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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 The Daily Star, Tottenham Hotspur are targeting January moves for Juventus attacker Paulo Dybala and Nice’s Youcef Atal, but if they get them they would be making an unforgivable transfer blunder.

What’s the word, then?

Well, The Daily Star says that manager Mauricio Pochettino is ready to talk with chairman Daniel Levy about a major January shake-up in north London, with Eric Dier, Serge Aurier and Victor Wanyama among those at risk, while they are ready to listen to offers for Christian Eriksen.

The same report states that Pochettino is pushing for the north London outfit to renew their interest in Dybala after a summer move fell through due to image rights issues, and Atal.

However, they would be making a mistake if they did get the duo.

Why’s that?

Firstly, it has been clear to see that Tottenham’s biggest issue this season has been their failure to keep the ball out of their own net, conceding 12 times in eight Premier League fixtures and nine times in two Champions League matches.

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That includes 10 in the last two against Brighton and Hove Albion and Bayern Munich, where a lack of a quality defensive midfielder protecting the defence and below-par performances from the backline have often left Spurs in trouble.

You may think that signing Atal, whose main position is listed as a right-back by Transfermarkt, would potentially solve one of those issues with Serge Aurier seen as a liability by fans, but in fact he has actually mainly been playing as either a right wing-back or right winger for Nice so far this term, according to his positions in those games recorded by Transfermarkt.

That indicates his manager Patrick Vieira doesn’t believe he is the out-and-out good defender and suggests he isn’t the reliable player the north London club look to be in desperate need of. In that regard he could be similar to the Ivory Coast international, who shone from an attacking sense against Crystal Palace but was sent off for two bookings in the first half against Southampton.

Meanwhile, while it would be difficult to say that Tottenham need Dybala when they already have Harry Kane, Son Heung-min, Erik Lamela, Dele Alli, Giovani Lo Celso and Lucas Moura in the attacking positions, perhaps most worrying of all would be his attitude.

The Argentina international has come out and suggested he never wanted to join Tottenham in the summer according to Corriere della Sera, via The Daily Mail, and having him in their ranks would be the last thing they need when they are already dealing with someone like Christian Eriksen, who also appears intent on going as his contract runs down.

It would be unforgivable if they get both players then, and they really must avoid them instead if they really want to start turning things around for the better from the New Year onwards.

AC Milan’s 2-1 victory over Genoa was as needed as it was eventful, with Pepe Reina’s 93rd-minute penalty save potentially helping Marco Giampaolo keep hold of his job.

However, playing a part in the game’s chaotic moments was not the only way to have an impact upon it, as Lucas Biglia showed by offering his side a foundation to build upon from the middle of the pitch.

The 33-year-old wasn’t extravagant or eye-catching in his performance, but he was an important player for Milan, helping to ensure three points were earned.

Biglia was reliable defensively, completing three of the four tackles he attempted during the game, while also making two clearances and one interception, as per WhoScored – it should be noted that he made more successful tackles than anyone else on the pitch.

The Argentinian was also efficient once he had the ball at his feet, completing the one dribble that he attempted and 91% of his passes throughout the match.

A sign of his influence with the ball, and how much he was trusted on it, is that Davide Calabria was the only Milan player to see more of the ball during the game.

This was an important victory for Milan, as it has pushed them up to 10th in the league – even though that isn’t good enough for a club of their stature, it is at least a start.

That Biglia was able to stay in control during the game highlights that he is someone who can be relied upon to help get results going forward.

Milan fans, what did you make of Biglia’s performance? Join the discussion by commenting below…

This article is part of Football FanCast’s In Numbers series, which takes a statistical look at performances, season-long form and reported transfer targets… 

Ben Davies has struggled to get into the Tottenham team so far this campaign with only three starts to his name, but his performance against Croatia for Wales will certainly give Mauricio Pochettino something to think about.

Danny Rose has been the preferred choice at left-back for much of the season but with no end in sight of Spurs’ defensive woes – with 13 goals conceded in their last five games – a change may be in order.

