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Loads of Tottenham Hotspur fans on Twitter have waxed lyrical about club-record signing Tanguy Ndombele’s performance in the 5-0 win against Red Star Belgrade on Tuesday night, with two even comparing him to former Spurs star Luka Modric.

The 22-year-old arrived in north London in a deal that could eventually be worth £62.8m during the summer transfer window, but his performances have so far been a little mixed having been labelled “ineffective” by Football London against Leicester for example.

However, the Frenchman was absolutely brilliant against the Serbian outfit last night, and bossed the central midfield area alongside Moussa Sissoko, making three tackles and two interceptions as well as picking up two assists from the three key passes he completed, as per WhoScored.

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Tottenham supporters were certainly impressed with what they saw from the former Lyon man, with many choosing to compare him to another ex-player in Mousa Dembele, and one individual describing him as “the player people thought Dembele was”.

Another focused on Modric, who now plays for Real Madrid, saying “Ndombele will be a more productive passer of the ball than Modric for Tottenham”.

High praise indeed.

Here is just a selection of the Twitter reaction…

We’re slowly but surely approaching the first big derby in the ongoing 2019/20 La Liga season.

Real Madrid are travelling across town to meet their neighbours and big city rivals, Atletico Madrid, at the Wanda Metropolitano stadium this weekend.

Zinedine Zidane and his troops are currently enjoying their view from the top of the table but will have to fight hard to remain there.

Their Saturday night opposition have also had mixed results in the campaign so far and are sitting in third.

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Despite a wonderful start and three wins in their first three games, Diego Simeone’s men fell off just a bit and recorded a defeat, a draw and a victory in the next clashes respectively. But a victory over their city rivals would once again propel them upwards.

Zidane made a number of changes for Real Madrid’s match against Osasuna at the Santiago Bernabeu but now, the big boys are very much expected to make their returns to the starting lineup.

With that being said, we could see a total of seven changes in Los Blancos’ starting XI. Here’s what we think it could potentially look like:

Despite instantly becoming the fan favourite, Alphonse Areola will most likely not retain his place between the sticks as Thibaut Courtois is expected to make his return.

His backline should also see some changes. With Ferland Mendy still out injured and Marcelo a doubt, Nacho should once again be slotted into that left-back position. Raphael Varane will partner up with Sergio Ramos in the heart of Real Madrid’s defence.

Moving up to the midfield, we should see the return of James Rodriguez who will mostly be deployed alongside Toni Kroos and Casemiro in that holding role.

Up front, the usual suspects in Eden Hazard, Karim Benzema and the returning Gareth Bale, who was completely left out of the squad for the mid-week clash, look set to feature.

Even though Real Madrid’s Brazilian duo, Vinicius Junior and Rodrygo Goes, were the stars of the show against Osasuna, it’s unlikely Zidane will decide to start them in such a big game.

This article is part of Football FanCast’s Loan Watch series, which takes a closer look at those players who are aiming to galvanise their careers away from the spotlight of their parent club.

Since joining Kilmarnock on a season-long loan deal back in the summer, Niko Hämäläinen has thrived.

The QPR left-back – who can also play in the centre of defence as per his Transfermarkt page – has impressed over in Scotland after seven appearances for Killie.

Hämäläinen, 22, has played every minute in his seven appearances for the Scottish side this term, including all 120 minutes of their Scottish Cup win over Hibernian.

Specifically, the 1-cap Finland international has played his part in what has been a solid backline.

Kilmarnock have kept five clean sheets in the six Scottish Premiership games in which Hämäläinen has started, and he has also proven that he can be of importance at the other end of the pitch.

Hämäläinen grabbed the assist for the only goal of the game in Killie’s 1-0 win over Hearts on October 5th, showcasing his end product with a pinpoint cross onto the head of Chris Burke.

Following his performance in the 2-0 league win over Hibernian on September 14th, Hämäläinen was named in the SPFL Team of the Week for his fine contributions.

If Mark Warburton has been keeping an eye on Hämäläinen’s progress – which we hope he has – then one thing must spring to the former Brentford manager’s mind.

