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Nuno Santo will be looking to stop the rot in the Premier League as his side welcome Aston Villa to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium this afternoon.

The Lilywhites have suffered three successive heavy defeats, including in the north London derby last weekend, where they put in an embarrassing first-half performance – a stark contrast to the small positives against Chelsea.

A late Heung-min Son strike stopped it being a third straight 3-0 loss in the top-flight but it’s not going to get any easier with the Midlands outfit in town.

Dean Smith’s side have started the season well and head into this encounter buoyed by their win over Manchester United last time out. They too sit above Spurs in the table.

There are plenty of selection dilemmas facing the Portuguese head coach, too, so it will be interesting to see what sort of lineup he opts for today.

Here’s what Football FanCast are predicting…

There could be as many as seven changes from the midweek win over Slovenian champions NS Mura in the UEFA Europa Conference League.

In defence, club captain Hugo Lloris is expected to resume his duties as Nuno’s no.1 goalkeeper, replacing Pierluigi Gollini, whilst only Sergio Reguilon and Cristian Romero remain from Thursday night.

Joe Rodon did his chances no harm but Nuno may well opt for Eric Dier, who has started five of their six league games, instead. Elsewhere, summer signing Emerson Royal is preferred to academy gem Japhet Tanganga at right-back.

Another player who impressed during the week was Oliver Skipp and he’s likely to keep hold of his spot in the engine room, with Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg returning over Harry Winks.

Further up the pitch, a big call has to be made.

Does Nuno stick with Dele Alli? Does Tanguy Ndombele return? Or does Giovani Lo Celso keep his place after a goal and assist only a few days ago? We’re predicting the latter, meaning the Englishman is axed from the starting XI, whilst the Frenchman remains on the bench once again.

Son and Harry Kane are two obvious starters, though they will be joined by Lucas Moura rather than Bryan Gil in the final change.

The £18m-rated Brazilian, who Dier once claimed was a “nightmare” to train against, enjoyed a positive 30 minutes against Mura, registering a late assist so he is likely to get the nod over the young Spaniard, who is still getting to grips with the Premier League.

AND in other news, “Tottenham are watching”: Spurs insider drops managerial claim, fans will be ecstatic…

An update has emerged regarding interest from a Premier League club in Rangers midfielder Joe Aribo.

What’s the talk?

According to Football Insider, Crystal Palace are keeping tabs on the Nigeria international ahead of the January transfer window.

The report claims that the Eagles will be closely following the midfielder’s progress in the coming months as they consider a swoop for him.

Nightmare

Rangers chief Ross Wilson must avoid a January nightmare with Aribo following this update on Palace’s interest in his services.

The 25-year-old has been instrumental in the club’s early-season form, starting all of their league games as they sit top of the Premiership, and Steven Gerrard would surely be left fuming if one of his key players departs midway through the campaign. Losing an instrumental part of the team could disrupt the 41-year-old’s plans and cause issues in midfield during the second half of the season.

Aribo has averaged an excellent SofaScore rating of 7.05 in the Premiership this season, which is higher than Steven Davis, John Lundstram and Glen Kamara have managed. He has averaged 1.8 chances created, 1.3 tackles and 1.6 shots per game, scoring twice and providing one assist.

His former Charlton teammate Ezri Konsa once compared the Gers beast with Manchester City legend Yaya Toure, saying: “Having Gerrard as his manager at Rangers, that has made him go up another level.

“Joe’s style is unique. When I was with him at Charlton he did remind me for a while of a left-footed Yaya Toure. But you don’t get a lot of midfielders like Joe, there aren’t many around.

“Like Toure, for a tall guy he’s got such great feet. But that languid style he’s got is actually fairly unique in the game.”

This is high praise from Konsa and his statistics in the Premiership this term suggest that he deserves the applause, which could be why Palace are now looking at him. It also highlights why Wilson must avoid selling him in January as he has been a terrific performer in midfield and his sale would be a major blow for the Gers, potentially handing Celtic a boost in the title race as the champions would lose a key member of their squad.

