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Tottenham’s 2017/18 Premier League campaign kicks off with a tricky trip to St. James’ Park this weekend, facing a Newcastle side who will be desperate for a strong start to life back in the top flight after gaining promotion from the Championship last season.

But Kieran Trippier’s injury does pose some questions for Mauricio Pochettino to answer pre-kickoff, namely who should replace the right-back in his starting XI and whether his absence means Spurs would be better off utilising 3-4-3 or 4-2-3-1.

The Lilywhites switched between both systems last season to great effect, although they didn’t actually lose a single Premier League fixture when lining up with a back three, suggesting it’s the best setup to get them off to a perfect start this time around.

But, Tottenham fans, how would you line up the Lilywhites for the trip to Tyneside this Sunday? Let us know which formation Pochettino should utilise by voting below…

According to reports in The Sun on August 7, Bournemouth have had a bid of £18m for Napoli midfielder Jorginho rejected by the Italian giants.

The Sun said that Cherries boss Eddie Howe is still keen to strengthen his team despite bringing the likes of Asmir Begovic, Nathan Ake and Jermain Defoe to the club this summer, but they will have to submit a larger offer to try and convince the Serie A outfit to sell.

The report adds that Napoli are keen to keep hold of the Italy international, who has become a key player for the team over the course of the last three seasons, and it remains to be seen whether they would be tempted to offload the 25-year-old before the transfer window slams shut at the end of the month.

Meanwhile, Newcastle United manager Rafa Benitez still wants to bring in more new players in order to ensure the Magpies avoid a relegation battle in the upcoming Premier League season, and he may feel the midfielder, valued at £19.8m by transfermarkt.com, can add some quality to the squad.

Here are three reasons Newcastle should hijack Bournemouth’s bid to sign Jorginho…

Attributes

The 25-year-old has played in a variety of midfield roles – attacking, central and defensive – during his career, but it is in the latter that he has often been used for Napoli.

The Italy international has shown how effective he can be from a defensive point of view by making 52 interceptions and 17 clearances in 27 Serie A appearances last term, but he has also shown that he can be a playmaker from a deep-lying position.

With a passing accuracy of 91% and having created 38 chances and picking up three assists, Jorginho could prove to be an influential addition to this Newcastle team.

Rafa Benitez

Magpies manager Benitez was actually Napoli boss when the Serie A outfit signed Jorginho from Hellas Verona in 2014, and as a result the Spaniard should know all about the strengths and weaknesses that the 25-year-old has.

If Newcastle did manage to bring the Italy international to St James’ Park before the transfer window shuts then he would certainly have an advantage by already knowing Benitez, which should allow him to settle into life in the Premier League perhaps more quickly than he would have done otherwise.

Price tag

Being a newly-promoted club, Newcastle probably don’t have the money to go and spend £30-40m on a new signing.

The fact that The Sun say Bournemouth have already had an £18m bid rejected for the 25-year-old suggests that the Cherries believe that they could get him for that price, and that will give the likes of the Magpies hope that they could perhaps get him for around the £20m mark.

To sign an Italy international, who has become a key player for one of the best teams in Serie A, for that price would certainly be something of a coup in a summer where transfer fees have been heavily inflated.

Do you agree, Magpies fans? Let us know below.

Arsenal face a difficult trip to Anfield this Sunday, a ground where they haven’t won in the Premier League since 2012.

Liverpool’s venomous attack has certainly been on show this season, netting ten times from their four competitive fixtures and scoring more than twice in two of them (versus Watford and Hoffenheim).

At the other end, however, Jurgen Klopp’s side aren’t quite so convincing, with one obvious weakness – set pieces. Watford punished the Reds twice on the opening weekend and a lack of height and organisation in the box appears to still be a real problem for them.

With that in mind, it makes sense for super-sub Olivier Giroud to feature from kickoff on Sunday, whether that’s partnering or instead of summer signing Alexandre Lacazette.

