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It’s fair to say that one of the big winners at Tottenham from the Premier League’s restart, has been Eric Dier.

The 26-year-old has started both of Spurs’ opening two games against Manchester United and West Ham respectively, and whilst he was responsible for the penalty conceded at home to the Red Devils, was part of the side that kept a clean sheet against the Hammers.

And as quoted by the club’s official website, Jose Mourinho has praised the England international for his work as a centre-back in these opening stages of the restart.

He said: “The team defensively was very strong. Again, two matches, one goal conceded on a penalty and people like Ben (Davies), Dier, (Davinson) Sanchez, Serge (Aurier), they were really strong.

“Eric is playing really well and adapting very well to a position that he thinks, and personally I also think, is a great position for him.”

And after hearing about what Mourinho had to say, Spurs fans flooded to Twitter to share their reactions.

A couple of fans insisted that Dier is exactly the kind of player that Mourinho loves to have in his team, with one supporter pointing to his “hunger” as reason why he’s “finding his feet” in the starting eleven.

After hauling down Paul Pogba for United’s penalty and denying Spurs all three points, Dier could have been forgiven for hiding in his shell and being passive next time out.

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Instead, he put in a monstrous display against West Ham, registering a 7.57 match rating from Whoscored, making two interceptions, three clearances, and making 89 total passes.

It showed exactly why Mourinho now feels comfortable enough to use him as a starting centre-back in his side, and judging by the reaction of these Spurs fans, they’re on board with it too.

Having clinched the Premier League title in stunning fashion, all eyes will be on how Liverpool treat the upcoming summer transfer window.

The Reds were very much quiet on the transfer front last year, but it didn’t seem to affect them one bit. Despite the current financial situation impacting clubs across Europe, this may be a window in which Jurgen Klopp’s side do need to make a statement in order to being pulled back by the chasing pack.

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And according to The Daily Mirror, the Merseyside club have lined up Leicester winger Harvey Barnes as a potential summer target, having been impressed by his “energy and forceful running”.

The report further claims that Klopp sees a lot of potential in him to grow and develop, and that they have turned to the Foxes ace after being rebuffed in their interest for Wolves speedster Adama Traore.

After hearing about the links to Barnes, Liverpool fans took to Twitter to share their reactions.

A couple of Liverpool fans simply said that Barnes is just not good enough, with one supporter even calling his finishing “abysmal”.

Another couple of supporters pointed to the likes of Rhian Brewster as reason why they should steer clear of Barnes, with one fan even claiming they would rather keep the “rubbish” Harry Wilson.

With seven goals and nine assists across all competitions this season, Barnes has certainly shown signs of potential with Leicester.

But whether he is ready for the step-up to a side like Liverpool remains to be seen. In fact, aside from one goal and one assist against Chelsea and Manchester City respectively, Barnes has not contributed at all against the Premier League’s big six.

The level of pressure and expectation is far bigger at Anfield, and it’s no surprise to see some Liverpool fans not being too excited by the prospect of him joining.

Plenty of Aston Villa fans have reacted to claims on social media that Keinan Davis has extended his contract at the club.

The 22-year-old striker has found playing time hard to come by at Villa Park this season, appearing just eight times in the Premier League.

Such a minimal amount of football had seen the Stevenage born striker expected to leave the club this coming summer, but claims on social media suggest that the Villans have trigged a 12-month extension.

Davis developed through Villa’s academy, before making his first team debut in the 2017 FA Cup defeat to Tottenham Hotspur.

Villa’s Premier League status is not yet secure this season with the Midlands based club currently sitting 19th in the league table, but that has seemingly not stopped them from looking to the future by keeping Davis at the club.

Dean Smith’s side will be desperate to fight off a return to the Championship after gaining promotion via the play-offs last season.

Reacting to a tweet shared via @villareport, Claret and Blue fans shared their opinions on Davis’ 12-month extension:

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رد أحمد مجاهد رئيس اتحاد الكرة المصري على اتهامه أنه يقف ضد نادي الزمالك من أجل إبعاده عن التتويج بالدوري المصري خلال الموسم الجاري.

وقال أحمد مجاهد في تصريحات تلفزيونية عبر قناة ام بي سي مصر: “هذا كلام مُرسل، أريد أن يقول لي أحد موقف معين وأرد عليه، لأن الفترة الماضية شهدت نقد شديد من جماهير القطبين”.

