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Tottenham Hotspur could be looking to bolster Jose Mourinho’s midfield armoury, if recent reports are to be believed.

According to French outlet Jeunesfooteux, Spurs are considering a summer swoop for Sheffield United powerhouse Sander Berge, with the Blades staring down the barrel of a likely relegation.

The 23-year-old became their club-record signing for around £22m when joining Bramall Lane in January 2020, and could now be available for just €26m (£22.5m).

Berge, when fit, has been one of the only shining lights for the struggling Sheffield giants this season and he possesses all the attributes to potentially become an ideal partner for the impressive Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg in a formidable duo that could become Spurs’ best since that of Mousa Dembele and Victor Wanyama.

Indeed, the Danish summer arrival has remained a constant in Mourinho’s starting XI having played from the off in all 28 league fixtures, but he’s been joined by a plethora of names throughout the campaign, ranging from Moussa Sissoko and Tanguy Ndombele to Harry Winks.

Neither offer the best skillset to be a true box-to-box option alongside the more defensively-minded Hojbjerg.

In terms of his ability in Spurs’ own third, Berge is impressive off the ball having averaged 1.6 tackles (2019/20) and 1.2 tackles (2020/21) per game, via WhoScored, since swapping Genk for the Blades.

Both returns see him well-placed amongst the current Spurs squad – by comparison, his 1.4 average across both seasons matches Ndombele (1.4), and eclipses that of Sissoko (one) and Winks (0.8). It’s even more central defender Eric Dier (0.8).

This shows that he’s prepared to put in the hard graft to win the ball back for his side, which should please Mourinho as his other options in the role aren’t doing that to the same standard.

Whilst in the attack, Berge likes to roam forward – averaging 1.5 dribbles, 0.9 key passes and 0.8 shots per game this term alone.

It means the Norwiegen is only behind Harry Kane and Heung-min Son for creativity, managing to make more chances than supposed no.10s Giovani Lo Celso (0.8 key passes) and Ndombele (0.5), whilst he’s accrued more dribbles than the aforementioned duo – perhaps a surprise given Son’s ability on that left flank.

Spurs know too well about his presence in the final third as he fired United into the lead back in their embarrassing 3-1 defeat in July 2020.

Berge’s box-to-box capabilities were summed up by his recently-departed boss, Chris Wilder, who told VG: “I just have to say it: Sander has been unique. He is the one who has stood out for us. He is a complete midfielder. He can play as an 8 and as 6. He can play in different formations.”

On the above evidence, the midfield monster – valued at £35m by CIES Football Observatory – would be a fine addition to Mourinho’s squad.

Imagine him alongside Hojbjerg, with an Ndombele, Lo Celso or Dele Alli having the freedom to operate as they like further up the pitch.

Daniel Levy could seal a formidable engine room for the future by swooping for the 6 foot 5 Blades sensation.

AND in other news, Mourinho could find his own Van Dijk in £13.5m-rated “role model”…

David Sullivan is heading for an unforgivable mistake by looking to sign Crystal Palace defender Mamadou Sakho for West Ham United in the January transfer window.

What’s the word?

According to The Sun (3/1, p. 57), the Irons are potentially set to rival West Bromwich Albion in hope of luring Sakho away from Selhurst Park with his Eagles future up in the air during the mid-season market.

Roy Hodgson’s south London side are open to selling Sakho with the 30-year-old due to be out of contract in the summer and having played a peripheral role for the last two seasons, making just four Premier League outings this term after 11 starts in the 2019/20 campaign.

Hodgson has admitted he finds it challenging to keep all of his players happy when they are not in his immediate plans, and could ease tensions by accepting an offer from the coach who signed Sakho, Sam Allardyce, following his appointment at West Brom.

Sakho earns £100,000-per-week at Palace but is behind Cheikhou Kouyate, Scott Dann and Gary Cahill in the pecking order, following his return from a hamstring strain in September that rounded out an injury-ravished 18-months for the former Liverpool brute.

An unforgivable mistake

Sullivan seeking an agreement with Crystal Palace for Sakho to join West Ham in the January window would be an unforgivable mistake by the co-owner and Chairman, as there is little chance of the 30-year-old earning a starting role at the London Stadium barring vast exits.

A move to West Ham would see Sakho contend with Angelo Ogbonna, Aaron Cresswell, Fabian Balbuena, Issa Diop and Craig Dawson for minutes, with the quintet all used at some stage of the campaign by David Moyes.

Hodgson has continued to laud Sakho as an “incredible” player for overcoming his injuries and not being afraid to take the plunge straight into the deep end, even against the medical staff of the Eagles’ best-wishes, but his performances would not scratch the surface in Moyes’ squad.

