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Tottenham Hotspur manager Antonio Conte has a genuine chance to sign Atletico Madrid star Yannick Carrasco, according to journalist Fernando Kallas.

The Lowdown: Spurs keeping busy?

Spurs have already made seven major signings this summer, not including the deal to make Cristian Romero’s stay officially permanent, with Ivan Perisic, Fraser Forster, Yves Bissouma, Richarlison, Clement Lenglet, Djed Spence and Destiny Udogie putting pen to paper.

Alas, despite their flurry of activity, the Lilywhites have been tipped to potentially make more signings with the likes of Daniel James (Leeds) and Carrasco heavily linked recently.

It appears sporting director Fabio Paratici may not be finished as Kallas shares an update on their pursuit of the latter man.

The Latest: Kallas shares Carrasco update…

Indeed, the reporter explains that Spurs still have a late chance of signing Carrasco.

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He spoke live on Sky Sports News (via Football Daily):

“Yannick Carrasco could be going to Tottenham, several reports saying that Atletico are still afraid that they will lose Carrasco in this last final 48 hours.

“He has a 60 million euro clause, but it’s still very uncertain, so he could be going to the Premier League.”

The Verdict: Make a move…

The Belgium international would be a stellar capture for Conte in this last stretch of the window.

Called a ‘brilliant’ player by former Arsenal striker Kevin Campbell, Carrasco stood out as Atletico’s best player last season by average match rating (WhoScored).

The versatile 28-year-old also made more key passes and completed a higher rate of take-ons per 90 than any of his teammates over 2021/2022.

One might even make the case that a release clause of €60 million (£51m) for such a player in his prime could be considered very reasonable.

Tottenham Hotspur boss Antonio Conte could turn to Oliver Skipp after the international break.

At least, that is according to journalist Paul Brown, who suggested that the England youth international would get his chance in the coming weeks to GIVEMESPORT this week.

“I do, yeah. Conte is a big fan of Skipp; he’s played him a lot since he’s been there,” he said.

“He likes his drive, energy, and determination. I think he’s a player who does exactly what he’s told and fits the system quite well, because Conte knows he can rely on him.”

A string of injuries have curtailed the 22-year-old’s progress under the Italian head coach, having been one of his favourites to start in the early days of his tenure after arriving in N17 back in November last year.

Indeed, Skipp is yet to feature this campaign, having been named on the bench in five of their nine matches across the Premier League and Champions League.

The form of Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg and Rodrigo Bentancur, combined with the £25m arrival of Yves Bissouma, has certainly tempered expectations around the young Hotspur Way gem.

But Brown’s remarks provide some hope that the rarely-seen talent could come back into the first-team fray in due course.

Back in April this year, Tottenham and Skipp committed to a new long-term £80k-per-week contract extension, taking his time at the club to potentially 2027, at least.

That shows the club and Conte’s devotion to the young ace, so it would be foolish to not see him more regularly when domestic football returns next week.

Skipp is a player that has been touted for big, big things around Spurs.

“I see this kid being one day a future captain here by his character, by his personality. I feel really happy that he signed,” once suggested his ex-manager Jose Mourinho (via the Evening Standard).

Whilst Conte has previously stated:

“He played with great intensity, great passion, with heart, with soul. I think it was important because, for me, he doesn’t care if he’s only 21 years old, who deserves to play,” before adding:

“I think that the present and the future depends on him. If he wants to become a top midfielder. He could become a top midfielder, but he has to continue to work. He has this will, this desire to become an important player for Tottenham and for the present and for the future.”

Primarily a defensively-minded midfielder in the engine room, Spurs could do with his ability to break up play and win the ball back, often living up to his tag of being an “absolute machine,” as once described by Opta’s Matt Hayes.

With fixtures still coming thick and fast after the break, it would be wise for Conte to turn to rotation in the middle of the pitch and as such, we should expect Skipp to be among those changes, given the evidence above.

AND in other news, Paratici heading for 1st big blunder with Spurs “sniffing around” £60m “fearless” gem…

Former Sunderland manager Alex Neil led the club back to the Championship by securing promotion out of League One in the 2021/22 campaign.