Wilson must avoid a nightmare in January in agreeing to listen to offers in the summer, if indeed Aribo is interested in leaving. He must make sure that the Nigerian is at Ibrox for the remainder of the 2021/22 campaign, with next summer offering Rangers plenty of time to find a replacement ahead of the following season.

AND in other news,  Rangers gem has seen value soar 233% since 2018, he’s a Wilson masterclass…

Everton have been linked with a move for Inter forward Alexis Sanchez as they look to sign a replacement for the departed James Rodriguez.

What’s the story?

According to InterLive.it (as relayed by the Liverpool ECHO), the Toffees are interested in signing the highly-rated 32-year-old in the January window, with Rafa Benitez keen to add further attacking reinforcements to his first-team squad.

The report states that Sanchez is becoming frustrated with his lack of opportunities under new manager Simone Inzaghi and Everton could offer a potential swap deal for the versatile forward’s signature.

It’s claimed that the Premier League outfit would be willing to offer unwanted striker Cenk Tosun in the opposite direction to sweeten the deal, but that the Nerazzurri are only interested in a cash deal for the South American’s services.

Everton could replace Rodriguez

After former Real Madrid playmaker Rodriguez departed Goodison Park over the summer, Benitez was left extremely lightweight in the final third of the pitch.

Injuries to the likes of Richarlison and Dominic Calvert-Lewin have exposed the Spaniard’s threadbare forward line, with back-to-back defeats now increasing the pressure for director of football Marcel Brands to address the issue in the winter transfer window.

Therefore, Sanchez’s apparent availability could be the ideal solution to Everton’s current issues and the player’s own concerns over his game time.

During his three-and-a-half-year stay at Arsenal, the Chile international bagged 80 goals and provided 45 assists in 166 appearances for the Gunners, winning the FA Cup twice along the way as he became one of English football’s most revered stars.

His outstanding performances at the Emirates Stadium caught the eye of several impressed onlookers, including Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola.

“He is a player that can play in several positions: left, right, central. He is a fighter with character and spirit, and he is a winner,” said Guardiola back in 2016. “He is a class, class player, but now I think he is playing really well. With Chile he has won two South American cups, that shows what a good player he is.”

But things have not quite worked out for Sanchez since leaving north London. Spells at Manchester United and Inter have failed to bring out the best in the £4.5m-rated beast, but Merseyside could be the ideal destination to revive his career.

And, in other news…Forget Pickford: Everton liability who lost 73% of his duels let Rafa down v Watford 

Presenter Adrian Durham says Joe Gelhardt should be used far more frequently for Leeds United, describing him as an “astonishing” talent.

The Lowdown: Gelhardt makes big impression

The Whites drew 1-1 at home to Wolves on Saturday afternoon, with Rodrigo’s stoppage-time penalty earning Marcelo Bielsa’s side a much-needed point.

It was Gelhardt who helped spark Leeds’ recovery, producing a lively second-half performance from the substitutes’ bench and winning the spot-kick that Rodrigo converted.

[freshpress-quiz id=“375277″]

The Latest: Durham raves about youngster

Someone who was clearly impressed by what he saw was Durham, who waxed lyrical over the 19-year-old on his talkSPORT show on Monday [via MOT Leeds News]:

“Joe Gelhardt for Leeds, was astonishing at the weekend. This is somebody who is 19, he’s not even 20 until May.

“What a player this kid is going to be.

“Joe Gelhardt rescued Leeds and Bielsa, he was brilliant. By the way, he should be involved in far more games. I think he’s been a bit reluctant to use him because of his age, but get him in there.”

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/latest-leeds-united-news-22/” title=”Latest Leeds United news!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

The Verdict: Breakthrough season?

Gelhardt looks like a player of enormous potential, and while he has still only made three first-team appearances, his quality has shone through.

He has scored 17 goals in just 24 matches for Leeds’ Under-23s, not to mention two in one cap for England’s Under-20s, and it feels like the right time to give him more minutes at Elland Road.

With Patrick Bamford out injured currently, this is a perfect opportunity for Gelhardt to show that he can rival his teammate and possibly usurp him over time.

In other news, one player has been tipped to leave Leeds. Find out who it is here.

