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Harry Winks’ time at Tottenham Hotspur is surely running out after the Englishman endured another disappointing outing this week.

The 25-year-old has been restricted to only 60 minutes of action in the Premier League so far this season, so the bulk of his opportunities to impress have come in domestic and European cup competitions.

Nuno Santo heavily rotated his side for their Europa League clash at Vitesse on Thursday night, leaving home the bulk of his starting XI, a decision which seemed pretty smart considering that he still had plenty of options available.

One of those was Winks, who started in the Netherlands, making it four appearances from a possible five in the competition, but he failed to take the golden chance handed to him.

With the January transfer window on the horizon, it could be best if both parties go their separate ways.

According to The Times, the Hotspur Way academy graduate is likely to seek a temporary move away from north London. He attracted interest from Everton, Aston Villa and Brighton in the summer and needs regular game time to stand a chance of breaking back into the England squad.

Valued at £18m by Transfermarkt, it could be wise for Spurs to simply offload Winks, as it seems unlikely that a positive loan spell would see him suddenly rise through Nuno’s pecking order.

The Lilywhites could instead sell him and use the funds to bolster other key areas of the squad such as in attack, where Harry Kane still lacks a backup, or in attacking midfield as they have been bereft of creativity for quite some time.

With all due respect to the Dutch outfit, who were very worthy winners, the north Londoners should be sweeping aside such teams, especially when there are several players with points to prove on the pitch.

Winks was pretty poor once again, not only picking up a yellow card for his troubles, but also winning just two of nine battles (22%) in the engine room, thus proving to be lightweight. He also committed three fouls and lost possession 11 times, as per SofaScore.

At half-time, BT Sport pundit Chris Sutton questioned his attitude and ability, claiming that the 25-year-old maestro “looked a shadow of himself” [21st October, 18:40pm].

In the past, Spurs legend Graham Roberts dubbed him “an average player” during an interview with Football FanCast in the summer.

After another abject display and one which will hardly have Nuno rushing to keep him involved, perhaps it would be wise if Winks never featured for the club again as it is clear that he is simply not good enough.

If he can’t do it against Vitesse, then there’s no real hope in the Premier League. It’s time to get rid and move on.

AND in other news, Forget Lo Celso: £27m-rated Spurs lightweight who lost 89% duels failed Nuno yet again…

A number of Manchester City fans have flocked to the transfer news that AC Milan are interested in defender Nathan Ake.

According to a report by MilanNews.it (as relayed by City Xtra), the potential transfer of Ake to Milan is proving to be ‘difficult to achieve’, and sources close to Man City have stated that the centre-back will not be leaving the club in the January window.

The Dutchman has struggled for Premier League playing time this season, having made just eight top flight appearances for Pep Guardiola’s side.

However, lately Ake has been utilised in the various cup competitions that City are still in the running for, including the club’s recent 4-1 FA Cup victory against Swindon Town.

It would certainly be a surprise were he to leave, given he is just now beginning to stamp his mark after joining 18 months ago (BBC), particularly impressing against Brentford and Leeds in recent weeks.

These Man City fans flock to the Ake transfer news

Manchester City Twitter source City Xtra shared the news to fans, with many flocking to the comments to share their joy for Ake, who looks set to remain at the club. Supporters were reluctant to see the Netherlands international exit due to a number of fantastic recent performances.

Here’s what some of these fans said…

“Ake is getting better & better at City, top player, at CB or LB, hope he stays and sure he will”

Credit: @MCFCTone

“He’s absolute class and isn’t going anywhere. I was so wrong about him”

Credit: @ManCityKD

“You think Pep will let our defensive depth and stability go now that we finally have it again? In JANUARY? In such a crucial part of the season? Lmaooooooo”

Credit: @mvx_mcfc

“Def don’t give up Aké. That save against Arsenal should keep him a blue for quite a while.”

Credit: @NathanDean904

“AC Milan is one of my favorite clubs in Europe, but Ake needs to stay because he’s actually been very solid when starting.”

Credit: @SoraPalmer

“Tell those Italians to go shop somewhere else, Ake ain’t leaving, no chance”

Credit: @mxnxl_

Leeds United are back on the road again on Monday night with a showdown against Crystal Palace in the Premier League.

Heading into this clash off the back of a 3-0 win against Watford, Jesse Marsch’s side have the chance to secure another victory and move away from the relegation zone.

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In terms of what the travelling squad could look like for Monday’s match, it seems as though an early clue has been dropped over the possible inclusion of two players in particular.

What’s the news?

In response to the announcement of the Leeds U23 starting XI for their league clash against Manchester City on Friday evening, journalist Phil Hay had this to say about the absence of attacking duo Joe Gelhardt and Sam Greenwood.

