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Just days after a momentous victory in the north London derby against Arsenal, Tottenham headed to St James’ Park and got the job done in their clash against Newcastle.

With only a couple of games left in the season, Jose Mourinho’s side have appeared to hit form at just the right time, and know that a 100% record from here on out could see them clinch European football for the next campaign.

One man who certainly showed signs of stepping his game up in the game against Newcastle on Wednesday night, was Giovani Lo Celso.

Is it Mido or Pedro Mendes? This Spurs quiz will separate the loyal from the fake…

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And following Mourinho’s worrying update on Tanguy Ndombele, it’s perhaps become even more imperative that the Argentine really kicks on.

Speaking after his side’s 3-1 victory over the Magpies, the Spurs boss said: “I know that Ndombele will not help us because his injury will keep him out for the next two matches”.

It means the Lilywhites will be without a midfielder, who for all his troubles, has shown himself to be one of the more creative and crafty players in the squad, particularly for a player in his position – as per Whoscored, he has averaged 1.8 dribbles per game in the top-flight, scoring twice and setting up two more as well.

On the other hand, Lo Celso, whilst a first-team regular under both Mauricio Pochettino and Mourinho, hasn’t had the kind of same impact in terms of goal contributions.

Barring his assist for Heung-min Son against Newcastle, the Argentina international had only provided one other Premier League assist, and is still yet to score in the division too.

The £36m-rated star must take on more of the creative workload at Spurs now that Mourinho doesn’t have Ndombele to call upon even if he wanted to, and there were signs of him doing just that against Steve Bruce’s side.

As per Sofascore, he completed both of his attempted dribbles, had 61 touches of the ball, made 37 successful passes out of 39, and provided two key passes too.

With Leicester and Crystal Palace to come, Spurs will need Lo Celso’s creativity more than ever. Otherwise, they face risk undoing all the hard work they have put in, especially in these last two games.

According to The Independent, Manchester United are interested in signing Manchester City star Raheem Sterling. 

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has previously made it clear that he wants to bring in a new right winger and club analysts have been monitoring Sterling for some time.

Solskjaer has also identified Jadon Sancho as his top transfer target in the summer. The Red Devils have been linked to the Borussia Dortmund ace for a while and David Ornstein reaffirmed that they are leading the race to sign the 20-year-old in the upcoming window.

Understandably, this latest transfer update could be bad news for Daniel James.

After arriving at the Etihad Stadium from Premier League rivals Liverpool for £49m back in 2015, Sterling has emerged as one of Europe’s brightest talents, scoring 89 goals and creating 72 assists in total for the Citizens along with winning 56 England caps. Moreover, he is the club’s second-highest goalscorer so far this season, just behind Sergio Aguero and ahead of the likes of Gabriel Jesus and Kevin De Bruyne (BBC).

In comparison, James is yet to hit the same heights as his English counterpart. Furthermore, it is fair to say that the 22-year-old has struggled for consistency this season, as he has only scored three goals in the top flight. However, it is worth mentioning that he has provided the most assists out of all of his teammates in the Premier League (six).

The Welshman has registered four goals in total, taking 1.3 shots per game, averaging 0.5 key passes and successfully completing 1.3 dribbles on average in the Europa League (WhoScored).

Miguel Delaney reports that there is uncertainty surrounding Sterling’s future at the Etihad if City’s Champions League ban is upheld.

While it seems doubtful that Sterling will join United in the summer, if he becomes available, Ed Woodward could launch a bid for him. However, The Independent added that Real Madrid is the likely destination if the 25-year-old chooses to leave the Etihad. Zinedine Zidane is a known admirer of the speedster and previously admitted that “he’s a very good player, no doubt about that”.

Although it is far-fetched to assume the Liverpool academy graduate will make a shock move to Old Trafford, the fact that the club are looking for an attacking forward on the right flank suggests Solskjaer has lost confidence in the Welsh international.

Undoubtedly, if Sancho or Sterling end up at the Theatre of Dreams, James will probably spend a significant amount of time on the bench. Indeed, the Norwegian has given the winger plenty of chances to prove his value and he has largely failed to live up to expectations up until now.

United fans, do you think Jadon Sancho and Raheem Sterling would start ahead of Daniel James? Let us know by commenting below!

With the current situation affecting the world taking its toll on football clubs and their finances, the usual summer of big-money signings and huge spending is unlikely to be the case this time around.

And as per the latest report from The Sun, Tottenham are looking to take advantage of the situation by swooping for Wigan starlets Joe Gelhardt and Jensen Weir.

It claims “Spurs have asked about the duo and the administrators running the Latics confirmed they have received an official approach for the 18-year-olds”.