Added to that, Rose didn’t exactly impress for England on Friday night with a SofaScore rating of 6.1 in defeat against the Czech Republic, and therefore Davies is deserving of a recall.

As well as providing a defensive improvement, the Welshman could also provide more energy and impetus going forward, as he showed bravery and ambition against the World Cup runners-up, and that could help to end Tottenham’s bad run of form.

The 26-year-old’s commitment was on show in everything he did on Sunday, and if the level of desired he showed was replicated throughout the team then Spurs would get the lift they need.

He put in a strong defensive performance, helping the young Ethan Ampadu and leading by example, as well as making one tackle, as per SofaScore.

However, it was going forward where he really excelled, linking up with Gareth Bale frequently, including a great run which set up a chance that the Real Madrid man couldn’t miss to level things up.

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Wales could have had more thanks to his efforts, too, and if he is able to repeat the two key passes he made this weekend against Watford, then a top striker like Harry Kane is likely to put them away.

Davies sometimes lacks the skill and physicality to attack effectively, as his rate of 0.1 successful dribbles per league game last season suggests, so the fact he managed two against Croatia suggests he did so because of a determination to help his team.

Spurs need that kind of team player currently, someone who isn’t afraid to put their body on the line – as his four out of seven duels won indicates – and therefore Pochettino should show some faith in Davies by giving him a run in the team.

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…

Sheffield Wednesday boss Garry Monk has thrown his weight behind Fernando Forestieri ahead of his return from suspension this week.

What’s he said?

The Owls have been without the Italian forward for six games now after the Football Association handed him a ban for allegedly using racist language during a pre-season friendly last year.

Forestieri is yet to feature under Monk since he was appointed at the start of September with the 29-year-old’s last appearance coming in a 2-1 home defeat to Queens Park Rangers.

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He assisted Wednesday’s only goal of the game by winning a penalty that Steven Fletcher duly dispatched.

Speaking to the Yorkshire Post, the 40-year-old said:

“From what I have seen of Fernando, his attitude has been good. He has trained really well and worked really hard and he is available. Those are the steps you need to take and that is all you can do at this point.

“If he does get an opportunity on the pitch, it is to take that next step up and show all of us the Fernando that we know can be devastating at this level.

“I am delighted he is available. We all know the quality he has and we want him to step up and show that.”

Monk needs to bring the best out of him

Football FanCast have previously displayed how the enigmatic 29-year-old could be the perfect strike partner to Steven Fletcher as a 4-4-2 system has brought the most favourable results this season.

Take the Middlesbrough game, for instance, Wednesday fired home four goals in under half an hour with Atdhe Nuhiu pairing the 32-year-old in the attack.

But the Kosovan isn’t as technically gifted as the Italian considering his colossal height of 6 foot 6 so this potential duo could garner even better returns.

Monk is also right that the forward can be ‘devastating’ in this league as his first two seasons at Hillsborough showed – Forestieri netted 15 goals in 36 appearances and then 12 goals in 35 matches, per Transfermarkt.

The Owls boss needs to find a way to rediscover that level of form.

Liverpool have taken exception to comments made by Liverpool Echo journalist Ian Doyle, after he said that manager Jurgen Klopp’s midfield experiment did not go as planned.

The Reds got past Genk on Wednesday with a 4-1 win in the Champions League, with a brace from Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and goals from Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah completing the goal tally.

Liverpool’s win in the Champions League came off the back of five changes from the side that drew 1-1 with Manchester United on Sunday, with Naby Keita and Oxlade-Chamberlain replacing Georginio Wijnaldum and captain Jordan Henderson.

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Despite scoring a quartet of goals in Belgium, Doyle wrote in his column in the Liverpool Echo that the midfield three didn’t work and that they may not feature together again.

He said: “The midfield may have been the one many supporters wanted but it’s clear why this was the first time it had been seen.

