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Tottenham Hotspur’s four games in April will all air on Sky Sports, the club have confirmed on their official Twitter account.

Spurs play Brighton & Hove Albion, Huddersfield Town and West Ham United at home, while also travelling to the Etihad Stadium to face Manchester City.

And the club have announced that three of those games – Huddersfield, City and the Hammers – will be 12:30 pm kick-offs. The clash with Brighton will start at 4:30 pm.

It remains to be seen whether the home games will be held at Wembley or at the club’s newly-built stadium.

The London Evening Standard reported earlier this week that Spurs are hopeful of playing Brighton on April 6 at their new ground, but the game may well be rescheduled if the Seagulls beat Millwall to reach the FA Cup semi-finals.

The Huddersfield game, the report states, subsequently appears to be the most likely fixture to raise the curtain.

And Spurs fans have reacted to the news of the television picks with cynicism – many believe Sky Sports are trying to air the opening of the new stadium so are hedging their bets, while others are less than enthused about three early kick-offs in a row. Take a look at some of the best reaction below!

West Ham didn’t add any new signings to their side in January but David Moyes will surely be hoping to make up for it this summer as the Hammers push on again for a place in European football as news of a potential transfer target emerges.

What’s the word?

According to The Telegraph, West Ham are plotting a bid for Mainz captain Moussa Niakhate and could snap up the centre-back for just £8m in the summer.

Mainz reportedly do not want to lose the 26-year-old on a free transfer when his contract expires in 2023, so would be interested in accepting a lower fee this summer to cash in on him.

The East London club joins two other Premier League clubs in the pursuit for the Frenchman’s signature, as Newcastle United and Everton are also linked in the report.

Diop replacement

West Ham supporters will surely be delighted that the club is linked with a new player to freshen up the defensive line after an abject season from Issa Diop, and they will be even more thrilled about replacing their current defender with Niakhate when you compare their output this season.

According to Squawka, the 26-year-old defender, who was hailed “ambitious” by Mainz manager Bo Svensson, has also been highly effective in offensive play with three more goals and ten more chances created than the current West Ham centre-back who was labelled “poor” by Ian Wright this season.

It’s also evident that he is well-oiled machine in defence, registering numbers that eclipse far and away what Diop can produce.

With the Europa League trophy and an outside chance of stealing the fourth spot in the Premier League table to qualify for Champions League still in sight, it was thought Moyes might have added some depth to his squad in the winter transfer window, but clearly the club felt that they could progress without new additions.

The recent success for West Ham in finishing higher in the league, and their continued efforts to become a force in the Europa League will surely mean that adding to and upgrading on their current options will be a priority this summer, and Niakhate could be a great place to start for the side.

In other news: WHU may end up signing “electric” £50m gem this summer, he can finally replace Haller

Rangers winger Ryan Kent made an ‘inexcusable’ error in the first half of Sunday’s Old Firm derby defeat, Ally McCoist has said. 

The lowdown

Rangers had the opportunity to go level points with their Glasgow arch-rivals at the top of the Premiership, but instead wound up falling six points back after a 2-1 defeat.

Aaron Ramsey had given them an early lead, but Tom Rogic quickly equalised and Cameron Carter-Vickers completed the turnaround shortly before half-time. With just six games to go, the Gers’ title hopes are now looking somewhat slim.

Kent formed part of an attacking midfield trio in Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s 4-2-3-1 shape, starting alongside Ramsey and Joe Aribo, and he completed the full 90 minutes.

The latest

With the score locked at 1-1, Kent was caught offside 29 minutes into the game after John Lundstram had tried to slip him through on goal, and McCoist, who is , was left deeply frustrated by that lapse in concentration.

On commentary for Sky Sports Football on Sunday [3 April, 12:30pm], as quoted by Ibrox News, Rangers’ all-time top scorer fumed: “It’s inexcusable. Goldson’s done the exact same thing – you must look along the line.

“It’s a brilliant ball from Lundstram. I thought, initially, the pass was for Bassey. You’ve got absolutely no need to be offside there.”

The verdict

Kent is one of Rangers’ star players. He ranks fourth in the squad for overall goal involvements (11) and second for assists (eight), and Transfermarkt rate him as the club’s most valuable asset at £12.6m.

However, after he set up Ramsey for the opener in the third minute, it proved to be a frustrating day for the 25-year-old at Ibrox. He only completed two of the six dribbles he attempted, none of his five crosses found a team-mate and two of his three shots were blocked (via SofaScore).

