All posts by h716a5.icu

Tottenham Hotspur got back to winning ways on Sunday night as they defeated Brighton & Hove Albion at home but for the very first time this season, superstar Heung-min Son looked underwhelming and largely anonymous.

Perhaps Spurs’ congested fixture list has finally caught up with the South Korean favourite as he was invisible up against the impressive Tariq Lamptey.

Jose Mourinho’s side took the lead through a Harry Kane penalty early in the first half before they were pegged back by the aforementioned Seagulls defender.

Gareth Bale then saved their bacon within three minutes of coming on to seal all three points at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Son, who had scored eight goals and provided two assists prior to this seventh league outing, wasn’t at the races at all – failing to contribute with a goal in any form.

He also managed to fire off just one shot, which was off target, as well as winning only 45% of his duels, being dribbled past twice and failing to provide a single cross from four attempts.

The €90m-rated (£82m) star managed to only make ten of 16 passing attempts too.

Football.London’s Alasdair Gold graded him a lowly 5/10 and claimed that he “struggled to make an impact for much of the game.”

Whether it was an off-night due to fatigue or just in general, it must come as a massive concern to Mourinho as one of his most influential players failed to make much of an impact.

In recent weeks, the Telegraph reported that the club were going to prioritise tying him down to a new contract, which would see a significant raise to his current £110k-per-week deal.

With performances like that, it certainly wouldn’t be justified, though it was so out of character for Son.

Lamptey, on the other hand, won six of seven duels and recorded two dribbles up against the Spurs fan-favourite, per SofaScore.

The 28-year-old was withdrawn five minutes early, which was hardly a surprise given how poorly he let his manager down – and that only goes to suggest that maybe it was him running out of steam having come on earlier than expected in midweek.

AND in other news, Gary Mabbutt slams Mourinho decision on 23 y/o who’s “got a great future”…

Tottenham Hotspur have no fewer than ten players out on loan this season, ranging from fringe first-team stars such as Juan Foyth (Villarreal) and Ryan Sessegnon (Hoffenheim) to rising prospects like TJ Eyoma (Lincoln City) and Troy Parrott (Millwall).

But, arguably, none are performing to the level of promising young midfielder Oliver Skipp, who is hugely impressing at Norwich City in the Championship this season.

How is Skipp getting on?

The 20-year-old has made 23 senior appearances for Spurs since his debut in December 2018, where he came on as a substitute against Southampton.

Jose Mourinho felt it was right to give him regular game time elsewhere this season with the likes of Moussa Sissoko, Tanguy Ndombele and Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg ahead of him in the pecking order.

And that has proven to be a wise decision as the England U21 powerhouse is shaping up nicely ahead of a potential return to the first-team fold in the future.

He has started all 12 of the Canaries’ matches this term, helping them towards occupying the top spot in the second-flight. Per WhoScored, he is averaging 2.1 tackles, 1.2 interceptions and 0.8 key passes per game.

“I feel like [Daniel Farke’s] been really good for my development so far, real clear guidance on what he wants from me and even after games,” said Skipp last month.

It’s clearly a beneficial move for all involved thus far.

Danger to Winks?

And that should serve as a massive warning to Harry Winks, who appears to be in a bit of a career crossroad at Spurs right now.

After picking up his ninth cap during the latest international break, the fellow midfield academy graduate described his situation at the north Londoners as “difficult,” due to his lack of starts ahead of the European Championships this summer.

It has led to Danny Mills tipping the 24-year-old for a January loan move elsewhere but with Skipp on the rise, perhaps it’s best if Winks parted ways with Spurs entirely. He’s clearly not fancied by Mourinho right now and that’s only going to get harder when the Norwich loanee returns.

Winks has started just three Premier League matches this season and has only averaged one tackle and 0.3 key passes per appearance, via WhoScored. It doesn’t help that we do not know his best position – is it as a no.6 or as a no.8?

Skipp immediately solves that conundrum as an out-and-out defensive powerhouse who has the ability to roam box-to-box just like Mousa Dembele. At just 20, he’s the far better long-term option for the club too.

