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Tottenham Hotspur will be looking to right their midweek wrongs when they return to Premier League action this evening.

Jose Mourinho’s side head to the Midlands to face an Aston Villa side who are just one place behind them in the standings ahead of kickoff.

The north London giants embarrassingly crashed out of the Europa League on Thursday night, so now a desperate push for the top four is required if Spurs are to get back into the Champions League.

But tonight’s encounter is no mean feat, and Mourinho has plenty to ponder…

On the Chalkboard

Individual defensive mistakes were once again the root cause of much of Spurs’ woes, so the Portuguese boss ought to make some changes to his backline, especially as Villa now have a prolific option in Ollie Watkins.

Mourinho was reportedly interested in signing the 25-year-old as a back-up to Harry Kane during the summer window, but he was always playing a losing game – firstly, no one wants to be a second choice, and secondly, he cost a whopping £33m with add-ons.

But boy, has that transfer paid off for Dean Smith. Watkins has bagged 12 times in all competitions this season, including a hat-trick against Liverpool and a brace against arch-rivals, Arsenal. Clearly, the “lethal” talisman likes to turn up for the big occasion.

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Given the number of issues Spurs have had at the back, it seems like a recipe for disaster if Mourinho were to start both Davinson Sanchez and Eric Dier – the pair were dubbed the worst partnership in the league by ex-Spurs midfielder and talkSPORT pundit Jamie O’Hara.

On the latter, he added: “As a centre-half, he just looks lost around the box. In my opinion, he needs to be dropped.”

And we’re inclined to agree. As we outlined after the Europa League game, the long-serving star badly let down the fanbase. Evening Standard reporter Dan Kilpatrick claimed the 27-year-old endured a ‘wretched’ night, claiming: ‘Defensively all over the shop and passing was poor. Gave away silly fouls.’

Watkins averages 2.8 shots per game and is fouled an average of 1.3 times per outing too, via WhoScored. So based on his midweek display, £85k-per-week Dier has no place to be starting as he’ll get torn apart, especially as he has only managed 0.8 tackles per match, too.

Another key ability of Watkins is his pace and acceleration, something that isn’t on Dier’s side either – speaking to Football Insider this week, pundit Alan Hutton claimed the Spurs centre-back “gets exposed at times with a lack of pace.”

Often lambasted as a “liability” amongst the fanbase, the £26m-rated calamity should be axed from Mourinho’s starting XI tonight. If he starts, he could well be haunted by Watkins all night, and then the pressure will only mount on the likes of Harry Kane and Gareth Bale to deliver.

AND in other news, Levy’s genius: Spurs struck dream deal over £45m-rated gem dubbed “phenomenal” by Gold…

Speaking exclusively to Football FanCast, former Leeds United midfielder Carlton Palmer believes Sergio Aguero could join Marcelo Bielsa’s side in what would be an astonishing summer move.

The Manchester City striker is set to leave the Etihad at the end of the season when his contract expires and, according to 90min, Leeds are keen on bringing him to Elland Road.

The same outlet reports that Chelsea are also interested in signing Aguero, meaning the Whites could face some serious competition for the 32-year-old’s signature.

Palmer, however, still thinks Aguero to Leeds is a possibility, though he believes the Argentina international’s wages could be a potential stumbling block.

On the rumours that Leeds could move for Aguero in the summer, the ex-Whites player told FFC in an exclusive interview:

“I was thinking about this today; it could be a possibility because Sergio wouldn’t have to move – obviously he lives in Manchester. I think at Sergio’s age, he wouldn’t want to go anywhere and be a bit-part.

“So, you know, when they’re talking about top clubs like Chelsea and whatever, if he’s not guaranteed of playing every week, which I think he’s going to fall into that category now with his injuries and with his age, Leeds could be a good shout. The problem that would be, I would assume, would be his salary.”

Outside of England, Aguero, who managed to score 23 goals in all competitions last season, is said to be attracting interest from the likes of Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain.

Carlo Ancelotti must immediately usher Dominic Calvert-Lewin back into the Everton starting line-up for Friday night’s trip to Arsenal.

