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Tottenham Hotspur are back in action following a busy end to the January transfer window.

Antonio Conte’s side host Brighton and Hove Albion in north London for a fourth-round clash in the FA Cup, where Spurs will be looking to advance in the only piece of silverware on offer this season.

After such a long break without any action, the Italian head coach has been left with plenty of interesting dilemmas over team selection, not at least because he is able to welcome back key players from injury and now has two new signings at his disposal, too.

It’s in defence where there is a decision to be made after Argentina beast Cristian Romero returned to training during the winter break. He should come straight back into the side, taking the place of Japhet Tanganga, who has been a liability in recent games, in the back three.

Indeed, the young academy product has been at fault for a number of goals during their three matches against Chelsea last month and at one stage, looked set to depart for AC Milan.

During their Carabao Cup semi-final exit against the Champions of Europe, the versatile defender was dubbed the “weak link” of the side by the Evening Standard’s Dan Kilpatrick as he walked a tightrope following an early booking. He struggled to deal with the threat of Callum Hudson- Odoi all game.

As per SofaScore, he was rated ever so poorly (5.8) as the only player to manage below a 6.3 rating. It was that bad that analyst Statman Dave described the outing as a “horror show” on social media.

Earlier in the season, he received his marching orders for getting into a tussle with Crystal Palace winger Wilfried Zaha and that moment of madness was slammed by BT Sport pundit Rio Ferdinand.

“It’s a lack of experience and rush of blood. He’ll get over it but it cost them today,” he said during the game (via the Daily Mail).

Not to mention his role in League One outfit Morecambe taking the lead in the round prior to this one. He lost his man from a corner. It’s the basics and it happens far to frequently.

As such, Conte must be ruthless in his team selection and axe the £18m-rated calamity against the Seagulls this evening.

AND in other news, Conte concerns emerge at Spurs amid huge transfer claim…

Speaking to GiveMeSport, reporter Dean Jones of Eurosport has made an exciting Tottenham Hotspur transfer claim involving Chelsea defender Antonio Rudiger.

The Lowdown: Spurs in defender chase?

There have been no shortage of links to high-profile defensive stars since Antonio Conte took the Spurs helm.

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Indeed, both Stefan de Vrij and Matthijs de Ligt have been mentioned as possible new recruits for Tottenham as their new manager seeks to oversee a north London overhaul.

These links could even be exacerbated by a ‘serious’ injury to summer signing Cristian Romero, with the big blow potentially threatening to hamper Conte’s rebuild.

The Latest: Jones drops Rudiger claim…

Amid Tottenham’s search for a centre-back, it appears they’ve now made an offer to sign yet another one on a pre-contract.

According to Jones, speaking to GMS, Spurs have actually made the ‘biggest offer’ for Rudiger in terms of salary – according to what he’s heard from people close to the Chelsea defender.

He explained:

“Rudiger’s people, the biggest offer they’re hearing about is coming from Tottenham, in terms of wages.”

The Verdict: Great option?

A Champions League-winning centre-back and proven in the Premier League, signing the 28-year-old as a free agent for next summer could come as a no-brainer.

While that doesn’t solve the lack of cover for Romero, the Blues centre-back would almost certainly strengthen Conte’s options over his first full season in charge next year.

Lauded as an ‘animal’ and ‘unbelievable’ by pundit Rio Ferdinand, as well as for reaching the level of Man City star Ruben Dias at a point last campaign (FIVE via The Metro), his quality is obvious.

Currently in the prime of his career, managing director Fabio Paratici could secure one of the bargains of 2022 with a swoop for the Germany international.

In other news: Spurs agreement to sign £200,000-per-week star possible as Paratici makes exciting plea, find out more here.

The Birmingham Mail’s Ashley Preece has revealed a major injury boost for Aston Villa ahead of their Premier League game against Arsenal on Friday night.

What’s the story?

Dean Smith’s side slipped to an agonising late defeat against Wolves in the top-flight at the weekend, with Matty Cash one of the absentees from the match-day squad.

But now, during a Q&A for The Birmingham Mail, Preece has confirmed that the full-back should be all fine for the clash away at the Emirates later this week.

He said: “As someone has mentioned, expect Matty Cash to shake off a dead leg for Arsenal on Friday. Sanson back on the bench vs Wolves was a positive. It’s just Leon Bailey now with an update expected on Thursday via Smith’s presser.”

Dean Smith will be delighted

Speaking last season, former Premier League striker Kevin Phillips dubbed Cash as “sensational”, while adding: “Cash has come in and he has been flawless. He has taken to the club like a duck to water. You have to give credit to the player and the recruitment department. They have obviously done their homework. He has been one of their shining lights this season.”

