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Mauricio Pochettino is practically famed for his ability to inspire the next generation of fledgling English talent and a recent transfer report suggests he will have an ideal opportunity to bring another prodigy to Tottenham Hotspur this month. 

That Pochettino has managed to achieve the unthinkable feat of transforming Moussa Sissoko into an actual footballer vindicates the Argentine’s reputation as one of the best man-managers in the game.

His success in helping Dele Alli, Harry Kane and Harry Winks, to name just a few, establish themselves at Spurs has been one of his most distinguishing managerial qualities, and with the likes of Kyle Walker-Peters and Oliver Skipp flirting with the senior squad there is no doubt that trend is set to continue.

Various transfer reports would leave us to believe that Spurs were once interested in Jack Grealish, but his decision to sign a new contract has forced their attention towards another Championship talent, Jarrod Bowen.

Like Grealish, Bowen would contribute to the homegrown quota and is bursting with potential, but there is reason to suggest the north London club could and perhaps should be looking at a higher calibre talent.

Indeed, Ruben Loftus-Cheek has effectively been hung out to dry at Stamford Bridge so far this season, making just nine Premier League appearances of which only one was from the outset.

The warning signs are there to suggest he will be on his way out of the club in the near future, and a recent report from Goal detailing Chelsea’s endeavours to secure a £45 million deal for Italian wonderkid Nicolo Barella has scribbled the writing on the wall for the England international.

Cesc Fabregas may well be on his way out of Chelsea but his presence has done little, if anything, to impact on Loftus-Cheeks’ first-team opportunities this season.

With that said, the 22-year-old will surely be pushing for a move away from Chelsea this month in a bid to kickstart his stuttering career, and Tottenham could be the perfect place for him to do exactly that.

Pochettino’s remarkable track record with installing confidence into aspiring talents and enabling them to realise their potential is the best around in Premier League football. He is the man with the quality to finally unearth the true level of Loftus-Cheeks’ boundless potential, providing Spurs can lure him to north London, of course.

It’s a deal which would certainly carry a weight of controversy given the rivalry between the two clubs but, with Tottenham looking short of options in central midfield and Chelsea looking to recoup some of the £58 million they spent on Christian Pulisic, it’s one which makes sense for all parties concerned at this point in Loftus-Cheeks’ career.

Tottenham fans – thoughts? Let us know below!

According to The Independent, Rangers are interested in signing Liverpool teenager Ben Woodburn on loan for the rest of the season. 

Rangers manager Steven Gerrard is apparently a huge fan of the 19-year-old after taking charge of him whilst both were with The Reds’ academy setup.

Woodburn spent the first half of the season on loan at Championship outfit Sheffield United, but it was a spell that did not go well, as he only played seven times in the Championship (primarily from the bench) and failed to score in the process.

Of course, with the raft of talent currently at Anfield, and with Liverpool growing ever closer to their first Premier League title, Jürgen Klopp will not risk the youngster, and the club will surely want to loan him out.

[brid autoplay=”true” video=”367485″ player=”13308″ title=”Rangers”]

Rangers would, therefore, be the perfect place for Woodburn to go. The club have needed another striker for a long time this season to support Alfredo Morelos. While they signed veteran Jermain Defoe, it is unclear how much the 36-year-old will be able to play. Woodburn would be a handy addition to help balance Defoe’s workload at Ibrox.

From Liverpool’s persepctive, there’s no greater place to send Woodburn than a club with such a talented player as Defoe. The 19-year-old would surely learn a huge amount from the England striker, and could help him take his game to the next level, and Rangers could be the beneficiaries of this as they chase Celtic in the Scottish Premiership.

Additionally, Gerrard will want to develop Woodburn as best he can, not only for Rangers’ sake, but for Liverpool’s long-term future.

According to a recent report from The Daily Telegraph, Everton are interested in a move for striker Michy Batshuayi this month. The 25-year-old currently plays his football at La Liga outfit Valencia on loan from Premier League giants Chelsea, although struggles for form at the Mestalla this season has called into question the possibility that his temporary stint in Spain could come to an end this month.

