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Tottenham Hotspur have been linked to many a centre-back this summer but none seem more apt than the latest name hitting the headlines…

What’s the word?

According to The Sun, Spurs have entered the race to land highly-rated Brighton sensation Ben White following an impressive loan spell at Championship-winning Leeds United.

They are joined by the likes of Manchester United, Liverpool and Chelsea but the Seagulls have slapped a fee in excess of £50m on his head.

Marcelo Bielsa’s side have already had three bids rejected by the south coast side, the latest of which was around £35m.

Next John Terry?

Following the departure of Jan Vertonghen to Benfica, Jose Mourinho could well be in need of a new centre-back with Eric Dier likely to remain in the role alongside Davinson Sanchez and Toby Alderweireld.

The Portuguese has been blessed with many elite defenders over his long and industrious managerial career, ranging from Ricardo Carvalho, William Gallas and John Terry at Chelsea to Sergio Ramos and Pepe at Real Madrid.

And in White, Mourinho could land himself a player fit to fill the boots of his former Stamford Bridge skipper.

Sky Sports’ FL pundit Andy Hinchcliffe believes the 22-year-old is a “bit of John Terry or Gary Cahill” whilst Keith Andrews was impressed by his “elegant way they have of stepping out from the back and picking the right passes more often than not.”

Terry was never a man-mountain of a centre-back, but what he lacked in height he more than made up for in his physical, aggressive, tough-tackling and ball-playing nature.

White, who has been tipped for Three Lions stardom, is only one inch shorter than the Chelsea legend and proved his defensive credentials as a regular figure in Bielsa’s league-leading backline.

Per WhoScored, the “special” talent averaged 2.8 aerial duels won, 2.7 clearances, 1.6 tackles and 56 passes per appearance in the Championship last term.

£50m might seem like a lot of money, but Daniel Levy could land Spurs their future at the back and there’s no one better than Mourinho to transform White into the next Terry.

AND in other news, Levy could kill two birds with one stone in £90m swoop for “magical” superstar Poch wanted…

Since football has returned, there have been transfer rumours suggesting that Arsenal’s Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang will look to leave the club as his contract runs out next summer, although manager Mikel Arteta has reassured Gunners fans that this might not be the case.

Speaking about the Gabon forward and his future at the club via Evening Standard, Arteta said: “Players that can make the difference in any moment in the game every three days in competitions. That is a big task and he has done that at different clubs.

“He is willing to stay with us. He is really happy where he is. He can see what we are trying to do and hopefully he can evolve as well some parts of his game he might feel he can improve. We are pushing him every day.”

Aubameyang showed how crucial he is to the Arsenal squad with his 9.2 Man of the Match rating against Norwich yesterday, per SofaScore, as he helped himself to two goals and an assist in the 4-0 win over the Canaries.

He also scored his 50th Premier League goal for the club in 79 appearances, with some quick to point out on Twitter that he has reached this landmark in fewer appearances than some Gunners legends like Thierry Henry and Ian Wright.

This emphasises how reassuring Arteta’s update seeems for everyone associated with Arsenal. Aubameyang is a potent striker who, at 31, still has more years in him to help the Gunners battle for the Champions League places again and hopefully win some silverware.

He is also an ideal figure to have in the squad as an influence for young strikers breaking into the senior squad like Eddie Nketiah and Gabriel Martinelli, who can look to the Gabon ace for inspiration on honing their raw talents to become strikers of similar prestige to Aubameyang.

Gunners fans, are you happy with Arteta’s reassurance about Aubameyang’s Arsenal future? Comment below with your views! 

It was another disappointing afternoon for Arsenal on Sunday as they lost 2-1 to their most bitter rivals Tottenham Hotspur, effectively ending any hopes the Gunners may have had in terms of securing a top-seven finish.

Indeed, that loss moves the Gunners down to ninth, four points behind Sheffield United with just three games to play, and unless they win the FA Cup, Mikel Arteta’s side look to be set for a season without European football.

However, it wasn’t all doom and gloom for the north London outfit.

There were a few bright sparks in the game, Alexandre Lacazette scored a screamer to open the scoring, but one man who caught the eye above everyone else was Dani Ceballos.

The Real Madrid loanee barely put a foot wrong against Spurs, with a pass success rate of just under 93 per cent and more touches than any other player, the Spaniard was central to everything the Gunners were trying to do.

