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According to a report by Spanish outlet La Razon, Tottenham Hotspur boss Jose Mourinho has personally requested for the club to sign Sevilla colossus Diego Carlos this summer – with the Lilywhites manager appearing very keen on the Brazilian as a solution to his defensive woes.

Mourinho is under increasing scrutiny at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium with speculation surrounding his future as Spurs currently face a battle to qualify for European football next season.

Jose Mourinho want Diego Carlos

This is despite a fine start to the 2020/2021 campaign which saw them briefly climb to top of the Premier League table at one point.

As the summer transfer window nears, Mourinho is now reportedly very keen to sign Sevilla powerhouse Diego Carlos in the summer as he eyes new additions to strengthen his defence.

The 28-year-old has a release clause of around €75 million (£64.8 million), and amid the current financial crisis caused by coronavirus, a boost for Spurs could be that the La Liga giants would agree to lower the price if they included Davinson Sanchez in the deal.

Sevilla are apparently ‘obliged to make a big sale’ this summer, and although there is plenty of noise surrounding fellow star centre-half Jules Kounde, they could opt to offload Carlos instead.

Transfer Tavern take

Nicknamed ‘the beast’ with a ‘shade of Kalidou Koulibaly’, as Spanish football analyst Domagoj Kostanjšak explained last year when he was linked with Liverpool (Liverpool Echo), it appears Carlos has continued in that vain this season.

Amassing a round total 90% pass accuracy out from the back in La Liga this season, whilst also averaging the most clearances per 90 out of all Sevilla players with over ten appearances (WhoScored), it is safe to say he has been a consistent presence.

Time will tell what comes of this report, but Mourinho is certainly keen on the signing.

In other news: This Tottenham star could leave,  find out more here.

Manchester City have been linked with a move for Romelu Lukaku in recent months, as they look to add a world-class striker to their ranks ahead of next season, but it seems as if the Citizens’ hopes of signing the Belgian international have suffered a blow, after it was reported that Inter are not willing to sell him this summer.

According to reports from Italy, Inter won’t sell the 27-year-old striker this summer despite the interest being shown in him by both Manchester City and Barcelona.

Pep Guardiola’s side are clearly in the market for a new frontman, especially if Sergio Aguero departs on the expiry of his contract at the end of the season, and after Borussia Dortmund’s astronomical asking price for Erling Haaland was revealed recently, Lukaku perhaps could have re-emerged as a potential option for City this summer.

The former Chelsea and Manchester United man has been in phenomenal form for Inter so far this season, with 19 goals and eight assists to his name in just 26 Serie A appearances, resulting in a superb 7.56 average rating.

The Belgian striker has seen his value soar during his time in Italy, as he is now rated at £81 million by Transfermarkt, after leaving United for £74 million in 2019.

Guardiola is a big fan of the striker, despite his indifferent form during his time at United, and was full of praise for him in 2018, saying:

“He’s fast, going to the channels, he helps to keep the ball and helps to make the movement for the other guys. He’s top. He’s a world-class player.”

Lukaku certainly would have added a physical presence up front for Man City, which is something they have lacked in recent seasons, so it is undoubtedly a blow for Guardiola’s side that Inter seemingly won’t allow him to leave this summer when you consider his superb record since joining Antonio Conte’s side.

And, in other news… Pep could be set for huge Man City boost with “incredible” £90m-rated gem

Speaking exclusively to Football FanCast, Peterborough director of football Barry Fry has named Manchester United as a potential rival to Chelsea in the race for Erling Haaland.

The Borussia Dortmund superstar is currently being linked with a move to west London, but Fry is expecting Manchester United to also make a play for him in the next transfer window.

Interest in Haaland in the summer is a inevitability, with the 20-year-old in incredible form right now as his climb to the summit of world football continues.

He has already hit the 30-goal mark in all competitions this season, so for any club currently in need of a striker, this looks to be their man.

Discussing where the future of Haaland, who is rated at up to €200m (£170m) by CIES, could lie in an exclusive interview with FFC, Fry said:

“They [Manchester United] are two or three quality players away from really challenging Man City. And if they want to do that, they’ve got to go for the best players and obviously he’s one of the best players about.

“I think Man United, not sure about Liverpool, their strategy on transfers and what have you, but I think Man United will compete with Chelsea for that signature, that’s for sure.”

Should Haaland end up at Old Trafford, he would join the likes of Marcus Rashford, Anthony Martial and Mason Greenwood, a wealth of attacking options that would make most Premier League managers jealous.

