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Christian Eriksen’s performances are increasingly pointing towards a permanent move away from Tottenham Hotspur this summer.

Another flat performance against Chelsea

When the creative hub ticks the entire attacking dynamic changes. Kevin De Bruyne and David Silva have both struggled to find their rhythm for Manchester City of late, Pablo Hernandez is lacking the nous which has defined the majority of his season at Leeds United and Eriksen has also fallen flat at Spurs.

The Wednesday night clash against Chelsea underlined the diminishing standard of his recent performances. The Denmark international’s pass accuracy of just 70.6% was considerably the lowest of any player in Pochettino’s starting XI.

Impulse would force more sympathetic onlookers to suggest that his wastefulness was merely a natural consequence of his desire to slice open the opposition. That is, after all, his primary objective on the field of play.

But that defence cannot stand its ground against the statistics: Eriksen failed to make a single key pass in the whole game.

The BBC’s chief sports writer, Phil McNulty, described Eriksen as ‘on the margins’ against Chelsea, and that’s probably a touch on the generous side.

The most alarming takeaway from the fixture was not the single performance in isolation, it was that Eriksen’s no-show was true to recent form. He did score and provide an assist against Leicester City earlier this month, granted, but those two moments aside he struggled to operate with the same zest and flair which is typically associated with the 27-year-old.

Real Madrid bound?

It’s no coincidence that Eriksen’s form has taken a considerable dip since the turn of the year. According to The Independent, Real Madrid made the initial steps to prise Tottenham’s crown jewel away from north London at the beginning of January, with a summer deal being mooted by the respected journalist Miguel Delaney.

With less than 18 months left on Eriksen’s current deal, it would appear that there is a substantial weight of credibility behind these reports, and his lacklustre form since the turn of the year would also suggest that his head has been turned.

Something does not seem quite right with the dynamic number ten, and the fact a downturn in form has coincided with reports linking him with a move to Los Blancos is absolutely no coincidence.

Tottenham Hotspur have reportedly long held an interest in Konrad Laimer and they could make their move in this summer’s transfer window.

That’s according to German outlet Sport Bild, who claim that the 24-year-old’s form for RB Leipzig this season has alerted teams in the Premier League, in which Spurs are named as one keen party.

The Austria international has actually been considered by Lilywhites scouts for several years, ever since his involvement in the Bundesliga outfit’s two-legged demolition of the north Londoners in the Champions League in 2020.

Ahead of Laimer entering the final 12 months of his current contract, Spurs could finally strike on their long-time target.

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It’s no surprise to see manager Antonio Conte interested in the £23.4m-rated powerhouse as his playing style has earned quite the praise indeed, even drawing comparisons to the Italian’s former Chelsea star N’Golo Kante.

The 52-year-old led the Blues to a Premier League and FA Cup triumph during his time at Stamford Bridge and the Frenchman was a key signing in that run. Conte could do with a similar player over in N17 now.

‘You’ll be hard-pressed to find a player who harries the opposition quite as intensively as Laimer, who is also a dab hand at shielding the ball, recycling possession and facilitating counter-attacks. ‘Dirty Work’ could be his middle name,’ wrote Bundesliga.com.

Indeed, the 24-year-old – who grew up idolising Steven Gerrard – has earned similar acclaim from others around him.

His former boss Adi Hutter lauded him as “incredibly aggressive on the ball”, whilst former West Ham forward and international compatriot Marko Arnautovic believes he can cover a “crazy” amount of ground and that he has a “huge future”.

At the weekend, Laimer dropped two goals and one assist on Bundesliga rivals Borussia Dortmund to take his total for the season to nine direct goal contributions, so evidently he can add more in the final third than Kante.

That doesn’t take away from his defensive attributes whatsoever, having averaged 4.78 tackles and interceptions per 90 across five seasons at Leipzig, on top of 31.6 pressures per game, only emphasising his impressive and industrious work rate in the engine room, as per FBRef.

Compared to his positional peers across Europe over the last year, the Austrian machine ranks inside the top 1% for pressures and 4% for non-penalty xG+A (expected goals and assists) too.

In the year that Chelsea won the league title with Kante in midfield in 2017, he averaged 3.6 tackles and 2.4 interceptions per game, via WhoScored, so you can instantly see the similarities between the two players.

