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Tottenham Hotspur are keeping a close eye on Piero Hincapie ahead of a potential swoop this summer…

What’s the word?

That’s according to Sport BILD’s head of football, Christian Falk, who recently provided an update on Spurs’ interest in the Bayer Leverkusen central defender to GIVEMESPORT.

“Tottenham still has it’s eye on him, already in the summer, but also Arsenal again and Chelsea are visiting what is happening with him,” he said.

With a left-sided defender seemingly high on the priorities list for the Lilywhites at the end of the season, as per Sky Sports reporter Dharmesh Sheth, it seems that the Ecuador international would cost in excess of €40m (£35m), via transfer guru Fabrizio Romano.

Conte’s next Bastoni?

Spurs could definitely do with some defensive reinforcements in 2023, with inconsistencies and poor performances creeping back in under manager Antonio Conte, having suffered clear-cut defeats to arch-rivals Arsenal, Manchester City and Aston Villa since the turn of the year.

Hincapie would be a long-term project for the Italian – or whoever is in the dugout come next season – as he’s still very raw at just 21 years of age.

The modern-day centre-back is a ball-playing option but despite being a “tremendous young player,” he does “make mistakes” in the form of rash decision-making and the odd wayward pass – in the words of German football commentator Kevin Hatchard on Sky Sports.

That said, Conte has had some pretty good success with developing inexperienced defenders, such is the case at his former club Inter Milan, where he relied upon Alessandro Bastoni.

The Italian colossus came close to joining his former manager in north London in the past, so perhaps he could unearth his next top defensive prospect in Hincapie, given the two are comparable players, per FBref’s statistical profile model.

Just like Bastoni, the Educadorian excels with the ball at his feet – ranking inside the top 4% of his positional peers across the top-five European leagues for successful dribbles (0.59), as well as the top 12% for tackles (2.20) per 90, too.

WhoScored also list passing as a strong attribute for both Hincapie and Bastoni.

It’s why he has been dubbed as a “prodigy” in the past by Jose de Jesus Ortiz, whilst talent scout Jacek Kulig has lauded him as a “complete and dominant” centre-back, one who is also capable of playing at left-back.

Under Conte, the 21-year-old gem could hone in on his obvious potential and blossom from an inconsistent, error-prone youngster into an absolute monster at the back.

The Spurs boss won the Serie A title with the youth of Bastoni regularly featuring in his backline, so if sporting director Fabio Paratici can lure Hincapie to N17, then this masterclass could well be repeated.

AND in other news, Forget Perisic: Spurs’ 13-pass passenger was “toothless” once again vs Fulham…

Tottenham Hotspur have submitted a late bid for Piero Hincapie, according to reports…

What’s the word?

Sport Bild claim that Spurs have made a ‘verbal offer’ in the region of €25m (£22m) to sign the versatile Bayer Leverkusen defender ahead of Tuesday night’s transfer deadline.

It’s not the first time that the north Londoners have been linked with a move for the Ecuador international as they were quoted around £34m for him during the summer transfer window, with manager Antonio Conte wanting him prior to Clement Lenglet’s temporary arrival.

He could become the third winter signing after Arnaut Danjuma (loan) and Pedro Porro, should the latter make his way through the door in time.

He’s shades of Romero

Perhaps surprisingly, one of the Lilywhites’ biggest problems under the Italian has been in defence – not something you’d expect from his style of play but it could point towards his current options not being good enough as many are prone to the odd error or two each game.

That’s not to say that the young 21-year-old titan isn’t – because he very much is – but he’s more likely to grow and develop into what Conte is after – given his age – than say an Eric Dier, Ben Davies or Davinson Sanchez.

Hincapie is strikingly similar to that of Cristian Romero – one of the only shining lights in the back three. It’s easy to see why they are comparable as both are aggressive in the tackle and are adept with the ball at his feet.

As per FBref, the Argentine is among the top three players for likeness to the Leverkusen star in terms of statistical profile. Hincapie, meanwhile, ranks inside the top 4% for completed dribbles, the top 11% for expected goals and the top 13% for tackles per 90, when compared to other centre-backs across Europe’s top five divisions.

WhoScored also lists passing, aerial duels and blocking as three further key strengths of his, which is perhaps why talent scout Jacek Kulig once dubbed him the “complete and dominant” centre-back that he is.

The eagle-eyed talent spotter also lauded his tackling as “tenacious” and suggested that he is also “fast and strong,” which are all fantastic assets for a Conte system.

