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Chris Brunt has dismissed speculation that he is talking about a new contract with West Brom.

The Baggies skipper claims that he does not know where quotes came from that appeared in the newspapers on Sunday saying that discussions between him and the club were happening.

He said to The Birmingham Mail: “There are no talks going on. I’ve barely played any football so I’m training to try to get fit to get back into the first team. If that comes it comes, if it doesn’t it doesn’t but I still have to do my job by playing football and earning that. I still have two and a half years with the option year. It looks like I’m begging for a contract. I’m not sure where they (the quotes) came from. It’s a strange one.”

The captain is also hoping to make it into Monday night’s team to play Southampton.

He said: “Southampton is a target. Hopefully nothing will go wrong during this week and I’ll be fit enough. It’s up to the gaffer but it would nice to be involved. A few of us were out there yesterday so we should be back to full strength for the Southampton game. I have a job getting back into the first team because the lads have done very well.”

Steve Clarke is waiting on many players who currently have injuries, including Billy Jones and Jerome Thomas.

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Brunt sustained a hamstring injury in the Baggies’ Premier League match with Aston Villa, which ended as a draw, in September.

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Antonio Conte may have unearthed his new secret weapon at Tottenham Hotspur.

Deadline day signing Dejan Kulusevski has gotten his Spurs football career off to a flying start in north London as he notched his second goal for the club in the 4-0 win over Leeds United on Saturday afternoon.

In just his third start since arriving in an initial loan deal from Juventus last month, the Sweden international looked every bit like he had been playing in the Premier League for years.

It was quickly hailed as “a complete attacking performance” by analyst Statman Dave after he registered a 100% shot accuracy (two attempts), 91% passing accuracy (34 attempts), four dribbles, nine ground duels won and one big chance created.

Elsewhere, The Athletic’s Charlie Eccleshare claimed that the 21-year-old was “looking like a really smart addition” and his manager even waxed lyrical about him in his post-game press conference.

Conte described Kulusevski as a “perfect player” for Spurs after the game and then told The Athletic that: “He is showing that he is a fantastic player for the present but also if he continues in this way he can become a really important player. He is strong physically, good technically, he has no fear of the opponent or the tackle.”

It is his versatility that makes him a durable and dangerous threat to the rest of the English top-flight – a winger by trade, he can also play in the hole as a creative playmaker, defensively as a wing-back and up top as a centre-forward.

At just 21, this is one of his most appealing attributes and gives the Italian head coach a secret weapon. ‘What Kulusevski will we get today?’ is how the opposition will feel every time he steps out onto the pitch.

So far, he is proving to be the extra attacking presence that the side has needed for quite some time. In the summer, Spurs never really replaced Gareth Bale’s temporary influence as he was third to Harry Kane and Heung-min Son for goal contributions.

The Wales superstar has since been mooted with a third return to N17 after that successful loan spell last term. He’s out of contract at the end of the season and would seem like an ideal pickup for chairman Daniel Levy, who adores his former winger.

But Kulusevski’s instant impact and form in north London should put Spurs off completing a deal for the 32-year-old, especially as he’s barely featured under Carlo Ancelotti this season, starting only four LaLiga games.

Instead, the £27m-rated monster, who Spurs have a £29.2m purchase option on, is likely to be Conte’s man for the foreseeable future. As described by Marcus Allback, his “explosive” nature is one that’ll benefit the Lilywhites for years to come.

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Forget Bale, it’s the Deki era at Tottenham Hotspur.

AND in other news, Spurs’ “utterly thrilling” £10.8m-rated dynamo has just fired a big statement to Conte…

Photo by Unsplash

Fabio Paratici has only been in his sporting director role at Tottenham Hotspur for approaching on nine months but some of his early decision-making in the transfer market has been questionable, to say the least.