The Toffees boss has confirmed that Calvert-Lewin will be available for selection at the Emirates Stadium after recovering from an abductor problem, in a quintuple injury boost.

Calvert-Lewin’s issue had kept the 24-year-old out of his side’s last two Premier League games, as the Goodison Park natives were held to draws with Brighton & Hove Albion and Tottenham Hotspur.

Everton are set to be with Yerry Mina at Arsenal, as well, after a similar abductor problem, while Andre Gomes (hamstring), Fabian Delph (tendon) and Bernard are also due to return after spells on the sidelines.

Ancelotti will still be without Abdoulaye Doucoure in north London as the Frenchman continues his recovery from a small fracture on his foot, while Jean-Philippe Gbamin remains out alongside the £20m summer signing due to the knee injury he sustained in training earlier this month.

“We have a lot of players available – almost all the squad, apart from Doucoure and Gbamin who are out,” the Blues boss said on Thursday. “The others are in good condition.

“We are ready to fight for this final part of the season. The squad is now much, much better and I have a lot of options, so I am pleased and confident.”

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Everton travel to Arsenal three points better off than Mikel Arteta’s side in the Premier League table and having played a game less, but are without a win in any of their last five league games.

The Toffees also last beat the Gunners in north London in January 1996, losing 22 of the following 26 encounters across all competitions including each of their last seven visits.

Ancelotti will no doubt be loath to see his side’s torrid record continue having already brought one lengthy drought to an end, by orchestrating Everton’s first win at Anfield since 1999 when they beat Liverpool 2-0 in February’s Merseyside derby.

Clinching a first Everton win at the Emirates would catapult the Blues back into the European conversation, as well, with the Goodison Park natives losing ground in the race for the top-four after three-straight draws.

Everton cannot overtake any side by winning their game in hand, but will move one point behind Tottenham – who have played two games more – and Liverpool by beating Arsenal, while edging to within a win of fifth-placed West Ham United.

Calvert-Lewin represents Everton’s best chance of a rare result away to the Gunners, with the 24-year-old not only their top-scorer with 14 goals in 25 Premier League games but also key to how Ancelotti’s offence operates.

Everton are rarely the same unit going forward without having Calvert-Lewin to target and his off-the-ball runs, which create space for Richarlison to push up the pitch and James Rodriguez to find pockets of space to pick out defence-splitting passes.

Ancelotti, then, must instantly unleash Calvert-Lewin – who Noel Whelan believes has “exceeded every expectation possible” this season – now that he has been declared fit, in a huge boost for the Blues’ European ambitions, let alone being one of five returning players.

AND in other news, Everton have been told to pay £34.5m for a 23-year-old that Carlo Ancelotti would welcome at Goodison Park…

Many Wolves fans reacted in their droves to a report that concerned defender Max Kilman.

Football Insider revealed on Tuesday that the Black County club are considering selling Kilman despite the fact he just signed a new five-year contract at Molineux in October, leading one fan to call it a ‘ludicrous decision’.

Kilman has been a bit-part figure in Nuno Espirito Santo’s side during the 2020/21 campaign, providing one assist, averaging 1.3 tackles and 2.2 clearances per game (Whoscored).

This tops any other Wolves player that has featured in a similar amount of games or less – including Romain Saiss who has been lauded by segments of the Molineux faithful this season. Indeed, the youngster had an impressive stint when he first broke into the side early in the season, showing the type of potential that earned him his bumper contract.

Because of this, supporters were against the idea of Kilman being offloaded with some suggesting that the Englishman has been their best defender so far.

Kilman report didn’t amuse these fans

“What message does this send to our academy..and players out on loan. Nuno always said He likes to improve players. Kilman is definitely a rough diamond”

Credit: @StPaul197173

“This better be a joke. Easily our best defender this season. What a ludicrous decision this would be.”

Credit: @TonyWilde99

“Madness.”

Credit: @IrishWolvesFans

“Would not like this at all definitely think he is first choice but Is unlucky right now he should be given more games to show his talent”

Credit: @AltonDills

“Hope this isn’t true, never felt like the right move when Bennett left, he’s developing and if not a starter each week a great back up option when we have injuries/suspensions”

Credit: @Ry4nH07

“Don’t think that’s a good idea great player Kilman”

Credit: @bashagas

In other news, Wolves star who is ‘hard to stop’ on brink of setback amid exit rumours – Report.

