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Having dispatched reigning Premier League champions Liverpool 7-2 in their previous game, Aston Villa make the trip to fellow high-fliers Leicester City on Sunday night.

Dean Smith’s side are riding the crest of a wave, having won their opening three matches in the top-flight – a far cry from the relegation dogfight that they were in at the end of last season.

And whilst they would have headed into Sunday’s game against the Foxes with the utmost confidence, Villa have been handed another boost ahead of the game.

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According to reports, Leicester defender Caglar Soyuncu is a major doubt for the clash at the King Power Stadium, with the Turkey international having missed out on his country’s Nations League game against Serbia due to injury.

It’s also added that Soyuncu’s regular centre-back partner Jonny Evans is also questionable, after reporting pain in his thigh – he was hooked at half-time in Northern Ireland’s contest against Norway.

If either miss out, or even both, that will only serve to whet Ollie Watkins’ appetite even more. The summer signing from Brentford has enjoyed a barn-storming start to his career at Villa Park, bagging five in his opening six games across all competitions, including a perfect hat-trick against title holders Liverpool.

Speaking late last month, Smith said: ” It’s a tough league to go and score goals in and we all know that. Normally the top strikers come from the top four teams and have done over recent years, but in Ollie we believe there’s a player who can score an awful lot of goals.

“We’ve seen it with the players at Aston Villa, with Christian Benteke, Peter Withe and Alan McInally, people like that. There are a lot of Aston Villa fans who are waiting for that player who’s going to score the goals.”Watkins will be on cloud nine at the moment, and the Foxes’ injury crisis at the back could see him run amok once again. Another hat-trick isn’t outside the realms of possibility on Sunday.And in other news, Aston Villa missed a potential upgrade on Douglas Luiz in this £18m-rated talent.

Barcelona are no longer interested in Tottenham star Tanguy Ndombele. 

According to Sky Sports, as per Ricky Sacks, Barcelona’s interest in Ndombele has now cooled after they signed Miralem Pjanic from Juventus.

Ndombele, who is the club’s record signing, has a strained relationship with Jose Mourinho, and the pair are currently embroiled in a public spat, via Football Insider. According to The Athletic, they just don’t understand each other, as the Frenchman has reacted angrily to Mourinho’s offer to train together.

Daniel Levy has made it abundantly clear the French international will not be sold in the summer and has personally reached out to his representatives to try and resolve the situation.

Mourinho has developed a habit for losing control of a dressing room on multiple occasions and Ndombele appears to be following a similar path to Manchester United maverick midfielder Paul Pogba.

Both sides are too stubborn for their own good and Levy has turned peacemaker in an attempt to find a peaceful resolution.

Barca’s decision is a massive transfer boost for Tottenham, as it is hard to imagine anyone else will be able to afford the £46m-valued ace under the current circumstances, but it is bad news for Mourinho.

The 23-year-old, who has been compared to Chelsea star N’Golo Kante, has struggled for consistency this season, and has now picked up an injury.

To add insult to injury, he has only played 64 minutes of football since the Premier League restart, and has finished four of the past games on the bench as an unused substitute.

Nevertheless, Levy is adamant Ndombele is not up for sale, despite Mourinho’s obvious misgivings. Whether or not this ongoing saga will be resolved before the start of next season remains to be seen, but if the club opts to persist with Ndombele, can they also persist with Mourinho as well or will one have to go?

Tottenham fans, do you think Mourinho should give Tanguy Ndombele another chance? Let us know down below!

The Scottish Premier League is full of exciting young talents and it seems that the clubs from the English top-flight are looking to dip their toes into their market in the ongoing summer transfer window.

One such incredible young player is Dundee United’s Lewis Neilson and even though the prodigy might be only 17 years of age, Courier Sport revealed in their exclusive new report that a total of four Premier League clubs are already interested in him.

Among them, they say, are both Everton and Leeds United and it seems that Carlo Ancelotti and Marcelo Bielsa could indeed lock horns to secure the youngster’s signature.

Neilson is a Dundee United product through and through, having progressed through their academy and developed into a versatile ace on the pitch. Naturally a centre-back, the 17-year-old can also play at full-back but has the ability, the pace and the physique to compete in other areas and on a much higher level at this point in his career already.