While fans had a lot to be miserable about after losing to Spurs, they were more than happy with what they saw from the 23-year-old.

While the midfielder may have been brilliant against Spurs, it’s been a long road for him to get to this point.

He was often criticised by the fanbase earlier in the season, but many noted a marked improvement from the playmaker over the past few weeks.

Unfortunately, it seems as though Ceballos’ upturn in form has come at the wrong time, his loan deal is up in a few weeks, meaning he’s set to return to Real Madrid at the end of the season.

His showing against Tottenham led to a number of fans calling for him to be signed permanently.

However, you can’t help but feel these calls are far too reactionary after one good performance, he was criticised earlier in the season for a reason, and if he reverts back to that type of form it won’t be long until opinions swing once again.

Name: Curtis Jones

Club: Liverpool

Date of Birth: 30 January 2001

Position: Midfielder/winger

Curtis Jones – His career so far

Curtis Jones is a 19-year-old midfielder who has been one of the Reds since an early age, climbing through the ranks from Liverpool’s U9 side up until their senior team in 2019/20. The talented youngster made his U23 debut back in January 2018 and shortly after that, in February, the Reds tied him down with his first professional contract.

Even though he didn’t feature for the seniors until a bit further down the line, Jones was a regular at Melwood in 2017/18, often participating in Jurgen Klopp’s training sessions and was even named in the matchday squad for the Merseyside derby with Everton at Goodison Park that season.

The first glimpses of his talent were seen during the team’s pre-season tours in the summer of 2018 when he played a big part in the friendlies, showcasing his potential and impressing the gaffer along the way.

But it was not until January 7, 2019, that his first-team debut arrived in the FA Cup third-round tie away at Wolverhampton Wanderers. It would, however, take him another year to score his first goal for the seniors, slotting a curler to beat none other than Everton 1-0 at Anfield in the same competition.

Jones is also a well-establish figure in Liverpool’s younger squads, recording appearances for their U18, U23 and UEFA U19 squads respectively. He is also quite prolific, scoring 15 goals and assisting six in 29 games for the U18s, 13 and seven in 33 for the U23s and 13 and three in 18 games for the UEFA U19s.

So far, we’ve seen him don the red colour of the first-team nine times during his stay with the Scousers, scoring twice and assisting one goal under his belt in the process as well. Eight out of those nine appearances came in 2019 and one in 2018/19.

Both goals have been scored in the FA Cup while the single assist was tallied in the EFL Cup, all in 2019/20.

Transfer latest

Currently, it seems that Jones is set to stay at Anfield for the time being and eventually become a regular first-team player and more importantly, an undisputed starter at the club despite possible transfer news surrounding him. The now 19-year-old signed a contract extension back in August 2019 which is valid until 2024, according to Transfermarkt.

This would indicate his importance to the upper hierarchy at the club and the local boy is already on route to having a much bigger role within the squad, as evidenced by his recent appearances with the senior team in 2019/20.

He was, however, courted by the likes of Glasgow Rangers, led by Liverpool legend Steven Gerrard, who wanted the young lad on loan but were promptly shown the door by the Reds, as indicated by some of the latest transfer rumours.

There were also transfer news on Leeds United and Swansea being among the interested parties back in December and before the January transfer window opened but Liverpool have since seemingly changed their stance, as was indicated by their snubbing of Rangers’ inquiry later on.

Besides, it was Klopp himself who mentioned Jones as a possible candidate for a step-up back when he was giving some big Liverpool news back in February. If those words and the player’s recent outbreak are any indications at all, the 19-year-old is poised to stay and develop at Anfield, regardless of the transfer rumours that linked him with a plethora of suitors.

Player profile

The thing that stands out the most about this young talent is his sheer versatility. According to Transfermarkt’s database of games, he’s been deployed all over midfield and even on the wings throughout his career and can be utilised in many different ways, depending on the team’s needs. (source: )

By looking at Wyscout’s heatmap for 2019/20, we can see his tendency to stick to the left side and occupy the left half-space to advance the ball into the final third and then the opposition’s box as well.

The most common weapon in his arsenal seem to be dribbles, as he attempted 7.73 per 90 minutes in 2019/20, completing an impressive 52%. He also averages 4.54 touches in the box which tells us he likes to go forward and present himself as an option in the danger zones.

