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Daniel Levy must heed the call after Noel Whelan urged Jose Mourinho to sell Erik Lamela following Serie A interest in the Tottenham Hotspur outcast this summer.

What’s the word?

While speaking with Football Insider, former Leeds United striker Whelan has advised Spurs to consider cashing in on Lamela’s services, having only seen the Argentine start seven Premier League games since Mourinho arrived.

Lamela has also found himself pushed further down the pecking order with the arrivals of Gareth Bale and Carlos Vinicius this summer, making it obvious that Mourinho does not hold much expectation of the 28-year-old’s worth.

The Portuguese tactician has only started Lamela in two top-flight fixtures this term and also opted to omit the winger from as many matchday squads, with Lamela without a league goal since Mauricio Pochettino was sacked and boasting just two assists under Mourinho.

And with Lucas Moura and Steven Bergwijn also to hand, Whelan feels Mourinho is leaving Spurs with no choice but to cash-in on Lamela in 2021 to free up some funds, with the forward – who was signed for £25.7million to replace Bale in 2013 – out of contract in 19-months.

“He’s been at Tottenham a hell of a long time now, and he’s always been one of these players that is a go-to from the bench,” Whelan said. “He’s had short spells when he’s been a starter in the side, more so with Mauricio Pochettino.

“He’s the sort of player that, on his day, can be a world-beater. He can score great goals, he’s fantastic with the ball on the deck, great pace, good eye for a pass.

“It’s a catch 22 situation. If he’s desperately needed by Jose Mourinho, then they should think about getting a new contract on the table for him. If he’s not in Jose Mourinho’s plans and they feel they want a fresher person in that position, then you do have to cash in. It’s as simple as that.

“Lamela has still got a lot to offer a football team and could get regular game time, so you’ll get more money from him now then in another year’s time.”

Levy must heed the call

With Lamela failing to score in any of his 21 Premier League appearances under Mourinho and only offering three goals across all competitions, the Argentine is leaving Spurs chief Levy with an easy decision to heed Whelan’s call and search for potential suitors.

Levy will be well aware that Whelan’s forecast is true with Lamela set to be a free agent in 2022 once his £80,000-per-week contract expires gradually reducing his market value, while his performances when on the field have already seen a one-quarter drop in the past year alone.

TransferMarkt valued Lamela at £19.8m when Mourinho arrived in north London to replace Pochettino, yet now consider the 28-year-old to be worth £14.4m – the lowest grade since 2012 – given his struggles under the Portuguese.

Levy had options to consider in the summer regarding Lamela’s future, with transfer expert Fabrizio Romano revealing on the Last Word On Spurs podcast that Serie A sides were interested in a deal but the winger had other thoughts.

“We have some interest from Italian clubs but the player is happy at Tottenham,” he said. “He is convinced that next season he can do something good. So, it’s not so easy to see him out from Tottenham.”

It remains to be seen what work Levy can do in hopes of pushing Lamela out the door, as it clear Mourinho will not be seeing anything good from the former AS Roma man anytime soon.

AND in other news, time is up for a Jose Mourinho favourite the Spurs boss committed a crime by playing.

Brighton are seemingly among the favourites to sign Harry Wilson from Liverpool in the current transfer window.

As reported by Sussex Live, the Seagulls are among the leading contenders with some bookmakers to secure a deal for the 23-year-old, who is reportedly keen to leave Anfield, having played just once for the Reds so far.

The Mirror reported earlier this month that the Premier League champions want £20m for the Wales international, who is seeking regular top-flight football and who has seemingly been made available for transfer by Jurgen Klopp.

In his first campaign at Premier League level in 2019/20, Wilson struck seven goals for Bournemouth but was unable to save them from relegation. That figure is qualified by the fact that six of his haul came before the end of November, with his last league goal the one he plundered against Brighton back in January (as per TransferMarkt).

Nonetheless, Neal Maupay was the only Seagulls player with a higher goal tally last season, while goals were in rather short supply from the right winger role often played by Wilson. Alireza Jahanbakhsh and Aaron Mooy both scored just twice last term, with the Australian not even being a bespoke option on the right flank as he usually plays through the middle.

Wilson could certainly offer Brighton a greater attacking threat – aside from his goal tally, his match average of 1.8 shots was beaten only by Maupay of those players already at the Amex Stadium. However, his 0.5 key passes per game average and 76% passing accuracy read rather shabbily when compared with the respective figures boasted by Graham Potter’s squad during the 2019/20 season.