In Laimer, who is also dubbed an “elite presser”, Spurs sporting director Fabio Paratici could well land Conte his next Kante-like monster.

AND in other news, Spurs handed big transfer boost in pursuit of Premier League enforcer…

Leeds United are interested in signing Liverpool forward Takumi Minamino on loan before Monday’s deadline.

The Lowdown: Leeds linked with Minamino move

The Whites are running out of time to make any January additions but one player who could still potentially arrive is the Japan international attacker.

Indeed, Minamino has been linked with a move to Elland Road in recent days, with Liverpool’s incoming signing of Luis Diaz putting him further down the pecking order.

A new update has now emerged, suggesting Leeds could turn to the Reds playmaker in the next 24 hours due to stalling talks for Brenden Aaronson.

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The Latest: New update emerges

According to The Daily Mail, the Whites are looking to sign Minamino on loan until the end of the season, providing Marcelo Bielsa with another body in attack.

With Leeds’ move for Aaronson reportedly at an ‘impasse’, the Liverpool man is being looked at this month instead.

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The Verdict: Perfect alternative

Minamino has struggled to make the grade at Liverpool, only managing 49 appearances since arriving from RB Salzburg two years ago, with more illustrious names keeping him out of the team.

He is a talented footballer who could be a shrewd signing by Leeds however, with a loan deal now making perfect sense. Phil Hay has confirmed the Whites are willing to wait until the summer to sign Aaronson, so should Minamino fail to impress in a temporary stint, they can simply replace him with the American once the season ends.

Minamino has been hailed as ‘outstanding’ by Jurgen Klopp – having netted six times in all competitions this season, so he should be able to provide that extra bit of creativity and end product Leeds are currently missing until they can try again for Aaronson.

The Japan starlet would give Bielsa the added firepower that he needs between now and May, especially with Patrick Bamford still sidelined.

In other news, a journalist has confirmed some interest in one Leeds hero. Find out who it is here.

A major Newcastle United transfer claim has emerged on Allan Saint-Maximin’s future…

What’s the talk?

The Daily Mail reporter Craig Hope has revealed that Eddie Howe is not keen to cash in on the French winger ahead of the 2022/23 campaign.

The journalist has admitted that the club are not completely opposed to selling him if the stars align this summer, but the preferred scenario ends with him remaining at St. James’ Park.

Hope Tweeted: “Why would NUFC consider selling Allan Saint-Maximin? Primarily, an offer of circa £50m would be considered if it meant strengthening significantly elsewhere (striker is priority) & staying ahead of spending rules. But Eddie Howe would prefer to keep him.”

Supporters will be buzzing

The Toon faithful will surely be buzzing with this claim as it suggests that the attacker is likely to stay at the club beyond the end of the next transfer window. If Howe wants him to remain on Tyneside then it is logical to think that PIF will not sell him unless they can replace him with a significant signing – which could alleviate any concerns about selling a current star.

Supporters will want him to be playing in black and white next season as he is an exciting players to watch out on the pitch. He gets the fans off their seats with his incredible dribbling ability as he glides past the opposition in an attempt to create openings for himself and his teammates.

In the Premier League this season, he has completed 4.3 dribbles per game and converted that into five goals and three assists. He has also delivered 1.4 key passes per match as he has been a constant creative threat on the wing, providing the likes of Chris Wood, Joe Willock and Ryan Fraser with opportunities to score.

At the age of 25, he also still has room to grow and develop as a player. Howe can work with him on the training pitch to help him gain more consistency in his end product to help improve his goal and assist numbers, with the Frenchman having plenty of time on his side to do so.

This, along with how exciting he is in the present, is why fans will want to keep him at St. James’ Park for the foreseeable future. Therefore, they will be delighted to read that the head coach’s primary aim is to avoid selling him this summer.

AND in other news, Same agency as Joelinton: NUFC scouting 6 ft 4 star, he’s a dream Botman alternative…

Aston Villa have been one of the busiest Premier League clubs in the transfer market over the past few years.

With the upcoming summer window in mind, this could provide the Midlands club with the chance to finally land a target they were after in January and get rid of one of their previous winter recruits at the same time.

