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Speaking to Football Insider, Sky Sports pundit Paul Robinson has been left thrilled by a claim involving Tottenham Hotspur and Sevilla defender Jules Kounde.

The Lowdown: Tottenham in talks for Kounde…

According to reliable transfer journalist Fabrizio Romano, speaking on his Here We Go podcast, Tottenham are in talks with Kounde’s agents regarding a possible move to north London this summer.

Indeed, Spurs and new boss Nuno Espirito Santo are in the market for star defenders and a revamp of their backline is expected.

The Latest: Robinson thrilled by Kounde claim…

Reacting to this Romano claim, Sky regular and former Tottenham goalkeeper Robinson has been left thrilled and believes he is a possible signing who would excite supporters.

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He also described the France international as a ‘very welcome addition’ if Spurs can get a deal over the line.

“He is the world-class centre-half that Spurs so desperately need,” he explained to Football Insider.

“To be honest, I think Spurs need two or three centre-halves because they are nowhere near good enough in that area right now.

“A player the calibre of Kounde, a top-class international centre-half, would be a very welcome addition indeed.

“That would be a signing that would fill me with optimism and anticipation for the new season.

“There is a lot of questions and a lot of uncertainty at Spurs going into next season but Kounde is a signing who would excite fans.”

The Verdict: Bang on the money…

The 22-year-old is arguably one of the most exciting young defenders in world football and it’s safe to say Tottenham securing his signature would be huge.

Over his 33 La Liga starts for Sevilla last season, the youngster averaged a head-turning 90.1% pass accuracy (WhoScored) – arguably summing up his commanding and composed displays at times.

Tottenham need this kind of authoritative presence at the back and we believe he is indeed a possible signing who could turn many heads.

In other news: ‘I’d be excited, Spurs fans’…Stan Collymore thrilled by major news out of N17, find out more here.

Leeds United suffered a devastating 7-0 defeat to Manchester City in the Premier League on Tuesday night, as Pep Guardiola’s side ran riot at the Etihad.

The Whites found themselves three goals down by the break, before City continued their onslaught in the second-half, and while a number of players weren’t up to scratch for Marcelo Bielsa, Junior Firpo in particular struggled more than most.

The Spaniard had the unenviable task of trying to stop the likes of Riyad Mahrez and co from wreaking havoc, and the summer signing just didn’t look at the races at all.

As per Sofascore, he won just one out of his four total duels on the night, while also making no tackles or interceptions and being dribbled past once too.

While the energy was there again, Firpo just couldn’t keep his composure at times, committing the most amount of fouls of any player on the pitch.

In possession, the former Real Betis man didn’t offer too much either, registering fewer touches even than goalkeeper Illan Meslier, and providing no crosses.

And, writing in his post-match player ratings for Leeds Live, Beren Cross gave him a four, saying: “Some clumsy challenges and predictably his fifth yellow card of the season, but was at the heart of some of the best, if few, attacking moves Leeds built.”

That sentiment was echoed by The Yorkshire Evening Post’s Graham Smyth, who gave him a three and added: “Struggled to contain Mahrez, picked up a booking and had to walk a tightrope against world class attackers.”

With that yellow card, Firpo will now be missing from action against Arsenal at the weekend, and that has given Bielsa a major headache about how he will go about replacing him, particularly with Pascal Struijk out too.

It was just a nightmare display for both player and club.

Meanwhile, Leeds United are eyeing this Uruguayan star…

Aston Villa have made contact with Brighton midfielder Yves Bissouma ahead of a possible summer move, Football Insider report.

The Lowdown: January links

Steven Gerrard was busy during his first window as Villa boss, making four senior signings. It could have been five, however, as Brighton rejected an official offer from Villa for Bissouma.

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Labelled as a player with ‘bundles of ability’ by former teammate Dale Stephens, Bissouma will be entering the final 12 months of his contract with the Seagulls in the summer, and it looks as if Villa are already making a head start on a possible deal.

The Latest: Source drops update

Football Insider dropped an update on Villa and Bissouma on Thursday morning after being informed by a recruitment source.

They claim that Villa have made contact with the player’s representatives and have asked to be kept up to date with his situation. Brighton are braced for bids, with Villa willing to spend over £150m on new signings ahead of Gerrard’s first full season in charge.

