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With news Tottenham Hotspur fans were waiting for arriving this week now they have a manager with Nuno Espirito Santo at the helm, and someone who could operate in his favoured three at the back formation is Ben Davies – Graham Roberts admits he certainly won’t be a player to leave this summer.

Davies has often played as a left-back during his time at Tottenham but when he has been away on international duty, the Welshman has found himself playing as a left-sided centre back which could appeal to Nuno who played with three centre backs at Wolves.

With the signing of Sergio Reguilon last summer, Davies saw starts in the Premier League severely limited with just 14 coming his way and that has led to Napoli being linked with a move for him, but only for an eye-watering price of £30 million.

With Reguilon’s great attacking ability and energy to get up and down the pitch, he could thrive as a wing-back under Nuno thus pushing Davies even further out of the picture, but he won’t be leaving the club, according to Roberts who spoke exclusively to Football FanCast:

“I don’t think he will be going, trust me. Especially not for £30 million and I do like Ben, he’s a nice lad and will be great to have around the squad.”

Davies was signed from Swansea City in 2014 and still just 28-years old, he won’t want to spend another season on the bench not achieving anything.

With Nuno coming to the club every player will be on a clean slate and the ability to earn a starting spot for the season coming even if they weren’t fancied last campaign.

Celtic are willing to let Vasilis Barkas leave Parkhead either on a temporary or permanent basis in the January transfer window.

What’s the latest?

That’s according to a claim made by Anthony Joseph, with the Sky Sports journalist revealing in a post on Twitter that, following his exclusion from Ange Postecoglou’s matchday squad against Real Betis on Thursday evening, the 27-year-old goalkeeper does not appear to have a future in Glasgow.

Joseph went on to state that, in order for the club to give themselves the best possible chance of getting the Greece international off of their books this winter, they will be open to sanctioning a loan or permanent deal for the shot-stopper.

In his tweet, the journalist said: “I think it’s fair to say Celtic will also be open to a loan or permanent move for Vasilis Barkas next month – not in the squad [against Betis], suggests he’s no longer in the first-team plans.”

Fans will be delighted

Considering just how poor Barkas has been since making a £5m move to Parkhead back in the summer of 2020, reports that the club are hoping to part ways with the goalkeeper this January is sure to have left Celtic fans delighted.

Indeed, over his 15 Premiership appearances last season, the £2.52m-rated ‘keeper conceded an average of 0.7 goals and made just one save per game. These returns saw the 27-year-old earn a disappointing seasonal SofaScore match rating of 6.79, ranking him as the Bhoys’ ninth-worst performer in the league.

This season, the ‘keeper has found his game-time even more limited, making just one first team appearance since Postecoglou’s appointment at the club in the summer – and that was way back in July.

As such, considering that Barkas is reported to be earning a whopping £20k-per-week at Parkhead, the club simply must do all they can to rid themselves of the goalkeeper in January. While the Hoops will more than likely make a substantial loss in selling him, his hefty weekly wage could easily be put to much better use by Postecoglou in the winter market.

In other news – “Heard similar rumours…”: Devlin drops behind-the-scenes Celtic claim which fans will love

Tottenham Hotspur are gaining momentum in the race to finish in the top four of the Premier League this season, and Antonio Conte will no doubt fancy his team’s chances of doing so.

The north Londoners take on Aston Villa at Villa Park on Saturday evening, and while the Italian may be reluctant to make too many changes, if indeed any, he may consider bringing in Sergio Reguilon to offer a more natural balance on the left-hand side.

The Spaniard’s absence saw Matt Doherty operate on that flank in the 5-1 win over Newcastle United last week, with Emerson Royal playing on the right as the duo both ended up on the scoresheet in a comprehensive performance.

However, Conte offered a very encouraging update on Reguilon ahead of Spurs’ game against Villa on Saturday.

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Speaking in his pre-match press conference, the 52-year-old said: “No new injuries, two good news because Ryan Sessegnon and Sergio Reguilon they had the training session with us.”

The Spaniard had been a permanent fixture in Tottenham’s line-up for the majority of the Premier League season, playing 23 matches in the top flight, scoring two goals and providing three assists in that time, even coming off the bench to find the net against Everton recently.

The 25-year-old’s ability to get forward is something that Conte has actively encouraged, with the left-back talking about the kind of job that the Spurs boss wants him to do.

