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Tottenham Hotspur are in turmoil at the moment.

The London club have won just one of their last five games in all competitions, and their last two matches have been a 3-0 loss to Brighton and an embarrassing 7-2 defeat against Bayern Munich.

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It doesn’t seem as if anyone is on the same page at Spurs, as Moussa Sissoko has publicly criticised Mauricio Pochettino and there have been rumours of a dressing room rift.

However, it seems as if a recent announcement has buoyed a couple of players who were reportedly at odds with one another, as Jan Vertonghen and Christian Eriksen both liked Michel Vorm’s tweet after he re-signed with the club.

This isn’t to say that the return of the Dutchman is the solution to all of the club’s problems, but it does seem as if two key players have been given a little bit of a boost by it.

Hopefully, Vorm’s presence can help unite the dressing room in the coming weeks, but it remains to be seen whether or not the atmosphere or results improve.

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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…

Crystal Palace legend Mile Jedinak has given an interesting interview to The Athletic about his time at Selhurst Park, with some intriguing snippets to say the least.

The former Australia international – who made 179 appearances for the Eagles across a five-year stay – captained the Eagles to a first FA Cup final in 26 years, and also led them to the unlikeliest of promotions back in 2013.

Jedinak, a dominant midfield presence, departed SE25 after being stripped of the captaincy by Alan Pardew and sold to Aston Villa, but he is still fondly remembered as a club icon – the club’s Twitter account even called him a ‘legend’ themselves.

While speaking to The Athletic, Jedinak named his worst Palace moment, and it is one that is hard to argue with.

What did he say?

The 35-year-old said: “You knew Crystal Palace don’t often make FA Cup finals. Why not be the first ones to lift an FA Cup? It almost was us. That’s the hardest thing to take from it all.”

Club correspondent Matt Woosnam also wrote about how Jedinak described the 2-1 defeat to Manchester United as his ‘worst’ moment at the club and the ‘only regret’ from his stay in SE25.

Hard to disagree 

The south Londoners have never won a significant trophy, and were just over ten minutes from doing so after Jason Puncheon’s 78th-minute strike at Wembley back in 2016.

In truth, Pardew’s side should have seen the game out from then on and become history makers, winning the first trophy in the club’s history and becoming legends in doing so.

A win also would have seen Palace compete in Europe with a passage into the Europa League, which would have enabled Jedinak to write another beautiful chapter in his story with the Eagles.

Given how close the Aussie and his teammates were to winning the FA Cup, and the manner in which they threw it away – the Eagles conceded almost immediately after scoring the opener – it is especially hard to disagree with what Jedinak describes as his ‘worst’ moment at the club.

And considering Pardew was involved in both the final and the club’s dismissal of their ‘legend’, we don’t think the former Newcastle boss will be on Jedinak’s Christmas card list.

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This article is part of Football FanCast’s Transfer Focus series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent transfer news…

According to Italian publication Tuttosport (via The Daily Mail), Juventus are preparing to swoop for Paul Pogba in the January transfer window.

What’s the word?

The France World Cup winner was the subject of intense transfer speculation over the course of the summer, with both Juventus and Real Madrid being regarded as the two front-runners for his signature.

However, a move failed to materialise before the end of deadline day, and Pogba has thus had to stay put at Old Trafford. Tuttosport now claim the 26-year-old is desperate to leave United, and is intent on securing a move away in the upcoming January transfer window.

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The report adds the Bianconeri are primed to take advantage of the situation surrounding the Frenchman, but Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is currently reluctant to let him go without first signing a replacement.

White flag

If selling Romelu Lukaku and Alexis Sanchez without buying someone as cover wasn’t a form of surrender, then doing the same with Pogba would be absolutely that. The Red Devils are in no state to let another high-profile player go, such is the wafer-thin nature of their current squad.

Despite only picking up two assists in his five appearances across all competitions this season, the midfielder is still a major upgrade on United’s other options in the position. His attacking forays and ability to pick a pass marks him out as a completely different proposition than what Solskjaer’s side currently possess.

Pogba has averaged 2.8 key passes per game this season in the Premier League, whilst his central midfield competitors, Nemanja Matic (n/a), Fred (1), and Scott McTominay (0.7), all average considerably less. When he’s fully-fit and on the pitch, the former Juventus star remains an important part of the way United play.

