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Tottenham Hotspur defender Toby Alderweireld has found himself out of the team as of late, and now he’s been linked with a summer exit…

What’s the word?

According to Voetbal24, Belgian and Europa League outfit Club Brugge are eyeing up a move for the 31-year-old at the end of the season in an attempt to bring him back to his home country.

Alderweireld has also been mooted with a return to the Eredivisie after De Telegraaf noted interest from PSV Eindhoven. However, that would be hard to believe given his ties to former club Ajax, one of their arch-rivals.

The £18m-rated centre-back only signed a new contract 13 months ago, thought to be worth around £85k-per-week, committing to the north London side until 2023.

Dembele fallout

Whilst it remains to be seen what the future holds for Alderweireld and Jose Mourinho’s plans for Spurs in the long run, it would be a disastrous decision to let the veteran leave anytime soon.

Yes, he’s fallen out of the starting XI in recent weeks being usurped by Joe Rodon for their fixtures against lowly Fulham and Sheffield United, but a heavy fixture list is on the horizon as the Europa League knockout stages are set to return he still has a key role to play.

Spurs only have to use Mousa Dembele as inspiration here.

In January 2019, the fellow Belgian swapped N17 for China as he joined Beijing Guoan in an £11m deal. He had entered the final six months of his contract, unlike Alderweireld, but it could be argued that the club should’ve tied him down to new terms.

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It took a whole 18 months to finally replace the gaping hole left behind by the 33-year-old, when in reality he still had so much to give in the Premier League – his final full season in 2017/18 saw him as industrious as ever, averaging 1.3 tackles and 2.4 dribbles per game, via WhoScored.

But for Daniel Levy’s masterstroke in signing Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg in the summer, Spurs would still be looking for his long-term successor.

That scenario could well repeat itself if they were to let Alderweireld leave in the summer.

He has only started 11 of their 18 league outings this season but has still emerged as one of their most reliable players, averaging a rating of 6.97 – the best of any other centre-back, per WhoScored.

Indeed, no other Spurs defender is managing as many clearances (5.2 per game), meaning he’s quick to avert the danger, while it is only Davinson Sanchez (2) that has averaged more tackles per game than the Belgian colossus (1.8), via WhoScored.

But that’s not necessarily a good thing as a quiet centre-back is still a good one, at the end of the day.

Alderweireld has been a big part of why Spurs have the second-best defensive record in the Premier League. That includes clean sheets against Arsenal, City and Chelsea, so without him, they would be in a tricky spot – even more so as Mourinho feels they still need another centre-back.

As ex-Spurs man Paul Robinson told Football Insider, the 6 foot 2 beast is a crucial member of the squad, he said:

“I have always said that Alderweireld is the best defender at the club and he should play every week. Over the past three games, he has proved that. He is a leader on the pitch, and he should start every game between now and the end of the season.”

Whilst Sky Sports reporter Michael Bridge dubbed him “outstanding” for Spurs back in November – at the time he picked up a small injury.

Getting rid of Alderweireld merely spells disaster in the immediate future.

AND in other news, £36m “complete midfielder” can be Spurs’ ideal Dele Alli replacement…

Former Premier League striker Kevin Phillips has recently come out and said clubs will be lining up to sign Glasgow Rangers centre-forward Alfredo Morelos in the summer, but the 54-time Scottish champions simply can’t afford to let their star striker go.

What’s the word?

Morelos’ return to form has been welcomed by Steven Gerrard as the Colombia international has enjoyed a prolific spell since the start of the year, having fired in two goals in just three appearances across all competitions over the past couple of weeks.

The Rangers star was linked with the Ibrox exit last summer, but a move did not materialise, although this has done little to dampen down speculation over his future.

Naturally, other sides have caught wind of his situation, with German publication Sport.de recently claiming Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich have the 24-year-old firmly in their sights.

The report revealed Munich are reportedly eyeing up a move for Morelos as a possible replacement for Robert Lewandowski.

Stand firm

But from Rangers’ point of view, Morelos – who earns around £33,000-per-week at Ibrox, is one of the few players Ross Wilson simply can’t afford to lose. Despite his disciplinary issues, he is far too important for their chances of future domestic and European success.

And yes, the Gers may have scored 11 goals in six Europa League games, but Morelos is still their joint top-scorer in Europe this season with a tally of two goals to his name. Whilst that might not sound like a lot, he recently broke Ally McCoist’s longstanding record, which is certainly saying something.

Apart from Morelos, Gerrard seems to be well-stocked with several options up front, as Kemar Roofe has proven to be a useful versatile asset, having scored 10 goals in 15 top-flight games. However, the 27-year-old has also shown he is rather injury-prone as he has only made one appearance since the start of the year.

