It’s been over 50 days since Tottenham Hotspur were last seen competing on the pitch, and with no timeframe on a return, it appears as if manager Jose Mourinho is already preparing ahead for next season.

Over the past month or so, the north Londoners have been linked to just about every defender imaginable and that’s continued yet again this week, leaving supporters discussing another possibility.

Cameo Clubs: Which obscure teams did these football legends play for?

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According to Guillem Balague, Spurs are keen on Barcelona right-back Nelson Semedo but are yet to put in an official offer for him. Speaking in a recent Q&A on YouTube, the Spanish expert said: “What Spurs want is a right-back. They asked for Semedo, again somebody that is for sale at Barcelona but no offer has been received.”

Sport, however, claim the Portuguese international could be joining Premier League rivals Manchester City with Joao Cancelo possibly going the other way. They also believe the La Liga giants would like €45m (£39m) for his services.

Semedo is a player that has divided opinion amongst the Spurs faithful, here’s what people have been saying about the fresh reports…

AND in other news, Spurs can finally replace Mousa Dembele with this summer addition…

Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsShane Watson’s 46 laid the foundation for a strong total•Associated Press

A blistering stand of 75 between Moises Henriques and Steve Smith towards the end of the innings was the difference, as Sydney Sixers’ 185 was enough to keep out Chennai Super Kings in a high-scoring contest at the Wanderers. Henriques made telling blows on the field as well, as his three middle-order wickets derailed Super Kings’ chase just as the asking rate started reducing. Suresh Raina threatened with an attacking half-century, but the lack of support at the other end hurt Super Kings’ chances.Shane Watson gave the Sixers a rousing start after they were put in to bat, and Chennai’s spinners hit back with wickets, but none of the bowlers were spared once the Smith-Henriques pair came together.Watson was harsh on anything short, and he made R Ashwin and Jadeja pay by cracking sixes over the on side. Only a run-out could have ended Watson’s stay and he fell in that manner four short of a fifty. He attempted a risky second run but wasn’t quick enough for Ben Hilfenhaus’ fiery throw from deep cover, which hit the stumps on the half volley.The spinners pulled things back for Chennai after Watson’s departure. R Ashwin struck twice in an over, removing Brad Haddin and Nic Maddinson as they tried to push the scoring. It wasn’t the worst thing to happen to the Sixers, though, as it brought Smith and Henriques together. The pair began by bashing two boundaries down the ground off the part-time leg spin of Faf du Plessis and from that point on, an above-par score looked possible. The bowlers hemorrhaged 61 off the last four overs, which included eight fours and three sixes. Bollinger and Hilfenhaus, who were held back for the final overs, came in for some stick as the pair of Smith and Hilfenhaus muscled boundaries and played some cheeky ramp shots to exploit the infield.Super Kings got off to a circumspect start, limping to 7 for 1 after three overs. Du Plessis gave the chase a push with a flurry of boundaries through the off side, charging the fast bowlers to unsettle their rhythm, in particular Pat Cummins. Cummins had the last laugh, though, when du Plessis advanced down the track to launch a straight six but couldn’t clear long-on.Sixers captain Brad Haddin risked introducing his spinners when Suresh Raina walked in. Raina targeted his favourite cow-corner region against the left-arm spin of Steve O’Keefe and was also alert to put away the length offerings from the seamers. The bowlers didn’t exploit Raina’s weakness against the short ball and with every Raina boundary, the game was Sixers’ to lose.Like they had done with the bat, the Henriques-Smith pairing proved decisive, this time in the field. Raina aimed for the long-on boundary off Henriques’ medium pace, but Smith took a well-judged catch at the edge of the rope. Henriques struck two balls later with MS Dhoni’s wicket and that had all but sealed the game for Sixers, with 44 needed off the last three overs.

Manchester United may broker a swap deal with Juventus to see Romelu Lukaku and Paolo Dybala switch teams according to the Mirror, and the move would suit United down to the ground.

Since joining United from Everton in 2017 for £84m Lukaku’s form has been hit and miss to say the least. He finished last season on 16 goals in 34 appearances and this season he’s scored just eight goals in 23. His habit of going missing in big games and poor technical ability have been picked up on by United fans consistently.

On paper, he’s the perfect Jose Mourinho striker and appears a carbon copy of Chelsea legend Didier Drogba, but the lack of defensive stability stunted Mourinho’s ability to attack and that was reflected in Lukaku’s up-front isolation. The opportunity to fix that has gone, so with Ole Gunnar Soslkjaer now in charge, the new and dynamic style of play renders him surplus to requirements.

Juventus’ Paolo Dybala couldn’t be more different to the Belgian. He’s fast, can play as an attacking midfielder and right across the front line and makes intelligent runs deep as a well as forward – things Lukaku just doesn’t do.

