Alassane Plea wouldn’t start but he could be a game-changing signing for Tottenham

Tottenham may be in the market for a new striker in the January transfer window.

Mauricio Pochettino has tried and failed to sign a suitable back up for Harry Kane in recent transfer windows. Spurs have signed both Fernando Llorente and Vincent Janssen to provide competition to the England captain, but neither player has proved to be a viable option. The Argentine would be wise to target a new forward when the window reopens.

Business opens in less than two months, so Pochettino needs to start drawing up a shortlist of potential targets. After not signing a single player during the summer, he should have a large budget available to bolster his ranks.

One man he should be targeting is Borussia Monchengladbach hotshot – Alassane Plea. Valued at £25.2m by Transfermarkt, the Frenchman was chased by clubs all around the globe following a superb season with Nice where he netted over 20 goals in all competitions. It was Borussia Monchengladbach who won the race for his services despite reports suggesting that Tottenham were interested in bringing the forward to north London.

Plea has hit the ground running after moving to Germany, scoring 11 goals in his first 12 appearances for his new side – he is showing Tottenham exactly what they missed out on in the summer. His performance have not gone unnoticed with the 25-year-old receiving his first call-up to the senior national team. Plea is also comfortable on the left wing which would make him an extremely useful for Pochettino to have at his disposal.

It would take a considerable sum of money to convince Monchengladbach to sell their prized asset but landing Plea would finally give Pochettino the back up forward he has been crying out for.

Tottenham fans, thoughts?

HYS: Is it time for West Ham United to offload Reece Oxford for good?

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So much hype surrounded Reece Oxford when he made his West Ham United debut in 2015 at the tender age of 16.

The Edmonton-born ace is versatile in that he can play in defence or in the middle of the park.

In order to improve his development, Oxford was sent on loan to Reading in 2017, but he only made five appearances.

West Ham continued to send the now 19-year-old on loan spells, as he had two stints at Borussia Monchengladbach.

However, after returning to the London Stadium in the summer, he struggled to win a place in Manuel Pellegrini’s team.

Oxford has faded into the background, but it seems that Monchengladbach remain interested in the youngster moving to Germany.

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According to Sky Sports News, the Bundesliga outfit are considering making a move for the West Ham youngster in January.

It is believed that they want to sign Oxford, who made seven league appearances for the club, on a permanent deal.

Given how his career at the London Stadium has stalled, should the Hammers let him go, or does he still have the potential to succeed at the club?

Let us know by voting below.

Everton should fight off PSG’s interest in Idrissa Gueye

Everton should make it clear to Paris Saint-Germain that they are not interested in selling Idrissa Gueye any time soon after it was reported that the French champions are planning a move for the midfielder to replace Adrien Rabiot.

According to Paris United, via the Sun, PSG are considering the upcoming January transfer window as the best time to search for Rabiot’s replacement after he verbally agreed to move to Barcelona at the end of the season. The void that would be left by Rabiot means that PSG would have big boots to fill if they were to find a similar midfielder with Arsenal’s Aaron Ramsey also on their radar.

But the Toffees can’t really afford to lose Gueye, especially not in January, after the promising start that he made under new manager Marco Silva. The Senegal international has possibly been playing his best football yet since signing for the Merseyside club in 2016 from Aston Villa.

Gueye also extended his contract in February this year which is supposed to keep him at Goodison Park until 2022.

PSG, however, are expected to offer big sums of money if they go through with the plan of making Gueye an offer to move to Paris, but that shouldn’t tempt the 29-year-old into signing.

Silva should make it clear to Gueye that he is a big part of his plans to get Everton back in the Europa League and will continue to have a vital role to play if the team was to finish on a high at the end of the season.

Everton are currently ninth in the Premier League but have had some good results in recent matches, most notably keeping Maurizio Sarri’s Chelsea to 0-0 draw at Stamford Bridge last weekend.

Gueye seems to have found the right partner in the midfield in Andre Gomes, who has been a major positive for Silva since making his debut. The combination of Gueye and Gomez behind Bernard, Gylfi Sigurdsson and Theo Walcott also looks to be working as they offer the attackers much more freedom to press forward, while they remain defensive in the midfield.

Breaking this formation would only cause problems for Silva.

Ancelotti talks down Anfield atmosphere, Liverpool fans react

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Loads of Liverpool fans have been reacting to some comments from Carlo Ancelotti, as the Napoli boss bashed the magic of Anfield ahead of the huge Champions League decider.

Liverpool will have to beat Napoli either 1-0 or by at least two goals when the Italian outfit come to Anfield in two weeks, but Ancelotti doesn’t seem too fazed.

“We must go to Anfield with courage and play our game,” he said.

“Now let’s think about the Serie A game at Atalanta on Monday, which will be more difficult than Liverpool.”

The Reds have progressed from similar positions several times over the years, most notably thanks to Steven Gerrard’s late strike against Olympiakos in 2004, when they went on to win the competition.

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Ancelotti is not the first manager to play down the Anfield atmosphere either, as both Hoffenheim manager Julian Nagelsmann and former Villarreal boss Marcelino have talked down trips to Anfield only to lose convincingly on the night.