The Italian supremo arrived in north London with plenty of promise, having held a similar role for 11 years at Serie A giants and perennial winners Juventus, where he was responsible for many encouraging signings – notably ranging from the likes of Paul Pogba and Andrea Pirlo on free transfers to the arrival of Cristiano Ronaldo from Real Madrid.

He got straight into business at Hotspur Way, bringing in Cristian Romero and Pierluigi Gollini on loan from fellow Italian outfit Atalanta, signing Emerson Royal from Barcelona, snatching promising gems up in Bryan Gil and Pape Matar Sarr, and sealing a deadline day swoop for Bianconeri duo Rodrigo Bentancur and Dejan Kulusevski in January.

What is most damning is the fact that one of those names has already departed the club on loan after being found out in the Premier League as not being up to scratch – yet.

Whilst another player has been one of the more disappointing signings of recent times, that being Emerson, who cost a whopping £26m – a figure that reportedly raised eyebrows from the Nou Camp.

During the winter transfer window, manager Antonio Conte appeared desperate to sign a new right wing-back despite the Brazilian’s arrival in the summer, which only goes to show just how poor he’s been.

The Times reported that the Italian head coach was unconvinced by Emerson’s potential and ability to play an attacking wide role, whilst also doing his defensive duties.

Adama Traore was targeted but he returned to his boyhood club, Barca, instead. His former Wolverhampton Wanderers teammate has even usurped him in the pecking order in recent outings, too.

17 of the 23-year-old’s 20 appearances in the Premier League have been starts and Conte’s worries are ever so justified when delving into his figures.

Despite averaging 75 minutes per outing, the £25m-rated dynamo has managed only one assist, has made only one key chance per game and has only accurately delivered 25% of his crosses, as per SofaScore.

Meanwhile, defensively, he’s not been that much better. His positional awareness is some of the worst we’ve seen in recent times, often being caught napping or completely away from where he’s supposed to be. Tuesday night was another cold reminder of that as Middlesbrough bagged in extra time.

Such performances have seen him slammed as “terrible” and “horrendous” by Noel Whelan and Jonathan Woodgate, respectively.

From 20 appearances, the former Real Betis star has been part of only three clean sheets and only wins possession back 0.2 times per game, on top of him being dribbled past 1.1 per match, meaning the opposition often gets past him with relative ease.

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Emerson has also lost possession a whopping 254 times over the course of the season at an average of 12.7 per outing, via SofaScore. That is surely why Conte is concerned by the right wing-back position.

The 23-year-old is thought to be on wages of around £62k-per-week at Spurs, so that combined with his dire-looking £26m fee means the club have already blown nearly £28m on a struggling star that the manager doesn’t even want.

On the above evidence, it’s hard to argue a case against Emerson being an absolute disasterclass of a transfer from Paratici.

AND in other news, 0 duels won, 0 tackles made: Conte’s £91k-p/w disaster must never play for Spurs again after Boro catastrophe…

Leeds United are reportedly in the hunt to sign Ajax right-back Noussair Mazraoui this summer, with several clubs battling to acquire his signature.

The Lowdown: Mazraoui shining at Ajax

The Moroccan has arguably stood out as one of Europe’s premier right-backs in recent years, catching the eye with his barnstorming performances.

Mazraoui has again been a key player for Ajax this season, scoring five times and registering two assists in the Eredivisie, as well as making seven Champions League appearances.

The 24-year-old has been linked with a move to Leeds recently and it is a rumour that doesn’t appear to be going away.

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The Latest: Leeds chiefs eyeing move

According to Calciomercato [via Sport Witness], Mazraoui is ‘liked’ by those high up at Leeds, although they aren’t alone in expressing an interest.

European heavyweights Barcelona and AC Milan are also mentioned as potential suitors, as are Arsenal.

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The Verdict: Long-term Ayling replacement?

Mazraoui could be an exceptional signing for Leeds if they managed to get a deal over the line this summer, with his energy and attacking ability perfect for Jesse Marsch’s style of play.

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He could also be an ideal long-term replacement for Luke Ayling, who at 30, won’t necessarily remain in his peak years for much longer.

