Tottenham will be absolutely kicking themselves after their match against Everton at Goodison Park.
After three Premier League games without a win, it looked as though they might be on the way to picking up maximum points against the Toffees when they were 1-0 up with less than 15 minutes to go. Dele Alli had opened the scoring following Son Heung-Min’s assist.
However, the South Korea international was then sent off for a foul on Andres Gomes, which ended with the former FC Barcelona man being taken off the field of play on a stretcher.
The 27-year-old was clearly upset with his tackle and the pattern of the game hinged on that ghastly and unfortunate moment, with Cenk Tosun equalising in the last minute for the hosts.
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The Spurs fans were particularly upset with one man’s display – Lucas Moura. The £36m-valued Brazil international – as per Transfermarkt – started up front in place of the ill Harry Kane, but he was largely ineffective as Mauricio Pochettino’s side could only come away with a 1-1 draw.
They took to Twitter to share their thoughts, and you can see some of the best comments from the social media platform below.
This article is part of Football FanCast’s The Chalkboard series, which provides a tactical insight into teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…
Time for something a bit radical?
With the suspension of Harlee Dean being upheld, fans have been debating who should fill the skipper’s spot in his absence, all under the assumption that it will be a one in, one out change.
However, there’s one possibility that hasn’t been talked about, and that’s whether or not Pep Clotet might change formation.
Whilst the Blues have played predominantly with a 4-4-2 system this season, they did experiment with three at the back during pre-season early in the campaign.
Clotet has spoken about how he likes his team to be flexible, so it’s not like it’s something that they haven’t practiced before.
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On the chalkboard
Changing from a 4-4-2 to a 3-5-2/5-3-2 (depending on where you list your wing-backs/wingers) is a relatively simple job. Take the line-up from the Cardiff game; Camp; Colin, Pedersen, Dean, Roberts; Crowley, Bellingham, Sunjic, Villalba; Mrabti, Jutkiewicz as the starting point, then go from there.
One of the central midfielders will have to drop out to make way for the extra central defender. Whoever the defenders might be doesn’t matter, Clotet will know who his third and fourth choice centre-backs are on the depth chart and where they’ll be slotted in.
That will mean that the wingers Crowley and Villalba will tuck inside to play alongside Ivan Sunjic, but seeing as Crowley spent most of his career centrally, he shouldn’t have a problem playing there again.
You swap out Villalba and keep Bellingham in the middle with Sunjic, and at the same the full-backs just turn into wing-backs.
So Birmingham absolutely have the capability to pull this off in their captain’s absence, it’s just whether or not Clotet is brave enough to try it out.
It sort of comes back to Paul Merson’s comments from the summer in regards to Harry Maguire moving to Manchester United and how he looked good playing for England, “When you play in a three at the back, you play at three in the back for one reason only, the defenders aren’t good enough”.
There’s certainly an argument to be made that they aren’t good enough this season, conceding 20 goals and only keeping four clean sheets during the whole campaign, so perhaps this is something to think about not just for this week, but going forward as well.
Reliable journalist Chris Jack has provided a significant update regarding Philippe Clement’s future as Rangers manager, with a twist emerging versus reports in recent days.
Clement under pressure at Rangers
After missing out narrowly on a Scottish Premiership and Scottish Cup double last season, the hope was that the Gers would find another gear this time around, especially after adding nine new players to their squad.
Things haven’t yet panned out that way, however, with an opening weekend draw away to Hearts immediately allowing Celtic to gain an early advantage in the title race. A 3-0 defeat at Parkhead made the situation even worse, and Rangers were also dumped out of the Champions League before the group stage even got underway, having lost to Dynamo Kyiv over two legs.
For that reason, Clement has found himself under plenty of pressure of late, with one report even claiming that the Belgian is “fighting for his job” and could be sacked within a matter of weeks, highlighting the need for big improvements on the pitch.
Sunday’s 1-0 victory away to Dundee United was a vital result for the manager, even though it wasn’t necessarily convincing for the full 90 minutes, and now a new update has emerged over his future at Ibrox.
Journalist drops new Clement update at Rangers
According to the reliable Jack for the Rangers Review, Rangers have no plans to sack Clement currently, a sharp U-turn from the reports since the defeat to Celtic. He states that the Scottish giants remain “fully committed” to the 50-year-old, even though the Gers’ start to the season hasn’t been as impressive as many hoped it would be.
This is a refreshing stance for Rangers to take, in truth, during an era where managers are sacked far too easily and quickly, with patience very much a thing of the past. There is no question that aspects of the Gers’ current performances are not good enough, which falls on the manager, but this isn’t a time to overreact, considering his side are still only five points adrift of Celtic in the title battle.