Getting rid of him in January, when the Red Devils will find it difficult to source their first-choice replacement, would be tantamount to a gross case of negligence.

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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…

Giovani Lo Celso’s cameo against Arsenal suggests he could have a major role to play in Tottenham’s season.

The Argentine was introduced as a second-half substitute with the score at 2-2 in a frantic north London derby.

Coming on for Son Heung-min, the change appeared to be designed to wrestle back some control for Spurs, having thrown away a 2-0 lead. It worked.

Lo Celso, a slick dribbler of the ball, touched the ball just seven times, per WhoScored, but he brought with him an element of calm and tranquillity in a sea of derby noise.

Three of those touches came as he controlled a falling ball on his knee, turned and beat Dani Ceballos, and then earned his team a free-kick as he was bodychecked on the edge of the box.

Throughout his cameo, he appeared to be the most composed player on the pitch and there were signs that he is getting to a level of fitness where he can actually start games, instead of merely influencing them from the bench.

Signed on an initial loan deal from Real Betis in the summer, Lo Celso scored 16 goals in all competitions last season and it is easy to see why.

Against Arsenal, even in a small cameo, Lo Celso showed that he constantly plays with his head up, looking to move the ball forward and progress possession.

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He made just four passes throughout the time he was on the pitch but every one of them was accurate and he also managed to make a tackle.

It remains to be seen exactly where he’ll play once he is fresh enough to be featuring from the start – he is not a winger so it is not difficult to imagine Spurs playing both he and Son together – but the signs are encouraging.

With the international break now underway, Spurs have a number of major players set to come back from injury, including Tanguy Ndombele and Ryan Sessegnon, both of whom were also signed in the summer.

When everyone is fit, Mauricio Pochettino has a number of remarkably strong options to choose from.

Lo Celso could play a key role in all of them.

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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…

Joe Gomez’s chances of becoming a regular for England have been boosted despite him not playing a minute over the international break.

The 22-year-old was left out of the side by Gareth Southgate, who instead opted to start Harry Maguire and Everton’s Michael Keane.

Without John Stones in the squad it was an opportunity for a different centre-back to stake their claim for a starting place, and after his performance against Kosovo, in which he gave away the first goal, it looks all the more surprising that Keane got the nod for both of the Three Lions’ matches.

Gomez has started just three games this term and that may be why he was omitted, but Keane’s displays could well have done him a favour.

The Liverpool man has been described as England’s best defender by former striker Darren Bent due to his “powerful” nature. Added to that, he is also skilful with the ball at his feet and has shown composure in playing out from the back – boasting an 87.5% passing accuracy in the Premier League last season.

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Such reliability on the ball could place him above Keane in the pecking order due to the 26-year-old’s sloppiness in possession – the Everton man also gave the ball away on nine occasions, which was the fourth-most of any England player on the night, as well as handing Kosovo their first goal.

Southgate expressed his willingness for England to continue playing out of the back after costly errors against the Netherlands in last season’s Nations League clash, but also a desire to see the Three Lions improve in that aspect.

While Gomez remains one of England’s best centre-back options in that regard, Keane has shown he’s not quite up to the task. Sometimes absence makes the heart grow fonder.

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Southampton supporters have been pretty satisfied in the last few days after seeing their side extend their unbeaten run in the Premier League to three games on Tuesday.

Ralph Hasenhuttl’s men went into their encounter with fellow strugglers Crystal Palace off the back of beating Leicester City and Everton in their preceding two matches, results which moved the Saints out of the division’s bottom three. Yet the South Coast outfit were unable to keep their winning streak going in only drawing 1-1 with Roy Hodgson’s side, with James Ward-Prowse’s effort cancelling out Wilfried Zaha’s opener to earn the hosts a share of the spoils.

Thus, there have been many satisfied Southampton fans up and down the country in recent times, although several may well be looking back at the January transfer window with an element of disappointment, what with the club unable to land a replacement for right back Cedric Soares.

The Portugal international made the move to Italian giants Inter Milan during the January window, thus leaving the Saints somewhat short of cover in that area of the field, only for manager Hasenhuttl to fail to bring a replacement to St Mary’s.

And failing to solve that glaring problem, given it now leaves the vastly inexperienced Yan Valery as the main option in that department, could seriously cost Southampton as they battle to avoid Premier League relegation.

