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Out of sorts, out of the team and still out of England reckoning. Dele Alli could be feeling a sense of deja vu at Tottenham Hotspur this season.

Had Jose Mourinho remained in charge in north London, then there was always going to be a chance that the 25-year-old had moved onto pastures new but after the Portuguese’s sacking, he was given a new lease of life under new manager Nuno Santo.

And after starting their opening six league games, it certainly looked as if the England midfielder was going to be an influential figure under the 47-year-old.

However, he was a half-time casualty during their embarrassing defeat to arch-rivals Arsenal in the north London derby several weeks ago and has not featured since.

In his absence, Spurs have won back-to-back matches, ending a run of three straight heavy defeats with him in the side.

The £27m-rated star was restricted to only 1,355 minutes across all competitions last season, in which just 617 were in the Premier League as Mourinho did not favour him whatsoever – hardly a surprise after dubbing him “lazy” in more colourful terms during training, as seen in their ‘All or Nothing’ docuseries.

Football Insider even reported in September that Spurs were considering selling him, with sources claiming that he is ‘difficult to manage behind the scenes’ and is an ‘inconsistent trainer.’

Alli was a player known for bringing goals and creativity from midfield and at just 25, he should be continuing to elevate his game heading into the peak years of his career.

Back in 2016/17, the 6 foot 2 dynamo provided 18 goals and seven assists in one Premier League season alone. By comparison, he has delivered only nine goals and five assists since the start of the 2019/20 season, as per WhoScored.

His old form earned serious comparisons to the likes of Paul Scholes and Steven Gerrard but after clinching 37 caps, he has not been called up by Gareth Southgate in over two years – his last appearance coming in the UEFA Nations League third-placed playoff in June 2019.

Lilywhites legend Darren Anderton described Alli as a “freak of a talent” who is “a real joy to watch” after that lucrative goalscoring campaign, yet we’ve not seen such returns in a long, long time.

Nuno’s recent decision to axe him from his regular starting XI must be a major cause for concern for Alli, even more so as the side appear to be winning without him and Tanguy Ndombele’s recent form certainly makes his chances of breaking back in even more difficult.

Heading into the winter transfer window and beyond, the 25-year-old star may well be fighting for his future in N17.

AND in other news, Paratici could land Nuno’s next Neves in Spurs swoop for £18.9m-rated “special player”…

Sky Sports journalist Michael Bridge insists that Tottenham Hotspur were looking to sell Davinson Sanchez at the beginning of the summer.

Spurs have been attempting to restructure their playing squad this summer and have seen a number of players leave the club.

The club have sold Juan Foyth to Villarreal, Toby Alderweireld to Qatari side Al-Duhail SC, and Joe Hart to Celtic, while Erik Lamela moved to Sevilla in a part-exchange deal that has seen Bryan Gil join Spurs. Danny Rose and Paulo Gazzaniga have also left on free transfers.

Bridge now reports that Sanchez was seen as an expendable asset at the beginning of the summer but there may now be some reticence to move him on after the way he has begun the season.

Indeed, he played exceptionally well in the friendly against Arsenal, while he has also played in the first two Premier League games of the season, against Manchester City and Wolves, with Spurs keeping two consecutive clean sheets in a pair of 1-0 wins.

Bridge said: “Sanchez was probably the one they were going to look at to offload. However, he played very, very well against Arsenal, he was really good against City.

“I think the problem with Davinson Sanchez, though, is that we know he’s good but he has a real rocket in him.”

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

Many West Ham United fans were critical of the “non-existent” Said Benrahma during their Premier League clash with Burnley on Sunday afternoon. 

The Irons were looking to move three points clear of Manchester United in the race for the top four by following up their 3-2 victory over Chelsea with another win today.

David Moyes made two changes from the side which beat the title-chasing Blues, with two injured players dropping out. Ben Johnson gave way to Arthur Masuaku, scorer of the winning goal last weekend, and Kurt Zouma was replaced by Benrahma as Moyes moved away from a 3-4-2-1 and to a 4-2-3-1.

The Algerian had started every league game in 2021/22 before being benched against Chelsea after a four game run without a goal or assist (via Transfermarkt).

The numbers behind Benrahma’s struggles

Benrahma’s SofaScore rating of 6.3/10 was among the lowest in the West Ham ranks. He lost four of his seven duels, completed only one of his four dribbles and was also guilty of missing a ‘big chance’.

Indeed, Sky Sports’ live commentary on the match pointed out how he got into some fantastic positions in the final third against the Clarets but let himself down with some wayward finishing before being substituted for Nikola Vlasic in the 70th minute with the teams still tied at 0-0.

These West Ham fans rip into Benrahma

“Benrahma has been so poor yet again”

Credit: @TheHammers_

“Antonio and Benrahma are embarrassing themselves tonight”

Credit: @_danieluker

“Benrahma has been pants recently, doesn’t seem to want to beat anyone”

Credit: @danwestham1

“Benrahma makes me sick”

Credit: @poshboyh

“Benrahma loves to take an extra 16 touches before trying to play a pass”

Credit: @DanJames9121

“Benrahma been non-existent”

Credit: @Irons_Stuff

In other news, West Ham are willing to meet the asking price for this transfer target

An update has emerged on Leeds target Arnaut Danjuma, regarding Leeds’ interest in his services.