The Black Cats spent four years in the third tier of English football following their back-to-back relegations from the top two divisions between 2016/17 and 2017/18.

Sunderland were unable to break out of League One in the first three seasons and this resulted in a number of players coming in and out of the Stadium of Light during that time.

One player they had a mare with during those three years was attacking midfielder George Honeyman, who had risen through the youth ranks at the club.

The 28-year-old was a product of the academy system and played in the Premier League and the Championship before becoming the skipper in the third division.

Jack Ross made him the club captain in the summer of 2018 and hailed the talent, saying: “George’s attitude towards training on a daily basis is absolutely fantastic.”

Ross added: “He’s a mature and intelligent young man, and his energy levels and application in games will be a major asset for us, so I’m delighted he’s wanted to take on the responsibility.”

He played 38 times in the 2018/19 league campaign and chipped in with six goals and three assists from the middle of the park.

In the summer of 2019, the Mackems decided to cash in on the midfielder instead of running the risk of him leaving on a free transfer the following year. He signed for Championship side Hull City in a deal reported to be worth £400k to the Black Cats.

His form since departing Wearside will surely leave Sunderland regretting that they did not take a risk and attempt to convince him to put pen to paper on a new contract.

Although he suffered relegation from the second tier in his first season at Hull, Honeyman caught the eye with a phenomenal campaign in League One in 2020/21. He averaged a sublime SofaScore rating of 7.36 across 42 appearances – a score higher than any Black Cats player managed at that level last term – as he scored four goals and provided a whopping 14 assists, whilst creating 21 ‘big chances’.

The midfielder then made 35 appearances in the Championship for the Tigers in 2021/22 – scoring five and assisting four – before sealing a move to Millwall, where he has enjoyed a strong start to the season.

Honeyman has averaged a SofaScore rating of 7.00 across nine appearances in the division this year, scoring once and assisting one goal whilst creating 1.6 chances per game. That would place him fifth in the current Sunderland squad among players who have played at least five matches.

At the time of writing, Transfermarkt value him at £1.35m, roughly 238% more than the initial £400k Hull paid to snap him up from Wearside.

Therefore, the Black Cats made a mistake by selling Honeyman as his value has gone up, in line with his impressive performances on the pitch, since leaving the club.

They should have taken the risk of him leaving for nothing, instead of accepting a measly fee as they could have been able to work on a new deal, thus cementing his future in the north east.

Sunderland will fancy their chances tonight, as they host a wounded Blackpool side at the Stadium of Light.

The Black Cats come into this game full of confidence, having lost just once in their last five in the Championship. Meanwhile, the visitors have lost all of their last three league games.

Should the home side snatch an expected victory, they could end the day in a playoff spot.

However, having played on Saturday we might expect Tony Mowbray to freshen things up slightly.

With that in mind, here’s the Sunderland XI we’re predicting to face Blackpool tonight…

We’re expecting Mowbray to maintain a formation similar to a 4-4-2, however with two changes from the side that ran out a 0-0 draw with Preston North End.

Anthony Patterson is unlikely to be displaced, as the youngster has kept three clean sheets in his last five matches.

We’re also predicting an unchanged back four, with Luke O’Nien to continue to partner the ever-present Danny Batth.

Dan Neil will look to hold down the midfield alongside Corry Evans, however, it is in the offensive positions where we expect some changes.

Jack Clarke is simply undroppable at the moment with three goals and four assists this term, however, with just two goals, Patrick Roberts could make way following a disappointing performance against the Lilywhites.

He was dragged off after 60 minutes by Mowbray, and we think this is a perfect opportunity for him to start Manchester United loanee Amad Diallo from the start.

The Ivorian has made four cameos from the bench now for the Wearside outfit, and given the lack of rest time between their last fixture, he could be one of the two changes to keep the Tangerines guessing.

Alex Pritchard will likely maintain his place alongside the striker, but we expect the “excellent” Elliot Embleton – as dubbed by Alex Neil – to be dropped in favour of the electric Jewison Bennette.

The 23-year-old has deputised well up front, but having yet to score this season and crucially not actually being a striker, Mowbray could instead rely on the pace and power of the young Costa Rican.

