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Even if Tottenham fall short in this season’s Premier League title race – they’re now left with eight games to overcome a seven-point deficit – few will dispute it’s been a good season at White Hart Lane.

Mauricio Pochettino’s side still aren’t the finished article but have certainly shown further improvements from last year, particularly producing a high consistency of performance against those outside the Premier League’s top six.

Wins over Manchester City and Chelsea also come to mind, but in addition to collective displays, we’ve seen some fantastic individual performances throughout the campaign as well. With that in mind, we asked Spurs fans earlier this week to vote for their Player of the Season so far. Here’s a look at who made the top THREE.

3. Dele Alli

After a sensational debut campaign at White Hart Lane, many questioned at the start of the season whether Dele Alli would be able to handle the extra attention placed on him by Premier League defenders. He began 2016/17 quietly but has really come into his own since mid-December, now boasting 15 goals and five assists in the top flight.

His hot-headed sending off that essentially eliminated Spurs from the Europa League has lead to a debate over the 20-year-old’s temperament, however, which is perhaps why he missed out on top spot in our poll.

2. Mousa Dembele

A real class act in Tottenham’s midfield who often doesn’t receive the critical acclaim his understated style deserves, Mousa Dembele may not grab headlines for his goals and assists but few Premier League midfielders offer power, composure, passing quality and control of the engine room in quite the same way.

The Belgium international is Tottenham’s metronome in the middle of the park and they always move the ball far better when he’s in the starting line-up.

1. Toby Alderweireld

Toby Alderweireld is continuing to cement a reputation as arguably the best defender in the Premier League and Tottenham fans clearly appreciate the qualities he offers, voting him to first place in our poll.

The Belgium international has struggled for fitness at times this term, missing eight of his side’s Premier League fixtures, but has proved equally formidable in a back four or a back three and remained vital in Spurs conceding the fewest goals of any top flight side. Rather tellingly, Tottenham’s win-rate jumps up by a staggering 19% when he’s in the starting line-up.

Results

Arsenal suffered another blow in the race to qualify for the Champions League next season as they were beaten 3-0 by Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park on Monday night, and it was a result that delighted Everton fans as they look to reach Europe themselves.

With all of the other top seven sides winning over the course of the weekend, the Gunners have now slipped down to sixth position and they are seven points behind fourth-placed Manchester City with eight matches of their season remaining.

Meanwhile, the three-goal loss for Arsene Wenger’s men means they are now only above the seventh-placed Merseyside outfit on goal difference, although they do have two games in-hand.

Everton supporters were understandably ecstatic at the latest Arsenal setback, and their fans were quick to take to social media following the game at Selhurst Park, with many becoming more and more confident that they can finish above the north London club.

Here is just a selection of the Twitter reaction…

Former Newcaste United coach Steve Stone says the club need to sign an “awful lot of new players” this summer if they are to compete following their promotion back to the Premier League on Monday night.

The Magpies sealed an immediate return to the top flight after just a one-year absence as they thrashed Preston North End 4-1 at St James’ Park, with a brace from Ayoze Perez and further goals from Christian Atsu and Matt Ritchie sealing their emphatic return to the big time.

But despite their fine form in the Championship this season, Stone – who was part of the coaching team at St James’ Park for five years between 2010 and 2015 – believes manager Rafa Benitez must make a number of changes to his first team squad if his side are to avoid being sucked into another relegation battle against next term.

The 45-year-old told BBC Radio 5 live: “They still need an awful lot of new players before next season.

“Fans realise they’re not going to win the Premier League next season and they will struggle to get into the top 10. They need to get a foothold in the Premier League first, otherwise they will become a yo-yo club.

Stone saw the club finish 15th, 10th and 16th before they were relegated from the Premier League in 2016, and the former England international believes now is the ideal opportunity to push the club on to make sure they don’t find themselves battling at the wrong end of the table again.

He added: “It’s been a long time since Newcastle were battling at the top of the Premier League.

“Now is the time to buy and build, and make sure club doesn’t have to play in this division ever again.”