That isn’t as much of a criticism of United’s striker as it sounds because that’s just not the type of forward he is, but the problem for him is that’s the type of forward United now need.

The 25-year-old has only scored three times and assisted eight in 21 appearances for Juventus this season, but his contribution lies deeper than just his basic statistics. Whoever the manager of Man United will be next season, it’s clear a return to an attacking style with fast-paced, fluid link-up between the striker and wingers is desired.

Transfermarkt value the Argentinian at £96m and Lukaku at £74m, so the deal seems financially sensible too. On the pitch, Juventus may need someone of Lukaku’s stature and one-versus-one presence, but United don’t anymore. It’s just a sign of the times.

Do you think United should swap Lukaku for Dybala?

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Dedryck Boyata could give Celtic a welcome injury boost by returning to face Hibs on Wednesday night after missing the Scottish champions’ last four matches.

Sunday’s win at St. Johnstone was a costly one for Brendan Rodgers with Mikael Lustig, James Forrest, Ryan Christie and Odsonne Edouard joining the list of the walking wounded.

Lustig’s Achilles injury made it a clean sweep of the first-choice back four with Boyata, Filip Benkovic and Kieran Tierney already sidelined.

Benkovic has been ruled out for at least another month but Chris Davies was able to deliver some good news on the fitness of his defensive partner.

“Boyata trained today having been out for a couple of weeks,” the Celtic assistant said, as quoted by The Evening Times. “We’ll see how he reacts to that and then see what his availability is like for Wednesday night.

“As he’s been injured for a couple of weeks we’ll have to see. He’d a slight groin issue so we’d [need] to get that right.”

Celtic fans will have to wait until 6.30pm to find out if Boyata is fit to make his second appearance since the turn of the year, teaming up with Jozo Simunovic in the centre of defence.

Jack Hendry or Nir Bitton are the other options available for the visit of Hibs, with either likely to be capable of keeping the Edinburgh side at bay.

Next week’s Europa League tie with Valencia is a different matter. The return of Boyata and any of the injured stars is desperately needed if the Hoops are to stand a chance of reaching the last 16 of the competition.

Despite having lost all of their last three matches in the Premier League, Everton will head into Tuesday night’s match with Cardiff City as slight favourites after Neil Warnock’s men were hammered 5-1 by Watford this past weekend.

Everton probably preferred having the weekend off to regroup as a team ahead of the match at the Cardiff City Stadium.

Marco Silva’s men dominated proceedings at Watford last weekend but suffered defeat thanks to an Andre Gray goal in the second-half.

But, one big positive that the manager could’ve taken from the match with the Hornets was the short but clinical performance by substitute Dominic Calvert-Lewin, who replaced Gylfi Sigurdsson in the 74th minute.

The change saw Calvert-Lewin and Cenk Tosun play together for the first time in quite a while. And, Calvert-Lewin immediately made his presence felt as Everton pressed high up the pitch, hoping to snatch a late equaliser.

Silva has struggled to find his best combinations so far this season and has been rotating his team quite regularly in recent matches.

Playing Calvert-Lewin and Tosun together, as two strikers, could give the team a significant boost.

Indeed, this new solution may just be the answer to the Toffees’ recent attacking woes, with a successful trial in their next game against Cardiff City possibly being the first step to launching Everton into the European places.

Silva dropped Bernard to the bench for the match against his former team and started Sigurdsson on the left wing, with Tom Davies operating in the middle.

A change in formation might be more accommodating if both Calvert-Lewin and Tosun start on Tuesday, which would present Everton with a new and exciting tactical shift.

It could also present more chances for crosses to be whipped into the box, while Calvert-Lewin has shown in the past that he has the pace to cause opposition defenders problems.

Tosun could assist Calvert-Lewin, with his shooting accuracy and ability to create space possibly proving too much for a very vulnerable Cardiff defence to handle.

حقق فريق سموحة فوزًا صعبًا على حساب منافسه المصري البورسعيدي بنتيجة 2-0 في المباراة التي جمعت بينهما ضمن منافسات الدوري الممتاز.

وتواجه سموحة أمام المصري في اللقاء الذي يجمع بينهما ضمن منافسات الجولة 28 على أرضية ملعب استاد الدفاع الجوي بالإسكندرية.

وسجل صلاح محسن الهدف لصالح سموحة في الدقيقة 46 من عمر المباراة بينما أضاف ناصر ماهر الهدف الثاني في الدقيقة 91.

وشهدت المباراة حالة من الجدل والاعتراض للاعبي والجهاز الفني لفريق المصري، بسبب تصدي الهاني سليمان لكرة خطيرة كانت على وشك تخطي خط المرمى.

وبهذه النتيجة ارتفع رصيد سموحة للنقطة 39 في المركز الخامس بجدول ترتيب الدوري، بينما تجمد رصيد المصري عند النقطة 29 في المركز الثالث عشر.