Harry Kane was singled out for criticism after Bayern Munich’s shock defeat to Bochum, with the England striker spurning one glorious opportunity.

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• Prolific England star was on target again
• Title hopefuls came unstuck in five-goal thriller
• Big misses & another red card proved costly

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  The former Tottenham frontman has been sensational in front of goal during his debut campaign at the Allianz Arena, and did find the target in his latest appearance – taking his overall tally to 29 through 30 appearances in all competitions.

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Kane did, however, blaze a first-half chance against Bochum over the bar, with Bayern 1-0 in front at that stage following an early opener from Jamal Musiala. That rare rush of blood to the head in the final third helped to keep Bochum in the game, and they went on to secure a stunning 3-2 win.

• WHAT TUCHEL SAID ABOUT KANE

  Bayern boss Thomas Tuchel told afterwards, with his star No.9 made aware that he really should have wrapped up a game that was disrupted on a couple of occasions by protests from the home support: “We created some top-class chances. Harry's chance in the first half may have been the deciding factor. If he finished that with one touch instead of trying to play it, the game is over. I don’t think today’s defeat was fair; I think a lot went against us. I think we had an xG value of 3.4 and we had four, five, six top-class chances. We completely dominated the game and actually went behind out of nowhere. We never stopped putting in the effort until the end and then played with a man down for a long time. A lot went against us. I feel today's defeat is different to the last two.”

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  WHAT NEXT FOR BAYERN?

  Bayern have suffered three successive defeats, with Bayer Leverkusen and Lazio getting the better of them in Bundesliga and Champions League competition. They have also seen Dayot Upamecano collected red cards in back-to-back fixtures, with the France international defender doing their cause few favours.

The Man Utd youngster is thriving on loan at Spurs and not only was she rewarded with her senior international debut, she also marked it with a goal

For a team that saw 2023 end in such heartbreaking fashion, England have certainly started 2024 with a bang. The Lionesses flew to Spain for a warm-weather camp in February, playing friendlies after not making the UEFA Women's Nations League finals, with Sarina Wiegman hoping to try out fresh ideas, see new players and learn plenty about her squad. As the players start to return to their clubs, it certainly feels like the Dutchwoman can tick all three of those boxes.

There were bonuses, too, in the performances that England put on and the results they picked up, as they comfortably beat two strong teams in Austria, who were thrashed 7-2 on Friday, and Italy, defeated 5-1 four days later. "There are very many positives about this week," Wiegman told after the latter result.

So, who were the winners as the Lionesses kicked off 2024 in style? And who didn't fare so well? GOAL takes a look…

• WINNER: Grace Clinton

  The biggest compliment that can be paid to Grace Clinton after her performances for England this week is that it hardly looked like this was the camp in which she made her international debut. Awarded that first cap on Friday against Austria, she marked the occasion with a superb goal, was unlucky not to get a second, and backed it up with another terrific display in the win over Italy.

  On loan at Tottenham from Manchester United this season, the 20-year-old has been in sublime form and she showed it in these friendlies, her clever footwork and ability to carve defences open making her one of the most eye-catching players across England's two games. But Clinton worked hard off the ball, too, ranking second for tackles won and third for possession among the Lionesses' squad. That she shone in two different midfield roles, box-to-box against Austria and then as a No.10 in the win over Italy, was also impressive.

  "She just went out to play, played with a lot of freedom and showed her quality," Wiegman said of the youngster in a perfectly-put piece of praise. Given how well she slipped into England's starting XI, it'd be a surprise not to see more of her in the April window as qualifying for the 2025 European Championships begins.

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  LOSER: Leah Williamson

  As Wiegman says, there were tons of positives for England in this camp but there were also a couple of negatives. The first came before the Lionesses had even got together as Leah Williamson's long-awaited comeback was delayed further, a minor hamstring injury causing the Arsenal star to pull out of the squad.