And reports suggest that Marco Silva’s Everton are interested in a move for the Belgium international this month in a bid to bolster their flagging attacking options, yet the Toffees should forget about a big-money move for Batshuayi, and instead focus all their January efforts on securing a permanent deal for midfielder Andre Gomes.

The Breakdown

Ultimately, there is little doubting that the Merseysiders are struggling somewhat in the final third of the field at present, with the likes of Cenk Tosun and Oumar Niasse simply unable to produce the goods on a regular enough basis in the number nine role.

In fact, summer signing Richarlison has been used as a makeshift striker for much of the campaign to underline Silva’s lack of faith in messrs Tosun and Niasse, and while the Brazil international has performed solidly in that role, it doesn’t appear as though he is indeed the answer to their striking woes.

Yet it’s debatable whether Chelsea’s Batshuayi is as well given his serious struggles at Valencia this term, with the Belgian ace netting on just three occasions for the Spanish outfit in all competitions, only one of which coming in La Liga.

Add in his difficulties in commanding regular football at Chelsea following his move from Marseille back in 2016, which itself says quite a lot given the Blues are finding things extremely tricky in the forward ranks this term, and perhaps a reported £40 million move for the 25-year-old shouldn’t be on the January agenda.

Instead, the Toffees must seek to use that money to fund a permanent deal for midfielder Gomes, who has proven to be a revelation since making the loan move from Barcelona during the summer.

Like the striking ranks, the central midfield department was lacking in sufficient depth and quality over the summer with Idrissa Gueye very much the main man in that position, yet the likes of Morgan Schneiderlin, Tom Davies, and James McCarthy had failed to totally convince of their capabilities alongside the Senegal international.

Yet Gomes appears to be the answer to that particular conundrum having excelled for Everton upon return from injury back in October, with the Portugal international having started each of their last 14 Premier League games, and in that time producing many impressive displays to underline his quality in the English top-flight.

Alongside the more industrious and combative Gueye, the 25-year-old has greater technical ability and is extremely comfortable with the ball at his feet and indeed under pressure – between the duo, they have everything required to form a formidable central midfield partnership in the Premier League.

But with speculation linking Gueye with a move away, and indeed no guarantee of a permanent deal for Gomes, Silva’s men simply have to focus their efforts on striking an agreement over the latter – the Portuguese ace is too good a player for Everton to lose come the summer.

And that is why they must forget about a big money move for Batshuayi this month, and instead focus their efforts on turning Gomes’ loan move into a permanent one by the end of January.

Everton fans… what do you think? Let us know!

According to Sky Sports, Cardiff have signed striker Oumar Niasse from Everton on loan until the end of the season.

The Senegal international was part of a cohort of underachieving strikers at Goodison Park, something that has been The Toffees’ biggest problem so far this season. It only made sense to move somewhere in which he would play more regularly, and relegation-threatened Cardiff is the perfect place.

However, Everton have already revealed this month the list of players that they are seeking to sell in order to raise money. This list includes midfielders Morgan Schneiderlin and James McCarthy, as well as striker Cenk Tosun. The thing that seems the most strange is that Niasse was not a member of the list.

Niasse has not started a single game this season, and this is despite the club’s dire situation regarding strikers. If he has not been able to get into the team this season, there is little or no evidence to suggest that he ever will be able to. At 28 years of age, he is not exactly a player for the future either, unlike someone like Dominic Calvert-Lewin. However, he is still at an age whereby The Toffees would have been able to sell him for a reasonable price.

This is just a decision by the club that does not seem to make much sense. It is unlikely that manager Marco Silva has ever said that Niasse will be part of his plans, so there are some unanswered questions. The Toffees are clearly not afraid to let players go permanently this month, and Niasse should have been one of them.

Everton will be desperate to get the better of Wolverhampton Wanderers on Saturday, with both teams currently fighting for a European spot this season. 