What’s the news?

According to a recent report from Birmingham Live, Villa are interested in making a summer transfer swoop for Brighton & Hove Albion midfielder Yves Bissouma.

As many Villans will remember, the Midlands club were linked with a move for the Brighton star during the previous January transfer window but were unsuccessful with their approach after having a bid rejected for him.

It’s thought he could cost in the region of a whopping £50m.

Time to finally axe Sanson

Since arriving at the south coast club back in the 2018 summer transfer window from Lille, the Mali international, who has been described as having “bundles of ability” by Dale Stephens, has gone on to become a pivotal player for the Seagulls by racking up a total of 118 appearances across all competitions.

To highlight how crucial the midfielder is for Graham Potter’s side, no other Brighton player has won more tackles (42) in the Premier League this season than Bissouma, who also has a higher overall performance rating than any of his teammates that have started more than one league game according to WhoScored.

On the flip side, with Morgan Sanson only making 20 appearances in a Villa shirt since his arrival back in the 2021 January transfer window, Bissouma’s potential arrival could clear a path for Steven Gerrard to finally get rid of the Frenchman who would surely achieve even fewer minutes.

Having had his time at Villa Park labelled as “frustrating” due to his injury issues by former Villa boss Dean Smith, Sanson could be the one to make way for the Brighton star this summer.

Bissouma has only had three noticeable injury issues since he arrived in England according to Transfermarkt, meaning he would appear to be a more reliable option for the Villans not just in terms of his quality, but also his fitness.

In other news: Sold for £44.6m: Randy Lerner had a Villa nightmare on “lethal” 295-G/A “monster”

Sunderland managed to rescue a point late on at home to Rotherham United as they drew 1-1 in League One on Tuesday night.

An own goal from Michael Ihiekwe spared their blushes after the central defender scored at the right end for the visitors in the first half, in a game that saw Alex Neil’s team dominate possession, but create very few chances (SofaScore).

As such, The Transfer Tavern have used statistical experts SofaScore to analyse who the three worst performers (to have played at least 45 minutes) were for the hosts on the night, as this trio lost the ball a combined 37 times from 123 touches, or roughly every three touches.

With such a crucial final game of the season coming up this weekend, could any of these men be fearing for their place in the XI?

Nathan Broadhead

Admittedly tied with second in terms of overall rating (6.4/10), Broadhead ranks in third here as he did not complete the full 90 minutes.

The Everton loanee lost out on four of his duels in total, and also failed to record a single shot, dribble or key pass, managing a mere 19 touches of the ball and giving it away with nine of those.

Callum Doyle

Also given a 6.4 rating, Doyle ranked as the Stadium of Light faithful’s second-worst player.

The central defender lost eight duels, more than any of his teammates, and also made no clearances, interceptions or key passes, while he was dribbled past once and lost the ball 13 times from 62 touches.

Jay Matete

Matete ranked as the Wearside club’s worst performer with a 6.2 rating.

The centre midfielder got off to a bad start with a booking inside the opening eight minutes, and struggled to really recover from that, as he was unsuccessful in five of his duels, and recorded no shots, dribbles, clearances, interceptions or key passes, making two fouls and giving possession away a total of 15 times from 42 touches.

In other news, find out what Black Cats update has Roker Report buzzing here!

West Ham United host Everton in the Premier League this afternoon in what proves to be a crucial contest at both ends of the table.

However, the Hammers’ fortunes could be boosted by the return of their top scorer Jarrod Bowen ahead of the Toffees’ visit to East London.

What’s the latest?

According to West Ham manager David Moyes, Bowen could be in contention for a return to the Scotsman’s squad as they take on Frank Lampard’s side at the London Stadium. Right-back Vladimir Coufal could also be available after a hernia issue.

Ahead of the clash, the 58-year-old said: “A chance that both could make it. Both did a bit of training over the international break so a chance both can be there. I’m not quite sure they are match ready yet. That’s my only concern.”

Bowen has been absent for a month since limping off against Liverpool in early March with scans later revealing a fractured bone in the winger’s foot.

On the chalkboard

Although there’s no guarantee that he will be ready for the matchday squad, the idea that Bowen could be in contention today and is close to returning to action ahead of a hectic run-in will be music to the ears of Hammers supporters.

