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Nuno Espirito Santo has reportedly confirmed that Oliver Skipp will be part of his first-team squad at Tottenham Hotspur next season, which will surely delight Spurs fans after his superb season out on loan at Norwich City.

What’s the word?

According to the Evening Standard, the new Spurs boss has told both Skipp and Ryan Sessegnon that they will be given opportunities to impress in the first team next season.

He said:

“Every player of the squad is in my plan, every player, every player.

“Even the Under-23s that are working with us are in my plans because this is how we build a strong group. Everybody is going to be needed.”

The Portuguese manager was hired late last month, which gives him a little over six weeks to prepare for Spurs’ opening game against Manchester City in the Premier League.

Considering no transfer business has been concluded so far by the North London club, it is perhaps no surprise that the Portuguese manager will turn towards the likes of Skipp and Sessegnon in pre-season, as a large number of Spurs’ players are still on holiday after playing at the Euros and Copa America this summer.

Can Skipp be a regular next season?

Spurs fans will be especially excited about Skipp, after the £9m-rated gem, who is a product of the youth academy at Spurs, was a key part of Norwich’s promotion to the top-flight last season.

The 20-year-old joined Daniel Farke’s side on loan for the season and was a regular as they won the title, featuring 45 times in the second tier and averaging a solid 6.90 rating from WhoScored for his performances.

He certainly won a lot of plaudits from Farke, who described him as the “perfect” player as a result of his performances and attitude during his time at Carrow Road. Consequently, the German manager will no doubt be disappointed if he cannot get him back on loan for the upcoming Premier League campaign.

However, Norwich’s loss is Spurs’ gain, as Skipp can provide Santo with an alternative to Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg in defensive-midfield after the Dane played every minute in the Premier League last season. He could also be an upgrade on Harry Winks, whose form has been less than impressive in recent seasons, failing to earn a seasonal average match rating above 6.6.

Skipp looks like he definitely has the potential to be a key player for Spurs in the future, and fans will be hoping that the 21/22 season proves to be his breakthrough with the Lilywhites after Nuno’s recent admission.

And, in other news… Paratici can upgrade Nuno’s Spurs defence with swoop for “one of the best”

Aston Villa have been handed a major blow in their chase to sign River Plate starlet Julian Alvarez in this January transfer window.

What’s the story?

Reports in recent weeks and months had claimed that Fernando Hidalgo, the agent of the 21-year-old, was set to meet with Villa’s representatives over a move to Steven Gerrard’s side ahead of the new Premier League campaign.

That of course failed to materialise, and now, The Birmingham Mail’s Ashley Preece has revealed that the Argentine is instead set for a move to Old Trafford.

He said: “I believe he’s Manchester United-bound. Villa looked to have missed a trick for £17m. Trez, Traore and Bailey all missing for the next month.”

Blow for Villa

Like Emi Buendia, Alvarez is very much a creative attacker bagging four goals and setting up another seven in just 20 appearances last season – including a couple of games where he registered an impressive hat-trick of assists against Godoy Cruz and Central Cordoba.

This campaign however has seen him take his game to a completely another level, scoring 18 goals and providing another seven assists in just 21 games in the Argentine top-flight.

Given his ability to play anywhere across the front-line, and his age, Alvarez seems like the perfect profile of player that could have flourished alongside his fellow Argentine compatriots in Buendia and Emi Martinez.

The duo could have helped Alvarez settle into life at Villa Park a bit more comfortably than he may otherwise would have done, and the fact he’s now headed for a switch to United shows just how highly-rated he is.

Preece’s update is a major blow that will surely frustrate Villa fans that they have let an exciting young talent slip through the net.

Meanwhile, Villa are interested in this Serie A starlet…

Celtic have two distinct financial plans in place for whether or not they qualify for next season’s Champions League, according to football finance expert Doctor Dan Plumley.

The Lowdown: Celtic closing in on title

The Hoops are enjoying a memorable season to date, with Ange Postecoglou proving to be an inspired managerial appointment last summer despite a rocky start in Glasgow.

As the season slowly reaches its conclusion, Celtic find themselves six points clear of Rangers in the Scottish Premiership title race, as well as preparing to face their arch-rivals in the Scottish Cup semi-finals.

If Postecoglou’s side are crowned champions of the league they would of course qualify for the Champions League, as they look to make their mark in Europe’s biggest club competition.

The Latest: Financial plan in place

Speaking to Football Insider, Plumley revealed that plans are in place at Celtic financially, in terms of them qualifying for the competition or not, as it could make a £17m difference:

“You have to be careful, of course. Celtic know near enough what their revenue will be each year because it’s almost guaranteed that you’re going to finish first or second.

“They sell out every week and they know what they’re working with. The differentiator is, of course, European football. If they win the league this year, they get automatic qualification, which is going to be worth £17m minimum.

