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Tottenham suffered their fourth defeated of the season at the weekend when they lost 2-1 to Newcastle United at home after being 1-0 up by half time.

Striker Emmanuel Adebayor scored the goal for Spurs but this wasn’t enough to give the North London side all three points.

If Spurs want to get anywhere near their aspirations of finishing in the top four, they need to find a frequent scorer who can help them win games. Unfortunately, their main strikers in the league, Adebayor, Harry Kane and Roberto Soldado, have only managed to achieve two goals between them, both coming from the Togolese forward.

Tottenham need to find the goals from somewhere, and bringing someone in might be an option.

Here are FIVE possible striker options…

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Saido Berahino

The Englishman has been on fire for West Brom so far this season. He has scored seven goals from nine games and takes on average three shots per game. The 21 year old also has a pass success percentage of 88%, and a shot accuracy percentage of 62% from a total of 27 shots. Berahino has clearly shown he is a strong finisher and this is exactly what Spurs need to accomplish their league targets, but luring him away from The Bagies will come at a hefty price.

Javier Hernandez

Currently on loan at Real Madrid from Manchester United, the Mexican has scored three goals from four games this season, averaging 1.5 shots per game. The 26 year old has a 60% shot accuracy from the six shots he has taken, and also has provided one assist. For a move to be possible in January or even in August, Spurs have to hope the Los Blancos don’t ask to make his loan move into a permanent one.

Andre-Pierre Gignac

The Frenchman has scored 10 goals from 11 games for French side Marseille in Ligue 1, averaging 3.6 shots per game. The top goal scorer in French football at the moment also has a shot accuracy percentage of 61% from a total of 40 shots. Gignac is entering the final months of his contract at Marseille as it expires at the end of June 2015, so Spurs may be able to pick him up for a bargain price in January before the 28 year old signs a new deal.

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Max Kruse

The German was linked with a move to North London last May but a move never materialised. The 26 year old has scored five goals from seven games for club side Borussia Monchengladbach in the Bundesliga. Averaging 2.7 shots per game, he also has a 67% shot accuracy from a total of 19 shots. Kruse is also known to be a very good passer of the ball, as he has created 23 chances for his team, has a pass success percentage of 80%, and has provided two assists.

Alexandre Pato

The Brazilian has rediscovered his form back in his home country and maybe looking for a move back to Europe. The 25-year-old has scored nine goals from 25 games, and has provided three assists whilst on loan at Sao Paulo from parent club Corinthians. From a total of 54 shots, Pato takes on average 1.9 shots per game and has 58% shot accuracy. He has also created 28 chances for his team and has a pass completion percentage of 76%.

As the sun sets on another Chelsea manager’s tenure at Stamford Bridge, a new wave of apprehension concerning the Premier League and its future must be confronted.

Roman Abramovich’s decision to prematurely end the Di Matteo era at Chelsea has left Blues fans with a sour taste in their mouths and yet again, illustrates the power of foreign owners at English clubs. Like a frustrated child, unwilling to share their most precious toy, Chelsea’s Russian billionaire owner has catapulted a popular managerial figure and a club legend out of the door, holding it open for none other than Rafa Benitez to take temporary charge.

The worry for the many football purists in this country is that 12 of the current Premier League clubs are majority owned by foreign bigwigs who have implemented new structures and demands on their respective teams in order to achieve instant success, a near impossible task in England’s top flight.

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While the financial benefits of foreign ownership are clear for all to see, long term ambitions and historical traditions are put on the back burner. Tom Hicks and George Gillett are perfect examples of how foreign ownership can nearly destroy a national institution like Liverpool. With complete disregard for fan opinion, the two Americans made false promises and derisory financial decisions for personal gain, failing to see the thousands of fans who spend their hard earned money to watch the club they love.

The Glazer family, while having more success than the Anfield American duo, have disconnected themselves from the fans at Old Trafford, by treating the team as a business venture, lacking passion and desire for the club’s history and traditions.