When we accompany that with 3.92 shots per 90 minutes and 2.98 progressive runs, we get a highly technical and aggressive player who is both creative and deadly on the ball. The transfer rumours may have stopped for now but if Liverpool don’t make sure he’s tied down, there are bound to be vultures prowling around once again.

Tottenham Hotspur wonder-kid Yago Santiago has posted a video of himself scoring a cool finish during training via his official Twitter account, prompting discussion amongst the fan base. 

Santiago joined the Spurs academy at the beginning of the season from his hometown club Celta Vigo.

The midfielder bagged 15 goals for the Celts’ U-16s in the campaign beforehand and his eye-catching performances attracted plenty of interest.

While he might not be the first name that springs to mind at the moment, the 17-year-old has given a small sneak peek of what he has to offer.

Prior to the nationwide lockdown, the Spaniard made 10 appearances in the U-18’s Premier League, picking up one goal before football was suspended due to the ongoing pandemic (Transfermarkt).

If the clip is anything to go by, Santiago has definitely shown he knows how to find the back of the net.

The youngster’s footage has divided the Lilywhites faithful though, as a fan tweeted his “first touch was terrible,” while another dubbed the teenager a “baller.” One supporter even suggested he is the “next Fabregas.”

Take a look at some of the mixed reactions down below…

Tottenham fans, do you think Yago Santiago can become a club legend in the future? Join the discussion in the comments section!

This article is part of Football FanCast’s Pundit View series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent quotes from journalists, pundits, players and managers…

Alan Hutton has suggested that Henri Lansbury may need to consider leaving Aston Villa if he doesn’t start getting more game time, as reported by Football Insider.

What did he say?

Lansbury has found himself on the periphery at Villa this season, having played just 28 minutes of Premier League football, which have come across four substitute appearances.

It says a lot about his role within the team that three of those were five minutes long or less.

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This lack of game time will likely be a source of frustration for the 29-year-old and Hutton feels this should have him considering his future.

Speaking to Football Insider, the former Villa full-back said: “Henri Lansbury, I think in the cup game against Wolves I thought he was outstanding. He’s really had to wait a long time to get in the fold and it’s been difficult for him.

“He’s one that I’ve known for a long, long time now, he’s one that is desperate to show his worth. It’s coming to a big time in his Villa career now where it’s either he gets a chance or maybe it’s time to think of elsewhere.”

Hard to deny

It is hard to deny that there has to come a point where Lansbury calls an end to his time with Villa, especially as he is now approaching his thirties.

In addition to his age, it can be indicated that there is little more he could have done with the limited opportunities offered to him this season, especially in the Carabao Cup.

Against Crewe Alexandra, Lansbury got a hat-trick of assists as Villa won 6-1, with that tally including an intelligently played back-heel to set Jack Grealish up for a first-time finish.

Then, having missed the Brighton & Hove Albion match, the 29-year-old assisted both of the goals against Wolverhampton Wanderers to secure a quarter-final place.

This offers an indication of how useful Lansbury can be for a team who would use him, so if things don’t change he could be better off heading elsewhere to get more regular minutes.

In other news, a former Villa player has recommended someone who should be signed in January.

This article is part of Football FanCast’s Pundit View series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent quotes from journalists, pundits, players and managers…

Speaking after his side’s 2-1 victory over Crystal Palace on Saturday afternoon, Jurgen Klopp has insisted his side aren’t here to “send messages”.

What did he say?

The Reds have made a stunning start to the Premier League campaign, with their victory over Roy Hodgson’s side at the weekend ensuring their undefeated status.

It means they have a lead of eight points over second-placed Leicester, and Klopp has now insisted that the key to their success has been being able to win ugly.

He said (as quoted by Yahoo Sports): “It is exceptional to have 37 points after 13 games.  You can’t have them by winning brilliant games every time. We had a couple of them but you can’t always win them. We aren’t here to send messages; we just want to get results.

“I’m not surprised by how the game went. We know it’s a tough place to come; the atmosphere is good. They don’t give up. We knew at half-time that we had to do better. We weren’t brilliant but we were ready to fight for the result.”

Elite mentality

Make no mistake about it, the fact Klopp is refusing to get carried away with what quite frankly has been an extraordinary start to the league season, bodes well for Liverpool’s title charge. The key to winning the Premier League has always been about grinding out important results at important times, and particularly when the team isn’t playing well either.