Phil Hay has hinted that Stuart Dallas could take up a midfield role in Leeds United’s Premier League clash on Friday night.

The Whites are back in action on Friday, making the trip to Craven Cottage to take on Scott Parker’s relegation-threatened Fulham.

Fulham’s form has improved in recent months, however, so Marcelo Bielsa’s men will have their work cut out picking up a positive result in west London.

The Leeds manager has a few selection headaches going into the game and one of them could be his use of Dallas, who has often played at left-back this season, among other positions.

Hay hints at Dallas midfield role

Speaking in a Q&A for The Athletic, Hay explained that he could see Dallas taking up a central midfield role against Fulham instead of Mateusz Klich:

“I’d say it’s likely that Dallas will play at 8. His form is better than Klich’s at the moment.”

Dallas has been described as “brilliant” by former Whites striker Noel Whelan in recent weeks, having become such a reliable performer for the club.

Transfer Tavern take

Midfield is one of several roles Dallas has occupied this season, as mentioned, so there is no risk in switching him from a left-back berth.

That would then mean Ezgjan Alioski starting at the back, as he did in last weekend’s 0-0 draw at home to Chelsea – a clean sheet against Thomas Tuchel’s high-fliers is no mean feat.

In other news, Leeds have been tipped to make a move for a hugely experienced Premier League defender this summer. Read about it here.

Despite Liverpool having recruited two centre-backs in the January transfer window, the Reds continue to be linked with yet more defensive stalwarts.

The latest named in whom Jurgen Klopp is reportedly interested is Napoli centre-back Kalidou Koulibaly.

In completing a deal for the Senegalese international, then they would be securing one of the best centre-backs in Europe at the current time.

The defender, now aged 29, has been with the Serie A giants since 2014 and, in that time, he has forged a reputation as a ferocious and dominant figure at the back.

He has gone on to make 274 appearances for the Partenopei, winning the Coppa Italia with the club last year.

His defensive statistics are also extremely impressive this season despite having missed part of the campaign after testing positive for COVID-19.

He is averaging 1.6 tackles, one interception, 1.7 clearances and 0.8 blocks per game in 2020/21, according to WhoScored.

When compared to Joe Gomez, who Koulibaly would presumably replace in the Liverpool starting XI when every player is fit, the Napoli man comes out on top in every facet besides clearances – the Englishman averaging a huge 4.4 per game throughout 2020/21 before his campaign was curtailed due to injury.

Some could make an argument that the Napoli defender’s age could be a negative factor, and to some extent that could be true – Koulibaly turns 30 in June.

However, age brings considerable experience, with him having made 26 appearances in the Champions League throughout his career, which of course would become extremely useful as the Reds attempt to continuing challenging on multiple fronts under Jurgen Klopp.

A deal would also not come cheap. Rated at £54m, it could take a considerably larger fee to bring him to Anfield.

Nevertheless, with no other glaring weakness in the Liverpool squad besides the centre-back position next to the dominant Virgil van Dijk, a big-money swoop for Koulibaly could see Liverpool regain their defensive resolve and once again challenge at the very top.

AND in more news, take a look at why Houssem Aouar could be the perfect addition to the Reds’ midfield…

Crystal Palace fell to a humbling 4-1 defeat against Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday evening.

Despite having some promising moments, the Eagles were second best in the capital, with braces from Harry Kane and Gareth Bale securing a thumping win for the hosts.

One silver lining for Roy Hodgson’s troops though was seeing Wilfried Zaha back in action, having been out with an injury since early February.

However, it was not the return that either his manager or teammates will have wanted.

Given a place on the bench at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, the Ivorian international was introduced at half-time with the scores level at 1-1.

It was thought that the £45m-rated winger could have given the Eagles some fresh attacking impetus but he, in fact, did the opposite.

Throughout his second-half appearance, he could only accumulate 16 touches of the ball according to WhoScored – only fellow substitute Jean-Philippe Mateta had fewer in the entire Crystal Palace side.

Even when Zaha received the ball, he was simply not able to do anything with it.

He only had one shot, which was off target, and did not provide a single key pass.

Zaha also conspired to lose the ball on multiple occasions throughout his second-half cameo, getting dispossessed twice and having another unsuccessful touch.

His passing also painted a damning picture of his poor performance. Racking up a horrendous passing accuracy of just 33%, which is by far and away the worst by any player on the pitch, you may have been forgiven for thinking that Zaha was indeed lining up for the opposing team.

