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Tony Cascarino has ripped into Liverpool striker Daniel Sturridge in his latest The Times column following the striker’s cameo against Manchester United at Old Trafford on Sunday.

What’s the word, then?

Well, the Reds missed the opportunity to extend their lead over Manchester City at the top of the Premier League standings as they were held to a goalless draw against the Red Devils.

Sturridge wasn’t actually named in Jurgen Klopp’s starting XI but he replaced the injured Roberto Firmino just after the half-hour mark against Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s men, but failed to make much of an impact in the final third.

Speaking to The Times, Cascarino said: “Daniel Sturridge was shocking when he came on and Mohamed Salah looked out of sorts.”

The 29-year-old was making his 21st appearance of the season for the Merseyside outfit, and he has scored four goals and provided a further assist.

Is he right?

While in some ways he may well have been right, it’s not exactly as though Liverpool were at their attacking best against United and Sturridge was simply the weak link.

The usually reliable duo of Sadio Mane and Salah also struggled to do what we have all seen them do so often before, and therefore it seems harsh to blame the England striker on this particular occasion.

It is never easy to come on in a game of this magnitude where both sides are largely cancelling each other out, and Cascarino should cut the former Chelsea and Manchester City man some slack.

Sturridge is still one of the best back-up centre-forwards in the Premier League, and he can still have a big part to play during the title run-in.

Tottenham have been handed a major boost in their bid to bring Dusan Vlahovic to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in the January transfer window.

What’s the talk?

In recent comments cited by The Express, The Athletic’s Italian football correspondent James Horncastle revealed that, despite being heavily linked with a move to Juventus, Fiorentina would much rather sell the centre-forward to a Premier League club, with Tottenham believed to be the most likely option for the 21-year-old, for whom La Viola are demanding around £70m.

Speaking about the interest in the Serbia international, the journalist said: “Juventus have been linked with Dusan Vlahovic, the Fiorentina striker, who is the top scorer at the moment with Ciro Immobile. But the kind of money that would take, I think that’s beyond them.

“[His contract is up at the] end of 2023 but Juventus, as we’ve seen, they have been able to do business with Fiorentina. In recent years, Federico Chiesa and Federico Bernardeschi for example. Fiorentina’s preference is always not to sell to Juventus because of the rivalry between them. Ultimately, if Vlahovic is to go, Fiorentina would prefer to sell to the Premier League.”

He’d revolutionise Spurs

Considering just how impressive Vlahovic has been in Italy so far this season, coupled with the fact that Harry Kane has scored just one Premier League goal over his 13 league appearances this term, Horncastle’s claim regarding the striker’s potential move will undoubtedly come as major boost to Daniel Levy and Fabio Paratici.

Indeed, over his 16 Serie A appearances in the current campaign, the £45m-rated man has already scored a whopping 13 goals, registered two assists and created one big chance for his teammates, as well as taking 3.3 shots and making 1.1 key passes per game.

These returns have seen the player dubbed a “machine” average a rather astonishing SofaScore match rating of 7.39, ranking him as the seventh-best performer in the Italian top flight.

As such, considering the fact that Tottenham have scored significantly fewer goals than the remainder of the top six in the league, the signing of the £26k-per-week centre-forward would undoubtedly help to revolutionise Spurs’ attack, as well as providing the club with a major boost to their chances of securing a top-four finish. We believe Levy simply must splash the cash on the 21-year-old in January.

In other news: Paratici heading for Spurs disaster on “colossal” £17m-rated gem who “100%” wants move

As per Italian news outlet Leggo, another update has come to light involving Tottenham Hotspur and Juventus attacker Dejan Kulusevski.

The Lowdown: Spurs eyeing Kulusevski…

Numerous reports from the media have indicated that the Sweden international is firmly on Spurs and transfer chief Fabio Paratici’s radar heading into the transfer window.

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According to TUTTOmercatoWEB, for instance, both Paratici and manager Antonio Conte are firm admirers of the player as they add Kulusevski to the target list – with both Spurs chiefs believing he is a ‘gem’.

Elsewhere, reporter Daniele Longo recently claimed that Tottenham contacts were in progress over a January move as he dropped a teasing Twitter hint.

Now, as per Leggo, Spurs haven’t given up their chase.

