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Tottenham Hotspur take a break from league action as they look to continue their quest towards silverware under Jose Mourinho with an FA Cup fifth-round tie at Everton.

The north London outfit finally ended a run of three straight defeats by beating troubled West Brom 2-0 over the weekend, thanks to the returning Harry Kane and Heung-min Son reigniting their prolific partnership.

But Mourinho is left with plenty to ponder as games are coming thick and fast once more…

On the Chalkboard

One decision facing the Special One is in the attack.

Yes, we’re likely to see Kane and Son both start, but the other places are surely up for grabs.

Against the Baggies, Mourinho handed rare Premier League starts to both Lucas Moura, who played in the no.10 role, and Erik Lamela, who was deployed out on the right.

Earlier this week, we outlined why the Brazilian still has a big part to play at the club, but for the fellow South American, the same cannot be said as he underwhelmed – it was all energy with little product.

Indeed, the 28-year-old recorded the lowest SofaScore rating (6.7) of any of Spurs’ attacking players on the afternoon and that’s ultimately poor considering Albion had the worst defensive record in the top-flight by a considerable margin – their 54 goals conceded is 15 more than any other team.

Before Lamela was hooked in the 74th minute, he managed just one accurate cross from seven attempts (14%), which meant Kane had very little to feed off whilst the winger also failed to win the majority of his duels, losing five of 15 (33%), meaning the West Brom left-back had the better of him consistently.

He was even the second-most wasteful Spurs player on the pitch as he lost possession 17 times – once every four minutes.

If Spurs have serious ambitions of progressing tonight, then Mourinho ought to play Moura, Steven Bergwijn or Gareth Bale over Lamela.

As one of the final survivors from the Andre Villas-Boas era, it’s quite a surprise to see the former Roma star still standing in N17, especially as he’s among the high earners at the club on a reported £85k-per-week, which is more than Matt Doherty, Giovani Lo Celso and Bergwijn.

Teammate Eric Dier revealed earlier in this season that Lamela “is a nightmare” because “offensively he’s so good” and “when you have the ball, he kicks lumps out of you.”

But we’ve not seen that sort of claim come to fruition in a competitive encounter in a very long time.

A series of injuries and no goal in the Premier League since September 2019 tells the full story – he has missed more games (108) than goal contributions (81) since joining Spurs in 2013, and in failing to deliver against the weak and faltering West Brom, he should not be given another start this evening.

Ruthless it may be, but a wise decision.

AND in other news, Forget Vinicius: Spurs must get £36m-rated beast with an “instinct for goals”…

Premier League clubs have reportedly approached Man Utd striker Odion Ighalo over a potential move.

Ighalo’s loan deal at Old Trafford expires at the end of January and he will then return to Chinese club Shanghai Shenhua. Having said that, there seems to be no shortage of interest in the Nigerian forward currently.

PL interest in Man Utd’s Ighalo

Sky Sports have stated that while there is interest from abroad to sign Ighalo, a couple of Premier League clubs have made ‘tentative’ enquiries to sign the former Watford striker. His loan deal expires on the 31st of January and apart from the two English clubs, teams in Qatar and Saudi Arabia are also interested in the 31-year-old.

The report from Sky Sports suggests that Ighalo is happy to see out his contract at Old Trafford and then consider other opportunities. The Nigerian has made just one Premier League appearance for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s men this season and in all competitions, he has played four times.

Before joining Man Utd last January, Ighalo had rejected a move to Tottenham because he supported the Red Devils as a kid.

Solskjaer previously hailed Ighalo as a ‘proven goalscorer’: “He’s a proven goalscorer and played his part in both goals (against Norwich in the FA Cup last season). He is a great person to have around the dressing room too.”

Man Utd can afford to part ways with Ighalo

Considering the fact that Ighalo hasn’t played much this season, it may not be a surprise to see him leave. Summer signing Edinson Cavani has impressed already, scoring three goals in the Premier League and picking up a couple of assists. He also scored the Red Devils’ first goal in the League Cup win over Everton (as per Transfermarkt).

Because of Cavani’s form, perhaps it would be best for Ighalo to move elsewhere if he wants to play regular first-team football.

In other news, another Man Utd star could be moving to a Premier League club – read more about it here.

When Leeds get going there are very few teams that can stop them.

Although they went behind against Newcastle, they were eventually ruthless and unstoppable on their way to winning 5-2.

It was a clinical emphatic performance full of class and everything you’d associate with a Marcelo Bielsa team.

He works his players hard and they keep going right until the final whistle. If there were any fears of burnout, they were quashed when Leeds scored three goals in the final 13 minutes.

It was a swashbuckling display that should have left Bielsa blown away, especially with one player.