These two tweaks would be sure to terrify the opposition, as it adds a directness and speed sure to cause problems.

Celtic made it eight wins from nine Scottish Premiership games so far this season with victory over a spirited St Johnstone side on Saturday afternoon, albeit with the Hoops producing a far from convincing display in what was a dramatic encounter in Perth.

The Parkhead outfit had taken a deserved lead just before the break after opposition defender Andy Considine had turned in the lively Sead Haksabanovic’s cross, although the visitors were then made to pay for their profligacy in front of goal as Callum Davidson’s men looked to have snatched a point in added time through Alex Mitchell.

Facing another setback in a week in which the Hoops had suffered defeat at the hands of RB Leipzig and seen captain Callum McGregor struck down by injury, Ange Postecoglou spared their blushes to secure the win right at the death through striker Giorgos Giakoumakis.

The Greece international expertly turned home Alexandro Bernabei’s cross in the 96th minute to spark bedlam among the away support, with that effort having capped a fine first league start of the season for the 27-year-old.

The former VVV-Venlo man – who arrived in Glasgow on a £2.5m deal last summer – has largely been reduced to a bit-part role during his time at the club to date, with teammate Kyogo Furuhashi so often the preferred pick to lead the line.

As yesterday’s display illustrated, however, the 6 foot 1 powerhouse routinely delivers the goods when he is handed a chance to impress, having scored 17 goals in just 29 appearances in all competitions during his debut campaign last term.

While restricted to a substitute role so far this season – with that latest triumph only the striker’s third start of the campaign across all fronts – the 11-cap brute has showcased his finishing prowess when he has been on the pitch, with four goals in just 11 appearances thus far.

The £3.6m-rated ace – who previously netted 29 goals during his final season in the Netherlands – has more to offer than just simply putting the ball in the back of the net, however, having notably won four of his seven duels on Saturday and won four fouls for his side to showcase his presence in leading the line.

While the aforementioned Haksabanovic was arguably the star performer on the day – with the Montenegro international recording the highest match rating of 7.7, as per SofaScore, and having been dubbed a “threat” by Postecoglou  – it was Giakoumakis who ultimately proved the real, headline-grabbing hero.

As journalist Josh Bunting stated, the £23.5k-per-week ace is a “vastly underrated footballer”, with it perhaps time that he earns greater plaudits having yet again proven his worth to the Bhoys.

Newcastle United have been hit with a major setback over the fitness of Swedish international Alexander Isak…

What’s the latest?

Sky Sports reporter Keith Downie has confirmed that the striker is now set to be out until after the World Cup, which ends in December, due to injury.

Ahead of the club’s clash with Everton at St. James’ Park tonight, the journalist said on Twitter: 

“Big blow for Newcastle that Alexander Isak won’t play again until after the World Cup. Frustrating start for the Swede who’s only played three games since record-breaking arrival. Allan Saint-Maximin also misses visit of Everton tomorrow with hamstring set-back.”

Bad news

This news is rather bad news for the head coach and indeed the club, as losing Isak is a seismic blow for Newcastle heading into the next few weeks before the World Cup starts.

The Daily Mail’s Craig Hope had reported that the striker would miss three matches ahead of the club’s clash with Manchester United but the forward is now on course to be absent for seven games in all competitions – four more than initially predicted.

This comes after he had already been watching on from the sidelines for the wins over Fulham and Brentford, with his last appearance coming in the 1-1 draw with Bournemouth last month.

Isak had enjoyed a superb start to life at St. James’ Park, with two goals in his first three Premier League outings, and Howe will now not be able to benefit from the forward’s clinical finishing until the end of December, something that represents a hefty blow to their ambitions.

Callum Wilson has scored three goals in six games this season but his injury record does not make for great reading and there is a chance that he breaks down before the World Cup break, as he has missed 43 matches since joining the Toon in the summer of 2020.

The Magpies paid a club-record fee for Isak to sign him from Real Sociedad in the summer and this suggests that they felt like he would be a difference-maker for the team on the pitch, as they were willing to splash out such a large fee to acquire his services.