To compound his teammates’ frustrations, the winger was also caught offside on three occasions in 45 minutes. Whilst this could be down to disciplined defending from the home side, it is of no consolation to the Eagles who saw their attacks abruptly halted when attempting to find Zaha, who seemed to be a bit lazy in terms of his discipline of reading the line.

His performance could be understandable considering his long lay off in recent weeks but Hodgson will surely be demanding more as his star man regains his match sharpness.

AND in more news, read more about the Eagles’ links with £22m-rated Mostafa Mohamed…

Wolverhampton Wanderers have been handed a major boost in the chase to sign Aleksander Buksa, with reports claiming they would only have to pay up to £200,000 in compensation for the Wisla Krakow striker.

Buksa Molineux-bound?

The 18-year-old centre-forward who is out of contract at the end of the 2020/21 campaign, in what is his third season playing at senior level.

Buksa was given extraordinarily high praise by Sportowe Fakty, who compared him to Bayern Munich striker Robert Lewandowski due to his finishing and strength.

The Poland U19 international had previously been linked with a move to Molineux before Christmas, with suggestions that super-agents Jorge Mendes and Pini Zahavi were working together to bring Buksa to the club.

Now, Dziennik Polski have confirmed that he could cost just €220,000 (£191,000), due to having come through the ranks at the Ekstraklasa club.

Previous reports suggested that Wolves would most likely his best destination, potentially saving the Black Country millions on finding a replacement for Raul Jimenez, although the likes of Barcelona and Bayern Munich have said to be in the running and “are on his trail”.

Transfer Tavern Verdict

Manager Nuno Espirito Santo could be about to capture a bargain if comparisons with the Bavarian talisman are to be believed. And given that he is now available for such a small compensation fee, it’s a major boost for Wolves and their chase for the young striker.

Buksa has scored four times from 35 appearances for Wisla but the majority of those appearances were as a substitute, rarely completing a full 90 minutes (Transfermarkt).

Mendes must act fast if he wants to bring the 6 foot 2 Buksa to Molineux.

In other news, Wolves fans left irritated by ‘obvious’ call from Nuno Espirito Santo.

Dean Windass has spoken exclusively to Football FanCast and given a scathing verdict on Newcastle United’s survival chances.

Steve Bruce’s side have taken just nine points from a possible 45 and recorded just two wins in their previous 17 matches. A worrying statistic that has seen the Magpies plummet into a relegation battle.

Newcastle’s Achilles’ heel has been finding the net consistently this season and with Callum Wilson, Miguel Almiron and Allan Saint-Maximin now out until April the picture is looking extremely bleak.

The Magpies have improved their performances recently, however, it is all about results now with Bruce firmly in the hot seat with the club’s future firmly in the balance. With a potential takeover still in the pipeline, a relegation could scupper those plans.

A point against Wolverhampton Wanderers would usually have been seen as a positive result but Newcastle need wins with Fulham looking solid and difficult to beat. Newcastle have an eye on the Cottagers but must find a way to grind out results, even if that means performances become less attractive.

Many pundits fear the worst for Newcastle who could be set for a third relegation under the ownership of Mike Ashley.

Football Fancast spoke exclusively to Dean Windass with the former Darlington striker, not sugar-coating it for Newcastle fans.

A straight forward “yes” by Windass when asked if the Magpies could go down says everything you need to know about Newcastle as a club at the minute, people seem resigned to the fact they are going to be overtaken in 17th by Fulham.

Windass added: “It’s going to be a long [rest of the] season. 

“The one thing about Newcastle is that, no disrespect to Callum Wilson, how do you replace Alan Shearer?

“Newcastle never won anything really and Shearer was getting you 30 goals a season.

“Now, you need somebody to get you double figures a season to keep you in the Premier League.”

Newcastle’s future could be determined in the coming days if scans on both Almiron and Saint-Maximin’s injuries are to be as bad as first feared then the Magpies place all their creativity on Ryan Fraser who has had his fair share of injuries this campaign.

There are 12 games remaining and Newcastle fans will be buckling in for a long slog for some precious points which could set them up for a bright future in the Premier League under new ownership.

When it comes to Leeds United, they have a whole plethora of promising young academy players.

Victor Orta has made a point of strengthening that area of the club and in the summer it was a huge priority to improve Mark Jackson’s squad.

He added Cody Drameh, Crysencio Summerville, Sam Greenwood and Joe Gelhardt to the club’s academy ranks and a number of them have reaped the rewards pretty instantly.

