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According to a report from the Daily Mail, Tottenham Hotspur are among a number of clubs currently ‘monitoring’ Watford striker Troy Deeney – but West Brom have reportedly opened talks to sign the forward with negotiations underway. 

Spurs boss Jose Mourinho is reportedly in the market for an alternative striker to Harry Kane, having also been linked to Bournemouth forwards Josh King and Callum Wilson, with Deeney now emerging as a potential option.

Indeed, as per the Mail, Tottenham are keeping tabs on the Hornets captain after their relegation to the Championship last season, with Watford allegedly ‘open’ to selling their talisman in an effort to balance the books.

Having scored 47 Premier League goals since the 15/16 campaign and an overall 152 since the beginning of his professional career (Transfermarkt), it’s little wonder why Spurs now see Deeney as a forward who could provide strength in depth.

Since veteran Fernando Llorente departed north London last season, Tottenham have been left with a lack of natural centre forwards bar Kane, and it appears that has prompted the club to reignite their interest in Deeney who was targeted all the way back in 2016 according to a past report from the Sun.

Indeed, former boss Mauricio Pochettino allegedly saw the 32-year-old as a would-be coup, but a piece from the Chronicle claims that he is currently earning £100,000-per-week – which, theoretically, would make Deeney the joint-fourth highest paid player in the squad (spotrac).

It’s debatably unlikely Spurs would be willing to shell out those wages, even despite his ‘brilliant’ contributions for Watford, but whether or not the club try and beat WBA to his signature remains to be seen.

Spurs fans, should the club try and sign Deeney? Join the discussion by commenting below…

According to reports, Tottenham are now looking at a move for Bournemouth forward Josh King, after missing out on Ollie Watkins to Aston Villa.

What’s the word?

The north London side have been on the look-out for a new striker since the January transfer window earlier this year, but moves for various targets have failed to materialise as of yet.

Is it Mido or Pedro Mendes? This Spurs quiz will separate the loyal from the fake…

World Class score: 95% | Expert score: 80% | Veteran score: 65% | Intermediate score: 45% | Amateur score: 30% | Try Again: 5%

One such instance saw Watkins leave Brentford to join Villa in a big-money deal, and The Sun now claim that due to missing out on the 24-year-old, Spurs have turned their attentions towards King.

The report reveals that Bournemouth are more open to selling the £45k-a-week forward than David Brooks, and that Spurs could face competition from the likes of Aston Villa, Fulham and Everton should his price range be around £15m.

A valuable addition to Mourinho’s squad

As was perhaps most clearly on show last season, simply having great first-team players in the likes of Harry Kane and Heung-min Son just isn’t enough – particularly when they get injured.

It’s a squad game, and Spurs don’t have the kind of strength in depth that some of their big six rivals have. But in King, they could get someone with plenty of Premier League experience, and has the versatility and ability to perform at a decent level both out wide and through the middle.

Back in Mourinho’s days at Inter, despite having Diego Milito lead the line, Samuel Eto’o was a crucial part of the Nerazzurri’s Champions League triumph.

The Cameroon legend had showcased at previous club Barcelona that he was an elite striker, but rather than playing as an out-and-out number nine in Italy, he followed his manager’s instructions and became an effective force from out wide – he ended up scoring 16 goals in the Champions League winning campaign in 2009/2010, even picking up an assist in the final.

So whilst Kane might be the focal point for Spurs, having someone who could potentially play in the same team as him as either a strike partner or from the flanks, could be crucial to ensuring the north Londoners have different attacking weapons.

Wolves are reportedly interested in signing Eredivisie ace Oussama Idrissi this transfer window.

The Morocco international has been linked to the Premier League outfit by El Desmarque (via Sport Witness), who claim an offer of €16million (£14.4m) could be tabled for his services.

Wanderers aren’t the only ones in pursuit of Idrissi, though. The report states that both Sevilla and Napoli also have their eye on the 24-year-old forward.

How would Idrissi fit in at Wolves?