He’s got the aerial threat to exploit the Reds’ weaknesses and after losing to Stoke City last weekend, Arsenal need to make up the points as quickly as possible.

On the other hand, the 64-cap France international always seems to be at his most effective from the bench and Arsenal rarely employ two up front.

So, Gunners fans, would you start Giroud against Liverpool? Let us know by voting below!

Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea both endured a dramatic transfer window this summer but fans of the North London side may be aggrieved by these comments made to Sky Sports.

What’s the story?

Arriving in a late deal from Paris Saint-Germain, Ivorian defender Serge Aurier moved to Tottenham Hotspur as a direct replacement for Kyle Walker, who joined Manchester City earlier in the season, and the full-back will aim to get his career back-on-track.

Highly-rated across the continent, Aurier was involved in a number of unsavoury incidents during his time in the French capital- including a charge of assault that made him unable to travel to England last year to face Arsenal in the Champions League.

Spurs will look to turn the defender’s reputation around though and Mauricio Pochettino’s ability to get the very best out of young players will be decisive. However, in comments cited by The Daily Express, Chelsea legend Didier Drogba joked his close friend had joined the wrong side.

What was said?

Speaking to Sky Sports, the Premier League icon said:

“I just spoke to him a few hours ago. He’s so happy to be in England and of course we’re going to help him.  He’s my younger brother so I’m going to give him some tips.”

“He plays for the wrong team! But I’m happy for him, very happy for his move.”

Is Drogba right?

Time will tell whether Didier Drogba’s joke turns out to be a very accurate prediction, as Aurier faces a battle to establish himself in Tottenham’s first-choice line-up due to impressive performances from young defender Kyle Walker-Pieters.

Chelsea were also in the running for the Paris Saint-Germain man, with Antonio Conte looking to bolster his options at wing-back, and Aurier would perhaps have been a superior option to Victor Moses, who occupied that position for the Premier League champions throughout last season.

However, Aurier should get plenty of opportunities to make his mark with Tottenham as the Lilywhites will have to balance their squad through involvement across all competitions, starting with this week’s Champions League crunch tie with Borussia Dortmund.

Manchester United play host to bottom-of-the-table Crystal Palace in the Premier League at Old Trafford on Saturday, and Red Devils fans want the in-form Anthony Martial to start the game.

Despite scoring five goals and providing a further five assists in his eight appearances in all competitions this season, the Frenchman has only started once in the league this term.

While the 21-year-old did pick up a slight knock in the 4-1 win against CSKA Moscow – in which he scored one and assisted the other three – on Wednesday night, he is expected to be fit for the visit of Roy Hodgson’s men.

The Eagles have lost all six of their top flight fixtures this term without scoring a goal, and they were beaten 5-0 by Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium last weekend.

Manchester United supporters were quick to have their say on Martial ahead of Saturday’s game, and many believe that “he needs to start”.

Here is just a selection of the Twitter reaction…

Since taking charge of Rangers, Pedro Caixinha has managed to hit the headlines with controversial comments a number of times.

The latest came this week when he accused St Johnstone of getting inside information from a team mole regarding his starting eleven in the last meeting between the two sides in May.

It was an extraordinary accusation and one which Saints manager Tommy Wright didn’t enjoy too much, saying the Portuguese ‘obviously has problems’ and branding him as ‘paranoid’.

The entire exchange means there’s an extra spice to tonight’s meeting between the two sides. Locked on equal points, a victory for either team tonight will likely mean a little bit more to both managers.

One group finding the whole thing hilarious of course is supporters of Celtic, who are looking on with disbelief that the Rangers boss is again involving himself in needless high-profile spats with opponents in the week before a match.

They took to Twitter this week to share their thoughts on his comments…

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Southampton and Newcastle will have the final say on the Premier League’s weekend action in Sunday’s 4pm kickoff and considering the two sides have conceded just 13 goals between them this season, it looks set to be something of a tactical chess match at St. Mary’s.But how will the plans of Mauricio Pellegrino and Rafa Benitez be affected by injuries? Football FanCast take a look at the likely starting XIs…

Southampton

With a clean bill of health following the international break Pellegrino looks set to stick with what is arguably his strongest starting XI, retaining the 4-2-3-1 formation Southampton have used exclusively thus far in the Premier League this season.