He said: “Marsch hinted that certain players might be missing tonight ahead of Palace away on Monday. Cresswell and Summerville start but Gelhardt and Greenwood not involved.”

This suggests that rather than be involved with the U23s on Friday, the attacking pair could be in the senior squad to take on the Eagles at Selhurst Park.

Fans will be delighted

Taking into account how Leeds have striker Patrick Bamford out with an injury, having the option to rely on Gelhardt and Greenwood if needed will be the best way forward for Marsch.

Should the young duo find themselves in the squad on Monday, as they were for the win over Watford, this would surely delight a lot of Leeds fans, especially if they manage to get any minutes on the pitch or even grab a goal or assist.

As this is what Greenwood managed to do when he provided the assist for Jack Harrison’s goal at Vicarage Road after replacing Dan James, Marsch could give him a chance to shine once again this time around as he is evidently improving game by game.

Gelhardt, meanwhile, has enjoyed a breakthrough campaign where he’s become a fan favourite in Yorkshire. He has found the back of the net twice and provided three assists in 14 league appearances this season, showing that he is also capable of being an attacking threat for the side.

As a result of their youthful exuberance and newfound importance to Marsch’s charges, supporters will be delighted that they’ll be rested and fully fit to play on Monday evening.

Moving forward, with Leeds needing to rack up as many points as possible to make sure they don’t end up back in the Championship, the 48-year-old could be relying on the young duo for the remaining games of the season.

In other news: 150% hike: Leeds United hit the jackpot on “real technician”, he’s a “proper talent”

An exciting claim has been made regarding Rangers’ potential revenue for the 2022/23 campaign…

What’s the talk?

Finance expert Kieran Maguire has reacted to claims that the Gers could make £20m from Champions League qualification by revealing that the figure could actually be much larger than that.

Rangers will qualify for the group stage of the competition if they win the Premiership title, rather than heading into the qualification rounds and potentially dropping into the Europa League.

Maguire told Football Insider: “Pre-[pandemic], they were making about £60m.

“So that is increasing your revenue by a third. That is transformational. When he talks about £20m, that’s a worst-case scenario. You get €2.7m for every victory and €900,000 for every draw. A few good results for Rangers and that £30m becomes £40m.

“Then, if you manage to make the knockouts, £40m can become £50m and so on. That’s enormous. It also has an impact on your UEFA coefficient, so it becomes a virtuous circle.”

Wilson will be buzzing

Ross Wilson will surely be left buzzing by this claim from Maguire as it directly relates to his role at Ibrox. He is tasked with making key decisions on the football side of the club, and having an extra £20m to £50m to spend would have a major impact on his job.

Not only would it broaden his horizons in terms of the level of player he could look to attract to Rangers, it would also mean that more funds are available to retain key players and to improve the club’s facilities. They could provide further funding to the academy and the first team training ground to give Giovanni van Bronckhorst the best possible tools to get 100% from his squad.

Wilson could afford to spend an extra million or so when attempting to seal a transfer, whereas he may be forced to give up on a deal for the same price in current circumstances. It would give him extra leeway in his negotiations and potentially raise the bar on the calibre of signing he can make as a result of the added finances, which could be exciting for him and for Van Bronckhorst.

The Ibrox chief will now be hoping that the Dutchman is able to see the team through to Premiership glory between now and the end of the season to clinch qualification for the group stage of Europe’s top club competition. Wilson will be elated as the prospect of having another £20m to £50m in the bank, while supporters will surely be excited for Champions League football to return to Ibrox…

AND in other news, “Rangers keen”: Jordan Campbell drops exciting transfer claim which will delight Van Bronckhorst…

West Ham have asked to be kept informed about Divock Origi’s situation at Liverpool as the club plot a late bid, according to a Football Insider source.

The Lowdown: Striker struggles

Michail Antonio is the only recognised senior centre-forward at West Ham. Unsurprisingly, he is the club’s top scorer in the Premier League this season, having netted eight times.

However, due to his vast injury history and the failure to replace Sebastien Haller, fans will no doubt be desperate to see a new name arrive before Monday’s deadline.

As it stands, were the Jamaica international to suffer a serious injury or enter a significant slump in form, it may be the nail in the coffin of any hopes of securing Champions League football.

The Hammers were reportedly pursuing Benfica starlet Darwin Nunez, but this has seemingly been put to bed by Sky Sports’s Transfer Centre, who report that the Portuguese side have rejected the Irons’ bid for the player.

As a result, West Ham have been exploring alternative attacking options.

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The Latest: Irons make contact with Liverpool

According to a West Ham source at Football Insider, the Hammers have their eyes on a late bid and have asked Liverpool to keep them informed about Origi’s situation.