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Newcastle fans have taken to Twitter to react after The Chronicle revealed that talks are underway over the signing of Benfica defensive midfielder Andreas Samaris, who would join the club on loan if a deal were to materialise.

The 29-year-old is a player of some pedigree, having played for the Greek national team for many years now, and would be a welcome addition to a squad in desperate need of fresh faces to give them a boost in their battle for survival. Samaris is an excellent passer of the ball and poses a threat from set pieces.

Be sure to check out the incredible story of the man who rose from a Tanzanian refugee camp to become one of Australia’s biggest football stars in the video below…

The Tynesiders have until 11pm on Thursday to wrap up some deals that they desperately need, as well as ones that would ensure that their Spanish boss remains at the club having grown tired at Mike Ashley’s reluctance to back him in the market, as per The Daily Mail.

Let’s see how the club’s fans reacted to the news on Twitter…

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Crystal Palace fans have taken to Twitter in excited fashion after it was revealed that the Eagles would take on lower league opposition in Doncaster Rovers away from home in the FA Cup fifth round, as per cpfc.co.uk.

Roy Hodgson’s side booked their place in the draw with an excellent 2-0 win over Tottenham Hotspur at Selhurst Park on Sunday, and will be pleased to have avoided the likes of Manchester City, Manchester United and Chelsea as their chances of progressing further in the competition look very good.

The League One side cannot be underestimated and have done extremely well to get this far, but Palace supporters are desperate for a successful cup run to put to bed their lingering demons having lost in the final to Manchester United as recently as 2016.

Which player with “no potential” has just been named Crystal Palace’s worst ever January signing? Find out in the video below…

As many of the club’s supporters would tell you Palace are more than good enough to stay in the Premier League, and they saw what was almost a second string side including the likes of Connor Wickham, Joel Ward, Julian Speroni, Martin Kelly and Scott Dann dispatch Spurs with ease.

Let’s take a look at how the fans reacted on Twitter following the draw…

Leeds United still find themselves in a commanding position at this moment in time, despite their recent result, so there’s all the more reason to be positive. 

The Whites will need to be at their best if they are to get the better of Middlesbrough on Saturday, with a win or a draw taking them to the top of the table until Norwich play their game.

However, the Yorkshire club’s recent defeat at the hands of Norwich City raised a few alarm bells at Elland Road, as they looked less than convincing in front of home support.

Marcelo Bielsa only decided to bring in Kiko Casilla back in the January transfer window as a late deal for Daniel James ended up collapsing. And, it’s safe to say that missing out on targets could come back to bite the Whites from here on in until the end of the season, with injuries possibly taking their toll.

One player who Leeds United were linked with was Fulham’s Stefan Johansen, who ended up joining West Brom.

Of course, it came as a big blow for supporters when Johansen joined the Baggies, but fans can still dream of what might have been had they gone the extra mile to secure his services.

Leeds currently have the likes of Mateusz Klich, Kalvin Phillips and Adam Forshaw in the middle of midfield, with Klich being the only player that really offers something moving forward. Johansen has the ability to make a huge impact in all areas of the field, which is something that’s very hard to find, so he would have been a valuable asset.

Johansen would have lightened the load on Pablo Hernandez’s shoulders by helping create in the final third, as well as producing goals, with experience of securing promotion last year. Samu Saiz was the attacking spark that really made Leeds tick when he was at his best, so it comes as some surprise that Bielsa didn’t go all out to sign Johansen.

It’s safe to say that the Norwegian, who is valued at £3.6 million (by Transfermarkt), would’ve brought Leeds’ Premier League dream one step closer, as his skill, dribbling and ability to pick a defence-splitting pass makes him almost impossible to defend against, with Kemar Roofe thriving off balls in behind the opposition’s defence.

Leeds United fans – thoughts on whether you should have signed Johansen?

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Liverpool have announced their starting XI against West Ham United, with Jordan Henderson and Dejan Lovren ruled out.

Georginio Wijnaldum is also injured, leading to a selection headache for Jurgen Klopp.

Alisson starts in goal, while James Milner deputises at right-back in the absence of Trent Alexander-Arnold and Joe Gomez.

Centre-backs Joel Matip and Virgil van Dijk continue at the heart of defence, while Andrew Robertson plays at left-back.

Former Wigan & Fulham man, Jimmy Bullard recently showed that he’s still got it! Check out the video below…

Adam Lallana is restored to the starting XI for the first time since the 4-1 win over Cardiff City in October, and will play alongside Naby Keita and Fabinho in midfield.

The usual front three of Sadio Mane, Mohamed Salah and Roberto Firmino continue up front as Liverpool look to stretch their lead at the top of the table to five points at the London Stadium.

And Reds fans have reacted with shock at Klopp’s decision to start Lallana in midfield in east London, with many bashing the manager for keeping faith with the English international…