Sakho has managed just 0.8 successful tackles, 0.8 interceptions and 2.8 clearances while winning 2.3 duels a game in his four Premier League outings thus far this term, while conceding a penalty, per SofaScore. He only won 0.5 tackles, 2.1 duels and made 1.4 interceptions a game last season, too, while committing errors that led to a shot and a goal.

Only Craig Dawson, whose played just two Premier League games so far, has averaged fewer successful tackles per top-flight appearance among West Ham’s defenders this season, while Diop’s 0.75 interceptions and Cresswell’s 2.06 clearances are close to Sakho’s numbers.

AND in other news, David Moyes must consider a drastic U-turn on an £18m-rated West Ham “monster”…

Marcelo Bielsa has delivered very promising news regarding the injury status of Leeds fan favourite Kalvin Phillips. The midfielder has been sidelined with a shoulder injury but in the manager’s latest batch of fitness updates, he admitted that “it’s probable” that the England international will be available this weekend.

Whilst Bielsa stressed that he “can’t guarantee it”, there’s still a good chance Phillips will be one of the names on the team sheet to face Arsenal. If he is, it will be a huge boost for the Whites.

Leeds have been without the midfield man since their narrow loss to Wolves last month. The club placed a six week recovery period on the situation, which fans have been waiting anxiously to be over. Bielsa’s side have won just one of their three matches played without Phillips – their most recent results have both been 4-1 defeats to Leicester and Crystal Palace respectively.

Mateusz Klich has played perhaps a more defensive role than he would usually prefer to cover the absence of his teammate. Rodrigo is also sidelined, which seriously limited Leeds’ options going forward. But with Phillips potentially able to start the match agains the Gunners, the Whites can regroup and hope to get back to winning ways.

The £50,000 per week powerhouse has started every Premier League he has been fit this season and has already wowed a lot of people with his performances. Noel Whelan recently heaped praise on the “absolutely immense” Phillips and admitted that all clubs need someone of the 24-year-old’s calibre in their set up (on Sporting Life Football podcast, cited by The Boot Room).

Only two points currently separate Leeds and Arsenal, so this will be a very cagey affair as neither side can afford to come away with a loss. The Whites have slipped a little in their returning Premier League season but their earlier results prove they can turn it around. A win against the Gunners will put them in great stride to rediscover their form and the boost of Phillips will surely lift spirits on camp too.

In other news, Leeds-linked Steven Gerrard could put Elland Road back on the map…

When Wolves announced their side to face Manchester United on Tuesday evening, there were shades of Mick McCarthy. It wasn’t quite a completely different line-up, but there were some surprises.Max Kilman started at the back but there were very rare appearances for both Vitinha and summer signing Ki-Jana Hoever.Considering Nuno Santo’s side were playing at Old Trafford, it was an immense gamble to go with youth over experience. That being said, it very nearly paid off.Wolves held United until the 93rd minute when Marcus Rashford’s deflected effort crept passed a helpless Rui Patricio.It was harsh on the Old Gold, a team who had defended valiantly all game. With Rayan Ait-Nouri also playing alongside the likes of Hoever and Kilman, it was even more impressive that they managed to starve such a world-class attack.Though, we’d like to focus on Hoever here, someone who only joined a matter of months ago from Liverpool. The right-back has unquestionable talent and on Tuesday night, we saw why his ceiling is so high.The 18-year-old was making his first Premier League start and was coached admirably by club captain Conor Coady, the man he was playing beside. The skipper regularly shouted instructions at Hoever and it clearly worked a treat.

Birmingham Live reporter Alex Dicken claimed he “didn’t put a foot wrong†and it’s hard to argue with that claim. Hoever was as good going forward as he was defensively, producing three tackles and supplying one key pass.

Romain Saiss hit the woodwork and was also competent in defence but it was the full-back who should take most of the plaudits. At the age of 18 and playing inside one of the most historic grounds in world football, he didn’t look out of place.

The young Dutchman won six duels throughout the contest and also completed 80% of his passes. It wasn’t a perfect display – losing 60% of his duels – but he was still a monster in most facets of his play. The very fact it look United so long to break Wolves down supplements that theory.

With Nelson Semedo ahead of him in the pecking order, it’s unlikely Hoever will see too much action, but it’ll come as a huge relief to Nuno knowing he can rely on someone else in that position.

Wolves have a huge talent on their hands.

AND in other news, Wolves must swoop for “magical” £166k-p/w gem with “outstanding timing”…

Many Arsenal fans have been left slamming the first half display of Eddie Nketiah during their FA Cup tie away at Southampton.