وتابع: “هذا أمر طبيعي في ظل شدة المنافسة وتلاحق المباريات، لكن في النهاية أقول أن اتحاد الكرة حريص على أن يكون معيار العدالة على الجميع”.

وأردف: “الأهلي طلب تأجيل مباراتي وادي دجلة وسيراميكا، ونحن وافقنا، وبيراميدز طلب نفس الأمر، بتأجيل مباراتي الإنتاج الحربي والمقاولون، ولم يتم قبول تأجيل المباراة الأخيرة لأنها ليست بين مواجهتي بيراميدز الإفريقية، الحالتين مختلفتين وليس معنى أن أقبل لأحد طلبه أن أقبل نفس الطلب لناد أخر”.

وعن لماذا يشعر الزمالك دائما أن اتحاد الكرة ضده؟، أجاب: “لا أعرف ولا أتصور من أين جاءت هذه الفكرة، الموضوع الذي قُتل بحثا الأيام الماضية هو إيقاف اللاعبين الشباب، والتي انتهت فترة عقوبتهم بالفعل فيما عدا إمام عاشور”.

واستطرد: “اللغط الذي دار حول وصول الاستئناف من عدمه من الممكن أن يكون سبب في شعورهم بذلك، وأيضا التخوف من التحكيم المصري في مباراة القمة، لا أجد مبرر للحديث عن اتحاد الكرة بهذا المنطلق، وأؤكد أن لدينا أساسيات ونحرص على توفير العدالة”.

طالع.. خاص | اتحاد الكرة ينفي فسخ عقد فينجادا وينتظر وصوله إلى مصر

وحول المباراة الفاصلة بين شباب الأهلي والزمالك؟، أجاب: “كل طرف يفترض لوائح في ذهنه، عندما تحددت هذه المسابقة هذا الموسم لم تكن هناك لائحة لها، وقلنا أننا سنستكملها من دور واحد بنفس لائحة الدورين”.

وأشار: “لو هناك فريق رفض لعب المباراة الفاصلة، ستطبق عليها اللائحة على حسب الحالة”.

وعن اقتراح إقامة كأس العالم كل عامين؟، أوضح: “هذا كان مُقترح ياسر المسحل رئيس الاتحاد السعودي لكرة القدم لدراسة إقامة البطولة كل عامين، والاتحاد الدولي وافق على الدراسة”.

واختتم: “نتمنى أن يُدرس جيدا من “فيفا” ليعطي فرصة أكبر لمشاركة المنتخبات، وستزيد مداخيل الاتحادات، وسيتم دراسة هذا المُقترح بناءا على الأجندة الدولية والعامل الاقتصادي”.

Celtic fans have taken to Twitter to react after seeing that their talisman Odsonne Edouard was only fit enough to make the bench for the Betfred Cup final against Rangers.

Edouard – who has been linked with a January move to Premier League side Crystal Palace – has scored 13 goals while also recording 12 assists in all competitions so far this season, leading the line admirably for Neil Lennon in terms of creating and scoring.

However, despite Lennon revealing that the Frenchman had trained and that the decision to play against Rangers from the first whistle rested with the 21-year-old striker, Edouard was nowhere to be seen in the starting XI.

In his place, the former Bolton manager opted to hand a start to 23-year-old forward Lewis Morgan, who has scored just two goals in all competitions this season.

One supporter said that Edouard’s absence was a “big blow”, and that the Bhoys’ style of play very much revolves around the young forward.

Another supporter echoed the belief that the 13-goal striker’s absence was a blow, this time deciding that it was a “massive” one rather than just “big”.

Another bunch of supporters on Twitter also reacted to Edouard’s situation.

One simply emphasised their confusion at the decision to bench Edouard, whereas another said that they would’ve started the 6 foot 2 forward even if he had no legs instead over Morgan in a Glasgow Derby.

Another fan made reference to Lennon stating that there was a “very good chance” Edouard could start the Betfred Cup final, laughing at the forward’s presence amongst the substitutes despite the encouraging comments.

Lastly, this supporter said that Edouard’s absence is a massive thing for the club, and highlights the need for a new striker in the January window.

These supporters needn’t have worried, however, as Christopher Jullien scored to secure a 1-0 win for the Bhoys.

In other Celtic news, see what Scott Brown had to say about teenage sensation Jeremie Frimpong…

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

Borussia Dortmund star Jadon Sancho is wanted by his former club Manchester City according to new reports from Sport Bild.

What’s the word?