No, we’re not talking about Jack Harrison or Rodrigo here, neither are we talking about the all-action Stuart Dallas. Instead, we’re talking about Pablo Hernandez.

The Spaniard has been at the centre of attention over the last few years, winning multiple Player of the Season awards at Leeds, quickly earning his place in Elland Road folklore.

However, his return to the Premier League hasn’t been very profitable. He’s started just two matches and before last night, had failed to contribute to a single goal.

For a 35-year-old, he is no longer in the prime of his career but there had been question marks over whether he had the quality for the top-flight.

Those concerns were answered on Wednesday evening in a magical eight-minute cameo that rolled back the years.

Hernandez, who earns £19k-per-week at Leeds, was brilliant as he picked up two assists after making just 13 touches. Remarkably, that was fewer touches than goalkeeper Illan Meslier.

The Spaniard didn’t even play too much in the final third, spending the vast majority of his time on the pitch inside their own half.

He completed 92% of his passes and lost the ball just once. If ever there was an indication that form is temporary, class is permanent, this was it.

Hernandez has had his fair share of doubters this term but this was evidence that he can still offer plenty to Leeds and Bielsa.

If he can provide this kind of magic from the bench regularly, he will have done his job no end.

In other news, Forget Harrison: “Bargain” Leeds beast who made 100% longballs delivered a huge statement…

Crystal Palace must make a cut-throat decision on Mamadou Sakho’s future at Selhurst Park amid links abroad.

What’s the word?

The 30-year-old defender has struggled with injuries so far this season, and has yet to feature since the 2-1 victory over Fulham at Craven Cottage in October, where he made a brief cameo from the bench, and it now appears the end is nigh for the former France international.

Sakho had been heavily linked with a move away from Selhurst Park in the summer, with L’Equipe reporting that Ligue 1 side Lyon were interested in the centre-back, but that deal failed to materialise.

However, he has been handed another lifeline, if recent reports are to be believed. According to Estadio Deportivo, Real Betis are interested in securing his services as they are targeting players who are out of contract next summer.

The clock is ticking

Having returned to Palace on a permanent basis from Liverpool for £26m in 2017, things haven’t exactly gone to plan for Sakho at Selhurst Park. The veteran defender has had his fair share of injury problems during his time at Palace, having played just 74 games for the club since his move was made permanent.

As a result, he has often found it difficult to establish himself in Roy Hodgson’s side, with Gary Cahill and James Tomkins the preferred defensive pairing last season.

Hodgson has been frustrated by his injury problems in the past, saying: “He feels, in his own words, scared that something’s going to happen if he plays and he’s unwilling to take the risk.

“We thought he was going to be back, but he is still feeling his calf injury. At the moment he is making it clear he doesn’t feel confident enough to play.

“I’m disappointed in that as I thought we would have got him back after the Newcastle second half when he played so well, but it hasn’t turned out that way. We will just have to wait and see but it’s really when he lets us know he’s ready. We’ll have to wait and see, and we are waiting for him to let us know when he’s ready.”

As much as we hate to admit it, it’s fair to say that he has simply been more trouble than what he is worth, which is precisely why the Eagles must get rid of him at all costs by any means necessary in January.

With his contract coming to a close in a matter of months, coupled with the fact that the £8.5m-rated outcast has been left on the bench for the past four Premier League games in a row, Palace chairman Steve Parish must make the ruthless call to cash in on him when the winter transfer market opens in just under a month’s time.

AND in other news, Crystal Palace must swoop for Reading defender Omar Richards in January…

Crystal Palace bolstered their attack with the loan signing of Michy Batshuayi in the summer, and many fans are reacting as they still look to strengthen up front, with Mariano Diaz the latest name linked.

According to Sport, Palace and fellow Premier League sides Everton and West Ham are monitoring the £25million-rated Real Madrid striker. The forward has played 42 times in all competitions and only scored 11 times (Transfermarkt) and this is not the greatest record. Many Palace fans have various opinions on the rumour because of this, with one calling it a ‘horrible idea’.

Not only is his lack of goals worrying, but also the fact that he has only played 41 times in four years. This highlights that he isn’t really highly rated by Madrid, even though there is plenty of squad depth in front of him.

The signing seems like a bit of a risk, especially for a club who haven’t spent over £20million on one player since Mamadou Sakho in the 2017/18 season (Transfermarkt).

With the South London side already having a lot of experienced Premier League forwards at the club, it would probably be best if they spent their money elsewhere.

Here is how Palace fans reacted to the transfer update:

In other Palace news, many fans are not happy with this Premier League star being linked. Have a read who it is here!

West Ham United forward Andriy Yarmolenko offered an inconsistent display during Ukraine’s 1-0 win over Spain in the UEFA Nations League on Tuesday night.