Hämäläinen can deputise for Ryan Manning upon his return to the Kiyan Prince Foundation Stadium.

Manning, who has been in excellent form for the R’s this term – has played both as a left-back and as a left wing-back for QPR this term, and to some effect.

The 23-year-old has grabbed three assists so far in the Championship this season, just one set-up off the summit of the assist rankings – four assists is the highest in the league so far.

While it would be far-fetched to say that Manning’s place could be under threat by Hämäläinen’s form, there is no reason to suggest that the 22-year-old’s impact on loan at Kilmarnock wouldn’t see him handed a place as the Irishman’s deputy upon his return – if he keeps his good form up, that is.

Behind Manning, there aren’t too many backup options, a point reinforced by the fact that the left-back has played every minute of the R’s Championship campaign so far, as well as the full 90 in both of their Carabao Cup matches.

If Hämäläinen keeps his form up, he could be the perfect deputy for Manning.

[ad_pod ]The FIFA ratings are out and you know what that means – fans and players alike are fuming about imaginary statistics.The EA Sports title is always a hot topic around this time of year as the next instalment of the long-running franchise edges closer to release.EA have an extensive database of footballers who they give ratings to every year based on a number of different attributes.Of course, this leads to some footballers debating their own rating in the game, and one of those players is Rhian Brewster.This time last year the teenager was given a rating of 62, with a shooting stat standing at just 60.He vowed to increase that to 85 within the next 12 months, but after his latest stats were revealed, he’s ended up rather disappointed.

In the end, his shooting stat only increased to 62, rather than the 85 that he was targeting.

The striker’s objective for this term remains the same though as he tweeted ‘Mission failed, we’ll get em next time’.

Luckily, if he keeps improving at the same rate he will have his 85 shooting in 12 and a half years – just in time for his 31st birthday.

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The defender’s attitude is exactly what Wolves need right now.

The Midlands club may not have won a game in the Premier League this season, but they haven’t stopped believing in the manager’s ideas yet.

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The Spaniard realises that hard work is what’s needed to get through this brown patch, and if everyone is pulling in the same direction they should be able to get themselves out of the trouble they currently find themselves in.

Whether or not the players respond to the left-back’s call to action remains to be seen, but his attitude is seemingly impeccable at this point in time.

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Aston Villa are desperate to sign Newcastle United’s Isaac Hayden before the transfer deadline, according to the Birmingham Mail.

The club are reportedly hoping to sign three players before the end of the transfer window and have made Hayden their top priority.

What’s the word?

Hayden is keen to leave Newcastle this month, according to the Birmingham Mail.

They quote him as saying, at the weekend: “The clubs that are interested in me are waiting, and the clubs that I want to go to are waiting.

“It’s just a case of whether Newcastle say: ‘Yeah, you can go’. If they say that, I can go. That’s where it is really.”

Who are the best away fans in the Championship? Pl>ymaker FC’s Thogden gives his top 10 in the video below…

Villa are keen to bring in a number of players, as per the Birmingham Mail, before Thursday’s deadline, but Hayden is their top target and contact has been made between the two parties.

Newcastle have so far refused to sell the defensive-minded midfielder but he could be allowed to leave if the Magpies are able to sign a replacement; they are closing in on signing Andreas Samaris, according to Sky Sports.

West Bromwich Albion are also said to be interested, but the Birmingham Mail claim that the Villans are at the front of the queue to secure his signature.

Shore up leaky defence

Villa have struggled to keep clean sheets this season.

They are currently four points adrift of sixth-placed Derby County in the play-offs.

However, they have conceded 46 goals thus far this season, with only Rotherham (48) and rock-bottom Ipswich Town (50) letting in more.

Hayden, though, would go a long way to remedying the issue.

He is a defensive-minded midfielder and he has the ability to get stuck in without picking up too many cards.

Bringing him in is a logical move and will help Villa fix one of their biggest problems: conceding goals.

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When it comes to transfer business there are often many secrets. The very fact some deals go through as undisclosed is full evidence of that.

Some moves also take longer than others. We often subject ourselves to long drawn out transfer sagas and this summer has been no different, particularly with players like Paul Pogba.

