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According to a report by the Guardian, Tottenham Hotspur have held a conversation with former FC Schalke boss Ralf Rangnick – but it’s ‘unclear’ whether talks were regarding the manager’s job or a director’s position.

The Lowdown: Rangnick on the candidate list

The 62-year-old has been loosely touted as an option over this last month, with the Athletic reporting back in late April that Spurs could indeed turn to Rangnick as credible candidate.

Reliable reporter Christian Falk (via Sport Witness) even claimed that Rangnick was offered the Spurs manager’s job and has held talks with both Manchester United and Everton in past seasons – so he’s no stranger to Premier League discussions.

The Latest: Tottenham hold Rangnick talks

Bringing the latest, the Guardian state there has been a conversation between Spurs and Rangnick – but it remains unclear whether the talks were regarding the managerial vacancy or a director’s position.

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They relay that the search for a new manager rumbles on but insist Rangnick has indeed been contacted.

As well as Rangnick, they believe Bayern Munich boss Hansi Flick has also had talks with Tottenham.

The Verdict: Credible option for Spurs

While it is unclear whether this conversation was over the managerial vacancy, we believe that he more than stands out as a very credible candidate to become the next Lilywhites boss.

Having won two Austrian league titles with Red Bull Salzburg and three major trophies at Schlake (Transfermarkt), Rangnick isn’t exactly short of experience when it comes to winning silverware.

Lauded as a ‘perfectionist’ by former RB Leipzig striker Yussuf Poulsen (ESPN), the Independent claimed back in 2019 that Rangnick was interested in succeeding Mauricio Pochettino at Spurs.

He has been credited as a huge influence on some of the biggest managerial names in football, including Jurgen Klopp and Thomas Tuchel (ESPN).

Dubbed the godfather of gegenpressing, we believe Rangnick and Tottenham are a match made in heaven.

In other news: Tottenham could lose this ‘magnificent’ star, it’s not Kane…find out more here.

Fabio Paratici could truly kickstart the Antonio Conte era at Tottenham Hotspur with an audacious swoop for Mattijs de Ligt this winter…

What’s the word?

Spurs have been linked with a move for the Juventus centre-back in recent weeks, with Football Insider suggesting that the 22-year-old is on the radar of the Italian supremo ahead of the upcoming transfer window.

It’s thought that the Lilywhites sporting director believes a deal could be viable for de Ligt in January and that manager Antonio Conte is keen to bolster his three-man defence with at least one ‘top-class’ central defender.

According to ex-Leeds striker Noel Whelan to the same outlet, the 31-cap Dutch star would be a “massive signing” for Spurs following Cristian Romero’s injury blow and doubts over Eric Dier’s suitability in defence.

It remains to be seen how much Juventus would command for their young centre-back, though Transfermarkt value him at £63m.

Conte’s statement signing

De Ligt really would be a major coup for Spurs and one that would really signal the club’s intentions under a trophy-laden manager like Conte. He has no fewer than nine honours, including last season’s Serie A title, as well as a Premier League and FA Cup.

He’s a born-winner but must be backed in the transfer market, as seen by the vast majority of his recent managerial roles – for instance, he spent over £300m on 12 players, to varying degrees of success. N’Golo Kante and Antonio Rudiger have been two huge success stories and both remain at the club to this day.

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Spurs currently have one of the worst defensive records in the Premier League. No team ranked 16th or better has a worse goal difference and that’s hardly a surprise as there have not been too many reinforcements to a backline that was ever so error-prone last season.

With Conte wanting to deploy a back-three, it would make sense for him to target additions in the position and they really should look no further than de Ligt – just as Whelan claims, it would be massive for the club and squad.

He is currently Massimiliano Allegri’s fourth-best performer in the Italian top-flight, managing an average WhoScored rating of 6.85, which is better than seasoned veterans Leonardo Bonucci and Giorgio Chiellini.

The youngster’s agent, Mino Raiola, believes he’s like an “oil tanker” in defence as “he can’t be stopped”, whilst European football expert Carlo Garganese once described him as an “absolute monster.”