Andriy Shevchenko’s Ukraine hosted Luis Enrique’s Spain at the NSK Olimpiskyi stadium looking to bounce-back from defeat at home to Germany on Saturday, with a sole goal from Viktor Tsygankov enough to settle the tie.

The result moved Ukraine to within a point of Group 4 leaders Spain and level on six points with Germany, who were held to a 3-3 draw by Switzerland who remain winless after four matches.

Yarmolenko assisted Tsygankov’s deadlock-breaking effort in the 76th-minute, but otherwise hindered Ukraine’s efforts as he earned his 91st international cap whilst wearing the captain’s armband for the third game in succession.

Yarmolenko has been a constant on the international stage for his native Ukraine for the past year, having recovered from an Achilles tendon rupture to participate in their European Championship qualifying campaign and now lead the country in hopes of reaching the Finals of the 2020/21 edition of the Nations League.

Irons boss David Moyes has not been as forthcoming with minutes in east London, with the Scottish coach only starting the £6.75million-rated attacker in West Ham’s Carabao Cup ties and as a late substitute in their first two Premier League fixtures.

Former Hammers boss Manuel Pellegrini was a much larger advocate of Yarmolenko’s potential, having signed the 30-year-old from Borussia Dortmund for £17.5m.

“He is able to be one of the best midfielders in the league,” Pellegrini said of Yarmolenko in 2019, via quotes by The Telegraph. “His quality and the way he is playing is showing that he is a top player.”

Irons teammate Ryan Fredericks also lauded Yarmolenko a year ago for being an unusual breed, pairing power with technical skill.

“He is a little bit different,” Fredericks noted. “Unpredictable.”

It would be fair to say that Yarmolenko’s performance against Spain lived up to the unpredictable tag as he produced an inconsistent display. Whilst the £115,000-per-week attacker – notably West Ham’s top-earner – did provide an assist, he was also consistently an easy read for his marker.

Spain restricted Yarmolenko to just two key balls from 30 accurate passes as they penned the attacker back in Ukraine’s territory for much of the clash, while forcing him to lose possession nine times, commit three fouls, lose seven of 10 duels, be caught offside once and only make one successful dribble, per SofaScore.

Yarmolenko was further dribbled past twice, made no successful tackles and registered no efforts on goal, but was able to record four clearances and one interception.

His performance pretty much mirrored his club form, an inconsistent display which is likely to make it an extremely easy call for Moyes to again bench Yarmolenko when West Ham return to the Premier League this weekend away to Tottenham Hotspur, looking to claim only their second win over their London rivals in what will be seven meetings.

AND in other news, West Ham can sign a “gifted” long-term target before Friday’s deadline after a Premier League rival turned to alternative options.

Glasgow Rangers have potentially been handed a massive boost ahead of their Europa League tie with Galatasaray on Thursday, with Younes Belhanda close to a move to Nice according to A Spor.

Midfielder Belhanda used to play for the French side, and he could be about to make a return to his former club.

It is reported that the Ligue 1 team will pay a fee in the region of €7m (£6.4m), with Belhanda one of the big earners at the club and therefore having drawn criticism.

During his time in Turkey, Belhanda’s performances have been mixed. In 108 games, he has managed 16 goals and 23 assists, but as the report states, some feel that the 50-time Morocco international does not contribute as much as he should given the wage he takes home – he is said to be earning €4m (£3.7m) a year with Gala.

On his day, though, he can be a fantastic player, as he often showed during the 2011/12 season as his 12 goals and six assists in Ligue 1 helped Montpellier to an unlikely title. Whilst this interest does not mean that he will not play on Thursday, his absence is obviously a possibility. And even if he does appear, his mind could be elsewhere. Steven Gerrard will not be relying on his opponents’ problems in their attempts to make the group stage, but this kind of situation certainly won’t harm his and the Gers’ cause.

Let us know what you think below!

Globally sought-after talent Jadon Sancho has thrown a huge curveball into the mix as he would reportedly favour a move to Anfield over Old Trafford next season.

The Independent (via Sportsmole) has reported that the Dortmund winger could be seeking a move to Liverpool despite his talks with Manchester United. Both the reigning Premier League champions and Bayern Munich have overtaken the Red Devils in pursuit of his signature.

Jurgen Klopp has been highlighted as someone who could lure Sancho to the fortress of Anfield over the coming months.

Liverpool could snatch Sancho

The England international has been linked to several Premier League clubs this year. The Reds are certainly interested but seemingly couldn’t justify his mammoth asking price. Back in June, Dortmund valued their star player at an astronomical £117million, according to Bild (via talkSPORT). However, due to the current financial climate, neither Liverpool nor United have been able to facilitate a move.