Manchester United’s clash against Swansea City this afternoon is a must-win clash and that has been reflected in the starting line-up Jose Mourinho has chosen today.

There’s no rest for the likes of Marcus Rashford who will lead the attack supported by Anthony Martial, Jesse Lingard and Wayne Rooney, who captains the side.

As we get into the tail-end of the season, Mourinho has opted for the strongest possible XI from available players with injuries still ravaging his team. The schedule is heavy but these are the games his first season will be defined by.

There is some good news on the injury front with the surprising return of Juan Mata to the bench. He underwent groin surgery just weeks ago but is now fit enough to be part of the match day squad.

That news along with the strength of the United team in general has delighted fans, who took to Twitter to share their thoughts on Mourinho’s line-up today…

Rangers confirmed third place in the Scottish Premiership on Saturday with a hard fought lunchtime win against Hearts at Ibrox.

Having gone ahead and seen their visitors go down to ten men, in truth the victory should have been more comfortable for the Light Blues but they got the job done in the end and have made sure they continue bouncing back from recent derby defeats to Celtic.

It was Joe Garner who put Pedro Caixinha’s side ahead, nodding home Kenny Miller’s quality cross just six minutes into the match. Prince Buaben was then sent off halfway through the first half to see the Gers sitting pretty at the break.

Hearts came out fighting in the second half though and found a way back into the match through Ismael Goncalves. Rangers were having none of it and the impressive Barrie McKay netted the winner just minutes later.

McKay was back to his best in a Rangers shirt after months of inconsistency, building on his goal last week against Partick Thistle.

With his contract running out in just over 12 months, it was a performance that reminded Light Blues fans that the club need to sort out his situation.

They were overjoyed with his contribution and took to Twitter to share their thoughts…

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Hot prospect Boubacar Kamara, who is on the transfer radars of Chelsea and Southampton according to talkSPORT, has admitted he’s undecided on his future, with the 17-year-old refusing to commit himself to current employers Marseille.

Even though he is yet to make an appearance for the first team, the centre-back has impressed in the youth sides and has been offered his first professional contract at the Stade Velodrome.

But when asked if he had decided his future, the exciting teenager told Maxifoot: “I do not know yet. We will see with my family and my agents where I am. I do not close any doors.”

It is set to be another busy summer transfer window and Saints and the Blues will both be aiming to significantly strengthen their squads, with the former looking to qualify for the Europa League again and the latter hoping to make an impact in the Champions League whilst defending the Premier League title.

Here are three reasons Southampton must beat Chelsea to the signing of Kamara before the summer transfer window slams shut.

They need a centre-back

With Jose Fonte leaving during the January transfer window and his short-term replacement Martin Caceres being released at the end of the season after making just one appearance, Saints will surely be looking for a new centre-back this summer.

Doubts remain over the future of captain Virgil van Dijk and if the Dutchman does go, it will leave only Jack Stephens and Maya Yoshida.

Although he may be just 17 years of age, Kamara has shown by captaining Marseille’s Under-19 side that he has a bright future and is another leader.

They can develop another young talent

Having come through the youth system at Marseille and impressed enough to be captain of the Under-19 side at the age of 17, it is clear that Kamara is a real talent.

Southampton have become renowned for being a club that gives youngsters an opportunity – as has been shown in recent years through the likes of James Ward-Prowse and Jack Stephens – and they would love to help develop another youngster that looks set to have a bright future in the game.

He could be their next profit maker

Whether Saints fans like it or not, their policy as a club is that they buy players with a potential sale to a bigger club in mind.

While they would likely have to pay a small compensation fee for the 17-year-old, the south coast outfit will already know that if they can develop him and make him a regular in the first team, they will be able to make a huge profit on him as they did with Sadio Mane last summer.

Do you agree, Saints fans? Let us know below.

Celtic have had an obscenely good season by anyone’s standards. Even taking into account the financial advantage they have over every other club in Scotland, they had no right to absolute destroy the opposition in the manner they did. Unbeaten, winning every trophy, playing fantastic football, big derby wins, beating Aberdeen in every match; their list of amazing moments across the entire campaign has dozens on it.