Standing at 6 foot 2, with very strong ball-playing and physical qualities, de Ligt could be a game-changing and statement signing for the north Londoners.

His arrival would send shockwaves to the rest of the league that Spurs are ‘back.’

AND in other news, Conte can save ENIC millions with “talented” teen Spurs prodigy who’s shades of Varane…

As per 90min, Aston Villa sporting director Johan Lange appears to be eyeing a fresh transfer pursuit ahead of January as he aims to bolster Steven Gerrard’s options.

The Lowdown: Gerrard era begins…

The sacking of Dean Smith brought forward a new era at Villa Park with Premier League big name and SPFL title-winning boss Gerrard taking to the helm.

As Liverpool’s club legend takes on his first ever first team managerial role in the English top flight, he has been linked with possible raids in the winter window in an effort to reshape the squad.

Indeed, the forward positions in particular appear to be taking priority going by recent claims, with Spanish outlet Fichajes claiming Gerrard has personally requested Rangers star Ianis Hagi.

Meanwhile, Villa and Lange have also been tipped with a move for South American striker Julian Alvarez as the Argentine sensation dazzles with impressive form.

The Latest: Lange now eyeing Barbosa move…

As per 90min and transfer ‘insider’ Graeme Bailey, Aston Villa, and by extension sporting director Lange who is known for the club’s transfer activity, are weighing a move for Flamengo star Gabriel Barbosa.

The former Inter Milan striker is said to be attracting Villa’s interest with Gerrard’s side now among a plethora of Premier League teams ‘considering a bid’.

As Barbosa actively seeks a move away in January, with this report claiming he is ready to push for a move, it is also believed that the player’s agents are ‘actively looking at his options’ behind the scenes.

The Verdict: Ideal option?

If Villa want to add more forward depth for Gerrard, they couldn’t do much better than the 25-year-old in terms of electric form.

Indeed, Barbosa has bagged a prolific 29 goals across 2021 for Flamengo in all competitions, certainly demonstrating his killer instinct in front of goal after a spell to forget at Inter.

As he eyes a move back to Europe, the player may have emerged as a solid option for Lange and Villa ahead of January and it is believed Barbosa could depart his current club for a fee ‘in excess of £30 million’.

Bailey, explaining in the piece, says that clubs in the race for him consider that price tag worth it – citing the fact it’s unusual for a ‘top class’ striker to be available and seeking a move mid-season.

Taking this into account, we believe he could certainly come as an astute purchase for Villa and Gerrard.

In other news, whose fitness update is attracting interest from Villa fans? Find out here!

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…

A number of Liverpool fans have been calling for Divock Origi to leave this summer following reports surrounding his Reds future.

The Belgian has enjoyed a curious career at Anfield in many ways, producing moments of magic but also proving to be a frustrating player.

Origi famously scored a string of vital goals back in the 2018/19 season, netting against Tottenham in the Champions League final and Barcelona in the semis, not to mention crucial late winners against Everton and Newcastle United.

Constant reports have linked the 25-year-old with a move away from Liverpool this summer, considering he has managed just 182 minutes of league action all season.

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Origi has been tipped to join Borussia Dortmund in the next transfer window (per 90min.com), with the Bundesliga giants emerging as a surprise option for the striker.

It appears increasingly likely that he will move on to pastures new once the season reaches its conclusion, bringing an end to six years as a Liverpool player.

Liverpool fans react to Origi rumour

These Liverpool fans reacted to the news on Twitter, with the general consensus that it is time for him to exit the club, with some joking that Erling Haaland could head the other way.

“It was time for him to go long ago, came into clutch a few good times and he’ll be in Liverpool’s folklore forever. But not good enough”

Credit: @TonySop60754145

“Said it many times I’ll pick him and drop him to which ever club wants him lol”

Credit: @ThiagosFather89

“Origi for Haaland seems like a fair trade if you ask me”

Credit: @JM1745303

“Replacement for Haaland”

Credit: @96_19_96

“Should’ve gone after the Champions League when his value was high as he deserves regular games, but sad to say he is not good enough to challenge the front-three. Gonna be a busy summer!”