Mazraoui has averaged 1.4 key passes and 1.6 dribbles per game in the league this season – only Raphinha (2.0) has enjoyed more of both at Leeds, which says a lot about his attacking quality.

In other news, Phil Hay has provided a key Leeds injury update. Read more here.

Phil Hay has dropped an update on the current condition of Leeds United forward Rodrigo.

What’s the latest?

In a recent post on Twitter, The Athletic journalist revealed that, after being withdrawn in last weekend’s 2-1 victory over Norwich due to a tight quad, the 31-year-old is set to return to first-team training at Thorp Arch on Thursday – something which suggests the Spain international will be available for the visit of Wolverhampton Wanderers in Friday evening’s Premier League meeting.

In his tweet, Hay said: “Rodrigo due to train today.”

Supporters will be buzzing

Considering just how promising Rodrigo’s performance against Norwich was on Sunday, the news that the forward looks as if he will be available for an immediate return to first-team action tomorrow night is sure to have left the Elland Road faithful buzzing.

Indeed, over his 60 minutes on the pitch against the Canaries, the £13.5m-rated Spaniard enjoyed 44 touches of the ball, completed 29 of his 33 attempted passes, found his man with two of his three attempted long balls and gave the Whites a first-half lead with a deadly finish.

These metrics saw the £100k-per-week 31-year-old earn a SofaScore match rating of 7.4, with only Raphinha receiving a higher rating than the forward on the day, while the Yorkshire Evening Post’s Graham Smyth also awarded Rodrigo an eight in his own player ratings, stating of the attacker’s display:

“A big improvement from his last outing. Besides the goal, there was some lovely play. Showed fight too.”

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As such, the news that the hitman has returned to training ahead of the Wolves clash is undoubtedly a huge boost for Leeds, especially as the club are by no means out of the woods in their fight to secure Premier League survival just yet – with the Whites currently sitting just four points above Watford in 18th place in the top-flight standings.

AND in other news: Marsch can find Leeds’ next “wrecking ball” in 16 y/o prodigy who “should be revising”

James Hunter has now dropped some injury news on Sunderland defender Niall Huggins before their trip to Lincoln City in League One this afternoon.

The Lowdown: Players missing

The Wearsiders are expected to be without a few players for their clash against the Imps, with Alex Pritchard not expected to train until next week, while Nathan Broadhead has only just returned to the training ground (Hunter).

Aiden McGeady is another long-term absentee, and The Chronicle journalist Hunter has shared an update on Huggins.

The Latest: Season over?

Taking to Twitter, Hunter has shared ‘more injury news’ for Alex Neil’s Sunderland on top of McGeady and the other absentees, claiming that Huggins’ season now ‘looks to be over’.

Sharing a link to a corresponding article for The Chronicle, he outlined: “More injury news. Huggins’ season looks to be over, McGeady could still be involved in the run-in.”

The Verdict: Blow

It is certainly a blow for Sunderland if Huggins is ruled out for the rest of the campaign.

Having only played four games in total over all competitions this season, the 21-year-old has been plagued by injury problems since signing from Leeds United in the summer.

Of course, fans of the Wearside club would have wanted to see more of the left-back, but it looks as if they will now have to wait until next term to see what he can bring to the team.

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Nonetheless, the Black Cats will need to find a way to take all three points away from Lincoln without Huggins to call upon.

In other news, this Sunderland ace has posted an exciting message ahead of the Lincoln game

West Ham’s loss away to London rivals Spurs on Sunday not only let their opponents leap-frog them in the Premier League standings, but also ensured they would head into the international break six points behind fourth-placed Arsenal, who also have a game in hand.

However, the worst consequence of the match might not yet be realised, as Michail Antonio could face a ban from the FA after swinging his forearm hard across Spurs defender Eric Dier’s face – with many calling it deliberate, despite VAR not picking up on the incident.

