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Former Tottenham Hotspur star Graham Roberts insists that the club can sell Eric Dier and Davinson Sanchez this summer.

Spurs endured a difficult season under the management of Jose Mourinho and ultimately finished seventh, with their final few games being managed by Ryan Mason after the Portuguese was sacked.

The north London club struggled defensively throughout the season and conceded 45 goals, more than any side that finished in the top four.

Dier made 28 appearances in the Premier League in total but his performances have lost him his place in the England squad, with the 27-year-old not being picked for Gareth Southgate’s Euro 2020 squad.

£40m man Sanchez, by comparison, made 18 appearances in the top-flight, and lost his place in the Spurs side towards the end of the campaign.

Roberts believes that goalkeeper Hugo Lloris needs defenders that he can trust, but he does not think that either Sanchez or Dier are good enough.

Speaking exclusively to The Transfer Tavern, he said: “Lloris needs people in front of him that he can trust, instead of it being changing every game, he needs two centre-halves there that he can trust.

“We can get rid of Sanchez, we can get rid of Dier, and all those, get money in, go big on your two centre-halves and your right-back and I think we’ll have a decent outfit.”

West Bromwich Albion have had an incredibly busy period behind the scenes since the club were relegated from the Premier League last season.

Having appointed Valerien Ismael as manager and brought in a number of players in the previous summer transfer window, the Baggies got rid of the former Barnsley coach after just seven months in charge.

Now with Steve Bruce at the helm, the Midlands club are currently sitting in 13th place in the league table.

With promotion out of the question, the Baggies will be facing another season in the second division.

Before that, the club have the chance to make some more changes to their squad during the upcoming summer transfer window, which is apparently on Bruce’s mind already.

What’s the word?

Speaking about the window and what sort of business they’ll be looking to do in it, Bruce had this to say on the matter:

“It’s what I’ve done for the past 20-years and I’m quietly confident that we can do it.

“I think they have seen the same players too often maybe. It’s not the players’ fault either. But we need to freshen the whole place up.”

“We are going to work as hard as we can. Not everyone is going to go and let’s be fair we have still got some good players for this division here. But the club needs to be freshened up.”There is a lot that have been here for a long time and I think the supporters want to see some new faces more than anything. And the players that do stay will respond to that. Absolutely they will. You can change the manager or the coach. But there is nothing like a new player, a good player, coming in. Maybe it will be three, four, five, six, maybe.”Great news for Baggies fansTaking what Bruce had to say into account, it seems as though there will be a significant amount of transfer activity going on at the Hawthorns this summer.This should therefore be an exciting bit of news for the Baggies fans and increase their hopes that next season will be much smoother than this current one.One area of the squad that the Midlands club should definitely look to strengthen is their attack given how they’ve only scored 47 goals in 44 league games. However, that will be smoothed out by the return of Daryl Dike after injury; someone that Bruce is surely relishing the opportunity to finally let loose.Combine him with a few new additions in the final third and their chances of promotion next term will look far brighter.Bruce has plenty of experience when it comes to signing players, and this could be vital for West Brom’s hopes of having a successful next campaign if they get their recruitment right.In other news: Bruce could now save WBA millions with £9m-rated “monster”, he’ll be key next season – opinion

Some Rangers fans have been left to fume as Ryan Kent was the only Gers player to be named in the Scottish Premiership’s Team Of The Week (TOTW).

As per a tweet from the official page of the SPFL, the former Liverpool youngster was named as the Star Man after a great display in the Light Blues’ 4-1 home win over local rivals Celtic over the weekend, which saw him grab an assist as well as top the charts for duels won, successful dribbles and key passes made (Sofascore).

However, the update ultimately left several members of the Ibrox faithful fuming as Kent was the only RFC player in there, when others such as Kemar Roofe and Steven Davis missed out.

It should be noted that only one player per team is typically allowed in the TOTW, but nonetheless one can understand the supporters’ frustrations given just how well so many of their players performed in the biggest clash in Scottish football.