He and his Rangers team-mates will now look to take out that frustration on Braga in the first leg of the Europa League quarter-final on Thursday.

In other news, the stats show that this Rangers trio struggled most against the Hoops

James Milner could still be playing for Liverpool in 2024, Frank McAvennie has told Football Insider.

The lowdown: Klopp confirms talks

Milner, 36, joined Liverpool in 2015 on a free transfer after leaving Manchester City – his £140,000-per-week contract is due to expire at the end of the 2021/22 season

But manager Jurgen Klopp confirmed in February that ‘the club is in talks’ with the midfielder over a potential renewal.

He’s played 283 matches for the club, scoring 26 goals and providing 44 assists, and helped them win the 2018/19 UEFA Champions League and the 2019/20 Premier League.

Milner ranks fourth on the all-time PL appearance list (584), 69 short of leader Gareth Barry.

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The latest: McAvennie reacts

McAvennie hailed the attitude of the ‘remarkable’ veteran and believes Klopp will appreciate him both on and off the pitch. He thinks Milner could remain part of the squad until he’s 38.

“It’s great to see Milner playing, oh my god he’s older than me,” the 62-year-old joked to FI.

“He still has it as well. Long may it continue because you are so long retired.

“I don’t blame him for keeping going but to be his age and getting games for this Liverpool side is remarkable.

“He puts such a shift in every time he plays even if he isn’t starting every week.

“That’s the personality Klopp really likes. I imagine Milner is a big influence behind the scenes.

“It wouldn’t surprise me if he was still there in a couple of years. Maybe he has one more contract in him.”

The verdict: Good decision?

McAvennie certainly has a point about Milner’s work-rate. Data from FBRef shows that the Englishman ranks in the 90th percentile or better among midfielders in the top five leagues when it comes to tackles, blocks and clearances.

However, while he was selected in the second leg of Liverpool’s Champions League quarterfinal against Benfica in midweek, he hasn’t started a PL match since the 2-2 draw with Chelsea back on 2 January.

Klopp appears more inclined to bring him off the substitutes’ bench late on in a bid to close out matches.

So the question is not only whether Liverpool offer him a deal, it’s also whether Milner will accept limited involvement, when he could theoretically have the chance to play more regularly elsewhere.

In other news, Liverpool have another Primeira Liga target after Diaz.

Former Wolverhampton Wanderers target Hirving Lozano looks as if he will be available to sign in the summer transfer window.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by Italian publication La Gazzetta dello Sport (via Get Italian Football News), who claimed that, with Napoli on course to sign Dinamo Batumi winger Khvicha Kvaratskhelia this summer, the Mexico international could be put up for sale by the Serie A title challengers.

This could see Jeff Shi reignite his interest in the 26-year-old, with Calciomercato reporting back in the March 2020 that Wolves were one of three Premier League clubs – alongside West Ham United and Everton – contemplating a move for the former PSV Eindhoven starlet.

Furthermore, Lozano himself appears to be open to a move away from the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium this summer, with the forward revealing in November: “The truth is that I would like to go and play in another club, bigger.”

Better than Ocampos

With Bruno Lage looking as if he could experience something of a mass exodus in the wide attacking positions of his Wolves squad at the end of the current campaign, it would appear a very wise move for Shi to revisit the possibility of signing Lozano this summer.

Indeed, with Francisco Trincao recently revealing that he does not want to remain at Molineux beyond the completion of his season-long loan deal, Adama Traore looking certain to move onto pastures new this summer and Paris Saint-Germain plotting a move for Pedro Neto, Lage could well be left with only Daniel Podence and Hwang Hee-chan as options on the flanks ahead of next season.

While it is true that Lozano has somewhat struggled to live up to his club-record €42m (£35m) transfer fee over his two-and-a-half year spell in Naples, the Mexican has nevertheless shown in flashes that he is still a player who boasts a huge amount of talent.

Indeed, over his 32 Serie A appearances last season, the £31.5m-rated winger was in deadly form for Gli Azzurri, bagging 11 goals, registering four assists and creating 10 big chances for his teammates, along with taking 1.8 shots and making 1.1 key passes per game.

These returns saw the £112k-per-week attacker, who journalist Bolarinwa Olajide dubbed a “sensation”, average a highly impressive SofaScore match rating of 7.04, ranking him as his club’s seventh-best player in the Italian top flight.

