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Tottenham Hotspur finally got back to winning ways in the Premier League after they defeated Aston Villa on Sunday afternoon.

Nuno Santo’s men had been thumped in each of their last three outings, the last of which being an embarrassing north London derby defeat to Arsenal a week ago but clearly, the Lilywhites put those ghosts in the past to deliver one of their most impressive performances of the 2021/22 campaign.

Heung-min Son was one major catalyst towards the three points as he provided an assist for both of their goals – the first time that Spurs had scored more than one goal in any league game this term.

Although he wasn’t the highest-rated player on SofaScore.

That acclaim went to Danish midfielder Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, who was graded an 8.0, in comparison to the South Korean’s 7.3.

The 26-year-old even opened the scoring for Spurs with a cool finish from the edge of the penalty box after he received the ball from Son just 27 minutes into the match.

But Hojbjerg’s contribution didn’t stop there as he was a constant thorn in Dean Smith’s side all afternoon.

Only one other player (Emerson, 86) recorded more touches than the £36m-rated powerhouse (84), proving he was an influential figure in the engine room, playing alongside Oliver Skipp and Tanguy Ndombele.

The 21-year-old gem’s involvement has allowed the Dane to have more of an influence in the final third, hence why he was in the right spot at the right time to get himself on the scoresheet.

He made 89% of his 66 passing attempts, which was the best of any Spurs starter, whilst he also managed six successful dribbles from six attempts (100%). It suggests that he played a key role in linking the midfield to the attack.

By comparison, more-attack minded players like Son (three) and Ndombele (one) managed far fewer.

Elsewhere, Hojbjerg still did his defensive duties a lot of justice – as per SofaScore, he managed two tackles, two clearances, one interception and even won nine of 12 duels (75%).

football.london’s Alasdair Gold described the 6 foot 1 midfielder as a “big presence”, whilst the Evening Standard’s Dan Kilpatrick claimed he was “tidy on the ball and shielded the back four well from the threat of John McGinn.”

On the above evidence, you could argue that Hojbjerg ran the show for Nuno and Spurs at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. He was different class and deserves just as many plaudits as Son.

AND in other news, Paratici could sign Spurs’ next Dembele in swoop for “extraordinary” £36m-rated beast…

Ahead of their 2-2 draw against Manchester City in their previous Premier League clash before into the current international break, Liverpool were without Thiago Alcantara and Trent Alexander-Arnold through injury.

It now seems as though the Reds could be without two more of their senior stars through injury with the Premier League clash against Watford on the horizon next weekend.

What’s the latest?

One potential injury issue with which the Reds may have to deal once their international stars return is with Portuguese attacker Diogo Jota.

It has been reported in Portugal (via Liverpool Echo) that the 24-year-old has not trained with the rest of his international teammates due to some muscle issues.

Additionally, it was revealed by England under-21 coach Lee Carsley that Curtis Jones had a tight groin in training on Tuesday and will now be assessed for their match against Andorra on Monday.

While this is by no means confirmation that either of them will be unavailable to play against Watford next weekend, it’s still a concern for everyone at Liverpool – especially manager Jurgen Klopp, who will undoubtedly be displeased if two of his players come back unfit, especially given how injuries disrupted so much of their previous campaign.

Headache for Klopp

In terms of who could replace the duo for the match against Watford should the worst-case scenario happen and both are ruled out, Liverpool could potentially turn to Roberto Firmino to take Jota’s place in the team after the Brazilian replaced him in the second half against Pep Guardiola’s side.

If Jones isn’t able to play against the Hornets and Thiago still isn’t fully fit, Klopp must hope that Naby Keita is fit enough to feature after picking up an knock in their Carabao Cup clash against Norwich City last month.

Looking ahead to the return of Premier League action and Liverpool’s match against Watford on Saturday, which will be Claudio Ranieri’s first match in charge of the Hornets, Klopp will hope that Jota and Jones will be able to get their fitness back over the next week so that they can be available for selection at Vicarage Road.

In other news: Klopp could secure the next Henderson at LFC with “exceptional” gem, fans would be buzzing – opinion

Liverpool are back in Premier League action on Saturday with a trip to Watford in Claudio Ranieri’s first game in charge of the Hornets.

