1 tackles, 1.3 interceptions and 1.2 aerials won per game in Serie A so far this season, whereas Zakaria has averaged 1.1 tackles, 0.6 interceptions and 0.6 aerials won per game in the Bundesliga.

The 24-year-old has also struggled with injury problems in recent seasons which seem to have had a serious impact on his performances, as this season has seen him earn a poor 6.4 average rating compared to last season’s superb 7.15/10 average rating in the German top-flight.

Rabiot also triumphs over Zakaria when it comes to passing, as he has averaged far more passes and key passes per game than the Swiss midfielder, whilst his pass accuracy rate, in general, is higher than the Monchengladbach midfielder.

The £28.8 million-rated Rabiot has earned a lot of praise from Juventus legend Gianluigi Buffon in his time at the club, with the ‘keeper suggesting in 2019 that:

“He is a fantastic mix, he has the physical strength of Pogba, who is like a wardrobe, has the personality of Vidal and potentially the dynamism of Marchisio.

“He is incredible, extremely strong. He needs to improve his timing when approaching the opponent’s penalty area but he can become a player with 10 goals per season.”

Given Rabiot’s solid performances in Serie A and in the Champions League this season, therefore, you could argue that he would be a better signing than Zakaria this summer, so sporting director Txiki Begiristain should try and bring him to the Etihad.

And, in other news… Txiki should seal City swoop for £31.5m-rated beast who broke Cristiano Ronaldo’s record