“This wasn’t a case of Liverpool getting away with it – the individual performances were too good for that – but as an experiment, it was an engine room that underlined why it may not be seen again any time soon.”

Supporters took exception to the journalist’s remarks about the players in the middle and voiced their feelings on Twitter.

Here you will find some of the best reactions from Liverpool fans…

Former Tottenham Hotspur striker Darren Bent, speaking exclusively to Football FanCast on behalf of GentingBet, believes that Harry Kane is evolving into a world-class all-round centre-forward.

What’s the word?

Spurs, of course, have endured a difficult start to the season under Mauricio Pochettino.

They have won three Premier League games but have also lost three and were thumped 7-2 by Bayern Munich in the Champions League.

They got back on track on Tuesday night, however, as they defeated Red Star Belgrade 5-0 at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, with Kane getting on the scoresheet twice.

Those goals took his tally to the season to nine in 12 games, and Bent has been impressed with the way the striker is developing his game.

Indeed, when playing for England, Kane has dropped a little deeper and turned provider for Gareth Southgate’s men, laying on three assists in the recent 6-0 win over Bulgaria.

And Bent, in an exclusive interview, says that the forward is growing into a truly world-class player in every aspect of his game.

He said: “I think that’s just him. He’s technically very good at holding up the ball and can bring others into play. I think what helps him, particularly for England, is he drops a little deeper because he’s got Sterling or Sancho or Rashford. He can drop a bit deeper to draw one of the centre-halves in behind him and then he can just slip one around the corner or he can play it and someone can put them in.

“I think for Spurs, when you’ve got Son, who’s got a lot of pace and Lucas Moura, they can play a certain way. It’s just the way he’s adapting his game, the older he’s getting, he understands how to play that centre-forward role more.

“He’s well on his way to being one of the best in the world at being an all-round centre-forward because I think, as a goalscorer, he’s right up there with the best of the best in the world and as far as being an all-round centre-forward, he’s on his way to becoming one of the best at that as well.”

Strings to his bow

Kane has been exceptional for Spurs for quite some time now but he’s now drawing plaudits for other reasons.

Yes, he can hit the back of the net with regularity, but he is also a provider, and he has shown that during his time with the Three Lions.

It makes all the difference to managers knowing that they have multifunctional players at their disposal and Kane is a prime example of exactly that.

He can both win games and provide the chances to win games and one has to feel that there are very few players in world football who are as capable as he is.

He can occupy defenders, pull them into cul-de-sacs and encourage runs from his wingers and now the key for Spurs is harnessing that.

Gareth Southgate has managed it for England; Mauricio Pochettino needs to do it for Tottenham.

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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…

Barcelona legend Rivaldo discussed his former team’s illustrious new front three. But he seems to believe that Antoine Griezmann still hasn’t fully adapted and that the “MSG” will never reach the heights of “MSN”.

What did he say?

Rivaldo is a figure well known to the Blaugrana.

After all, we’re talking about an icon who played 236 games for the Catalan giants, scoring 133 goals and assisting further 42 in the process.

For that reason, he definitely knows a thing or two about the club and being a prolific goalscorer himself, he should also know what he’s talking about in regards to Griezmann’s situation and adaptation to the Barcelona system.

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According to him, it might take the Frenchman a while to get to the level he was on during his Atletico Madrid days.

As reported by Goal, here’s what he said in full:

“Barca’s new attacking trio, of Messi, Luis Suárez and Antoine Griezmann (MSG), is giving some good signs and showing it can work in the future, but I don’t believe it will reach Messi, Suarez, Neymar (MSN) level. Neymar is a distinctive player who creates a lot of assists, scores many goals and takes control of the game when needed thanks to his personality. That’s something Griezmann doesn’t have yet, and even though he has scored goals already, he hasn’t fully adapted to his new team’s style of play. It could be a while before we see him playing at the same level as we saw for many years at Atletico Madrid.”

A recurring issue

It seems that the Griezmann issue is something that still haunts Barcelona.

