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Tottenham are looking to pip Aston Villa in the race to sign midfielder Yves Bissouma, according to journalist Fabrice Hawkins.

The Lowdown: Bentancur saga

Villa have been after a new midfielder all month, with reliable reporter David Ornstein believing the club could look at signing one on deadline day.

The club have had a bid turned down for Bissouma, while top flight rivals Spurs look set to win the race for Juventus midfielder Rodrigo Bentancur, who Villa also made an offer for.

It now seems as if Tottenham could look to pip Villa owners NSWE in a transfer race again with Bissouma this time, even though there are just hours remaining of the winter window.

The Latest: ‘Intense’ talks

Hawkins took to Twitter to provide an update on Bissouma, revealing he could leave Brighton.

He added that Villa, Spurs and Manchester United are trying to sign him, labelling discussions as ‘intense’.

Brighton are asking for at least €45m (£37.4m) to part ways with the Mali international who is into the final 18 months of his current contract.

The Verdict: Wait until the summer

Villa’s initial bid for Bissouma was thought to be worth £25m, and should they pay Brighton’s asking price on deadline day, he would become the club’s most expensive signing of all time.

However, should they keep everything crossed and hope he remains on the south coast for the second half of the season, you’d like to think that valuation would drop. If Bissouma’s situation remains the same, he’d be into the final 12 months of his contract, where another £25m offer could perhaps twist Brighton’s arm.

It may be a case of hoping Daniel Levy and Spurs miss out on Bissouma in the final hours, with Villa surely set to be back in for him on the summer.

In other news: ‘Ridiculous’ – Lots of Aston Villa fans fume at ‘the dumbest’ deadline day move. 

Rangers manager Giovanni van Bronckhorst has revealed that defender Filip Helander should be able to return to training after the winter break.

What’s the story?

Helander has been sidelined since early September after suffering a knee injury against St. Johnstone earlier in the season, but could return to training after the winter break, according to the Gers manager

On the 28-year-old’s status, van Bronckhorst said: “Filip has been out on the pitch for a couple of weeks individually so hopefully, he can join us after the break in training sessions.

“We have to build up his stamina and his training time with the team so hopefully, he will be able to join the team as normal, I don’t think straight after the winter break but hopefully soon.”

Rangers fans will be buzzing

The Sweden international was an important player last season as Rangers won their first league title in ten years, making 31 appearances in all competitions, as well as six this season before his injury, so to have him back will be an enormous boost.

With a second consecutive league title in sight, the Gers will require as many options as possible as van Bronckhorst’s side enter the second half of their Scottish Premiership campaign.

Rangers are currently six points clear of their fierce rivals Celtic at the summit of the table and will be looking to extend that advantage in the coming weeks.

The Gers faithful will be particularly fond of the Swede after he scored the winning goal against Celtic in August’s 1-0 Old Firm triumph. However, since then, he’s rarely been seen at Ibrox.

Having started 20 of the Glaswegian club’s 32 league games last year on route to the title, the return of Helander will certainly be welcome and will provide the Dutchman with another option as well as add quality to his squad as Rangers look to further boost their title credentials.

On that evidence, this news should leave supporters and everyone associated with Ibrox buzzing.

AND in other news, Gio can axe £5.6k-p/w Rangers dud with bargain swoop for “technically skilled” beast…

A number of Wolves supporters are concerned after centre-back Willy Boly was ruled out of the Africa Cup of Nations for health reasons.

Bruno Lage’s side are enjoying a good season in the Premier League, pushing for a European finish and recently picking up a memorable 1-0 win away to Manchester United.

Wolves have again operated with a back-three in 2021/22, with Max Kilman, Conor Coady and Romain Saiss performing impressively as a unit.

Boly has been on the periphery of things, however, having struggled to overcome COVID, making just one solitary Carabao Cup appearance this season.

It has now been confirmed by Talking Wolves on Twitter that Boly has pulled out of AFCON for health reasons, in what is a concerning update.

Wolves fans react to Boly latest

These Wolves fans have taken to Twitter to react to the news, wishing the defender all the best.