The Latest: Spurs and Arsenal race…

According to their information, both Spurs and arch north London rivals Arsenal are in a race to sign the 21-year-old with the duo most eager to sign Kulusevski over everyone else.

This comes as Juve green light a sale in January with the winger ‘on the market’ – potentially boosting Spurs with the Old Lady willing to entertain offers.

The Verdict: Get it done?

While primarily out wide, the versatile attacker can be deployed as an ‘advanced playmaker’, making this move worthwhile given Tottenham arguably still haven’t found their ideal heir to Christian Eriksen.

When comparing Kulusevski’s best season with the Dane’s, the former averaged an impressive 2.2 key passes and 2.1 completed dribbles per 90 in the final third for ex-club Parma over 2019/2020 (WhoScored).

Similar to Eriksen’s numbers during his time at Tottenham (WhoScored), this could be an indicator that Kulusevski may come as a likely successor for the Spurs favourite.

If he can revive his form at Tottenham, Conte may well have a €35 million (£29.7m) diamond on his hands, especially considering Portugal footballing stalwart Bruno Alves called him ‘incredible’.

In other news: Levy now open to another big name exit as Conte tells Spurs to sell ‘magnificent’ star, find out more here.

Many Glasgow Rangers fans were left slamming referee Kevin Clancy after their 1-1 draw away at Aberdeen in the Scottish Premiership on Tuesday night.

It was a frustrating game for the Ibrox faithful as they dropped two points in their race for the SPFL title, as Ianis Hagi’s opener was cancelled out by a penalty from Lewis Ferguson after Alfredo Morelos handled the ball inside his own penalty box.

Clancy decided to give the Colombia international a yellow card for the incident too, which seemed harsh as he could not really get his hand out of the way of the line of the shot.

This was one of five yellow cards in total given to Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s team, including two to Ryan Kent which resulted in a red, again the second seemingly harsh for a minimal clip on former Celtic midfield player Scott Brown.

Nonetheless, a lot of Teddy Bears were left very unhappy with Clancy’s performance on the night.

Rangers fans slam Clancy

These Light Blues slammed Clancy on Twitter, with one Gers supporter even going as far as to call him ’embarrassing’:

“This referee is ridiculous a complaint should be made”

Credit: @linden1974

“Clancy gets paid for this? Absolute farce. Shouldn’t even be on a yellow, never mind a red”

Credit: @D_Boag

“Never a red ref tonight is shocking”

Credit: @gers_fan55

“Does Clancy have a pair of eyes?”

Credit: @_Ryan56

“Ref has lost the plot”

Credit: @real_god69

“Clancy is embarrassing as is Brown. Standard of refereeing is absolutely abysmal beyond belief how bad they are.”

Credit: @Kirky_8

In other news, find out who RFC are now targeting here!

A crucial update has emerged regarding Sunderland and their search for Lee Johnson’s successor as manager at the Stadium of Light…

What’s the talk?

Daily Mail journalist Craig Hope has revealed that talks on Friday will play a key role in the club’s decision-making process as they look for their next head coach.

He tweeted: “Roy Keane is being interviewed today for Sunderland managerial vacancy. Interviews will conclude today before decision is made. Keane remains preferred choice of many, but today’s talks crucial as to which way things go. Grant McCann also in frame.”

Elation

This update from Hope will surely leave Sunderland fans feeling elated, as it suggests that a decision from the club is imminent and the supporters will not have to wait too much longer before finding out who the new manager will be.

Johnson was sacked after the 6-0 defeat to Bolton last week and the Black Cats are heading into a League One clash with Doncaster on Saturday without a permanent head coach in place. This could frustrate supporters, as every single match is important for the Wearsiders in their fight to land an automatic promotion place, which is why this latest claim will be music to the fans’ ears.

Sunderland are currently third in the League One table and looking up at Wigan and Rotherham ahead of them, with both sides having games in hand on the Black Cats. This means that they need to start stringing a run of wins together, and quickly, if they want to have a good chance of breaking into the top two.

Having a permanent manager in place could help them to do just that, as the players would know exactly what to expect and what their position in the squad is. As it stands, no-one knows who will be taking over and what their plans for the playing squad and the style of play will be, which could put a cloud of doubt in the heads of the players as they question whether or not they will be needed.