Reguilon said: “I’ve never played five at the back before. I have to learn quickly. The gaffer has told me he wants me to be solid in defence but at the same moment I have to arrive in the box, help the strikers, score goals, give assists. Now I have more of a chance to score goals and give assists. So let’s work.”

Hailed as a “complete player” by his former Sevilla boss Julen Lopetegui, the Spaniard’s return could leave Villa’s defence terrified, particularly with his pace to get in behind. Steven Gerrard’s side are in a bad run of form lately with three defeats on the spin, and they won’t fancy coming up against a speedster like Reguilon who is constantly trying to maraud forward.

Restoring the £80k-per-week earner to the Spurs starting XI could be an inspired change by Conte this weekend.

AND in other news: Conte can form “dangerous” duo as Spurs plot bids for £156m pair who “really get along”

With Ange Postecoglou having endured something of an injury crisis during the early stages of his managerial career at Celtic, the 56-year-old manager will undoubtedly be delighted that a number of his first-team squad are finally returning to full fitness at Parkhead.

Indeed, Mikey Johnston, Josip Juranovic, Georgios Giakoumakis and James McCarthy were all available for selection against St. Johnstone on Saturday after varying lengths of spells spent on the sidelines due to injury, while Christopher Jullien and James Forrest are set to return to first-team training in the coming weeks.

Postecoglou himself recently commented on his excitement regarding the return of Johnston, stating after Saturday’s 2-0 win: “I was really pleased to see Mikey back because he looked really good in pre-season. I know how talented he is but the key for him was to get his body healthy and to be really patient with him.

“He’s a talented player and he’s now getting more game time. The way we play I know he can have a huge impact for us, he just needs to stay healthy and keep improving his game.”

It is easy to see why the 56-year-old appears so happy with the return of the 22-year-old, as, over his brief 8-minute cameo against Ferencvarosi in midweek, the £900k-rated man highly impressed, managing 13 touches of the ball, making one key pass, completing both of his attempted dribbles, creating one big chance and hitting the target with his only shot at goal.

These metrics saw the £9k-per-week forward earn a SofaScore match rating of 7.7, ranking him as the third-best player to feature in the match.

As such, while it is true that Johnston has failed to ever really cement a starting spot in the Celtic side after breaking through into the first team, with his highest number of league appearances in one season being 14 back in 2018/19, Postecoglou simply must unleash the 22-year-old in the coming weeks, as now would finally appear to be the time when the winger can have a real impact within the Bhoys side.

In other news: Conroy drops key update on “priceless” £15k-p/w dynamo that’ll delight Celtic fans

Leeds have recently been linked with a move for Arsenal youngster Khayon Edwards, who could follow in the footsteps of Sam Greenwood at Elland Road.

This forms part of The Transfer Tavern’s The Gossip series, where we analyse players based on praise and criticism from past and present.

The Lowdown: Leeds keen on Edwards

The Whites have recently been linked with a move for Edwards and are thought to be in the mix in the race to sign the teenage striker.

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Goal reported that Chelsea have made contact with the 18-year-old, with Arsenal experiencing difficulty in their attempts to secure the forward on a professional contract.

Edwards could therefore leave in a cut-price deal over the summer, with just a compensation fee possibly needed.

The Latest: Greenwood a favourite at Leeds

Victor Orta has previous of bringing a young Gunners striker to Yorkshire in Sam Greenwood, who put in an impressive cameo in Leeds’ 3-0 win over Watford on Saturday.

He appears to be a favourite under Jesse Marsch, who revealed after the victory that the 20-year-old has adapted to his ideas better than anyone.

The Verdict: Edwards to follow suit?

Edwards has been efficient in front of goal this season, contributing to 23 goals in just 22 games, scoring 17, most of which have come for Arsenal’s under-18s.

He is still awaiting a senior debut at the Emirates Stadium, so perhaps he could be interested in a move to Elland Road, especially after seeing the likes of Greenwood and Joe Gelhardt coming through at Leeds and now being viewed as first-team players.

The Gunners youngster has been labelled as a ‘wonderkid’ and ‘prolific’ by an Arsenal news Twitter account, so you can see why the Whites are plotting a move for him. However, they may have to be quick, especially after the Champions League holders made their move.

