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Manchester United and Manchester City are both interested in signing Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Harry Winks, per The Athletic’s David Ornstein.

What’s the word?

The England international has appeared to fall out of favour at Spurs, struggling for minutes under current manager Jose Mourinho.

Since the Portuguese’s appointment, he has played five times in the Premier League but has completed the 90 minutes just once – against West Ham United, in Mourinho’s opening game.

The big fat Tottenham quiz of 2019 – how much do you remember about the last year at Spurs?

The Athletic reports that, while City are unlikely to be busy in the January transfer window, they have an interest in acquiring Winks’ signature as they seek a replacement for Fernandinho.

United, though, are said to have “discussed” the 23-year-old and they could well launch a move this month.

Necessary

Winks is a necessary part of the Spurs squad.

While he may fly under the radar somewhat – he has not scored a goal nor has he provided an assist this season – he is the glue that holds the midfield together.

He routinely drops deep to collect the ball and then recycles it accurately and effectively, allowing those players ahead of him to create chances and pick the defensive locks.

Interest from two giant clubs should not come as a surprise, then, and Spurs would be silly to make any decisions just yet.

Of course, a massive bid could change anyone’s mind but one has to feel that they should resist any advances this month.

The midfield is an area in which Spurs have had a few problems – they do not have a natural defensive midfielder bar Eric Dier, who has been forced into playing in the back four – and allowing a player as talented as Winks to leave mid-season would be a mistake.

Meanwhile, Spurs fans have criticised one man.

Manchester City winger Riyad Mahrez put on another brilliant display as his side strolled to a dominant 6-1 victory at the expense of relegation-threatened Aston Villa, resulting in these football fans flocking to social media and hailing the ‘underrated’ star after his brace in the Midlands on Sunday evening.

Mahrez, who signed for the Sky Blues in the summer of 2018, briefly smashing their transfer record at that time for a £60 million fee from Leicester City, has been a much-improved asset since the start of this campaign. The Algerian winger has, so far, accumulated seven goals and seven assists this season – bettering his numbers in half the time when compared to his debut campaign for Pep Guardiola’s side, as per SofaScore.

Now, after scoring a brace at Villa Park which set his side on their way to securing a dominant victory, football fans, in general, have flocked to praise a brilliant showing from the African Cup of Nations winner. One even suggested he was better than Liverpool’s Mo Salah, with the former Leicester City man having averaged more shots per game, key passes and dribbles than the Egyptian according to WhoScored.

Having said all that, see some of their best reactions to the 28-year-old below.

City fans, does Mahrez deserve more recognition for his stand out contributions as of late? Join the discussion by commenting below…

Leeds United are yet to make any moves in the January transfer window, but that doesn’t mean that they don’t have targets in mind.

Of course, it’s widely known that they’re after a striker as the likes of Dwight Gayle, Billy Sharp and Che Adams all linked with moves to the club.

We know of United’s interest in a striker, but Phil Hay has now provided us with a bit of insight into which player Marcelo Bielsa is fixated on adding to his squad.

What’s been said then?

The Athletic’s Leeds United correspondent was talking through the club’s mentality switch over the past few transfer windows, stating that they’ve been more focused with who they’ve brought in rather than their previous approach where they brought in multiple players.

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However, the most interesting part by far is the information the journalist gave into Bielsa’s thoughts on Adams as he commented that he’s become a bit obsessed with him.

“You’ve seen a shift away from a splurge of signings to more reserved and targeted summers,” Hay said (The Phil Hay Show 17/11/20 40:00).

“You had Bamford coming in, you’ve had Jack Harrison. Last summer they wanted a centre-back, and they’d been on the trail of Ben White for literally a year and a half.

“Helder Costa, Bielsa became quite obsessed with, in the same way he’s become a bit obsessed with Che Adams, so that got done.”

May have to settle

Despite apparently being obsessed with signing the former Birmingham City man, the Whites’ manager may have to settle for another option.

Recent updates have painted quite a drab picture of Leeds’ chances of landing the forward, and Ralph Hasenhuttl’s comments last week made it quite clear what his views on the matter are.

It’s going to be a big task for Victor Orta to negotiate this one, but if Bielsa is so caught up on the thought of bringing Adams in it’s a move he shouldn’t stop pursuing until their chances of signing him are completely dead.

Failure to land him and they’d have to settle for another of their options, something that won’t be straightforward either as the window reaches its conclusion.

In other news, Leeds may be well-prepared for one departure if they can get this signing over the line.

Tottenham Hotspur’s approach towards right-backs is beyond baffling.

A Football Insider report from earlier this week claimed that Kyle Walker-Peters could potentially leave the club on a permanent basis in January, with a £15m asking price slapped on his head.

This is after Kieran Trippier departed in the summer meaning that, should Walker-Peters depart, they will be left with one senior right-back: Serge Aurier.

The Ivory Coast international has improved under the management of Jose Mourinho this season and is undisputedly the club’s first-choice in the position.