Instead of winning matches in the Premier League, the 23-year-old will now be watching on from the sidelines for the rest of the first half of the season. It is evidently a big setback for Newcastle.

Tottenham Hotspur are reportedly eyeing a move for AS Roma striker Tammy Abraham, according to reports in Italy.

What’s the word?

As per Calciomercato, the north Londoners – along with Premier League rivals Manchester United – are seemingly keeping tabs on the England international at present, with the 25-year-old having thrived since his move to the Stadio Olimpico in the summer of 2021.

The former Chelsea marksman – who left Stamford Bridge to join Jose Mourinho in the Italian capital for a reported fee of around £34m – currently has just under four years still to run on his existing deal with the Serie A outfit, although reportedly plans on a return to England in the future.

Recent reports have suggested that the Blues had included a £67m buyback clause as part of the deal to take the 11-cap menace to Rome which comes into effect next summer, although Spurs sporting director Fabio Paratici could well try to steal a march on the club’s top-flight foes.

Imagine him and Kane

It has been a promising move abroad for the £96k-per-week goalscoring machine over the past year or so, with Abraham having notably netted 27 goals in a stunning debut campaign for his current side last term.

While goals have proven harder to come by this time around, with just two to his name in all competitions so far in 2022/23, the £45m-rated ace has proven himself a reliable figure in front of goal throughout his career, scoring 30 goals in 82 games during his time in west London.

That spell at his former club also saw the towering striker enjoy profitable loan stints in the second tier, memorably scoring 26 goals during the 2016/17 season at Bristol City, before matching that tally a couple of years later at Aston Villa.

A potent threat in the final third, his arrival at N17 could well see Antonio Conte form a truly mouthwatering partnership with him alongside current Spurs talisman Harry Kane, with the latter also a reliably “deadly” asset in front of goal, as described by journalist Liam Twomey.

Partnering the England skipper – who has netted 259 goals in 402 games for the Lilywhites to date – alongside his international colleague in attack could well be a lethal partnership, particularly with Conte currently favouring a 3-5-2 formation.

The Spurs coach previously enjoyed success deploying Romelu Lukaku and Lautaro Martinez together in attack during his title-winning spell at Inter Milan. The two marksmen netted 41 league goals between them during that glorious 2020/21 campaign, and there is no doubting the potential for Conte to replicate that fearsome duo at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium with the English duo.

With the playmaking Kane – who is “one of the best passers of the ball in the Premier League” according to Sky Sports pundit Jamie Carragher – teeing up that man Abraham in the forward ranks, and indeed getting himself in on the action, it could potentially be goals galore if Paratici can strike a deal for the latter.

Arsenal have had a wonderful start to the season so far. The club are currently sitting top of the Premier League table, qualified for the Europa League knockout stages, and had a brilliant summer transfer window.

The positive results this season appear to be bringing the feel-good factor back to the Emirates and Mikel Arteta has a squad of genuine talent that, with a bit of luck and the right attitude, can win some silverware.

One of the brightest sparks this season has been Frenchman William Saliba, with Arteta getting the best out of him in an Arsenal shirt and it looks like the club have hit the jackpot with the defender.

Arsenal have struck gold over William Saliba

Saliba actually joined the club under former manager Unai Emery back in 2019 from Saint-Etienne for a fee of £27m, a big risk for an unproven 18-year-old, and he was sent back to the French club for a season-long loan.

Another loan move to Nice for the 2020/2021 campaign followed but his stint at Marseille last season was arguably his breakthrough season.

The centre-back averaged a SofaScore rating of 7.06, playing in 36 league matches while averaging a staggering 95.5 touches per game, showing that he wanted to get involved as much as possible.

Saliba even won the Ligue 1 young player of the year award for his performances with Marseille and his next step was slotting into the heart of the Arsenal defence.

His ever-growing maturity has continued into this season, starting all ten Premier League matches for the club, with a 7.08 rating via SofaScore, chipping in with two goals and winning 64% of his total duels.

Following Arsenal’s match against Tottenham Hotspur at the start of the month, Rio Ferdinand praised the 6 foot 4 titan in the BT Sport studio (via Teamtalk) saying:

“He was the most composed centre-back on the pitch today – especially for Arsenal.” Ferdinand explained, and subsequently, his performances have led to his value rising.