Summerville scored a hat-trick against Burnley U23s while Greenwood was presented with a first-team opportunity against Crawley in the FA Cup.

Though, it’s a defender in Leeds’ ranks that we want to focus on for the time being. Of course, it will naturally be the attackers who take most of the credit but one man who’s also earned a first-team debut this season has been Charlie Cresswell.

The 18-year-old has only featured on one occasion under Marcelo Bielsa but it would hardly be a surprise if he starts to get more chances in the not too distant future.

That’s because he is the archetypal Bielsa player, a defender who likes to advance forward with the ball at his feet and play out from the back.

Speaking about the centre-back earlier this season, Noel Whelan highlighted his qualities: “At that centre-half position he’s got great attributes, he’s very calm on the ball, a great size to him, he’s quick, he can head, he can pass. He’s the modern-day, young-centre half.”

If you’d taken those words out of context, it could quite easily describe a certain Ben White.

Like Cresswell, he’s a baby faced centre-half and possesses very similar qualities. White was tremendous during Leeds’ promotion-winning campaign last season and in their 18-year-old academy graduate they have a player who could potentially live up to similar heights.

Last term, White completed 84.6% of his passes, a tally that Cresswell came close to emulating when the U21s took on Blackpool in the Papa John’s Trophy. On that day, the teenager completed 81% of his passes, demonstrating complete composure in the backline.

Like White, his reading of the game was near impeccable. Cresswell completed two interceptions and remarkably prevailed in seven tackles.

Last summer, it was all about who Leeds could find to replace the Brighton defender at centre-half. They tried to do so with the additions of Robin Koch and Diego Llorente but since arriving, they seem to have spent more time on the treatment table than out on the field.

Perhaps Bielsa’s answer was right in front of him all along? Cresswell typifies the modern defender and has all the attributes that made White such a hit at Elland Road.

AND in other news, Leeds could save millions by unleashing rarely-seen 20 y/o, he’s endorsed by Ian Harte…

Hammers insider ExWHUemployee claimed earlier this week, while speaking on The West Ham Way podcast, that David Moyes’ side could sign Besiktas striker Vincent Aboubakar in the January transfer window.

David Sullivan launching efforts to land the Senegal beast could see the Irons co-owner and Chairman hand Moyes his new Marko Arnautovic, after hinting recently at desires to find another of the Austrian’s calibre having lacked much quality in the box against Chelsea.

West Ham have since sold Sebastien Haller to AFC Ajax in a £20m deal to further deplete Moyes’ offensive arsenal, with Michail Antonio – back from a second hamstring injury of the season – now the Scottish tactician’s only recognised senior centre-forward at the club.

West Ham’s lack of attacking options and activity in the transfer market saw Moyes face Doncaster Rovers in the FA Cup without a recognised striker starting on Saturday, with winger Andriy Yarmolenko instead tasked with leading the line at the London Stadium.

The Hammers have been linked with an endless stream of strikers since selling Haller, but ExWHUemployee has suggested Aboubakar may be an option the club will explore as the 63-cap international could be available for a bargain fee.

West Ham have explored signing Aboubakar in past windows and continue to look on the 29-year-old’s talents in a positive light, having scored 10 goals in 15 Super Lig fixtures after joining Besiktas as a free agent last summer.

His deal at Vodafone Park is a one-year contract that features an option to extend based on his performances over the 2020/21 campaign, that have so far seen the £6.5m-rated frontman score 22% of Besiktas’ total 45 goals in the Super Lig this term.

Sullivan signing Aboubakar in the closing stages of the January transfer window could see the West Ham chief land Moyes the new-Arnautovic type the former Manchester United boss is looking for. Any funds saved this month may also help the east London outfit land a higher-calibre target when greater options become available at the end of the season.

West Ham certainly can ill-afford to not strengthen Moyes’ attacking options in the winter market given Antonio’s injury issues, and should have no qualms over Aboubakar being a reliable option having only not featured in a Super Lig game this season after the loss of his mother last month.

Goals have continued to flow for the physical 6ft brute since his return, too, as Aboubakar moved his goals and assists per 90 ratio to 0.87, per FBref, while staying calm under pressure to score four from four penalty kicks taken.

No player currently at the London Stadium is contributing at a similar level, with Antonio (0.6) ranking first among all West Ham players who have featured in the Premier League on multiple occasions this term. Haller, for comparison, had offered just 0.29 before his exit.

AND in other news – Exclusive: Pundit drops verdict on West Ham’s interest in a lethal striker adored by a Moyes favourite.