Jermain Defoe is always an option, but the former England international is also 38 and has only managed to muster seven appearances in the Scottish Premiership this season as he has entered the twilight of his career.

It’s no wonder players like former Rangers defender Fabio Cardoso have described the Colombian as a “machine” as his phenomenal goal record arguably speaks for itself. 87 goals in 166 games for the Gers is simply astonishing.

Should Morelos depart Ibrox, Gerrard would lose an important piece of his jigsaw puzzle, which is why Ross Wilson shouldn’t even consider sanctioning a sale in the summer, should they receive an official approach.

AND in other news, Borna Barisic was Rangers’ unsung hero against Motherwell…

Many Liverpool fans let rip at talkSPORT pundit Adrian Durham after he described the Reds as the “luckiest team ever in the history of football.”

The Reds had already qualified for the Last 16 of the Champions League, but his comments followed on from their 1-1 draw against FC Midtjylland in Denmark on Wednesday.

On his evening radio show talkSPORT Drive, Durham stated that Mohamed Salah’s fortunate goal and backup goalkeeper Caoinhim Kelleher shining as Alisson Becker’s cover are two of the reasons why the Merseysiders are “lucky”.

Despite Liverpool’s catastrophic injury crisis, they are second in the Premier League table and have finished top of their Champions League group, without the likes of Virgil van Dijk, Thiago Alcantara and Joe Gomez.

Unsurprisingly, this attracted a seismic wave of negative reactions from the Kop faithful, who could not believe what they were listening to.

Fans fume at Durham

In other news, Liverpool fans laud ‘pressing monster’ following official announcement on Thursday.

أعلن الاتحاد الدولي لكرة القدم “فيفا” عن موعد مباراة الأهلي ومونتيري المكسيكي ضمن منافسات بطولة كأس العالم للأندية 2022.

وأجريت القرعة مساء الإثنين الماضي في مدينة زيورخ السويسرية، وتقام النسخة المقبلة من مونديال الأندية في دولة الإمارات خلال الفترة من 3 إلى 12 من فبراير القادم.

طالع | مدافع مونتيري السابق لـ”بطولات”: مواجهة الأهلي ستختلف عن مباراة الخماسية في مونديال الأندية.. ووجود أجيري ميزة لنا

ويشارك في البطولة الأهلي بطل إفريقيا، والهلال السعودي حامل لقب دوري أبطال آسيا، وأوكلاند النيوزلندي من أوقيانوسيا، بالإضافة لـ تشيلسي بطل أوروبا، وأبطال قارتي أمريكا الجنوبية والشمالية، بالميراس البرازيلي ومونتيري المكسيكي على الترتيب. ويلتقي الفائز من مباراة الأهلي ومونتيري أمام بالميراس البرازيلي في قبل نهائي كأس العالم للأندية.موعد مباراة الأهلي ومونتيري في كأس العالم للأندية

الأهلي سيواجه مونتيري، في تمام الساعة السادسة والنصف بتوقيت القاهرة، يوم السبت الموافق 5 من شهر فبراير المقبل.

The Premier League may have breached confidentiality law by confirming their legal dispute with Newcastle United with regards to the failed takeover at St. James’ Park.

The Shields Gazette have reported that, according to sources, by confirming that the top flight are in a legal dispute with the Tyneside club, that represents an alleged breach of the confidentiality of the Magpies, with both said to be bound by privacy on the matter now that the case is actually running.

The confirmation by England’s highest division is also understood to have angered many close to the proposed £300m deal between Mike Ashley and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) consortium.

The confirmation from the EPL was revealed in an official statement by the Newcastle Consortium Supporters Ltd (NCSL) that in turn was confirmed to The Shields Gazette.

When contacted by the news outlet, the Premier League refused to comment on the matter.

What does this mean for the Newcastle takeover?

Indeed, this means that the legal dispute between the Toon and the English top flight is likely to be taken to a court case if it cannot be settled by the two parties involved.

Ashley may possibly already have top lawyers Nick De Marco QC and Shaheed Fatima QC on standby to represent the chief executive of Sports Direct in court and it feels fair to predict the CEO of England’s highest division, Richard Masters, will already have his own army of lawyers at the ready too.

Nonetheless, the Premier League may have dug themselves a hole already if they are found to have breached the confidentiality law.

In other news, find out which key figure is concerned about one development in the takeover saga here!

Glasgow Rangers’ move for Norwich City midfielder Kenny McLean could be back on after Daniel Farke revealed he could be back from his injury as early as Christmas.

McLean could be available

The £2.88m-valued Scotland international (Transfermarkt) twisted his knee and suffered a meniscus tear in a 1-0 win over Middlesbrough earlier this month. This is the kind of injury that can sometimes keep players out for four to five months, seemingly leaving a deal with Rangers dead in the water.