Since leaving Manchester for Germany, Sancho has become one of the most wanted youngsters in world football. The Englishman scored 12 goals in the Bundesliga last season and topped the charts for the most assists in Germany with 14.

As a result of his phenomenal form, Sport Bild states that giant clubs across the continent are keeping tabs on the 19-year-old. These include the likes of Liverpool, Barcelona, Manchester United, Real Madrid and Chelsea.

In order to replace Sancho, Dortmund are believed to be targeting Hertha Berlin’s Javairo Dilrosun, another former City youth player.

Deal would underline City’s problem with youth integration

Pep Guardiola initially waved goodbye to Sancho back in 2017 and has had to watch the youngster blossom into an elite winger ever since. The sale of Sancho was a prime example of City leaving their finest youth products in a situation in which they feel compelled to leave in search of regular first team football.

This emerging trend is in part due to the fact that, with the exception of Foden, no player from City’s youth academy has broken into the side since Sheikh Mansour purchased the club.

Nowadays, the likes of Foden are struggling to get into the side, with the 19-year-old failing to start a Premier League game this season. The likes of Tommy Doyle have only just broken into the side after his midweek debut in the Carabao Cup, while Eric Garcia continues to impress at centre-back when called upon.

But aside from those rare cases, there has been little sign of academy players progressing into the senior squad, and signing Sancho would hardly aid that process either.

The promising winger, Ian Poveda, who has 18 goals for City’s youth teams over the past three seasons, would likely suffer from his arrival and be forced to leave the club, but at what future cost?

Ultimately, though there’s no doubting Sancho would be an exciting addition, a multi-million pound deal to re-sign a player that once resided with City’s youth system and left for a measly £8m would serve to illuminate the club’s long-term problem with youth integration.

And, perhaps most pertinently of all, City only have to assess Paul Pogba’s return to Manchester United to appreciate that the Bundesliga star may be one to avoid.

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…

TalkSPORT usually spout a load of nonsense.

Whether it’s Sam Allardyce saying Manchester United are relegation candidates or Adrian Durham demanding an apology after Spurs were beaten 7-2 by Bayern Munich in the Champions League, it’s fair to say that the radio station don’t have the best reputation when it comes to providing compelling footballing opinions and analysis.

However, they may have finally got something right this week as Darren Bent named one Leeds United man as the best player in the Championship.

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What’s been said then?

The presenter addressed a tweet he sent out that said one Leeds midfielder was the best player in the Championship while Romaine Sawyers was the best passer in the division, and he asked Darren Bent for his views on the matter.

“I’ve got five [names] on my list, and obviously I can only pick one, but I think I agree with you that Kalvin Phillips is the best player in the Championship, I think he should be in the Premier League, I think Romaine Sawyers should be in the Premier League, those two are good enough to be that midfield anchor, but where Kalvin Phillips edges Romaine just a little bit is his energy.”

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Might be right

The former Derby County and Premier League striker may have hit the nail on the head with this one.

Bent says that Phillips’ energy is what separates him from Sawyers, and that’s a great point to make.

Both men are excellent midfielders and fantastic passers of a ball, but Phillips averages four tackles per game compared to Sawyers’ 1.3, and that’s where the real difference is.

After all, the Leeds man has proven himself to be a versatile outfit this season. Not only has he also played in defence but he’s popped up with a goal at the opposite end of the pitch too.

Having signed a new contract recently, the Whites will be hoping that he eventually ends up playing Premier League football with them, as opposed to another side.

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…

Speaking to The Mirror, former England shot-stopper David James has stated that Jordan Pickford is still England’s “best” option as the country’s number one.

What did he say?

England’s goalkeeping position is often of much debate, with the options for Gareth Southgate far from slim. For the Euro 2020 qualifiers this time, the Three Lions boss called up Pickford, Nick Pope and Tom Heaton, although the latter was replaced by impressive youngster Dean Henderson due to injury.

Heaton is the eldest at 33, but the other aforementioned names are all under 28 and may have their best years yet to come. Right now, each of them have an argument for the number one jersey, but James believes it is Pickford’s still.

The Englishman said: “I’m a fan of Jordan. Looking at the Premier League clubs now I think there’s quite a few young English goalkeepers coming through but I still think he is the best about at the moment.

“Having had such a meteoric rise to the England position and shoring up that no.1 spot, there’s going to be a lull at some point. But he’s decent and he’s a good lad. When I’ve spoken to him he’s very focused, which is obviously very important.

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“He’s well renowned for his distribution,” James added. “I always question whether his ability could be used better. His accuracy is up there with the best and I think that’s sort of been used more with England in tournaments.”

