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According to The Sun and reporter Tom Barclay, some promising transfer news has now come out of Tottenham Hotspur involving West Bromwich Albion goalkeeper Sam Johnstone.

The Lowdown: Spurs favourites?

The Lilywhites have been very heavily linked with a move for Johnstone over this last week with reliable sources believing Tottenham are actually favourites.

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Indeed, football.london correspondent Alasdair Gold says Spurs and transfer chief Fabio Paratici are in pole position to sign the 29-year-old who is set to leave West Brom as a free agent this summer.

This comes as Spurs loanee Pierluigi Gollini seems set to return to parent club Atalanta with Antonio Conte now looking like he’ll have to take to the market for a back-up to Hugo Lloris.

The Latest: Barclay makes Spurs claim…

According to reporter Barclay of The Sun, Tottenham are ‘increasingly confident’ they will sign Johnstone, with those inside the north London club now believing he ‘will opt’ to join Conte.

Spurs apparently view the Three Lions ace as a potential future successor to Lloris, though will initially be used as a back-up option.

The Verdict: Ideal option…

On a free deal, Johnstone comes as a very ideal option for Spurs with international experience and proven performances in the Premier League.

Ex-Baggies boss Sam Allardyce was very up front in his praise for the 29-year-old last season despite West Brom’s eventual relegation with various pundits also proving to be big fans of Johnstone.

Wolves legend Steve Bull, for example, lavished the homegrown ace as a ‘world class’ shot stopper – leaving plenty of evidence to suggest he comes as an astute option for Tottenham.

In other news: Tottenham eye ‘in the coming weeks’ as they make offer for exciting midfielder, find out more here.

Despite managing to secure a 2-1 away win against Cambridge United in their latest League One match at the weekend, Sunderland have been dealt a potentially massive injury blow which will surely leave a lot of Black Cats fans gutted.

What’s the news?

Speaking after the game at Cambridge, Sunderland manager Lee Johnson revealed that Luke O’Nien will have to have an operation to fix a shoulder injury that he has apparently been struggling with for most of the campaign, and has suffered repeated dislocations.

Johnson then revealed that this will keep the midfielder, who is currently earning a weekly wage of £5k-per-week according to Spotrac, out for a minimum of three months but potentially up to nine months depending on how much work it needs to fix his shoulder.

This will not only be a big setback for O’Nien and the team in the long-term if he has to spend a significant number of months on the sidelines, but it’s also a massive blow to the team right now considering how O’Nien has had to fill in at left-back in recent weeks due to the other current injury issues Sunderland have.

With 21 appearances under his belt for Sunderland across all competitions so far this season with an overall performance rating of 7.16/10 in the league, making him Sunderland’s second-highest rated player according to WhoScored, this highlights just how valuable and important O’Nien has been for Johnson.

Also, with O’Nien racking up an average of three clearances per game, 1.9 tackles per game and 1.4 interceptions per game in League One so far this season, this shows just how important he has been for Sunderland and why his absence is a crushing piece of news for supporters.

The manager will not only have to hope that O’Nien will not be out for longer than the estimated minimum of three months, but he will also be hoping that the other injured players, particularly full-backs in Dennis Cirkin, Niall Huggins and Denver Hume will be able to get back to action as soon as possible to keep the side in the race for promotion.

In other news: Johnson must ruthlessly axe “difficult” £6.5k-p/w SAFC dud, he’s holding the team back – opinion

The Birmingham Mail’s Patrick Rowe has suggested that Aston Villa star Anwar El Ghazi could leave the club amid the competition for places at Villa Park.

What’s the story?

During a discussion for The Birmingham Mail about the winger’s future, Rowe said: “If he wanted regular football each week I can see him moving on as I’m not even sure we can offer that to the wingers ahead of him currently given the system we are playing.”

Time’s up for El Ghazi

Amid all the marquee signings Villa made during the summer, not cashing in on El Ghazi may be one of the only blotches in their copy-book from their transfer window work.

Reports had actually indicated that the Midlands club were hoping to receive around £17m for him, with Serie A side AS Roma very interested in taking him to Italy.

In the end, Villa chose not to let El Ghazi go, and having also signed the likes of Leon Bailey and Emi Buendia who predominantly play out wide, the Dutchman now faces far more competition for places at Villa Park.

If they had recouped some of that outlay from selling El Ghazi, Villa could potentially have reinvested the money into a more pressing need, like central midfield.

The fact he’s played just the three times in the Premier League this season, and all three of those appearances being at the start of the campaign, has been an indication of how far he’s fallen down the pecking order at Villa Park.