In other news: Phil Hay has his say on ‘horrible’ Leeds ace who Marsch and Orta now want to offload

Everton could be set for a big blow over the coming months after it was revealed Arsenal have set their sights on star striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin.

What’s the word?

According to reports, the Gunners have identified the highly-rated 24-year-old as a possible replacement for wantaway forward Alexandre Lacazette.

The France international is expected to depart the north London outfit either in January or as a free agent next summer following the expiration of his current contract, and Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has already begun the search for his successor.

He’s reportedly in the market for a young goalscorer with Premier League experience to continue his policy of building a new squad around youth, with Aston Villa’s Ollie Watkins the alternative target.

However, the Toffees are expected to put up a fight for Calvert-Lewin, with the report stating: “Ambitious Everton will fight tooth and nail to keep top scorer Calvert-Lewin, who has established himself as Harry Kane’s England back-up over the past year.

“He signed a long-term Goodison deal worth £75,000-a-week last year, and it would cost upwards of £50million to prise him away from Merseyside.”

Everton fans will be gutted

Calvert-Lewin has become a key player for Everton in recent seasons, scoring 32 Premier League goals in 72 appearances since the beginning of 2019/20.

Thus, losing their star striker and top scorer would be a seismic blow to any ambitions they have of qualifying for Europe next term.

His outstanding performances at club level have seen him become a regular member of Gareth Southgate’s England squad, where he’s the first-choice backup to captain Harry Kane.

Although he only made two substitute appearances throughout the summer as the Three Lions reached the Euro 2020 final, his presence as the only natural alternative to the Tottenham Hotspur star illustrates just how highly Calvert-Lewin is thought of.

The 6 foot 2 target man returned from his international exploits in emphatic form at the start of the current campaign, bagging a goal in each of Everton’s opening three top-flight fixtures before a broken toe sidelined him.

Calvert-Lewin’s departure would be a significant setback in the Goodison Park outfit’s plans under new manager Rafael Benitez, and the Spanish tactician will be hoping his key man remains on Merseyside for many years to come.

With Salomon Rondon struggling for goals, it only elevates the England international’s importance at Finch Farm; they simply have to keep him.

And, in other news…Report reveals exciting Everton transfer update, fans should be buzzing 

Many Everton fans have been left slamming a transfer update involving Harry Winks.

Speaking on the ‘Last Word on Spurs’ show (via The Toffee Blues), Italian football journalist and transfer expert Fabrizio Romano has claimed that the Goodison Park faithful are interested in signing the Tottenham Hotspur midfield player before the summer window shuts.

However, he also claimed that Winks is happy at Spurs at the moment, although that does not stop the Merseyside club testing the waters.

While the Englishman is a tidy player, he does not really offer much of a threat in terms of goals and assists, scoring a mere two times and making a further two assists in 30 games in total over all competitions in the 2020/21 season (Transfermarkt).

Currently on £91,000-per-week as well, Rafa Benitez’s team should really be looking elsewhere for midfield targets.

Everton fans on Winks transfer update

These Blues supporters slammed the transfer update as it was shared on Twitter, with one fan even going as far as to claim that it is a ‘nightmare’:

“This nightmare has to stop. I want to wake up now.”

Credit: @GrungKjetil

“When does the pain end?….”

Credit: @andrew2003efc

“When will it end Robbie?”

Credit: @bowie_kieran

“I just plain despair.”

Credit: @Lee_Vousden

“Dear God”

Credit: @jacobenglander

“Our recruitment team need binning asap”

Credit: @ScottParker_efc

In other news, find out what transfer update has Evertonians talking here!

Sunderland play host to Ipswich Town on Saturday at the Stadium of Light as they attempt to end a run of three straight defeats in League One.

It was recently reported that Kyril Louis-Dreyfus is unhappy with the club’s management at this current juncture and the pressure is mounting on Lee Johnson to turn things around in the coming matches.

Their last performance did little to help matters as they lost on penalties to Bradford after a 1-1 draw in normal time in the EFL Trophy. They were also dumped out of the FA Cup at home to Mansfield for the second season in a row at the start of the month.

How many changes will Johnson make to the team? Here is our predicted XI…

We are predicting that he will make seven alterations to the side from the Bradford game, with Carl Winchester, Dennis Cirkin, Tom Flanagan, Callum Doyle, Aiden McGeady, Dan Neil and Ross Stewart all coming in.