“That makes a big difference, so they’ll have different models depending on different possibilities.  Model A, they make the Champions League. Model B, they don’t. That extra money makes a big difference.

“Everything is based around those distinct models and whether you can repeat the trick and qualify year on year.”

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The Verdict: Shrewd approach from Desmond

This is a really smart approach after major shareholder Dermot Desmond hinted at as much recently, ensuring the club is run in sensible fashion rather than recklessly.

The expectation should be that Celtic are in the Champions League next season, of course, but in the event that it doesn’t happen, it is only right that a contingency plan is in place.

While Postecoglou and his players deserve huge praise for their performance on the pitch this season, the manner in which the club is being run as a whole is also worthy of positive reviews.

In other news, Kieran Devlin has singled out one Celtic player for praise. Find out who it is here.

With Dara O’Shea suffering a serious injury earlier in the season that will keep him out for the next few months and Kean Bryan suffering a season-ending blow recently, it’s safe to say West Brom will need as many defensive options as possible at their disposal for the time being.

With that in mind, it seems that the Midlands club could be set to lose one of their young defenders currently in their youth ranks.

What’s the news?

It has recently been reported by All Nigeria Soccer (via Birmingham Live) that Tottenham Hotspur, Fulham, Aston Villa and Southampton are interested in signing West Brom youth defender Kevin Joshua.

Despite only joining West Brom’s U23 side from Solihull Moors’ U19 side back in March for an undisclosed fee, the 19-year-old centre-back has played in six of their 11 league games, grabbing one assist in the process, showing how impressive he has been given the number of clubs reportedly eyeing up a transfer swoop for the youngster.

Ferguson 2.0

Even though Joshua hasn’t made an appearance for Valerien Ismael’s side this season, there is a possibility that Ismael could be forced into giving the teenager his senior debut for the Baggies given their defensive injury issues, and certainly if any of their other senior defenders get injured between now and the end of the season.

Therefore, it should now be one of Lai Guochuan’s top priorities to keep hold of Joshua and out of the clutches of the numerous clubs reportedly interested in signing him, which could be seen as a disaster if he were to leave the club so soon after joining them. That’s especially when you consider the way they lost a fellow defensive talent in Nathan Ferguson so controversially to the jaws of the Premier League.

Given his young age, there’s no reason why Joshua, who has been described as a player who is “aggressive, quick, and excellent on the ball,” by his agent Arfan Rehman when he joined the club, couldn’t go on to become a regular first-team figure at The Hawthorns in the future, giving the Midlands club even more reason to keep the defender in their ranks.

Moving forward, perhaps giving the teenager some first-team minutes could not only help Ismael’s side in the short term while O’Shea and Bryan are out injured but also in the long-term by proving that they feel Joshua will have a big part to play for the senior team. By doing so, they may also be able to avoid a repeat Ferguson scenario too.

In other news: 60% duels won: WBA’s “dangerous” £18k-p/w beast proved he can be Ismael’s main man – opinion

Wolverhampton Wanderers are interested in signing “talented” Brazilian midfielder Andrey Santos this summer.

What’s the story?

According to reports in Brazil, a number of clubs are interested in signing the youngster who currently plays for Vasco da Gama in the second tier in the country.

Wolves are one of the clubs who want the 17-year-old who hasn’t yet started for his club but has impressed on international duty.

His club are determined to agree a new contract with the player with his current deal expiring next year. As a result it’s not a surprise to see clubs circling as they may be able to get him for free.

He’s got great potential

Santos undoubtedly has great potential, he’s impressed playing for the Brazilian U-20 side and has even wore the captains armband for them.

His stats at youth level on the international stage are impressive and probably one of the reasons he’s rated highly. At u-16 level he scored two goals in six appearances from defensive midfield.

According to further reports his club value him at £25m which seems a lot for a player who is yet to make a start, but with demand high they believe they can command a higher fee.

Wolves are no stranger to risky transfers, they signed Fabio Silva in 2020 for £36m from FC Porto and he had only made 12 league appearances for them at that point.

They obviously have a lot of trust in their scouting network and with clubs such as Benfica, Everton and even FC Barcelona known admirers of Santos they must have good judgement.

However, with clubs as big as that interested it will make it even harder for Lage to persuade the player to come to Molineux. Players dream of playing for the likes of Barcelona and as a midfielder it’s likely that he would love to play under Xavi.

Ultimately it would be a risk paying a huge fee for Santos, but there’s a reason so many clubs are interested in him. With his contract running down if Wolves can persuade Vasco to sell for less, then it might be worth securing his signature.

Molineux could be rocking with a genuinely exciting teenage sensation.