  Williamson has worked so hard to get back on the pitch after a devastating ACL injury that ruled her out of the Women's World Cup and this camp felt like the perfect opportunity for her England return, the friendly games removing some of the pressure. However, she'll be targeting a chance to pull on her country's colours again in April instead.

• WINNER: Lotte Wubben-Moy

  Every cloud has a silver lining and Williamson's absence opened the door for Lotte Wubben-Moy, her Arsenal team-mate who she will have no doubt been pleased to see get a rare opportunity to show what she can do for England. There have been plenty of calls for Wubben-Moy to receive more game time, especially given her sublime recent form at club level, and she saw significant minutes in both games this week.

  Though starting from the bench against Austria, the 25-year-old came on at half time and got an assist thanks to a strong header. She then went one better in the game with Italy, scoring her first England goal with just 60 seconds on the clock, this on her first start since June 2022 and just her third overall. Her defensive work and general play in both matches was superb, too.

  Asked if Wubben-Moy had taken a step forward in her thinking after the two performances, Wiegman told : "She's definitely taken a step forward because she's developing a lot and very well. That's what we see weekly at Arsenal and that's what she shows here, too." The coach did add that the competition at centre-back is "really high" but Wubben-Moy has certainly done nothing this week to harm her chances of getting more of a look-in when the opportunity presents itself.

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  LOSER: Fran Kirby

  After losing Williamson before the camp had even begun, England suffered another blow in the warm-up for the clash with Austria when Fran Kirby felt some irritation in her knee. The Chelsea star was replaced in the starting line-up by Ella Toone and, in the following days, withdrew from the camp altogether. "We didn't want to take any risks so she's being assessed at the club," Wiegman explained. "We don't expect it to be a bad injury."

  Though it doesn't sound overly-concerning for Kirby, it is another frustration for the 30-year-old in what has felt like a real stop-start period of her career. After coming back admirably from some health scares in recent years, it is these knee injuries that are now plaguing Kirby as she looks to rediscover the form that made her one of the most talismanic footballers on the planet.

  Chelsea have long been excellent at looking after the playmaker and will no doubt take the necessary steps to deal with this issue. Meanwhile the Blues, England and essentially every football fan will hope that she is able to ride this storm and get back to that level that made her so wonderful to watch.

Liverpool could be set to have a bidding war on their hands this summer for striker Divock Origi – a battle that The Reds will be the victors from.

It is reported by El Gol Digital that Real Sociedad are interested in acquiring the services of the striker as a replacement for Alexander Isak.

However, the Spaniards face competition for the Belgian’s signature with Aston Villa, Wolverhampton Wanderers and Newcastle United all thought to be admirers of a player who the Reds are reported to be happy to let go.

As it stands, Origi is rated at £14.4m and has over three years left to run on his current contract.

The more clubs that show an interest in the 25-year-old though, the more Michael Edwards can develop a bidding war around the player, with the club then consequently able to drive his price up even more.

Should they do that, then the Reds would be in line to claim a considerable profit on a player that they signed for approximately £10m from Lille in 2014.

It would be quite a benefit then to see that fee bolster the club’s transfer budget, and they would only lose a player that has served a bit-part role at Anfield since his arrival.

In all, Origi has made 157 appearances for Liverpool, when considering he has been at the club for five full seasons, that averages just 31 appearances per season with just under an average of 13 of those being starts.

His goal record is also not the most inspiring having netted just 35 in all competitions for the Reds.

Considering that, it will surely benefit Jurgen Klopp to sell and the more interest that Edwards can generate, the more Liverpool will be able to rake in.

The battle then for his signature will leave only one winner: The Reds.

AND in more news, read why Liverpool should reinvest some of the Origi fee into a Championship-bound star…

Many Wolves fans will be wondering how will be their next manager but Steven Gerrard is someone that Wolves legend Steve Bull does not see fitting in at Molineux, at least not at the minute.

Gerrard is likely to be linked with several jobs over the summer and coming months as his work north of the border has not gone unnoticed, with Rangers overthrowing Celtic as champions for the first time in nine seasons.