Just a couple of weeks ago against Everton, the right-back finally got his first goal for the club, netting a thunderous strike off his weaker left foot in the 3-0 victory the Toffees at Villa Park.

The fact that he’s now being touted with an international call-up with Poland ahead of next year’s World Cup is a real statement on just how high his stock has risen, and full credit must be given to both him and Smith.

With Villa slipping to a disappointing defeat against Wolves, bouncing back with a positive result against Arsenal will be key, and Cash’s return is sure to have Smith buzzing.

Meanwhile, Aston Villa could have their own Raheem Sterling in this academy starlet…

Out of all the names that have played under the guidance of Marcelo Bielsa at Leeds United, one player that has been a regular figure for the Argentine with a total of 131 appearances for Leeds under Bielsa is midfielder Kalvin Phillips.

Having been linked with a move away from the Yorkshire club in recent months with fellow Premier League clubs Liverpool and Manchester United reportedly interested in him, it would be a disaster if Leeds were to say goodbye to their midfield star, especially to another top-flight side.

However, it seems as though Leeds have been handed a massive boost regarding Phillips and his future with the England international recently revealing that he would be willing to sign a new contract at Elland Road, even though his current deal isn’t set to expire until the summer of 2024.

He commented: “I just want to focus on getting back fit,’ he says. ‘But I speak to the owner regularly. I want a new contract. I’m very happy here.”

Phillips’ importance to Leeds was shown throughout last season with the Whites losing seven of the nine Premier League games he missed.

It’s been a similar story this season with Leeds failing to win any of the games Phillips hasn’t been involved in, highlighting just how crucial he is for the team.

In the 29 league games he played in Premier League last season, the 26-year-old, who is currently earning a weekly wage of £38k-per-week according to Salary Sport, managed to rack up an average of 2.6 tackles per game, 1.7 clearances per game and 1.6 interceptions per game, showing how important he is for the team, particularly from a defensive point of view.

With this in mind and his desire to sign a new deal with Leeds, Victor Orta now has the opportunity to start 2022 with a bang and delight plenty of Leeds fans by giving Phillips, who has been labelled as a “destroyer” on the pitch by former England manager Steve McClaren, what he wants.

Looking beyond that, another big hope for Phillips would be that he can get back to full fitness as soon as possible after picking up a hamstring injury earlier this month so he can help his side avoid relegation by the end of the season and not have to spend another campaign in the Championship.

In other news: Bielsa can finally axe Leeds’ “absolute disaster” by signing “spectacular” 5 ft 9 gem…

Manchester City continued their march towards a potential quadruple in March, winning five of their six games this month, which saw them progress in the FA Cup and Champions League, whilst also pushing themselves closer to the Premier League title.

Although Pep Guardiola’s side have undoubtedly been in sensational form in recent months, not all of his players have been at their best and Bernardo Silva, in particular, had a disappointing month.

The Portuguese forward appeared in all five of City’s wins, in which they managed 16 goals, and yet the former AS Monaco man failed to register a single goal or assist.

The 26-year-old has been utilised in a number of different positions by Guardiola this season, featuring as a false nine, on the wing and in midfield, yet he struggled to really have much influence on any of the games he appeared in during March.

His first appearance came in the 4-1 win against Wolves, where he earned a solid, if unspectacular, 6.7 rating – which is lower than his 7.09 average in the top-flight so far this season.

He followed that up with two fairly strong performances against Southampton and Fulham, although when you consider the number of chances City had in both of those games, it is disappointing that he wasn’t able to get himself on the scoresheet or provide an assist.

This may have knocked his confidence, as he then slipped back down to a 6.7 rating for his performance against Borussia Monchengladbach, before producing his worst display of the month against Everton last time out, earning a less than impressive 6.37 rating for his performance.

After recent seasons where he has been a solid contributor of goals and assists, his measly return of two goals and three assists in just 22 Premier League appearances this season is slightly concerning, and also baffling when you consider how dominant City have been in recent months.

Therefore, you could definitely argue that Silva, who is currently valued at £63 million by Transfermarkt, dropped his standards in March after an impressive February, as he once again failed to contribute a single goal or assist in all competitions.

And, in other news… Some City fans were ‘underwhelmed’ by 23 y/o beast, but Txiki has delivered again

In an exclusive interview with Football FanCast, Rob Lee, who is a Newcastle United Hall of Famer, asked for the Magpies’ Head of recruitment, Steve Nickson, to come out and admit he got it wrong over bringing Joelinton to the club and paying £40 million for him.

Newcastle smashed their record transfer fee before the 2019/20 season as they splashed out £40 million for Joelinton who was playing for Hoffenheim at the time and finished the season with seven goals and seven assists, his best-ever return.

