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According to a report from Italian outlet Siamo La Roma, Tottenham Hotspur are already preparing to make Dejan Kulusevski a permanent member of the squad. 

The lowdown: Bright beginnings

Signed on an 18-month loan deal from Juventus (Sky Sports), the 21-year-old has enjoyed a superb start to life in the Premier League.

The right-winger has scored twice and provided five assists in ten outings for Spurs so far, quickly becoming a fan favourite at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

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Now an update has suggested that the club have made up their mind about the Sweden international, perhaps no surprise given he is already ranking as the squad’s third-best player (Whoscored) behind Harry Kane and Son Heung-min.

The latest: Deal pending

As per the report from Siamo La Roma, Tottenham are believed to be ‘ready to activate’ an obligation to buy the 22-cap ace ‘immediately’.

It’s claimed that Spurs have seen enough to sanction a €35million (£29million) permanent move at the earliest possible juncture.

Having cost an initial £8.3million in loan fees, the move could ultimately rise to roughly £37million to make Kulusevski a Lilywhite.

The verdict: Get it done

There can be little underestimating the impact that the Swede has already had since arriving in north London, particularly during a standout display in the victory over Manchester City.

Described as a ‘non-stop machine’ by Italian Football expert Nima Tavallaey Roodsari, Kulusevski is a constant thorn in the opposition defence, completing on average 1.2 dribbles and producing 1.9 key passes per game (Sofascore).

Still just 21 and already with 209 competitive outings under his belt, adding the versatile attacking midfielder to the Tottenham squad on a permanent basis would is a no-brainer.

In other news: Tottenham installed as favourites to sign England international, find out more here.

Marcelo Bielsa has been gifted a major double injury boost after two key Leeds United stars seemingly returned to training this week…

What’s the latest?

Both striker Patrick Bamford and versatile centre-back Robin Koch have been filmed doing ball work at the club’s Thorp Arch training base as they continue their recoveries from injury.

Bamford has been absent since the Whites’ 1-1 draw with Newcastle United in mid-September with an ankle problem, whilst Koch has not been seen since the opening game of the season, a 5-2 defeat to Manchester United.

Key Leeds duo

The 28-year-old forward hasn’t played in any of their last nine games in all competitions and his ability to hold the ball and score goals has been a big miss for Bielsa and the squad.

In his absence, the Argentine head coach has had to try a variety of solutions, to largely disappointing results, with the likes of Rodrigo, Daniel James, Tyler Roberts, Jack Harrison and academy gem Joe Gelhardt all getting opportunities to lead the line.

But understandably, none compare to the England international, who ended the 2020/21 season as their top goalscorer on 17 goals, some nine more than any other player (Harrison and Stuart Dallas, eight goals), as per WhoScored.

Meanwhile, the German has found life fairly tough since swapping Freiburg for west Yorkshire, starting 13 times in the Premier League last season, but his involvement against United certainly signalled Bielsa’s intentions that he would be a first-choice this term, so to not have him for the bulk of the campaign is certainly a blow.

Even more so as he’s capable of also playing in defensive midfield and on either flank as a full-back.

This sort of versatility would have been much-needed in recent weeks as Bielsa has had to contend with quite the injury crisis – even Rodrigo and Raphinha were missing for their 2-1 defeat to Spurs at the weekend.

Plenty of the Elland Road faithful were absolutely buzzing to see the Leeds pair back in training, as relayed by LeedsLive, and you’d imagine that Bielsa will be just as ecstatic back in Wetherby as he mulls over his team for Saturday’s clash with Brighton and Hove Albion.

Having both Bamford and Koch nearing a return is certainly a timely and big boost for the Yorkshire giants.

AND in other news, Contact made: Victor Orta eyes Pablo Hernandez 2.0 with Leeds swoop for 38-cap “incredible talent”…

Many Manchester United fans have been left slamming the display of Marcus Rashford in their game at home to Crystal Palace in the Premier League.

The England international was hooked off by new manager Ralf Rangnick in the 76th minute for youngster Anthony Elanga with the score still at 0-0, before Fred put the Red Devils ahead at Old Trafford just a few moments later.

Rashford lost out on five of his duels in total in the match, and also failed to record a single shot on goal, cross or long ball from out wide, while losing possession six times (SofaScore).

With the likes of Mason Greenwood on the bench, his place in the starting eleven is surely now under threat, with their next fixture at home to Young Boys in the UEFA Champions League group stage on Wednesday night.

Man Utd fans on Rashford display

These MUFC supporters slammed his performance on Twitter, with one even going as far as to claim that he is a ‘clown’:

“Rashford has been so poor. Should have been subbed off instead of Sancho.”

