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Tottenham boss Jose Mourinho wants to fill the gaps in his team’s defence as soon as possible. 

Spurs have conceded more goals than Arsenal, Manchester United and Premier League champions Liverpool this season. Mourinho is in the market for a new left-back, as Ryan Sessegnon has struggled to get to grips with the position, while Ben Davies is their only specialist in that role.

Danny Rose believes that his Spurs career is over, which could be good news for Mourinho.

Last month, The Athletic revealed that Rose has extended his loan at Newcastle United until the end of the season.

The England international only made five appearances for Mourinho before being sent out on loan to Tyneside back in January. It is no secret that there is no love lost between them after the manager froze him out of his parent club.

The Magpies have made it clear that they want to keep him for as long as possible, as he has impressed for Steve Bruce’s side this season, winning two tackles per game and completing 1.4 clearances on average, with a passing accuracy rate of 76.5% (via WhoScored).

Rose feels that he is playing for his future because he doesn’t see a way back to Tottenham anytime soon. The 30-year-old, who is out of contract next summer, is keen to stay at St James’ Park.

Rose has admitted that his “days are numbered” at Spurs and it seems his 12-year spell in north London is finally coming to an end. Mourinho has insisted that he will not be a part of his plans for the future (via The Northern Echo).

As it stands, the 30-year-old, who is currently valued at £14.4m via Transfermarkt, will likely be sold in the summer. In turn, Mourinho may use the funds to find a suitable replacement to bolster his defence before the start of next season.

Tottenham fans, should Daniel Levy sell Danny Rose? Let us know in the comments below!

Comparing it to the lofty standards Liverpool have set for themselves this season, their defeat against Arsenal on Wednesday night, and the sheer manner of it, was arguably one of their worst displays of the campaign.

Jurgen Klopp’s side looked uncharacteristically sloppy both in defence and further forward, making simple mistakes, and routinely passing the ball out of play when under no real pressure.

And it was of course two major howlers on the part of Virgil van Dijk and Alisson that gifted the Gunners all three points, but whilst the duo had a rare off-night, the central midfield area was an area of big concern.

Can you name every one of Liverpool’s top goalscorers in the PL era?



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Both Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Georginio Wijnaldum in particular failed to really grab the game by the scruff of the neck, and when Arsenal appeared set on defending the width of their penalty area, showed none of the guile or creativity needed to break them down.

Oxlade-Chamberlain – valued at £25.2m- and Wijnaldum – valued at £36m – did virtually nothing all game to threaten the Arsenal back-line, with very few runs made in behind the opposition defence, and no cute passes or trickery to beat a man.

As per Sofascore, they combined for just one shot on target, and that too being a relatively tame half-volley from Oxlade-Chamberlain. They also only managed to pull off one successful dribble between them, and had just 99 touches altogether – to put that into context, Andy Robertson, Liverpool’s left-back, had 128.

The Reds sorely needed one of their more central players to offer up something more than just intensity with their running, and it was quite telling that Liverpool looked a whole lot more dangerous when Naby Keita took to the field. The Guinea international completed all three of his attempted dribbles, and in the second-half, the Reds racked up 17 total shots on goal, compared to just the seven in the first.

Whilst Klopp has clearly found a formula that works, Wijnaldum and Oxlade-Chamberlain’s lack of creativity showed exactly where FSG must look to strengthen this Liverpool squad in the summer.

And despite missing out on striker Timo Werner to Chelsea, there may just be another position the Reds could do with some reinforcements.

Sunderland boss Phil Parkinson has set his sights on a move for Scottish midfielder Scott Fraser, according to Sunderland Echo.

After failing to gain promotion to the Championship via League One, Parkinson is under increasing pressure to deliver at the Stadium of Light.

The 52-year-old coach has already added some new faces to his side with the signings of Bailey Wright and Aiden O’Brien, whilst Tom Flanagan signed a new deal to remain at the club.

With the summer transfer window now in full flow, another name has emerged as a potential arrival in Fraser, who left Burton Albion at the end of the previous season.

Fraser, who had spent the last two seasons with Burton, opted to turn down a new contract at the Pirelli Stadium this summer.Having played regularly under Nigel Clough, the 25-year-old netted an impressive five goals and gained 11 assists in 30 League One appearances this term.Luke Garbutt has also emerged as a potential target for Sunderland having left Premier League side Everton on a free transfer this summer.

This could be a perfect attacking signing for Phil Parkinson and one that is very much needed. The more creative options Parkinson has next season the better as he sets his sights on a promotion to the Championship.

Sunderland fans can be happy with this transfer link.

Do you think Scott Fraser would make a good signing? Let us know in the comments section below…

With Arsenal struggling to pull the finances together to fund a deal for Thomas Partey, they are looking elsewhere and they now know the price they will have to pay if they want to acquire Danilo Pereira from FC Porto.

