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Tottenham Hotspur have one final game before Christmas as they welcome Premier League rivals West Ham United to north London for a Carabao Cup quarter-final.

And with a place in the last four up for grabs, it leaves manager Antonio Conte with plenty to ponder in terms of team selection.

Last time out, the Lilywhites were held to a 2-2 draw to ten-man Liverpool, whilst they defeated Burnley and Wolves to make it this far in the competition.

The Italian head coach has a largely fully-fit squad to choose from, so it will be interesting to see what decisions he may make ahead of kick-off, particularly with his midfield, where a rarely-seen trio of Dele Alli, Harry Winks and Tanguy Ndombele all featured on Sunday.

It’s the latter who could make way, surprisingly, as he was the most underwhelming of the three players, who all had a point to prove to Conte.

He was not only the first player to be substituted, coming off for Oliver Skipp in the 64th minute, but he too was their third lowest-rated player (6.4) as the French dynamo struggled to have much of an influence on the game.

Yes, he provided an assist for Harry Kane’s opener but as explained by the Evening Standard’s Dan Kilpatrick, he was otherwise ‘largely a passenger’ who offered ‘little defensively’ and more than once was caught ‘overplaying in dangerous positions.’

Across his hour on the pitch, Ndombele managed only 11 passes and 30 touches, which shows that he was barely involved. For further context, goalkeeper Hugo Lloris managed more in both regards, and he’s stood between the sticks all game, not in an advanced midfield role.

Once dubbed a “world-beater” and “unplayable” by former Spurs shot-stopper Joe Hart to BT Sport’s Rio Ferdinand (via football.london), the £26m-rated maestro is surely in line for the axe tonight.

Meanwhile, Spurs’ embarrassing defeat to NS Mura last month saw ex-midfielder Jamie O’Hara dub the £55m man “absolutely shocking”, which only goes to show his vastly-contrasting performances in Spurs’ colours.

Conte cannot afford to carry someone in a game of his nature. Having been knocked out of the UEFA Europa Conference League, this tournament could be the north Londoners’ only genuine chance of silverware, so it must be taken seriously.

As such, the 52-year-old must be ruthless with the club’s inconsistent club-record signing. He must be dropped this evening.

AND in other news, Imagine him and Dier: Spurs eyeing swoop for £45m-rated “top player”, Conte “wants” him…

According to journalist Paolo Bargiggia, West Ham United transfer target Nikola Milenkovic could be available for a fee of just €10m (£8.6m) this summer.

The Lowdown: Hammers eye Milenkovic

West Ham are reportedly heavily interested in signing the Fiorentina defender this summer (Hammers News via Juve Live).

There has now been a positive update provided on the Irons’ pursuit of the Serbia international.

The Latest: West Ham set for bargain fee

It has been said that West Ham could receive a huge discount for to the centre-back.

He is currently valued at £22.5m by Transfermarkt but, as per Bargiggia, he could be available for a fee of just €10m (£8.6m) – that would represent a discount of 55.6% on his market value.

The Verdict: Get it done

There should now be no doubt in the minds of David Moyes and co – they must get this deal done. For such a fee, they will struggle find a better deal this summer. Since making the move to Fiorentina in 2017, Milenkovic has made 133 appearances for the club in all competitions (Transfermarkt) – in the last three campaigns, he has missed just seven league matches.

The 23-year-old has even been compared to Serbian compatriot Nemanja Vidic, who enjoyed an illustrious career with Manchester United (ESPN). Of course, there is no guarantee he will match that level of success, but even if he turned out to be half the player the 39-year-old proved to be, he would be a top signing for West Ham.

In other news, many West Ham fans want the club to sign this striker.

Graham Roberts has exclusively told Football FanCast that there’s a possibility Tottenham’s final-day trip to Leicester could become a straight shootout for the Champions League.

Spurs are currently seven points behind the Foxes with just four games remaining, but they face trips to both Old Trafford and Stamford Bridge prior to their final-day showdown at the King Power Stadium.

Meanwhile, Ryan Mason’s Tottenham have a far kinder fixture list with home games against Aston Villa and Wolves, who seemingly have little to play for, following Saturday’s visit to Leeds.

Both Liverpool and West Ham remain heavily involved in the fight for top four, but Roberts believes that should Spurs take maximum points from their next three games before beating Leicester two weeks on Sunday, it could be enough to see them qualify for the Champions League.

But before Tottenham arrive at Elland Road, they could find themselves 10 points adrift of the Foxes, who host Newcastle on the Friday Night Football.

However, just like 12 months ago, Roberts has hinted at the possibility of another Leicester collapse.