Ultimately, while Cedric wasn’t quite as effective down the Saints right-hand-side during his final 12 months at the club, the Portuguese ace had proven to be a solid and relatively dependable option at right back – after all, he was a regular under Ronald Koeman, Claude Puel, Mauricio Pellegrino, and indeed Mark Hughes.

And with over 100 Premier League appearances to his name during his time on the South Coast, the 27-year-old seemed to represent the ideal player and professional needed to aid the club in their battle against relegation – going through it last season may have also rubbed off on this Southampton team.

Significantly though, his departure to the Italian giants has left the Saints short of options in that area of the field, as while Valery has been the main man at right back since Hasenhuttl’s appointment, his inexperience, alongside the lack of genuine alternatives, represents a huge gamble made by the Southampton manager.

Yes, 19-year-old has done reasonably well since coming into the team at the start of December, but his red card in their victory over Leicester City was an indication that relying on the young defender could prove problematic as the season wears on – ultimately, being the main man in that position brings with it a lot of pressure.

And that is why failing to land a replacement for Cedric appears to be something of a mistake from Hasenhuttl, as while he may not have felt the 27-year-old was the right man for his team, his exit has left his side short in that area of the field – and placing all the emphasis on 19-year-old Valery is certainly a risk.

As such, failing to solve that glaring issue he has in the right back department could prove very costly to the Saints as the season progresses.

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

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

Everton showed signs of improvement against Wolves but Marco Silva is still yet to find the right balance between attack and defence.

On the chalkboard

The Toffees had six shots on target at the weekend, doubling the tally they had achieved in the three league games prior to that fixture, and their three goals scored suggests they now pose more of an attacking threat.

However, they also doubled the amount of goals they conceded, and there is a sense that Silva is yet to settle on his preferred team, with the likes of Bernard, Morgan Schneiderlin and Dominic Calvert-Lewin being dropped for the first time.

Since arriving last summer the Portuguese manager has preferred to use a 4-2-3-1 formation, but there is an alternative method he could use which would suit the players at his disposal.

A diamond formation would allow the likes of Moise Kean and Richarlison to take up forward positions, and as they both come alive in the box they could be more likely to get on the end of goalscoring chances if they partnered each other up front.

The system would also allow Gylfi Sigurdsson to maintain his role playing just behind the strikers, whilst providing extra cover by operating with a defensive midfielder, with Fabian Delph and Andre Gomes acting as box-to-box midfielders.

A flaw with the diamond formation is often a lack of width, but both Lucas Digne and Seamus Coleman excel going forward – as evidenced by their assist record – and they would provide a threat from the flanks.

More suited to current squad

Everton have got off to a rather slow start to the season but there have been positives. Sigurdsson is growing into the season with a goal and an assist from his last two games, but with two strikers to aim for he could improve on those numbers.

Kean, meanwhile, has struggled to adjust so far and made just six passes at the weekend, but his introduction did result in a greater attacking threat for Everton and he has made an impact from the bench on occasion, with two shots in 19 minutes against Watford.

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Partnering him with another striker could get the best out of him, too. At Juventus last season he started in a front two on four occasions and scored four goals in that time, and with Sigurdsson playing behind him the two would likely link up well.

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Leeds United will only be able to make loan signings in the January transfer window, according to claims made by a Thorp Arch source.

The Lowdown: Signings needed in January

The Whites could badly do with reinforcements this month in order to ease the current injury problems and ensure that a Premier League relegation battle isn’t on the cards.

Leeds have had to make do without pivotal figures such as Kalvin Phillips and Patrick Bamford, but they are just a small sample of the players currently unavailable to Marcelo Bielsa.

Despite additions being needed, a new update doesn’t sound too positive for the Elland Road faithful.

[freshpress-quiz id=“383507″]

The Latest: Worrying claim emerges

According to Football Insider, a Leeds source has informed them that the Whites will only be able to make loan signings in January due to Financial Fair Play constraints.

The message has been ‘made clear’ by club chiefs to Bielsa, who must now weigh up whether or not he is happy to only bring in players on a temporary basis until the end of the season.

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The Verdict: Are panic signings required?

The downside to signing players on loan is that it brings little stability and rhythm to the squad in the long-term, only alleviating a problem for a short period.

Bielsa must work out if he thinks Leeds can get by without any new faces, with injury problems potentially easing in the coming weeks and perhaps allowing them to pull clear of danger.