Still, no football season is perfect and for some Hoops fans there may still be some niggling things from the campaign that they’ll be hoping Brendan Rodgers can fix in his second season. Football would be boring if your team didn’t continually strive to improve, after all.

Predictably most of these regrets come from Europe, which wasn’t quite the stellar campaign that their domestic season turned out to be. Here are FOUR regrets from the Celtic season that they’ll be striving to make amends for after the summer…

Callum McGregor’s miss in Germany

If you had to distil any regrets Celtic have from the last 12 months into a single moment then it would probably be Callum McGregor’s miss away to Borussia Monchengladbach in the UEFA Champions League Group Stages. With the game poised at 1-1 and the Germans down to ten men, the scene was set for the Hoops to steal a famous win.

The ball was at McGregor’s feet and instead of guiding it past the goalkeeper, he flashed it wide of the far post. For a midfielder that is usually so reliable in front of goal it was a glaring miss. Unfortunate yes, but ultimately a moment that partially cost the Hoops progress into the UEFA Europa League.

How do they rectify it next season? Well, finishing at least third in their group stage next season, should they get there, would represent fantastic progress under Brendan Rodgers. Celtic love nothing more than European football after Christmas and securing it next term would destroy any memory of this miss.

Not whitewashing Rangers

Of course, it goes without saying that Celtic’s dominance over Rangers this season was an absolute highlight for many fans. However, think how much better the gloating may have been if they’d beat the Light Blues in every single derby match over the last season. The city rivals played six times in all competitions and Brendan Rodgers’ side bodied them completely in five of those.

However, a late equaliser at Celtic Park is a blemish on the record as a whole. In terms of city dominance, there’s nothing better than winning every single match against the other, a green and whitewash if you will.

It doesn’t happen often and letting their lead slip so late against what was Graeme Murty’s eleven must niggle a wee bit. It’s easily rectified next season – simply beat them in every game!

Not winning a home Champions League match

It’s true that Celtic’s group draw was especially tough this season. Facing teams from Europe’s top three leagues is an especially cruel fate for a side that were hoping to find their feet in the competition again after a multi-year absence.

However, no matter who Celtic have gone up against in the past, they’ve always found ways to win against even the elite teams on the continent. Manchester United, AC Milan, Juventus; all teams that have wilted in the pressure cooker that is Celtic Park over the last 15 years.

The main thing missing from the Hoops’ European campaign was that home win in the group stages, the first time they’ve ever failed to win at home in the competition. Had they picked up three points at some stage they may have finished third and progressed beyond Christmas.

That’ll be a key aim of Brendan Rodgers next season. Even if they do not progress from the groups, he’ll at least want to see his side live up to the legacy at Celtic.

Suffering a record European defeat

Another big blotch on the Hoop’s European record last season was suffering their biggest ever European defeat, at the hands of Barcelona. While it’s true the Catalan giants are capable of inflicting such misery on many, many good sides, it’s still a defeat that stings for many Hoops fans.

The gulf between the two sides in terms of talent is huge but what was most frustrating was the lack of fight in the Celtic side. They looked like they were not up for the battle and that battle is something Celtic teams must always bring to the table.

They did show progress in subsequent away matches in the competition, drawing both in Germany and away to Manchester City. That progress needs to continue next season, even against pot one sides.

Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho has told Real Madrid that they can sign goalkeeper David de Gea for £45m plus Alvaro Morata, reports the Daily Star.

What’s the story?

As we all know, Madrid have been linked to De Gea numerous times over the past two years after his proposed transfer in 2015 collapsed.

The Spaniard was on the verge of moving to the Bernabeu, but the paperwork failed to be filed before the deadline.

De Gea then performed a turnaround and penned a new long-term contract at Old Trafford.

There tends to be conflicting reports surrounding Madrid’s alleged interest in the goalkeeper when the transfer windows roll around.

Now, the Daily Star claims that Mourinho has told the European champions that he will consider selling De Gea if they receive Morata and £45m.