According to O Jogo (via Daily Mail), the Gunners will have to pay around £27m if they want to buy the 28-year-old. However, this valuation has not gone down well with the north London side, who only want to pay a maximum of £18m for the Portugal international.

Pereira featured 37 times in all competitions last season including in the Champions League and seems to be a solid defensive midfielder as he has managed 1.1 interceptions and 1.2 tackles per game, via WhoScored.

Pereira has experience of major competitions at both club and international level – indeed, he was a Euro 2016 winner with Portugal and has two league titles with Porto – which suggests that Arsenal would  get a very strong calibre of player if they were to sign him.

It is understandable, however, with the current financial struggles at the club that Mikel Arteta does not want to spend nearly £30m on Pereira; and despite his quality and experience, the Gunners might have to look for a cheaper alternative so that they have funds to spend on multiple players this transfer window.

They cannot afford to just splash the cash on one player despite winning the FA Cup, as they finished eighth in the Premier League this year and therefore require greater squad depth and quality if they are to push for a return to the Champions League.

Gunners fans, is Porto’s asking price for Pereira excessive or should Arsenal roll the dice and pay it? Let us know your thoughts by commenting below!

According to The Sheffield Star, Wigan Athletic have accepted three bids for former Glasgow Rangers man Josh Windass, but he has decided to join Sheffield Wednesday.

Windass left Ibrox in 2018, moving to the Latics for £2.5m. He spent last season with the Owls on loan, and he now looks set to join them permanently.

As journalist Alan Nixon previously reported, this is good news for the 54-time Scottish champions – they are set to receive £450,00 from the transfer.

Windass did rather well with the Gers, especially during the 2017/18 campaign – he managed 18 goals and five assists in all competitions – but for some reason, he was never able to fully settle, and it seems the club’s supporters didn’t fully take him to heart either.

After just nine goals in 56 matches for Wigan, he is on the move again, and it seems the Gers are going to be the big winners of the deal. The £450,000 they are set to receive could be put to good use to strengthen their squads in other areas, for example.

Ross Wilson and Steven Gerrard, therefore, will be hoping this rumoured deal goes off without a hitch.

Let us know what you think below!

Glasgow Rangers will kick off their Europa League campaign against Lincoln Red Imps on Thursday.

Despite making the round of 16 in 2019/20, they will now have to start again in the second qualifying round. However, they will be hoping to make it to the next stage as they go into the tie as favourites, although they will have to be wary of a side that beat Celtic in a Champions League qualifier in 2016.

With the match taking place in Gibraltar, the ‘Gers have had to travel overseas for the match, but it seems that they will be living in luxury. It has been confirmed that the 54-time Scottish champions will be staying in a £120m yacht as they prepare for the match, where rooms reportedly cost £160 a night on average.

This has attracted plenty of attention from ‘Gers supporters, and the response has been mixed. Some seem perfectly happy with the itinerary but others are not too pleased considering that the club have made some employees redundant recently.

These fans took to Twitter to share their thoughts and you can see some of the best comments from the social media platform below:

‘Gers fans, what do you make of the club’s accommodation plans in Gibraltar? Let us know what you think by commenting below!

Newcastle United kick off their 2020/21 season with an away Premier League fixture against David Moyes’ West Ham United at London Stadium.

The Toon Army will likely be hoping to see new faces Callum Wilson, Jamal Lewis, Jeff Hendrick and Ryan Fraser play some part in the game as Steve Bruce looks to get off to the best possible start by taking all three points back to Tyneside.

Two of those may well start the game in Lewis and Wilson, but Hendrick may not be able to get past the trusted pair of Isaac Hayden and Jonjo Shelvey in the centre of midfield, whereas Fraser is reportedly lacking fitness and will be monitored.

Other potential absentees include first-choice goalkeeper Martin Dubravka, meaning that Karl Darlow is likely to step in between the sticks, as well as Fabian Schar and Dwight Gayle, with Matt Ritchie also a doubt, according to BBC.

Javier Manquillo, Federico Fernandez and Jamaal Lascelles will likely comprise the rest of the four-man defence alongside Lewis, with Miguel Almiron, Sean Longstaff and Allan Saint-Maximin forming a three-man attack behind Wilson.

Indeed, this would mean that Transfermarkt.

Fraser and Ritchie may both push for starts if they can pass their respective fitness tests, but Bruce will likely stick with what he knows as it is only the first match back in the new campaign, with the likely exception of both Lewis and Wilson starting to give NUFC some firepower going forward.

Geordies, who do you think will start for Newcastle tonight? Comment below with your views!

According to Italian journalist Nicolo Schira, Juventus defender Mattia De Sciglio has turned down a move to Aston Villa in this summer transfer window.

What’s the word?