Nuno Espirito Santo’s side looked on course for a place in the top six last season but fell just outside of the margin on goal difference to Spurs. Their main attacking threat was undoubtedly Raul Jimenez, who notched an impressive 17 goals in 38 league appearances.

Next behind the Mexican was Diogo Jota with seven goals, followed up by Leander Dendoncker with four (via Sportsmole). The gap between Jimenez and the rest of the team in terms of goals scored is difficult to ignore. Wolves’ top scorer needs more support in attack if the team are to push up the table this season.

Signing Idrissi would pad out Nuno’s roster and provide more options when breaking down the opposition.

Could Oussama Idrissi replace Diogo Jota?

The AZ Alkmaar man tallied some superb numbers with the Dutch outfit last season. In 25 league appearances, Idrissi found the back of the net 13 times and provided a further five assists. His overall count for the term finished on 17 goals and ten assists across all competitions (via Transfermarkt).

The 24-year-old also operates on the left wing, which is a perfect match to fill the Jota-shaped hole left in the Wolves squad after the Portuguese moved to Liverpool.

Although Nuno experimented with his squad last season, Jota put in some strong performances and was the difference between a loss and a draw, and a draw and a win on several occasions. Losing him to Liverpool definitely makes the left wing an area of importance to strengthen.

With Idrissi’s numbers and international experience, for the low price of £14.4million, it’s a no brainer for Wolves to snap up the Moroccan before the window closes.

In other news, Leeds can land the perfect De Paul alternative in Erick Pulgar

Everton and Carlo Ancelotti can look to exploit Joel Matip’s shortcomings in the Merseyside Derby with Jurgen Klopp backed to start the Liverpool defender this Saturday.

Klopp is expected to make changes to his championship-winning backline for this weekend’s clash at Goodison Park having been humiliated by Aston Villa last time out, with Dean Smith’s side running riot to claim a 7-2 victory.

Joe Gomez has come in for much criticism since the result, with the Liverpool Echo noting how the England international struggled at Villa Park up against hat-trick hero Ollie Watkins with a performance that hammered home the calls for Liverpool to sign a new centre-half.

Klopp even saw fit to haul Gomez off after 61 minutes having produced what the Echo described as a three out of ten performance, given he was at fault for Villa’s second and fifth efforts, almost allowed Ross Barkley in to score and that his early withdrawal was an act of mercy.

Yet Deadline Day passed without Klopp greeting any late defensive reinforcements, and it is expected that the German will instead look elsewhere in his squad come Saturday for potential answers in the hopes of preventing another crisis result.

The Liverpool Echo suggest that man will be Matip, with the £100,000-per-week Cameroon international backed to bring a calming influence to a unit that has shipped the second-most goals after four games, with a total equaling one-third of the 33 allowed throughout last term.

Matip has thus far played just the single minute of Premier League football this season as he continued to regain fitness following the recurring injuries which plagued his title-winning 2019/20 campaign.

Klopp confirmed that Matip missed last month’s 2-0 win away to Chelsea through a muscle injury, but noted before his side travelled to south West London that he expected the £28.8m-rated centre-half would be available for selection following the international break.

“It’s not the worst thing in the world, but a few weeks, a couple of weeks, probably after the international break he will be ready again,” the German said, via quotes by the Liverpool Echo.

But should Matip start against Everton this Saturday, Ancelotti can look to exploit one weakness he displayed last term compared to Gomez, even though Klopp considers the Cameroon international to be an “incredible talent” (Independent) his side were lucky to sign for free.

Over Matip’s nine outings in the 19/20 league season, the 29-year-old was dribbled past on average 0.78 times a game – more than any of Liverpool’s other centre-halves and more than double that of Gomez who was beaten on 0.38 occasions, per SofaScore.

Matip also recorded fewer interceptions than Gomez, but was far superior in the air with 5.22 duels won to the England international’s 2.5 – showing that Ancelotti’s best weapon to beat Klopp’s suspected answer will be on the ground, where Richarlison thrives.