Dortmund lost out on the Bundesliga title by quite a margin last season, finishing 13 points behind winners Bayern. Sancho could be weighing up his options as he starts thinking about winning trophies. Klopp’s success with both Liverpool and Dortmund could be a deciding factor in the 20-year-old’s next move.

Sancho stats

Sancho has quickly established himself as one of the best young talents on the planet. Last campaign, he notched a delightful 20 goals and 20 assists across competitions for his club, taking his Dortmund total to 35 goals and 45 assists all together (via Transfermarkt).

The winger also enjoyed time in England with Manchester City, scoring 15 goals in just 22 appearances in the U18 league. However, Sancho was never called up to the senior squad. He may have unfinished business in his home country – that being the desire to dominate the Premier League.

If Liverpool are to make a move for the forward, it will likely be next summer when the picture is clearer on finances. With three years left on his contract, it’s also without question that Sancho will still cost in excess of £100million. But if the Reds do strike a club record deal for the services of a player who has been labelled “world class” by former player Emre Can, they will have seriously caught Man United with their trousers down.

In other news, Verdict on Gini Wijnaldum’s Liverpool future a stark reminder for Klopp…

Wolves have every right to feel bitterly disappointed after the 2019/20 season as a late drop in form cost them a place in the Europa League.

The Midlands outfit will once again have their eyes on continental qualification this season, but there is a feeling that in order to get to that next level, they need to improve in some vital areas.

Nuno Espirito Santo’s side was looking rather threadbare this summer after Matt Doherty left for Tottenham and Jonny Otto’s ACL injury put him out for the foreseeable future.

Fortunately, Jeff Shi has brokered a number of deals to bring in some exciting players at Molineux, and we’ve ranked Wolves’ incoming transfers so far…

Marcal 4/5

What a piece of business this could prove to be.

Wing-backs are vitally important in Nuno’s system, and with Jonny out injured, Wolves were left with the inexperienced Ruben Vinagre as their only option on the left side.

Fortunately, they’ve been able to find a top-quality option in that position, and he was something of a bargain as well.

£2m for a full-back with Champions League experience will never be considered a bad signing, and he will alleviate a lot of the pressure that Vinagre may have been feeling after Jonny went down with an ACL last month.

Fabio Silva 3/5

If any other club were making this signing you’d laugh at them, but with Wolves getting these types of deals right so often over the past few years, it’s hard to completely disregard the idea that Silva could be a success.

We’re not going to pretend that £35m for an 18-year-old striker with just one league goal to his name represents incredible value because it looks atrocious when you put it like that, but he’s highly rated, and with Wolves building an exciting young roster, this signing could be one that takes a few years to pay off.

Vitinha 3/5

A young midfielder who has starred at Porto making a move to Wolves, where have we heard that one before?

Vitinha isn’t quite at the level Ruben Neves was when he arrived at Molineux, but this could be yet another example of Wolves’ links to Portugal paying dividends.

The 20-year-old looks like another youngster with a high ceiling, winning the breakthrough player award at the 2019 Toulon Tournament and playing a handful of games for Porto’s first-team.

This is a relatively low-risk signing on loan, but if he comes in and does well, Wolves’ option to buy him at the end of the season could look like a very wise move to make.

According to an exclusive update from Diario AS, Tottenham Hotspur have bid more than £1.7m to sign promising Barcelona starlet Lucas de Vega this summer, but the Catalans giants rejected Daniel Levy’s offer and have demanded more than quadruple that fee. 

De Vega, who is seen as a real up-and-comer after graduating from La Masia, has spent time on loan away at Barcelona B and FC Cartagena in the last two seasons, and will reportedly be unable to leave the Camp Nou for less than an eventual £7m total fee.

Indeed, the La Liga giants apparently want £3.6m up front as an initial cost, and then another £3.6m in add-ons to sanction any proposed transfer,but it’s unclear whether Lilywhites chairman Levy will go for more than four times his original offer.

Turning heads in Catalonia, De Vega has also warranted the club to insert an eye-watering £88.9m release clause into his current contract, but circumstances caused by the global pandemic may have prompted Barca to contemplate selling for much less.

The Brazilian starlet, who caught ex-Arsenal manager Unai Emery’s eye back in 2018 according to reports, has also been on the radar of European champions Bayern Munich in recent seasons, potentially drawing attention to his vast ceiling and reputation among the continent’s elite.

According to Transfermarkt, the South American can play in a number of forward positions, including both flanks, but he also has experience of starting in a central-attacking midfield role, something that may entice manager Jose Mourinho given the club’s failure to find an heir to Christian Eriksen.

Of course, De Vega couldn’t fill the Dane’s shoes right away but, given his potential, the 20-year-old may have the ability to do so in future years.

Spurs fans, should the club be focusing on potentials this summer? Have your say in the comments below…