Jurgen Klopp’s side will certainly need the lift after the dour performance in Paris, and fans suspect Ancelotti has just cursed his team in the same way Nagelsmann and Marcelino did.

You can find some of the best Twitter reactions down below…

Gomez out for six weeks, Liverpool fans react

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Loads of Liverpool fans have been reacting to a huge setback for Joe Gomez, as the defender is expected to miss the entire Christmas period with a fractured leg.

Liverpool have confirmed the news fans were dreading, as the injury Gomez picked up at Turf Moor is worse than first thought

Ben Mee’s challenge on the Reds’ rising star seemed clean enough, but the 21 year-old will now miss around six weeks with a fracture to his lower left leg.

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This is a devastating setback for the player, club and of course Jurgen Klopp, who was building the league’s best defence around both Gomez and the colossal Virgil van Dijk.

The race is now on between Dejan Lovren and Joel Matip to take Gomez’s spot, and one would have to assume Lovren is first choice despite Matip’s relatively assured performance at Burnley.

Loads of fans have been reacting to the setback for Gomez, and you can find some of the best Twitter reactions down below…

Everton want Reece Oxford

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According to The Daily Mail, Everton are considering launching a January bid to land unsettled West Ham United defender Reece Oxford.

What’s the story?

According to the aforementioned report, Oxford is only interested in securing a permanent move away from the London Stadium, as he doesn’t want to be turfed out on yet another loan deal.

Despite the Hammers seeming to prefer another temporary arrangement, they could probably be tempted into selling the 20-year-old in the upcoming winter window. For all his potential, Oxford hasn’t been in Manuel Pellegrini’s plans this season, and is yet to make an appearance for the Irons under the Chilean.

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Letting Oxford go wouldn’t be the end of the world for the east London outfit, but other Premier League clubs should certainly be tempted by the prospect of coaxing the best out of the 6’3” youngster. 

Everton boss Marco Silva will fancy his chances of revitalising Oxford’s stagnating career.

Worth the risk?

The Toffees already have one promising English youngster who Silva has been tasked with getting the best out of, Ademola Lookman.

The similarities don’t end there, either. Both players have also had their attitudes questioned – Lookman by former boss Sam Allardyce, and Oxford for his desire to push for moves elsewhere.

Before attempting to lure Oxford to Goodison Park though, Silva should think carefully about whether such a move is really worth the risk. If he is serious about achieving Everton’s ambitions of securing European football, perhaps signing an unreliable and inexperienced centre-back isn’t the smart way to go. 

Reported snub mustn’t deter Daniel Levy in quest to land contract rebel Adrien Rabiot

According to a recent report from RTL (via Sky Sports), Adrien Rabiot looks set to leave French giants Paris Saint-Germain in 2019. The 23-year-old has come up through the ranks at the Parc des Princes and been a regular in the first team pretty much ever since breaking into the senior set-up back in 2012, although it doesn’t look as though he has much of a future at the Ligue 1 champions.

And that’s because recent comments from his agent suggest that he will definitely not be signing a contract extension with Thomas Tuchel’s side, and while reports earlier this week suggested that he had rejected a move to Premier League outfit Tottenham, Spurs chairman Daniel Levy shouldn’t be deterred in his quest to land Mauricio Pochettino the perfect Tottenham signing.

The Breakdown

Ultimately, the midfield ranks at the North London outfit look set for some change come the end of the season what with Mousa Dembele’s contract set to expire in the summer, and no new agreement seemingly likely to keep the Belgian ace at the club.

And with Victor Wanyama’s fitness proving to be something of a problem in recent times, it seems pretty clear that Pochettino could do with another hugely accomplished option in the middle of the park – after all, it was the combination of Dembele and Wanyama which helped the club finish second behind Chelsea in the Premier League in 2017.

And while the efforts of Eric Dier, Harry Winks, and Moussa Sissoko haven’t gone unnoticed, Spurs need greater quality and players of the calibre of Dembele and Wanyama to take the next step in their pursuit of major honours – Rabiot is of that calibre.

The 23-year-old has proven to be a hugely adept central midfielder over the years at PSG, scoring 24 goals and laying on 17 assists in 224 appearances for the French heavyweights, with the France international pretty much a regular throughout his time at the club other than this season.

And in possessing similar midfield traits to that of Dembele, be it great calmness and strength on the ball in making driving runs and picking a pass, or indeed tenacity off it in breaking up play with well-timed tackles and interceptions, the Frenchman appears to be exactly what Spurs need in the middle of the park were the Belgium international to leave.

And at the tender age of 23, yet having already achieved so much in the game at PSG, Rabiot would be the perfect signing for both the present and indeed the future – he’s the calibre of signing Tottenham must now target if they are to compete with England and Europe’s elite clubs.

Thus, while reports suggested that the 23-year-old has turned down Spurs, the fact that Rabiot’s agent has confirmed that he will be leaving PSG should be of interest to Tottenham chairman Levy – he shouldn’t be deterred by the former reports in his quest to land Pochettino the perfect Spurs signing.