However, Canaries manager Farke has delivered some surprising news, saying that McLean could be back an awful lot sooner. He explained:

“For the long term, some good news.

“Kenny McLean could have been out for four or five months but that’s not the case.

“He could be back around Christmas.”

Good news for a transfer?

McLean is a Rangers fan from childhood, which may be one of the reasons why he has been linked with a move to Ibrox. He has made 57 appearances for Norwich, including 37 in the Premier League last season, and he has picked up 17 caps for his country.

Had McLean been out injured for as long as was originally suggested, there would have been no point in Steven Gerrard and co making a move for the 28-year-old. However, now that he could be fit as early as this month, McLean could still be acquired in January to give the 54-time Scottish champions that extra boost as they look to get their hands on a first piece of major silverware since 2011.

In other news, this shock Champions League result could have a big impact on Glasgow Rangers.

Wolves potentially caused one of the shocks of the summer transfer window when they agreed to sell star forward Diogo Jota to defending Premier League champions Liverpool in a £45m deal, when add-ons are included.

He had long been a favourite under Nuno Santo, playing a total of 131 times across three seasons.

The 23-year-old returned 44 goals and 19 assists in that spell, via Transfermarkt, also winning the Championship with the club in 2018.

Jeff Shi’s decision to sell the Portuguese dynamo is looking worse and worse as weeks go by…

Mistake?

Jota has already made an impact at Anfield, scoring seven goals in ten appearances. That number is even more impressive when you learn that he’s only played 500 minutes in all competitions.

That’s one goal every 71 minutes.

By comparison, no other player besides Raul Jimenez has found the net more than once for Wolves this season. Pedro Neto and Daniel Podence have scored one each whilst Adama Traore finds himself yet to get on the scoresheet.

In the Premier League this season, Jota ranks first for shots attempted (4.13 per 90), first for link-up plays completed (9.38 per 90), second for accelerations (4.5 per 90) and second for touches in the opposition box (7.87 per 90), via Twenty3.

It’s no wonder Reds legend and Sky Sports pundit Jamie Carragher lauded him as a “pressing monster.”

They really were the perfect partnership up front, and you’d imagine the Mexican is missing his right-hand man.

Speaking back in March, he said: “Me and Diogo have training sessions and play on the pitch together, him and me are having a good relationship. I assist him and he assists me in so many games, it’s a good part of the team.”

Wrong player?

Interestingly, he wasn’t the only Wolves star mooted with an exit throughout the summer as Traore was also wanted by Jurgen Klopp’s Reds.

According to the Mundo Deportivo (via Sport Witness), the Liverpool boss was keen on signing the wing monster but the Midlands outfit were asking for around €70m (£64m).

The 24-year-old has only started eight of Wolves’ last 16 matches in all competitions and two of those were filling for the recently-departed Matt Doherty at wing-back.

Traore has not started since the 4-0 mauling by West Ham back in September – in that time, Nuno’s side have remained unbeaten. Coincidence?

In comparison to Jota’s aforementioned Premier League figures, the Wolves star is 91st for shots attempted (1.3 per 90), 100th for touches in the opposition box (1.82 per 90) and 62nd for successful link-up plays (2.08 per 90), also via Twenty3.

That makes it ever so clear that Jimenez is lacking the presence of his perfect foil in Jota.

Shi is clearly willing to give up his key players for the right price.

But Traore’s stock is only going to plummet whilst sat on the bench most weeks, which is bad news for making a profit on him in the future.

If he had sold the Spaniard instead of the now €70m-valued (£64m) Jota this summer, then things may have turned out very differently for Wolves, both on and off the pitch.

It has been one unforgivable mistake from the chairman so far.

AND in other news, Wolves starlet with “similar traits to Pogba” has the potential to usurp Ruben Neves…

Everton appear to be closing in on their first summer signing from the Spanish league, and no it’s not James Rodriguez just yet…

What’s the word?

According to AS (via Sport Witness), the Toffees are set to complete a deal for Atletico Madrid right-back Santiago Arias who is almost certain to leave the Wanda Metropolitano Stadium this off-season.

It’s claimed that Diego Simeone needs to sell the 28-year-old in order to raise funds to bring in new additions and Arias is at the front of the queue to be sold.

He’s expected to cost Everton around €15m (£13.5m) with Marcel Brands the driving force behind the deal.

Bargain move

This could actually be quite the bargain for the Merseysiders this summer as Carlo Ancelotti is in need of genuine competition for Seamus Coleman.

Everton would have had to pay the same fee to make Djibril Sidibe’s loan move permanent, but the Frenchman didn’t really impress during his 25 Premier League appearances.

And when you see Chelsea paying £50m for Ben Chilwell, who plays in a similar position, then it only emphasises this deal as a potential steal.