He’s remained an unused substitute for the last five top-flight games, even with the injuries to both Bailey and Bertrand Traore, and it appears Smith has made his mind up on him.

While he may be seen as a “cracking servant” by Ashley Preece, the Dutchman’s time just looks to be up at Villa Park, with the club moving on to bigger and better things with the likes of Bailey.

It’s exactly why moving him on might just please the Villa fans.

Meanwhile, Villa are interested in signing this Scottish ace…

Tanguy Ndombele could still remain a Tottenham Hotspur player past January 31st despite reports suggesting otherwise…

What’s the word?

The Frenchman, who cost a club-record £55m in the summer of 2020, was booed by supporters in last weekend’s FA Cup third-round triumph over Morecambe.

As the jeers got louder, Ndombele got slower as he was substituted in the 69th minute, all whilst the side were still 1-0 down to the League One minnows.

After the match, transfer guru Fabrizio Romano delivered an update on his future, claiming that “Tottenham are looking for a solution to sell or loan out Tanguy Ndombele in January,” whilst The Athletic believe the 25-year-old is hopeful for a move away.

However, according to Sky Sports reporter Lyall Thomas, Ndombele isn’t unhappy at the club and he could yet stay despite the controversy.

“I’ve done plenty of probing around on this – to see if there’ll be any potential suitors out there for him. The kind of level of club that could potentially pay that money, certainly – let’s obviously talk hypothetically first about any permanent options for him – they’re not desperate for that position,” he revealed to the ‘Last Word on Spurs’ podcast this week.

“I just don’t think there’s the options out there for him this month, Ndombele. And I’ve been told by sources close to the player as well that he’s not unhappy at Spurs, despite his body language the other day.”

Likely to stay?

It would seem that Ndombele is more likely to stay than go right now and that’s hardly a surprise given his reported £200k-per-week wages – who on earth is going to pay that, along with a transfer fee, for a player that has failed to cut it in the Premier League for quite some time?

He missed the midweek defeat to Chelsea in the Carabao Cup but weirdly, manager Antonio Conte hinted at the decision being from above his head. “It was a technical decision, but before to take the decision, I don’t take the decision if I don’t consult the club, there is the club line and I have to follow the club line,” he claimed after the game.

If Conte is still keen to use him and the player isn’t actually unhappy behind the scenes at Hotspur Way, as Thomas suggests, then you’d imagine there are going to be several sections of the Lilywhites’ faithful absolutely fuming.

Once the crowd turns against you in that manner, there is surely no way back but we’ve been here before with Ndombele. He reportedly wanted out under Jose Mourinho. He reportedly wanted out under Nuno Santo. And now here we are with a third successive manager.

It’s no wonder the fans have given up with their club-record signing. He arrived with so much promise from Lyon, only to deliver ten goals and nine assists in 91 appearances, via Transfermarkt.

That means he has a direct contribution once every 4.7 matches, which isn’t good enough for an attacking playmaker.

All in all, there won’t be many pleased with this behind the scenes bombshell from the Sky Sports journalist. With a little over two weeks to go, only time will tell if Ndombele will remain a Spurs player for the foreseeable future.

AND in other news, Spurs eye 1st Jan signing in “crazy” £7.2m-rated beast, he could be Conte’s next Pirlo…

Liverpool are reportedly interested in making a move for Celtic striker for Odsonne Edouard this summer.

Jurgen Klopp may be in the market for a new attacking player at the end of the season, as he looks to add more quality and depth in the final third.

There are question marks over the futures of Xherdan Shaqiri and Divock Origi, while Roberto Firmino’s form has been disappointing for a sustained period now.

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Reds eye up for move for Celtic star Edouard

It could be that Celtic hero Edouard could be a target for Liverpool, as well as Arsenal, with journalist Ian McGarry confirming as much on The Transfer Window podcast [via Rousing The Kop], also mentioning one of the front-three potentially leaving:

“Liverpool and Arsenal are two teams who are chasing Odsonne Edouard of Celtic – a player who we have mentioned a few times on the podcast. Mostly with regards to Arsenal’s interest.

“What I think is interesting about the fact that Liverpool have entered the equation is that they have done so on the basis that they expect or at least suspect one of the front three of Mo Salah, Roberto Firmino or Sadio Mane may leave in the summer.”

The-23-year-old has scored 19 goals for Celtic this season, in all competitions, as well as incredibly netting 15 times in just 10 appearances for France Under-21s (he also scored more goals than he played games for the U-17s).