Credit: @dennism53706722

“Straight swap for Haaland yeah?”

Credit: @kevrobson4

In other news, Liverpool have suffered a big injury blow ahead of their Champions League clash with Real Madrid. Read more here.

Some Liverpool fans have been providing their thoughts on the latest news surrounding Rodrigo de Paul, as the Reds continue to be linked with the Udinese midfielder.

This summer promises to be an interesting one at Anfield as Jurgen Klopp looks to further enhance his playing options. Despite this disappointment of this season, Liverpool’s squad doesn’t need too many tweaks, with injuries still the main reason for their shortcomings.

That being said, Klopp will know that a few new faces are needed in order to take the Reds to another level and continue competing with Manchester City.

De Paul is one player who has been linked with Liverpool in the past, with the Argentine scoring six goals and registering five assists in Serie A this season.

In truth, midfield isn’t an area of the pitch which needs too many changes made given the wealth of options, although Gini Wijnaldum’s potential exit to Barcelona could alter that.

According to Tutto Udinese, Liverpool will need to pay more than £40m if they want to acquire De Paul’s signature, which could be a stumbling block for the often-frugal Anfield club.

Liverpool fans react to De Paul latest

A number of Liverpool fans have taken to Twitter to give their thoughts on a possible move for De Paul.

“Would be worth every penny if we decide to sign him”

Credit: @OmegaFalcon19

“How about 25 mil plus Harry Wilson included? Seems fair”

Credit: @Md_Arif02

“We absolutely neeeeed to buy him”

Credit: @jephersyn

“Pay it, stop playin”

Credit: @SirXabi

“Barcelona need to go for Wijnaldum and leave De Paul to us”

Credit: @1892LFC1

“What about 10M + Origi?”

Credit: @andligator

In other news, Liverpool are reportedly close to signing a Premier League player with awful statistics this season. Find out who it is here.

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…

West Brom have edged closer to signing Okay Yokuslu, according to emerging reports…

What’s the word?

The Telegraph’s John Percy revealed that the Baggies were in talks with Celta Vigo over a move for the Turkey international before Saturday’s crunch match with relegation rivals Fulham.

He claims that a defensive midfield addition has been among Sam Allardyce’s priorities this transfer window, alongside a new forward too.

An initial loan deal for Yokuslu is expected to go through before the deadline on Monday. He has been cherry-picked over Leicester City youth product Hamza Choudhury.

Biggest need filled

Big Sam’s side are the leakiest defence in the Premier League, conceding a whopping 12 more goals than any other side but given he has plenty of options at the back, it’s on him to find the best partnership.

Although, an anchorman presence would certainly help as their midfield gets bypassed far too easily. Aside from rarely-seen academy graduate Sam Field, Albion do not have anyone else in the role.

When asked about the potential of defensive reinforcements, Allardyce told reporters, via BirminghamLive: “Unless I get rid of any of the six centre-halves I already have, no. I can’t bring another centre-half in when I already have six.”

But in Yokuslu, he’ll be getting a solution to this ongoing nightmare.

He also added: “If we can get a good defensive midfield player who can pass the ball as well as intercept and keep the pressure off the back four then we will try to get him.”

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Indeed, this is what the 26-year-old would bring to the Hawthorns.

Currently, Allardyce has often turned to a partnership of Romaine Sawyers and Jake Livermore, neither of which are defensively-minded enforcers.

In fact, the former has been the Baggies’ worst player this season with an average WhoScored rating of 6.13 – no other regular starter has managed worse.

Livermore isn’t too far behind with an average rating of 6.17.

But Sawyers has been left wanting in multiple matches this season – it’s as if he’s not adapted to the rise in opposition quality and game intensity from the Championship to the Premier League.