It didn’t achieve the right result last time out away at Stoke but there’s more than enough quality in the XI to turn what has been a somewhat disappointing start to the season around.

However, following the summer signing of Wesley Hoedt and amid Southampton’s recurring failure to create consistently, Pellegrino may opt for a new-look team with three at the back.

Up front is another point of contention; Shane Long is believed to have overcome the injury that saw him miss Ireland’s win over Wales on Monday night, but he may start on the bench as a precaution.

Newcastle

There’s a fair few question marks hanging over Newcastle ahead of Sunday’s game, not least including the availability of Jonjo Shelvey after breaking his finger trying to stop a fight between Jamaal Lascelles and Mo Diame.

That could see defensive midfielder Isaac Hayden return to the engine room alongside Mikel Merino – something that seems likely away from home in a game that will probably be decided by just one goal.

Aside from that, Christian Atsu and Matt Ritchie are both doubts, which would severely impact Newcastle’s options going forward, but are expected to travel to the south coast.

Ayoze Perez looks set to continue playing just behind in Joselu in attack, while Benitez will be reluctant to change a back four that performed so well against Liverpool.

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Tottenham Hotspur are considering a big-money move for Celtic star Kieran Tierney next summer, according to the Daily Star.

What’s the story?

The newspaper claims that the 20-year-old left-back is the number-one choice to replace Danny Rose, who has been linked with a £45m switch to Manchester United.

Tierney recently signed a new six-year contract at Celtic Park and is believed to not be in any rush to leave the Glasgow-based outfit.

The Daily Star reports that Spurs have not been put off by Tierney’s decision to commit his future to Celtic and plan to make a move at the end of the season.

Manager Mauricio Pochettino reportedly sent scouts to watch the youngster in both Champions League games against Bayern Munich.

Is Tierney a better option than Luke Shaw?

A recent report in The Sun claimed that the North London club were pondering a move for Shaw in January after he fell down the pecking order at Manchester United.

The England international is still young at 22 years of age, but on numerous occasions his fitness and dedication has been questioned.

Tierney is only 20 and burst onto the scene at 17 years old towards the end of the 2014-15 campaign.

At the moment, the left-back is catching the eye of the football sphere with his impressive performances, but there is a risk in taking a big leap to another club at his age.

On the flip side, Pochettino is known for helping transform young players and if there is any Premier League club where Tierney could thrive, it’s Tottenham.

According to reports in The Independent, Everton have had an approach for Watford boss Marco Silva rejected as they continue their search for Ronald Koeman’s successor, and Toffees fans have been quick to have their say on the rumour.

The Independent says that while Silva is keen to speak to the Merseyside outfit about the vacant role, the Hornets don’t want to lose the Portuguese chief during the season and they consider the matter to be closed as the 40-year-old doesn’t have a release clause in his contract.

The Hertfordshire-based outfit have made an impressive start to the campaign and lie in ninth position in the Premier League standings despite losing their last three top flight matches, including a 3-2 defeat to the Toffees before the international break when they surrendered a two-goal lead.

Everton supporters took to social media to give their thoughts on the story, and while one simply said it was a “lucky escape”, another said he was “underwhelmed” by news of the approach for Silva.

Here is just a selection of the Twitter reaction…

With the Premier League celebrating its 25th anniversary this season, debates over the best of all time seem somewhat inevitable.

And while strikers may be the men who usually grab the headlines in the English top flight, Football FanCast are more interested in those pulling the strings just behind them.

We take a look at six candidates for the greatest central midfielder in Premier League history, and then let you decide which one deserves that almighty honour…

Paul Scholes

The only midfielder on this list to come out of retirement to win his side the Premier League title, Paul Scholes played a pivotal hand in eleven of United’s 13 top flight honours throughout the last 25 years, never making less than 16 league appearances in a single season during his trophy-laden Old Trafford tenure.