That is the view of former top-flight and FIFA referee Keith Hackett, who described the action as a “nailed on red”, after a clip of the incident – which was missed not only by the commentators, but the pundits on Sky Sports and Match of the Day afterwards – surfaced online.

In an interview with West Ham Zone, the expert called for retrospective action yesterday, but a decision could yet still be made given the severity of the incident.

“I think most people missed it,” said Hackett. “That is clearly a deliberate, illegal use of the arm against the opponent, and had it been seen, he would have walked – he got away it.

“This is exactly what VAR is for, where was VAR? He’s wiped him across the face, he’s got away with it.

“I just hope the Football Association pick up on it today, and for an act of violent conduct, which this is, can issue retrospective punishment.”

Should the FA pick up on the incident and decide to punish him with a suspension, it will be a huge blow to the Hammers’ Champions League ambitions – as despite already playing catch up to the teams above them, they are certainly still in with a chance if they keep the pressure on.

With Antonio being manager David Moyes’ sole option up top, the Scottish boss may be forced into a tactical reshuffle too, potentially playing striker-less or moving either Andriy Yarmolenko, Nikola Vlasic or Jarrod Bowen up-front.

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None of them can do the same job the 31-year-old Jamaica international does, though, having scored eight goals and assisted seven more in 29 Premier League appearances this season, averaging a 7.04 match rating, having bullied defenders all season with his superior strength and frightening pace.

On that evidence, they would have a big issue if he was out for any period of time.

In other news: GSB heading for big West Ham calamity that’ll leave the London Stadium faithful raging

Rangers slipped six points behind their arch-rivals at the top of the Premiership on Sunday as Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s men lost 2-1 at Ibrox.

The Gers failed to make the most of their early advantage as they allowed the away side to come back from 1-0 down.

Aaron Ramsey had put Rangers in front early on with a smart finish at the front post, but goals from Tom Rogic and Cameron Carter-Vickers ensured that the three points went to the Hoops.

They are now six points and a significant goal difference gap below Celtic and their chances of sealing the trophy for a second successive year appear slim at best.

One player who let van Bronckhorst down badly and is, subsequently, costing the side the title is centre-forward Kemar Roofe.

The striker put in a poor display in the Old Firm clash and cost his team for the second time in this fixture since the Dutch head coach arrived.

On the ball, he offered very little. As per SofaScore, he had fewer touches (26) than Allan McGregor (32) as the striker completed nine passes. He managed three efforts on goal and all of them were off target, with one of them being a big miss as he fired a volley over from eight yards after an excellent cross from Connor Goldson.

This shows that he struggled to impose himself on the game as Carter-Vickers and Carl Starfelt dominated him throughout. He was unable to showcase his quality in possession and that played a major role in the result as he did not make the most of the service he was provided with.

Against the ball, he was a lightweight. As per SofaScore, he lost a whopping 70% (7/10) of his individual duels as he was dominated by the Celtic centre-backs.

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This was not a one-off for the attacker as he also had a shocker in the 3-0 defeat to the Hoops back in January. As per SofaScore, he lost 70% of his duels in that game as well, whilst failing to register any shots or key passes.

He has only started two Premiership games under van Bronckhorst and both of them have been huge games at the top of the table, with Roofe’s lack of quality at the top end of the pitch costing them both times. If you turn both of those defeats into wins then the Gers would be six points clear, themselves, and that is why the flop’s dismal showings have cost the head coach the title.

AND in other news, GvB can save Rangers millions with “brave” 48-goal teen who’s “clinical and calm”…

Chelsea are now aiming to sign an “excellent” midfielder in the January transfer window, and there is a belief he would “thrive” in the Premier League.

Giroud makes it clear where Chelsea need to strengthen

Speaking on Monday Night Football, Olivier Giroud suggested the Blues need to bring in an experience striker if they are going to compete for the Premier League title, given that Enzo Maresca is currently working with a lot of young players, who haven’t been consistent in front of goal.