He told Football FanCast:

“Manchester United, Chelsea and us, that is not easy. I think, if we win our three games before them, I think whoever wins that game could be in the Champions League.

“But, saying that, West Ham are still hanging in there, so it’s going to be tight.

“I think Leicester need to beat Newcastle, and they’re at home, so they should beat them. I think they might lose out again because of the three games they’ve got left.”

Wolverhampton Wanderers are said to be eyeing a move for Benfica winger Rafa Silva this summer.

What’s the word?

That is according to A Bola (via Sport Witness), who believe Wolves are the “most concrete” club in pursuit of the 28-year-old.

The 25-cap Portugal winger’s contract expires in 2024, though a figure of €50 million (£42m) quoted by Jeunesfooteux could be enough to convince the Lisbon-based side to cut ties with Silva.

A source of goals

Silva is a versatile forward and has proven himself as a goalscorer throughout his six-year stint at Benfica, with 94 strikes in total throughout his professional club career.

He is the antithesis of Barcelona loanee Francisco Trincao, who has failed to set the world alight at Molineux.

In fact, their stats this season are almost incomparable, with Silva enjoying a much more fruitful spell in the opponent’s final third, on a much more consistent basis.

28-year-old Silva, who has been described as “exceptional” by host Jack Collins via Twitter, has 16 assists.

In contrast, Trincao has just eight during his final season at Braga in the 2019/20 campaign.

Silva’s calibre as a forward offers Wolves an option to completely level up their attack and serves as a more direct variant, operating in a similar fashion to a striker.

His passing stats paint a picture of his straight to the point style, as he tends to progress the ball through dribbling, rather than passing, with his average of 19 passes completed per 90 on the lower end of the percentile in comparison to positionally similar players across the top 5 leagues.

His performance in the first leg of the Champions League against Liverpool will have made Lage sit up and take notice, as the Portugal-man bagged an assist in his side’s 3-1 defeat.

This is not a surprise, as his 15 assists in Liga Portugal is a league-leading total. Based on the above, he’d certainly be an exciting signing in the Midlands.

In other news: £36m-rated “serious talent” who Wolves need drops a major hint on his future, supporters will be buzzing…

Tottenham Hotspur got back to winning ways before the international break, seeing off Aston Villa to move back into top-six contention but they can count their lucky stars that a former target wasn’t available to haunt them.

That, of course, being Jack Grealish.

The England sensation has emerged as one of the best players in the Premier League right now, though it could’ve been an all too different story had Spurs secured his signature nearly three years ago.

According to The Sun, Lilywhites chairman Daniel Levy had an opportunity to sign the attacker for just £6m as Villa, then cash-strapped fighting the prospect of administration and in the Championship, were willing to sell him to garner some desperate funds.

This is where the tough-negotiator let his greatest strength quickly become Spurs’ greatest mistake in recent times. Levy believed he could secure Grealish for £1m to £2m cheaper, so he boarded the plane for the club’s pre-season trip to Los Angeles mulling over the move.

By the time he landed, Villa had been sold to billionaires Nassef  Sawiris and Wes Edens, who quickly slapped an asking price of £40m on his head.

That has turned out to be a ghastly error, with the 25-year-old dynamo a shoo-in to feature for England at the summer’s European Championship on home soil.

Despite Villa battling relegation last season, Grealish still created the second-highest number of chances (91) in the Premier League. He was only second to Man City superstar Kevin De Bruyne (136) and ahead of the likes of Trent Alexander-Arnold (87), Willian (76) and Mo Salah (61). No Spurs player made the top ten, as per Squawka.

He has continued this fine form, ranking as the Premier League’s second-best player (7.73) as per WhoScored ratings, behind Harry Kane (7.78). Grealish has the same number of assists as Bruno Fernandes (ten) and only sits behind Kane and De Bruyne for that aspect, too.

Ahead of the January transfer window at the start of the year, the Midlands outfit quite rightly slapped a £100m price tag on his signature, as per the reliable Matt Law at the Telegraph, which would make him the most expensive British player of all time if anyone wants to pay it.

That number will surely only be rising as the season rumbles on, especially with him due back from injury after the break.

Comparisons to former Spurs great Paul Gascoigne and many a glowing endorsement ranging from being dubbed a “monster” by Joe Cole to being lauded “absolutely outstanding” by England boss Gareth Southgate, will only have Levy even more gutted, and perhaps even a little bitter.

Whether Grealish would’ve had this rise if he joined Spurs in 2018 remains to be seen, but it certainly seems to be the case that the north Londoners missed out big time.

They will surely forever regret that ghastly call from Levy.