The Englishman has arguably been the Irons’ player of the season, particularly this side of the turn of the year, with the wide man in electric form prior to his setback and currently sits at the top of the scoring charts ahead of Michail Antonio.

The 25-year-old has netted 12 goals and registered 11 assists in 39 appearances across all competitions thus far, a goal contribution every 1.7 games. Moreover, seven of those goals have come in 2022.

Moreover, the former Hull City man ranks top for successful dribbles per game in the West Ham squad with 1.6 per league game and joint-second for key passes with 1.3.

Granted, without the Englishman the East London outfit have been able to manage, with the Hammers progressing to the Europa League quarter-finals with an aggregate victory over Sevilla whilst also beating Aston Villa in the Premier League.

As well as that, wide man Andriy Yarmolenko has come off of the bench twice to score decisive goals whilst winger Said Benrahma netted in the 3-1 defeat to Tottenham last time out whilst attacking midfielder Pablo Fornals was on the score sheet against Aston Villa whilst Bowen was on the sidelines.

Over the course of the season though, Bowen has three more goals than Benrahma whilst scoring double that of Fornals and Manuel Lanzini.

Moreover, the Algerian’s effort against Spurs was the 26-year-old’s first in the league since 28 December, suggesting that if Bowen is fit to start he could be the man to make way.

In fact, the wide man was likened earlier this season by former Hammers coach Stuart Pearce to Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah, saying: “The comparison between him and Mo Salah, we have looked at the way Salah stands the defender up and stops and then goes again or uses the defender to curl the ball around into the far corner.”

Looking at the bigger picture, Moyes’ side have temporarily dropped out of the European places after yesterday’s results in the top flight, making today’s clash with relegation-battling Everton particularly crucial.

Furthermore, the Irons now have eight league matches as well as at least two Europa League clashes against French side Lyon before the end of May, with the battle for European qualification seriously hotting up as we approach the back end of the season.

Therefore, the return of such a crucial player in Bowen will be incredibly welcome.

In other news: Moyes axes £43k-p/w dud and unleashes “fantastic” talent: West Ham predicted XI

Newcastle United are sure to be in the market to improve their squad in the summer as PIF look to take the team to the next level in the Premier League.

Instead of battling against relegation, the Saudi Arabian consortium will surely want to see the club competing further up the table.

To do this, they may need to invest in the team and one player who would be a sublime signing is Everton striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin. He has been touted with a switch to St. James’ Park, with the Toffees valuing him at around £60m, and Newcastle can find their Andy Carroll 2.0 in a deal for the forward.

The England international has already impressed a Toon legend, with Alan Shearer hailing his “magnificent” aerial ability, and Brazilian attacker Richarlison claimed that he is a “nightmare” to play against.

Shearer said he’s superb in the air and this is certainly reflected in his stats. He has won 3.2 aerial battles or more per game in each Premier League season for the Toffees since the 2017/18 campaign. This includes 5.0 per match in 2019/20 and 4.5 or more per game in the last two terms in the top-flight for Everton.

Carroll has averaged 5.8 aerial battles won per game throughout his career, which suggests that Calvert-Lewin’s peak of 5.0 per match puts him in a similar bracket to the Geordie giant aerially. Both players are capable of being a target for their team to hit in the air and this is a useful quality to have as they can help to alleviate pressure on the side by winning headers to retain possession or force the defence back instead of allowing the opposition to push higher up.

The Magpies academy product has scored 54 goals in the Premier League, with 24 headers, 22 with his left foot and six with his right. Calvert-Lewin, meanwhile, has 43 strikes in the competition, with 18 headers, 20 with his right foot and five with his left.

This shows that they are both similar types of strikers in terms of what they offer on and off the ball. Both of them equally excel at scoring with their head and their preferred foot, whilst they are also able to use their aerial strength to help their teams out in general play.

These statistics also prove that Calvert-Lewin knows how to score goals in the Premier League. He is a proven top-flight forward, just as the now-West Brom man was earlier in his career. Thus, Newcastle must bring him in to be their new English talisman at the top end of the pitch; Carroll 2.0 if you will.