While Gabriel looked very shaky to say the least in the opening minutes of the game, with a quite unfortunate own goal to top it off, it was the first half performance of the 21-year-old that flattered to deceive several members of the Emirates Stadium faithful.

He was left pretty anonymous for large periods of the first half, with fans perhaps wondering whether Alexandre Lacazette would need to be brought on off of the bench to be a bigger threat for Mikel Arteta’s team going forward, given that Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has been left out of the squad altogether for personal reasons.

Arsenal fan reaction to Nketiah display

These Gooners slammed his first half performance on Twitter, with one AFC fan even going as far as to describe him as ‘useless’ while another claimed that the English striker ‘needs to do more’:

“Watching Eddie Nketiah play football should be a crime”

Credit: @zohino3

“Nketiah is useless”

Credit: @victorcoimbra

“Nketiah gets knocked off balance very easily at this level. Quite often he’s first to the ball but he can’t retain.”

Credit: @galway89

“I’m actually done with Nketiah, he’s actually not good”

Credit: @Forbesy15

“20 mins in and I just remembered Nketiah is on the pitch. He needs to do more to get involved and link up the play.”

Credit: @SDGoonerCap

“Nketiah never drops back and gets involved. Disappearing act once again”

Credit: @gunnerbeeks

In other news, find out which Premier League star has been linked with a move to Arsenal here!

Everton conducted a widespread transformation of Carlo Ancelotti’s midfield during the summer transfer window, effectively signing a whole new engine room.

Marcel Brands secured the services of James Rodriguez from Real Madrid, Watford’s Abdoulaye Doucoure and the Italian’s former lynchpin, Allan, and the Merseysiders have already reaped the rewards in fixing one of their biggest problems in one quick hit.

Sat in sixth place going into December, the Toffees are in a strong position to battle for a place in Europe next season. Indeed, they are merely four points behind league leaders Tottenham Hotspur, who Everton defeated on the opening day.

It could be time to move on some of the deadwood from Marco Silva’s reign and whilst many aren’t likely to command anything worthwhile in terms of income, there is one man who could bring in a hefty fee – Andre Gomes.

The Portuguese started the season playing alongside the aforementioned midfield trio but has found himself on the bench in three of their last four Premier League outings, via Transfermarkt.

Gomes is perhaps now seen as the main back-up to box-to-box addition, Doucoure, though as he’s valued at £21.6m by Transfermarkt, it would be wise to cash in on him before that number drops off significantly.

Especially as he’s raking in a cool £85k-per-week at Goodison Park, which is more than Lucas Digne, Seamus Coleman and Doucoure too, according to reports.

You could argue that Everton owes him a bit of loyalty given the horrible injury he sustained against Spurs last season, though football is a cruel game and Ancelotti ought to be ruthless with his decision-making here.

Gomes joined the club in a £22m deal from Barcelona and played an integral part under Silva but Sky Sports’ Charlie Nicolas has never been convinced, claiming he “could not cut it” at the La Liga giants (via HITC).

Whilst former Toffees monster Idrissa Gueye believes he “brings something special” yet we’ve never truly seen that ability after the 27-year-old averaged two fouls and just 0.6 key passes per game last term, via WhoScored.

Ancelotti must sell him in order to bolster other areas of need, such as out wide or in central defence.

AND in other news, Forget Gordon: Ancelotti could secure is new Robben in £45m-rated destroyer…

Tottenham Hotspur could land one of their mooted transfer targets on the cheap this summer if fresh reports are to be believed…

What’s the word?

According to Foot Mercato, Ligue 2 side Toulouse have dropped the asking price for box-to-box midfielder Ibrahim Sangare this summer to just €10m (£9m) with only one year remaining on his current contract.

Spurs have been linked to the impressive powerhouse for quite some time but as per GFFN, the recently-relegated French side were asking for double that at €20m (£18m), so no bid was made.

Mourinho’s new Essien?

Jose Mourinho may have already bolstered his midfield with the addition of Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg but he simply can’t pass up an opportunity to clinch the Ivorian international.

The 22-year-old has become a regular at Toulouse, managing 78 appearances in the French top-flight already. Last season, Sangare was one of the few shining lights having averaged a whopping 3.4 tackles, 1.6 interceptions, 1.2 dribbles and 1.1 key passes per game, via WhoScored.

It’s no wonder that he’s been compared to fellow countryman Yaya Toure throughout his career and his role in north London could echo that of Mourinho’s first spell at local rivals Chelsea where he was blessed with the likes of Frank Lampard and Claude Makelele.