AND in other news, Levy surely licking his lips over Spurs “monster”, his value has doubled since 2017…

An update has emerged on midfielder Dennis Adeniran, regarding Sunderland’s interest in his services.

What’s the talk?

According to Yorkshire Live, Sunderland are one of the clubs interested in signing Dennis Adeniran on a free transfer following his exit from Premier League side Everton. Blackpool, Luton, Hull and Sheffield Wednesday are also said to be keen on the midfielder.

The report claims that Sheffield Wednesday have already held talks with the 22-year-old over a move to Hillsborough and Darren Moore’s team are currently leading the race for his signature ahead of the Black Cats as it stands.

He won’t cost a penny

Kristjaan Speakman must swoop for the out-of-contract midfielder this summer to bolster Lee Johnson’s squad. Adeniran was released by Everton earlier this month and will not cost a penny in transfer fees, which means that Sunderland can avoid needing to spend a decent chunk of money to bring him to the club and will only need to worry about his wage demands.

This could free up funds for them to pursue players in other positions to bolster their squad, as they do not have to take any money out of what they are budgeting to spend on transfer fees.

Adeniran could be a good addition to Johnson’s squad ahead of the 2021/22 campaign given he was playing at a higher standard earlier this year. Adeniran spent last season on loan at Wycombe in the Championship and Gareth Ainsworth hailed him as an “exciting” talent

He told Wycombe’s official website:

“Dennis is an exciting young talent who has all the attributes to become a really important player for us this season.

“He’s a really energetic, box-to-box midfielder, and comes here eager to learn and develop his game, which we believe he can do just like many other young loanees who’ve joined us early in their careers.”

The £2.4k-per-week beast played 21 matches in the Championship for Wycombe as they narrowly missed out on survival in the final weeks of the campaign. He showed off his combative streak in the second tier as he averaged 2.6 tackles and interceptions per game in midfield, whilst also completing one dribble per game. This shows that he was able to break up opposition attacks and then move the ball in transition, which could make him a valuable asset in Johnson’s midfield in League One.

Therefore, Speakman needs to act swiftly and seal a swoop for the free agent to stop Sheffield Wednesday from winning the race. The Owls may be in front at the minute but that should not stop Sunderland from being able to swoop in, as nothing is over until he puts pen to paper on a deal.

AND in other news, Speakman dealt a blow over 21 y/o with “bright future”, Sunderland fans will be gutted…

Everton haven’t been afraid to spend vast sums of money over the last few years and with Rafa Benitez now at the helm, that isn’t expected to change.

The Toffees hierarchy have promised him money to spend, presumably as one of the terms of his appointment.

What’s the word?

Everton have been linked with a number of defenders since the transfer window opened with Denzel Dumfries on their radar and Ben White catching their attention.

The latter could join in a deal worth up to £55m but their spending isn’t likely to stop there.

The Merseyside club have been linked with a move for Norwich’s Max Aarons in recent months as they try to provide competition to Seamus Coleman.

Speaking to This is Futbol last weekend, former Everton striker Marcus Bent gave his assessment on any potential deal.

He said: “I think as a 21-year-old, he [Aarons] still has a lot of learning to do.

“He knows Coleman is there, but if the club have spoken to him and said ‘that’s your place when Coleman moves on’, I think he would be happy with that.”

Imagine him & White

If Everton can secure a deal for the two young Englishman then their defence could be set up for years to come.

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The Toffees didn’t struggle for goals with Dominic Calvert-Lewin leading the line last term but they were inconsistent from a defensive point of view.

They shipped five strikes on the final day of the campaign as Manchester City ran riot at the Etihad while Mason Holgate was guilty of numerous mistakes towards the end of the season.

As such, a defensive quartet of Lucas Digne, Ben Godfrey, White and Aarons is mouth-watering for Everton supporters.

White is a wonderful ball-playing centre-half while Aarons, who may cost £30m, would provide a rampant set of traits on the right-hand side of defence.

Described as “outstanding” by Canaries boss Daniel Farke, the youngster is a fabulous attacking full-back. He contributed to four goals in the Championship last season and provided 1.4 key passes per match.

On top of that, Aarons was adept at beating his marker, completing 1.4 dribbles per game.

If we compare those numbers to the players already at Goodison Park, it makes for impressive reading. Only Lucas Digne and James Rodriguez were more creative while only Alex Iwobi, Richarlison and James managed more successful take-ons per match.

Considering Aarons is a defensive player by nature, those numbers bode well for the future of their right-hand side.

Coleman has just a year left remaining on his deal at Goodison so after 12 months under Aarons’ belt, the Norwich star should be ready to fill in permanently.