Therefore, Spurs sporting director Fabio Paratici could well land a player with shades of Romero with a late, last-gasp swoop for the Ecuadorian “prodigy” – as once hailed by journalist Jose de Jesus Ortiz.

£22m could well be a bargain for one of Europe’s most talented young centre-backs.

AND in other news, Imagine him & Porro: Spurs could end January with a bang by signing “deadly” £26m gem…

Sunderland Echo journalist Phil Smith has been left disappointed with the Black Cats’ lack of urgency to sign a new striker in the winter transfer window.

The Lowdown: Risky strategy by the club

Sunderland were unable to hand Tony Mowbray another striker during the January transfer window despite losing Ellis Simms, who returned to his parent club, while Ross Stewart went down with a season-ending injury.

The Black Cats did manage to secure one new attacking signing in the form of Joe Gelhardt, but he’s very inexperienced, with just eight first-team league starts under his belt, so there are no guarantees that he will hit the ground running at the Stadium of Light.

Mowbray would have surely liked to have brought in another new striker before Tuesday’s deadline as they have a huge number of games between now and the end of the season.

The Latest: A disappointing transfer window

Smith was speaking on The Roar podcast about how Sunderland’s overall transfer window was baffling and disappointing after failing to land a new forward.

He said: “It’s not good enough for a club to be going into a big FA Cup tie without a striker, to be dependant on a player whose match fitness probably isn’t at the absolute top level at the moment, to go into a month where there’s about eight fixtures, I think.

“It’s disappointing and clearly, there’s aspects of the process, if you like, that need to be improved. Because for all the Stewart injury is rotten luck, and for all the Simms recall was pretty baffling on Everton’s part, we knew going into this window that Sunderland would have only one striker contracted for next season.

“So you would have thought it was an area they were looking at – and it was an area they were looking at. I know for a fact that they tried to strike permanent deals for young strikers.”

The Verdict: Sunderland very think upfront

Many fans will likely be fuming that their club were unable to bring in another striker alongside Gelhardt to help Sunderland navigate their way through the remainder of the Championship season while also taking some pressure off of the striker’s shoulders.

Considering Sunderland – after a tremendous first half of the season – find themselves just two points off the play-off spots, they could have had a real push for one of the spaces inside the top six during the second half of the campaign.

However, with Stewart – the club’s top scorer this season – now out injured, it’s a lot to be asking of young Gelhardt to take over from the Scotland international to replicate the red-hot form he was showing at the Stadium of Light, and we could well see the Black Cats slide down the table because of their inability to recruit another goalscorer.

Sky Sports reporter Jamie Weir has given his reaction to the ‘extraordinary comments’ made by Southampton boss Nathan Jones after their Premier League defeat this weekend.

The Lowdown: Jones’ post-match comments

The Saints’ latest Premier League setback came at the hands of Brentford in a 3-0 thumping at the Gtech Community Stadium.

Following the loss, Jones’ Southampton side remain rock bottom with 15 points.

Jones spoke after the game and claimed he had ‘compromised’ his style of play since taking charge of the club. When he was at the helm of Luton Town, the Welshman claimed ‘statistically, there weren’t many better’ than him across Europe.

The Latest: Weir taken aback

Weir was taken aback by the comments Jones made about his managerial style and ability when speaking on Sky Sports’ Sunday Supplement.

He stated: “There were some extraordinary comments in that press conference after the game, and I’ve been to a few Nathan Jones press conferences in recent weeks, and he does come up with some almost David Brent/Alan Partridge-esque comments which have you certainly slightly scratching your head.

“To say yesterday that when Luton were at the height of their powers, ‘there was no one better than me in all of Europe’ – not than us, than me.

“I take my hat off to him, his self-belief is just on another level. For somebody who’s never achieved anything at the top level of the game, he has got extraordinary self-belief in what he’s doing.”

The Verdict: Not helping himself

We believe that Jones is not helping himself by claiming to be one of the best at a previous point in his managerial career.

The bizarre comments are very reminiscent of when the former temporary manager of Newcastle United John Carver claimed he was the ‘best manager in the league’ despite the Magpies being in a relegation battle at the time.

In our view, the difference between the two statements is that with Carver, it seemed to come more from a position of he had to believe in himself for the task ahead rather than any delusions of grandeur.

Whereas, Jones talking about stats suggests that he sees them as fact. However, comparing stats from different leagues isn’t a one size fits all conclusion – if anything, it just makes him seem a bit out of touch with reality.

Jones has not enhanced his reputation with many of the supporters since taking charge of the club, and they’ve made their feelings clear from the stands, so in our view, making those comments will only sour the relationship between the manager and some fans – particularly while the Saints’ form remains as it is.