The outlet’s source claims David Moyes ‘is personally overseeing the club’s late search for a forward and Origi is firmly on his radar’.

Liverpool are open to a loan, loan-to-buy and permanent bids for the striker, following the arrival of Luis Diaz from Porto.

Origi has entered the final six months of his contract at Anfield, but there is a 12-month extension clause in his deal.

The Verdict: Origi a solid option

With 103 Premier League appearances under his belt, Origi could prove to be a fantastic choice for Moyes and the club. Despite his limited game-time, the Belgian striker has scored 40 goals for the Reds, many of which have come during the most important of occasions.

This includes two goals in their infamous 4-0 win over Barcelona in the 2019 Champions League semi-final, which was further topped by scoring the winning goal in the final against Spurs, leading Jurgen Klopp’s side to the club’s sixth UCL trophy.

Liverpool assistant manager Pep Lijnders has said that ‘Divock is one of the world’s best finishers’, so it’s not hard to see why Moyes is interested in him. If the club can get this deal over the line before the deadline hits, this could prove to be a fantastic signing for the Hammers.

In other news: Jesse Lingard keen on Hammers move

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BBC Football pundit Mark Lawrenson has been giving his thoughts ahead of Manchester United hosting Premier League title hopefuls Liverpool at Old Trafford on Sunday, saying players keeping their discipline will be key, and Naby Keita should take note.

What’s the word, then?

Well, the Reds legend was delivering his weekly predictions – 1-1 in this case – for the upcoming matches in the English top flight, and he unsurprisingly had plenty to say about the clash at ‘The Theatre of Dreams’.

The visitors are looking for a positive result in their battle with Manchester City to win their first-ever Premier League trophy, while the Red Devils are a side reborn under the leadership of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer in recent months.

With a big rivalry between the two, Lawrenson issued a warning via the BBC: “They have to deal with the history of the whole Manchester United-Liverpool rivalry, and everything that goes with it, as well as United’s recent revival. The atmosphere at Old Trafford will be white-hot.

“To come away with anything, the Reds will have to keep their heads.

“I know from playing in this fixture myself that the tackles will be flying in, so discipline is vital. No-one can afford to make a stupid lunge at someone early on because they will get sent off for it.”

Who needs to take note?

In one word, Keita.

While teammates Jordan Henderson and James Milner are guilty of losing their heads at times – see their dismissals this season – they both have the experience of playing at Old Trafford and know what they need to do to stay on the pitch.

It isn’t the same with the Guinea international, who will be making first appearance away against United and is still in a transitional period where he is looking to prove that he should be a regular starter in the Liverpool midfield.

He hasn’t picked up a single booking in 19 Premier League outings this season, but he has committed 21 fouls and was also sent off on three occasions for Red Bull Leipzig last term.

When you are a player looking to make an impact on the biggest stage, he could be in danger on Sunday of letting his enthusiasm get the better of him.

The previous summer transfer window was undoubtedly a very busy one for West Brom given how they appointed manager Valerien Ismael and brought in a number of new players such as Alex Mowatt, Kean Bryan and Adam Reach among others, with Matheus Pereira vacating the Midlands club.

With the January transfer window on the horizon, the Baggies will have to be busy in that one as well but in terms of securing a new deal for one of their current players rather than bringing in any new ones.

What’s the news?

It has recently been reported by the Daily Mail that West Brom have now “virtually resigned to the prospect” of goalkeeper Sam Johnstone leaving the club on a free transfer at the end of the season when his current contract expires.

With this in mind, the club should be doing all they can during the January window to get the shot-stopper to put pen to paper on a new deal to keep him at the club beyond the summer.

Given how the 28-year-old, who stands at 6 foot 4 tall has played in all but one of West Brom’s Championship games this season as well as all but one of their games in the Premier League last season, it’s safe to say he is an important figure for the Baggies.

In addition to this, the English international, who has been described as a “wonderful professional” by pundit Micah Richards, has conceded the third-fewest goals per 90 minutes this term in the whole division at 0.81.

Taking all of this into account, securing Johnstone’s future at the club should be West Brom’s main priority in January as he could well be defining for Ismael in whether the Baggies first, achieve promotion, and secondly, then stay in the Premier League in 2022/23.

That said, if Johnstone doesn’t sign a new contract and West Brom aren’t able to secure promotion to the top-flight, it would certainly be the best move for the Englishman’s career to join a club in the top-flight such as Southampton or West Ham United, who are reportedly interested in signing him.

That’s especially considering his chances of becoming a regular figure in the England squad with the likes of Jordan Pickford, Nick Pope and Aaron Ramsdale all playing regularly with their Premier League clubs.

In other news: Ismael could unearth next Jake Livermore at West Brom in “tenacious” 19 y/o machine – opinion

Merry Christmas, City fans!