The Verdict: Midfielders needed

Villa have just six midfielders on the books at this moment in time, two of which are youngsters Jacob Ramsey and Carney Chukwuemeka.

Morgan Sanson is also reportedly set to be let go, so Villa could be short of options if they don’t add to their midfield ranks.

Gerrard has found success in a 4-3-1-2 system in recent months, making central midfield reinforcements crucial, so going after Bissouma in a possible cut-price deal could be a strong starting point in what could be a busy summer.

In other news: ‘I understand…’ – Insider now drops Villa update as Lange makes enquiry to Europa League club. 

Everton’s forward line is one of their most talked-about areas of the team, with a number of talented attackers who represent their countries at international level too.

The injury crisis at Everton has had an adverse effect on the attacking prowess of the side, with both Dominic Calvert Lewin and Richarlison suffering with injuries during the last few months.

Richarlison has now become available for selection after returning from injury, although the Brazilian international was left out of his international squad, he should be available for selection and back to full fitness ahead of the clash with the Premier League Champions today.

One player that did play a big part in his international team during the break, was Anthony Gordon.

The 20-year-old made his debut for England U21s last week in an impressive performance, scoring two goals in 11 minutes for the side.

Rafa Benitez had given the £4.5m-rated gem a first-team start just before the break against Tottenham Hotspur, which will surely have given the young winger a boost in confidence for his international debut.

Gordon has been making waves for a while now, with David Unsworth holding him in particularly high esteem. He once told The Athletic: “His balance sprinting with the ball and his balance going past people is something you don’t see every day. He’s got unbelievable pace and he’s a Scouser too, so he’s tough.”

The Spanish manager has also spoken highly about the young forward, and has remarked on his development and involvement in the team this season;

“Obviously he needs more experience because he is still quite young, but the progress of any young player starts in the head.”

“If he has the right attitude and approach he can be a better player. If you have the talent and quality like he has – and the right approach like he has – you can be better and better.

Gordon can offer fantastic speed in build-up phases of play and these attributes could really work well if he establishes an attacking partnership with Andros Townsend, who currently rotates in the attacking third as either a ten or a winger.

Townsend offers experience and clinical play going forward, offering up five goals and three assists this term. He could really help with developing Gordon’s game in the long run with an opportunity for the Everton prodigy to nail down his positioning and discipline with an experienced attacking partner to work with this season.

Everton are away to Manchester City this afternoon and Gordon will be hoping to take part in causing an upset to steal the three points and climb back into the top half of the table. If he can link up with Townsend effectively, they should be well placed to cause the Citizens issues in defence.

In other news: Jordan Pickford must find England form for Everton…

Aston Villa have seen numerous players make their way through the youth system at the Midlands club and go on to have substantial careers in the Premier League and elsewhere.

In terms of Villa’s current squad, one player that has worked his way through the ranks to make it into the first team is midfielder Jacob Ramsey.

With 65 combined appearances for Villa’s U18 and U23 sides under his belt, the Englishman racked up 24 goals and 11 assists.

He also had a loan spell with Doncaster Rovers back in 2020 where he found the back of the net three times in seven appearances.

The Englishman made his senior debut for the club back in February 2019 in a Championship defeat against West Bromwich Albion under former Villa manager Dean Smith.

Overall, the 20-year-old has now played in 58 senior games for his club and is now a fully-fledged member of Steven Gerrard’s squad. With 29 league appearances made this season, the youngster has scored six goals and provided two assists for his teammates.

As well as this, no other player at the club has made more attempts to put an opponent under pressure (461) on the pitch than Ramsey.

This highlights not only what a useful player he can be for his team in terms of winning the ball back, but also the desire and work ethic he has in him, something that Gerrard surely wants to see from his players.

Additionally, only Tyrone Mings has racked up a higher distance in yards for a player to have moved the ball while controlling it with their feet in any direction.

Once again, this shows what a tricky player Ramsey can be when he’s on the ball, as well as being a hard opponent to play against when he’s not in possession. As well as providing goals, it’s evident just how much he offers in the finer parts of the game.

All of this has seen the player’s transfer value rise considerably. Back in December 2020, Transfermarkt rated the midfielder’s market value at £1.35m, whereas it now stands at a massive £19.8m after a seriously impressive year.

Presumably based on his efforts on the pitch for Villa,

Labelled as a player that “demands attention” by Joe Cole, this highlights just how far the £15k-per-week youth graduate has come in his career.