Credit: @cambyfooty

“Marcus Rashford is still a nothing footballer. Nothing”

Credit: @mawuli____

“Rashford has been awful but yet is still on the pitch”

Credit: @MFK_United

“Rashford is a clown”

Credit: @khalisle_05

“Rashford needs to become a bench player”

Credit: @sajkebab

“Rashford’s so bad and constantly offside”

Credit: @snew15

In other news, find out which United star could help them sign Erling Haaland here!

Tottenham Hotspur have edged one step closer to sealing Adama Traore before deadline day this month…

What’s the word?

Italian transfer guru Fabrizio Romano delivered a fresh update on the situation to Twitter over the weekend, where he said:

“Adama Traoré deal not done/fully agreed yet but Tottenham are confident to reach the agreement soon. Negotiations with Wolves will continue in the next hours and days.

“Personal terms already discussed with Adama. Spurs are on it.”

It remains to be seen exactly how much the Spain international will cost the Lilywhites but some reports suggest that it could be in the region of £20m after they had a £15m bid rejected last week.

One step closer

This latest development is sure to leave both manager Antonio Conte and the Hotspur faithful absolutely delighted as it seems as if it’s only a matter of time before Traore becomes a Spurs player.

It’s thought that the Italian head coach does not trust summer signing Emerson Royal at right wing-back and Spurs believe their manager can convert the Wolves star into a solid option in the role, just like he did with Victor Moses at Chelsea.

[snack-amp-story url = “https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/tottenham-hotspur-thfc-spurs-transfer-rumours-gossip-conte-paratici-levy-updates” title=”Read the latest Spurs news, transfer updates and much, much more!”]

The 25-year-old possesses the natural speed and strength to thrive in this position and considering his disappointing end product, it really could be the best fit for him and his future.

For instance, this season, Traore has scored just once from 20 league appearances but that’s without factoring in the eye test as he’s often double marked in most outings. That’s because he’s a pacey and strong threat out wide.

He leads the league for average number of successful dribbles per 90 minutes (seven) and that clearly makes him difficult to defend. An average of 1.5 key passes per 90 also suggests that he’s a creative influence, too.

BT Sport pundit Rio Ferdinand once dubbed him a “machine” who is built like a “powerlifter or a cruiser-weight boxer”, whilst Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp has often deemed him to be “unplayable”.

The fact that Spurs have agreed to personal terms is hugely encouraging news and it should have the Lilywhites faithful absolutely buzzing as they close in on the first signing of the Conte era.

AND in other news, Spurs have a “long interest” in £40.5m-rated “beast”, he’s miles better than Sanchez…

In an exclusive interview with Football FanCast, Steve Bull, who made 561 appearances for Wolves, called for VAR to be changed as he has seen Wolves get caught out, like many other teams, by the smallest of margins.

Bull has a point as Wolves find themselves fourth-bottom in terms of VAR decisions having seen three subjective decisions go against them, as well as seeing two penalty decisions overturned despite the on-pith referee originally pointing to the spot, according to ESPN.

Nuno Espirito Santo has been vocal in his displeasure towards VAR and he was happy to offer his feedback in the past two weeks as each club was asked to fill out and give their thoughts on the technology.

Speaking on whether or not VAR should be changed or scrapped altogether and how he would solve Wolves’ offside problems, Bull told FFC exclusively:

“I think it just needs tweaking. I remember watching Wolves when it was first introduced and we were getting caught offside by the smallest of margins.

“So, I said I would buy everybody a pair of green football boots because then you won’t be able to give offside if the foot is the same colour as the pitch.

[snack-amp-story url= “https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/exclusive-andreas-sondergaard-wolves-premier-league” title=”Exclusive! Andreas Sondergaard talks all things Wolves”]

“It should just be the body that they look for on offsides because when you’re running you have your arms and legs stretched. So I just don’t get it now and I think it just needs a little tweak.”

Arsene Wenger has put forward a new offside rule which would see attackers now onside if any part of their body is in line with the defender, instead of the other way round like it is now.

Wolves currently find themselves nine points above the bottom three with just nine games remaining, with a few points surely needed to guarantee their Premier League status for another season.

West Brom could have a future star in Cheikh Diaby. And there won’t be a better time to unleash him than next season.

The Baggies are quickly heading towards an instant return to the Championship, just one season after gaining promotion to the big time under Slaven Bilic.

With only nine games remaining, Sam Allardyce has an impossible task in keeping Albion up as they sit ten points adrift of safety.

The 66-year-old brought in several players during the January transfer window to aid their quest, but evidently, that has failed to pay off despite an upturn in performances as they have won just once since the market closed.

A lot of the incoming were loanees, so it is hard to envisage them sticking around if – and likely when – West Brom are confirmed as a second-flight team once again.