The same source states, however, that it would indeed take a seven-figure offer to persuade Dundee United to part with their crown jewel so the Toffees would have to roll up their sleeves if they are really to make this transfer happen.

But, seeing the talent and the potential of this lad, it could very well be worth it in the end.

Let’s see if Ancelotti decides to act now and jump on this opportunity.

Verdict

A defender is certainly on Everton’s radar for the ongoing summer transfer window and buying one so young and so versatile could solve multiple issues at the same time.

Of course, at 17 years of age, dominating the Premier League opposition would probably be too much to ask of Neilson but from the looks of it, he is more than ready for a tough challenge and is bound to improve rapidly as well.

Burnley midfielder Josh Brownhill could be in line to make his first start for the club against Manchester City on Monday.

In an article looking ahead to the game in Lancashire Live, Alex James wrote that the 24-year-old could be handed a full debut on the right-hand side of midfield, with Sean Dyche potentially facing a sparsity of options in that position.

Brownhill, who was signed from Bristol City in January, has so far played just a single minute for Burnley, coming on as an injury time substitute against Bournemouth four months ago (as per TransferMarkt). He has been on the bench for three other Clarets matches, though, and made 28 Championship starts for the Robins this season, with five goals and two assists to his name.

Dyche confirmed in his press conference yesterday that Johann Berg Gudmundsson will miss the trip to the Etihad Stadium with a calf problem, while Robbie Brady has sat out a few training sessions due to a knock (as per Lancashire Live).

Aaron Lennon and Jeff Hendrick, both of whom are also accustomed to playing on the right flank, are out of contract at the end of the month and, as revealed by the Burnley manager, have yet to be offered new deals by the club (as per Lancashire Live). Therefore, they may be reluctant to play if they risk jeopardising their post-Turf Moor futures, while Dyche could give preference to players who he knows will be at the club until the end of the season.

Having only been given a token minute so far by Dyche, it may seem quite a gamble to throw Brownhill straight into the starting line-up against defending champions Manchester City, who quickly got back into the groove with a fine performance in their 3-0 thrashing of Arsenal on Wednesday night.

However, the manager’s hand could well be forced, while the 24-year-old has a lot more to gain than to lose. The circumstances in Dyche’s squad, coupled with the strength of the opposition, should earn Brownhill plenty of slack if he isn’t able to make an impact at the Etihad.

On the contrary, were he to give a stellar performance upon being thrown into the team, it could stand to him for the rest of the season and possibly beyond.

Burnley fans, would you like to see Brownhill starting against Man City on Monday? Comment below with your views!

A crazy statistic has emerged about Allan Saint-Maximin as Newcastle United have averaged 1.89 points per game when he has started this season so far, compared to just 0.73 when he has not, according to Whoscored (via NUFC 360).

Based on these stats, if the 23-year-old had started every game in the Premier League for the Tyneside club, including their upcoming fixtures, then Steve Bruce’s team would have earned 72 points over the 38 matches.

Given that Chelsea are currently in the last guaranteed UEFA Champions League spot on 54 points with just six games to play, they could only reach a maximum of 72, meaning that it would all but guarantee the Magpies a place in Europe’s elite competition.

On the other hand, the Toon would have picked up just 28 points from their 38 games if he had started in none of them. On the basis that Aston Villa and Bournemouth are in 18th and 19th place in the Premier League table respectively on 27 points, they would have each potentially only needed a couple more points from their last six matches to finish above Newcastle, which would likely have seem them relegated from the top flight.

Saint-Maximin has therefore been a revelation in the Premier League so far in the 2019/20 season, averaging 4.7 successful dribbles and 1.3 key passes per game, as well as creating eight big chances, scoring three goals and making four assists, according to Sofascore.

These kinds of stats show just how much the Frenchman has been relied upon during his debut campaign at St. James’ Park, and perhaps the rest of the side need to step up to his level.

Geordies, has Saint-Maximin been your best player this season? Comment below with your views!