Yet this feels like Spurs are treading a very thin line.

They currently have Harry Kane out injured and are without a senior striker; what happens if the same fate befalls Aurier?

Quite frankly, this cannot be allowed to happen and Spurs really need to ensure that they have the proper depth required to allow Walker-Peters to move on.

Japhet Tanganga, of course, has played at right-back previously but this is a teenager who has also been deployed at both centre-back and left-back. It would be a stretch to trust him for an extended period.

Yet The Daily Mail has reported that the club are wavering in their pursuit of Norwich City defender Max Aarons, who one has to think would be absolutely perfect in the position.

He has given a good account of himself with the Canaries this season, averaging 1.3 tackles, 2 clearances and 1.5 dribbles per game in the Premier League, per WhoScored.

Mourinho is said to want a more “physical” full-back. But at this point, beggars can’t be choosers and rather tellingly, no “physical” full-back has been directly named.

Mourinho’s produced some incredible footballing stars – how much do you know about them?

A move for any sort of right-back has to be at the top of Spurs’ agenda, particularly with Juan Foyth – the man whom Mauricio Pochettino wanted to play in the role following Trippier’s exit – also up for sale, as per FFC sources.

They have seen the limits of their squad already this season; they can ill-afford to sleepwalk into another problem of their own making, this time in defence.

Meanwhile, Spurs have been handed a huge injury boost!

Wolves appear to be closing in on their first major signing of the January transfer window with just three days remaining before the deadline.

What’s he said?

The saga surrounding Daniel Podence is set to end as the Olympiacos winger is reportedly due to have his medical at Molineux sometime today.

It’s believed that the signing could be confirmed in the next 36 hours after Telegraph journalist John Percy tweeted exclusive details last night.

Podence is set to cost Wolves around £20m, the biggest fee of their window so far after bolstering the youth squad with the additions of Nigel Lonwijk and Leonardo Campana.

Percy said:

Squad depth, tick

Finally, it appears as if Wolves have got their man and he will be a very welcome addition in the west Midlands.

Podence will provide vital depth in the attacking department as manager Nuno Santo severely lacks options across his front three.

In terms of wingers, there’s only Diogo Jota, Pedro Neto and Adama Traore for two starting places whilst upfront, the Portuguese can only call upon one senior striker – Raul Jimenez.

The 24-year-old will bring versatility that enables him to cover the above positions, but his first call will likely be as a backup to Traore at right-wing.

Per Transfermarkt’s recorded matches, Podence has played 17 matches on the right this season and nine on the left, scoring five goals as well as providing five assists in the process.

He even netted against Wolves’ league rivals Tottenham Hotspur in the Champions League this season.

Who is that?! Nobody has been able to name the teams all of these obscure managers were once in charge of…

It remains to be seen if he will arrive in time for this weekend’s Premier League tie with Manchester United, but given the strength of Nuno’s bench in recent weeks, it would be a welcome boost.

And in other news,ÂPatrick Cutrone has issued a damning verdict of Wolves boss Nuno Santo…

Celtic consolidated their position at the summit of the SPFL on Wednesday evening amid growing rumours that Olivier Ntcham has emerged as a target for West Ham United, though Neil Lennon shut down those rumours in the aftermath of proceedings.

But could the Bhoys still bring another face into the club before the January deadline passes?

Celtic have already moved to sign Patryk Klimala and Ismaila Soro this month in a pair of deals that should give them a much needed boost during the final months of the season.

However, a recent verdict from Celtic’s correspondent for The Athletic, Kieran Devlin, suggests Lennon could strengthen the entirety of the club’s spine by adding a central defender to his squad before the window slams shut.

Indeed, when asked about the possibility of the Bhoys re-signing Filip Benkovic from Leicester, Devlin suggested the door is still open for a late twist.

“A possibility but unlikely, nothing concrete from either side.”

As they say, it’s the hope that kills you.

While there’s certainly no major indication from Devlin that the popular Croatian powerhouse is likely to return to Paradise, it seems there is still room to manoeuvre if the club decide to push for a late deal.

Given Benkovic is yet to play a single minute of Premier League football under Brendan Rodgers this season, a fact that underlines his peripheral status, there is certainly reason to suggest a temporary loan deal would at least be beneficial for the player.

Leeds United are a unique football club. The Whites have one of the most passionate fanbases in English football, and that was never more evident than on Wednesday evening.

The Yorkshire club’s U18 side travelled to Old Trafford to play Manchester United’s youth team.

Usually an academy cup game would be a bit of a non-event, but as we say, Leeds are no normal club.

Watch Leeds United Videos With StreamFootball.tv Below

Not only did the Whites take 1,400 supporters to Old Trafford, but one man in attendance on Wednesday was none other than Jamie Shackleton.

The 20-year-old didn’t just keep his head down at the match either, he was filmed starting chants in the away end as if he was just a regular supporter rather than a man who has made 29 league appearances.

There aren’t many clubs where you’d see something like this happen, and it’s no surprise that fans absolutely loved what they were seeing.