Joelinton is now into his second season on Tyneside and it is still unclear what his best position is having been played as a striker and a winger on both flanks with little effect, which has raised multiple questions over who brought him to the club, with reports suggesting the deal was agreed five months prior to the Brazillian signing.

Speaking on who he wants to come out and take the blame for the Joelinton signing and how the club doomed him from the beginning, Lee told FFC:

“First of all, I want to know who spent £40 million on Joelinton. If it was Steve Nickson, then come out and hold your hands up and say ‘yeah, I sanctioned and put forward that deal’, but I’m sure he won’t.

“Secondly, the club should have made it clear from the beginning that he’s not a centre forward and they could’ve done that by not giving him the number nine shirt.

“The minute he was given the number nine shirt he’s a centre forward. He’s the club’s most expensive signing and with him being a forward player as well as the number nine, people instantly expect him to score 20-25 goals a season.”

Joelinton has been an ever-present under Steve Bruce, despite his poor form and decision making in the final third.

Since arriving at Newcastle, he has managed just seven goals and seven assists in 72 games – that output was the same as what he got in his final season with Hoffenheim.

A French source has dropped a fresh update on the future of Tottenham Hotspur manager Antonio Conte.

What’s the talk?

According to a recent report by Le10 Sport (via Sport Witness), a close friend of the 52-year-old Spurs coach has revealed that, despite widespread claims that the Italian is in negotiations to replace Mauricio Pochettino as the Paris Saint-Germain manager this summer, no such talks are taking place, nor has Conte declared his interest in the position at the Parc des Princes.

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However, the source goes on to confirm that PSG are interested in the Tottenham head coach, although, considering the Ligue 1 leaders would be forced to pay a figure in the region of €15m (£12.5m) in order to release the former Inter Milan manager from his contract in north London, plus a similar fee to sack Pochettino, there would be a great many obstacles for the Parisians to overcome in order to get a deal done.

Big twist

Considering the sheer volume of reports suggesting that Conte is very much hoping to secure a move to PSG this summer, the news that a source close to the 52-year-old has all but rubbished this switch is certainly a big twist in the tale – albeit one that Tottenham supporters, as well as Daniel Levy and Fabio Paratici, will be delighted to learn of.

Indeed, the Italian has done a stellar job since taking over at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in November of last year, with Spurs climbing from ninth in the Premier League standings to currently sitting just two points off fourth – very much being in with a chance of securing Champions League qualification for the first time since 2018/19.

And, with Levy and Paratici having already committed the best part of £60m on the January signings of both Dejan Kulusevski and Rodrigo Bentancur, it is clear that the Tottenham hierarchy are not only willing to back the 52-year-old in the transfer window, but they also have already done so.

As such, it is undeniable that this latest update is fantastic news for everyone involved with the club, however, with Conte not exactly being known for his longevity, it would appear wise for Spurs supporters to not begin counting their cockerels just yet.

AND in other news: “Not going to be at Tottenham…”: Gold drops update on £118m Spurs talent, time’s up

This season was meant to be all about Celtic’s tenth SPFL crown in a row. Though, for various reasons, that has fallen by the wayside.

The Hoops are 23 points behind Rangers and it looks as though their pursuit of ten in a row is falling flat in the dirt.

This has been a disastrous campaign and it’s rather surprising that Neil Lennon is still in the job. With the likes of Odsonne Edouard and Kristoffer Ajer repeatedly linked with moves away, times could get even tougher for the Northern Irishman.

Edouard is attracting interest from the Premier League while Ajer has been touted with a switch to AC Milan.

It’s clear why the former is such a pillar for Celtic – he scored 28 times and registered 19 assists last season. Ajer, however, seems to coast through games with undoubted solidity in the backline.

Signed for a grand total of £0, Ajer arrived as a free transfer when he was just 17-years-old in 2016. Since then, he has come on leaps and bounds, establishing himself as a leader and stalwart of Lennon’s side.

The very fact Celtic valued the centre-back at around £20m last summer is a testament to what they’ve done with the player and indeed, how impressive the business has been.

Since heading to Scotland, the 22-year-old has played on 159 occasions for the Hoops and along the way, has earned comparisons to a certain Brazilian legend in Cafu.

Of course, Ajer can play at right-back and as a holding midfielder as well, but it’s in the middle of a back four where he’s looked the most comfortable. He has become an impenetrable wall on his way to winning three consecutive Scottish Premiership crowns.

Though, most impressive is the fact that even during tough times, he’s stood out. Celtic’s defence has been woeful this season, conceding 19 in six Europa League outings and shipping 11 more goals than Rangers in three fewer games in the league.

That being said, Ajer has still been a rock.