Many Tottenham Hotspur fans have been reacting on Twitter after Spurs fan account The Spurs Web relayed a report from TEAMtalk saying that the club are ready to make an offer for Liverpool centre-back Dejan Lovren this summer.

The exclusive report from TEAMtalk says that Tottenham are one of four London clubs keen to bring the 30-year-old to the English capital during the next transfer window, with Arsenal, West Ham United and Crystal Palace the other three potential suitors.

The Croatia international, who helped his nation reach the 2018 World Cup final, has often found himself as Jurgen Klopp’s fourth-choice option when all of the Merseyside outfit’s centre-halves have been fit this term, and came under criticism from supporters on Twitter for his display in the 3-0 defeat against Watford at the beginning of this month – the result brought an end to their unbeaten top flight record in 2019/20.

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Lovren actually shone under ex-Spurs boss Mauricio Pochettino at Southampton previously, but you would have to question whether he is what Jose Mourinho needs right now in terms of strengthening his backline.

That said, with just over 12 months left on his contract at Anfield and with Klopp willing to let him go according to TEAMtalk, perhaps a potentially cheap deal could be tempting for Mourinho and Daniel Levy.

Tottenham supporters certainly aren’t keen on the move, as you can see below, with one individual saying “please no”, while another said “this’ll 100% make Harry Kane stay” – we assume there was a large amount of tongue-in-cheek used with the latter comment.

Of course, the England captain suggested in an Instagram Q&A with Jamie Redknapp, via The Guardian, on Sunday that he wouldn’t stick around unless the club meets his ambitions.

Here is a selection of the full reaction…

In other Tottenham news, many Spurs fans on Twitter are drooling over a transfer link to a 23-year-old Ligue 1 star…

A number of Manchester City fans have voiced their displeasure with transfer reports indicating the potential sale of Angelino.

TransferMarkt UK reported that RB Leipzig, where the left-back is currently on loan, have until 15 June to trigger a clause to sign him permanently, with any such deal costing them €22m (£19.44m). Although this figure is likely to exceed the German club’s budget, Manchester City have indicated a willingness to negotiate, with the update shared on Twitter by @SuperbiaProelia.

The 23-year-old was previously on City’s books for five years before they re-signed him from PSV Eindhoven last summer, although he has only made 15 senior appearances for the Cityzens, having gone on loan several times since 2015. The latest of those saw him move to RB Leipzig in January, where he has made eight appearances, scoring once and setting up two goals.

Pep Guardiola currently has Benjamin Mendy and Oleksandr Zinchenko as senior left-back options, while City have been linked with a possible move for Bayern Munich’s David Alaba (as per 90min.com) to potentially strengthen in that department.

However, these Manchester City fans want to see Angelino being given a fair chance to prove himself at the Etihad Stadium, with one supporter believing the club should “get rid of Mendy or Zinchenko” to make room for him:

Man City fans, do you think Angelino should be given a proper chance at the Etihad or would you be in favour of selling him to RB Leipzig? Join in the discussion by commenting below!

This article is part of Football FanCast’s Opinion series, which provides analysis, insight and opinion on any issue within the beautiful game, from Paul Pogba’s haircuts to League Two relegation battles…

Jose Mourinho arrives again.

They say that the greatest trick the devil ever pulled was convincing the world he didn’t exist; Mourinho has convinced the world, or, perhaps, just Tottenham, that his flaws are absent, that his priorities are straight and that he can be the man to lead the club into a glorious new era.

We have been here before. Mourinho was meant to take Manchester United back to the promised land. He was supposed to win trophies at will, bring the best out of high-end players like Paul Pogba and Romelu Lukaku and return the club to their rightful place on top of the Premier League standings.

Instead, he was accused of boring football, never laid a finger on Manchester City, despite one second-place finish that he still ranks as one of his greatest achievements, and alienated the club’s best player, in Pogba. He did win the Europa League but, at the end of the day, was it really worth it?

One has to wonder.

Spurs have taken the bold step of bringing him in fresh from sacking Mauricio Pochettino. Fewer than 12 hours had passed before Mourinho was confirmed as his replacement.

It will be strange, initially, to see the Portuguese back in a dugout, not least one that has been occupied by its previous incumbent for over five years. That is almost a dynastic reign in current footballing terms.