That’s not to say that Clement shouldn’t be under pressure, however, with high standards expected at a club of Rangers’ stature, but alarm bells should only truly ring if more negative results happen in the coming weeks.
Pundit Michael Stewart is worried about the future of Gers boss, saying “I fear for the manager” and that “there is a real pressure that is building”, and while that opinion is arguably fair, it would be wrong to relieve him of his duties at this point, considering he only took charge last October.
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In that time, Clement has won the Scottish League Cup and pushed Celtic close to two major trophies, and the key now is for Rangers to hit a sustained period of good form, in order to ease the pressure on him.
20 times have Manchester United won the English league title. It's a remarkable collection of honours but sadly, it doesn't look like they will make it 21 anytime soon.
The hierarchy may well be more organised since INEOS' takeover of the club but let's face it, they made an error in keeping Erik ten Hag.
The Dutchman faced enormous waves of criticism and pressure towards the back end of 2023/24 season but a late FA Cup victory over rivals Manchester City has arguably saved him.
Erik ten Hag with the FA Cup trophy.
Since then, the Red Devils have shown no signs of improvement despite big investment in the transfer market again. They have started the season sluggishly, losing to Brighton and Liverpool. This was not how Sir Jim Ratcliffe envisaged things going.
It's likely Ten Hag will be given a few months to sort things out but if things carry on as they are, he would be lucky to see in 2025 at Old Trafford. Truth be told, United can do better and must do better if they are to end their league title drought.
They could also do some with some better players and that starts in the middle of the park.
Casemiro has to be dropped
The decision Ten Hag made at the break with his side 2-0 down spoke volumes. Casemiro didn't return for the second period and in his place came young Toby Collyer.
It was a lovely sight to see two United academy graduates in the middle of the park but to give the 20-year-old minutes in such a high-pressure game said it all about Casemiro's display.
To put it simply, it was not good enough. He was at fault for both goals, gifting away possession for Luis Diaz's first and then being dispossessed for the Colombian's second goal of the afternoon.
Horribly, these two errors were not a surprise. For the last year, the great Brazilian has seen his career drop like a stone. The five-time Champions League winner, the holder of 75 national team caps looks way past his best.
We saw that last term but this display was on another level. Handed a 2/10 match rating by GOAL's Richard Martin, the reporter noted that it was 'one of his worst games'. That's saying something given the veteran's displays of late.
With Manuel Ugarte arriving on transfer deadline day, it won't be a huge surprise to see Casemiro's minutes severely impacted after the international break.
That said, he's not the only one now fighting for his career at the club.
Marcus Rashford's performance in numbers
Like Casemiro, the demise of one of Manchester United's modern greats has been incredibly sad to see. It's hard to dislike Marcus Rashford but his performances over the last simply haven't been up to scratch.
In fact, it's quite hard to believe that this is the same player we saw score 30 times during the 2022/23 season. Last term, he only found the net eight times in all competitions and he has begun the new campaign with a whimper too, failing to register a single shot in his first three games. That's a dismal statistic for someone who should be scoring on a frequent basis.
His confidence is low and he looks devoid of ideas. That said, there was a slight element of improvement from the Englishman on Sunday. He carved out two chances of note for Joshua Zirkzee and had the Dutchman put those away, Rashford would be walking away with two assists, rather pleased with his work. It rather summed up the no.10's last year of football that he didn't register a goal involvement.
Minutes played
90
Touches
33
Accurate passes
16/22 (73%)
Key passes
2
Crosses
2/4
Shots
0
Dribble attempts
2/5
Ground duels won
3/6
Aerial duels won
1/2
Possession lost
12x
Despite those chances, he was lacking much intent, something highlighted by the aforementioned Martin. In handing him a 3/10 rating, the reporter stated that the winger's 'runs were ineffective and his passes were either under or over-hit.'
That is substantiated by some dismal numbers. The 26-year-old completed just 76% of his passes and ceded possession on 12 occasions. He even had fewer touches (33) than goalkeeper Andre Onana (55).
Now, it must be stated that Rashford was by no means the main problem with yesterday's defeat to Liverpool but sooner rather than later he is going to have to improve. Ten Hag and more importantly, the whole football club needs more from him.
For the time being, it would be of great benefit for the manager to trial Amad Diallo and Alejandro Garnacho as his wing pairing instead.
Not just Casemiro: Man Utd must drop 4/10 star who lost 100% duels
Manchester United were in dismal form as they were brushed aside by Liverpool.