What’s the talk?

According to Marca, via the Daily Star, Liverpool have joined Leeds in the race to sign Bournemouth forward Arnaut Danjuma this summer.

Leeds and West Ham were both touted with interest in the Dutchman earlier this window and could now be competing against the Reds for his signature.

Raphinha 2.0

Victor Orta must react to this news by swooping in to secure a deal for Danjuma as quickly as possible. With more clubs joining the race for his services, it could make it more difficult for Leeds to snap him up.

If the Whites can bring him in then it could be a terrific signing for the club. Marcelo Bielsa would love to coach him next season as he has shown incredible promise with his form in the Championship for Bournemouth. He provided 17 goals and seven assists in 31 starts for the Cherries, averaging an excellent WhoScored rating of 7.21 in the second tier.

Bielsa would be delighted to add another talented attacker to his squad as it would give him more options in the final third.

Last year, Clinton Morrison hailed him as an exceptional talent whilst speaking about him on Quest, via Football League World:

“Danjuma is an excellent player. Whatever happens, he will be playing Premier League football next year, whether it’s with Bournemouth or without them. He’s an exceptional talent.”

Bielsa already has Raphinha on the right-hand side of his attack, but he could have ‘Raphinha 2.0’ on the left by bringing Danjuma in. Whilst the Brazilian is a left-footed attacker who plays out on the right and likes to cut in, Danjuma is a right-footed player who starts on the left and can drift inside or go down to the byline.

Raphinha averaged 1.9 dribbles, 2.1 key passes and 2.2 shots per game last term, compared to the Bournemouth man’s 1.8 dribbles, 1.5 key passes and 2.1 shots per game. This, along with their positional awareness, suggests that they both have a similar style of play and, therefore, Danjuma could be Leeds’ next wing wizard if they are able to secure a deal for him ahead of the likes of Liverpool.

Bielsa would love having two dribble kings on the wings as it could strike fear into opposition defenders. Both Raphinha and Danjuma are capable of taking players on and either creating a chance for a teammate or a shooting opportunity for themselves, which could also excite the fans watching on from the stands.

Leeds need to push ahead and get a deal done.

AND in other news, Orta must complete Leeds United deal for “magical” £30m wizard, Bielsa would adore him…

Speaking exclusively to Football FanCast, former Tottenham defender Graham Roberts does not believe Manchester United need to sign a player like Harry Winks this summer.

Winks is currently being linked with a move to Old Trafford, with Stretty News claiming earlier this month that the 25-year-old midfielder is a target for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

Winks really struggled for game time last season, though his fortunes did improve when Ryan Mason took over following Jose Mourinho’s sacking.

Should Winks be offered no guarantees over minutes by Mourinho’s successor, then he may very well need to consider his future in north London.

Roberts, however, is struggling to see how a move to Manchester United would make any sense. The Spurs legend exclusively told FFC:

“They have [Scott] McTominay, they have Fred. Similar? You know, do they need another one there?

“I would think Man United would be putting all their eggs in a striker or another centre-half, so I think that’s their main agenda.”

As well as McTominay and Fred, United also have Donny van de Beek who can play in that midfield position, and he was barely used by Solskjaer during the 2020/21 campaign.

Winks could easily find himself in a similar position as the United boss continues to opt for the likes of McTominay and Fred.

Does that make the England international a bad player? Of course not, he has his talents, with former manager Mauricio Pochettino once hailing him as “amazing”. But a move to United may not be the best fit for him.

Former Premier League star Nigel Jemson insists that Mohamed Salah wants to be paid the same amount as the best players in the world if he is to extend his contract at Liverpool.

The Egypt international’s current contract runs until 2023 and he has emerged as one of the world’s best players during his time at Anfield.

Salah has made a total of 209 appearances for Jurgen Klopp’s side, scoring 130 goals and registering 49 assists.

This season already, the 29-year-old has scored five goals in six games in all competitions, including strikes against AC Milan in the Champions League and Chelsea in the Premier League.

Salah’s contract is coming to an end and 2022 could well be seen as a major opportunity for other clubs to come in and make a bid for him, and he is reported to currently earn £200,000-per-week on Merseyside.

Jemson does not think that is enough for the Egyptian, who wants to earn a similar amount to the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi at Manchester United and PSG respectively.

Jemson said: “I think he wants parity with the rest of the big, top players in the world. And they’re all earning ridiculous amounts of money a week and I think he just wants to be on the same bracket as those.

“Hopefully he’ll get his contract sorted out at Liverpool and have a fantastic season.”

Many Aston Villa fans have been fuming on Twitter following a statistic documented by Villa Analytics claiming that Tyrone Mings has made more defensive errors than any other player in the Premier League since the club’s promotion to the top-flight in 2019.

Since joining the Villains that year, the 28-year-old has made 94 appearances for the Midlands outfit, registering 11 goal contributions with six goals and five assists [Transfermarkt].