Crystal Palace must revive their interest in OGC Nice defender Youcef Atal over the January window as new manager Patrick Vieira aims to complete the rebuild of his first-team squad.

What’s the story?

The versatile 25-year-old was linked with a move to the Premier League outfit in the summer after working under Vieira during their time together in the south of France.

However, a move never materialised for Atal, and he stayed put at the Allianz Riviera, where he’s continued to impress in the opening weeks of the current campaign.

But, with his contract set to expire in the summer of 2023, the winter window may be the last opportunity for Nice to secure a fair price for the Algeria international, meaning an imminent exit could be on the cards.

Vieira would love him

Vieira oversaw a successful overhaul of his squad during his first few months in the Selhurst Park hot seat, with the likes of Odsonne Edouard, Marc Guehi and Michael Olise replacing several experienced campaigners.

However, one area that wasn’t addressed was right-back. Although Joel Ward and Nathaniel Clyne are adequate options, journalist Tom Barclay believes the capital club will be looking for an upgrade in that position over the coming months.

Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, Barclay said: “On the right-hand side at the moment, Joel Ward is a fantastic servant, very reliable, fantastic defensively, but is probably not technically the most gifted.

“And I imagine going forward, in this process that Vieira is trying to put in, they probably want a more creative, technically better right-back playing in that position.”

Vieira is clearly a fan of the defender after signing him from KV Kortrijk in 2018, stating he believes that right-back is also Atal’s best position in a previous interview.

“What you need is trying to find the balance of the team. For Youcef, of course, he can play different positions,” the Frenchman told media back in 2019. “It is true that the one I prefer is also right back, I’m very happy with his performances when he plays in front.”

So far this season, Atal has achieved a SofaScore rating of 7.01 out of 10 after scoring one goal and providing one assist in seven Ligue 1 outings.

The £13.5m-rated beast also created one big chance, averaged 0.6 key passes per game and 0.9 successful dribbles, highlighting his attacking prowess in the final third of the pitch.

He’s a player that Vieira would surely love to be reunited with at Selhurst Park, and Palace chairman Steve Parish must sanction a swoop for him, adding one of the final pieces to the club’s revamped side.

And, in other news…Signed for £0, now worth £10.8m: Crystal Palace struck gold with £28k-p/w monster 

Wolves supporters have been expressing their delight at the news that centre-back Max Kilman has signed a new deal at the club.

Bruno Lage’s side have recovered from a forgettable start to the season, sitting seventh in the Premier League currently off the back of a great run of form.

Wolves have won four of their last five league games, drawing the other, with confidence growing that a European push could be on the cards.

A number of Wolves players have performed well in recent weeks but Kilman has arguably been a standout figure, playing every minute of league action.

On Friday, ahead of the meeting with Crystal Palace this weekend, his brilliance was rewarded with a new contract, with the defender extending his stay at Molineux until 2026 [via the club’s official Twitter account].

Wolves fans delighted with Kilman news

It is a hugely positive piece of news for Wolves and these fans took to Twitter to react to it, showing their appreciation for the centre-back who they believe should be in the England squad.

“This will go under the radar slightly but I’m calling this the best piece of business we will do this season. Class player”

Credit: @WV1Wolf

“Come on”

Credit: @adenwwfc_

“Oh you love to see it”

Credit: @fatchav

“Don’t underestimate how massive this is”

Credit: @RefJosh04

“Oh stop it”

Credit: @hannahosmoxf

“Tremendous news & thoroughly deserved, what a season he’s having. Well in”

Credit: @MrRyanLeister

In other news, Wolves’ interest in one player is set to be revived. Find out who it is here.

Flocking to Twitter, many West Ham United fans have gone wild over an update on the future of midfield star Declan Rice.

The England international was at the centre of rumours linking him with a move away over the summer after he rejected two contract offers, as per reliable reports from The Evening Standard and The Guardian.

Rice has also been attracting attention from some of the Premier League’s top clubs, with Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester United and Manchester City all linked (90min).

Putting his future to one side, the 22-year-old continues to dazzle in claret and blue this season and has been an untouchable in manager David Moyes starting XI, featuring in every English top flight match so far in 2021/22 (WhoScored).