Per FBRef, he is dribbled past 1.53 times every 90 minutes and is only able to successfully tackle his opposite number 29.4% of the time, which is again, the worst between him and Livermore.

The 29-year-old also ranks 11th in this squad for tackles and interceptions combined per 90 (3.18).

By comparison, the €10m-rated (£9m) Celta Vigo powerhouse is managing 4.51 tackles and interceptions and is only dribbled past 1.18 times per 90, via FBRef.

That makes him the more industrious and imperious option, so no wonder Allardyce has given the nod over this move.

Yokuslu has been described as a ‘fine physical specimen’ because of his 6 foot 3 frame and is said to be a ‘swashbuckling midfielder who likes to get stuck in,’ which would be right up Big Sam’s street going by his aforementioned remarks.

To make this move even better, the imposing colossus is equally adept at playing in central defence too, so that should aid their leaky backline.

As the Yokuslu is initially coming in on loan, it’s pretty much a risk-free deal as he’s only thought to be on £29k-per-week in Spain. If they stay up, they’ll only have to pay £4.4m for him permanently too, and that could be a bargain.

Allardyce can finally stop persisting with Sawyers upon this imminent arrival, as evident above, he’s the solution to this defensive nightmare.

AND in other news, West Brom urged to sign “quality” 24-cap international…

Chelsea could try and sign Tottenham striker Harry Kane this summer in a move that would cause uproar, that is according to former Aston Villa midfielder Lee Hendrie.

Sky Sports reported last week that Kane has reiterated his desire to leave Tottenham, with the north London club failing to qualify for next season’s Champions League.

Meanwhile, ESPN are claiming that Chelsea are willing to offer players plus cash, which could include Tammy Abraham and Kepa Arrizabalaga, for the England captain.

Given the Blues’ struggles in front of goal this season, with their top scorer in the Premier League finishing with just seven goals, Hendrie believes a play for Kane could certainly be on the cards.

Speaking exclusively to FFC about Kane’s future, the Sky Sports pundit said:

“You look at Chelsea and they haven’t scored enough goals in that centre-forward area. Could it be one of them? I’m not saying it would because I feel that if Harry Kane was going to go from Spurs to Chelsea, it would cause uproar.

“But you do feel that these days it is one of them where if people are going to pay the big money and they’ve got the big players, it’s certainly a big attraction.”

While it probably would not be a surprise to see Chelsea try their luck, as Hendrie alluded to, it is a transfer that would cause too much controversy, so this looks like a non-starter.

And if the west London club are going to be offering their fringe players like Abraham and Kepa, who have barely played, then shocking proposals like that probably have no chance of even being entertained.

There has been widespread speculation that Bruno Lage is the man Jorge Mendes and Wolves want to succeed Nuno Espirito Santo and he certainly has big boots to fill but he could be up for the job according to Wolves legend, Steve Bull.

Lage has only ever been the manager in a top league once and that was from 2019 to 2020 with Benfica, but he did manage to guide them to the Liga Nos title and only lost two out of the 48 games he was in charge for from when he was appointed in January 2019.

Whoever arrives at Molineux will have a huge task on their handsm especially if reports are to be believed that the club are wanting to sell Ruben Neves for £35 million this summer so that they can raise some funds.

Lage would be a relatively risky appointment given his lack of experience as both a manager and in England but that was also the case for Nuno as he had never managed in England, so Bull thinks he could be a good appointment as he exclusively spoke to Football FanCast:

“We’ve got all these Portuguese players and ex-Benfica and Porto players that Mendes has brought in so he could be a good shout.

“I’ve not read too much into all of these managers and what they’ve done because it’s all come as a shock to me.”

Nuno had some rotten luck this season in terms of injuries having had to cope with a number of high profile players spending time on the sidelines such as Raul Jimenez, Pedro Neto and Willy Boly.

The Fosun group reportedly want to cut back on their spending at Wolves heading into this summer and it also emerged that they were looking to invest in Bordeaux, which could be a huge reason why they aren’t as hands-on at Molineux now.