These examples are comparable with the current turbulence at Stamford Bridge in the fact that owners are failing to listen to the fans’ desires. It also seems that the manager no longer makes the decisions at a club like Chelsea. Granted, Abramovich funds much of the transfer activity at the club but he has no right to overrule a manager who is qualified for the job and knows the game inside and out. It is highly unlikely that the current uproar at Chelsea will turn into a catastrophic mess a la Hicks and Gillett, but what is fairly obvious however, is that this power shift could rip out the foundations of football from its very core.

Take a look at Wigan Athletic and Dave Whelan. The club are now an established Premier League side, whose fans are relatively satisfied and whose manager is now highly rated. Whelan does not interfere with what he doesn’t know. He has a phenomenal relationship with both the manager and fans and runs the club in a certain way because he genuinely cares; he has Wigan in his heart. Despite his occasional ill-thought media outbursts, Whelan is a perfect example of how a club should be run and why owners like this have been successful for decades.

Concerns from established Premier League managers regarding foreign owners have been prevalent in the media for the last two years. In 2011 Spurs manager at the time Harry Redknapp spoke of his worries:

“With more foreign owners coming in, it’s going to be scary. Teams are looking to sell their clubs. Everton are looking to sell. The bloke from the local butcher’s ain’t going to buy it any more, is he? That’s the way the game’s gone now.

“English people don’t have the money. The money is in Russia, the Arab countries, America. When they get control, they will do what they want with our game. Anything can happen.”

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With the Chelsea saga validating Redknapp’s comments, the future of the Premier League looks worryingly bleak. Globalisation may reign in the next few years as the race to catch up commercially with American Sports begins.

Will Abramovich’s impatience be the start of a domino effect of owners taking full control over their clubs? At the moment, it seems like anything is possible.

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Former Fulham midfielder Jimmy Bullard has tipped Ryan Sessegnon to join Tottenham Hotspur at the end of the season.

Sessegnon, 17, is widely regarded as one of the best young talents in English football, with his performances for Fulham this season key in the Cottagers battling for a return to the Premier League.

Indeed, the left-sided player, who is valued at £7.2m by transfermarkt.co.uk, has scored 13 times and registered four assists in 34 Championship appearances during the 2017-18 campaign.

Manchester United have previously been credited with an interest in the teenager, but Tottenham are believed to lead the race.

Bullard, who represented Fulham between 2006 and 2009, has said that ‘it would be fantastic’ if Sessegnon joined Tottenham in this summer’s transfer window.

Bullard told BetBright:

“After some thought, if I was the boy’s old man, I’d think that’s absolutely the right move for him at this stage of his career.

“Let’s have it right, Fulham won’t let him go for nothing – the asking price will be between £30-£50 million –  so if Spurs do shell out that amount of cash then there’s no way he’s not playing.

“Spurs are becoming one of the biggest teams in Europe now, they’ve got a new stadium on the way, they’re building a top-class side with plenty of English talent in there and they’ve got a top, top manager. So, if the move did go ahead this summer, then I think it would be fantastic for the lad.”

Tottenham are said to be prepared to pay £35m to sign Sessegnon this summer.

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That said, Bayern Munich have previously been credited with an interest in the 17-year-old, who has developed from a left-back into a left-sided attacker this season.

Liverpool fans must almost be wondering why they were excited about a return to the Champions League after watching their side slip to a 1-0 loss at Basel. The Reds laboured to a 2-1 victory against Ludogorets in their opening tie and entered the game against the Swiss side full of confidence after an encouraging 1-1 draw in the Merseyside derby. But the scoreline was a poor one for Brendan Rodgers’ side, who have Real Madrid up next…

In truth, Liverpool’s season so far has been a stuttering affair, with momentum and panache of 2013/14 having been misplaced (perhaps alongside Luis Suarez). So what’s going wrong at Anfield? Here are three problems we spotted this evening…

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CLICK ON BALOTELLI TO REVEAL THE THREE 

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It could be worse Nando, you could be one of these guys…