Rangers fans on SPFL update

These Rangers fans fumed as the update was shared on Twitter:

“Only 1 Rangers player, you’re having a laugh. Easy should be half a dozen Rangers players in this team, try again eh”

Credit: @derekbr99300047

“Roofe robbed”

Credit: @mbrfc72

“HOW IS THERE ONLY 1 RANGERS PLAYER?”

Credit: @BGC1872

“Roofe and Davis would walk on this team. Should’ve been there”

Credit: @roadlee03

“Davis and Roofe absolutely robbed here.”

Credit: @kid_duncan

“?? How does the MOM not even get into that team lol Davis has been robbed”

Credit: @gaz_rfc

In other news, find out what transfer update has left Gers buzzing here!

If 2019/20 was about Raul Jimenez, then 2020/21 was very much the campaign of Pedro Neto at Wolverhampton Wanderers.

Jimenez suffered a devastating fractured skull back in November and from that moment onwards, he wasn’t seen on the field of play again.

The Mexican has now returned to action with a protective headband but rather typically, he has come back with Neto on the sidelines.

Last season was the Portuguese winger’s breakthrough campaign at Molineux, scoring five goals and supplying six assists as he tormented the opposition.

Quick, tricky and adept with both feet, Neto has taken on the mantle left behind by Diogo Jota in ruthless fashion.

Yet, once he returns from a serious knee injury, he will need the likes of Trincao and Adama Traore to step up and provide further goals in the final third to lend him some assistance.

They could receive further aid from Brest winger Romain Faivre. Wolves were linked with the Frenchman this week and if they sign him, he could forge a scintillating partnership with Neto on the flanks.

Faivre can play out wide and also in the middle but he’d surely be best used when stretching the play.

He has scored 13 career goals, six of which came last term and has dribbling that would terrify Premier League defences.

Described as a player with “something special” by his manager Olivier Dall’Oglio, the 23-year-old recorded an eye-catching 2.5 dribbles per match last term.

For context, that’s 0.4 more than Neto managed in the Old Gold during the best season of his career to date.

Faivre appears to be an extremely exciting talent and ranks in some high percentiles for offensive statistics. According to FB Ref, the attacker is in the 78th percentile across Europe’s top five leagues for key passes.

Most impressive are his shot-creating actions. He ranks at a whopping 92% for this area of the game; a number that usurps both Neto and Traore across the last 365 days. They are in the 77th and 74th percentiles respectively.

On that evidence, Faivre could well become the main man when it comes to creativity from a wide area at Wolves.

Just imagine the damage he could do when combined with Neto or Traore; it’s a mouth-watering thought.

AND in other news, Wolves eye swoop for “tenacious” 37-cap warrior, he could be their new Ruben Neves…

Fabian Delph could leave Everton this summer, but Dean Windass has ruled out the 31-year-old returning to Leeds.

The midfielder left Manchester City to join the Toffees two years ago, but his short stay on Merseyside has been overshadowed by injuries.

Delph has missed 39 games across all competitions for Everton with several muscle problems preventing him from making any real impact on the pitch.

According to the Liverpool Echo, Everton are open to selling him this summer after making just 30 appearances in a Toffees shirt.

Following their promotion back to the Premier League 12 months ago, Leeds were plotting a move to bring Delph back to Elland Road as reported by the Daily Star to add experience to their squad.

Delph began his playing career with Leeds and made 50 appearances before he left for Aston Villa when the Yorkshire giants were still playing League One football.

But Windass exclusively told The Transfer Tavern that he doesn’t expect to see the midfielder return to his former club this window.

“I don’t think he’s a Bielsa type. He’s always injured.

“The one thing about football now is all on stats, they want to see how many games you’ve played, what you’re good at, what you’re not good at. How many games has he played for Everton? So, I can’t see that.”

Plenty of Aston Villa supporters have hit out at Anwar El Ghazi on social media for his performance against Chelsea on Sunday afternoon.