Tottenham Hotspur have been told by one club that Spurs can strike a cut-price deadline day move for a member of their squad, with the player offered out to Premier League sides in a last-gasp attempt to sell.
Spurs could still make one more signing before 11pm
Throughout this week, the consensus among reliable media sources, including Fabrizio Romano, is that Ange Postecoglou and co may still look to add one more name to their ranks before the cut-off at 11pm.
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Ange Postecoglou could add a new midfielder to their ranks before the transfer cut-off.
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The Lilywhites have been exceptional at keeping their latest transfer dealings quiet, as evident by the sudden nature of their Wilson Odobert signing from Burnley around a fortnight ago, and it is believed Spurs could be working on a last-minute opportunity.
“The deal they did with Burnley [for Odobert] was completely silent," said Romano to GiveMeSport earlier this week.
"So, I think they're still working on something, and I'm told they're still working on something, but there is still nothing concrete or close to being completed. But I can confirm Tottenham are still in the market for opportunities.”
Tottenham manager Ange Postecoglou.
This follows reports that Tottenham are prioritising a new midfielder late in the day, with Rodrigo Bentancur, Pape Matar Sarr, Archie Gray and Yves Bissouma standing out as Postecoglou's only available options ahead of a long and congested season.
Spurs also have finances available following a number of key player sales, including Oliver Skipp, who completed a £20 million switch to Leicester City recently.
This week, the north Londoners have been linked with both Wolves midfielder Joao Gomes and Nottingham Forest star Morgan Gibbs-White, as journalist Dean Jones points out that the club want a new midfield runner.
Timo Werner
RB Leipzig (loan)
Dominic Solanke
Bournemouth
Archie Gray
Leeds
Wilson Odobert
Burnley
Lucas Bergvall
Djurgarden
Min-hyeok Yang
Gangwon FC
“One thing I have been told a few times if that they want someone with power from the midfield," said Jones on the Ranks FC Ultras podcast (via TBR).
"Morgan Gibbs-White is someone they like but they like him as more of a number eight breaking out, not as a traditional number eight. They like that and they like Joao Gomes at Wolves."
However, deals for either player could be far too difficult to pull off this late in the window.
Tottenham told they can sign Josh Brownhill for cut-price fee
According to GiveMeSport, another midfield option, and a far cheaper one, could be Burnley midfielder Josh Brownhill.
The Clarets are looking to sell after their relegation to the Championship, and have offered him out to numerous Premier League sides, including Spurs. GMS write that Burnley have made Tottenham aware they can sign Brownhill for a cut-price £5 million fee, as they have with both Everton and Fulham.
Burnley midfielder Josh Brownhill.
The 28-year-old made 33 English top-flight appearances last season, scoring four goals and registering two assists, and he is on a reported wage of around £45,000-per-week.
Aston Villa have added additional Spanish firepower to the club by recruiting Monchi as president of football operations, to work alongside former Sevilla colleague Unai Emery.
The duo are expected to have a busy summer at Villa Park, with a host of talent already linked to the club.
The Spaniard could unleash some magic in the Midlands by signing one player linked with Villa, if reports are to be believed.
What’s the latest on Jadon Sancho to Aston Villa?
As initially reported by Football Transfers last week, Aston Villa are speculated to hold an interest in Manchester United winger Jadon Sancho.
The report suggested that United would be willing to sell the Englishman for a fee around the £60m mark, with his current contract running until 2026 with an option for an additional year.
Earlier this week, journalist Rudy Galetti revealed to GIVEMESPORT that the 23-year-old is a “main target” for the club, in a move that could be monumental to Villa.
What could Jadon Sancho offer to Aston Villa?
Lauded as “unbelievable” by journalist Liam Canning, the misunderstood talent could be a revelation signing for the Villans, and perhaps their biggest one for years.
There’s little denying the talent that the Englishman possesses, despite his difficulty in finding his feet in the Premier League after making the switch from the Bundesliga in 2021.
In his two seasons in Manchester so far, Sancho has contributed 15 goals and assists in 55 Premier League appearances, numbers incomparable to his final two Bundesliga campaigns in which he recorded 54 in 58 appearances for Borussia Dortmund.
His first full breakthrough in the 2018/19 season saw him record 30 G/A, scoring 12 and assisting a monstrous 18, nearly double the number of goal contributions in one term than he has in two campaigns at Old Trafford, via Transfermarkt.
Something isn’t ticking for the Englishman in Manchester, making him a valuable target for Villa should Emery have the capability to unlock his talents in the Premier League.
jadon-sancho-manchester-united-premier-league
Hailed as a “phenomenon” by talent scout Jacek Kulig, Monchi could deliver Villa Park with his first marquee signing in Sancho, who has all the ability to thrive under Emery as the leading man.