Transfer Tavern take

While the step up from the Scottish Premiership to the Premier League can sometimes appear great, Virgil van Dijk is proof that it doesn’t apply to all footballers.

Edouard has been relentless in front of goal for a number of years now – he has 81 goals in 161 games for Celtic – and he could be an ideal backup option to Firmino, or even threaten to take his place long-term.

In other news, Liverpool fans are desperate to sign one Premier League star this summer – find out who it is here.

In an exclusive interview with Football FanCast, Rob Lee, who appeared 332 times for Newcastle United, believes the best option the Magpies have going forward is to get more crosses into the box.

Newcastle’s last two goals have both come from Jamaal Lascelles getting on the end of a cross and with players like Ryan Fraser and Jacob Murphy on the wings, there should be no shortage of balls being fired into the area.

Lee was impressed with Murphy’s cameo against Aston Villa as he set up his captain for a last-second equaliser, however, he’s never been impressed by the former Norwich City winger when he has started a game for Newcastle.

Speaking on whether or not Murphy should start for Newcastle, Lee told FFC exclusively:

“Jacob Murphy seems to have all the ability in the world, he’s quick and can get crosses into the box. However, it seems that whenever he starts he doesn’t play well from what I’ve seen of him.

“I think the one thing Newcastle have got to do is get crosses in. You saw at the end against Villa we were desperate, but we were getting crosses into the box and then Lascelles got on the end of one and scored, so that’s what I think we have to do.”

Newcastle have attempted just 305 crosses in the Premier League which is the fifth-lowest, however with their previous two goals coming from balls whipped into the box it could be an avenue Steve Bruce wishes to exploit more.

Murphy once again had to settle for coming on as a substitute in the defeat to Brighton on Friday, but will be hopeful of a start when they host Tottenham Hotspur at St James’ Park after the international break.

Wolverhampton Wanderers midfielder Leander Dendoncker might have to leave the club this summer according to insider Pete O’Rourke.

What’s the latest?

Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, O’Rourke said that if the club end up keeping Bruno Neves and Joao Moutinho then Dendoncker “might have to move on.”

This is due to the fact that in the past it has been suggested that in order to buy new players Wolves have had to sell first. Whilst there has been a lot of interest in Neves, there has also been interest in Dendoncker from Italy.

As we reported last week, according to Italian outlet Corriere dello Sport (via Inside Futbol), Serie A side Lazio are interested in signing the midfielder who rated at £27m.

Supporters will be gutted

We urged the club not to sell Dendoncker because he has been a key player in the side this season, and if he does end up leaving, supporters will be gutted as well.

In an ideal world they would be able to keep hold of all three players and still add to their squad, however this is looking increasingly less possible. Over the past few seasons they have built a side capable of challenging for Europe, and if they are to keep in the mix for those place they will need Dendoncker.

The Belgium international joined the club permanently from Anderlecht in 2019 for £12.4m after having spent the previous season on loan at Molineux. His value has since more than doubled as he has become key since the arrival of manager Bruno Lage.

He has the highest pass completion rate in the Wolves squad out of any midfielder that has completed more than two full games this season, which proves that he is good in possession and a key link between defence and attack.

Dendoncker also ranks in the top 3% for blocks made in comparison to other Premier League midfielders this season. He may not be a flashy or entertaining player but he is crucial to the teams performance.

If he leaves then the club do have cover in the form of youngster Luke Cundle, but it would still be a huge loss and it would likely see them struggle to finish in a European spot next season.

IN other news: Fewer touches than Sa: Wolves “hindrance” who made just 7 passes let Lage down…

Glasgow Rangers fans are delighted that the club have decided to cut all ties with Reach PLC, who were in charge of putting together the club’s matchday programmes.

The Gers supporters do not have the best of relationships with Reach, who own outlets such as The Daily Record – the Ibrox outfit’s fans have had several issues with articles they have previously printed, and there has been a big movement away from mainstream media sources as fans look to get their news directly from the club or from supporter-run organisations.

There was already frustration that the club were working so closely with Reach (Rangers News), so the news that the partnership has been ended has gone down fantastically with the supporters.

The news was shared by Rangers Supporter Liaison Officer Greg Marshall on Twitter, and the fans took to the social media platform to share their thoughts.

Let’s see what the fans had to say about the Reach PLC news below

“Absolutely delighted to hear this. Reach PLC as we all know are part the Daily Record group. They hate everything that Glasgow Rangers stands for. We should never ever be doing any business with this or any associated business cells.”

Credit: @Blabber08756401

“Excellent news.”