In many ways, that highlights the kind of player Scholes was – always appreciated, but even more so when he wasn’t in the team pulling the strings in the engine room.

A vibrant goalscorer during his younger years but a playmaking orchestrator in deeper positions as he reached the twilight of his career, his midfield partnerships with firstly Roy Keane and then Michael Carrick remain arguably the best the Premier League has ever witnessed.

Frank Lampard

An attacking midfielder unrivalled in goalscoring terms, Frank Lampard remains fourth in the Premier League’s scoring charts and the only midfielder to make the top 15.

During Jose Mourinho’s first spell at Chelsea, he became the archetype offensive element in the three-man midfield, providing the goal threat to compensate for playing with just one central striker.

Those late runs and sublime finishes became Lampard’s trademark but in truth, the former England international was much more than simply a deeper-lying goalscorer; he was vastly creative in possession and industrious out of it as well – only two players in Premier League history have provided more assists than the former West Ham, Chelsea and Manchester City star.

Steven Gerrard

While Steven Gerrard may have continually missed out on English football’s top honour, he’s undoubtedly the greatest player in Premier League history never to lift the title. Indeed, in spite of that gap on his CV, Gerrard was without question one of the top midfielders in the world throughout his career, often driving Liverpool on to success in other competitions – specifically the 2005 Champions League and the 2006 FA Cup – practically single-handed.

That’s because the former England man possessed a little bit of everything; energy, aggression, defensive resilience, a long-range passing game, deadly finishing from distance and impeccable ability at set pieces.

Underlining all those qualities though, was a determination and passion that spurred Gerrard to succeed in spite of Liverpool’s many limitations. Unfortunately though, in terms of title glory, the infamous slip against Chelsea in 2014 is the closest he ever came.

Yaya Toure

A more modern style of midfielder who was at the beating heart of Manchester City’s rise from mid-table mediocrity to resident title-winners.

Indeed, he lifted the title during his second season at the Etihad Stadium, his tormenting gallops on the counter-attack becoming a defining feature of the Citizens’ forward play under Roberto Mancini.

That was the start of Toure’s ascension as an almost unstoppable goalscoring force – when City won the title for a second time in 2013/14, the Ivorian bagged a staggering 20 goals in the top flight, a whopping five of which were outside the box, while becoming the metronomic playmaker at the base of their midfield.

If there’s one criticism of Toure, it’s that he lacks the longevity of others on this list. But when at the very top of his game, he was as good as any of the rest.

Patrick Vieira

A slightly different breed to some of the aforementioned names, Patrick Vieira was more of a destructive dynamo than an eye-catching goalscorer in the Gerrard or Lampard mould.

The Frenchman was still an immense natural talent, but what made him such a special player was his ability to combine it with imperious physicality. That made him the perfect box-to-box midfielder – someone who could win the ball in the engine room and surge forward with it, before allowing more offensive-minded team-mates to finish off the attack.

Aside from incredible ability, his claim for being the best midfielder in Premier League history lays in his role as captain of arguably the best team – Arsenal’s famous Invincibles side.

Cesc Fabregas

While Cesc Fabregas first emerged as one of the Premier League’s top midfielders during his time at Arsenal, it’s only since joining Chelsea that the Spanish midfielder has received the titles his undoubted quality deserves.

So talented he essentially forced Patrick Vieira out of north London, Fabregas’ greatest strengths remain his technical ability and creativity – he’s racked up the most assists in Premier League history, averaging more than one every three appearances.

He was one of the driving forces behind Chelsea’s title win in 2014/15 and although he had a less significant role last season, his impact from the bench – often changing the game to secure the Blues control of possession – was still instrumental in Antonio Conte clinching a debut Premier League crown.

So, who is the best central midfielder in Premier League history? Let us know by voting below…