Chelsea midfielder Mateo Kovacic has an ‘outside chance’ of being involved against West Ham United this weekend, according to injury expert Ben Dinnery.

The Lowdown: Kovacic’s injury issues

Kovacic has been dealt a couple of injury setbacks this season, missing two games due to knee problems back in August, while more recently a calf issue has sidelined the midfielder.

The 28-year-old has been an important player for the Blues in the Premier League this season, making 15 appearances, and there has now been a promising update regarding his return.

The Latest: Dinnery’s update

In an interview with GIVEMESPORT, Dinnery indicated that the latest injury issue is not too much to worry about, saying:

“He has got a calf related problem. I think that kept him initially out of that Liverpool game and it was a fairly minor and innocuous setback.

“It is nothing too major in the grand scheme of things so, all being well, if he could train, that potentially gives him an outside chance for this weekend.”

The Verdict: Good news

Hailed as ‘incredible’ by members of the media, the maestro rarely gets on the scoresheet, scoring just five in his Chelsea career, but he is a dependable player to have, specialising in picking out players in more promising positions, as indicated by an average of 8.66 progressive passes per 90 in the past year.

That said, Graham Potter strengthened his squad considerably in the January transfer window, bringing in Enzo Fernandez in a British-record £106.8m deal, and the former Benfica man scores better than Kovacic for progressive passes, assists and non-penalty goals.

As such, game time may be more limited for the Croatian in the second half of the season, with Potter also having the likes of Mason Mount and Conor Gallagher at his disposal, but it is still good news that he will soon be back in contention, most likely as a back-up option.

Leeds United are set for another relegation battle as they extended their winless run in the Premier League following a 2-0 defeat to Manchester United at Elland Road on Sunday afternoon.

The Whites remain managerless and now sit just one point above the drop zone. Everton, who play on Monday, have a game in hand and could overtake them before next weekend’s six-pointer between the two sides.

In the control of U21 boss and current caretaker Michael Skubala, the west Yorkshire outfit did give a pretty good account of themselves, though they need to pick up results more than ever.

One player who embodied the fight was skipper Luke Ayling, who – for the second successive game against United this week – looked like a man possessed…

How did Luke Ayling do against Man Utd?

The 31-year-old veteran could do very little about either of the Red Devils’ late goals as Marcus Rashford bagged against the run of play before Alejandro Garnacho sealed Leeds’ fate.

Per Sofascore, Ayling (7.5) was the only Whites player to have registered a rating above 6.9 – a feat that was only bettered by just two players on the pitch in visiting defender Luke Shaw and their shot-stopper, David De Gea – on his 400th appearance for the club.

The former Arsenal youth graduate was at the forefront of everything that Leeds did – just like in midweek, where Football FanCast hailed his display. Both defensively and offensively, the skipper did all he could to get a much-needed result in front of a raucous home crowd.

Also via Sofascore, Ayling led the charges in his own third by winning a whopping 13 duels and eight tackles, the former figure was more than double of any of his other teammates whilst the latter statistic was only bettered by one United player.

No Leeds player managed more touches of the ball than him either and from his 20 accurate passes, one became a key chance created, which was also the joint-most of Skubala’s men.

It’s no wonder LeedsLive reporter Beren Cross waxed lyrical about his performance after the game, taking to Twitter to say: “Ayling immense today. Read danger so well and dealt with it. Has he had a better week in Leeds colours? Didn’t deserve to be on the losing side.”

Indeed, that’s exactly why the £35k-per-week ace was once lauded as a “monster” by Leeds’ official data provided LUFCDATA, so on the above evidence, it’s clear to see that Ayling was once again Leeds’ one shining light.

That sort of outing from him will surely give any new boss some confidence heading into the final few months of the campaign.

AND in other news, Fewer touches than Meslier: Leeds’ 4-pass passenger is now a shadow of himself at Elland Road…

Wolverhampton Wanderers have enjoyed a rather fruitful start to life under Julen Lopetegui, racing away from the Premier League relegation zone having suffered just two league defeats since Christmas.

Several players have improved their performances under the Spaniard, which has led to the recent resurgence at Molineux. However, with the summer approaching, there could be widespread change across the first-team squad.

Nelson Semedo is a player who has been underwhelming this term. Across 20 league matches in the current campaign, his Sofascore average of 6.67/10 ranks him a lowly 19th out of the entire Wolves squad.