Therefore, fans will be elated by the club’s imminent decision to appoint a manager, whether that is Grant McCann or Roy Keane. Kristjaan Speakman is seemingly set to decide on the best candidate after the interview process on Friday, and supporters could be excited to see who he opts for in the coming days, whilst being delighted that it is not set to drag out much longer.

AND in other news, Reporter drops big Sunderland manager “appointment” update which will leave fans gutted…

Leeds United look set to miss out on signing Red Bull Salzburg midfielder Brenden Aaronson, according to Mike McGrath of The Telegraph.

The Lowdown: Leeds links

The Whites were credited with a ‘serious interest’ in the USA international last week by journalist Tom Bogert, with Andrea Radrizzani and Victor Orta thought to be after both a defensive and attacking midfielder in the New Year.

Aaronson is an attacking midfielder who can also play on the wing and has made 52 appearances for Salzburg – 26 of which have come during the current campaign. [Transfermarkt]

However, it doesn’t appear as if the Whites will be able to sign him in January, even despite the American link – the San Francisco 49ers recently increased their stake at Elland Road to 37%.

The Latest: McGrath’s claim

Reliable reporter McGrath shared his transfer notebook on Tuesday, with an update on Aaronson included.

He suggested that Leeds ‘are set to miss out’ on the 21-year-old after Salzburg’s qualification to the knockout stages of the Champions League, the first blow in the upcoming winter window as the Whites search for midfield reinforcements.

The Verdict: All eyes on Swift?

John Swift is another winter window target for Leeds, so they may well place more eggs in the Reading man’s basket following the latest update on Aaronson.

The Englishman has been on fire for The Royals in the second tier this season, contributing to 17 goals in 21 games, scoring eight and providing nine assists.

He’s also out of contract at the end of the season, so you’d expect a January transfer would be in Leeds’ price range, with Reading possibly cautious they could lose their star man for nothing in the summer.

On the other hand, Reading will know that midfielders are needed at Elland Road, so Leeds may even have to bite the bullet and pay slightly over the odds for Swift despite his contract situation.

In other news: Leeds ‘set’ to sign attacker in January who has the same agent as Forshaw – journalist. 

Leeds United duo Luke Ayling and Patrick Bamford have made ‘really encouraging’ returns from injury, according to journalist Phil Hay.

The Lowdown: Key Leeds pair return to action

The Whites have had make do without the influential pair since the middle of September, with injuries striking both of them down.

Both Ayling and Bamford made hugely pleasing returns to action on Monday evening, though, playing for Leeds’ under-23s in their 3-2 defeat to Manchester City.

The right-back came off at half-time and the striker played the full match, with both looking set to play a big part in the first team’s busy December schedule.

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The Latest: Hay in positive spirits

Taking to Twitter after Monday’s game, Hay admitted that it was “really encouraging to see” the duo back on the pitch, his tweet accompanied by an article for The Athletic which outlined ‘how Ayling can help to revive one of Leeds’ core strengths and why Bamford is inevitably missed’.

Marcelo Bielsa’s side host Crystal Palace in the Premier League tonight, and while that match will surely come too soon for the returning pair, they could hopefully feature at home to Brentford on Sunday.

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The Verdict: Major boost for Whites

Put simply, Leeds aren’t the same team without Ayling and Bamford around, with both proving to be pivotal figures in recent campaigns.

The former provides constant energy from right-back, not to mention leadership having captained the Whites in the past, while the latter’s goals have been missed hugely. He netted 17 in the top flight last season; Leeds have managed just seven in the eight matches he has missed since getting injured at Newcastle in mid-September.

Bamford also has the ability to bring the best out in others, dropping deep to link up with team-mates and creating space in behind for the wingers.

Leeds need to get their season going after a slow start, and the impending returns of Ayling and Bamford could be exactly the spark for a winter revival.

In other news, Danny Mills has been critical of one Leeds player’s impact. Find out who it is here.

Arsenal are yet to sign anyone in the January transfer window, but that could soon change…

What’s the word?

According to reliable Daily Express journalist Ryan Taylor, those around the Emirates Stadium should expect something to happen before Monday night’s deadline.

“Expecting movement at Arsenal in coming days,” he tweeted following Calum Chambers’ exit to Aston Villa on Thursday.

