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Tottenham Hotspur could be about to miss out on one of their mooted summer transfer targets if fresh reports are to be believed…

What’s the word?

According to Football.London, Spurs have been keeping tabs on young Almeria striker Darwin Nunez but they may have missed their opportunity.

It’s claimed that the 21-year-old has had rival Premier League clubs hot on his tail as well as Jan Vertonghen’s new Benfica, who are seemingly set to sign him for £25m.

The Athletic reported Brighton’s interest last month and they also suggest that “his pace, physical strength and finishing prowess has prompted comparisons with his compatriot Edinson Cavani.”

Llorente 2.0

Going by that review alone, then it appears as if Spurs are about to make a huge mistake as Nunez could well have been the next Fernando Llorente in north London.

The club have since rued his departure last summer as he was the ideal second choice to Harry Kane and now with Jose Mourinho at the helm, the veteran Spaniard could have even partnered him on the odd occasion.

Nunez bagged 16 goals for Almeria on their way to the La Liga 2 promotion game but couldn’t help his side earn a place in the Spanish top-flight.

Football scout Mario Husillos Jnr also likened him to Luis Suarez for his “work rate, aggressiveness, and scoring ability” and believes he’d fit right in amongst the physicality and direct nature of the Premier League.

In Kane’s absence earlier this year, Spurs crashed out of the FA Cup and Champions League – and very nearly sacrificed a place in Europe – all because they didn’t have a senior striker to plug the gap.

Levy not opting to sign Nunez for £25m will surely come back to bite one day as he’s everything they are currently crying out for.

AND in other news, Spurs eye Watford veteran as perfect Kane backup…

Many Aston Villa fans have reacted following the 1-0 win over Sheffield United which saw Ezri Konsa score the winning goal.

After a turbulent season which saw the Claret and Blue outfit struggle but eventually fight off the threat of relegation, Dean Smith’s side opened up their 2020/21 account with a solid win over the Blades.

Villa largely dominated against Chris Wilder’s side with new summer signing Ollie Watkins featuring from the start in a front three attack alongside Jack Grealish and Trezeguet.

In truth, Villa were helped a little with the sending off of United’s John Egan after just 12 minutes and it was from that moment in which the home side took advantage.

That being said, Smith did have to wait until just after the hour mark to see the opening goal as central defender Konsa found the back of the net, whilst the Blades’ John Lundstram also missed a penalty.

The win sees Villa make it three points out of three and have a positive start to the new Premier League campaign.

Reacting to the win, fans of the Midlands outfit gave their opinions on the performance and whilst they were happy to win, they weren’t too impressed at how difficult they made it to beat 10 men.

Here is what some had to say…

Do you think Villa deserved the victory? Let us know in the comments section below…

Everton boss Carlo Ancelotti and Director of Football Marcel Brands are set to weaken the unbeaten Toffees on Deadline Day by offloading Moise Kean to Paris Saint-Germain with no intentions of signing a replacement.

What’s the word?

According to the Liverpool Echo, Everton head into Deadline Day with a sense of content with their current attacking line-up despite agreeing to send 5-cap Italy striker Kean to last season’s Champions League finalists PSG on a one-season deal.

Kean completed his temporary move to the Ligue 1 giants on Sunday having struggled to establish his importance at Goodison Park either this term or last, with the 20-year-old starting just six Premier League fixtures since his £27.5million transfer from Juventus in 2019.

Ancelotti is said to have discussed potential offensive moves with the Everton hierarchy earlier in the window, having considered a pursuit of his former SSC Napoli striker Fernando Llorente, but the Italian is happy with what he’s seen from his current options to cool his stance.

Everton consider Richarlison’s talents as a central figurehead enough to cover for any potential injury to star striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin, while Cenk Tosun and Theo Walcott will be considered should neither land transfers before the window slams shut at 11pm.

Under 23s sensation Ellis Simms may also expect to be given chances in the first-team given that he trains regularly with the senior squad.

Kean’s exit weakens Everton

Despite the Liverpool Echo’s belief that Ancelotti is content with utilising Richarlison, Walcott, Tosun and potentially Simms as cover for any time Calvert-Lewin is forced to spend off the pitch, Kean’s exit will weaken the Toffees’ squad and Brands, therefore, should have ensured a direct replacement was lined up – regardless if Walcott and Tosun also leave.

Walcott has shown throughout his time at Goodison Park that he is no longer the player who scored 19 goals across all competitions in the 2016/17 season, having only struck home 11 times in 85 games since his move to Merseyside in 2018, a transfer worth in excess of £20m.