Richarlison currently ranks third in the Premier League for successful dribbles, with his 16 narrowly behind Fulham’s Andre Zambo Anguissa (18) and Wolverhampton Wanderer’s Adama Traore (22).

The 23-year-old Brazil international also tops the charts for ground duels won in the top-flight this term, having won 40 of his contests – Liverpool’s best comes from Sadio Mane’s 24, enough to rank joint-tenth with James Rodriguez.

AND in other news, a £90k-p/w Everton ace offered an ineffective cameo appearance during the October international break…

Former Liverpool striker Danny Ings showcased just how much progress he has made in the last 12 months after bagging his first goal for his country last night.

The Southampton star man led the line for England in a friendly against Wales in only his third ever international appearance. Gareth Southgate opted to deploy Ings alongside in-form Dominic Calvert-Lewin, who also got himself on the scoresheet.

Since his move from Merseyside last year, Ings has hit an astonishing upward trajectory. His hard work and dominant presence for his new club has more than paid off after pulling on his Three Lions jersey twice this year following a five-year absence.

Ings resurrecting his career

After a difficult four years at Liverpool, Ings made the decision to ply his trade elsewhere. Southampton came knocking for his services last summer and paid a respectable £20million for him, certainly an amount Ralph Hasenhuttl will see as very well spent now. Indeed, the 28-year-old will also see the move as one of the best career decisions he has ever made.

Ings was hammered by injuries during his time on Merseyside, spending a total of 498 days out of action with knee problems. After tearing his ACL in 2015, the forward missed 85 senior matches for the Reds and had fallen drastically down the pecking order once he did return (via Transfermarkt). The arrival of Roberto Firmino and with Daniel Sturridge next in line meant Ings saw very little action during his final years at Liverpool.

But his switch to Southampton seems to have sparked a whole new era in Ings’ career. Last season he finished as Hasenhuttl’s top scorer with an impressive 22 goals in the Premier League. The Winchester-born ace finished with the same amount of goals as Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, just one behind Golden Boot winner Jamie Vardy (via Premier League).

Ings vs Wales

His recent form has kickstarted the fire many thoughts Ings had lost after his ACL surgery. After opening up his international account with a stunning bicycle kick against Wales, it’s going to be very hard for Southgate to ignore him as a glaring option moving forward.

Ings’ return to the England squad wasn’t just about his goal either. He had a solid performance alongside strike partner Calvert-Lewin and played the full 90 minutes, something that was perhaps unexpected.

The 28-year-old had 100% shot accuracy and made a further key pass in addition to his goal scored. He also won three out of his eight duels attempted, which is a respectable number for a striker (via FotMob).

It can only be expected that Ings will continue his upward climb this season for both club and country. After his strong performance against Wales, he could be in contention to take part in the upcoming EUROs.

In other news, Neil Mellor has exclusively told FFC how Jurgen Klopp has changed Liverpool on the fifth anniversary of his arrival at Anfield…

Wolverhampton Wanderers were rocked by a late equaliser on Sunday afternoon as the Midlands outfit picked up their first draw of the 2020/21 season against Newcastle United.

Nuno Santo’s men took the lead ten minutes from time after Raul Jimenez rifled home a strike from the edge of the box, but an 89th-minute free-kick from Jacob Murphy, who squeezed the ball past Rui Patricio, earned a point for the visiting Magpies.

It was perhaps a harsh result considering the Wolf Pack dominated the match on their own turf, recording 67% possession and a total of 16 shots at goal, though if anyone’s to blame, it’s the Portuguese boss in the dugout.

He made a bold call to withdraw one of Wolves’ key attacking outlets in Daniel Podence just before the 70th minute and it was evidently felt.

The €22m (£20m) January signing was a constant nuisance, terrorising Newcastle’s goalscoring wing-back as well as Fabian Schar at right centre-back yet for some bizarre reason, he was the one to make way for Adama Traore over Pedro Neto.

Per SofaScore, the diminutive 5 foot 5 winger recorded five dribbles, three shots, two key passes and even won five duels up against the aforementioned duo.