Clearly, Mourinho already believes that too as he once said: “I see this kid being one day a future captain here by his character, by his personality.”

Which only reinforces Mauricio Pochettino’s view of Skipp being a “top player” who is “clever” with “amazing” energy on top of the Special One dubbing him “phenomenal.”

Skipp, if he keeps this up, is the future of that Tottenham midfield – not Winks.

AND in other news, Spurs must avoid making free transfer swoop for World Cup winner…

Wolves are going about their business in their usual fashion this season.

They haven’t really got out of second gear but find themselves seventh in the Premier League, just a point off the top four.

However, there has been something a bit different about their last few games.

On the chalkboard

Wolves and Nuno Santo have become infamous for one thing – using three central defenders.

In 166 of his 168 games in charge, he has utilised either a three-back or five back formation, one that’s predominantly seen Conor Coady in the middle as the lynchpin and sweeper.

It’s a tactic that the Portuguese has used since the very moment he walked through the door.

Though, in his last two games, he has started to move away from his tried and tested techniques. That’s because, for the first time as Wolves boss, he has decided to go with four in defence.

It’s worked a treat too, with a draw and a win over Southampton and Arsenal respectively to show for it.

Though, who could benefit from this systematic gamble the most?

Gibbs-White resurgence

The talented Wolves teenager has never quite had the rub of the green at Molineux. The attacking midfielder has started just six Premier League outings in two years and even after moving out on loan to Swansea, is finding life difficult.

Described as a “gem” by former Wolves man Jordan Graham, Gibbs-White is currently on the sidelines because of a fractured foot.

The 20-year-old is one of the finest talents to come through the Wolves academy but because of their formation, he’s not really had a look in. Due to playing with three centre-backs, Nuno has preferred two wing-backs and twin wingers playing close to the striker – usually Raul Jimenez.

However, after moving to a four back, it has opened up an area of the pitch previously unutilised by Wolves – the number 10 area.

Daniel Podence was encapsulating in that role against Arsenal, scoring a goal and performing four dribbles so there’s no reason Nuno shouldn’t go with a similar system again.

And if he does maintain this style of football then Gibbs-White surely has a better chance of securing first-team minutes.

Of course, this Wolves team is getting better all the time but with his preferred position now opening as a viable role at Molineux, the £5.4m-rated youngster could still yet thrive.

In other news, check out how Wolves can find their PERFECT heir to Jimenez…

According to TEAMtalk, Glasgow Rangers manager Steven Gerrard is interested in signing Manchester United midfielder Jesse Lingard.

Gers eye Lingard

As it stands, Lingard has less than a year left on his contract, meaning he could potentially sign for another club for free as early as January.

United, though, do have an option to extend his deal for another 12 months. Lingard, however, is set to ask his current employers to allow him to leave for free. Rangers and Celtic are said to be interested in the England international, with a number of clubs from Germany, Italy, Spain and England also in pursuit.

Potential bargain

Lingard has not played a single minute in the Premier League so far this campaign for the Red Devils, but he is a player who still has plenty to offer at the highest level. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has previously said that the former Birmingham City loanee is ‘top-class’, and he has proven that on plenty of occasions with 33 goals in 209 games for United.

He has also impressed on the international stage. At the 2018 World Cup, he played in all but two of England’s matches as they made the semi-finals. He netted against Panama in the 6-1 win in the group stages, and also provided two assists throughout the tournament.

Currently valued at £12.6m (Transfermarkt), Lingard could be a fantastic signing for the Gers, especially on a free transfer. Ross Wilson and co could do a lot worse than signing him, especially if it is on a free transfer.

In other news, this Rangers target shines in the Europa League.

Farhad Moshiri can save £16million by rebuffing interest from Juventus in Everton striker Moise Kean, rather than green-lighting a move to sign SSC Napoli outcast Arkadiusz Milik.

What’s the word?

According to Calciomercato, Juve are desperate to re-sign Kean next summer as the Turin powerhouse wish to overcome their regret at losing the Italian hitman who has exploded in Paris with seven goals in 12 games since joining PSG on loan.