The Atletico ace is a regular at international level for Colombia and has been a dependable defensive asset this term, averaging 2.6 tackles, 1.4 interceptions, 1.1 clearances and 0.8 key passes per game, via WhoScored.

Arias is also a player Brands knows very well having signed him for PSV Eindhoven in 2013 and later claimed the right-back was “the perfect model of the modern defender: pacy, powerful and attack-minded. There are not many players with such qualities.”

It seems like Everton have a very reliable option on their hands, one that could provide genuine competition to the skipper, so Brands must be lauded for this move if it does indeed happen.

AND in other news, Darren Bent tips Marco Silva target to finally join the Toffees…

Tottenham’s sophomore season at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium has come to a close and it has arguably been one of the most chaotic campaigns in the club’s recent history.

Spurs summed up their season with a disappointing 1-1 draw with Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park, although Jose Mourinho’s side still qualified for the Europa League in the process as Wolves lost 2-0 at Chelsea.

Mourinho has now turned his attention to the 2020/21 Premier League campaign and will want to make amends in the transfer window. Questions still remain over whether Daniel Levy will back his manager in the market, or if Spurs will be able to push on from promising foundations.

Despite their struggles, the Lilywhites still clinched a sixth-place finish, although Mourinho will surely not settle for anything other than silverware next season.

According to Alasdair Gold via football.london, Spurs are ready to raid Norwich City for Max Aarons and Todd Cantwell in the summer.

Tottenham have been monitoring Aarons for a while and Gold claims they will now test the waters with Norwich to see if they can strike a deal. Meanwhile, his teammate Cantwell remains firmly on their radar, and he understands they will look at several other players as well.

The ‘Dereham Deco’, who is affectionately nicknamed after the former Portugal star in recognition of his creativity and passing ability, has been a consistent performer for Daniel Farke’s side this season.

Although the Canaries hit rock bottom, Cantwell scored six goals and supplied two assists in 37 games in the Premier League, taking 1.1 shots per game, completing 2.3 dribbles, and winning 1.4 tackles on average (via WhoScored).

Bayern Munich have emerged as shock contenders to sign Aarons this summer, so Spurs should focus their efforts on Cantwell instead, as it is unlikely they will be able to compete with the Bundesliga champions, who have so much more to offer at the moment.

The 22-year-old has only won one England under-21 cap so far but could be considered unlucky to find himself in a generation stacked with midfield talents like James Maddison, Jack Grealish, Mason Mount and Phil Foden.

Liverpool had expressed their interest in him earlier this season, although this has somewhat cooled, which presents Spurs with the perfect opportunity to steal a march on their fierce rivals. Cantwell, who is currently valued at £18m via Transfermarkt, is under contract at Carrow Road until 2021.

While some in Norfolk will hope that the local lad will stay to help the Canaries fight their way out of the Championship, the club find themselves in a precarious position, as he will likely want to remain in the Premier League next season.

Norwich are confident that they can keep a hold of their prized assets but are braced for offers which may be too tempting to ignore.

Tottenham fans, should Levy sign Cantwell and Aarons in the summer? Let us know your thoughts by commenting below!

With Bruno Fernandes’ arrival back in January kick-starting a superb run of form for Manchester United, things are beginning to look up for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side.

The Red Devils have remained unbeaten across all competitions since the Portugal international’s arrival from Sporting CP, and will surely be looking ahead to the summer transfer window as one in which they can really continue their rise.

But after hearing the latest transfer report involving their club, some United fans seem to be a little more hesitant to get excited.

The Greatest Bargains in Premier League history – How much did they cost?

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According to French publication L’Equipe, Arsenal midfielder Matteo Guendouzi told the club’s hierarchy that he would be open to leaving the club at the end of the season, and that United have expressed an interest in signing him.

Along with Solskjaer’s team, the likes of Serie A giants, Juventus and Inter, are also said to be keeping tabs on the young Frenchman. And after hearing about their links to Guendouzi, United fans took to Twitter to voice their reactions to the news.

Whilst United have enjoyed previous success from signing players from Arsenal – Robin van Persie anyone? – the Red Devils have of course been burned more recently by a man making the switch from the Emirates: Alexis Sanchez.

A couple of United supporters felt that the options they already have at the club are far better than what Guendouzi would bring to the table, with one fan suggesting that Scott McTominay in particular is “miles better than him”.

Another couple of United fans even went so far to say that they would rather take Marouane Fellaini back at Old Trafford than sign Guendouzi this summer.

The Chile international now finds himself out on loan at Inter such has been the kind of disappointing career he has endured at Old Trafford, but Guendouzi, being only 21, is at the other spectrum of his career.

And so while some United fans have their doubts, it could be the kind of shrewd signing that can make Arsenal pay in the long-run.