BirminghamLive graded his display a 7/10 and said: “Wolves’ little winger was their most creative spark during a difficult first half against a Newcastle side who sat deep. Podence sent Murphy back to Newcastle with one rapid change of direction and skinned the same player again for a second time 30 seconds later.”

Podence was everywhere, forcing pressure on the Magpies’ backline with his electric energy and whilst, he wasn’t able to score himself, he clearly was coming close. One of his attempts at goal was expertly saved by Karl Darlow.

On the other side, Neto lost possession more (18 times), enjoyed fewer successful dribble attempts (three) and committed two silly fouls, also via SofaScore.

It remains to be seen if the home side would have scored another goal with Podence on the pitch but his presence certainly would’ve helped as he was evidently the main tormentor of the Magpies’ misery.

Fingers can be pointed at many players, but it’s Nuno’s call that’s cost them this weekend.

AND in other news, £25.2m-rated Wolves star was a woeful passenger vs Newcastle…

Tottenham Hotspur continued their impressive run of form with a last-gasp 1-0 victory over West Brom on Sunday afternoon.

And Jose Mourinho’s team selection provided some clues into the future of one Spurs outcast.

The Special One opted for what appears to be his first-choice centre-back pairing, Eric Dier and Toby Alderweireld, once again but named young summer arrival Joe Rodon on the bench as their back-up instead of Davinson Sanchez.

In fact, the 24-year-old – who was signed by Mauricio Pochettino for £42m in 2017 – was left out of a Premier League matchday squad for the third successive game.

Sanchez has featured just four times in the top-flight and has been axed since the dramatic 3-3 draw to West Ham United, a game in which the north Londoners should’ve won.

It was expected that Mourinho altered his backline having played their last few matches with the same duo, though evidently, he’s had enough with the error-prone Sanchez.

In the past, the Colombian has been lambasted as a “liability” with some supporters calling him a “clown” too.

Former Spurs boss Tim Sherwood has even dubbed Sanchez a “mistake waiting to happen” – something even Mourinho know all too well having instructed his Manchester United side to target him whilst at Ajax during their Europa League triumph in 2017.

Now valued at just £40.5m by Transfermarkt, it appears that the Pochettino favourite is quickly running out of time to salvage his career in N17.

It’s not like he has impressed whenever he’s featured this term either, averaging just 1.8 tackles and one foul per game, across both domestic and European competitions, via WhoScored.

The departure of long-serving central defender Jan Vertonghen should have opened the door for Sanchez to finally kick on and cement his name down as that first choice option but that hasn’t been the case.

A 23-year-old with no top-flight experience, a midfielder-turned-defender and an ageing star who’s the wrong side of 30 are all ahead of him in the pecking order.

That snub on Sunday could be the final nail in the coffin for his future.

AND in other news, Forget Kane: £85k-p/w monster was Spurs’ true match-winner vs WBA…

Tottenham Hotspur playmaker Giovani Lo Celso has responded to the scathing criticism thrown at him by his manager Jose Mourinho with an emphatic showing for Argentina on Friday morning.

The 24-year-0ld has been in and out of the Spurs squad for most of the season, starting just one of five Premier League appearances, and it appears that the Portuguese boss is rather unhappy with his fitness.

Following their win over Ludogorets in the Europa League, the Special One slammed the attacking midfielder, speaking to Sky Sports he said:

“[Lo Celso was] Good with the ball and not very good without the ball. His physical condition is not good. He didn’t have a pre-season.

“During the lockdown during the previous season he had problems – he didn’t train in that period when other guys were training so he has been up and down in his preparation.

“I feel that when he plays he’s not the Gio that we know, not the Gio that we know that he can be an amazing player.”

Well, the £31.5m-rated international delivered quite the masterclass in response this week.

Argentina boss Lionel Scaloni had to call upon the Spurs star just half an hour into their World Cup qualifier against Paraguay following a pretty serious injury to Exequiel Palacios, and playing as a no.8, he absolutely thrived.