Kean has provided an essential presence in Thomas Tuchel’s frontline since moving to the French capital on a season-long deal, after Sporting Director Leonardo finally acquired the striker he sought to sign for AC Milan in 2018 before leaving the San Siro.

Ancelotti has not ruled out a future for Kean at Goodison Park, but is expected to listen to offers and base his verdict on the sums presented after denying PSG an option-to-buy despite speculation of a €20m (£18.08m) clause.

Everton are expected to demand a substantial figure to release Kean, who they signed for an initial £25.1m rising to £27.5m, yet Juve are eager to forge a reunion if the price is achievable.

Kean has insisted he is “very happy” at the Parc des Princes and has opened the door to a permanent stay after enjoying the experience of learning from Neymar and Kylian Mbappe.

Forget Milik, keep Kean

While Ancelotti has not ruled out a future for Kean or confirmed his eventual return to Goodison Park and the striker has opened the door for PSG to sign him permanently, Everton owner Moshiri must rebuff any approach that may arrive in the coming year as the Italian is the Toffees’ future option at striker and not rumoured target Milik.

It has been claimed Ancelotti wishes to reunite with the Polish forward in January with the 26-year-old frozen out by Gennaro Gattuso, potentially allowing for Everton to strike a deal at just £10m for the Atletico Madrid target Napoli supremo Aurelio de Laurentiis values at €18m (£16.2m).

Former Italy World Cup winner Francesco Graziani also told Radio Kiss Kiss via Sport Witness earlier in the year that Ancelotti holds Milik in very high regard, claiming: “Ancelotti made a confession on Milik. He told me he is the footballer every coach wants to have.”

But Milik is not the striker Everton should want to have, as the 56-cap international is yet to play a single minute in any club competition this season and boasts just 48 career goals in 122 appearances since moving to the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium in 2016.

Kean, on the other hand, is proving his worth whilst on loan with PSG and should be afforded the chance to replicate his form back at Everton next season, though that opportunity will be scuppered if the Italian finds Milik has moved into his position in Ancelotti’s pecking order this winter.

AND in other news, Marcel Brands can land Everton’s new Idrissa Gueye in a £22.8m leader the Toffees’ are monitoring.

As the January transfer window draws near, Leeds United could be forced to scour the market for even more new signings. Despite their fruitful summer haul, Marcelo Bielsa currently finds himself with just one fit senior centre-back ahead of their clash with Burnley at the weekend.

His defence is undoubtedly where the Argentinian must focus his attention, but his attacking options could also do with some love. At the moment, Leeds’ only major source of goals is Patrick Bamford, which isn’t good enough for a side looking to survive in the Premier League.

Despite all their options out wide, the Whites are struggling to leave their mark when it comes to getting forward. However, there is a man that Leeds have been linked with who could help solve these worries.

Leeds interested in Ryan Christie

According to 90min, Ryan Christie has attracted a lot of attention from the Premier League. Both Leeds and Leicester are reported to be considering tabling an offer for the Scot’s services. Should the right one come Celtic’s way, Peter Lawwell might be forced into selling up, especially following the Glasgow outfit’s inconsistent form this season and the financial impact of their European exit.

Christie has contributed four goals and ten assists to his side’s campaign so far, along with his iconic performance for Scotland in their Euro qualifying win over Serbia last month. His influence on his country, along with his versatility to play in both midfield and on the wing, have seemingly made him a very hot target ahead of the January window.

Indeed, he recently received top praise from Chris Sutton, who lauded the £8,000 per week gem as a “manager’s dream”.

Christie would be a great addition to this Leeds side if Celtic are willing to let him go and Victor Orta must make him a priority for the club’s winter shopping. The 25-year-old’s attacking influence would be ideal in support of Bamford, who is extremely overworked in Bielsa’s front-line.

In other news, Orta must move for “real talent” Michael Olise to replace Forshaw…

According to 90min, Manchester United are still interested in signing Jadon Sancho from Borussia Dortmund.

What’s the word?