He has also averaged a higher pass accuracy (91.7%) than any Irons player with more than one league start, whilst making the most interceptions per 90 in that time (WhoScored).

A colossal presence, it’s little wonder that so many fans are eager to keep hold of him, and there has been an encouraging development.

According to The Sun, West Ham ‘want to build their future’ around Rice and see him as a key symbol of what the club represents. Their determination to do so means that they’re not interested in any sale, even if a bid came in for as much as £100m.

Even though the West Ham star has rejected two new contract offers this year, neither the Hammers nor Rice are in any rush to tie up fresh terms, and talks are apparently ongoing.

Flocking to this news, it’s safe to say that many Irons supporters have gone wild with delight, with one even calling it the ‘best possible’ development.

Check out some of their best Twitter verdicts below.

West Ham fans go wild over Rice update…

“WE ARE MASSIVE!”

Credit: @SweeneyWestHam

“We are so so so big”

Credit: @Ginger_nols

“This is the best possible news to come out of West Ham recently. Build your team around Rice, invest correctly, and we’ll be a consistent CL team within 3 years”

Credit: @WhuJosh

“YES Yes yes yes”

Credit: @BalaBaiulus

“Things you love to see”

Credit: @DDavis1612

“My fingers are so crossed they could be breaking!!”

Credit: @EdwardPearman

“I’m really hoping that he signs a new deal because WE NEED HIM AND LOVE HIM, HE IS MR.WEST HAM UNITED”

Credit: @PaulMcL66874576

“It’s the sun but my word that is what I like to hear”

Credit: @_ghzst

“Absolutely buzzing!!”

Credit: @robpatterson24

In other news: ‘Huge’…Sky Sports pundit thrilled as West Ham eye ‘massive signing’ for Moyes, find out more here.

Everton’s season is in need of an injection of positivity following a poor run of results, and the emergence of a homegrown talent could be the ideal solution.

The Toffees have picked up just one point from a possible 12 in recent weeks as Rafa Benitez’s charges have struggled to cope with a lengthy list of absentees, increasing the pressure on the Spaniard.

A lack of goals following Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s enforced absence has been a constant source of frustration, but the solution could already be within the club.

Rhys Hughes has caught the eye over the last couple of campaigns for both the U18s and U23s, supplying the grateful strikers with a constant stream of quality crosses and through balls from out wide.

Since the start of 2019/20, the 20-year-old has bagged seven goals and provided a further 15 assists in 50 appearances for Everton, highlighting his top-class potential.

His eye-catching exploits for the youth teams led to Hughes signing his first professional contract in January 2020, before U23 manager David Unsworth lauded his technical ability.

“He’s got ability. What we’ve looked at is where do we play him,” said the tactician in a recent interview. “We felt playing off one of the sides, coming into the pockets, getting on the ball on the half-turn, was probably his best opportunity.”

However, Unsworth then suggested that the Wales U21 international needs to spend another 12 months in the youth setup to improve his physicality, although expressed his excitement at the potential of the dead-ball specialist.

“He has to get quicker, he has to get stronger, he has to develop physically, but this all happens naturally.

“He’s got the ability, he needs to build his stamina and his physicality but if you’re talking a footballer, he is an outstanding footballer with great technique and a great set-ball delivery. Those type of players are worth their weight in gold and after another year of development, we’ll see where we are with him.”

With Alex Iwobi still unable to discover his best form on Merseyside, the opportunity for Hughes to impress could be just around the corner, and his breakthrough may well be the catalyst Everton need to resurrect their faltering campaign.

And, in other news…Everton could find a new Holgate in £50k-p/w dud who’s an “accident waiting to happen” 

We are about one third into the Premier League season, with the hectic December schedule fast approaching, and the situation regarding favourites for the title and relegation seems more clear than just a few weeks ago.

Of course, there are still many matches to be played, but the likes of Chelsea, Manchester City, and Liverpool have not only accumulated the points but also shown displays that indicate they have what it takes to win the trophy.

Only one club can do so in the end, but the title contenders are now quite clear, with one team that was speculated as one of the title favourites in the early season now barely being talked about when spots in European competitions are concerned. That team, of course, is Manchester United.