The same goes for Tosun, who boasts just 10 goals from 51 appearances since joining Everton in a £27m deal from Besiktas in the same window that Walcott departed north London. While Simms, albeit just 19-years-old, is yet to make his senior debut having only been included as a substitute twice thus far.

Richarlison is capable of playing centrally if needed, as evident by his seven goals and two assists from 21 games last season, but Ancelotti would then miss out on the Brazilian’s driving runs that cause full-backs so many issues if the 23-year-old departs the flanks to cover for Calvert-Lewin.

AND in other news, a Premier League rival is considering a late move to sign an Everton player who recorded just 0.8 key balls a game in 2019/20.

After thrashing Barnsley in the Carabao Cup, Chelsea will hope they can redeem their most recent Premier League result with a win against West Brom this evening.

The Blues are set to travel to The Hawthorns to restore their form in the mission to bridge the gap on Liverpool and Manchester City.

The Baggies may have lost their opening two league fixtures but they’ll be hoping to put things right and get a head start on their season back in the top flight.

Transfer Tavern has predicted how Chelsea might set up to face Slaven Bilic’s men, including five changes to the XI that started against Liverpool.

After being rested in the match against Barnsley, Timo Werner will more than likely return to the focal point of Frank Lampard’s attack. The usually supportive trio of Mason Mount, Kai Havertz and Callum Hudson-Odoi will play just behind in the absence of Christian Pulisic and Hakim Ziyech.

Almost the entire defensive set-up will be likely to change from the west Londoners’ defeat to Liverpool.

Now Thiago Silva has made his debut, he should be a nailed on starter for his new team. A centre-back partnership with Cesar Azpilicueta could also be an option Lampard might want to experiment with.

Ben Chilwell has recovered from his recent injury and is available for selection. Fans could see the £50million signing make his first full appearance for the Blues at left-back, with Reece James opposite on the right.

Despite welcoming Edouard Mendy over the threshold, it’ll be too soon to see him in action. However, Kepa Arrizabalaga’s ongoing run of disappointment could once again pave the way for a Willy Caballero start after the Argentine kept a clean sheet in midweek.

How do you think Chelsea will set-up against the Baggies? Have your say in the comments below!

Arsenal have had many players come and go over the years but very rarely does an academy prospect make the cut at the Emirates Stadium.

And whilst that trend has slightly improved in recent seasons with the likes of Bukayo Saka, Ainsley Maitland-Niles, Reiss Nelson and Eddie Nketiah part of Mikel Arteta’s first-team, there are still plenty of reminders out there.

None more so than Crystal Palace’s new attacking midfielder Eberechi Eze, who the Gunners released at the age of 13 back in 2011.

That rejection has fueled his ambition and desire to succeed, speaking to the Independent about the ordeal, he said: “That was the worst one. I remember crying in my room for a solid week, my mum telling me that it’s going to be OK but not being able to get over it.”

Now he’s in the Premier League and will likely feature against the north Londoners at some point this campaign.

Where is Eze now?

After impressing in the Championship for Queens Park Rangers, the 21-year-old sealed a huge £16m move to Crystal Palace this summer.

During the 2019/20 campaign, Eze provided 14 goals and eight assists whilst averaging a massive three dribbles, 2.2 shots and 1.8 key passes per game, via WhoScored.

It’s no wonder the Eagles were one of many clubs pursuing his signature.

He’s since started twice in the Premier League this season.

QPR director of football Les Ferdinand believes Eze is “one of the best” he has ever seen, which is a major statement to make given his own playing career.

Whilst his old boss Mark Warburton claimed that the young England U21 maestro was a “very special player” – so much so that he’s even drawn comparisons to both Raheem Sterling and Dele Alli.

The Gunners have certainly been proven wrong over their premature call on Eze back in 2011. They’ll just have to hope that it doesn’t come back to bite them at the turn of the year.

AND in other news, Arsenal must surely regret sale of Wenger reject, he’s now worth a WHOPPING £55m+…

Tottenham Hotspur continue their Europa League quest later this evening with a trip to Belgium to face Royal Antwerp in the early kick-off slot.

Spurs began their Group J campaign with a resounding 3-0 victory against LASK Linz whilst on Monday night, Jose Mourinho’s side continued their unbeaten streak with a last-gasp win over Burnley.

Having had to endure a gruelling qualification campaign to get here, the north Londoners have had a hectic schedule, which means there could be alterations to the starting lineup.

But what sort of XI will Mourinho select at the Bosuilstadion? Here’s what we are predicting…

In terms of injury problems, it is only young defender Japhet Tanganga who is expected to miss this encounter.

Mourinho could make as many as nine changes with Eric Dier and Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg the only two likely to keep their places.