Worryingly thin

Gunners boss Mikel Arteta has been left hugely light on options heading into the second half of the season as the English defender’s departure was their fifth of the window so far.

The north London outfit saw a game postponed earlier this month due to the lack of players available, yet they continue to let the bulk of their backups leave the club.

Players like Chambers, Sead Kolasinac and Ainsley Maitland-Niles aren’t going to set the starting XI alight but one or two injuries would’ve seen them required and they would’ve certainly done a solid job.

Elsewhere, Arsenal’s attempts to bring in new additions has been frustrating as they continue to miss out on targets. For instance, the club were prepared to splash out on the highly-coveted Dusan Vlahovic but he has instead opted to join Serie A giants Juventus.

It also appears as if another target in Real Sociedad striker Alexander Isak isn’t keen on a move to the Emirates Stadium either, as per transfer insider Dean Jones.

The Gunners are running out of time to bolster Arteta’s playing squad and a new striker has to be among the priorities given the uncertainty surrounding Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Alexandre Lacazette and Eddie Nketiah.

However, Taylor’s latest claim should provide worried Arsenal supporters with some encouragement heading into Monday night. They have left it late but the belief that there should be some business completed is certainly exciting to hear.

AND in other news, Arsenal eye “phenomenal” £25m dynamo with “quick feet”, he’s shades of Thierry Henry…

According to the Daily Mail, Everton defender Jarrad Branthwaite is a transfer target for Manchester United. 

The lowdown: Star in the making

Flourishing as part of the set-up at Finch Farm since 2020, the 19-year-old has burst onto the scene in the last 12 months having made the switch from League Two side Carlisle United.

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Since arriving on Merseyside the teenager has represented England at Under-20 level and has made 11 first-team appearances for the Toffees.

However, the Blues could now face a battle to keep one of their most precocious talents.

The latest: Man United interested

As per the report from the Daily Mail, Manchester United are ‘keen’ on the talented centre-back and could look to make a move should Erik ten Hag be appointed as expected at Old Trafford.

It’s claimed that the Premier League giants are ‘monitoring’ the one-cap youth starlet who is under a fresh contract at Goodison Park until 2025 (Transfermarkt).

The report also states that Everton would be ‘reluctant’ to lose the powerful 6ft 5in ace who was described as being a ‘really skilful’ defender by former Blues boss Carlo Ancelotti.

The verdict: No deal

This is yet another case of the club needing to pull out all the stops in order to keep its brightest prospects.

Albeit Branthwaite is yet to earn a regular place in Frank Lampard’s side, the English teenager has certainly shown glimpses of an ability that has clearly caught the eye elsewhere in the Premier League.

So far this season, Branthwaite has made just six senior appearances, but was a star performer with the goal, two tackles and one interception (SofaScore), as a young Everton side held on for an unlikely 1-1 draw against Chelsea back in December.

In other news, Everton linked with Bundesliga midfielder. Find out more here!

Everton have now been gifted a huge injury boost involving central defender Yerry Mina.

The Lowdown: Back in training

As per medical expert Ben Dinnery, Mina is now back in action at Finch Farm, as he looks to step up his recovery from injury.

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The Colombia international has not played for the Goodison Park faithful since early February, and will be hoping to return to the team as soon as possible.

The Latest: Lampard update

Speaking in his pre-game press conference ahead of the match away at West Ham United in the Premier League on Sunday afternoon, Frank Lampard has revealed that Mina will hopefully be back ‘in the next couple of weeks’.

The manager also confirmed that Fabian Delph is ‘another week or so away’.

Lampard was particularly excited about Mina’s return though, adding:

“He’s a big player for us, a player of stature and personality. I haven’t had much on-pitch time to work with him unfortunately. Centre-back is a crucial area and he’s been a big miss.”

The Verdict: Huge boost

Given that he has not been able to play for over a month, it is no doubt a huge boost for the Merseyside club that Mina could now be available in just a couple of weeks.

It means that he should be back by the time they play Leicester City at home on April 20th, before the big Merseyside derby the following weekend.

Four of the Toffees’ seven wins in the top flight so far have come when Mina is playing, suggesting that they are a far better side with him, and his comeback could well be crucial in their aim to avoid relegation down to the Championship.

In other news, find out what ‘real concern’ has now emerged for the Blues here!