Despite interest from Everton in Gelhardt, Spurs hope that they can instead lure him to north London, and believe that the young striker can be nurtured into the next Harry Kane.

And after hearing about the links to the English duo, Spurs fans flocked to Twitter to share their reactions.

A few supporters took the sarcastic approach with the rumours, and jokingly claimed that they are surely heading back for the good times.

Whilst many of these Spurs fans seem underwhelmed by the prospect of two unproven teenagers being signed this summer, it should be made clear that it doesn’t necessarily mean they will be the only two that come through the door.

Can you name every one of Spurs’ top goalscorers from the past 15 seasons? It’s a tricky one…

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Instead, Mourinho’s side should be applauded for continuing to look towards the future of the club, and having already seen Dele Alli turn into a first-team star in north London after arriving from a lower league club in MK Dons, Gelhardt and Weir could well go on to have a similar impact.

A bit of perspective would help.

One of the big transfer sagas of the 2019 summer window, Wilfried Zaha ended up staying put at Crystal Palace after months of speculation linking him with a move to the likes of Arsenal. But now, it appears Newcastle have set their sights on the winger.

According to The Sun, despite the Magpies waiting for the Premier League’s approval of their proposed takeover, they have earmarked Zaha as a potential transfer target for this summer.

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The report claims that a major squad overhaul is planned, and that soundings have been made over the Ivory Coast international’s availability – it’s further suggested Zaha is valued at more than £60m by Palace.

After hearing about the links to the Premier League star, Newcastle fans took to Twitter to voice their thoughts on their reported transfer target.

Some Newcastle fans simply called Zaha “overrated”, and urged the club to steer clear.

At 27, Zaha is in the prime years of his career, and he’s been Palace’s talisman for the past few seasons now.

After failing to secure a move to Arsenal last summer, it’s difficult to see why the Ivorian would want to stay at Selhurst Park for another season, and Newcastle could take advantage of that and make a big splash for him this time around.

Everton’s summer plans have seemingly been put in motion whilst the Premier League has endured a downtime without any match action, and fans at Goodison Park have been reacting to the latest transfer news emerging this week.

According to Le 10 Sport, Toffees boss Carlo Ancelotti has asked the club to look at Ajax midfielder Donny van de Beek as a potential signing.

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And the speculation has divided Everton fans completely with some believing he’d be a fantastic arrival whilst others were worried that he would be another Davy Klaassen.

The 23-year-old maestro has been a key figure for Ajax over the last few seasons – he was part of the squad to make the Champions League semi-final, and has scored ten goals and provided 11 assists in all competitions this term.

Newcastle United are said to hold interest in him whilst Mundo Deportivo suggest he could be available for €50m (£44m) before listing Juventus and Manchester United as other plausible destinations.

Here’s what those in Merseyside have been saying…

AND in other news, Everton backed to make a sensational move for ex-Liverpool STAR…

Some Newcastle United fans hate the latest takeover update coming from Daily Mail journalist Craig Hope after he shared his article on his official Twitter page.

As per the report, the writer claims that the Premier League are set to revamp the owners’ and directors’ test in light of the moral, political and legal difficulties presented to the top flight by the proposed £300 million takeover backed by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF).

The deal is awaiting approval from England’s highest division as the process is understood to have been held up given the complexity of broadcast piracy allegations against the Saudi state.

The outlet has been told that the likelihood remains that the deal will be approved, in part because the Premier League tests are badly drafted and do not take issues like piracy specifically into account.

However, judging by some of the comments, members of the Toon faithful are becoming increasingly frustrated with added delays and this is yet another obstacle that the Tyneside club may have to face in order for the deal to go through.

These Magpies in particular hated the update:

Geordies, what do you make of the update? Comment below!

West Bromwich Albion continue to make significant changes off the pitch as they look to reshuffle their academy coaching setup.

The latest move sees former captain Darren Fletcher return to the Hawthorns so that he can pursue further steps in his quest to achieve the relevant coaching badges.

He joins Boaz Myhill and James Morrison as former players involved in the youth system.

Fletcher played 341 times in the Premier League, going onto win the title five times at Manchester United while he also has a Champions League winners medal in his cabinet.

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His experience and knowledge in the game will undoubtedly prove fruitful for the young emerging talents at the club.

Several members of the Baggies faithful have taken to social media to share their thoughts on the news, with the vast majority being absolutely thrilled with the appointment.

One supporter believed it was a sign of great the environment currently is at the club while another labelled it a ‘great piece of business.’

A further fan claims Fletcher will make a fantastic coach and manager when his time comes as one more member of the Hawthorns crowd praised sporting and technical director Luke Dowling for making such a decision.