In goal, back-up shot-stopper Joe Hart returns, replacing skipper Joe Hart and he’ll be protected by a back four of Sergio Reguilon, Davinson Sanchez, Serge Aurier and Dier.

Pairing the Danish powerhouse in midfield could be Harry Winks. He was dropped for the match against Burnley, so he gets a chance to stake a claim once again.

There’s still no place amongst the starting XI for Dele Alli, although he’s likely to feature from the bench as he has travelled to Belgium. Instead, Giovani Lo Celso gets the nod behind the striker. He needs game time after a spell on the treatment table.

Gareth Bale comes back into the lineup at the expense of Lucas Moura. These midweek matches could prove to be valuable for the Welsh superstar in his pursuit of regaining match fitness.

The sooner that happens, the sooner he’ll be starting alongside the £67.5m-rated Heung-min Son and Harry Kane in the Premier League.

That prolific duo will be rested here this evening with Erik Lamela and Carlos Vinicius the like-for-like replacements.

Tanguy Ndombele, Jack Clarke and Toby Alderweireld should all be named on the bench.

AND in other news, Spurs swoop for £36m maestro could be FINAL nail in the coffin for Dele Alli…

Liverpool have highlighted David Alaba as a potential target for next season as they look to fix their defensive nightmares. The reigning Premier League champions have been linked to the Bayern Munich star following a breakdown in talks over a new contract that will keep him in Germany.

It would be a huge coup for the Merseysiders, who are in desperate need of a versatile defender like the 28-year-old. Teammate Joshua Kimmich has been full of praise for Alaba’s abilities and even branded him as “one of the best in the world” in his position when operating as a centre-back (via bundesliga.com).

Fortunately for light-fingered Fenway Sports Group, the club can approach Alaba in January to pitch a pre-agreement deal ahead of the summer window. However, this looks like it would come at a huge cost, despite the nature of the free contract.

According to The Athletic, the defender would be looking for a mammoth £400,000 per week wage packet, which wouldn’t just cost the club a lot of money, but it could disrupt the dressing room.

A transfer warning

One thing Liverpool pride themselves in is their humble players. The highest earner at the club is currently Mohamed Salah on £200,000 per week, with Roberto Firmino and Virgil van Dijk just behind on £180,000 (via Spotrac).

No issues with wages have been raised as Liverpool continue to dominate, but that could all change if a new signing comes in and is immediately handed a bumper salary contract. Not only would this unsettle the players who have worked hard to prove their value under Klopp, but Michael Edwards would certainly not sign off on such a large amount.

The club’s sporting director is impeccable at landing shrewd deals and driving a hard bargain. After selling Rhian Brewster to Sheffield United for £23.5million, despite him never playing a Premier League game before, it’s highly unlikely Edwards will blindly sanction a £400k contract.

However, if Alaba is to follow in the footsteps of former teammate Thiago Alcantara, he may be open to lowering his wages by a substantial amount. According to wageindicator.co.uk, the Austria international is currently earning £173,000 each week at Bayern. Bumping him up to the same wage as Salah would still be a pay rise for Alaba without going overboard and potentially upsetting the other players.

But if Alaba and his agent refuse to play ball, it’s likely to be a non-starter for his rumoured move to Liverpool which would no doubt hurt the Reds’ fans but in the long-run would be the correct call.

In other news, Antonio Rudiger should be serious transfer option for Liverpool in January…

West Brom will be heading into the January transfer window with tight pursestrings having effectively used the majority of their budget in bringing Karlan Grant to the club this summer.

It means Baggies boss Slaven Bilic may have to make do with what he’s got, therefore it would be wise to dip into their impressive academy set-up and with Kenneth Zohore out on loan and Charlie Austin seemingly having no future at the Hawthorns, a new forward may be required.

Look no further than Cheikh Diaby, who has been pulling up trees for the U23 squad once again this week.

The young Albion side fell to defeat against a fairly strong Leeds United side, which involved mega-money signing Rodrigo and veteran goalkeeper Kiko Casilla, on Monday afternoon. It was the Frenchman who handed West Brom the lead going into the break.

And as a result, many supporters were crying out for him to feature in the senior squad soon.

Earlier this month, academy chief Richard Stevens hinted that the 20-year-old could be sent out on loan in January, following in the footsteps of Rayhaan Tulloch, Jamie Soule and Owen Windsor.

He told the Express & Star:

“He’s a powerful boy, he’s going to score goals, he’s going to give defences a problem because of his physicality. He’s got plenty to develop but he’s an interesting one. He could maybe do with a loan, maybe after Christmas, because he could do with getting some exposure somewhere.”