John Hartson commented earlier this month: “He’s grabbing the bull by the horns and he’s almost dragging the team through, even to these draws. You see him making these lung-bursting runs forward, he’s marauding with that big stride, he’s challenging, on his backside, making blocks, in the opposition’s penalty area.”

Hartson continued: “He’s a credit to the rest of the players. They should all look at him and if they’d all adopted the same attitude as Ajer then might have made a better fist of it in terms of holding on to the title.”

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That’s about as good as praise can get, but let’s analyse the statistics too. The Norwegian has won more tackles per game (1.5) than any other centre-back in the squad this season, while his pass success rate of 89.2% is the fourth-highest of Celtic’s regular starters.

Furthermore, he ranks in the same place for interceptions per game (1.3). This isn’t a player who hides away and he has shown as much this season. The fact he stepped up and slammed home the winning penalty in the Scottish Cup final is evidence.

Considering they didn’t pay a penny for him, this has been outstanding business. The £10k-per-week earner is a vital cog in the machine at Parkhead.

AND in other news, Desmond eyes “ambitious” Lennon successor, he could fix Celtic’s biggest problem…

Many West Ham fans were gutted as Fabian Balbuena confirmed that he will be leaving the club now that the season is over.

A fantastic campaign for the Hammers ended in style on Sunday as they defeated Southampton 3-0 at the London Stadium – the victory means they confirmed a spot in the Europa League next term. That is a wonderful achievement, especially when you consider they finished above Arsenal and Tottenham to do so and only narrowly avoided relegation last term.

Balbuena has been with the Irons since 2018, making 61 appearances in all competitions since then (Transfermarkt), although the 29-year-old has only appeared 14 times in the Premier League this season under David Moyes.

He has confirmed in an Instagram post that he will be departing the club as his contract runs out next month.

The news was shared on Twitter by @WestHamViews_, and it attracted plenty of interest from the club’s supporters. These took to the social media platform to share their thoughts on Balbuena’s announcement.

Let’s see what the fans had to say about the Balbuena news below

“Real shame this”

Credit: @lewis_wall

“I just don’t understand! Now is the time we need players like him. A massive shame he’s leaving and definitely had a soft spot for him. Good like Fab no doubt you’ll smash it wherever you end up”

Credit: @ChrisConnor93

“Really really liked the General! Gutted to see him leave especially when we are going to need some serious depth for next season!”

Credit: @GetGSBout

“Really need to keep players like this but Moyes knows what he’s doing”

Credit: @HighwaymanX

“A real shame he’s not going to be part of the journey next season. Always did the job when called on. A valuable member of the squad that’ll need adding to for the extra games we’ve got next year. Thanks and all the very best”

Credit: @phillyonskem

“I am gutted that we haven’t renewed his contract tbh. Done a solid job most games and with us having to play even more games next season, Balbuena could’ve done a decent job.”

Credit: @23HPork

In other news, many West Ham fans are delighted by this transfer news.

Manchester City are arguably heading towards a big mistake with Jack Harrison this summer, with recent reports suggesting that he will be sold to Leeds United for just £15m.

The winger has spent each of the last three seasons on loan at Elland Road and was expected to join Marcelo Bielsa’s side permanently last summer following their promotion to the top-flight.

However, the deal was renegotiated, perhaps due to the financial impact of the pandemic and he would instead join on loan with an option to buy.

The 24-year-old has been one of the standout performers for the Yorkshire side in an impressive first season back in the top-flight, with Bielsa’s side finishing 9th in the Premier League table after a superb end to the season.

According to the Daily Star, Leeds have now opened talks with Manchester City over making his deal permanent, with the “really impressive” winger expected to cost the Whites just £15m.

Considering Harrison contributed eight goals and eight assists in 36 appearances for Leeds this season, averaging a very solid 6.96 rating from WhoScored, you could definitely argue that they are getting a bargain if they sign him for £15m.

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Transfermarkt currently values the former New York City FC man at £13.5m, whilst his contract at City is set to expire in 2022, which could easily be extended if he was actually given an opportunity to impress in Pep Guardiola’s side.

Since joining from City’s MLS sister side in January 2018, he hasn’t made a single senior appearance for the club but has 128 appearances for Leeds, in which he has contributed 18 goals and 20 assists.

Considering his role in the Yorkshire side’s success under Bielsa, a man who Guardiola holds in extremely high regard, it seems strange that he has never been given an opportunity to impress under the Spanish manager.

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However, it now seems extremely likely that he will join Leeds United on a permanent deal this summer and if he continues to impress at Elland Road, then the decision to sell him for just £15m may well go down as something of a disaster by City’s sporting director Txiki Begiristain in the future.

And, in other news… “Magnificent” Man City beast who played 4 key passes nailed down a CL starting spot with superb display vs Everton