Hoffmann could keep his place between the sticks, but we are predicting an entirely new back four to the one which faced Bradford. Flanagan and Doyle missed out due to international duty, with the pair now available to return, whilst Winchester and Cirkin could come in for Lynden Gooch and Kenton Richardson.

We recently published an article explaining why Gooch has let Johnson down this season and that is part of the reason why he should be axed from the side, along with him playing out of position at left-back. Meanwhile, Richardson did not do enough against Bradford to warrant another start, as he lost possession a whopping 27 times that night.

In midfield, Dan Neil could come in for Harrison Sohna. The youngster received a SofaScore rating of 6.6 as he won two of his four duels in the match against the Bantams, whilst Neil has averaged a rating of 6.86 in League One this season and chipped in with one goal and five assists.

Finally, Stewart and McGeady could replace Leon Dajaku and Elliot Embleton, with Nathan Broadhead being moved into a wide right position following his goal against Bradford.

Stewart has 10 goals in 15 League One matches this season and has shown that he has the ability to be a match-winner for the Black Cats, which is why he could be relied upon from the start at centre-forward. McGeady has two goals and four assists in 12 league appearances and has averaged a superb rating of 7.11, making a strong argument for his place in the team today.

AND in other news, Possession lost 135x: Sunderland lightweight with zero goals has let Johnson down badly…

In their latest attempt at escaping League One and making a return to the Championship, Sunderland probably haven’t had the start to their campaign that most at the club would have hoped for.

With the January transfer window on the horizon, it seems as though Sunderland could make an addition to their squad during the next window with someone that will be pretty familiar to a lot of fans at the Stadium of Light.

What’s the news?

It has recently been reported by Chronicle Live that Sunderland will review Jack Diamond’s loan spell at Harrogate Town in January and the possibility of recalling him back to the Wearside club.

Since joining Harrogate back in August in what is his second loan spell with the club, Diamond has started all of the 12 League Two games he’s appeared in prior to their midweek match against Carlisle United, scoring three goals and providing two assists in the process.

With this in mind, it’s easy to see why the possibility of Sunderland recalling him from his latest loan early has been raised recently.

As a product of Sunderland’s youth academy, the 21-year-old winger has a total of 78 appearances under his belt for the U18 and U23 sides combined with ten goals and ten assists to his name.

For the senior side, Diamond has made 40 appearances across all competitions where he has managed to score two goals and provide six assists, showing that he can be a fairly useful attacking option.

With this in mind and the fact that Diamond, who has been described as a “dynamic” by Johnson in the past, could offer the Black Cats boss an extra attacking option to his side for the second half of the season, one that could sway Kyril Louis-Dreyfus and co from spending money on new players in the winter.

His return could end up being crucial for Sunderland should they lose any of their current attacking options to injury, that could well help push the side to a promotion place and revive their campaign having lost a fair amount of games already this season.

However, given how many minutes Diamond has got under his belt so far this season at Harrogate, it seems like his potential playing time back at Sunderland would be a big factor in whether he will return to his boyhood club in January or not.

In other news: Johnson must ruthlessly axe “unique” lightweight tonight, he could cost SAFC dearly – opinion

Former Leeds United player David Norris believes captain Liam Cooper brings more than just his qualities on the pitch to the club.

Manager Marcelo Bielsa got the Yorkshire outfit playing some really good football last season, with Leeds finishing the season strongly, winning four of their last five Premier League matches.

Liam Cooper was instrumental for Leeds last season featuring in 26 games in all competitions, with David Norris believing the captain brings more than just his qualities on the pitch.

He told Football FanCast: “I think with him, he’ll bring more than just what he can do on the pitch. He’s the captain, he’ll be great around the club, he’ll be great in the changing room bringing the lads together. So I think it comes down to more than just his out and out right ability on the pitch.”

Cooper obviously did help bring everyone together and create a good camaraderie around the dressing room, as Leeds enjoyed a brilliant first season back in the Premier League.

The Elland Road outfit finished ninth, just eight points off the final Champions League spot, which was occupied by Chelsea and scored 62 goals in the process.

After a good campaign last season, Leeds will be hoping to push on this upcoming season and their preparations got off to the best possible start as young Leeds team, ran out 3-2 victors against Guiseley on Tuesday night, before a stronger team drew 1-1 with Blackburn Rovers the following evening.