After a solid start to the season that saw the Red Devils win four of their five opening games, things started turning around for the worse for the Manchester outfit. While the recent win against Tottenham brought some hope that United may be bouncing back, the abysmal performance against Watford exposed all the weaknesses of United’s back line, and in turn got Ole Gunnar Solskjaer finally sacked.

As things stand, the major PA betting sites are not ranking Manchester United among the title contenders and it would be a true upset if they were to turn the season around and close the gap that already stands at 12 points just 12 weeks into the season.

What Went Wrong for United?

Pinpointing the exact cause of Man United’s fall this season is quite difficult, as a number of factors were at play to put one of the most decorated teams in the whole world on the back heel.

Ronaldo’s arrival was greatly celebrated in Manchester back in early season, and his goals in the opening games made it seem like he would be a massive contribution to the team. Yet, something changed at United since he arrived and the lack of team cohesion is never a good thing in a league as competitive as the EPL.

Hailed by all as a true legend of a club both before his arrival and after his departure, Solskjaer was not blamed by the players, but the media put the majority of the blame on his shoulders as he was the one who should make sure that things work well both on and off the pitch.

Finally, brash behaviour of the likes of Paul Pogba and Harry Maguire to earn red cards in matches where such a thing was not necessary simply show the lack of team spirit and desire to succeed as a collective.

Can United Still Turn it Around?

From a sports betting point of view, Manchester United have all bust lost hopes of winning the title, with bookies not even looking at them as one of the real title contenders.

For the fans, of course, the hope is always there that whoever comes after Solskjaer will do miracles and change the team from the ground up to catch up with the title contenders and at least win a spot in the Champions League next year.

All of that, however, could be just wishful thinking as the likes of West Ham, Arsenal, Tottenham, and Wolves will all be trying to win those spots and with the exception of the Spurs have all shown a true desire to fight for it to their dying breath.

Perhaps the best United fans can hope for is that the new manager will put things in their place and prepare the team to fight from day one next year and perhaps manage to go a few rounds in the Champions League to save face in an otherwise poor season for the Red Devils.

Newcastle United were handed yet another defeat in the Premier League with a disheartening 2-0 loss against Arsenal at The Emirates Stadium thanks to goals from Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli.

Despite conceding two goals and not managing to give the travelling Toon supporters a goal of their own to celebrate, one player managed to stand head and shoulders above the rest of his teammates on the day and put in a solid display for the Tyneside club – Jonjo Shelvey.

Before being replaced by Isaac Hayden after 89 minutes, Shelvey had a total of 56 touches of the ball, more than any other Newcastle player on the day and managed to complete 40 of the 42 passes he attempted including four accurate long balls.

The midfielder also managed to prove himself to be a bit of a nuisance for Arsenal’s defensive players by having four shots at goal with three on target as well as managing to the woodwork.

Shelvey additionally played his part defensively as well by making three interceptions, three clearances and blocking one shot in the process.

This latest performance for the Toon earned the 29-year-old an overall match rating of 7.5/10, making him the highest-rated player on the day according to SofaScore, higher than Fabian Schar who was the only Newcastle defender that managed to not pick up a yellow card.

With this in mind, it’s safe to say Shelvey was Howe’s only shining light on this occasion in terms of individual performance.

Also, given how the newly appointed Newcastle manager previously said that he thinks Shelvey will be an “important” player for the Toon going forward, his performance today certainly backed that up.

Considering how Shelvey also managed to put in a solid display during Newcastle’s 3-3 draw against Brentford last weekend, it seems as though Howe’s arrival at St. James’ Park has revitalised the midfield man, which will be a big positive for everyone at the club.

Moving forward, with Newcastle’s next game putting them up against Norwich City in midweek, who are also fighting for their survival in the Premier League, if Shelvey can make it three impressive performances out of three and the players in front of him can get some goals while the defenders behind him can keep a clean sheet, this could give the team a great chance of picking up their win of the campaign.

In other news, PIF can land Howe’s dream NUFC deal with “world class” £126m gem, he’s the next Suarez…