Credit: @rdonno1

“Best news in ages”

Credit: @WalterW31347418

“Excellent move on all fronts. Well done rangers.”

Credit: @craigmillar82

“Excellent news. Bin that lot and their associates. Keep it in house and maximise the profits.”

Credit: @Richard65272630

“Absolutely fantastic news! Thank you for listening to the fans.”

Credit: @Cosmos_Rangers

In other news, Rangers fans are far from happy with this pundit’s comments.

Like Wolves did in their second season in the Premier League two years back, David Norris believes that his former side Leeds could qualify for Europe next term.

Having finished their campaign with four straight victories, part of a run of just one defeat in 11 Premier League games, the Yorkshire outfit came ninth, which ended up being just three points behind seventh-place Tottenham and the UEFA Conference League.

During that run of results, Marcelo Bielsa’s team managed to remain unbeaten against five of the traditional top-six, whilst they also took a point off Arsenal in November and ran Liverpool close on the opening-day.

But their best result of the campaign was a smash-and-grab victory at Manchester City earlier this month with 10 men, showing that they’re more than capable of competing with the best at this level.

Leeds must be wary they don’t suffer from second season syndrome, especially having watched their Yorkshire rivals Sheffield United fall into that trap and get relegated this season.

But ex-midfielder Norris exclusively told Football FanCast that Bielsa’s team are too good for that to happen:

“Teams will have a lot more of an idea what Leeds are about. So that might be a big test and challenge in the second season, but I don’t think it’ll be enough to make them struggle.

“I’d expect to see them right up in the top-half and pushing for Europe next season.”

Tottenham Hotspur have their sights set on a new defender this summer, and one name has emerged from the Bundesliga…

What’s the word?

According to Sport Bild, Eintracht Frankfurt defender Evan N’Dicka is on Spurs’ radar as they look to bolster their backline ahead of next season.

It’s thought that the German outfit could lose several of their best players after failing to qualify for the Champions League this term, and the north Londoners could clinch him for around €28m (£24m).

The Lilywhites’ current defensive options have flatted to deceive this year, with The Athletic suggesting that mistakes at the back have been a defining theme of Tottenham’s abysmal season.

Bye-bye Dier?

One name central to all their woes at the back is Eric Dier, considering he has started more league games (28) than fellow centre-backs Toby Alderweireld (24), Davinson Sanchez (16), and Joe Rodon (eight), as per WhoScored.

Just a couple of weeks ago, Alan Shearer lambasted the England international for his ‘big errors’ in Spurs’ defeat to Leeds United, going onto question his place in Gareth Southgate’s Euros squad.

Check out the latest transfer news on the GMS Live football Transfer hub

During commentary for that game, Danny Mills labelled Dier a “defensive calamity”, and that merely echoes the thoughts of ex-Spurs midfielder and fellow talkSPORT pundit Jamie O’Hara, who urged Jose Mourinho to axe the 27-year-old back in February as he “looks lost” in defence.

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Clearly, things have not changed, but interestingly he has been linked with a summer exit – according to Gazzetta dello Sport (via Sport Witness), Mourinho wants to bring him to his new home at AS Roma.

Similarly, former West Ham striker Frank McAvennie has tipped him to be sold by Spurs’ next manager, claiming to Football Insider that there’s “no place for him” at N17 anymore.

N’Dicka would be an ideal replacement, as he has emerged as a potential star in Frankfurt. The 6 foot 4 beast is not only dominant in the air, winning two aerial duels per game this season, but is equally adept with the ball at his feet, averaging an 84.4% passing accuracy. Crucially, he is a left-footer – a trait which is lacking in Spurs’ current centre-back pool.

His ability has been likened to Barcelona’s Samuel Umtiti, who is also left-footed and offers a pacy solution at centre-back.

The 21-year-old gem has hugely impressed his manager Adi Hutter, too. “I honestly have to say that I was surprised by his development. Evan has developed phenomenally,” the 51-year-old claimed, via Bundesliga.com. “He’s very attentive in the analysis of his own game. He’s very modest and always takes a lot on board.”

Former Eintracht Frankfurt star Alexander Schur believes that N’Dicka “shows no nerves” and “plays with great authority”, so that potentially suggests that he could be an improvement on the shaky Dier.

For £24m, it could be a very wise investment, and at the same time, Levy could well end Dier’s ongoing sticky situation in north London. The Tottenham chief must land N’Dicka for his next manager.

AND in other news, Alasdair Gold drops exciting claim on Spurs’ manager search…