The Toffees haven’t been able to ensure consistency in recent times, which has had a negative impact on their push for a European place. However, it appears as if Marco Silva is looking to possibly secure a late deal, as according to The Sun (live transfer blog, 31/01/2019, 13:18), Everton are keen on signing Danny Drinkwater.

It’s understood that Everton have shown interest in signing Chelsea’s Danny Drinkwater on loan.

However, they could face a battle to secure his services as Leicester City have also shown an interest.

Sadly, the England international has struggled to work his way into Maurizio Sarri’s plans in the current campaign, which has opened the door for a loan move.

Everton could do with bringing in midfield reinforcements, despite the Merseyside club stating that Idrissa Gueye will not be going anywhere.

THE VERDICT:

Danny Drinkwater, who is valued at £13.5 million (by Transfermarkt), managed to lift the Premier League title during his time at Leicester City and he has years of top-flight experience under his belt, so he could come in handy.

The likes of Tom Davies and Morgan Schneiderlin haven’t really been able to produce many quality performances this season, so the Toffees will be keen to bring in back-up for the likes of Idrissa Gueye and Andre Gomes.

A new hero has arrived to light up Selhurst Park. In a surprising deadline day move, Crystal Palace managed to snap up Michy Batshuayi on loan from Chelsea. With Roy Hodgson surely frustrated by Christian Benteke’s lacklustre presence in front of goal, he’ll be relieved to see a mobile striker leading his line.

Batshuayi’s fellow compatriot has been quite disappointing in The Eagles attack, scuffing chances regularly and wasting the efforts of Wilfred Zaha and Andros Townsend. However, the opportunistic “Batman” can help fix that.

Batshuayi already made a great impression in his home debut for Palace and despite coming on for only eight minutes, made more an impact than Benteke.

The Belgian wiggled past multiple Fulham defenders, displaying impressive close control before his shot was parried away to Jeffrey Schlupp, who scored from close range. While technicality it doesn’t count as one, Batshuayi took that as an assist and why not?

He worked extremely hard for it and deserves all the applauds for it. With the kind of movement and hunger he displayed in the final third, he’s on course to become a fan-favourite. Batshuayi can not only deliver on the goal-scoring front but also create more opportunities for Zaha and Townsend, who’ve been forced to carry the creative burden all around.

An energetic presence in the Eagles attack, Batshuayi can get the best out of both of them and help Palace surge ahead in their quest for a top-half finish.

Naby Keita has faced his fair share of criticism from the Liverpool fans this season.

Indeed, the midfielder has largely struggled to show his best form for the Reds.

It would be fair to say that there have been signs of improvement in recent weeks, though, particularly in the 3-0 win over Bournemouth last time out.

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Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp was certainly pleased with Keita’s showing against the Cherries, with the German paying tribute to the central midfielder.

The Liverpool fans have been reacting to Klopp’s comments on social media and it would be fair to say that a number are in agreement.

Keita’s talent was never really in question, but there were fears that the 33-cap Guinea international would not be able to fully adapt to the Premier League.

The Liverpool fans have been frustrated in recent weeks after watching Manchester City move to the top of the table, but many are delighted with Keita’s recent form.

A selection of the Twitter reaction to Klopp’s comments can be seen below:

When Wesley came on for Jonathan Kodjia in the 73rd minute of Aston Villa’s victory against Liverpool, many involved with the club will have been willing him on to score.

For those who did, their wishes would eventually become reality, as in the 92nd minute he was played through by Trezeguet, before placing the ball into the bottom corner past Caoimhin Kelleher.

Watch Villa vs Norwich Live and Free with Amazon Prime on Boxing Day

It wouldn’t have been obvious by looking at his face, but it can be argued that this was a big moment for the 23-year-old.

This ended a drought of games without a goal or assist that had been extended to nine with the 2-0 loss against Sheffield United.

Fans were delighted for the Brazilian that this run has now come to an end, with one stating “he needed a goal”, while another had kept the faith, claiming “I knew you could do it”.

It has to be said that despite the length of time without hitting the back of the net, Wesley was very convincing and clinical with his finish this time around.