AND in other news, Forget Gordon: Rafa must seal Everton move for “remarkable” £13m “serious talent”…

James Milner has praised his former club Leeds United ahead of the Whites’ Premier League clash with Liverpool.

Marcelo Bielsa’s side are back in action on Monday night, welcoming the outgoing champions to Elland Road in what could be a thrilling encounter.

Both teams are famed for their attack-minded nature, serving up a 4-3 thriller at Anfield on the opening day of the season, so it would be a surprise if their meeting tonight ended up being a drab affair.

Milner will come up against his boyhood club, potentially starting in the Reds midfield, as he continues to perform at the highest level at the age of 35.

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Milner hails Leeds ahead of Liverpool clash

On Sunday, the Englishman took to Twitter to speak about the difficulty of the match for Liverpool, saying: ‘Ready to go for a difficult away trip against a good team’.

Milner added that there is ‘an important 3 points up for grabs’ as Jurgen Klopp’s side battle for a top four finish this season.

Transfer Tavern take

There is every chance that Milner will start against his old team, having been on from the outset in Liverpool’s last two league games, and Bielsa may actually see him as a potential weakness to target.

Despite his enduring quality, the midfielder is now an ageing player and Leeds’ intensity could prove to be too much for him, even though his fitness levels remain admirable.

If he plays, it will be interesting to see how he fares against such a relentless Whites team on what could be an emotional night for him back at Elland Road.

In other news, an update has been provided on Leeds’ potential quest to sign a Premier League forward this summer. Find out who it is here.

Carlton Palmer has told Football FanCast that he thought Nuno Espirito Santo was nailed on to become the Tottenham manager following his shock departure from Wolves last week.

Just 48 hours before the Premier League season finished, the Portuguese made a surprise announcement that he’ll be leaving the Midlands outfit after four years.

Santo was then almost immediately backed into the favourite for the Spurs job, although Alasdair Gold confirmed that he’s not a candidate to replace his compatriot, Jose Mourinho.

Countless names have been linked with the vacancy in N17, with the likes of Roberto Martinez, Antonio Conte and even Mauricio Pochettino all being reportedly considered, although it doesn’t appear that Spurs are any closer to naming Mourinho’s successor.

But one man it won’t be is Santo despite taking Wolves from the Championship to the top-seven in the Premier League and then quarter finals of the Europa League, much to the confusion of Palmer.

He told Football FanCast:

“I am still quite bemused as to why Nuno left Wolves. Why has he stepped down? There’s no reasons why he stepped down, I thought he 100 per cent stepped down because he was in with a shout for the Spurs job.

“But there will be a lot of people linked with the Spurs situation, and anybody will be honoured to be linked with Spurs, it’s a massive club.”

As relayed by Tottenham Hotspur’s official website, manager Nuno Espirito Santo could welcome back summer signing Cristian Romero, with a return against Chelsea today not ruled out for the 23-year-old.

The Lowdown: Croatia three back in London…

After their international debacle, returning from a 10-day training camp in Croatia to maintain fitness levels, it appears that Romero, Giovani Lo Celso and Davinson Sanchez are back in the English capital.

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The South American trio have been unable to return to Spurs after joining up with their red-listed countries, with Spurs sending them to Croatia in an attempt to avoid them having to quarantine in a UK-based hotel (Evening Standard).

The Latest: Spurs drop pre-Chelsea injury message…

Relaying some injury news ahead of the Chelsea clash, it appears that Romero and his fellow South Americans could now come into contention to feature today following their stint abroad, as per an update from Spurs’ official website.

While their inclusion still needs to be assessed, Nuno could be boosted by the return of his Argentine summer signing in particular, refusing to rule him out from featuring this afternoon.

Spurs’ report claimed that Romero, alongside Lo Celso and Sanchez, ‘may come into frame’ for today’s highly-anticipated clash against their bitter London rivals and Champions League holders.

The Verdict: Huge boost…

Potentially having the 2020/21 Serie A MVP award winner as the league’s best defender back in his side will come as a huge boost for Nuno, especially considering that Romero is yet to show his very best and could decide to turn it on against Chelsea.

Lauded as ‘phenomenal’ by Serie A journalist Conor Clancy (via This is Futbol), the 23-year-old would come as a stellar defensive option to cope with the pace and power of Romelu Lukaku. It’s no coincidence that, in Romero’s absence over the last week, Spurs shipped five goals over their two matches against Crystal Palace and Rennes.

In other news: Spurs request now advanced to sign ‘invaluable’ player, Paratici ready to meet demands…find out more here.