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Balotelli is not firing

Mario Balotelli arrived with much hype, but with just one goal to his name so far, things aren’t quite working out for the big Italian. He huffed and puffed against Basel this evening, but he appeared off of the pace an unable to link up with his team-mates effectively. Balotelli needs to dig deep to save his Reds career already…

Set piece goals worrying

Liverpool’s Achilles heel this season has been set-pieces. Again Brendan Rodgers’ men leaked a vital goal from such a situation, with Marco Streller tapping home after the Reds’ rearguard failed to deal with a fairly routine ball. Dejan Lovren and Martin Skrtel will have to step up before long to prevent the season from getting away from them.

Gerrard getting old

He may have claimed that his critics were answered with his Merseyside derby goal against Everton, but the questions surrounding the Liverpool skipper are still present. Gerrard again appeared laboured in Switzerland, with his sluggish movement exposed by the fleet-footed Basel attack.

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Is he finished? Not just yet, but Rodgers needs to help his captain.

Andre Villas-Boas expressed his disappointment at Tottenham Hotspur’s seeming inability to finish off Premier League opposition in the final 15 minutes of games.

On the weekend Spurs threw away yet another lead late on, this time losing 2-1 to Everton at Goodison Park. The win would’ve seen the Lillywhites take a firmer grip of 4th spot by pulling away from West Bromwich Albion and Everton. Instead, the Toffees took their opportunity and the three-points elevates them to 4th alongside Spurs and the Baggies.

As the clock ticked away to the 90th minute, an Everton comeback – put into context of Spurs’ dismal form in the dying minutes – was inevitable. Goals from Steven Pienaar and Nikica Jelavic made it the fifth game this season that Spurs have lost points in the final 15 minutes.

The Tottenham manager didn’t shy away from honestly expressing his views. “It was so disappointing in the end,” he said, “It has been our adventure so far this season. If we count the number of goals we concede in the last 15 minutes, we would be top,” continued AVB.

For AVB it’s the “small details” and minor mistakes that have resulted in major last-minute problems. Factoring in Everton’s “aggressive” long ball strategy with the small details that Spurs seem to overlook, AVB admitted that “we couldn’t deal with them.”

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Although Villas-Boas promised that “it is something we need to improve on, to see off games,” he was left to rue what might have been after “conced[ing]again in the final minutes.”

According to The Birmingham Mail, Wolves are favourites to sign defender Alfie Mawson from Swansea with the Welsh club asking for £20m for the 24-year-old.

Wolves boss Nuno Espirito Santo recently made the transfer of former loanee Willy Boly permanent, but seems to still be looking for a partner for the Frenchman.

Mawson could be the perfect signing for the West Midlands club. He would bring with him much-needed Premier League experience for Wolves following his two years at Swansea, having signed from Barnsley in 2016.

Valued at €15m by Transfermarkt, the Englishman played 44 matches in all competitions for Swansea last season, chipping in with three goals in the process.

He was also called up to the England squad for the two friendlies against Italy and the Netherlands in March this year, but did not feature for the Three Lions.

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BBC Sport reported that relegated Swansea rejected a bid for Mawson from West Ham at the start of June when the Hammers made their initial approach for keeper Lukasz Fabianski.

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Wolves fans on Twitter have been expressing their excitement with the Mawson rumours. Check out what some had to say here…

When Fernando Llorente joined Tottenham Hotspur from Swansea City last year, it was widely assumed that the Spaniard would get little game time.

Harry Kane is the club’s first-choice striker and that is very unlikely to change given how vital he is to the team.

The England international scored the one and only goal in Sunday’s late victory over Crystal Palace, which brought his tally up to 35 in all competitions.

Even though Llorente was always going to be regarded as a back-up option for manager Mauricio Pochettino, the forward has struggled to impress the fans.

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This season, in 26 appearances in all competitions, the former Juventus forward has scored twice.

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It is worth noting, though, that in those outings, Llorente has only been named in the starting XI on nine occasions.