Also, the Welshman has still had just one campaign at top-flight level, so there may be some question marks over the wisdom of paying £20m for him.

Wilson has shown that he can score goals at Premier League level, while Brighton are decidedly weak in that department from the right-hand side of their attack.

On that basis, the Welshman would certainly be worth pursuing. However, the burning question is whether the Seagulls could justify paying £20m for him, particularly with football clubs set to have their spending curtailed by consequences arising from the global pandemic.

Brighton fans, do you think Wilson would be a good addition at the Amex or should the Seagulls steer clear? Join in the discussion by commenting below!

Liverpool have been the kings of the transfer market in recent times.

It seems like it’s been a long while since the Reds have gotten a signing wrong, with Jurgen Klopp assembling a world-beating side that has delivered both domestic and continental success.

However, they haven’t got here by just spending whatever they’ve wanted, a clever system of good sales and smart buys has left them with a comparatively small net spend, but for all their good work, one transfer has to be questioned, especially when you consider some of the Reds’ previous transfer business.

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The Merseyside outfit have just completed the signing of Diogo Jota for a reported £45m fee, and while the Portuguese winger has all the tools needed to be a rousing success at Anfield, you have to wonder why they opted for Jota at £45m over Timo Werner at £47.5m?

Werner was a well-known target of Liverpool’s and at one point it looked as though the deal would be done, but they couldn’t cough up the cash to get it over the line and in the end, the German went to Chelsea.

Yet, here we are a few months later and Michael Edwards is brokering a deal for just £2.5m less for a man who scored 21 league goals fewer than Werner last season, that doesn’t seem like value for money to us.

Of course, wages could have been the stumbling block, but with Thiago reportedly earning £210k a week after signing for the Reds, we can’t imagine that paying Werner what he wanted would have been too much of a problem.

No matter which way you look at it, the Anfield outfit have missed a trick here, Jota may well become a fantastic player, but it’s hard to argue that he provides better value for money than Werner would have.

Tottenham Hotspur need a back-up to Harry Kane with the club failing to secure a new striker during the January transfer window, chairman Daniel Levy can make amends in the summer.

What’s the word?

According to Turkish newspaper Sabah, Fenerbahce forward Vedat Muriqi is still of interest to Spurs and the Super Lig outfit are open to offloading him for €20m (£18m).

Premier League newcomers West Brom, and Serie A duo Napoli and Lazio are also keen on landing the 6 foot 4 Kosovan colossus.

While Aksam have claimed that the north Londoners failed with a bid in January when Jose Mourinho was desperately searching for depth to his frontline.

The 26-year-old has been in prolific form for the Turkish side, providing 17 goals and seven assists in 36 appearances, via Transfermarkt.

Mou’s plan B

Kane picked up an injury on New Year’s Day and Spurs were made to pay for never replacing Fernando Llorente.

In his absence, Mourinho’s side slid down the Premier League table and crashed out of all cup competitions, including the Champions League less than a year on from making the final.

Levy would be wise to sanction a move for Muriqi as not only would he provide an adequate backup to the English talisman, but he’d also offer an alternative threat in attack.

Former Turkish international Ridvan Dilmen praised the Fenerbahce powerhouse back in September, saying: “There are some forwards. They might be short and quick. Some are powerful. Some are tall, like Peter Crouch, who can get the ball on the ground. Muriqi possesses all [of these]. If he could play alongside Alex, he could score 25 goals [in a season].”

That sort of aerial threat would be most welcome in north London and to be able to nab a striker that’s bagged 17 goals to play second-fiddle to Kane would be extremely smart business.

AND in other news, Jose Mourinho may have found his next Frank Lampard

Manchester United have been after Jadon Sancho for quite some time now. But despite an occasional win in the negotiations and their personal terms with the player, the whole process with Borussia Dortmund is starting to feel a bit tiring and like hitting a brick wall.

For that reason, the Premier League titans have decided to ensure they have a plan B in case the youngster ends up staying in Germany. According to a new report from ESPN, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer might turn his gaze on Barcelona’s Ousmane Dembele.

Of course, they still believe Sancho is attainable but following Dortmund sporting director Michael Zorc’s words, a huge question mark hangs above that deal. He sad, as quoted by ESPN, that they “plan on having Sancho in our team this season,” claiming the decision on his future was “final.”