While the goals and assists haven’t arrived in the Premier League, in his game playing actions the numbers show glimpses of the player that graced Signal Iduna Park.
As per FBref, the Londoner averaged 4.70 progressive passes and 1.76 successful take-ons per 90 in the last year, highlighting his innate ability to act as a traditional wide player.
Emery identified the desire to equip Villa with a “specialist winger” in January, which he could land by signing Sancho, who is a player with all the attributes to thrive as a technician in Villa’s squad.
Taking a step back may be the best option in the search for his form, at a club where he would be regarded as an innovator under a manager that has a reputation for getting the best out of young stars.
Manchester United enjoyed a steady debut season under the tutelage of Erik ten Hag, winning the League Cup and qualifying for the Champions League, yet it may arguably be the rejuvenation of Marcus Rashford which is perhaps the best thing to come from 2022/2023.
By the end of the 2021/2022 campaign, Rashford had scored a paltry five goals and grabbed just two assists in what was a season of uncertainty and a clear lack of any ruthlessness in front of goal.
Fast forward a year later and the 25-year-old had upped these numbers to 30 goals and 13 assists, a remarkable turnaround and it was clearly the Ten Hag effect which allowed Rashford to flourish yet again, having been the golden boy of English football for so long.
With the Dutchman on the lookout for new talent that could make an impression in the United first team over the next few years, could he sign United’s next Rashford with a move for Arsenal teen starlet Ethan Nwaneri this summer?
Could Manchester United sign Ethan Nwaneri?
According to The Athletic, Man United are in the hunt for Nwaneri as they look to bring him to Old Trafford this summer.
He made headlines back in September for becoming the Premier League’s youngest-ever player after appearing against Brentford, albeit only gaining a minute of action, however his undoubted talent could see him emerge properly over the coming years.
Rashford broke into the United first team aged just 18 during a Europa League clash against FC Midtjylland, scoring a double and although Nwaneri is still a couple of years younger, he has impressed in Arsenal’s Hale End academy.
The 16-year-old scored nine goals and registered five assists for the U18 side, while the 5 foot 10 ace has even made appearances for the U21 team, playing nine games in the Premier League 2, clearly showing how highly rated he is at the Gunners.
Arsenal's Ethan Nwaneri
Football talent scout Jacek Kulig dubbed him as a “wonderkid” while fellow Arsenal teammate Granit Xhaka has lauded the teen starlet as “special” although also declaring that the club must “protect” the player not long after he made his first team debut.
It may be a few years until he makes a Rashford-like impact on the first team should he actually make the move to United, however, the boy is talented, absolutely no doubt about it and Ten Hag should be doing all he can to lure him to Manchester.
Celtic's latest addition to the squad could come in the form of Odin Thiago Holm, with a report from Nettavisen in Norway via The Daily Record reporting that the Hoops are in talks over a move for the player.
Who is Odin Thiago Holm?
The 20-year-old has already become a key player for his current side Valerenga in Norway, having started ten games already this year and managed his best ever total of 22 in the league last time around. He is already heavily relied upon in the centre of the field by his club and helped them to sixth place in 2022.
The Norweigan first burst onto the scene at just 16-years-old, with his talents meaning that he was given a debut despite still being well into his teens. A year later, at just 17, he was entrusted to play 16 times for the club and even managed a goal and an assist along the way, finding himself on The Guardian's list of promising young stars back in 2020.
He's yet to venture outside of his home country yet but that could all change this summer. That's because a report from Nettavisen in Norway, via The Daily Record, suggests a deal could be on the cards to send him to Celtic in the Scottish Premiership.
It mentions that a bid has been made to sign the youngster and that the two parties are now in talks as the negotiations advance. A deal could seemingly be agreed for a fee of around £2.5m according to the same report – as the Hoops are willing to offer a larger sell-on clause to Valerenga than other suitors.
Should Celtic sign Holm?
Those outside of Norway might not be too familiar with the midfielder but those who have seen the 20-year-old play have been impressed by his ability so far.
Football talent scout Jacek Kulig for example has called the player a "huge talent" and highlighted the fact that he already performed with maturity for his club despite being only relatively early on in his career.
His talent has even led to him being capped for his country's Under-20 side on two occasions as well. He's yet to crack the Under-21 or first-team for Norway but having been entrusted so heavily by Valerenga and having already been given a chance in the other youth sides, he could soon make the grade. Celtic, then, could have a talent on their hands if they complete a deal for Holm.
Tottenham Hotspur will be worried over the possibility of losing star man Harry Kane to Real Madrid in the summer transfer window, according to journalist Dean Jones.