That includes the impressive-looking Mbaye Diagne, who could be quite the force in the Championship, as explained by Football FanCast last week.

Though, he shouldn’t be short of suitors in the Premier League nor should a return to Galatasaray be off the cards.

Both Charlie Austin and Kenneth Zohore have spent the season out on loan, so it’s hard to see them having much of a future at the Hawthorns, meaning whoever is in charge next term is likely to be short on options upfront.

Out-of-favour Karlan Grant could be the only viable option, unless they turn to Diaby.

The Athletic’s Steve Madeley named the 21-year-old as ‘one to watch’ for the Baggies back in January, claiming that despite being ‘raw and unpolished’, he could be a potential option for Allardyce given his ‘physicality, power and pace’ – very much similar in nature to Diagne.

He also went onto suggest that he has an ability to play on the left flank, but his best position is through the middle as an ‘explosive centre-forward with a knack for scoring goals.’

Indeed, that has been the case for the academy set-up thus far. Diaby has bagged five goals in ten games for the U23s in the Premier League 2 this campaign, which included a run of four straight goal-scoring matches, as per Transfermarkt.

The young forward came through the promising Le Harve academy, where the likes of Paul Pogba and Dimitri Payet first emerged onto the scene, and Albion even beat off La Liga outfit Valencia to secure his signature.

At one stage, Diaby was heading for a loan exit, according to the Express & Star but evidently, that didn’t come to fruition. And considering his age, he ought to be in West Brom’s plans for next season.

“He’s a powerful boy, he’s going to score goals, he’s going to give defences a problem because of his physicality,” explained academy boss Richard Stevens.

Indeed, he has all the hallmarks of Diagne but is just hugely inexperienced. Unleashing him after the summer could save the Midlands outfit millions in the transfer window.

He could well be the ideal successor to the 29-year-old colossus.

AND in other news, Exclusive: Steve Bull wants to see Eddie Howe as West Brom manager

Liverpool defender Joel Matip was the standout player in a heated Merseyside derby that saw his side claim a 2-0 victory over rivals Everton.

Whilst he might not grab the headlines due to a great impact from Divock Origi and a goal from Andy Robertson, he really was their stand out player defensively today.

The victory keeps Liverpool within a point of title rivals Manchester City, and on a winning run that stretches to four wins from their last five in the league.

On the other hand, it leaves Everton in the relegation zone as they face a battle to stay in the Premier League. It could be the last derby on Merseyside for a while, and it wasn’t as easy as Liverpool might have thought with Everton holding them to 0-0 in the first half.

Despite the Toffees’ best efforts, Matip remained resilient at the heart of the Reds’ backline, winning 80% of his duels including every single one of his six on the ground.

The £140k-per-week star was SofaScore’s highest-rated player out of anyone on the pitch scoring 8.2 with Robertson second with 7.8.

The 30-yeard-old has been a key part of Liverpool’s on the field success this campaign and has been Jurgen Klopp’s chosen partner to Virgil van Dijk, beating off competition from new signing Ibrahima Konate as well as Joe Gomez.

He played the full 90 minutes and also had a pass accuracy percentage of 89% which was third only to fellow defender van Dijk and midfielder Thiago. His quality is massively appreciated by Liverpool fans but less so by those outside the club.

Former Premier League player Jermaine Jenas has described Matip as “under-rated”, and we agree that he probably doesn’t get the credit he deserves.

Unsurprisingly when it comes to the amount of goals conceded this season, Liverpool are second only to City, having let in just 21 all campaign and a huge part of that is because of the ability of Matip.

The Reds have already won the Carabao Cup and are still in with a chance of winning every other competition. Matip has consistently proved to be a reliable player and showed again in a tough derby game just why it’s so hard to score against Liverpool’s defence.

IN other news: Sources: Liverpool agree terms to sign “special” £36m-rated ace, Klopp surely buzzing…

In a season that has been nothing short of disastrous for Celtic this season, one of the only shining lights has been the signing of David Turnbull.

The Hoops signed the 21-year-old from fellow Scottish Premiership side Motherwell for a reported fee of around £3.25m, and he has hit the ground running at Celtic Park.

James McFadden raved about the Bhoys’ signing of the midfielder, saying: “He was a £3m player a year ago and I think it was a case of waiting to see how he recovered – and he’s recovered remarkably. He’s worked really hard, he’s level-headed, has a brilliant mentality and is a top talent.

“I speak about him every time I see him playing. He’s so adaptable and can play anywhere in midfield. If he gets in front of goal, very rarely if ever, will you see him snatch at it. I think he’ll step up again.”

And that goal-scoring instinct has been there for all to see, with Turnbull bagging an impressive five goals in just 17 games for his new side this season, including a run of four goals in just five league games between mid-December and mid-January.