After all, we’ve seen the man himself practically pleading for more time to adapt just recently, and one way or the other, that subject somehow always seems to become a talking point.

Watch Lionel Messi and Gareth Bale answer the internet’s weirdest questions in the video below…

Of course, seeing how the Frenchman was their big summer signing and he did arrive with a certain pedigree and reputation, it’s not really surprising that a lot is expected from him.

But Griezmann has very much been performing.

After all, he already scored four goals and assisted three in eight games he played in La Liga this season.

The issue of his preferred position, however, still remains unresolved. Luis Suarez seems to be Ernesto Valverde’s go-to striker which puts the Frenchman in an uncomfortable situation out wide.

Rivaldo believes that Griezmann will never give the Catalans what they had with Neymar and it seems he is not really optimistic about this newly formed trio of “MSG”.

Maybe he’ll be proved wrong, but the early signs aren’t encouraging.

Barcelona midfielder Arturo Vidal has expressed his desire to reunite with Antonio Conte at Internazionale, as reported by El Mercurio, via FC Inter News.

Shanghai SIPG are said to have made the 32-year-old a lucrative financial offer, but he has turned it down in the hope of being able to play under Conte, as he did at Juventus.

Barcelona have valued the Chilean midfielder at €15m, though they have also stated that they would rather allow Ivan Rakitic to leave, as opposed to Vidal.

Vidal is reportedly tired of being a backup option, as has been the case under Ernesto Valverde this season, feeling that he needs to be playing more games, something he has already expressed openly.

Across La Liga and the Champions League, the midfielder has started just 2 games, adding another 7 substitute appearances, amassing a total of 297 minutes, as per WhoScored.

He may have been used sporadically from the bench, but the veteran has still averaged 2.4 tackles, 0.4 interceptions and 0.6 clearances per game, while also completing 86% of his attempted passes.

Bringing in Vidal would be a good move from Conte, despite the lack of game time the midfielder has had this term, especially considering the fact the Inter manager has managed to get the best out of him in the past.

Inter fans, would you like to see Vidal join your club? Join the discussion by commenting below…

Manchester City scuppered a chance to qualify early for the Champions League knockout rounds following an eventful 1-1 draw at Atalanta, with supporters criticising Gabriel Jesus for an awful spot kick. 

Manchester City were 1-0 up and cruising heading into the break after Jesus beautifully set up Raheem Sterling with a back heel, after some brilliant build-up play, to give City the lead.

However, when given the chance to gain a two-goal advantage following a handball, the Brazilian striker scuppered the opportunity with what Gary Lineker described as ‘one of the worst penalties you’ll ever see.’ 

From then on, things just got worse and worse for Pep Guardiola’s side – with Ederson going off injured at the break and Claudio Bravo stepping in only to be dismissed ten minutes from full-time after taking out Josip Ilicic.

The headlines were then immediately drawn when Kyle Walker had to step in goal for the last portion of the game, managing to shut out Atalanta, with City then going on to earn a draw.

As a result, City supporters have since bemoaned the missed penalty opportunity as a crucial point in the match where they could’ve been cruising – taking particular aim at Jesus.

Here’s what they had to say on Twitter.

Southampton fans have reacted badly to Stuart Armstrong’s post-match comments, following the 2-1 defeat to Everton on Saturday.

The 17-cap Scotland international didn’t really go into much detail about the loss, simply stating how the game played out, which has prompted a furious reaction from some Saints fans on Twitter who seem tired of empty soundbites coming from the team.

Ralph Hasenhuttl’s men suffered their eighth defeat of the Premier League campaign with defeat against the Toffees, a result that leaves them in 19th place – just one point off the bottom of the table.

No team has conceded more goals than Southampton’s 29 concessions, while the south coast side have scored just 11 themselves – the third-lowest total in the top-flight.

Armstrong’s comments didn’t really contain anything that should’ve triggered supporters, but his words have sparked an angry reaction from some fans who seem tired of the right things being said, but no positive changes actually happening.

Let’s take a look at some of the tweets…