Villa hosted Thomas Tuchel’s side in front of their supporters for the first time since February 2020, with Dean Smith knowing that his team will end the season in 11th position.

Smith stuck with the same side which beat Tottenham on Wednesday evening, with Emiliano Martinez and Matt Targett ensuring they have started every league game this season.

However, it was El Ghazi’s display which had a number of fans talking online in the first half, and not for the right reasons.

The winger was making his 17th start of the Premier League campaign and 31st appearance in all competitions. The 26-year-old was coming up against Chelsea’s Cesar Azpilicueta on the left-hand side of midfield, and struggled to get involved, crashing a header wide just before the interval as Villa led 1-0 at the break.

El Ghazi lost possession repeatedly, while his passing was also off-kilter throughout the match (SofaScore).

Villa fans react

Here is what these Villa supporters had to say about the ‘lazy’ El Ghazi, with one fan feeling he must ‘work harder’.

“El Ghazi and Traore just not good enough IMO”

Credit: @caguitar

“El Ghazi and Traore need to pull their fingers out man!”

Credit: @Eddie_Lambert95

“Midfield anonymous. Traore & El Ghazi offering no protection. Hause doing well.”

Credit: @wilsterdavies1

“El ghazi and Traore not tracking back, need to get that sorted but otherwise great and well done to the fans in the ground.”

Credit: @Martin45015565

“Traore and El Ghazi being lazy.”

Credit: @RHAVFC

“#Villa under the cosh . Traore and El G need to work harder “

Credit: @richardmills18

In other news: Villa fans buzz at Sky Sports reporter’s transfer update, find out more here. 

Leeds United boss Marcelo Bielsa could sign a new Kalvin Phillips in Huddersfield Town’s midfield dynamo Lewis O’Brien.

What’s the story?

Reports in recent weeks and months had suggested that fellow Premier League side Newcastle were interested in landing the 22-year-old, but it now appears the Whites have entered the race themselves.

According to journalist Alan Nixon, the 5 foot 8 ace is very near to the top of Leeds’ short-list as they look to strengthen their midfield options this summer ahead of the new campaign.

A new Kalvin Phillips

Having come through the academy system at Elland Road, the success Phillips is enjoying is sure to taste that much sweeter for everyone associated with Leeds United.

With the midfielder now starring on the big stage with England in this summer’s EUROs – he’ll likely be involved once again when the Three Lions take on Denmark in the semi-final on Wednesday night – Bielsa will no doubt be searching day and night for the next Phillips.

And in O’Brien, he could certainly get that.

As per Whoscored, he averaged two tackles and one interception per game in the Championship last season, which is only slightly less than the 2.6 tackles and 1.6 interceptions Phillips managed per match in the top-flight.

That kind of defensive tenacity is what has had Huddersfield Town writer Steven Chicken waxing lyrical about the kind of intensity that the 22-year-old plays with.

He said: “O’Brien is a left-footed, tough-tackling central midfielder. Former Huddersfield boss Danny Cowley often praised O’Brien as being “like having two players”, with the midfielder receiving particular praise from his manager and fans alike for his ability and willingness to rush back and win the ball with a clean sliding tackle whenever his side were caught on the counter-attack.

“He certainly has the potential to be (a Premier League player), if he’s not already. His fitness is incredible and he just never seems to get tired, which is one of the biggest difficulties Championship players have when stepping up to the Premier League.

“He’s never going to be a big glamorous name in the Premier League, but he is the kind of wholehearted, committed player that managers love because they do so much of the hard work that helps other players to shine.”

That kind of selfless personality and “incredible” fitness is surely music to the ears of Bielsa given the kind of intensity with which his teams train and play, and how Phillips has emerged as the heartbeat of this Leeds side.

As a “tough-tackling central midfielder” with a real engine and an eye for both a pass and a goal, O’Brien has all the ingredients to emulate Phillips at Elland Road.

Meanwhile, Leeds could sign their own Jadon Sancho in this English starlet…

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…

Southampton’s latest Premier League match saw them secure their second league victory of the season with a 1-0 win at Vicarage Road against Watford, putting them in 14th place in the table with 11 points from their opening ten league fixtures.