AND in other news, Sold at £108k, now worth £10.8m: NUFC had howler on gem who proved Benitez “all wrong”…

Speaking to Football Insider, former BBC Radio Leeds pundit Noel Whelan has been left thrilled by ‘huge’ news for Tottenham Hotspur after both Tanguy Ndombele and Giovani Lo Celso completed moves away.

The Lowdown: Tottenham agree loan deals…

After much negotiation in the final stretch of the January transfer window, with Ndombele in particular linked with an exit all of last month, Spurs transfer chief Fabio Paratici managed to agree moves away for the pair.

Tottenham’s club record signing Ndombele has agreed a temporary switch to Lyon for the rest of the season, with the Ligue 1 giants paying a £1.2 million loan fee and having an option to make his move permanent for £54 million (Sky Sports).

Meanwhile, Lo Celso has agreed a similar deal with Villarreal – again joining the club on loan as the Spanish side also possess an option to buy (The Athletic).

Reacting to these developments, Whelan has called it ‘huge news’ for Tottenham.

The Latest: Whelan raves over ‘huge news’…

Speaking to Football Insider, the former Leeds striker says that removing both men from Antonio Conte’s dressing room is a big boost – not to mention getting them off the wage bill.

“It’s just like with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, these guys are in the same mould,” he told Football Insider‘s Ewan Kingsbury.

“These players have shown a massive disrespect to the club and the fans. The fans will have been expecting so much more from players who cost the club a huge amount of money.

“It’s toxic when you have players like that when a manager like Antonio Conte is trying to bring that togetherness to the squad.

“It was really important for Conte that he got them out of the club. He’s wasted no time doing it. At the end of the day, it’s not just one manager who has had problems with these players. It’s now four.

“It’s absolutely huge news for Tottenham that they’ve managed to get them off the wage bill. Let the positivity begin.”

The Verdict: Agreed…

Lo Celso and Ndombele’s salary off the table is certainly a financial boost for Spurs and the removal of their presence in the dressing room is definitely another positive.

The latter man has always been at the centre of question marks surrounding his attitude and application, meanwhile Spurs insider John Wenham has ‘heard’ that Lo Celso’s attitude was just as bad behind the scenes.

As Conte aims to guide Tottenham into a new era, building a foundation for success, he cannot afford potential disruptors at Hotspur Way.

In other news: Tottenham table new contract for ‘top’ player after he blew Nuno away, find out more here.

Steven Gerrard will be without four of his Aston Villa players for the trip to Leicester City, The Athletic’s Gregg Evans reports. 

Lucas Digne, Bertrand Traore, Kortney Hause and Morgan Sanson have all been ruled out of the clash with the Foxes.

The lowdown

Villa travel to The King Power Stadium looking to end a run of four consecutive Premier League defeats that has seen them slip to 15th place in the table.

Gerrard’s predecessor Dean Smith was actually sacked by Villa after a sequence of five straight losses in the autumn.

They didn’t play last weekend after their clash with Liverpool was postponed because of the Reds’ FA Cup semifinal commitments. Gerrard will hope that the extended break has benefitted his squad.

Their hosts are six places above them in the table, but might just have one eye on their Europa Conference League semifinal clash with AS Roma on Thursday night.

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The latest

Evans tweeted on Friday morning that Traore would miss the match with a groin injury, with Kortney Hause and Morgan Sanson also ‘unavailable’ and ‘out of the trip to LCFC’.

The journalist added that Digne has ‘an outside chance’ of returning for the ‘final games of the season’ after breaking his collarbone last time out against Tottenham Hotspur.

The verdict

Immediately after the meeting with Spurs, Gerrard expressed his fear that Digne would be out for the rest of the season.

From that point of view, it’s perhaps a positive that he could still play a part for the Villans in the coming weeks.

As for the other absentees, Hause hasn’t made the matchday squad since the clash with Southampton at the start of March and hasn’t played a Premier League minute since 22 January.

But Traore has provided Gerrard with an option off the bench, having most recently played the last 20 minutes of the narrow defeat against Arsenal.

Sanson’s absence is an even bigger blow given that he started against Wolves earlier this month.

And with the depth of his squad reduced by injury, it will be even more difficult for Gerrard to stop the rot.

In other news, West Ham are keen to sign this Villa star.