But there was also a certain Michael Essien in those ranks too. A player the ex-Blues boss signed from Lyon at the very same age.

Former Toulouse coach Alain Casanova believes Sangare is the best prospect he’s seen at the club – even above Spurs’ current midfielder Moussa Sissoko – whilst he’s been described as “physical” and “passionate,” which only resonates with Essien even more.

Sangare is calm in small spaces and comes out of pressure in “incredible ways” thus making him a perfect fit for Mourinho’s system.

Having averaged more tackles per game than Hojbjerg, you might as well forget about someone like Harry Winks and sign the 22-year-old instead.

For just £9m, it would be a monumental steal and well within Daniel Levy’s tight budget.

AND in other news, Spurs tipped to sign PL brute, he’d be a dream for Mourinho…

It feels a bit wrong to say anything negative about Everton at the moment.

The Toffees are flying high after winning each of their three opening games in the Premier League, but with the transfer window still open, there is still room for activity.

The Merseyside club have been linked with numerous incomings with the likes of Arkadiusz Milik and Jean-Clair Todibo reportedly on their radar, but there is also a potential exit on the horizon.

Indeed, Alan Nixon is reporting that the club are willing to sell Jonjoe Kenny for a fee of around £10m, and that could end up being seen as a huge mistake for years to come.

Kenny was impressive in the Bundesliga last season during his loan spell with Schalke, and with Sheamus Coleman turning 32 next month, the Toffees do need a long-term solution at right-back and Kenny really could have been that man.

The fact that Arsenal have previously shown an interest in him in the past is enough to show just how highly he is rated, but with Coleman clearly being Everton’s first-choice in the right-back spot, it’s hard to see his immediate route into the starting XI at Goodison Park.

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Kenny is a local lad with years ahead of him, and it’d be a bitter pill to swallow for all supporters if he’s allowed to leave without making any real impact in the squad.

The defender impressed last season, and selling him as soon as he returns sends out the wrong message for any young player who is sent out on loan to develop their skills.

Another loan spell could be just what the doctor ordered, but a sale could be something Carlo Ancelotti lives to regret in the long run.

Liverpool failed to return to winning ways against Arsenal after throwing away an early 1-0 lead at the Emirates.

The Gunners were able to capitalise on two defensive errors to come from behind and win the match 2-1. The victory sees them stay in their fight for Europa League football but ends Liverpool’s dreams of a 100-point season.

Jurgen Klopp’s side have won just two of their matches since they were crowned champions. Their loss in London means they will not achieve centurion status and following their draw against Burnley at Anfield, they will not finish the season with a perfect home record.

Fans are frustrated with their most recent result and are particularly criticising Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain’s performance against his former side. According to Sofascore, the midfielder lost possession 14 times and failed to complete any of his attempted crosses. He was substituted off after 61 minutes and earned a disappointing rating of 6.5.

A lot of fans on Twitter aren’t happy – with one telling Chamberlain to ‘leave my club ASAP’. Others have branded him a ‘fraud’ and claimed ‘he’s done’.

Read more replies here:

Do you agree with the comments on Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Reds? Join the conversation in the comments below…

David Moyes is on a lookout for potential reinforcements this summer and if the latest reports coming from The Telegraph are to be believed, he has cast his gaze on Queens Park Rangers’ Ryan Manning.

The same outlet says West Ham United would be interested in securing the transfer early in the window. That way, it would seem, he could fend off potential rivals and get his man in as soon as possible.

Of course, it all depends on Manning’s availability, especially since QPR recently activated their option to extend the full-back’s contract, albeit only for an additional year. Otherwise, he’d be gone on a free.

Still, Moyes seems to believe signing Manning would be a low-risk deal seeing how the player in question has been improving year after year. But this also means the Hammers might not be the only club looking to acquire his services in the ongoing summer transfer window.

West Ham will have to be swift and decisive if they want to get this deal over the line. Of course, we also know Manning is not the only QPR player Moyes is eyeing and is also interested in Eberechi Eze.

Can they really make a swoop for both players or is Moyes potentially being a bit too ambitious in his attempts? We will simply have to wait and see for that one.

Verdict

The 24-year-old left-back seems like a reliable man to boost West Ham’s full-back options and should he indeed be available this summer, it’s fairly easy to see why they might be interested in bringing him in.

Throughout 2019/20, Manning has played all but five Championship games and has pretty much cemented his place as a hard-working and secure wide defender for QPR.

Even though they have recently extended his contract, now he has only one year left on that deal and his asking price could therefore drop, giving the Hammers a chance to swoop in and seal the deal.