The CIES Football Observatory now values Saliba at €60m (£52.2m) and it’s fair to say that this will keep on rising with every excellent performance.

Arsenal have certainly struck gold over the Frenchman; the onus is now on them to hold onto him for as long as possible.

Aston Villa midfielder Boubacar Kamara is ‘way ahead of schedule’ in his recovery from a knee injury, according to fitness expert Ben Dinnery.

The Lowdown: Kamara missing for Villa

The 22-year-old completed a move to Villa Park from Marseille during the summer transfer window, but his time at the Midlands club has been frustrating so far.

Kamara has been limited to just seven appearances in the Premier League because of a knee issue and he hasn’t featured since the 1-0 win at home to Southampton in mid-September.

Fortunately, it looks as though the midfielder’s injury progress is going well, following one update.

The Latest: Positive injury update emerges

Speaking to GiveMeSport, Dinnery claimed that Kamara could return to the fold much sooner than expected. Indeed, there are reports that he could even feature against Manchester United over the coming week.

The injury expert said of the Frenchman:

“The fact that he’s now back at Bodymoor Heath and he could potentially rejoin the first-team in training this week shows that he is way ahead of schedule compared to what was initially anticipated.

“That recovery process has gone really, really well. Even if he doesn’t make this weekend for Aston Villa, I think that final game or maybe even the Carabao Cup fixture before the break could be a good opportunity just to get some minutes in his legs.”

The Verdict: Big boost for Villans

This is great news for Unai Emery, who is likely to see Kamara as an important part of his plans at Villa, having taken over from the departed Steven Gerrard.

The fact that he could even be in action before the World Cup is a massive and unexpected boost, as the Villans look to climb up the Premier League table.

Kamara’s impressive average of 3.3 tackles per game in the league (the highest among the Villa squad) before his injury is a testament to his tenacity off the ball, and he was described as Villa’s best midfielder ‘by a mile’ by Dan Rollinson earlier in the campaign.

He has also been hailed as ‘exceptional’ by his national team boss Didier Deschamps, who knows an exceptional player when he sees one, having played in and managed World Cup-winning teams.

Leeds United centre-back Robin Koch is “still hoping” of earning a call-up for Germany’s World Cup squad.

What’s the talk?

In a recent interview with German media outlet SWR Sport (via Sport Witness), the 26-year-old – who has not featured in a Nationalelf squad since Euro 2020 – is still holding out hope that his performances for the Whites this season will see Hansi Flick select him in his 26-man squad for the World Cup this month.

Regarding his chances of making the cut for the final in Qatar, Koch said: “I’m still hoping. I’m sure I can give a lot of positivity to any team on and off the pitch, including the national team.

“I’ve mentioned many times that I can only step on the gas and put in strong performances at my club. That has worked out quite well so far this season. Everything else is in the hands of the national coach.”

Serious danger

Koch has not exactly been in disastrous form for Leeds so far this season, but whether or not his performances are worthy of a call-up to Germany’s World Cup squad is much more up for debate.

Indeed, across his 12 Premier League appearances in 2022/23, the £8m-rated centre-back has been in mixed defensive form, helping his side to keep just two clean sheets, while making 1.1 interceptions, 1.4 tackles and 3.3 clearances and winning 4.2 duels (at a success rate of 55%) per game.

In possession of the ball, the £46k-per-week defender has completed an average of 39.9 passes (at a success rate of 78%) played an average of 2.5 long balls (32% success rate) and has lost possession of the ball 11.8 times per match.

These returns have seen the 26-year-old – who Danny Mills claimed looked like a “fish out of water” against Manchester United last season – average a rather underwhelming SofaScore match rating of 6.68, currently ranking him as only Jesse Marsch’s 13th-best performer in the top flight.

As such, unless Koch can convince Flick over Leeds’ last two pre-World Cup games against Wolverhampton Wanderers and Tottenham Hotspur that he is deserving of a place in the Germany squad prior to the announcements of the final selections on November 13, it would appear that his hopes of a seat on the plane to Doha are unfortunately in serious danger.