The hope now is that he will be able to move forward from this point and add to the four goals and one assist amassed in the Premier League so far this term.

One fan has even claimed that the summer signing will go on to bag a hat trick against Southampton on Saturday.

Red Herring or Real Hero: Only hardcore Villa fans will get all of them right….

Another has displayed their hopes that this moment “gives the lad some confidence” to go on and add to it.

In other news, Danny Mills has been swooning over Aston Villa’s transfer target.

According to Football Insider, Sheffield Wednesday striker Jordan Rhodes is set to remain at the club for the rest of the season amid reports linking him with an exit.

What’s the word

It is believed that the 29-year-old is ‘going nowhere’ this January with Celtic supposedly wanting to sign him as a back up to Odsonne Edouard, per The Scottish Sun.

Rhodes has gone from Hillsborough outcast to a regular option under manager Garry Monk this season, he’s now started three straight games in attack for the Owls.

His first goals of the season came courtesy of a first-half hattrick against Nottingham Forest, taking his total at the club to 13 from 69 appearances.

January struggle

The former Blackburn striker is the club’s record signing after joining for a fee thought to be around £8m back in the summer of 2017 following a successful six-month loan spell.

Per Capology, Rhodes is on £21k-per-week, which makes him the fifth highest-paid contracted player for the Owls, which may be enough to put some suitors off in January if they came knocking.

Clearly a club of Celtic’s stature can afford to do so, but the striker rejecting them doesn’t bode too well either.

It means Rhodes will see the season out in south Yorkshire, which is a vast turnaround to Monk’s previous plans to offload him next month, although his new role in the side will have changed that somewhat.

Everything combined makes it seem likely that Wednesday will struggle to cash in on him. Therefore, the 40-year-old can only keep putting him in the shop window in the hope that someone can tempt him into leaving.

But it’s not necessarily a bad thing either as if he is scoring, then it’s only going to help the Owls’ promotion push.

Whose Line Is It Anyway: Michael Owen, Garth Crooks or Mark Lawrenson?

And in other news, time could be running out for this fellow Wednesday striker…

A pub quiz often has a habit of firing awkward and almost unanswerable questions at you.

In a few decades, it wouldn’t be a great surprise if you were asked to list the most unlikely of Premier League winning captains.

Among the names will be Wes Morgan, a commanding centre-back who once did the unthinkable.

The odds were remarkable but Leicester went onto win the top-flight in 2015/16, a feat that for a split moment seemed as if it could be on the cards again this term.

As it happens, Liverpool have been rampant, leaving the rest of the division behind them.

The possibility of achieving Champions League football next season is still there but will captain Morgan be around to see it? It feels unlikely.

The 35-year-old’s contract expires at the end of the season and a host of variables dictate that he should pack his bags when that eventuality occurs.

He has been a loyal servant at the King Power but there are already clear plans in place for the Foxes. If Leicester want to take themselves to the next level they’ll need to add greater depth and quality to their squad.

Morgan has started just six times in the Premier League this season and if anything was indicative of his age and dwindling ability, it was the fact Christian Fuchs started ahead of him at centre-back on New Year’s Day.

The veteran may have made six league outings but following Fuchs’ pleasing performance and their January links, it appears as though Brendan Rodgers has already put the wheels in motion for the climax of his spell in the Midlands.

If anything summed up just how far Leicester have come recently, it’s that they’ve been the subject of potential moves for two of Juventus’ defenders.

Merih Demiral was touted with a switch over the festive period while recent reports suggest the Foxes will go toe-to-toe with Arsenal for the signing of Daniele Rugani.

It’s the dawn of a new decade in the Premier League, but how much do you know about the last 10 years?

The pairing has played a combined four times in Serie A throughout 2019/20 but their pedigree speaks for itself and any potential arrival would only bump Morgan further down the pecking order.

Starting just once this season, he has failed to make a single tackle while his one interception shows his reading of the game may not be what it once was.

With the skipper’s contract running down, now really does feel like the end of the road for Morgan.

In other news, one Leicester star was compared to a certain Andy King this week…