It’s no secret Ole Gunnar Solskjaer made Sancho his top priority in the summer transfer window, only for the 20-year-old right-winger to stay at the Signal Iduna Park after Ed Woodward failed to agree terms with the Bundesliga giants.

The England international finds himself in the throes of a dreadful domestic campaign with the eight-time German champions, who have lost two and drawn one of their past five games.

Sancho himself has somewhat struggled to replicate the form he enjoyed last season, having provided four goals and eight assists in 18 appearances across all competitions, via Transfermarkt.

Third time’s the charm

It’s claimed United are confident their reluctance to sign Sancho in the summer could in actual fact work in their favour as they believe they could sign the England winger for considerably less than Dortmund’s original demands of €120m (£107m).

This isn’t the first time Sancho, who joined Dortmund from Manchester City in 2017, has found himself on the Red Devils’ radar, with the Englishman a reported target for Solskjaer this time last year.

He has long been linked with a move to Old Trafford and it’s easy to understand why as he would be an immediate upgrade on most if not all of the options currently available to the club legend, including Daniel James and Juan Mata.

In 117 appearances, Sancho has bagged 38 times and 51 assists in all competitions, via Transfermarkt – including bagging a brace against Hertha Berlin back in 2018. When you consider his record and compare it to Bruno Fernandes’ – 27 goals and 17 assists in 46 matches for United – and you have to wonder what sort of havoc they could wreak.

Dortmund first-team regular starter Raphael Guerreiro believes he could be “just as good as Cristiano Ronaldo”, saying: “Cristiano is one of the best in the world and to ever be as good as him, Jadon still has a lot of work to do, a lot. He has everything you need, though, to be just as good as Cristiano, maybe even better someday.”

Similarly, Erling Braut Haaland was equally effusive in his praise for his teammate, describing him as a “fantastic” beast. These aren’t just your Average Joes, these are two of the best players in the world who are genuinely in awe of Sancho.

This sort of attacking talent would be most welcome at Old Trafford, particularly on the right wing, and to be able to nab a player of his calibre that’s already bagged two goals in the Champions League this season to go straight into the starting line-up for a reduced price would be a shrewd bit of business by the board.

AND in other news, Manchester United right-back Aaron Wan-Bissaka was brilliant vs Aston Villa…

Liverpool look to have been handed a potentially huge injury boost, as Joel Matip has returned to training this week ahead of Sunday’s top-of-the-table clash with Manchester United.

The Athletic journalist James Pearce confirmed earlier this week that the Cameroonian defender will take part in two training sessions ahead of the game against Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side, leaving Jurgen Klopp a ‘big decision’ to make.

The former Schalke man has been sidelined since picking up an injury in the 1-1 draw with West Brom recently and the Reds have failed to win a game in the Premier League without him since then, drawing 0-0 with Newcastle before losing 1-0 to Southampton, which has led to Klopp’s side dropping off the top of the Premier League table.

Considering the gravity of the game against United, the German manager may well be tempted to throw Matip straight back in at Anfield on Sunday but doing so could risk a further injury to the centre-back, which is the last thing Liverpool need at the moment.

Solskjaer suggested earlier this week that this could be the best time to play Liverpool, due to their injury concerns and the lack of a crowd at Anfield but he will surely be much less confident if Matip is fit enough to play against the Red Devils, as when the Cameroonian has played in the Premier League this season, the Reds have not lost.

Klopp’s side also boast an unbelievable record at Anfield, with their last league loss there coming in April 2017, so there’s no doubt that, despite the Reds injury problems and recent form, it won’t be an easy game for United on Sunday.

Solskjaer will perhaps have planned for his attackers to test themselves against the inexperienced Rhys Williams or Nathaniel Phillips, so if Matip does end up starting, he will perhaps worry that the Liverpool defence will be a lot harder to break down, as the Reds have managed four clean sheets in the nine games that the 29-year-old has started this season.

It will be interesting to see if Klopp risks Matip for what is undoubtedly going to be one of the biggest games of the season for both sides.