Defensively, he has managed to keep just two clean sheets, losing possession 9.1 times per match and committing 1.1 fouls per game; while his disciplinary record is the second-worst in the squad as he has accumulated five yellow cards, just behind the seven of Ruben Neves.

Lopetegui has already splashed the cash on a few new signings in January, and with Benfica showing interest in signing the Portuguese right-back, the summer could be time for a change.

Instead of scouring the transfer market for a successor, though, the Wolves manager could unearth his ideal replacement in a 20-year-old academy talent.

Can Luke Matheson replace Semedo at Wolves?

When Wolves signed a talented 17-year-old named Luke Matheson from Rochdale in January 2020 for £1m, there was clear excitement amongst the Old Gold faithful. This was a player who had made his first-team debut at the tender age of 15 and clearly was someone who had the potential to enjoy an extremely bright future in the game.

Four months before Wolves signed him, he scored against Manchester United in Rochdale’s Carabao Cup defeat at Old Trafford aged just 16. That sparked further intrigue around the youngster, although he remained down to earth following the occasion, having to sit a psychology exam the next morning.

Another wonderful display against Newcastle United in the FA Cup just before he signed for Wolves -setting up the equaliser which secured Rochdale a lucrative replay – was perhaps the catalyst for the Molineux club to sign him.

He hasn’t made his first-team debut in Old Gold as of yet, spending time out on loan at Ipswich, Hamilton and Scunthorpe United, and although these spells weren’t as productive as the player and club may have liked, he could have a new lease of life under Lopetegui.

The youngster earned plenty of praise during his spell at Rochdale, especially from his former manager Brian Barry-Murphy, who said: “Luke is an exceptional guy. He is one player you would have no problems staying grounded and true to his family.”

After signing for Wolves, scouting writer David Alexander Hughes discussed Matheson’s traits, saying: “In terms of his defensive work, the defender is exhibiting a strong tactical understanding of the game, reading opposition attacks well and making a decent amount of interceptions and possession recoveries per game.”

The next few months could be a crucial time in his career, and if the 20-year-old manages to impress Lopetegui, there may well be a lifeline for him at Molineux, and scope for him to replace the potentially exit-bound Semedo.

Chelsea are not planning on sacking Graham Potter despite the poor run of form in which the Premier League club finds themselves on.

Will Chelsea sack Graham Potter?

The Blues are certainly enduring a tricky spell in the English top flight as they find themselves slumped in the middle of the Premier League table.

And the future of Potter has been heavily scrutinised over recent weeks with the results failing to improve over the last few weeks.

However, speaking on TalkSport, presenter Jim White has claimed he recently received a text message from someone at Stamford Bridge saying the trust is still fully with Potter:

“Overnight, I woke up to a text message – and what does that tell you? This is what it tells me. It came from a member of the Chelsea hierarchy. Speculation surrounding Graham Potter’s future at the club, so I’m going to paraphrase it.

“This is what we know about Potter and Chelsea.

“I understand the club feels there are extenuating circumstances. They’ve had 12 players injured, they’ve had eight new starters, and Potter himself had no pre-season. They look at the Mikel Arteta model and how Arsenal have reaped rewards by giving him time.

“Graham Potter,  in the hierarchy’s eyes, is creative, thoughtful, and is the right coach for the Chelsea rebuild. A change now, it’s understood, would be a backward step, not a forward one for the club.”

How much time will Graham Potter be given at Chelsea?

This does seem to be the question on the lips of most Chelsea fans who may feel the Englishman’s time may already be up at Stamford Bridge.

For a club who have spent the money they have since Todd Boehly’s arrival, anything less than Champions League football would surely be a huge disappointment.

Yet Chelsea are well off the pace for even a spot in the top four. Despite having played an extra game, Chelsea currently sit 11 points behind fourth-placed Tottenham Hotspur.

But what is interesting is that Chelsea face an away trip to their London rivals on the weekend which could certainly prove a huge indication as to whether Potter can turn this form around.

A win against Spurs would cut their gap on the Lilywhtes to eight points with the prospect of further reducing that to five points with their game in hand.

However, anything less than a win and it could suggest any faint hopes of a turnaround at Chelsea may be somewhat of a pipedream with over 10 games still to play this season.

But it does have to remembered that Potter has not had a pre-season with this side and he has received an awful lot of new players which will need to adapt to the Premier League.

So it will certainly be interesting to see how the next few weeks pan out with a spot in Europe for next season still a possibility but it does feel as if this Sunday’s game could be a real turning point for the Blues.