And one has to wonder exactly what Daniel Levy, the chairman who took the decision to fire and hire, is expecting. Is it Champions League football? Is it the promotion of youth? Is it simply a trophy, any trophy, to put in an increasingly dusty cabinet?

If it’s the latter, Mourinho is probably the man. He has won medals wherever he has gone, even in the toxic environment that was festering at United.

But the other two? Spurs are 11 points off the top four already and are facing a major battle to get back into the race, let alone those positions, while Mourinho regularly favours bringing in experienced, ready-made players like Nemanja Matic, Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Alexis Sanchez. That’s not the Tottenham way, or at the very least, not the Pochettino way.

This appointment, then, undercuts much of what Pochettino has built.

He fostered unity at Spurs, building a team that was capable of challenging for the title on two occasions all the while promoting the likes of Dele Alli, Harry Kane and Harry Winks. His team, at their best, were exhilarating to watch and even harder to play against.

Mourinho has never done that, not really. He’s won things, as previously alluded to, but he has simply stuck the bits together after buying them at expensive rates – he became the first ever manager to spend over £1b on transfers in 2017. Where Pochettino built his teams in his simple garden shed, Mourinho bought his in Ikea.

It remains to be seen if this will work, of course. The experiment is fascinating, and one that seemed far-fetched not all that long ago.

But here we are, with Mourinho at the wheel. He is the antithesis of Pochettino, and this will go one of two very different ways.

Harry Kane has enjoyed a glistening career at Tottenham Hotspur and is arguably one of the finest products to come through the youth system in the club’s entire history.

181 goals in 278 appearances is a phenomenal return for a striker, and below you can delve into his top five long-range screamers.

From his outrageous attempt against Arsenal in 2016 to that goal against Juventus…

The 26-year-old has won plenty of awards, including a World Cup Golden Boot, multiple PFA Team of the Year entries as well as clinching an MBE from the Queen.

Although, that elusive trophy in north London still escapes him…

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AND in other news, Alasdair Gold suggests TWO Spurs transfer targets if Harry Kane leaves…

This article is part of Football FanCast’s The Chalkboard series, which provides a tactical insight into teams, players, managers, potential signings and more… 

Leeds United may be in for a tough test this weekend as they face Queens Park Rangers at Elland Road.

The London club are a bit of an enigma this season, they’ve been picking up results and they currently sit just two points behind the team they’re facing on Saturday, but they’ve managed to do that while having the second-worst defence in the entire division.

Of course, that means that they’re absolutely electric going forward, and there is one key battle this weekend that may decide where the points go.

On the chalkboard

If QPR’s strengths lie in their attack, Leeds’ lie in their defence.

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The Whites have conceded fewer goals than any other team in the Championship, while the R’s have outscored 22 of the teams in this division.

Despite the fact that both teams’ strengths are at either end of the pitch, it’s two midfielders that enable each side to be so good at what they do.

Flair vs brute force

This is potentially a battle between the best-attacking midfielder in the division and the best defensive midfielder in the league as Eberechi Eze and Kalvin Phillips take up two of the top four spots on WhoScored’s best Championship players list.

Indeed, Eze averages a higher rating than anyone else in the league, while Phillips is the fourth-best, and whoever wins this battle may single-handedly win their team the points.

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The QPR man’s main talent comes with his dribbling as he averages 2.9 dribbles per game, but that may be counteracted by Phillips’ tackling ability as he averages 4.1 tackles per game

However, despite the 23-year-old’s tenacity in the tackle, the midfielder is dribbled past 1.6 times per game so Eze may get the better of him on a couple of occasions.

Phillips must also be careful when he tries to tackle the QPR ace as Eze is fouled 2.3 times per game, while the defensive midfielder usually fouls his man 1.9 times per match.

The 21-year-old is also a top passer of the ball as he averages 1.8 passes per game, but Phillips’ intercepting skills could negate that as he makes 1.4 per match.

It shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone that the number 10 has netted six times already this term as he has 2.4 shots per game. Therefore, Phillips may have to work harder than usual to stop the threat that the youngster poses as he makes only 0.2 blocks per game.