Per SofaScore, Lo Celso recorded five tackles, three key passes (one more than Lionel Messi) and one successful dribble. He also made 88% of his 50 passing attempts, had 64 touches and won ten of 17 duels, so he was heavily involved.

Unfortunately, the South American’s couldn’t make the most of his influence as they drew at La Bombonera, the famous home of Boca Juniors.

Within 15 minutes of coming on, Lo Celso provided Nicolas Gonzalez with an assist for the White and Sky Blues’ only goal of the game.

The former Real Betis maestro has been lauded as “extraordinary” and called a “very, very good” player, so perhaps Mourinho has been a little unfair with his recent comments.

AND in other news, Forget Sanchez: Mourinho must blame “absolute freak” for his biggest Spurs problem yet…

Celtic are stuck in one of their biggest ruts in the last decade.

11 points behind their arch-rivals Rangers domestically and now out of the Europa League, it has been a season to forget for Neil Lennon and co.

Unsurprisingly, his job is now under threat.

Club chiefs, including Peter Lawwell, reportedly came out and backed Lennon after their draw with Hibernian last weekend but there can be few defences for the manager after his side conceded yet another four goals to Sparta Prague.

A number of new head coaches have been mentioned in the same breath as Celtic this week, from Eddie Howe and Paulo Di Canio to former Hoops boss Martin O’Neill.

Now, if you were a Celtic supporter there would surely only be one candidate – O’Neill.

The Irishman took charge of nearly 300 Celtic games between 2000 and 2005 as he led them to three league titles and three Scottish Cups. Furthermore, O’Neill also took the Bhoys to a European final.

He helped changed the mentality and culture of the club, something that clearly needs to happen now.

Speaking earlier this year, Chris Sutton said: “Celtic are in this position now because of what Martin O’Neill did in his early years. He understood the values and people at Celtic and got everybody on side. To turn around a 21-point gap in so short a time then, to give the supporters and players belief, it was such an incredible feat. What he did was nothing short of exceptional.”

That is a glistening review from Sutton, someone whose praise is usually reserved only for the very best.

However, it’s that 21-point gap that we want to talk about. When O’Neill walked into the club for the first time, Rangers had just won the treble and were the dominant force in Scottish football.

Incredibly, after just a year at the helm, O’Neill had guided Celtic to their own treble.

Of course, the Hoops aren’t quite as many points behind in the present day, but if anyone can turn the Glaswegians around in a short period of time it’s their former manager. The remarkable gap that was bridged in 2001 is all the evidence you need.

He was a wonderful guidance councillor for his players at the time and knows what it takes to meet the standards and requirements set out by fans.

“For me, he is a very special person, not just as a manager but as a human being as well,” remarked Stiliyan Petrov in August 2020.

Boasting a 75% win success from his prior spell at Parkhead, he could once again be the man to put a stop to Rangers.

To put it simply, O’Neill is a legend at Celtic. Bringing him back is a no-brainer.

In other news, Celtic’s stalwart is letting Neil Lennon down BIG time…

Many Liverpool fans were not happy with Neco Williams during their side’s UEFA Champions League clash against Ajax on Tuesday night.

The 19-year-old started on the right-hand side of a Liverpool back four, with many injuries to what would be classed as their first choice defence.

The club are unsure on when Trent Alexander-Arnold will return and James Milner was injured against Brighton. This means that unless another player plays out of position, Williams is the only real option for Jurgen Klopp to select at right-back.

This adds a lot of pressure on the youngster, and pre-game, one fan called him a ‘liability’, which may highlight what some supporters think of the young Welshman.

He is still very young and the fact that he was kept in the summer whilst Ki-Jana Hoever was sold to Wolves shows that Klopp believes he can succeed at the club.

He is getting a lot of experience whilst starting for the Reds. and hopefully, this will help him to grow. However, the full-back has to start putting in some better performances sooner rather than later in order to get some members of the Liverpool fan base, like the ones who took to social media as shown below, back on his side.

What Liverpool fans said about Neco Williams and his performance:

In other news, Liverpool fans were left fuming after latest injury news.