It all gets rather tiresome but sometimes, they are fully worth the wait, even at Championship level.

West Brom’s recruitment took a long time to get going as they first set about welcoming a new manager.

Through the door came Slaven Bilic, a man unbeaten in the league after his first competitive matches in charge. Whether his appointment came as a surprise or not, some of the deals they concluded in the transfer window were certainly different.

Albion targeted well-known players to the division in Semi Ajayi, Romaine Sawyers and Kenneth Zohore but they also went after individuals far less recognised on English shores.

They brought in Filip Krovinovc, a player compared to Kevin de Bruyne, on loan from Benfica but their sweep of Portugal didn’t stop there.

For a while, the Croat was their only arrival until the Baggies finally got going. Deadline day was a particularly busy time as they managed to bring Matheus Pereira to the Hawthorns alongside three other faces.

The Brazilian played in the Bundesliga in Germany last season so this was somewhat of a coup for a team plying their trade in the second tier of English football.

But this wasn’t a transfer that happened quickly. In fact, it was a painstaking meticulous task to get him to come to the Midlands.

According to Luke Dowling, it took three to four weeks for something to finally be agreed.

His parent club originally wanted an obligation to buy the 23-year-old in the terms but Albion weren’t willing to agree to it. Instead, there is now an option of £9m embedded in his loan contract.

Whether they can exercise it depends on appearances.

Signing someone on loan always comes with its doubts. Will the player care? Will they prove worth your time when they can leave in a year? No one really knows.

With Pereira, though, it’s beginning to look as though it was worth the wait.

There was an initial sense that Krovinovic would be the much-needed creative outlet West Brom required. Yet, in six matches he has just one assist.

Compare that to Pereira and he’s claimed two assists in just his first league start for the club.

Against Blackburn last weekend, there was a renewed swagger to the Baggies that arguably hasn’t been seen since Harvey Barnes left last January.

The Leicester man featured out wide and behind the striker during his time at the Hawthorns and it was in the number 10 role that Pereira flourished, rather than his usual position on the flanks.

He was magnificent, playing a colossal six key passes, having two shots and being fouled five times per WhoScored.

It was exactly what you wanted from a player in that role, especially after West Brom lacked creativity during the back end of 2018/19.

When Barnes was at Albion, he scored nine and assisted six. The youngster managed 3.4 shots per game, was fouled 2.2 times each outing on average and registered 1.5 key passes over the same metric according to WhoScored.

The similarities between the two are clear to see.

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Even if negotiations for Pereira’s albeit temporary signature were strained, those at the negotiating table did a superb job to convince Sporting to let him go.

Last season, West Brom’s highest assist maker didn’t get over seven. Barnes was there for half a term but only Matt Phillips outmuscled him in terms of creativity.

Chris Brunt and Jay Rodriguez claimed six, the same as Barnes, and there lies a damning indictment of their lack of a true playmaker.

The small glimpses we’ve got of Pereira this season suggests he is the answer to their troubles.

For the first time since Barnes left nine months ago, they have someone to excite behind the striker.

As Bilic looks to take his side higher up the table after the international break, it wouldn’t be a surprise if he became a permanent fixture in the starting XI.

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A number of Liverpool supporters have reacted negatively to a claim that Roberto Firmino hasn’t decided if he will stay put at Anfield or not.

The Brazilian has been a wonderful servant for the Reds, joining from Hoffenheim in 2015 and becoming one of the poster boys of the Jurgen Klopp era.

Firmino has made 311 appearances for Liverpool, scoring 94 goals and registering 73 assists, proving to be the perfect foil for Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane.

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At 30, the striker is not getting any younger, however, and his current Reds deal expires in the summer of 2023, with little sign of a new contract being agreed.

According to journalist Florian Plettenberg on Twitter, Firmino will be the man to decide over whether or not he stays at Anfield, with talks taking place in the coming months.

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Liverpool fans react to Firmino claim

It suggests that a Liverpool exit isn’t out of the question and these fans reacted negatively to that possibility on Twitter.