Tottenham fans… what do you think? Let us know!

Opinion: Southampton have a dream opportunity to re-sign Victor Wanyama in January

Ralph Hasenhuttl has made an immediate impact since joining Southampton and the club’s ambition of securing survival suddenly looks markedly more realistic, and with the January window looming it’s a perfect time for the Austrian to stamp his personal mark on the south coast.

How much money Hasenhuttl will have to spend in January, if any, remains unknown, but there’s no doubt he will be eager to bring in at least a couple of new players to ensure the club steer clear of the bottom-three.

His time in the Bundesliga will naturally draw him towards some of Germany’s top talents, but a recent report from the Daily Mail suggests he should strongly consider a move for a player who previously wore the red and white stripes of Southampton, namely Victory Wanyama.

Indeed, the report claims that Tottenham Hotspur are set to instigate a January clear out, and Wanyama’s name is a surprise inclusion on a list of outcasts who are edging towards the exit door.

Wanyama (valued at £22.5 million by Transfermarkt) has fallen down the pecking order at Spurs following a handful injury problems.

He became a firm favourite in north London shortly after arriving from Southampton, establishing a formidable partnership with Mousa Dembele in midfield and playing with the intensity of a player who was verging on indispensable.

But his decline has made him something of a forgotten man and Southampton are in a fantastic position to capitalise on his availability.

The feel good factor which has emerged in light of Hasenhuttl’s appointment will naturally give him reason to believe St Mary’s is a solid club to join at this moment in time, while his connection with the club and the supporters should ensure a smooth transition back to the club where he made his name in English football.

Add in the fact that Wanyama’s high-energy, box-to-box approach is well suited to Hasenhuttl’s philosophy and it’s clear that a January move is in the best interests of all-parties concerned.

A loan deal with an option-to-buy clause would represent an excellent piece for Hasenhuttl in January.

Southampton fans – thoughts? Let us know below!

Recent weeks prove Everton have not solved their striker issue

The festive period has been a mixed bag so far for Everton.

Their humiliating 6-2 loss at the hands of Tottenham at Goodison Park Before Christmas proceeded a resounding 5-1 victory against Burnley on Boxing Day.  However their lacklustre loss to Brighton on Saturday highlighted what has been a flaw of The Toffees so far this season.

There is no denying that Everton have looked good in spells so far this season, particularly with the form of newcomer Richarlison. The Brazilian was brought in primarily as a winger but manager Marco Silva has largely deployed him as a striker given the club’s dearth of players in that position. However, in recent weeks the Portuguese has turned to youngster Dominic Calvert-Lewin to lead the line with Richarlison on the wing. Despite his early success in the season as a striker, the the former Watford man’s impact has grown less and less. Although he did start as a striker against Brighton, this clearly was not a good idea as he could not get into the game. Furthermore, he did not even start against Burnley.

What this highlights is that Silva has now run out of options with his strikers. Despite Calvert-Lewin showing promise, he does not yet look like the man who could be the successor to Romelu Lukaku at Goodison Park.

Since the day of Belgian’s departure, The Toffees have struggled to replace him and while Richarlison looked like he could have been that man, he still looks like he will be a winger in the long-term.

Fortunately for the club,  Silva has come to this conclusion immediately before the transfer window and while they tried to remedy this problem this time last year by recruiting Cenk Tosun, that has obviously failed. Nonetheless, it is imperative that they recruit a high quality player in this position if they ever want to challenge the top echelons of the Premier League.

Sarri is saying all the right things as Chelsea evolution continues

A new era seems to be beckoning at Chelsea, and it’s exactly what the Blues need. Maurizio Sarri appears to be more willing to afford opportunities to young players, and for the first time in years, it seems like a few Stamford Bridge starlets are getting their chance.

Ruben Loftus-Cheek, prior to his injury, had finally been given a regular role in the squad, whilst Andreas Christensen has also had some intermittent involvement.

Furthermore, Callum Hudson-Odoi picked up 90 minutes in the FA Cup against Nottingham Forest in addition to most of the game against Tottenham, and Sarri recently noted that the Englishman is ‘ready’ for the first team – meaning that he can expect a bit more action in the coming weeks.

There’s also good news for young Ethan Ampadu, and that’s maybe the most exciting admission that Sarri has made.

Gary Cahill looks set to leave Chelsea, and Sarri was recently questioned on whether he will have to be replaced. The boss has revealed that he will not – because he’s already got Ampadu.

According to Football.London, he said: “…we have Ampadu. We don’t need a replacement”. 

This is hugely encouraging, because perhaps for the first time, a young Chelsea man is looking set to take over the mantle from a current first-teamer. Previously, the Blues would have moved to sign an expensive replacement, but now the boss seems to be happy to look towards the youth.

That’s with good reason, too. Ampadu has looked so good whenever he has played for the Blues, and he’s the sort of player that – if he was a few years older and playing abroad – he’d be worth a huge sum of money. The reality, though, is that Chelsea already have him – and they need to utilise him.

Sarri is saying all the right things here.

Thoughts?

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