And now, the same source outlines Man United have already held informal talks with Barcelona’s young World Cup winner who still has two years left on his contract with the Catalan giants.

It has to be noted, however, that the Frenchman hasn’t played a competitive game of football since November last year as he underwent surgery on his hamstring the following February.

Still, the 23-year-old is certainly a huge talent with his whole career in front of him. And due to his misfortune at Barcelona, he just might be a cheaper and more attainable asset for the Red Devils.

Of course, they would still have to convince him that the move to England is the right one to make but for now, Sancho is still the main focus.

Verdict

Despite his struggles in Catalonia, Dembele would be a massive signing for Man United. Yes, his stint in La Liga hasn’t exactly been great but when he’s fit and sharp, the Frenchman is a serious talent and a worthy Sancho alternative.

Not to mention that his value has dropped massively since Barcelona first purchased him from Dortmund themselves.

Wolverhampton Wanderers succumbed to their first league defeat in 11 matches on Sunday afternoon as Tottenham Hotspur’s resurgence continued at Molineux.

The west Midlanders were left rueing a late, late winner from Jan Vertonghen as he headed home Christian Eriksen’s corner in injury time to send Spurs back to north London with all three points.

Wolves boss Nuno Santo made the brave call to stick with his makeshift defensive trio that mean Romain Saiss and Leander Dendoncker kept their places alongside captain Conor Coady.

And what a disastrous move that has proven to be.

The Belgian, who is valued at £25.2m by Transfermarkt, put in a dire display as he struggled to cope with the firepower of Harry Kane, Lucas Moura and Heung-Min Son.

Watch Wolves vs Man City Live and Free with Amazon Prime on December 27th

Per SofaScore, Dendoncker committed three fouls, lost possession nine times, was dribbled past five times and clinched the lowest rating of anyone on the pitch with 5.8.

He also failed to win barely any of his duels, 50% aerially and just 28% on the ground, meaning he had quite the nightmare at left centre-back.

The 24-year-old can be forgiven slightly as he’s a midfielder by trade, but Nuno needs to rectify this by dropping him for their next game against Norwich City on Saturday afternoon.

In the nine matches that Dendoncker has played central defence this season, Wolves have kept only two clean sheets, via Transfermarkt.

On the bench, the Portuguese boss could have called upon either Max Kilman, who impressed fans in his last outing, or Ryan Bennett, who is the more natural option for the role.

Whose Line Is It Anyway: Michael Owen, Garth Crooks or Mark Lawrenson?

It seems like a bizarre tactical decision to persist with a midfielder in defence when you have two fit and ready options amongst the matchday squad.

The Canaries have Teemu Pukki leading their line. His nine goals and three assists this term should serve as a reminder of the danger he could pose this weekend, something that Kilman or Bennett would be far more equipped to deal with.

Meanwhile, Nuno Santo should have called on this rarely seen man against Spurs…

Liverpool have been linked to a move for Red Bull Salzburg’s Hee-Chan Hwang ahead of next season.

According to Sky Deutschland (relayed via @LFCTransferRoom), the Reds are interested in bringing the South Korea international to Anfield this summer. However, RB Leipzig are also reportedly looking into him as a potential replacement for Timo Werner.

Hwang has had a very impressive season in Austria, tallying 11 goals and 11 assists in 25 league appearances so far. His total count for the 2019/20 campaign is 16 goals and 21 assists across all competitions (via Transfermarkt).

If Liverpool want to sign up the 24-year-old, he will reportedly cost about €10million (£9m), which is a very low amount for such a clinical goal-getter. It seems Reds fans are already on board with the idea and have taken to Twitter to urge the club to bring him in.

A couple of supporters have lauded the ‘bargain’ asking price, with one commenting ‘What a steal’ and another suggesting he would be ‘better than Werner’ as a signing due to being much cheaper. Another fan has recalled Hwang was ‘incredible against us’ after Salzburg played Liverpool in the Champions League earlier this season. The striker scored and assisted against the Reds back in October (via Transfermarkt).

Read some replies from the Anfield faithful here:

Do you think Liverpool should sign Hwang this summer, Reds? Have your say in the comments below!

Leeds United returned to the top of the Championship table as they recorded a sixth straight victory by defeating west Yorkshire rivals Huddersfield Town.

Marcelo Bielsa’s side needed to wait until the second half to break the deadlock after Ezgjan Alioski fired in a first-time volley from the edge of the penalty box after a cleared corner fell straight into his path.