“Don’t know if we’ll ever see him play again. Need another CB ASAP”

Credit: @adamwwfc03

“Bit worried for Boly now. Medical reasons sound ominous. Hope he’s alright”

Credit: @parker_bradley

“Hope he’s alright man”

Credit: @SJwolvs

“Really feel for him”

Credit: @Wolvesjay90

“Something not good going on here, wish Wolves would tell us what’s happening”

Credit: @BVitler

“Feel so bad for him”

Credit: @AdamWWFC_

In other news, Wolves have been dealt a potential big transfer blow. Read more here.

Manchester United have received a potential injury blow ahead of their Premier League clash with Norwich City over the weekend after Aaron Wan-Bissaka picked up an issue against BSC Young Boys.

What’s the word?

In his post-match interview on Wednesday night, interim manager Ralf Rangnick confirmed that the 24-year-old is a doubt ahead of their trip to Carrow Road on Saturday.

The right-back took a heavy knock to his hand after falling awkwardly during the game before leaving the field of play on a stretcher after the final whistle had been blown after he collided with the advertising boards in the final seconds of the match.

“Aaron got two knocks again. One on the wrist another one on the knee, so we have to see how this will develop by Saturday,” revealed Rangnick. “It was an experiment but I did it on purpose as I wanted to save the players’ energy for Norwich.”

Ralf Rangnick will be gutted

News that Wan-Bissaka is potentially unavailable for the upcoming encounter with the Canaries will leave Rangnick feeling gutted as he’s dealt his first big obstacle and setback in the Old Trafford dugout.

Although the £90,000-per-week gem is no longer guaranteed a starting spot under the new regime and is facing increased competition from Diogo Dalot, he is still a valuable member of the first-team squad.

As per WhoScored, Wan-Bissaka has averaged 2.2 tackles per league game this season, placing him third amongst his teammates, while also producing 1.3 interceptions, more than any of his colleague’s bar Fred, who has matched his tally.

Therefore, Rangnick is likely to be hugely disappointed if Wan-Bissaka is unable to recover in time for the crucial fixture against Norwich, with United desperate to maintain their momentum as they go in search of a top-four finish.

How the German overcomes his first big dilemma in charge of the club will be fascinating.

And, in other news…Forget Greenwood: Man United beast who won 82% duels took his chance vs Young Boys

Leeds United are back in Premier League action today, with a home clash against Arsenal giving them the chance to move on from their 7-0 defeat against Manchester City in midweek.

In terms of which players Leeds manager Marcelo Bielsa could pick in his starting XI to take on the Gunners, one rising talent who should be given a shot to shine on this occasion is Sam Greenwood, who is currently earning £2.6k-per-week according to Salary Sport.

Time to unleash Greenwood

With Leeds having the likes of Patrick Bamford, Rodrigo and now Dan James out injured, this could be the perfect time for Bielsa to finally give Greenwood his first appearance in the Premier League this season after being an unused substitute on seven occasions, including on Tuesday night at the Etihad Stadium.

Since joining the club in August 2020 from Arsenal’s under-18 side, the 19-year-old has made 33 appearances for the Whites’ under-23s, for whom he has scored 20 goals and provided four assists.

Greenwood has also made two senior appearances for Leeds, which came during their 3-0 defeat against Crawley Town in the FA Cup last January and their 2-0 defeat against tonight’s opponents in the Carabao Cup in October.

Taking all this into account, it could be worth Bielsa giving the 19-year-old his first taste of Premier League action to see if he can help fill in for Leeds’ injured attacking players and cause his former club some problems.

Labelled a “weapon” for Leeds in the past by Noel Whelan, Greenwood definitely has what it takes to show to everyone at the club that he is ready to play in the Premier League in the same way that Joe Gelhardt has by making five appearances in the league so far this season.

With the former Wigan gem showing that he can adapt to top-flight level, Bielsa should have confidence that another rising star in Greenwood could do the same, and that starts with giving him his chance tonight in the absence of several attacking talents at Elland Road.

In other news: Leeds handed much-needed injury boost ahead of Arsenal clash which will delight the fans

Crystal Palace’s current placement of 10th in the Premier League table perfectly reflects the results they have earned under new manager Patrick Vieira, with three wins, six draws and just two defeats to their name with 11 league matches played.

One player who has featured heavily for Palace this season is Cheikhou Kouyate, who has started in seven out of his nine Premier League appearances at this point in the campaign.

In those matches, Kouyate has proven how much of a physical defensive unit he is for the team from midfield after averaging 2.2 tackles, 1.7 interceptions and 1.4 clearances per game, as well as winning 59% of his duels according to SofaScore.