Here’s the best of the reaction:

In other news, fans have been raving about one of WBA’s current stars…

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…

When Granit Xhaka impetuously threw a temper tantrum following his substitution against Crystal Palace, it really felt like the beginning of the end for his Arsenal career. The reasons behind him blowing up at the Emirates faithful was somewhat understandable, with the Switzerland international suggesting that his emotions were bubbling up after streams of abuse at both himself and his family.

But his ‘statement’ was simply that. An explanation. It wasn’t a direct apology, attempting to excuse his actions. If Arsenal fans inside the stadium at that infamous moment were partly to blame, then Xhaka too must assume responsibility for a portion of it. Instead, the 27-year-old side-stepped it, and left Unai Emery to handle the fall-out. And boy has the Gunners boss fluffed his lines.

In what no doubt was a tricky situation, the Spaniard immediately after the game insisted his then captain was in the wrong. To him, that was undeniable. Emery even publicly urged the midfielder to make an immediate apology. Xhaka’s response would come several days later. Fast forward a few weeks, and the Swiss ace has been nowhere to be seen, with the Arsenal manager admitting that he has left him out of match-day squads in recent games because the time wasn’t right.

Over the international break, Xhaka has arguably undone all the goodwill that he may have built up with the Arsenal fan-base with some strong words. He expressed that he is keen to sort things out with the club because he “can’t accept what’s happened with me”. Not exactly the kind of words you would associate with someone who is feeling genuine remorse for his mistake.

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So what does Emery do? Reveal that the midfielder is in his plans to make his first appearance for the club since the Palace debacle against Southampton on Saturday. Recent reports have suggested the Gunners are happy to let Xhaka walk away in January, so for the manager to publicly suggest he is keen to reintegrate him into the squad smacks of poor judgement.

It’s the latest in a series of baffling decisions and comments that have only served to crank up the pressure on the manager. You only have to look to after the north London side’s 1-1 draw with Wolves earlier this month, when Emery insisted “tactically it worked how we wanted” –  as per Sofascore, they had 10 total shots compared to the visitors’ 24.

With reports claiming that the Spaniard has just a month to save his job, his stance on Xhaka may be the final big call he makes as an Arsenal manager. And judging by how this season has gone, it already looks like another failure on his part.

This article is part of Football FanCast’s Pundit View series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent quotes from journalists, pundits, players and managers…

Former Manchester City superstar Yaya Toure has heaped the praise on Angelino after his recent performance for the club.

What did he say?

The left-back situation has been an issue for some time now at City. The likes of Fabian Delph and Oleksandr Zinchenko have had to step into the role in recent years whilst big money signing Benjamin Mendy has been injured.

Now, it seems that the City boss has found a man with great ability for his left-back spot.

Angelino has impressed since he has been brought into the side and still has only nine senior appearances for the club. And, in his latest display at Anfield, he surprised former City midfielder Toure.

He told Sky Sports: “Angelino played very very well, I was so surprised by the young lad at left-back, he was good and I appreciated him a lot.”

Making the spot his own

Ever since 2017, Guardiola has struggled to cement one man in this role. Gael Clichy and Aleksandar Kolarov both left in the summer of that year, as Mendy came in to replace them. However, the Frenchman has spent more time on the sidelines than he has on the pitch.

Now, perhaps Angelino is finally the man to take the left-back spot on a permanent basis.

Against Liverpool, the 22-year-old struggled against Mohamed Salah but showed fantastic attacking intent throughout. In truth, he was one of City’s best attacking players on that crucial day.

Although he has just two starts in the league so far, the former PSV Eindhoven man has averaged 1.8 crosses and 1.5 key passes per game – more than Mendy’s 0.7 crosses and o key passes per game.

Zinchenko is still injured and, for now at least, it looks like Angelino is Guardiola’s man.

Mikel Merino was signed by Rafa Benitez upon Newcastle’s promotion to the Premier League in 2017, but his departure a year later has led one fan to question why he was let go.

Supporters have responded with a variety of reasons, but the majority point to the fact that his release clause was activated by Real Sociedad and there was little that could be done to stop him from leaving once his mind was made up.

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It is understandable why he left considering he was offered a return to his native Spain, particuarly as he never really nailed down a first-team place for the Magpies, often being left out in favour of Jonjo Shelvey and Mohamed Diame.

Despite that, many fans enjoyed what they saw from the 23-year-old and are disappointed his stint in the north-east was cut short, though with youngsters like the Longstaff brothers coming through currently they may not ponder his departure for too long as it looks to be one of their strongest areas on the pitch under Steve Bruce right now.

Here are some of the reactions discussing the reasons behind Merino’s exit from the club.