The visitors then launched a scathing counter-attack with a little over ten minutes left on the clock as winger Jack Harrison whipped in a perfect cross straight onto the head of Pablo Hernandez at the back post.

It means Leeds’ 2-0 victory takes their defensive record to an 11th clean sheet from 20 league games, even despite missing skipper Liam Cooper and influential anchorman Kalvin Phillips.

Brighton loanee Ben White filled in for the 24-year-old but regularly throughout the match it appeared to be a three-at-the-back formation with Gaetano Berardi and Luke Ayling filling in.

And it was the latter that drew substantial praise from sections of the visiting support on Twitter.

‘Class,’ ‘solid’ and ‘superb’ were just three superlatives used to describe the 28-year-old’s performance which only goes to show how well he played considering he’s a full-back by trade.

Several other fans were left drooling over his passion too after he was spotted kissing the badge after Alioski’s opener…

When the team news was announced before kickoff, some supporters were slightly worried about the prospect of having Ayling at centre-back, it’s safe to say that they walked away from the match with egg on their face.

Per SofaScore, the 6 foot 1 defender recorded four clearances, three interceptions and also blocked two shots.

Leeds will have to wait until later this afternoon to see if they remain at the top of the Championship table as their closest rivals West Bromwich Albion face Swansea City.

Can you get full marks on the Ultimate Leeds Quiz? Test your knowledge below…

Meanwhile, despite clinching all three points, Leeds’ win over Huddersfield only highlighted a potentially bleak future…

Tyrone Mings will miss the rest of the calendar year due to a hamstring injury sustained against Leicester City, as reported by The Daily Mail.

The England international, who is rated at £25.2m on Transfermarkt, was forced off after 23 minutes of the 4-1 loss, having attempted to play on despite the issue.

It has now come out that he is set to be out for a minimum of three weeks.

While Mings has secured the trust of Dean Smith, having made 16 appearances this season, it seems as though he has lost the supporters.

The 26-year-old has made two errors that have led to goals this campaign, which is something fans have picked up on, even if he does average 6.1 clearances, 0.8 interceptions and 0.4 tackles per game, while only being dribbled past 0.1 times.

One fan declared that “he’s not a God”, while another has claimed that his absence could be a “blessing in disguise”.

The fans have also identified the man they feel should be given the opportunity to fill the void left by Mings: Kortney Hause.

The 24-year-old has only played thrice this season, with all of his appearances coming in the Carabao Cup.

Quickfire Quiz: Premier League experts will get 100%…

Across those matches, he has averaged 0.7 interceptions, 0.7 tackles and 3.3 clearances per game, while being dribbled past 0.7 times.

In other news, Villa have shown an interest in signing another centre-back.

This article is part of Football FanCast’s Pundit View series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent quotes from journalists, pundits, players and managers…

Everton midfielder Tom Davies has spoken out on a recent quote from talkSPORT host Adrian Durham, who said he could be Everton’s answer to Steven Gerrard.

What did he say?

The talkSPORT host heaped almighty praise on the 22-year-old after Durham said: “He is Everton’s opportunity to produce their own Steven Gerrard.”

As you can imagine, Davies is flattered by the incredible comparison and he would love to do with Everton what Gerrard did for Liverpool. Despite being an Evertonian at heart, the Toffees man understands how great the former England star was for his city and suggested that he can also become an elite player in the future.

The England U21 international told talkSPORT: “Steven Gerrard was a quality player. To even be compared to him is just good to hear.

“I wouldn’t say I’m exactly the same as him. My main focus is improving my game.

“I feel like I can become a quality player. It’s about reaching the potential that I have. It’s in my hands to dictate that. In my head I know I can be a top quality player.

“Gerrard was a local lad. Around the city everyone knows him. If I can do that for Everton, that’s the idea. I’d love to do that.”

Already on the right path

Davies has now played 96 times for his boyhood club and has finally started to establish himself as one of Everton’s main men.

Davies underlined his growing importance to the side with a Man of the Match performance against Southampton, as Everton picked up their first away win of the season.

With his inspiring performances in the middle of the park, Davies will surely soon cement his place in Marco Silva’s starting XI and, potentially, begin to put himself on Gareth Southgate’s radar.

Right now, he is on the right path and has the right qualities to become a success in the Premier League, even if comparisons to Gerrard are premature.