Despite being a useful defensive midfielder for Palace this season, Kouyate will turn 32 next month, and his contract is set to expire next summer.

With this in mind, Vieira could already have his perfect long-term replacement for the Senegal giant at the club in 21-year-old midfielder Nya Kirby.

After joining Palace’s under-18 side from Tottenham Hotspur’s youth academy back in 2016, the midfielder has gone on to make 13 appearances for Palace’s under-23 side, scoring two goals.

Kirby also has some experience of playing senior football after spending two loan spells away from Selhurst Park, firstly with Blackpool back in 2019 and currently with Tranmere Rovers for this season.

During his time at Bloomfield Road, he scored one goal and provided three assists in 11 appearances, as well as being praised for a “terrific” performance against Charlton Athletic by former Blackpool boss Terry McPhillips. He said that Kirby “passes the ball nicely, does his defending and he’ll have a fight with a big lad,” proving that the youngster will not shy away from the physical aspects of the game, which could make him a great replacement for Kouyate given his physical and defensive capabilities.

If Kirby manages to make the most of his time at Tranmere throughout the rest of the season and if Kouyate ends up leaving Selhurst Park in the summer, the youngster could well be ready to break into Vieira’s starting XI and play regularly, having so far made just one senior appearance for Palace in a Carabao Cup clash against Bournemouth last year.

In other news: Palace dealt potential injury setback ahead of Burnley clash, Vieira would be gutted

Celtic could theoretically spend as much as £32.5million in January, football finance expert Dan Plumley says. 

The lowdown

Celtic marked the beginning of Ange Postecoglou’s reign in the summer with a £20.05million spend, with centre-back Carl Starlfelt the most expensive acquisition at £4.5million (via Transfermarkt).

But they did bank a healthy profit after generating £33.84million through sales.

Odsonne Edouard and Kristoffer Ajer were the headline departures, with their moves to the Premier League fetching £14.67million and £14.13million respectively.

According to The Scottish Daily Mail, Postecoglou wants to strengthen his squad further in January with the acquisition of two central midfielders.

The latest

Plumley told Football Insider that he’d ‘crunched the numbers’ to determine how much Celtic could grant Postecoglou whilst still complying with Financial Fair Play (FFP) regulations.

However, he warned it would be a ‘gamble’ to spend close to that £32.5million mark.

“There are other exemptions in terms of FFP, but let’s avoid them to simplify the argument a little. They could spend £32.5m quite comfortably.

“The problem with that is that you can overstretch to reach the Champions League group stage.

“So they have got flex within FFP but the gamble is overstretching. That is the gamble the boardroom, I imagine, will be looking at.”

The verdict

Crucially, Celtic’s arch-rivals Rangers appear to have significantly less room for investment.

The Gers recently announced a loss of £23.5million for the year, with their total losses under the current regime climbing to a whopping £73.8million (via The Athletic). Perhaps that could force them to sell some of their talent, while the allure of Steven Gerrard in the Premier League may also tempted some of the Hoops’ rivals into leaving Glasgow.

And so even if Celtic don’t spend all the money they’re permitted to, they look well-placed to regain their Scottish crown, providing Postecoglou is granted enough to strengthen the injury-hit areas of his squad, namely through the spine of the XI.

In other news, this player wanted to move to Celtic.

West Ham United return to Premier League action this afternoon as they head to the Midlands to face an out-of-form Aston Villa side hungry for a result.

David Moyes and his side will know that another victory would see them go level on points with defending champions Manchester City, who are currently in third place.

As such, the Scotsman has to make some big calls in regards to his starting lineup, especially after their midweek penalty shootout victory over the aforementioned Citizens in the Carabao Cup.

The Irons have won their last four in all competitions, having defeated local rivals Spurs and Everton by a 1-0 scoreline in recent weeks, as well as Genk in the Europa League.

This hectic fixture list has seen Michail Antonio rested rather often, as he was against City at the London Stadium on Wednesday. But for the trip to Villa Park, Moyes must ensure he’s back in the starting XI as he could really damage Dean Smith’s team.

After some serious investment over the summer, many would have expected the Midlands outfit to mount a serious challenge on the European spots but instead, they find themselves in 15th place, just three points outside of the relegation zone.

They have struggled defensively in recent weeks, conceding six goals in their last two outings – three to Arsenal and three to arch-rivals Wolves.