Aside from the fact that Shackleton was hilariously orchestrating the away end at Old Trafford, fans were in awe of the fact that he’s such a passionate Leeds fan.

In the clip above, the midfielder could be seen pausing before suddenly bursting into song surrounded by people who support him on a weekly basis.

In other news, Graham Smyth has picked out a man to watch in the U23s.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and his troops are as far away from the United Kingdom’s bad weather as they possibly can be.Manchester United have spent their winter break over in the sunny Costa del Sol in Spain where they will be going through the final preparations and training regimes before the return of the Premier League.

Is life under the Glazers really that bad? Maybe this quiz will change your minds, Man United fans…

And the fans have gotten a fresh update from one of the Red Devils’ newest signings, Bruno Fernandes.

The Portuguese midfielder posted a new tweet on his social media account, stating that the team is working hard and that they are all getting stronger together in Marbella.

This will undoubtedly be great news for many United fans who, just like everyone else, must be eagerly awaiting the return of football this weekend.

For the Red Devils, that will also mean a Monday evening fixture at Stamford Bridge as Chelsea will host Solskjaer’s troops in London. And this game will be huge for both sides.

Even though United are eighth and the Blues are fourth, the gap between them is just six points at the moment so a victory for either side could be significant in the race for the top four.

Elsewhere, Rio Ferdinand had just one word to say to Ashley Young following Inter’s huge victory against AC Milan…

It’s fair to say Brandon Williams is enjoying a real break-through campaign for Manchester United this year.

Before the clash against Club Brugge in the Europa League on Thursday night, the academy product had already played 20 games for the first-team this season, scoring one goal.

As well as playing at left-back, Williams has also played slightly further forward in recent weeks as a wing-back whenever Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has played with a back-three.

Watch Manchester United Videos With StreamFootball.tv Below

But against Brugge, he struggled to really adjust to the rhythm of the game. As per Sofascore, he made just one tackle and no interceptions, failed to complete a single cross, and lost possession 19 times – the latter stat being the worst of any United player on the pitch.

After watching his performance, United fans took to Twitter to voice their thoughts on the 19-year-old.

A couple of United fans even suggested Williams may be “over-rated”, with one supporter in particular saying that he “won’t make it”.

One fan of the Manchester side meanwhile offered a more measured response, suggesting that they should “give him time to develop”.

Naturally, as a teenager, Williams is going to enjoy some highs and lows in his United career.

It’s difficult to ask him to be a consistently solid performer for the side week-in and week-out, and his display against Brugge certainly showed that he still has a lot to learn.

Call yourself a Premier League expert? How much did each of these big-money January signings cost?

The pitch and the weather conditions didn’t help matters either, and Solskjaer will surely just ask Williams to forget all about Thursday night, and simply move on as quickly as possible.

Meanwhile, Man Utd fans react to this transfer target’s Champions League display.

Sunderland’s turnaround under Phil Parkinson has been nothing short of sensational.Two wins from 14 matches was the former Bolton boss’ record, but they’ve now tasted defeat just once in their previous 13 outings.A string of seven clean sheets from eight matches has also occurred, but if there was one criticism, it would be a lack of goals from their strikers.Charlie Wyke has only four all season, scoring one in his prior seven outings, while Kyle Lafferty has yet to find the back of the net.With Will Grigg misfiring too – he has three all campaign – there is a clear need for someone who can score on a regular basis.Could Liam Boyce have been that man? We will never know. However, he was a player on Sunderland’s radar in January.Commenting on the interest, Phil Parkinson noted: “He’s a good player, has scored goals at this level, but he’s under contract so it’s a difficult one for me to speak about.”The ex-Burton man then headed to Hearts for a fee of £150,000 but on wages that his new manager Daniel Stendel described as “expensive.”However, his form so far in Scotland is showing signs of why the Black Cats should have splashed the cash. After all, owner Stewart Donald admitted at the start of the year that he’d make sufficient funds available for Parkinson.In large, the decision not to spend has paid off, but there should still be regrets about bringing in Lafferty over Boyce. Once the former had arrived at the Stadium of Light they ruled out a move for the former who has so far been excellent at Hearts.In six games in all competitions, the 28-year-old has contributed to five goals. He scored and assisted on his debut, before doing the exact same in his next outing.Boyce has proven to be a menace, being fouled nine times in just five league outings, proving that his expensive wages are indeed worth it. The striker had scored 14 goals for Burton this season so the talent was obviously there. Sunderland, though, failed to gamble.Speaking about the signing when it happened, Stendel commented: “He can create chances alone and he can be ruthless in the box to win his duels with his body and score easy goals, and not so easy goals.” Calling all EFL experts: Can you get full marks on this stadiums quiz?Considering the tallies of some of Sunderland’s current strikes, that ruthless streak is something the Black Cats could do with.As they look to achieve promotion, it could end up being something they regret.Meanwhile, Sunderland are playing a RISKY game with Jon McLaughlin…