Ramsey has certainly been a massive positive for the club as a whole and provides a great example for other youth prospects aiming to break into first-team football.

In other news: Source: AVFC’s “difficult” dud could now leave Villa Park, it’s great news for Gerrard

This weekend sees the return of Premier League action with Bruno Lage’s Wolves side set to take on Aston Villa at Villa Park on Saturday.

Their previous league outing saw Wolves pick up all three points in a 2-1 victory against Newcastle United thanks to a brace of goals from Hwang Hee-chan.

On the chalkboard

One player that didn’t start against the Toon that we think should be in the starting XI to face Villa at the weekend is Adama Traore, someone described as a “top player” by Bruno Lage in the past.

Wolves signed Traore back in the 2018 summer transfer window from Championship side Middlesbrough for a fee of £18m.

Since then, the 25-year-old, who is currently valued at £27m according to Transfermarkt, has made a total of 140 appearances for the Old Gold across all competitions, scoring ten goals and providing 18 assists along the way.

So far this season, Traore, who is currently earning a weekly wage of £43k-per-week according to Spotrac, has made an appearance in every game Wolves have had across all competitions, starting their opening five league games of the season, whilst coming on as a substitute in their previous two league fixtures.

Despite not scoring a goal or providing an assist for the Midlands club so far this season, we feel that Traore should return to the starting XI for the match against Villa. After all, he is currently their highest-rated player according to WhoScored for his performances in the league with an overall rating of 7.47/10.

In addition to this, with Traore having racked up a total of seven dribbles per game so far this season in the league, higher than any other Wolves player by some distance, it demonstrates why he simply has to start.

He is a game-changer, amassing two shots and 1.7 key passes per game as well, something that shows how much of an attacking threat he can be and how much of a nuisance he is to opposition defenders.

If you consider how Trincao struggled in the game against Newcastle while playing on the right wing, it makes Traore starting a no-brainer. The former earned a disappointing overall match rating of 6.4/10, making him the lowest-rated Wolves player on the day according to SofaScore.

During the game, he missed a glorious opportunity to score and failed to provide a single key pass.

Consequently, it should make it an easy decision for Lage to put Traore back in the side this weekend.

In other news: Wolves may launch January move for “world-class” 68-cap maestro, he’d fix a big hole – opinion 

Many Aston Villa fans have slammed the performance of Tyrone Mings in their Premier League game with Tottenham Hotspur this afternoon.

The 28-year-old started in Dean Smith’s defence alongside Kortney Hause and Ezri Konsa at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and was culpable of some poor defending for Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg’s opening goal.

The England defender was easily pulled out of position in the build-up and later allowed the Denmark international space and time to slot the ball past Emiliano Martinez and put Nuno Espirito Santo’s side ahead.

As per SofaScore, Mings lost seven of his 16 duels, relinquished possession 17 times, was dribbled past twice and recorded a meagre 67% passing accuracy.

His performance against Spurs comes as a surprise as the Villa captain was instrumental in the recent wins over Everton and Manchester United as they kept clean sheets in both, with the 28-year-old delivering a particularly excellent display against the Toffees.

Aston Villa fans slam Mings’ performance

These Villa fans slammed Mings on Twitter over his performance, with one going as far to claim that the defender had a “stinker” this afternoon.

“If Mings made half of the mistakes for any other club he would have been gone by now”

Credit: @MasonUTFV

“Mings and Ramsey having a shocker.”

Credit: @agentvilla

“Mings is having an absolute stinker so far”

Credit: @jacckkoo1

“Mings out, Botman in”

Credit: @AVFCEnthusiast

“Mings it’s time to go”

Credit: @AstakzR_V2

“If Mings played for any other club he’d be benched immediately”

Credit: @YoungArevalo

In other news, these Villa fans have reacted to red-list update involving their players. Find out more here

Carlton Palmer has warned Newcastle United midfielder Sean Longstaff over joining Everton, worried about the amount of game time he would get over there.

The Toffees and Southampton are interested in signing the midfielder, with Newcastle United slapping a £10million price tag on the 23-year-old.

Longstaff is available for a cut-price fee after entering the final 12 months of his £1,000-per-week contract at St James’ Park.

Benitez, who was appointed as Everton’s new manager in June, is looking to reunite with Longstaff after working with the central midfielder during his stint in charge of the Magpies.