As such, with the futures of Trincao, Traore and Neto all appearing to be somewhat up in the air at present, and with goalscoring being something of an issue for Wolves this season – with Lage’s side finding the net just 33 times in the Premier League – a swoop for Lozano could well be the answer to the Old Gold’s problems.

Furthermore, with Sevilla reportedly demanding an eye-watering €90m (£75m) in order to part ways with Wolves’ target Lucas Ocampos this summer – a player who has registered one direct goal contribution for every 208 minutes of football played for Sevilla, compared to Lozano’s record of one direct goal contribution every 160 minutes at Napoli – it is clear to see that the Mexican would be a signing who represents much better value for money.

AND in other news: Lage could unearth Wolves’ next £100m talent as Fosun plot offer for 19-year-old “missile”

A worrying claim has been made regarding the feeling behind the scenes at Newcastle during the January transfer window…

What’s the talk?

The Athletic’s Chris Waugh has provided an insight into how the club have felt their month has gone so far, whilst also revealing that they are far from finished ahead of deadline day.

He tweeted: “‘Frustration’ at business had been building behind the scenes, but progression of Bruno Guimaraes deal is very encouraging (let’s hope it gets done). One of several #NUFC are still looking to conclude, with summits in Saudi.”

Fans will be upset

This news will surely leave Newcastle fans feeling upset with the way PIF have handled their first transfer window at the club. They failed to bring in a full-time sporting director or director of football to come in and execute a well thought-out transfer strategy, instead bringing in Nick Hammond on a short-term deal in December to assist Eddie Howe.

Kieran Trippier and Chris Wood are the only signings of the window so far, with just over three days left to go before the window slams shut. The worry now is that the Magpies are scrambling around to complete “several” deals – according to Waugh – near deadline day, and that is not a situation the fans would have wanted at the start of January.

In an ideal world, Newcastle could have appointed a sporting director at the start of December and given them a month to work on a plan ahead of January to then be ready to go all-in during the first few weeks. It could have given Howe and the supporters a major lift to have the bulk of the club’s business done in the first half of the month, rather than rushing to bring players in during the final few days in January.

PIF are now in a position where they do not have time to negotiate and bargain with clubs, and that could lead to them overpaying for players or signing the wrong player because they do not have the time to carefully decide who they want to bring in if other targets are unavailable.

This is why Newcastle fans will be upset with the news that there is frustration behind the scenes, as it suggests that PIF have got it wrong this month. The board are seemingly not happy with the way they have handled the transfer window, and supporters could be frustrated by this due to how important January could be in the battle against relegation.

AND in other news, Howe can finally axe shocking NUFC “nightmare” with “incredible” £100k-p/w monster…

Aston Villa have emerged as a potential suitor for Napoli defender Kalidou Koulibaly according to reports from Italy.

What’s the Word?

Italian outlet TMW has claimed that Premier League sides Aston Villa, Everton and Tottenham Hotspur are all interested in the Senegal international, labelling him a “real tressure” in what would undoubtedly be a sensational signing for Villa.

The centre back is in high demand, with European heavyweights Barcelona also interested, this is despite Napoli placing a €70m (£58m) price tag on his head.

Koulibaly will turn 31 in June and a fee of this size might put a lot of teams off, especially when they may only get a couple of years out of him at his peak.

Imagine him & Konsa

Villa have been leaking goals as of late and surely a centre back is high on the list of Steven Gerrard’s priorities as he looks ahead to his first full season in charge at Villa Park.

There aren’t many defenders better than Koulibaly at the moment, with the Premier League surely being an attractive move having spent the last eight years in Serie A.

Forza Italian football editor Connor Clancy previously stated his belief that the Napoli titan “improves any team” he plays for, as well as dubbing the defender “phenomenal.” High praise for the 30-year-old.

The most important aspect that Gerrard will be looking at is to create a solid centre back pairing of both Ezri Konsa and Koulibaly.

With Konsa having a rating of 6.74 on SofaScore this season, the onus would be on the Senegal international to come in and form a solid backline with the 24-year-old English talent.

Regardless of if Gerrard actually manages to secure his services or not, it shows just how far Villa have come since promotion three years ago that they are linked with one of the finest centre backs in the world.

What a summer Villa supporters have in store.

AND in other news, Gerrard now plotting AVFC bid for £46k-p/w “phenomenon”, he’s better than Phillips

Neil Lennon has now dropped an exciting two-word Sunderland manager claim after being linked with the vacant job.

The Lowdown: On the shortlist

As per Sky Sports, Lennon is one of four names on the managerial shortlist, alongside Neil Warnock, Grant McCann and Roy Keane, with the latter even being interviewed already following the departure of Lee Johnson.