Dean Smith’s side have already done some major business in recent weeks, with the likes of Emiliano Martinez and Ollie Watkins in particular being two of the stand-out arrivals at Villa Park.

Now, Schira has suggested that Villa were also looking at signing a new full-back, with Juventus’ De Sciglio in their sights. However, the journalist has confirmed that the Italy international has rejected offers from both the Premier League side, and Scottish giants Celtic.

Lange’s dodged a bullet

Whilst bringing in a versatile full-back like De Sciglio in would have ticked off two boxes for Smith given that the Italian can play on either flank, a move for the 27-year-old just wouldn’t have made sense in terms of the overall package.

The Juventus ace is earning around £91k-a-week with the Bianconeri, and even if he hypothetically did take a pay cut at Villa Park, he would still stand to be one of the highest earners at the club – at the moment, Sportrac reveals that new boy Watkins is the man who takes home the biggest pay-cheque, getting £75k-a-week.

And even aside from the kind of astronomical money Villa would have to pay in wages, De Sciglio just hasn’t been able to take to the field on a regular basis in the past few seasons. In fact, according to Transfermarkt, the Italy international has missed a massive 82 games over the past 5 years at club level.

Make no mistake about it, De Sciglio turning them down has seen Johan Lange dodge a major bullet.

And in other news, Dean Smith should unleash this Aston Villa starlet in the Premier League.

Celtic boss Neil Lennon is looking to bolster his squad before tonight’s transfer deadline as the Hoops look for a tenth title in a row and one name could hit the money with the Parkhead faithful…

What’s the word?

According to The Sun’s Alan Nixon, the defending Scottish champions have enquired to Liverpool over a potential move for their winger Harry Wilson, who saw a move to Burnley collapse this week.

It’s claimed that the Reds want to sell the 23-year-old permanently but a “showcase loan” to Celtic could suit all parties, particularly with a lack of transfer offers for the outcast.

Liverpool want around £20m for his signature, which clearly is putting off some interested teams.

Shades of Patrick Roberts

If Peter Lawwell and Nick Hammond can pull off this temporary switch, then it would be an outstanding coup – the best since Patrick Roberts, perhaps?

There would be many similarities between the two deals.

The 23-year-old is out-of-favour under Jurgen Klopp and has already endured four loan spells throughout his Anfield career, very much similar to the Man City winger, who has also gone out the same number of times, including to teams in the Championship.

Wilson broke through with an incredible stint under Frank Lampard at Derby County where he scored 16 goals and provided four assists, averaging 2.6 shots, 1.3 key passes and 0.5 dribbles per game, via WhoScored.

He even bagged seven times for a relegated Bournemouth side in the top-flight last season yet he still can’t contend with Mo Salah or Sadio Mane, which is understandable – and is a reason why another loan move could suit all involved.

Klopp has previously lauded his set-piece abilities, claiming: “Each free-kick is a proper threat. We were never in doubt about Harry’s shooting abilities, his skills in that part of the game are incredible – world-class, for sure.”

Whilst former Hull City teammate Jackson Irvine, who was once on the books at Celtic Park, labelled Wilson as “incredibly talented”.

Roberts was a fan-favourite over his two-season spell at Parkhead and the same could happen for the £60k-per-week Liverpool misfit given he has the perfect eye for goal.

AND in other news, Three new signings, no James Forrest: How Celtic’s XI may look after deadline day…

Speaking exclusively to FootballFanCast, Steve Howey has claimed his former side Newcastle should have signed Southampton star Danny Ings.

The England international enjoyed a sparkling campaign last year for Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side, netting 22 Premier League goals and finishing joint-second in the race for the Golden Boot, with Leicester’s Jamie Vardy taking the crown with 23.

When asked by FFC’s James Beavis about which summer signing from another club Newcastle should have made themselves, Howey said: “I don’t think it was this summer in fairness, but I know for a while, a long while, I was singling out Danny Ings. I thought Newcastle could have benefitted from somebody like him. I think Steve McClaren was the manager, and having a quick conversation with Steve, I think the fee was something like £12m and they were quite happy to pay that. Then it went up to £15m, and it was a case of we’re not paying that fee for him.

“For me it would have been him. Having said that, I was really pleased with Callum Wilson. I’ve always liked Callum Wilson, and I like Josh King. But as I said, I think Danny Ings would have been the one.”

Wilson’s start to life on Tyneside has been a very encouraging one, with the former Bournemouth man bagging four goals in six games – the exactly same amount as Ings.

The latter however, appears to have moved up the pecking order at international level, with England manager Gareth Southgate calling him up for the recent friendlies and Nations League clashes.

Valued at £18m by Transfermarkt, Ings could have been a real marquee signing for the Magpies. But as Howey himself points out, Newcastle have still got a very good striker in the shape of Wilson.