A loan-to-buy option for a player could also be shrewd business, allowing the Whites to possibly snap up a player permanently in the summer, assuming he does well at Elland Road in the meantime. Someone like Cagliari midfielder and long-time target Nahitan Nandez could be perfect in that respect, considering the Serie A side are reportedly happy to see him leave.

In other news, Leeds have reportedly been boosted in their pursuit of one player. Find out who it is here.

A number of West Ham fans have panicked at the latest transfer news linking Jarrod Bowen with a move to Liverpool.

According to The Athletic (relayed by Anfield Watch), Liverpool have continued to monitor Bowen’s progress since their interest last summer.

It has been revealed that Bowen is represented by the same PLG agency as Liverpool full-backs Trent Alexander-Arnold and Andrew Robertson.

In 22 Premier league appearances this season, Bowen has netted six times and has produced nine assists. This illustrates just how important the 25-year-old is to the Hammers, supported by his average Premier League match rating topping West Ham’s squad.

These West Ham fans panic at the Bowen transfer news

Anfield Watch relayed the Bowen transfer news reported by The Athletic on their Twitter account. West Ham Transfers proceeded to share their opinion on the matter, claiming that: “I have a feeling this’ll be our last season with Bowen.”

This sparked a number of Hammers fans to flood the comments with their reactions, with many fans reacting to the prospect of the Englishman’s departure.

Here’s what some of them had to say:

“Said it before, don’t really see Liverpool meeting the ludicrous price we’ll put on his head. All depends on how Kretinsky wants to run the club by summer, but 60m+ for a Mo Salah backup is mental for a traditionally sell to buy club”

Credit: @nathh_whu

“Fail to secure European football for next year and we could be in a bad place for sure. Fail to show any ambition to strengthen and doubly so. Plenty of time left in this window and season to head off potential trouble though.”

Credit: @GrazaWhu

“No European footy next year and we will lose Rice and Bowen defo. Areola will probs be on his way out too. Krals leaving already by the looks of it. Noble retires. I only see a downwards trend from here. Same old West Ham”

Credit: @HR_whuFC

“If we don’t improve our squad then I fear that he won’t be the only one.”

Credit: @neil_mccarthy

“Probably, let’s enjoy while he still with us”

Credit: @manelsaurio

“If he tries to chest it in from 1 yard again, we’ll have him for a few more seasons. It’ll be a shame to see him go. He’d be a bench warmer for LFC”

Credit: @mb7468

According to reports by The Sunday Mirror (via HITC), Barcelona have offered Philippe Coutinho to both Newcastle United and Tottenham Hotspur – but the Brazilian is not interested in a move to St James’ Park.

The Lowdown: Barcelona trying to offload Coutinho

Since leaving Liverpool for the Spanish giants in 2018 in a deal worth a staggering £142m, the attacking midfielder has not hit the heights he reached whilst playing under Jürgen Klopp at Anfield.

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The 29-year-old has made 12 appearances this season in LaLiga, scoring twice and failing to supply an assist. However, each of those games has involved a substitution, as the Brazilian is yet to play a full 90-minute league match this season.

The Latest: Spurs gifted chance to sign Coutinho

According to reports by The Sunday Mirror (via HITC), Barcelona are keen to offload Coutinho on a permanent deal, and they have offered the player to both Newcastle and Tottenham in a bid to push him away from the club. However, it is believed that the midfielder is reluctant to make the move to Tyneside.

Barcelona are desperately trying to sell some players to fund a move for Manchester City attacker Ferran Torres. Coutinho’s massive wages are proving to be a barrier in this pursuit, though, as AS have reported that the Brazilian earns around €20m (£17.07m) per season, which equates to roughly £325,000 per week.

The Verdict: Wages likely too high

With Coutinho reluctant to join Newcastle, Barcelona will continue to push Spurs into a move for the player.

The 29-year-old could prove to be a fantastic addition to Antonio Conte’s side due to his vast experience in the Premier League, where he played 152 games for Liverpool and once made the PFA Team of the Season. Former Reds teammate and international colleague Roberto Firmino has previously described the Brazilian as ‘phenomenal’, claiming that he has ‘magical powers’.

Despite such praise, it seems unlikely that Spurs will pursue a move for the player, as his enormous wages could prove to be too much for the north London club, whose top earner is Harry Kane on £200,000 per week.

In other news: Paratici backed by Levy as he tries to seal Spurs agreement for ‘sensational’ £100k-per-week ace