What's the latest transfer news involving Harry Kane?
According to talkSPORT, Kane is being lined up by Real Madrid as a potential replacement for striker Karim Benzema, who moved to Al Ittihad in the Saudi Pro League earlier this week.
The report states that Carlo Ancelotti has made the £200k-a-week England international his top target this summer. However, Spurs will be resistant to offers from other Premier League sides for Kane's services.
Manchester United are also keen on signing the 29-year-old, giving him an option that would be able to keep him based in England; nevertheless, Spurs will be a tough side to negotiate with for his signature, as per The Telegraph.
Kane was in magnificent form for Tottenham this term, registering 32 goals and five assists from 49 appearances across all competitions, as per Transfermarkt.
Now, it looks as if Kane will have a decision to make on his future in the next few months based on his career ambitions, with just 12 months now left on his contract in N17.
Although, it has since been claimed that Levy has no intention at all of selling the striker to Real Madrid, so it remains to be seen.
Speaking to Football FanCast, journalist Jones thinks that Tottenham may be worried over the possibility of Kane swapping the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium for the Santiago Bernabeu this summer.
Jones told FFC: "If you're Spurs, it's never great news if Real Madrid are linked with one of your players these days; they took Bale, they took Modric and now they want Kane. They've got a really good hit rate of signing Tottenham stars and there's a pretty good relationship between the two clubs."
Should Harry Kane stay at Tottenham Hotspur or move elsewhere?
Kane is an elite striker, though he has never won a single trophy in his career, which is something that he will want to rectify before his playing days are over.
Spurs have just installed former Celtic boss Ange Postecoglou as their new manager, who is someone that has plenty of silverware under his belt, seeing as he took the Hoops to five out of six trophies, including back-to-back Scottish Premiership titles in his time in Glasgow, as per Transfermarkt.
Former Celtic boss Ange Postecoglou.
Nevertheless, whether that translates to the waters of the Premier League is an entirely different matter to deal with and it will be interesting to see if Kane sticks around to try and achieve that feat.
Of course, the England international is only 48 goals away from becoming the Premier League's all-time top goalscorer, which may sway him to remain at Tottenham to try and secure the extremely prestigious accolade.
Liverpool are reportedly interested in signing Lazio midfielder Sergej Milinkovic-Savic this summer and his arrival could help Jurgen Klopp to once again rival Pep Guardiola and Manchester City.
Could Liverpool sign Milinkovic-Savic this summer?
It seems clear that the Reds need to recruit in the middle of the park after James Milner, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Naby Keita were all confirmed to be leaving Anfield when their contracts expire at the end of June.
Journalist Rudy Galetti confirmed in a recent interview with GIVEMESPORT that Milinkovic-Savic is one of the names that Klopp will consider this summer.
He said: “Yes it's true, Sergej Milinkovic-Savic is among the names in the list. His contract will expire in 2024 and Lazio, to avoid losing him as a free agent next year, will have to sell him in the summer.”
As the 28-year-old is now entering the final year of his contract at the Stadio Olimpico, reports have suggested that he could be available for as little as €40m (£35m), which could represent a bargain for the Reds as they look to reestablish themselves alongside the Premier League's elite next season.
Would Milinkovic-Savic be a good signing for Liverpool?
This season alone would be enough to justify the Reds spending more than £30m on the Serbia international, as he boasts nine goals and eight assists in Serie A, with a superb 7.24 rating from WhoScored for his performances.
Given this is a better average rating than anyone in Liverpool's squad would muster, while only Mohamed Salah managed more goal contributions, it is clear the quality that Milinkovic-Savic could add at Anfield.
A lack of quality in the middle of the park has certainly cost the Reds this season, with none of the central options in Klopp's squad contributing more than four goal contributions, with Fabinho agreed to be 'out of gas' and on 'the decline' – as per Sachin Nakrani – and Thiago struggling with injury throughout the campaign.
Such was Milinkovic-Savic's level of performance earlier in the campaign that teammate Ciro Immobile dubbed him magic and suggested that he was even "on the same level as Kevin De Bruyne."
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If the 28-year-old proved to be even half as good as Manchester City's talismanic Belgian, who has contributed 96 goals and 149 assists during his time at the Etihad, and won five Premier League titles, it would quite the signing.
While perhaps not the most elegant of footballers, they boast ruthless efficiency from central areas in the final third.
Klopp will be desperate to try and rival the Citizens once again in 2023/24 after pushing them so close last season, and the signing of Milinkovic-Savic could definitely take his midfield to a new level and get them back to their best.