Lucky to keep spot ahead of Pope

Since signing for Everton for £3om, Pickford has established himself as one of the countries best, keeping 29 clean sheets in 96 appearances, earning him the place as England’s number one. However, the former Sunderland man has let in a slightly alarming 135 goals as well.

Within that time, Pope has burst onto the Premier League scene, keeping 21 clean sheets but in 43 games less than Pickford.

As James alluded to, the Everton keeper has spectacular distribution, which was evident in his two exceptional passes to Harry Kane against Spain, which led to the England captain beautifully assisting two England goals. However, Pope’s excellent form for Burnley over the years has been massively overlooked and just this season alone has conceded nine goals to Pickford’s 13.

Subsequently, the former Charlton keeper deserves a chance to be the Three Lions’ number one. Pope may indeed be heading into his peak over the next few years, and Southgate should, therefore, consider bleeding him in as England’s main man between the sticks now.

In our Transfers that shook the club feature, Football Transfer Tavern takes a look at deals that many may not have seen coming and the impact that they had during their time by using statistical data and pundit remarks.

Although transfers are generally made to improve the club, sometimes one particular deal can work in such a way that it sends shockwaves throughout the side and change almost everything about the team; something Tottenham Hotspur could say happened to them.

In 2015, Spurs splashed out a reported £22m (The Guardian) to sign Heung-min Son from Bayer Leverkusen to help improve Mauricio Pochettino’s squad, but it would have been extremely difficult to predict just how much his arrival would help to change things for the north London outfit.

Having played 87 times for the Bundesliga outfit, in which he scored 29 and assisted 11 goals, there will have been a degree of expectation from the South Korea international, but it looked as though things would be ending in a rather disappointing fashion in the early stages of his Premier League career.

In fact, the slow start he had to life with Tottenham had left him wanting to leave the club in a hurry as he found his confidence at a low point following injury and felt rather uncomfortable (Goal).

However, he credited Pochettino with helping him to turn things around and stated the Argentine was the type of manager that he needed at the time and has since burst out of that shell.

Indeed, Son has perhaps become one of the main members of the Spurs squad since his slow start to life and has been crucial in helping the club become a consistent competitor in their quest to try and finally bring back some silverware to north London.

Having played 196 games to date for the Premier League outfit, the South Korea international has proven to be as effective in front of goal as he was for Leverkusen prior to his English switch, scoring 70 goals and providing his team-mates with an additional 39 assists (TransferMarkt).

When looking at Tottenham’s overall squad, they currently only have Harry Kane available to them as their recognised striker, but there have been a number of occasions whereby Son has helped to bail them out and help Spurs move on without their English talisman.

As noted by Planet Football, the Asian attacker has stepped up a number of times to replace the England international for Pochettino and has proven to be a crucial replacement for him as he helped to win them a number of points in difficult situations.

Since he has been in north London, Tottenham are yet to finish a Premier League season outside of the top four (TransferMarkt), which can not be considered as just a coincidence.

It would have been almost impossible to know just how big of an impact Son would have initially had at Tottenham when he first signed for them and his first 12 months would perhaps not have given them too much hope.

However, it is rather clear that his arrival helped to change the face of the club and, if it were not for Pochettino’s wise words to him, Spurs may not have had the pleasure of being shaken to their core by the South Korean’s presence.

Tottenham fans, how big of a role did Son play in changing the club? Let us know your thoughts by sharing them in the comments below!

Loads of Tottenham Hotspur fans on Twitter don’t want Kyle Walker-Peters to start at right-back for the trip to Brighton and Hove Albion on Saturday.

Mauricio Pochettino faces a decision as to who plays there if he sticks with four in defence, with Serge Aurier suspended following his red card against Southampton last weekend.

The Ivory Coast international may well have been replaced anyway following his horror show against Bayern Munich – left winger Serge Gnabry scored four times for them – and the Argentine manager does have some options.

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Moussa Sissoko filled in there following the dismissal against Saints, while Juan Foyth, Eric Dier and Walker-Peters – the only natural right-back of the quartet – would also be able to play there if needed.

However, it appears Spurs supporters aren’t too keen on the man who started their opening three Premier League games of the campaign, with one even saying he is “as bad as Aurier”.

Many others would prefer to see Dier, Foyth or Sissoko given an opportunity there instead at the Amex Stadium, as you can see below.

Here is just a selection of the Twitter reaction…