However, the club captain has copped plenty of criticism in recent times. As relayed by Villa Analytics on Twitter, the 6 foot 5 ace has made more defensive errors than any other Premier League player since the beginning of the 2019/20 season.

Just last weekend, Mings was responsible for one of Chelsea’s goals in their 3-0 defeat at Stamford Bridge following a weak back pass [BBC].

In light of this revelation, loads of Aston Villa fans took to Twitter to fume over the emergence of this alarming fact.

Aston Villa fans react

Replying to Villa Analytics on Twitter, here is what some fans had to say about the statistic, with one supporter raging that the rate of costly errors from the England defender is “getting silly”:

“Really don’t need this tweet.”

Credit: @BandanaSavos”Seriously though he needs to start cutting out these errors though. It’s getting silly”Credit: @Tom_Price_AVFC_”He’s good but nowhere near the hype and definitely shouldn’t be captain. All these mistakes is not leading by example. How McGinn didn’t get the armband is beyond me”Credit: @callow_19″Give McGinn the armband. Stop making excuses for Mings.”Credit: @man_compute”He is a brilliant captain, does have a mistake in him though.”Credit: @Caseyjones821″Clearly 2 camps with the Mings debate, those who believe his positives outweigh his mistakes and those who don’t. I’m in the first group but that doesn’t mean you can ignore the stats.”Credit: @danielhavfcIn other news, many Aston Villa fans react to a brilliant goal from an under-23 starlet. Find out more here.

Lots of Manchester City fans have been reacting to the news that Pep Guardiola does not want to keep Lukas Nmecha at the club.

The Citizens will be without record goalscorer Sergio Aguero (mancity.com) next season following the Argentinian’s departure to Barcelona (fcbarcelona.com), and Nmecha could have been an interesting option at least as a back-up option. He scored 17 goals in 34 appearances in the Jupiler League for Anderlecht last season (Transfermarkt) to take his career tally to 24 strikes, while he also picked up the Golden Boot as Germany won the European Under-21 Championship on Sunday (uefa.com).

However, despite the 22-year-old’s impressive form over the past year or so, Guardiola has no desire to keep him at the club (BILD via Sport Witness). Nmecha has also said that it would be a dream of his to play in the Bundesliga.

The news was shared on Twitter by @City_Xtra, and it did not go down to well with some City supporters. These fans took to the social media platform to share their thoughts on the matter.

Let’s see what these fans had to say about the Nmecha news

“Actually wanted him as an option here but if it’s best for both sides I hope he has a great career”

Credit: @Saneologist

“Nmecha – No place. Sergi Roberto – Pep really likes him”

Credit: @HartOfManchester

“Clear of Andre Silva icl. I’d rather use him and wait for Haaland”

Credit: @MCFCPJC

“He’d be a huge asset as 2nd choice striker, to let him go for peanuts is another catastrophe by the Catalan board and manager.”

Credit: @RealistSeer

“bruh what is wrong with this bald man”

Credit: @mcfchamdan

“After we wrapped up the league, youths should really have been given a chance How are they meant to progress without opportunity”

Credit: @_mcfc1

In other news, some Man City fans were livid at this Fernandinho news.

Celtic enjoyed a comfortable afternoon in the Premiership as they strolled to a routine 2-0 win on Sunday to send them six points clear at the top of the table.

Kyogo Furuhashsi opened the scoring in the first half and then Jota, who set up the first goal, sealed the three points with an 87th-minute strike.

The Hoops dominated the match as they ended the game with 74% of the ball and 22 efforts on goal, with Ross County fortunate that they only conceded twice.

Whilst Jota scored and assisted a goal in the match, the real star of the show for Ange Postecoglou was central defender Cameron Carter-Vickers.

It is easy to point at the attackers and praise them for scoring the goals to win the match but all of their work is built on the back of a strong platform. The solid defence allows the likes of Jota and Kyogo to go and do what they want to do without worrying about constantly needing to drop deep to win the ball back – allowing the opposition to press up on them.

Carter-Vickers was outstanding in central defence as he stood strong at the back and was reliable in possession. He played a major role in Celtic’s dominance throughout the game and the forwards should be thanking him for making their lives easier.

As per SofaScore, he won 85.7% (6/7) of his individual duels and made five clearances, one interception and one block to help his side to a clean sheet. This shows that he was superb defensively as he won the vast majority of his battles with Ross County players and did not allow himself to be beaten by the opposition – keeping them away from Joe Hart’s goal.

On the ball, he completed 85% of his passes from 62 touches and created one chance from centre-back. He is not expected to do anything special in possession from his position but Postecoglou will be delighted with his assuredness on the ball.

The £20k-per-week defender continues to impress at the heart of the defence and fans will surely be wanting to see him back at Parkhead next season on a permanent basis.

In the Premiership this season, the on-loan Tottenham man has averaged a sublime SofaScore rating of 7.36 across 29 matches. Celtic have kept 16 clean sheets in those games and the latest one came with the help of his sublime display against Ross County on Sunday.

AND in other news, Source: Celtic on course to seal “immense” summer signing, Ange will be buzzing…