And, in other news… Klopp must axe £70k-p/w “monster” vs MUFC; Rashford’s pace could ruin him

Many Everton fans have been lauding an update from the Goodison Park faithful as the club tweeted that Dominic Calvert-Lewin is back in training.

The England international missed the Merseyside club’s 2-1 win away at Wolves in their last outing in the Premier League but it looks as if he may be ready to play Sheffield Wednesday at home in the FA Cup on Sunday night, if not in their next top flight match against Leicester City on Wednesday.

He has been such a key player for Carlo Ancelotti’s team in the 2020/21 term, scoring no fewer than 14 goals and making a further assist in 19 appearances in all competitions so far (Transfermarkt), and the Toffees will surely be buzzing to have him back fit and available for selection again.

Everton fan reaction to Calvert-Lewin update

These Blues lauded the update that the 23-year-old is back in training on Twitter, with one EFC fan describing it as ‘wonderful’:

“There goes my heroooooo”

Credit: @seann1878

“Corrrr this is the content”

Credit: @edwardahight

“Yeeeeeeerse. Probably dying to play on Wednesday.”

Credit: @AntiWanKenobi

“Lets gooooooo”

Credit: @aqqqqqqil

“Things you love to see”

Credit: @karimmenem2

“Wonderful to see”

Credit: @StacyMu78345188

In other news, find out why Everton fans are slamming a Sky Sports blunder here!

Tottenham Hotspur academy starlet Oliver Skipp continues to impress immensely at Norwich City.

The 20-year-old midfielder has been getting his first real taste of the men’s game in the Championship and has taken to the test like a duck to water.

Indeed, the England U21 international has started all 25 of the Canaries’ league outings, where he has thrived in a defensive midfield role.

Per WhoScored, Skipp has managed to average 2.1 tackles per 90 minutes with a success rate of 77.7%, meaning more often than not, the opposition are struggling to get past him.

This has even be reinforced by teammate Grant Hanley’s glowing endorsement of him to the local press in recent weeks, he believes the young Englishman is a dream for centre-backs like himself. Hanley told the Eastern Daily Press:

“Skippy’s got experience beyond his years really, he looks like he’s played at the top level for 10 or 15 years, it’s hard to think that he’s still so young,” and then added: “I know he gets a lot of credit but then he probably doesn’t get enough sometimes, because he does all the stuff that you love as a centre-half.”

The Hotspur Way academy graduate is also contributing further up the pitch as seen by his average of 0.8 key passes per game in the second-tier.

Whilst this may not be as creative as say an Emi Buendia (3.3 key passes per game) in this current Norwich squad or even that of a Christian Eriksen, a former Spurs great who managed at least 2.1 key passes per game in the Premier League for Spurs in all but his final campaign, it does hint towards him being a nifty box-to-box option in the future.

Perhaps he’s more of a Michael Carrick than any other ex-Spurs midfielder. He too was a player managed by Jose Mourinho at Manchester United, whilst during his time in N17, he was predominantly deployed as a defensive midfielder (33 of 75 appearances).

Neither player is going to set the pulses racing with spectacular and electric performances, but they do the dirty work that often goes unnoticed – Xavi once proclaimed that Carrick was a “complete player,” which makes his constant omission from international stardom all that more baffling. He only went to one World Cup and managed just 34 caps over his playing career.

The young Spurs sensation could be a rare exception to this style of player as he’s already been capped across U16s, U18s and U21s level.

Skipp’s progress at Carrow Road has been phenomenal thus far, and whilst he’s not going to be recalled this month, he is very much part of Mourinho’s long-term plans.

After agreeing to a contract extension, the Spurs boss said: “Everybody in the club is [happy], his team-mates are, I am and Skippy is or not he wouldn’t sign the contract. I think he’s genuinely Tottenham’s future,” before going onto claim: “I see this kid being one day a future captain here by his character, by his personality.”

Also lauded as “phenomenal” by the ‘Special One’ in the past, Skipp is clearly going to be part of the furniture at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium for years to come, and his experience in Norfolk is only doing his career wonders right now.

AND in other news, Grealish 2.0: Levy dropped a massive Spurs howler over “devastating” £55m “game-changer”…