“Never want to see Bobby leave, whatever his role in the squad becomes I hope he retires here”

Credit: @JoshuaKekana

“It will be a sad, sad day when Bobby moves on. He might not be quite what he was but the integral part he’s played can’t be overstated and his personality and selflessness has been invaluable to the culture and success of the side. One of my favourite ever #LFC players”

Credit: @reid1892

“I want Bobby to stay at Liverpool”

Credit: @JuniArga2

“Really hope we keep Bobby. Legend such a great player”

Credit: @MartinT_LFC75

“He’s a legend whatever decision he takes”

Credit: @supermanelfc

“HE CANNOT GO ANYWHERE”

Credit: @dantewillz

In other news, some Liverpool fans are excited after a transfer claim emerged. Read more here.

Noel Whelan has given his reaction to some Everton injury news that has now emerged involving Yerry Mina.

The Lowdown: Stepping up recovery

As per medical expert Ben Dinnery, Mina will now step up his recovery from injury at Finch Farm this week, after last featuring for the Goodison Park faithful in early February.

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They are next due to play West Ham United away from home in the Premier League on Sunday afternoon, and while Mina is unlikely to be ready by then, he will be desperate to return to the squad for the remaining games of the season, with Dinnery’s website tracking the middle of April as a likely return date.

The Latest: Whelan reacts

Speaking to Football Insider, Whelan, who has worked as a pundit for BBC Radio Leeds, has since reacted to the news, claiming that it is ‘huge’ for the Merseyside club:

“It’s huge.

“Yerry Mina has been a bit like Marmite in recent years, you either love him or you hate him.

“But what he does give you is that real defensive presence and Everton need that. We know he carries a real threat from set pieces as well.

“He’s so experienced and he’s been at the club for a very long time. When you’re down at the bottom of the table, you need options.

“With the poor form of Michael Keane, Frank Lampard has had nowhere to turn to in order to replace him. He will have that option again when Mina comes back.

“He’s a player who is going to be very important in the run-in. He’s inconsistent, but on his day he can really dominate a game.”

The Verdict: Lampard needs him

The Toffees have been shipping far too many goals of late, with no fewer than 11 conceded in total in their last four matches over all competitions, and so Frank Lampard needs Mina back in order to steady the backline.

Standing at a mammoth six-foot-five-inches tall, the Colombia international is certainly an imposing central defender, emphasised by him winning 2.6 of his aerial duels per game on average in the top flight, only bettered by Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Michael Keane for the Blues.

Four of their seven wins in the division have come when he is playing, suggesting that they are a better team with him in it, and so Lampard will no doubt want him back available as soon as possible.

In other news, find out which EFC player is now in talks over a new deal here!

Celtic are interested in a deal to bring Zinedine Ferhat to Parkhead in the January transfer window.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by Foot Mercato (via Daily Record), who claimed that Ange Postecoglou has identified the Nimes playmaker as a potential target in the winter market, with the 28-year-old believed to be available on a cut-price deal due to his contract with the Ligue 2 side expiring at the end of the current campaign.

The report added that, as a result of his contract situation, the forward is expected to move onto pastures new in the January transfer window, with French duo Montpellier and Saint-Etienne also reported to be interested in the wide midfielder.

He loves to “turn on the style”

While Ferhat has not been in the best of form so far this season, having failed to score a goal or register an assist over his seven Ligue 2 appearances, it is undeniable that, should Postecoglou manage to seal a deal for the Algeria international this month, it would still be something of a major coup for the Bhoys.

Indeed, over his 33 Ligue 1 appearances in Nimes’ 2020/21 campaign, the £4.05m-rated man scored six goals, registered a whopping 10 assists and created nine big chances for his teammates, as well as taking 1.9 shots and making 1.6 key passes per game.

These returns saw the £13k-per-week winger who he himself claimed loves to “turn on the style” earn a rather astonishing seasonal SofaScore match rating of 7.07, ranking him by far and away as his side’s best performer in the top flight of French football.

As such, it is clear to see that the Algerian forward would make a fantastic addition to Celtic’s current options out wide, leading us to believe that Postecoglou must do all he can to seal a swoop for Ferhat in the January transfer window.

In other news: Celtic confirm major transfer update which will leave Bhoys fans buzzing