One player that has not played a big part in Southampton’s current campaign that we think the club should be looking to move on in the near future is 34-year-old striker Shane Long.

So far this season, Long has played just 65 minutes of action for the Saints across all competitions from two substitute appearances in the Carabao Cup and one substitute appearance in their 1-0 defeat against Wolves back in September.

This highlights just how much of an outcast he is in the squad at this moment in time and says to us that Saints manager Ralph Hasenhuttl doesn’t rate him or recognise him as a useful attacking option for his team.

Southampton signed Long, who is currently earning a weekly wage of £60k-per-week according to Spotrac, back in the 2014 summer transfer window from Hull City for a reported fee of around £12m.

Since then, the striker, who is currently valued at just £1.08m according to Transfermarkt, has made a total of 229 appearances for the south coast club across all competitions in which he has managed to score only 35 goals and provide 26 assists in the process. That’s a shoddy record and one that should be expendable to the south coast side.

Looking ahead to the future, with Long’s contract at St. Mary’s set to expire next summer, we feel that it would be best for all parties if the player left the club at that point, rather than in the upcoming January transfer window. That’s just in case there are any injury issues in the second half of the season where Long might need to remain as a squad option for Hasenhuttl.

If the Saints do let Long go in the summer, we feel that the club should then be looking to bring in another striker that could fill the space in the squad so they still have enough strength in depth in that area, especially with Armando Broja set to return to Chelsea after his loan deal this season.

In other news: Ralph must unleash “explosive” £16.2m-rated Southampton machine, he’d terrify Villa – opinion

Crystal Palace have been linked with a move for Celtic striker Odsonne Edouard as the club’s new era under Patrick Vieira starts to take shape.

What’s the story?

According to The Guardian, the highly-rated 23-year-old is a potential target for the south London outfit after working under Palace’s new development coach Saïd Aïgoun at Paris Saint-Germain’s academy.

Edouard was expected to seal a transfer to fellow Premier League side Leicester City earlier in the summer, but Brendan Rodgers opted for Patson Daka instead, leaving the door open for the Eagles to swoop.

The new Andy Johnson

Palace are set to embark on their ninth consecutive top-flight season next term, but their stay in the Premier League hasn’t been marked by a prolific goalscorer or classic No.9.

The likes of Dwight Gayle, Jordan Ayew, Alexander Sorloth, Christian Benteke and Michy Batshuayi have all attempted to become the main man at Selhurst Park with varying degrees of success, but none has established themselves as a prolific, reliable goalscorer.

In fact, Palace haven’t had that in the top division of English football since the 2004/05 season, when Andy Johnson bagged an incredible 21 league goals in 37 appearances.

His magnificent performances weren’t enough to prevent the capital club from suffering relegation, though, and a move to Everton followed 12 months later.

However, after years of top-flight football, Palace now have a strong spine and decent core of established first-team players to support an elite-level striker, unlike when Johnson was at the peak of his powers.

And Edouard could be the perfect candidate to benefit from the foundations at Selhurst Park.

Since arriving at Celtic Park back in August 2017, the £15.3m-rated gem has established himself as one of Europe’s most promising young forwards, bagging 83 goals and providing 27 assists in 169 appearances for the Hoops.

The former France Under-international’s standout displays earned several plaudits, with former Celtic boss Neil Lennon labelling him “magnificent” after a match-winning performance.

In his last three campaigns with the Glasgow giants, Edouard has bagged a minimum of 22 goals in all competitions, one better than Johnson’s famous tally 16 years ago, proving he can be Palace’s new go-to man for goals.

It’s a transfer that makes sense for many reasons, and chairman Steve Parish could provide new manager Vieira with a proven goalscorer by sanctioning a swoop for the Frenchman, a luxury few ex-Palace bosses have had.

And, in other news…Palace suffer blow in pursuit of “wonderful” £30m magician, Vieira will be gutted