IN other news: Lage must avoid big Wolves mistake over “brilliant” £75k-p/w ace, “nothing phases him” – opinion…

Aston Villa youngster Keinan Davis still has a bright future at the club despite a lack of playing time recently, according to journalist Luke Hatfield.

The Lowdown: Davis struggling for playing time

The 23-year-old is yet to make an appearance for Villa’s senior team this season, having fallen down the pecking order under Dean Smith.

Davis could have left Villa Park on loan in the summer but ended up staying put, and it could be that a temporary exit in January makes sense.

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The Latest: Hatfield provides key update

Despite Davis’ career stalling a little in recent times, Hatfield believes that he still has plenty to offer at Aston Villa.

Speaking to Give Me Sport, the journalist claimed that Villa think highly of the striker and that his opportunity to become a key figure could arise in the future, tipping him to possibly join Nottingham Forest on loan. Hatfield said:

“Aston Villa have high hopes for Keinan Davis, regardless of whether they send him out on loan or not.

“They just want to make sure he gets the time on the pitch and hopefully he develops into the football player that is potentially there to be.

“So, I’m sure Villa will be looking at teams that play a similar style, and it seems like Nottingham Forest would work out pretty well.”

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The Verdict: Persevere with him

At 23, Davis isn’t necessarily an up-and-coming player anymore, but there is still lots of time for him to develop as a footballer and become more polished.

A loan move away could do him the world of good, allowing him to pick up confidence and get minutes under his belt before returning to Villa next summer.

Jack Grealish once described his former Villa team-mate as ‘unplayable’, which speaks to how much ability Davis appears to have, so hopefully the striker will be able to forge out a stable future under Smith.

In other news, some Villa fans have reacted to an image of one player. Find out who it is here.

Leam Richardson’s Wigan side extended their unbeaten run to five matches in all competitions as they beat fellow League One outfit Bolton on penalties on Tuesday night in the second round of the League Cup.

Wigan had the better of the chances during the game and ended up with six more shots and twice as many on target in the 90 minutes, but they were unable to score as the match ended 0-0 in regulation time. It then went to penalties, where the Latics held their nerve and won 5-4 to progress into the third round of the competition.

Goalkeeper Jamie Jones will get the headlines after scoring a penalty in the shoot-out, before Nathan Delfouneso smashed his over the bar, but the player who stole the show for Wigan was defender Kelland Watts.

The 21-year-old, on loan from Premier League side Newcastle, was outstanding at centre-back and helped to keep Bolton at bay throughout the match. His defending allowed his attackers to dominate the game, albeit they were ultimately unable to make the most of their chances during normal time.

Watts was also key on the ball, with 69 touches during the game – the most of any Wigan player. Watts completed 83% of his passes, including seven long balls to stretch or switch the play in attack. This shows that he was comfortable with the ball at his feet and that he did not consistently give it away with loose passes out from the back, which could have allowed Bolton to put pressure on the Wigan goal.

Defensively, Watts had a near-perfect game. Per SofaScore, he won 100% of his duels on the pitch, winning four of his four ground duels and four of his four aerial duels. This shows that he was able to dominate the Bolton attackers and prevent them from holding the ball up. He also made three clearances, one tackle and two blocks, with the only blemish on his performance being that he gave the solitary foul away.

Watts, therefore, stole the show for Wigan with his showing against Bolton as he was able to show off his quality on and off the ball against a fellow League One outfit.

Hopefully, he will be able to keep up this standard of performance throughout the league campaign and help Richardson’s side to push for promotion back to the Championship before he returns to Newcastle.

Rangers have been linked with a few players going into the January transfer window, but one of the club’s prime targets may have been written off for a move to Ibrox.

What’s the story?

Hearts manager Robbie Neilson has made clear his stance about the current situation on John Souttar’s immediate future at the club. Speaking to Sky Sports about the £3.1k-p/w defender, the Jan Tarts manager said: “From our perspective he’s got a contract until the end of the season, and unless we get a bid we can’t refuse he will be here until at least the end of the season.

‘The owner and Joe Savage have been speaking to him and we feel we have put together a very good contract for him so it’s just negotiating that now.

“If he does decide to leave, it will take a huge bid in January or he will see out his contract and everyone will leave happy.”

Should GVB pursue Souttar?

Van Bronckhorst already has competition when it comes to securing the signature of Souttar, with nine English Championship clubs reportedly interested in the centre-back also.

When it comes to players running down their contracts, usually this encourages clubs to sell their out-of-contract players at a cut-price fee to cash in before they leave on a free a few months later. However, in this scenario it appears that Neilson has made it very clear that a large amount of money would need to be offered for the club to let the defender go before his contract his up, which will be frustrating for Rangers.

Van Bronckhorst has intimated that he would welcome some reinforcements in defence, and Souttar looks to be the perfect suitor to fit the club’s needs moving forward, but whether the Gers will be willing to pay over the odds for the Hearts defender remains to be seen.