The Spaniard has already linked up with former Newcastle winger Andros Townsend since taking charge at Goodison Park, while Demarai Gray and Asmir Begovic have also sealed switches to Merseyside during the transfer window.

But former Premier League midfielder Palmer believes Longstaff, who has made 71 appearances for Newcastle, may be better off remaining on Tyneside as he would not be a certain starter for Everton.

Palmer exclusively told The Transfer Tavern: “He is a talented young player and I do see him going at some point, but I don’t see that happening just yet.

“He would be crazy to leave Newcastle to go to Everton and sit on the bench. He has got to play because, as a young player, that enhances your reputation.”

Harry Winks could be in line for a surprise recall to the Tottenham Hotspur starting XI this weekend as the north Londoners return to Premier League action in Sunday’s late kick-off against Leeds United.

Spurs have got through the international break relatively unscathed with only Cristian Romero a fresh injury problem but there are doubts over Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg and that could prove troublesome as Oliver Skipp will miss the encounter through suspension.

Antonio Conte may well have to turn to the forgotten Englishman in a desperate bid to field an engine room that can compete with the high levels of intensity and press that Marcelo Bielsa demands from his team.

Without Skipp or Hojbjerg, it seems plausible that Winks is next in line, with players like Dele Alli, Tanguy Ndombele and Giovani Lo Celso more accustomed to an advanced midfield role.

The 25-year-old academy graduate’s time in N17 has gone stale as he now finds himself at a career crossroad – some reports suggest that he’s looking for a temporary exit in January, whilst in the summer, the club were supposedly open to selling him, with a fee of £40m mooted by The Times.

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Winks was once likened to two Spanish legends of the game and described as “perfect” by ex-Spurs boss Mauricio Pochettino during an interview with the Evening Standard.

“Harry has the profile of the perfect midfield player,” he said  “His characteristics are perfect. When we talk about midfielders like Xavi and [Andres] Iniesta, he’s like this type of player. He has this capacity but he needs to take my words in a very positive way — he needs a lot of work.”

That was back in September 2018.

Since then, over the last 18 months, Winks has started just ten times in the Premier League and has fallen out of the England reckoning under Gareth Southgate, with his last appearance being one off the bench during the Three Lions’ 4-0 win over Iceland back in November 2020.

Both Nuno Santo and Jose Mourinho froze him out, as evident above, and whilst he’s only played 17 minutes since the Italian’s arrival earlier this month, the £18m-rated dud could be handed one major lifeline – perhaps his last before January – this weekend.

Winks will need to impress to stand a chance at salvaging his Spurs career.

AND in other news, Conte handed Harry Kane boost as future claim emerges… 

According to journalist Ekrem Konur, West Ham United have made a cut-price offer to sign West Bromwich Albion ace Matheus Pereira this summer.

The Lowdown: West Ham eye Lingard alternative…

A permanent deal for Manchester United attacker Jesse Lingard was on the cards at the start of this window but recent reports indicate that is now unlikely.

As such, West Ham have turned their attention to alternatives in the attacking midfield area and a move for Pereira has been touted in recent weeks.

ExWHUemployee lifted the lid on an enquiry last week with Konur now bringing an update.

The Latest: West Ham make Pereira offer…

As explained by the journalist on Twitter, West Ham have now tabled a bid for Pereira with West Brom’s stance also detailed.

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The Baggies have apparently received a €15m (£12.7m) offer from West Ham for the Brazilian but it is thought that they want around €25 million (£21.2m) if they are let to consider letting him go.

West Ham aren’t the only club chasing a deal for the 25-year-old, either, with Leicester City also firmly on Pereira’s track.

The Verdict: Get it done…

Lauded as a ‘devastating’ player and a potentially ‘huge coup’ for anyone by pundit Kevin Campbell (Football Insider), a move for Pereira could certainly tick many boxes for West Ham.

He may even be worth the £21.2m asking price, especially considering he stood out as key player in a poor West Brom side last season.

Pereira, finishing the 2020/2021 Premier League season as the Baggies’ top scorer (11) and top assist-maker (6), also averaged the most shots on goal per 90 (2) and highest amount of key passes (1.8) out of any West Brom player (WhoScored).

We believe he should be a top, top priority for Moyes this summer.

In other news: ‘Beyond a joke’…West Ham fans fume in response to official club post, find out more here.