And on Saturday, the Reds were hardly at their free-flowing best, registering just four shots on target in the entire game. Indeed, Wilfried Zaha’s 82nd minute equaliser appeared to ensure that they were going to drop vital points, but thanks to some late pressure, Roberto Firmino netted a late winner. It was the kind of performance that had all the hallmarks of a potential champion. And Klopp’s post-match verdict proves Liverpool mean business.

This article is part of Football FanCast’s Opinion series, which provides analysis, insight and opinion on any issue within the beautiful game, from Paul Pogba’s haircuts to League Two relegation battles…

Using the loan market well can be a key factor in getting promoted from the Championship, as shown by Aston Villa last season.

The side from Villa Park managed to acquire the likes of Tyrone Mings, Tammy Abraham and Anwar El Ghazi on loan deals.

These players and others who joined on a temporary basis eventually helped Villa to the play-off final, which they used as a springboard to elevate themselves into the promised land of the Premier League.

Watch Charlton Athletic Videos With StreamFootball.tv Below

Charlton Athletic will be hoping that their own use of the loan market can help them reach a similar destination. Even if the aim of reaching England’s top tier doesn’t come to fruition, there’s no doubt they have already benefited from it.

The Addicks’ two most important loan acquisitions in the summer were arguably Josh Cullen and Conor Gallagher, two players who signed from Premier League sides West Ham United and Chelsea respectively.

While there is also Brighton & Hove Albion’s Beram Kayal, who is joined by West Bromwich Albion duo Sam Field and Jonathan Leko.

Charlton currently sit 12th in the table, six points off the play-off spots and their loanees have definitely played a part so far.

There is Gallagher, who already has 5 goals and an assist from midfield, Cullen, whose statistics include 1.9 tackles, 1.5 key passes and 1.5 clearances per game, as well as Leko with his 3 goals and 2 assists.

To show how integral Bowyer has seen them, the first of those two names have 15 starts this season, while Leko has 12.

By moving to the loan market, they managed to recruit players that simply wouldn’t have been available to them otherwise, while the majority of their other signings came in on free transfers.

This shows both their resourcefulness and lack of financial power, though the only issue is that they may have to do exactly the same thing again next season due to Roland Duchatelet’s stringent attitude towards player spending.

Shortly after taking over at the club, Duchatelet claimed: “Throwing money at players and so forth, that is definitely not the strategy here,” and it’s fair to say, much to the frustration of Charlton supporters, that he has stayed true to his word.

They may be harbouring hope that Cullen will be available on a free, as his current West Ham contract comes to an end in the summer, but his form could yet attract interest from a more coveted destination.

Charlton’s use of the loan market has been effective so far this season, but they will likely need to do it all over again next season if they are to sustain their level.

Late in a game against Manchester City recently the hosts Crystal Palace gained a corner and on came Christian Benteke from the bench to do what he used to do better than most.

Striding purposely among the melee of players inside the penalty area he mimed to the corner-taker exactly where he wanted it – right on his forehead – and the delivery was duly inch perfect.

The Belgian rose like a salmon and planted the firmest of headers powerfully towards the far corner of the goal only to see Ederson stretch out an arm and palm the ball onto the crossbar and out to safety.

Benteke crumpled to the ground in sheer dismay and he did so because he knew it would continue: the barbs, the chuckling. He knew he would still be regarded by the cruellest of contradictions: a goal-scorer who couldn’t score.

Watch Crystal Palace Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

Harshly put this is akin to a heart surgeon incapable of performing heart surgery but it wasn’t always the case for the 28-year-old. At Aston Villa he averaged just shy of a goal every two games scoring 49 in 101 appearances. He was also, for what it’s worth, unplayable on his day. In a single season with Liverpool the expensively-purchased forward was hardly prolific but nine Premier League goals is still a semi-acceptable number considering the abrupt arrival of Jurgen Klopp suddenly plummeted him down the pecking order.

In late April Benteke opened the scoring against Arsenal and the relief etched onto his face was understandable because his header ended a remarkable drought that has lasted 358 days. If he believed that was a turning point to his woes however he was very much mistaken because ever since that sunny spring day another drought has emerged, one that persists to this day.

It’s hard to imagine how a proud international forward deals with that but there is just a tiniest sliver of consolation it is this: within the annals of the Premier League he is not alone.