Keane himself issued a ‘no comment’ claim when asked about his links to a return to the Stadium of Light, but Lennon has been much more open when recently asked about the vacancy.

The Latest: Lennon intrigued

Speaking on talkSPORT (14:23pm) on Friday afternoon (via Roker Report), Lennon admitted that the Black Cats job is ‘very appealing’ to him:

“It’s very appealing – big club, fantastic fanbase and in a good position in the league.”

The Verdict: Get him in!

While Keane may look like the overwhelming favourite at the moment given his interview, if there was a choice between him and Lennon, then the board should hire the latter.

Having won no fewer than ten trophies at Celtic, including a domestic treble (Transfermarkt), Lennon certainly trumps Keane in this sense, who has no silverware to his name as a manager.

He also massively trumps Keane in terms of his overall win ratio as a coach, having won 58.4% of his matches, while Keane boasts just a 39.8% win rate.

Yes, you could argue that Lennon did not have as much competition managing in Scottish football, but that does not change the ultimate winning mentality that he would bring to SAFC, which they badly need if they are to gain automatic promotion from League One up to the Championship.

In other news, find out what double boost Sunderland received before Doncaster Rovers here!

According to Football Insider journalist Wayne Veysey, Tottenham Hotspur are in a race with Leicester City to sign non-league striker sensation Fin Barker.

The Lowdown: Rising star…

The 18-year-old has apparently caught the eye of top tier scouts up and down the country for his sensational form at current club Mickleover FC in the Northern Premier League Premier Division.

Chiefs from English top flight clubs have been alerted to Barker’s potential as well as Championship sides, with Nottingham Forest among those taking a firm interest.

Both Premier League and clubs from the EFL are able to sign anyone from outside the professional leagues at any time of year, even beyond a conventional transfer window.

The Latest: Tottenham plotting move…

According to Veysey and Football Insider, Spurs and Leicester are now ‘plotting moves’ ahead of the summer for Barker.

As well as this, both sides are tipped as possible favourites to sign the prolific striker given they can apparently make an offer ‘beyond the level’ of most Premier League sides.

The Verdict: Intriguing update…

It appears Spurs’ scouts are hard at work behind-the-scenes again as they unearth more potentially fruitful talent for the growing Hotspur Way group of exciting youngsters.

Barker could certainly come as one of them if Tottenham sign him outside of January, especially going by his 18-goal haul for Mickleover this season.

Those strikes come after only just making his debut in October, perhaps evidence of his sky high potential.

In other news: Tottenham offer new deal for ‘top’ player after he blew Nuno away, find out more here.

Liverpool remain interested in West Ham United star Jarrod Bowen, with the club still following his development at the London Stadium this season.

What’s the story?

The Athletic have claimed that, following their summer interest, the Reds have continued to monitor the winger’s progress as they contemplate making a new signing out wide.

He was superb vs Liverpool

During his time at Hull City, Bowen was labelled an “unplayable” attacker by his then-manager Grant McCann, and he lived up to that billing and more with a superb individual display in the 3-2 victory over Liverpool back in November.

He set up two goals on the day as West Ham ended the Reds’ impressive unbeaten run, and his underlying stats were equally impressive.

As per Sofascore, he provided two key passes (the joint-most of any Hammer), while he created two official big chances too – the only player to do so in the game.

That’s not to mention he led the team in the number of crosses he put in, was tied second for successful dribbles, and was fouled the second most of any player too – the kind of exciting display which had Andy Robertson tied up in knots.

The Scotland international finished the game with no shots or crosses whatsoever (the mark of someone who had been pinned back for the entire match), made no tackles or interceptions, and won just the one duel over the course of the 90 minutes.

Writing in his post-match player ratings for The Liverpool Echo, Ian Doyle gave him a four, saying: “Plenty of overlapping down the left flank but delivery first half was inconsistent and had an absolute stinker second half.”

In fact, speaking before the game in his pre-match press conference, Klopp himself said: “I like Bowen a lot. He made his way up from Hull and took not too long to show exactly what kind of player he can be in the Premier League. He made big steps.”

He has scored six goals and provided nine assists in just 22 appearances in the Premier League, while he ranks as the Hammers’ best performing player with an average WhoScored match rating of 7.27.

The £31.5m-rated star could be a superb signing for Klopp’s side.

Meanwhile, James Pearce has dropped a Liverpool transfer update…