Whilst this is very much true, he could be worth a punt under Bilic first. His attributes make him an interesting option as he could quite easily become his next Michail Antonio (West Ham) or Hal Robson-Kanu – a forward who can play anywhere across the front three with pace, energy and power.

He has scored three goals in the Premier League 2 already this campaign.

Diaby very nearly joined Valencia before signing a contract with the Baggies in the summer of 2019, so that tells you all you need to know about his potential and he ought to be rewarded for choosing a then-Championship outfit over a promising La Liga side proven in producing young talent.

Only two Premier League teams have scored fewer than the six Albion have managed this season, so perhaps throwing an unknown quantity into the mix could help spurn a shock or two on teams that do not know Diaby as well as the West Brom staff do.

Kyle Edwards and Dara O’Shea have turned out to be worthy, so why not the emerging sensation?

AND in other news, West Brom dodged a massive bullet with £27m-rated trouble-maker…

Glasgow Rangers starlet Ianis Hagis is struggling with his confidence, if recent reports are to be believed…

What’s the story?

According to The Daily Record, there are growing concerns over Hagi’s confidence as he has been dropped by club and country in recent weeks. Romania U21 boss Adrian Mutu has admitted he will hold talks with Hagi to boost his self-esteem.

The 21-year-old has arguably struggled at times this season, although he has still scored one goal and supplied five assists in 11 appearances in the Scottish Premiership so far, which is more than any other player in the league, but he was dropped to the bench before the international break. However, he has been named in Mutu’s U21 squad for the game against Denmark next week.

Mutu said: “Ianis’ confidence has been affected and he has not been starting so much for Rangers in the past few weeks either.

“I will speak to him and I am sure playing for the 21s again will give his confidence a big boost.”

Sort it out, Gerrard!

Forgive me for spelling out the obvious, but Gerrard must give Hagi his full backing to restore his confidence. It really is that simple.

Last season, the 14-cap Romania international made four appearances for the Light Blues in the Europa League, scored twice and supplied one assist, whilst he averaged 1.3 shots, 1.3 key passes and 1.3 dribbles per game via WhoScored.

The Gers signed the winger on an initial loan deal from KRC Genk before they triggered the option to buy him for an undisclosed fee in the summer, which is believed to be somewhere in the region of £3.15m, via Transfermarkt, whilst he reportedly earns wages worth £23,000-per-week, making him the fifth-highest paid player at the club in the process.

However, he was left as an unused substitute for three out of the past six games consecutively, with summer signings Cedric Itten and Kemar Roofe preferred in his place for the games against Kilmarnock and Hamilton respectively. When you spend that kind of money on a player, especially one billed with so much promise, managers must open the door for opportunities as their development is crucial.

Once lauded as an “outstanding” talent by the Ibrox boss, Hagi has all of the tools and tricks of the trade at his disposal to bring the Gers fans to their feet, whenever they are actually allowed back at Ibrox.

Granted, the Romanian hasn’t had the best of starts this season, but he has still provided eight assists in all competitions overall, only one fewer than club captain James Tavernier, via Transfermarkt.

Gerrard wasted a golden opportunity to give Hagi a run out during the 8-0 win over Hamilton. He must not make the same mistake again after the international break.

AND in other news, Glasgow Rangers must give Connor Goldson a bumper new deal in Nikola Katic’s absence…

Jose Mourinho will meet his former club this afternoon as he and Spurs side travel to Stamford Bridge to face their next Premier League hurdle. It could boil down into a really cagey affair in west London as the two rivals fight to assert their dominance in the table.

As it stands, just two points separate the clubs and a win or a draw for Tottenham will see them leapfrog Liverpool and reclaim their top spot.

Owner Roman Abramovich will be hoping that his 1,000th match in charge of the Blues will end in victory on home soil. However, Mourinho has the perfect chance to get revenge on the man who gave him the boot twice.

Mourinho masterclass

“You’ll have to ask Frank [Lampard] if they fear us or not,” the ex-Chelsea boss said ahead of the fixture. “But I don’t think fear is the right word at this level. We don’t fear anyone.”

With his fighting talk, he could unleash his new stroke of genius that has seen Spurs field perhaps the deadliest attack in the league this season. Mourinho has been deploying Harry Kane in a deeper role recently and his gamble has paid off in dividends.

Tottenham have scored 21 goals so far and the £250,000 per week forward has contributed to 16 of them with his seven goals and nine assists (via Transfermarkt). Kane’s deadly presence in front of goal and new unearthed playmaking ability could be crucial in Mourinho’s mission to upset Chelsea and Abramovich this afternoon. Lampard’s defence will need to be on high alert as they prepare to keep the Englishman and Son Heung-min quiet.

In other news, Exclusive: Gary Mabbutt makes bold Spurs Premier League claim…