Pedro Neto has been the west Londoners’ top scorer in the Premier League this season, scoring five goals, one more than Joao Pedro, who has often been deployed in the number 10 role, rather than as a centre-forward.

Liam Delap, on the other hand, has struggled on the injury front, with the Englishman currently out due to a shoulder problem, and at 22-years-old, the former Ipswich Town man may lack the experience to be Maresca’s main striker.

In midfield, however, the Italian is blessed with some top-quality options, with Jon Obi Mikel suggesting Moises Caicedo and Enzo Fernandez are building “something special” as a partnership.

Despite Chelsea having Caicedo and Fernandez at the base of midfield, they remain keen on bringing in a new central midfielder, according to journalist Dean Jones, who told TEAMtalk they are now aiming to sign Lens’ Mamadou Sangare in the January transfer window.

The likes of Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United are also in the race for Sangare, who only joined the French club in the summer, arriving from Rapid Wien in a £7m deal, but his impressive performances this season have caught the eye of some top clubs.

The Malian is regarded as a good-value option, and the interested Premier League sides could step up their interest when AFCON reaches its climax in the middle of January.

"Excellent" Sangare "could thrive" in England

Journalist Bence Bocsak certainly believes the 23-year-old could kick on if he were to move to England, saying: “I think he’s the type of profile who would thrive in the Premier League in the future.”

Bocsak praises the maestro for his “great speed and acceleration” and describes him as “a nightmare to play against”, while he has also displayed his dribbling and tackling ability on a regular basis over the course of the past year.

Mamadou Sangare’s key statistics

Average per 90 (past year)

Tackles

3.67 (98th percentile)

Successful take-ons

1.32 (94th percentile)

Blocks

1.54 (83rd percentile)

Sangare has been a key player for Lens this season, featuring in all 15 Ligue 1 matches, and the French side are flying high, currently sitting at the top of the table.

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As the stats prove, he’s a tackling machine, much in the mould of a Caicedo or Chelsea great N’Golo Kante. Caicedo ranks in the 94th percentile himself for tackles while according to StatMuse, Kante is the player who’s won the most tackles (175) in a single Premier League season. That came in 2015/16 when he won the league with Leicester.

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That said, there are question marks over whether Chelsea need to bring in another new central midfielder, given that it will be difficult to displace Fernandez and Caicedo in the starting XI, and they also have Dario Essugo and Romeo Lavia on the books.

Over a week since Rafa left Anfield and the debate is still raging as to who should takeover. Kenny Dalglish has reportedly thrown his hat into the ring, although you do feel that if Liverpool is to succeed then the Scots team talk will have to be slightly more inspiring than the one displayed last Sunday on Soccer Aid. Roy Hodgson remains the favourite, although the opinion among the supporters about his possible appointment is split.

This week at FFC we have seen a mixed bag of Liverpool blogs which has included…Rafa shows his class; £1bn to sort out Liverpool and do John Barnes’ transfer claims have merit?

Plus we have taken a look at the best Liverpool stories on the Web this week.

England’s World Cup WAGs…well I would

How ‘Championship Manager’s’ finest failed to make the big time

Liverpool’s Greatest Moments in Pictures

Finally a touch of class arises out of Liverpool mess

£1bn to sort out Liverpool FC…really?

Why King Kenny isn’t the answer

Will the real Steven Gerrard finally stand up?

Do Barnes’ Liverpool transfer claims have merit?

Why Rafa deserves a damn sight better legacy

A match made in heaven for Rafa Benitez?

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Best of Web

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Why has this Chilean been forgotten in the managerial debate? – Live4Liverpool

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‘Its all in the mind’ – Rafa’s reign was far from failure – This is Anfield

LIVERPOOL FC: A response to Chris Bascombe’s hatchet job – Well Red

Kenny Dalglish the man to steer Liverpool back to basics – Guardian

Thanks, Rafa – This is Anfield

Dalglish Jr knows who his money is on – Times