This is a prospect that should leave both the Hammers boss and Antonio rather excited ahead of kickoff as the 31-year-old talisman could feast if things go his way today.

Antonio sits third on the overall goalscoring charts behind Mo Salah and Jamie Vardy, having bagged six goals and provided three assists in only eight league appearances – 27% of his shots result in a goal, as per the BBC.

The £12.5m-rated forward also ranks as the Hammers’ best-performing player with an average WhoScored rating of 7.59. He leads the way for shots (4.1) and key passes (2.5) per game, proving that he really is Moyes’ main threat in the final third, whilst he isn’t far behind for dribbles per match (1.8) either.

Antonio has been described as the “complete number nine” and “unplayable” on his day by BBC Sport contributor Premier League Panel, whilst Daily Star journalist Paul Brown recently dubbed him a “complete monster” and “absolute revelation” to GIVEMESPORT.

West Ham could really punish Villa today by unleashing Antonio from the off. On current form, he could well destroy the home outfit and that will only bolster their top-four claims even more.

AND in other news, “They have…”: ExWHUemployee drops exciting West Ham claim that’ll leave fans buzzing…

West Ham all but sealed a place in the Europa League knockout stages after a 2-2 draw against Genk on Thursday night.

It wasn’t a performance that was up to the Irons’ usual standard, having squandered their 100% win and clean sheet record but the solitary point did put them one foot into the next round.

An inspired come-from-behind brace from Said Benrahma looked to be enough for the east Londoners to have sealed the victory but Tomas Soucek turned the ball into his own net three minutes from time in what was an unfortunate gaffe.

However, this moment was by no means the reason for the Hammers’ sub-par performance, especially as the Czech midfielder was only on the pitch for half an hour. Instead, there were plenty of others who let manager David Moyes down.

One of which was arguably fellow countryman Vladimir Coufal, who made his first start since returning from injury. He was well off the pace and showed some signs of rust down that right flank.

His 6.5 rating on SofaScore was the second-lowest of any West Ham star behind Craig Dawson (6.3).

And it’s easy to see why as he was hugely wasteful in possession, losing the ball a squad-high 21 times from 52 touches, which in itself shows he was well behind his usual influential nature, having averaged nearly 65 touches per game in the Premier League in 2020/21.

Elsewhere, he was equally lightweight in his battles, winning just one of his four duels (25%). The 29-year-old was also dribbled past twice and failed to provide a single accurate cross from two attempts – considering he delivered seven assists (second-most) last term, this was certainly a poor attacking display too.

To add further misery to his evening, Coufal missed one big chance – had that gone in, then we could very much be speaking differently about the result.

He was just one of many to let down the Scotsman in Belgium, though.

AND in other news, “I believe..”: ExWHUemployee drops huge West Ham transfer claim, fans will be buzzing…

The Birmingham Mail’s Ashley Preece has revealed what Dean Smith has told him about his potential tactical plans at Aston Villa.

What’s the story?

The Villa boss has opted to go with a back-three in recent weeks, and it served him very well just last weekend when they beat Manchester United 1-0 at Old Trafford in the Premier League.

And now, in a Q&A for The Birmingham Mail, Preece has explained how Leon Bailey could potentially fit into the fold at Villa Park, and the kind of variety Smith has at his disposal.

He said: “Yes, there’s so much flexibility. Bailey could play behind a striker in a 3-5-1-1 system, for example. Loads of strings to Villa’s bow now. ‘It’ll be horses for different courses,’ Smith has told me.”

Tactical evolution at Villa Park

With Bailey of course out injured at the moment, but one of the club’s marquee signings, Villa fans will be excited at the prospect of how Smith chooses to utilise the Jamaica international in his starting line-up.

The former Bayer Leverkusen star came on for Matt Targett and operated as a more attacking wing-back against Everton last time out, and scored one and essentially made another when his corner was headed into his own net by Lucas Digne.

Whether that position is what would get the best out of Bailey remains to be seen, but as Preece says, the Jamaican could be an intriguing option as someone to operate a lone striker, whether that’s Ollie Watkins or Danny Ings.

Whatever the case, this new tactical shift to a back-three this season in the Premier League could throw up some exciting combinations and line-ups from Smith.

Meanwhile, Gregg Evans drops an Aston Villa update on this star…