Paul Stewart (Liverpool)

A handful of others went longer without finding the net but Stewart is included here due to the strange quirk of scoring on his Premier League debut for the Reds then managing to draw a complete blank for the rest of his disappointing spell there.

A solitary strike in 32 games is a pitiful return for a player who pulled up proverbial trees for Manchester City which prompted Graeme Souness to shell out £2.3m for him (a lot of money in 1992). A series of loan spells ensued, featuring none other than Palace, before Stewart ended a once glistening career with Workington.

Richard Cresswell (Sheffield Wednesday, Leicester City and Stoke City)

How much more difficult is it to score in the top flight compared to the lower leagues? Ask the former England under-21 man because he knows better than anyone.

In the Championship, Cresswell averaged roughly one goal per three full ninety minutes, a solid if largely unspectacular return.

Whenever he was called upon to trouble elite defences however the goals would disappear faster than an ice cube in the desert. A woeful run of 45 fruitless games stands out for all the wrong reasons, and his overall Premier League record finished at just two in 66 outings, both of which were scored in the 1999/2000 season.

Can Crystal Palace finish in the top 7 or even higher this season? Their chances of doing so are rated in the video below…

Luis Boa Morte (West Ham United)

The Portuguese international’s goal-shy spell in East London is well worth gawping at in disbelief even if technically he was a wide attacking threat rather than an outright front man.

In five seasons and 109 games with the Hammers, Boa Morte scored precisely twice and if the total blank drawn from his final campaign startles that is nothing compared to the combined efforts of 2007/08 and 2008/09. Games played = 56. Goals – nought. Shots = quite a lot, probably.

A far cry from his nine Fulham goals during the 2003/04 campaign.

This article is part of Football FanCast’s In The Pipeline series, which takes a look at some of the most promising young talent either linked with clubs or emerging from their academies…

Everton have struggled in front of goal this season and the club have been crying out for a man to consistently hit the back of the net ever since Romelu Lukaku left. The Toffees have just 13 goals in 11 league games and the likes of Richarlison and Dominic Calvert-Lewin have just six league goals between so far.

Marco Silva’s concerns run deeper in the goalscoring department than just these two, however.

£27.5m man Moise Kean has not even looked like scoring, whilst Cenk Tosun’s £27m transfer has barely been justified, with just one goal since May.

Waiting in the wings beyond these strikers, however, is young striker Ellis Simms, a player who could potentially break into the first team in the coming years.

The teenage sensation has been making an awful lot of noise down in the youth ranks with Everton, scoring 41 goals in 44 appearances for the U18s. After such an astonishing time with the youngsters, Simms made the move up to the U23s, where manager David Unsworth has become one of his biggest fans.

The 18-year-old began to prove his worth almost instantly with Unsworth’s men, as he scored the winner against Blackburn Rovers U23s back in September. After the game, the Everton youth boss said: “I can’t praise Ellis enough for the work he has done since we came back for pre-season on 1 July.

“He is a work in progress, but he is a natural goalscorer.

“We’re asking to him to play in a way that brings others into the game, too, showing work-rate and holding up the play.

“His movement when he came on tonight was exactly what we’ve been working on with him, and we’re delighted with that.”

Everton have shown with Tosun and Kean that splashing the cash isn’t always the best idea. Plus, other clubs such as Manchester United have shown recently that when you gradually bleed in youngsters at the right time, it can work a charm.

Mason Greenwood, who is the same age as Simms, is currently being drafted in for Europa League and League Cup ties. Now, the youngster has two goals in Europe this season and has shown he is certainly one for the future.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer seems to have hit the jackpot with Greenwood and is using him at the perfect time to help him progress. Now, perhaps it’s time for Silva to do the same with Simms, who could help save the goalscoring department, just as Greenwood is often doing for United.

The incredible return of 45 goals in 57 games for Simms suggests he can have an impact at a higher level. Plus, if the praise of Unsworth is anything to go by, Everton certainly have a tenacious superstar on their hands.

“Ellis is playing at a different level now to what he had been doing and everybody expects goals from him,” Unsworth told the Liverpool Echo in October.

“His runs behind, he’s holding up the ball, working for the team, all these things that you have to do in the real game, he’s certainly working really hard behind the scenes.”

This 18-year-old has proven to be a sensational find from Everton’s youth system, and he could both help save the club financially in the future and play a a key role in the senior squad.