Arsenal may well be looking to banish a few demons as they get ready to take on struggling Everton at the Emirates this evening, with the north Londoners having suffered a 1-0 defeat in the reverse meeting on Merseyside earlier this month.

The Toffees had wilted amid the raucous atmosphere at Goodison Park on the day, with the Merseysiders having enjoyed an instant lift following the appointment of Sean Dyche, as defender James Tarkowski headed home the game’s only goal.

With Mikel Arteta’s side hoping to right those wrongs this time around, the former Manchester City assistant coach will once again be without the likes of Gabriel Jesus and Mohamed Elneny due to injury, albeit with Thomas Partey in the frame for a more prominent role after making his return from a muscle issue against Leicester City last time out.

How will Arsenal line up against Everton?

While the Spaniard has largely stuck with his tried and trusted starting lineup so far this season, Football FanCast predicts that there will be two changes from the side that edged past the Foxes on Saturday…

4-3-3 – (GK) Ramsdale; (RB) Tomiyasu, (CB) Saliba, (CB) Gabriel, (LB) Zinchenko; (CDM) Partey, (CM) Xhaka, (CM) Odegaard; (RW) Saka, (ST) Trossard, (LW) Martinelli.

One of those notable tweaks could lie at right-back with versatile defender Ben White in line to make way for Takehiro Tomiyasu, with the Englishman having produced his “worst performance of the season” against Dyche’s men a few weeks ago, as per journalist Jason Soutar.

Ahead of the backline, the aforementioned Partey could make his return to offer a greater physical presence in the centre of the park, with the 6 foot 1 gem’s inclusion set to see January arrival Jorginho drop to the bench, despite the Italian’s recent strong form.

The “world-class” 5 foot 10 asset – as described by pundit Jose Enrique – has been branded “superb” by former Gunners striker Kevin Campbell (talkSPORT, 20/02/2023/, 08:11) for his impact of late, although endured an underwhelming debut against the Toffees at Goodison, having failed to provide a single key pass and squandered possession on six occasions in his 30-minute outing.

That alteration could seemingly be Arteta’s final change to the side, with the continued absence of Jesus set to see Leandro Trossard given the nod once again ahead of Eddie Nketiah in a centre-forward berth, with the Belgian having been somewhat controversially denied a fine goal against Leicester.

Recent reports have suggested that Wolves will target Sporting’s Manuel Ugarte this summer as a potential replacement for Ruben Neves, yet Julen Lopetegui may already have his ideal heir at Molineux.

Could Wolves replace Ruben Neves with Joe Hodge?

According to Spanish news publication Sport, Wolves are one of the most interested sides in Ugarte, who has been one of the star performers in Ruben Amorim’s side so far this campaign, averaging a superb 7.02 rating from WhoScored for his performances.

The report goes as far as to suggest that Wolves will target the Uruguay international as a direct replacement for Neves, who is expected to leave Molineux this summer, with Barcelona one of the sides who have been credited with an interest in the former Porto man.

However, Ugarte is only 21 and given that Chelsea were forced to pay a British transfer record for Enzo Fernandez, who was impressing in the same division, Wolves could be forced to pay a similarly eye-watering fee for the Sporting Lisbon starlet this summer.

Therefore, Lopetegui might be better off looking towards Wolves’ current first-team squad in his search for a Neves heir at the end of the season and could find a dream long-term option in Joe Hodge.

Hodge has broken into Wolves’ first team since joining from Manchester City and the 20-year-old looks to have all the attributes required to be a big hit in the Old Gold’s first team in the future.

He was recently rewarded with a new four-and-a-half-year contract at Molineux and boasts 10 first-team appearances already this season, which suggests that he is highly rated by Lopetegui and the senior staff.

Hodge, who was described as a “midfield destroyer” by football talent scout Jacek Kulig, has certainly won over U23s boss James Collins during his two years with the Old Gold.

Last year, Collins said: “I can’t speak highly enough of Joe. He’s a manager’s dream in the fact that he’s got talent and ability, but also understands that to make it at the top level or any level of professional football you have to do the hard work and the hard yards.”

These comments suggest that the 20-year-old has the work ethic to go along with his quality on the pitch and this bodes well for his future development at the club, which is why he could be a future star in the middle of the park.

There will certainly be a big gap to fill in Wolves’ midfield next season if Neves completes his expected move away from Molineux but if Hodge can live up to his potential and impress Lopetegui in pre-season, the Spaniard might not need to spend big on a replacement such as Ugarte.

It would save the owners millions and give the supporters a player to root for, given that the gem – via Manchester City – has come up through their academy set-up.