Is this a fair deal?

United have one of the world’s best keepers, so it is understandable that the club would try to get the most out of Madrid.

Considering the current market, £45m is not a significant amount for a player of De Gea’s calibre, but add in the valuation of Morata, and the deal moves into the £100m range.

The Daily Star claims that Madrid value their forward at around £60m and are unlikely to fall to United’s demands with regards to the deal involving De Gea.

Interestingly, the report states that Mourinho wants to give second-choice keeper Sergio Romero more game time next season, so perhaps De Gea is not as vital as he once was.

Romero put in a string of impressive performances between the sticks in the closing stages of last season, and he was selected to start the Europa League final.

Given that De Gea came close to joining Real two years ago, he clearly has or had some desire to return to his homeland, so perhaps a deal can be reached that will satisfy both parties.

According to reports in The Independent, Newcastle United are keen to sign young Liverpool winger Sheyi Ojo on a season-long loan deal.

Magpies manager Rafa Benitez is keen to strengthen his squad this summer in order to ensure that they are equipped to avoid being in a relegation battle on their return to the Premier League next term, and has identified the 20-year-old as potential target as he looks to add pace and an unpredictability to his team, according to The Independent.

Reds boss Jurgen Klopp is willing to send the wide-man out on a temporary basis to play regular football after struggling to make an impression at Anfield last season.

The forward was part of the England Under-20 side that won the World Cup earlier this summer, but a move to St James’ Park might not be the best fit for the club or the player.

Here are three reasons Newcastle should steer clear of signing Ojo…

Inexperienced/Unproven

One of the main attributes Benitez should be looking for this summer when he is targeting new players is that they should have plenty of experience of playing in the Premier League, or in one of the other top leagues in Europe.

The Spaniard knows that his new additions must almost be guaranteed to make an impact next term in order for the Magpies to have a good season, and Ojo doesn’t bring that.

The winger has made just eight top flight appearances for Liverpool and his only outings last term came in the FA Cup, showing he is far from proven at this level.

Inconsistent wingers

Newcastle have already completed a deal to bring one inconsistent winger to the club this summer – Christian Atsu from Chelsea following a season-long loan spell last season – and it would certainly be something of a risk to bring in another.

While they have the likes of Atsu, Matt Ritchie and Yoan Gouffran in wide areas, Benitez would surely want to bring in a player that is guaranteed to make a difference rather than a young talent who could go missing on could struggle to live up to the expectations from the passionate St James’ Park crowd.

Loan move

It is ok for lower Premier League clubs to sign players on loan from the bigger teams if they feel they can make a big difference and become a key man – see Jack Wilshere at Bournemouth last season – but you just don’t feel that would be the case with Ojo at St James’ Park.

Instead of bringing in talented youngsters on loan from the likes of Liverpool, the Magpies should instead use players from their own youth system or sign individuals on permanent deals that will be focused and committed to doing their best for the club next term.

Do you agree, Magpies fans? Let us know below.

According to reports from Mirror Football, Newcastle United are eyeing a swoop for West Ham goalkeeper Adrian following Joe Hart’s move to the London Stadium.

The Magpies haven’t been as busy as many supporters expected so far this summer and will likely look to escalate their recruitment during the remaining weeks of the summer transfer window as they prepare for life back in the Premier League.

Adrian, despite being seemingly pushed out by Hart, is a talented and experienced ‘keeper, now boasting over 100 Premier League appearances for the east London outfit.

But do Newcastle really need an upgrade between the sticks next season? Although Rafa Benitez fluctuated between Rob Elliot, Matz Sels and Karl Darlow last term, it was the latter who seemed to truly embrace No.1 duties.

Darlow conceded just 32 goals in 34 Championship outings last season and also kept an impressive 13 clean sheets, establishing himself as a bit of a fan favourite in the process.

So, Magpies fans, who do you think should be Benitez’s No.1 next season – the 26-year-old Englishman or the 6 foot 3 Spaniard? Let us know by voting below…