Following a historic 2021, Pep Guardiola’s Sky Blues are soon set to draw the curtain on what has been a thoroughly entertaining year at Eastlands.

City clinched a fifth Premier League title and third under Pep Guardiola, enjoyed yet another Carabao Cup win and played in a first-ever Champions League final, all whilst dazzling supporters with enthralling football and breaking even more records. Off the pitch, the Sky Blues and sporting director Txiki Begiristain smashed City’s transfer record by signing England star Jack Grealish for £100m.

It’s also been a phenomenal year for the academy as even more more top talent emerged following Phil Foden footsteps, with many of them making their senior debuts at the back end of the year.

As a thank you for reading our content as The Transfer Tavern aims to report only the most engaging news possible for Citizens, we’ve prepared a City-related quiz to break up your festivities.

Are you good with ex-players’ nationalities? If so, this challenge will really put your trivia to the test.

We’ve given you four options for each question in a multi-choice format – you just have to correctly select the home country of each of the following ex-Man City players. Starting off fairly easy and becoming harder and harder, some will make the hardcore Cityzens stand out.

Good luck and remember to share your score!

Liverpool secured their place in the FA Cup final by beating Manchester City 3-2 at Wembley Stadium this afternoon.

Reds defender Ibrahima Konate opened the scoring for his side with just nine minutes on the clock with a header.

After 17 minutes, Sadio Mane doubled Liverpool’s lead before adding another goal just before the half-time whistle.

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City duo Jack Grealish and Bernardo Silva then managed to pull a couple of goals back for the Manchester club in the second half, but it wasn’t enough to turn the tide for Pep Guardiola’s team.

With that result, it’s Liverpool who will be in the final this year to face either Chelsea or Crystal Palace.

Despite the victory, not every player in a Liverpool shirt had a particularly successful day in terms of their individual performance.

One player in Jurgen Klopp’s side that was something of a passenger on this occasion was Mohamed Salah.

With the entire 90 minutes under his belt, the winger only had 38 touches of the ball in total, which was 31 fewer than goalkeeper Alisson Becker managed to have.

Having completed just 15 passes throughout the game, the Egyptian gave possession away for his side 13 times, making him a bit of a liability on the ball.

Off the ball, the attacker ended up losing 78% of the duels he was involved in, as well as being caught offside twice and getting dribbled past on two occasions.

This display ultimately earned Salah an extremely underwhelming overall match rating of just 6.3, making him the joint-lowest rated player that started the game for the Reds, alongside Fabinho.

Having been slammed by Alan Shearer for his “awful” first-half display in the 2-2 draw between the two sides in the Premier League last weekend, the 29-year-old didn’t have much impact once more this time out.

Moving forward, with the Reds now having an FA Cup final ahead of them, as well as a final sprint towards potentially winning the Premier League and Champions League, they will undoubtedly need Salah to start firing if they are to have any chance of securing a famous quadruple.

AND in other news: In talks: Liverpool eye move for “ice cold” £31.5m-rated gem, he’s Klopp’s next “star”

Leeds United have been dealt a major setback in their bid to bring Oscar Mingueza to Elland Road in the summer transfer window.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by Spanish publication Mundo Deportivo (via Sport Witness), who claim that, despite Barcelona being keen to include a player in their negotiations to sign Raphinha at the end of the current campaign, Oscar Mingueza – who Victor Orta has been reported to be keen on and has been proposed to the Whites – is not interested in a move to the Premier League side.

Orta will be fuming

Considering Leeds’ rather desperate need for improvement upon their current options in the heart of defence this summer, in addition to Mingueza’s impressive form for Barca over the past two years, the news that the 22-year-old is not willing to consider a move to England is sure to have left Orta fuming.

Indeed, over his 27 LaLiga appearances last season, the £25m-rated centre-back highly impressed, helping his side keep seven clean sheets, scoring two goals and registering two assists, as well as making an average of 0.7 interceptions, 1.9 tackles, 1.6 clearances and 54.9 passes and winning 3.3 duels per game.

These metrics saw the £19k-per-week defender average an impressive SofaScore match rating of 6.96, ranking him as Barcelona’s 11th-best player in the Spanish top flight last term.

And, when considering the fact that Jesse Marsch’s side have shipped a league-high 68 goals over their 31 Premier League fixtures this season, it is clear for all to see that the American’s backline is an area of his squad which is in dire need of reinforcements this summer.

As such, the news that Mingueza is not tempted by the prospect of a switch to Elland Road is sure to have come as a gutting blow to Orta, who will now be forced to turn his attention in the transfer market elsewhere.

AND in other news: Fewer touches than Illan: “Headless” 8-pass LUFC dud once again failed Marsch v Saints