Today, the club celebrated the forward’s 33rd birthday with a post on Twitter, but unfortunately for the player, he did not receive many happy returns from the supporters.

Sunderland boss Gus Poyet is still looking to get new players to the Stadium of Light before the transfer window closes, with Danny Welbeck and Fabio Borini top targets, according to reports from The Express.

The Black Cats have been fairly active on the signings front this summer, but their Uruguayan boss remains desperate to bolster his front line in a bid to avoid another relegation scrap.

Liverpool’s Borini – who spent last season on loan in the North East – has been a target for some time, but rumours have suggested that a £14m offer has now been withdrawn after the Italian stalled on the switch.

WANT MORE? >> Sunderland transfer news | Latest transfer news

Welbeck of United is another name in the mix, with the England international rumoured to be on the verge of leaving Old Trafford.

It’s understood that’s serious efforts to snap up at least one of the two before Monday night’s deadline passes could occur, with loan or permanent swoops tempting for Poyet.

When talking about targets, the Sunderland boss admitted that he’s keen to get players in, but refused to be drawn into giving out names:

“When you talk about individuals, I don’t want to lose any more targets so I prefer not to mention names. You do your work, get in contact with the club, then the name gets out in the press and he ends up wanting more money and in the end he doesn’t come.

“Sometimes you ask yourself if you have to travel with the team now, or if you stay behind to check if something happens, but I prefer to travel with them.

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“In the last week or 10 days we’ve been very close to things but they didn’t happen. You can use the word happy, and I am with the start we have made, but it’s not good enough if we don’t add to it.”

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Arsene Wenger is ready to launch a bid for Dutch youngster Jetro Willems, in an attempt to fill the troubled left back role at the Emirates, according to The Daily Express.

Williams became the youngest player to appear at this Summer’s European Championships at just 18 years and 71 days old. The PSV player gained plaudits after standout performances despite his nation’s disastrous showing in Poland and Ukraine.

Rumours of interest from a number of top European clubs surfaced over the summer, with Inter Milan, Valencia and Manchester United all reportedly keeping tabs on Willems. However, it is thought that Arsenal are keen to capture the defender as a resolution to their long suffering left back problems.

Willems began his career at Sparta Rotterdam, where he played over 20 games for the club at the age of just 16. Becoming a household name in Holland for his mature performances made way for his move to PSV in 2011. An injury to first choice full back Erik Pieters at the Phillips Arena, threw Willems into the first team, where he has remained since.

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The Rotterdam born defender is contracted at his current club until 2016. However, it is thought that a considerable bid from Arsenal could see the youngster leave for London.

As reported by The Guardian, Newcastle United and Leicester City are interested in signing Crystal Palace winger Andros Townsend in this summer’s transfer window.

What’s the story?

Townsend was almost ever present for Palace last season, making 36 Premier League appearance, having moved to the Eagles from Newcastle originally in 2016.

Now it seems the Magpies are eager to bring him back to St James’ Park.

That’s according to The Guardian, who say both Newcastle and Leicester are battling it out for his signature this summer.

The paper say that Newcastle have shown a willingness to pay around £20m for the winger, up from the £13m they sold him for initially.

Is he the wide player that Rafa Benitez should be targeting over the next few months?

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Is Townsend a smart buy?

Townsend did decently during his first spell at Newcastle, scoring four goals and assisting twice in the the second half of the 2015/16 season before the club were eventually relegated. Since then he’s produced decent, but not particular spectacular, football for Palace, scoring five times and assisting 16 times in two full seasons at the club.

He may be a solid option for Newcastle this summer, but are there more exciting players out there?

One alternative is another former player, Chelsea youngster Kenedy. The 22-year-old impressed on loan last season, one of the better performers as the Magpies turned around their Premier League form to escape relegation.

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The Chronicle report that Newcastle are still interested in the player, with a £20m deal also mentioned in relation to that deal. That presents more value to the club given Kenedy’s long-term potential and fans already know that he will perform will in this current side.

Who do you think Newcastle should sign?

Have your say in our poll below…