Despite being a centre-back, the 25-year-old has three goals already for Hearts this season, proving that he is in fine form and possibly in a strong position to get a move in the January transfer window before his contract ends at Tynecastle in the summer.

However, Neilson’s firm comments indicate that Souttar is not likely to be leaving any time soon, which is sure to frustrate the Ibrox faithful who may have been eager to see him coming to the Scottish champions.

In other news: Van Bronckhorst must secure the signature of this transfer target

West Ham United boss David Moyes must keep the faith in Manuel Lanzini when his side travel to Turf Moor to face Burnley this afternoon.

The Irons bounced back in the Premier League with a stunning 3-2 victory over rivals Chelsea last weekend, having witnessed defeats to Manchester City and Wolverhampton Wanderers beforehand.

Moyes named a heavily-rotated starting XI for their final Europa League group game as a youthful-looking Hammers outfit were narrowly beaten 1-0 by Dinamo Zagreb.

The Scot now has several dilemmas to consider heading into today’s kick-off, not at least in the attack, where he could well bring Said Benrahma back into the fold after his axe against the Blues.

However, with Lanzini in much better form right now, the West Ham manager must stick with the Argentine against the Clarets.

His 40th-minute penalty was his second goal in three games, which is even more impressive considering his appearance at the London Stadium last Sunday was his first league start of the 21/22 campaign.

It’s now three direct goal contributions in his last five appearances and that is much better returns than the Algerian winger, who will be off on Africa Cup of Nations duty next month anyway. It could be wise for Moyes to find his replacement, sooner rather than later.

After starting the season on fire, contributing a pair of goals and assists in the Irons’ opening two games, Benrahma has now gone ten games without scoring a goal, in which he has provided just the one assist.

He has failed to register a WhoScored rating above 6.9 in any of his last eight outings either, with his performances in those two aforementioned defeats drawing his lowest two ratings of the season, a 6.04 against City and a 6.15 against Wolves.

There will be a temptation to bring him back into the fold as on his day, he can be a nightmare for the opposition but Sean Dyche’s side are a tough outfit and the 26-year-old lightweight could be exposed in the current form he’s in.

Instead, Moyes should start Lanzini for the second successive game. Last weekend, he was described as “West Ham’s main creative spark” by The Athletic’s Roshane Thomas, whilst in the past ex-Hammers boss Slaven Bilic likened him to Luka Modric.

Therefore, the £70k-per-week player, who was also dubbed a “top player” with “wonderful feet” by Darren Bent, must start against Burnley – and over Benrahma – this afternoon. It could be another game-changing call from Moyes if so.

AND in other news, Newman can seal West Ham’s biggest signing since Payet in “complete” £24.3m-rated gem…

Sunderland have had a dream start to the 2021/22 campaign with back-to-back wins under Lee Johnson’s stewardship. After beating Wigan 2-1 on the opening day of the League One season, the Black Cats progressed through to the next round of the League Cup with a 2-1 win over Port Vale on Tuesday night.

Josh Hawkes and Aiden O’Brien scored the goals for Sunderland to put them 2-0 up in the second half, with Jamie Proctor pulling one back for Vale with just over 20 minutes to go. Johnson’s side were able to see out the match without any major drama, sealing their spot in the draw for the second round.

Whilst attention may have been drawn to debutant Alex Pritchard’s performance, with an assist for the ex-Norwich playmaker, it was Hawkes who was able to steal the show on the night. Pritchard put in a good display, but Hawkes was outstanding throughout and took his goal brilliantly.

He latched onto the ball in the left-hand side of the box and clinically dispatched his shot into the far corner, despite the best efforts of the goalkeeper and a defender racing to the goal line. It was not an easy chance by any stretch and his sharp finish is sure to have caught a few eyes in the dugout, with Sunderland facing MK Dons away from home on Saturday.

Sunderland Echo reporter Phil Smith handed him a score of 7/10, highlighting his quality in front of goal. He wrote:

“Showed his end product with one fine finish and one effort that drifted just wide of the far post from the best part of 25 yards. Has real quality when he gets sight of goal.”

SofaScore seemingly agreed with Smith’s assessment, as they also rated Hawkes as a 7.0/10 for his display. He completed 85% (22/26) of his passes in the game – compared to Pritchard’s 70% – which shows that he was reliable on the ball and able to find a teammate the majority of the time – rather than being wasteful in possession and causing his team to be hit on the counter-attack.

The dynamo was able to marry an impressive all-around showing with an end product to make the most of his performance. He was able to offer a threat and be a solid option for Sunderland on the ball, whilst also being able to find the back of the net when presented with the opportunity.

Johnson will be delighted with his showing.

AND in other news, Sunderland dealt blow in pursuit of second-tier striker