Rangers managed to go the entire league season unbeaten, losing just two matches in 2021 against Slavia Prague in the Europa League and St Johnstone on penalties in the Scottish Cup, which led to them accumulating an impressive 102 points. Former Newcastle defender, Steve Howey, exclusively told Transfer Tavern that Wolves would be an attractive job for Gerrard.

Wolves will have to ensure they get this managerial appointment spot on given how they slipped closer to the relegation zone this season. and Bull does not believe that Gerrard would be the man for the job, exclusively telling Football FanCast:

“I don’t think it will be Gerrard because it’s probably something that would come two years down the line. I think he’s just learning his trade at the minute so I think it would be too early for him.

“Whether he could blend in with the Wolves culture and all the Portuguese players, I don’t think so and I think he will stop where he is.”

Following the shock news of Nuno Espirito Santo leaving Wolves, Bull also told Transfer Tavern that Zinedine Zidane would do a good job if handed the reigns at Molineux and he could be a candidate given that he looks set for the exit door at Real Madrid.

One of the reasons cited why Nuno and Wolves decided it was best for the two parties to part ways was that not enough funding was going to be provided ahead of a huge summer for Wolves.

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Fulham have completed the signing of Havard Nordtveit on loan from Bundesliga club Hoffenheim, the Premier League side have confirmed via their official website.

What’s the word?

Nordtveit is well aware of the rigours of English football and spent part of his career at Arsenal between 2007 and 2011, though he failed to make his first-team debut for the club.

He also spent the 2016-17 season at West Ham United, making a total of 21 appearances for the club, per Transfermarkt.

Nordtveit has struggled for minutes at Hoffenheim thus far this season, however, playing eight times in the Bundesliga and three times in the Champions League.

He has now returned to English football with Fulham, as they attempt to climb their way out of the relegation zone.

Claudio Ranieri’s men are currently 19th with 17 points, six points behind 17th-placed Burnley.

Strange addition

While Nordtveit bolsters Fulham’s squad, there were precious few signs at West Ham that he was cut out for English football.

Former Wigan & Fulham man, Jimmy Bullard recently showed that he’s still got it! Check out the video below…

The midfielder struggled to nail down a first-team spot in east London and made just 11 starts in the Premier League, per Transfermarkt.

It remains to be seen if Ranieri can bring the best out of the Norway international – he has won a total of 45 caps.

Fulham had best hope he hits the ground running though as they attempt to move away from the relegation zone.

Despite claiming an impressive 2-1 win over Everton last week in the Premier League, Aston Villa manager Dean Smith must consider dropping Bertrand Traore for Sunday afternoon’s clash against Manchester United.

While the Burkina Faso international claimed the assist for Anwar El Ghazi’s goal, the winger hasn’t been consistent enough over these past few weeks to warrant still being in the starting line-up.

Alan Hutton has raised his concerns about Traore and the rest of Villa’s attack recently, saying that it’s looked a “struggle” to score goals.

He said: “Defensively, they’ve been strong but moving forward they just don’t create enough. Simple as that. They have tried different things, whether it be Trezeguet, Traore, Anwar, Ross Barkley coming off the bench. It looks a struggle at times.”

In response to Hutton’s comments, former Villa midfielder Lee Hendrie spoke exclusively to Football FanCast about how Traore, among others, has really failed to step up in Jack Grealish’s absence.

He said: “I think what Hutts is talking about is that with Jack not being in the frame, you need standout players, you need exciting players that are going to step up to the plate and fulfil Jack’s role, because otherwise you’re going to get branded as almost a one-man team.

“So, yes, I’m totally, totally with Hutts on that because when you’ve got someone of his (Traore) ability, that’s where he needs to come on and be that player.”

With no goals in the Premier League since mid-February, Traore just hasn’t shown the kind of cutting edge up front which Smith has desperately needed from him, especially with Grealish out injured – in fact, as per Whoscored, out of the last ten matches he has played for Villa, only once has he gone above a 7.0 match rating.

With high-flying Manchester United to come on Sunday, Smith will need all his players in form and on song, and he can’t afford to be carrying any passengers in his team.

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The £55,000-a-week Traore has been ineffective for a while now, and it’s about time Smith takes him out of the firing line.

Meanwhile, Villa must land this £60m-rated star in the summer…