The 6 foot 1 gem has brought a sense of energy and purpose to Celtic’s play going forward in that number ten role – his averages of 2.4 key passes and 1.6 accurate crosses rank him first and second respectively among the entire Hoops squad. And it’s no surprise that Neil Lennon is a big fan of him.

He said earlier last year: “Looking at him in the last few games, he’s got a touch of class about him and he’s a very good finisher from midfield. I think he’s a top player and we want him to flourish here.”

He might be under pressure in terms of his job, but it’s safe to say Nick Hammond got this transfer absolutely spot on.

Meanwhile, Desmond can spark real change at Celtic by firing this man; it’s not Lennon…

Many West Ham United fans were livid after Manuel Lanzini was overlooked for Match of the Day’s Goal of the Season award.

The 2020/21 Premier League season came to an end on Sunday as the Hammers secured Europa League qualification in style with a 3-0 win over Southampton. It was the perfect way to end the campaign in front of fans at the London Stadium, and David Moyes and his players deserve all the praise they get.

One of the moments of the Irons’ season was Lanzini’s stunning goal in a 3-3 draw away at Spurs in October. Not only did it cap a last-minute late comeback from 3-0 down, it was an absolutely fantastic strike which really should have been a shoo-in for the Goal of the Season award. However, while the £9m-valued man’s (Transfermarkt) effort was nominated, it missed out to Erik Lamela’s rabona finish against Arsenal.

The winner was revealed on Match of the Day’s official Twitter account, and it attracted plenty of attention from West Ham supporters. These fans took to the social media platform to share their thoughts on the MOTD pundits’ decision.

Let’s see what the fans had to say as Lanzini was snubbed

“What a joke”

Credit: @WHUFC_WILL

“Jokers”

Credit: @aldredtj

“joke”

Credit: @Ollyhx1

“Spurs fan running the polling. Lanzini was robbed!”

Credit: @pauljamestailor

“The injustice to Lanzini who lit had 0.01xG chance of scoring and essentially switched Spurs’ and West Ham’s table position. And the audacity to Dismiss Cavani in favour of Salah?”

Credit: @maadak15

“West Ham denied winning due to having 3….yes 3 to choose from which must have split the vote. Lanzini by far the best goal of the season”

Credit: @GlennWorrell

In other news, many West Ham fans are delighted by this transfer news.

Portsmouth could be heading for a disaster as former midfielder David Norris says he expects Ronan Curtis to depart the club this summer.

What’s the talk? 

Ex-Portsmouth player Norris has admitted that Curtis will likely want to play at the highest possible level and that could lead to him leaving the club to join a Championship side. He told Football League World:

“The player’s probably eventually going to want to move on and probably earn more money and play as high as he can.

“And then, at the same time, he’s not walking away on a free so the club can bring in some decent money.”

Curtis is under contract at Portsmouth until 2023, with Reading, Derby County, Cardiff and Blackburn all tracking the Republic of Ireland international, according to GetReading.

Heading for disaster

After missing out on promotion from League One this season, it is crucial for Portsmouth to retain as many of their best players as possible for another push next term, with Curtis being one of them.

Curtis was a revelation for Portsmouth in League One, producing 10 goals and seven assists in 36 starts. He added a further four goals and three assists to his overall tally in the various cup competition throughout the campaign, taking him to 14 goals and 10 assists in the 2020/21 season.

His creativity could prove incredibly difficult to replace in the transfer window if he were to depart. Curtis created 1.5 chances per game in League One, the most by any player in the Portsmouth squad, and that is alongside his 10 strikes – second to John Marquis.

Earlier this season, Cowley claimed that the “brilliant” Curtis is going to become a top player if he can control his emotions on the pitch. He told The News:

“There’s a lot of work to do on that because he’s going to be a top player – and to become a top player you must always be in emotional control otherwise the opponent is going to see that as a weakness and try to exploit that.”The higher level you go, the more emotional it is and the more you’ve got to show control.”We are working really hard with Ronan. He is so willing and keen to want to improve in that area and he was brilliant on Saturday.”The £3.7k-per-week attacker averaged an exceptional WhoScored rating of 7.10 for Portsmouth. This was the highest average score by any player in the Pompey squad, with centre-back Sean Raggett the only other player over the 7.0 mark on 7.02. Curtis’ goal contributions and overall performances, therefore, were key for Portsmouth as they just missed out on a place in the play-offs – finishing eighth in League One.This suggests that keeping hold of Curtis could prove key as his displays in the third tier, coupled with Cowley improving the squad in other areas, could allow Portsmouth to challenge for promotion.He has already shown that he can be a quality option at League One level and selling him could weaken Pompey’s chances of going up and failire to get promoted next season could be a huge disaster for a club the size of Portsmouth.