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Tottenham Hotspur face Crystal Palace this afternoon in what could be Jan Vertonghen’s final game for the club. 

After thumping Leicester City 3-0 at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, Spurs know they must win at Selhurst Park and hope their bitter rivals Chelsea beat Wolves to qualify for the Europa League.

Jose Mourinho has named an unchanged side for the victories over Leicester, Arsenal and Newcastle, but he may have to call in a couple of replacements at this late stage in the competition.

Vertonghen and Michael Vorm are expected to bid farewell to the club after 14 years of service between them in north London.

If Spurs beat the Eagles, they will usurp Wolves in the race for the European competition should Nuno Espirito Santo’s side lose to the Blues, although seventh could be enough to clinch a place in the Europa League if Chelsea also beat Arsenal in the FA Cup final.

Football Transfer Tavern have worked on a predicted starting lineup for Spurs, which sees Mourinho make two changes to the side that thrashed Leicester at home.

Barring the 3-1 victory over Newcastle United, Spurs have started their biggest victories in recent weeks in a 4-2-3-1 formation, and it is unlikely that Mourinho will want to switch from his preferred system at such a crucial stage in the competition.

Dele Alli is in contention to start for the first time since the 2-o win against West Ham last month. He has missed the past five games with a hamstring injury but trained with the first team this week and should slot back into the side today, with Moussa Sissoko dropping to the bench in his place.

Alli’s return could see Giovani Lo Celso slot in alongside Harry Winks, with the pair forming a key part of the supply chain for Harry Kane and Son Heung-min.

Eric Dier will also be available for selection after serving a four-match ban. However, Toby Alderweireld and Davinson Sanchez have looked solid at the back in recent weeks, and Dier may miss out for the time being.

Meanwhile, Lucas Moura started the game against Leicester before being replaced by Steven Bergwijn. Bergwijn could be in line to earn his first start since the 0-0 draw with Bournemouth, as he has developed a habit for scoring goals in big games. Indeed, he scored on his home debut against Manchester City in February, as well as opening the scoring against Manchester United last month.

Spurs should be full of confidence heading into the clash, as Palace have lost their last seven games, while Mourinho’s men enter the fixture unbeaten in their last five since a harrowing 3-1 defeat to Sheffield United. However, they cannot afford to slip up at Selhurst Park, as there is so much at stake.

Tottenham fans, do you think this is how Mourinho will start against Palace? Let us know your views in the comments section below!

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.

A number of Manchester City fans gave their approval to a rumoured new away shirt for next season which was leaked online.

Footy Headlines posted images of the proposed away kit for 2020/21 from Puma, with the design also shared on Twitter via @City_Xtra.

As per Footy Headlines [via Manchester Evening News], the shirt is predominantly navy blue and features architectural designs on the torso which are apparently a nod to the Castlefield area of the city of Manchester. The club crest and sponsors’ logos appear to be in a shade of pink.

The latest kit leak for the Premier League champions comes just a few short weeks after a rumoured home shirt for 2020/21 was published by Footy Headlines, who also shared images of a leaked third kit for next season which subsequently drew a negative reaction from many supporters.

Manchester City switched their kit designer to Puma from Nike last year and have a 10-year partnership with the German brand which is set to run until 2029 (as per Manchester Evening News).

These City fans on Twitter were impressed with the leaked away shirt, with one supporter believing it is the “best of the lot”:

Man City fans, would you be happy to have this as the club’s away kit next season? Share your views in the comments section below!

Leeds United fans have been left torn by their former striker Kemar Roofe on social media this week after one account asked if they would have him back if the opportunity over arose.

The 27-year-old was sold to Belgian top-flight outfit Anderlecht in the summer for £7m after three seasons in west Yorkshire.

Roofe has bagged seven goals in just 16 appearances for Vincent Kompany’s side this term before injury struck. He was well on track to surpass the 15 goals from 34 matches achieved in his final season at Elland Road.

However, despite being a goalscoring presence in attack for Marcelo Bielsa’s Whites side, the Englishman has divided opinion over whether or not he would be welcome back at the club.

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Transfermarkt now value him at £4.05m, a vast decrease on the fee Anderlecht paid for him.

Some have deemed him not good enough for the Premier League whilst others are drooling over the thought of having Roofe back upfront.

Here’s what has been said…

AND in other news, Leeds fans are loving this footage of Barry Douglas…

Loads of Tottenham Hotspur fans have been reacting on Twitter after Ricky Sacks relayed a report from The Telegraph saying Spurs chairman Daniel Levy will be forced to reduce his naming rights for the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

The report says that he had hoped to secure a deal worth £375m over 15 years for the north London outfit, but the financial implications of the recent situation in the United Kingdom and their slump in form following a really poor 2019/20 campaign means the 58-year-old needs to have a rethink.

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A potential £375m deal would have been a world-record for Tottenham and their owners, but it appears to be a pipe dream now because of the affect the current issues will have on the economy.

It’s fair to say that Levy isn’t the most popular among Spurs fans at the best of times, but the recent announcement that all 550 non-playing staff have been placed on the government’s furlough scheme – in conjunction with the fact he picked up a £3m bonus on top of his £4m salary last year – means he is hugely unpopular right now.

That bad feeling is clearly shown below despite what is a setback for Tottenham as a whole, with one fan suggesting it is “what he deserves”.

Here is the full reaction…

In other Tottenham news, Jose Mourinho’s summer transfer plans at Spurs have been turned upside-down…

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 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.

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…

From a strictly financial viewpoint, Leeds United’s Amazon Prime documentary was a riveting success for the streaming service.

Reports state that the series was watched over 500,000 times within a day of its release, and of course that has spurred speculation about a second season.

While the documentary was enjoyed by so many, there were complaints around the Leeds fanbase as they said that Andrea Radrizzani was more focused on making a documentary than getting the team promoted.

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Those criticisms are somewhat right as the Italian’s production company Eleven Studios was behind the project.

However, a recent report from The Athletic highlighted how the series can have a positive impact on Leeds’ promotion chances.

Indeed, after Tottenham Hotspur agreed to have a similar series made about their trials and tribulations this term, it was revealed that the London club would be paid around £10m for the series.

Of course, Spurs are a bigger club than Leeds, but if the 500,000 streams on the first-day figure is accurate, the Whites are in a great place in terms of negotiating a similar fee for series two.

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Perhaps they won’t get £10m exactly, but it’s not too outlandish to say that their price for the series will likely be in the millions.

With FFP limiting Leeds in the transfer window over the summer, it’s hard to say that the second series of this documentary is a bad idea.

After all, they had to sell Pontus Jansson in the summer simply to free up a little more room for manoeuvre.

It would be a welcome boost to the club’s coffers too, especially given Andrea Radrizzani’s claims that their current wage bill is unstainable.

Any financial gain they can get would be welcome – let’s just hope that the deal is done by the time January rolls around.