Their previous league outing saw Jurgen Klopp’s side draw 2-2 against Manchester City at Anfield after taking the lead twice thanks to goals from Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah.

Now that the latest international break is out of the way, here’s how we think Liverpool will line up against Watford and what changes Klopp will make from his starting XI which faced City earlier this month – we predict that there will be four from that game.

International headache

In goal, we think Klopp will give Caoimhin Kelleher a chance in goal with Alisson Becker possibly unlikely to feature given his involvement with Brazil, who played against Uruguay in the early hours of Friday morning in their latest World Cup qualifying match.

Moving to the defence, with Trent Alexander-Arnold getting back to fitness after missing the City game before the break, we feel the manager will put him straight back into the team considering that he’s managed to provide two assists so far this season in the league. He comes in to replace the £140k-p/w earning James Milner, who struggled badly against his former club at Anfield last time out.

For the rest of the defence, we expect Klopp to go with the other three who lined up against City, with centre-backs Joel Matip and Virgil van Dijk next to Andy Robertson at left-back.

In midfield, with Fabinho in the same boat as Alisson regarding his involvement with Brazil, it’s unlikely that he will start against Watford, so Klopp will need to tinker with his team.

If the Brazilian isn’t available, we think Jordan Henderson will move to a more withdrawn position (as he did against Burnley in August) where Fabinho played against City, bringing Naby Keita into the starting XI and keeping Curtis Jones in the side as Thiago Alcantara is still out injured.

Looking at the attacking line, even though Jota was declared fit for the match, we feel that Klopp could probably play it safe with him and not throw him in from the start, allowing Roberto Firmino to get back into the starting XI after being used as a second half substitute against City and not being involved with Brazil over the break.

On either side of Firmino, it would be a surprise if Klopp didn’t include both Mane and Salah in the starting XI given that the pair have a combined total of 10 league goals between them so far.

Whether or not this is the team Klopp goes with, we feel they should still have a great chance of keeping their unbeaten run in the league going considering that Watford have lost four out of their opening seven league games of the season.

In other news: Liverpool could be set for big blow as transfer claim emerges, fans would be fuming – opinion

Richarlison is ahead of Dominic Calvert-Lewin on the injury comeback trail, Everton manager Rafael Benitez has said. 

The England striker hasn’t featured for the Toffees since the 2-0 win at Brighton in August, having sustained a fractured toe (via Transfermarkt). He had scored in all three Premier League matches prior to that injury and bagged eight more than any of his team-mates last season.

Richarlison, meanwhile, has been missing since the 3-1 victory over Burnley on 13 September, when he was on the end of a brutal lunge from James Tarkowski.

How have Everton coped?

Salomon Rondon, a summer signing from Chinese Super League outfit Dalian Professional, has deputised in their absence but is yet to find the net for his new club.

Everton have won only one of their four matches without the duo, and that was against bottom side Norwich City at home. They have suffered defeats against Aston Villa and West Ham United and picked up a point against Manchester United.

As per Liverpool Echo, Benitez said: “I think Richarlison is closer, Dominic will take longer but Richarlison is getting closer.”

Everton fans fret over injury update

Twitter fan feed Toffee TV relayed the manager’s update on the injury-afflicted duo, and here’s what some Everton supporters made of it.

“Can’t take anymore of Rondon up front”

Credit: @lebatman1

“Not getting much proper info on Dom..! Hope it’s not worse than first feared. I reckon we will miss Richy for the Watford game as well but don’t like the vibes about Dom at all..”

Credit: @Kieranbuckley5

“It’s scary how much we are missing him. Rondon looks so out of his depth it untrue. We need to try someone else upfront until DCL is fit”

Credit: @kevertonH

“What is @CalvertLewin14 injury? Thought it was just minor?”

Credit: @garath_t

“Cannot understate how much I miss these 2”

Credit: @lil_platinum

“Richarlison has to replace Rondon and Gordon has to replace Iwobi and then pray for no more injuries”

Credit: @JamesBrownEFC

In other news, some Everton fans slammed this man’s display against West Ham

Leeds United striker Patrick Bamford is out of his side’s important Premier League clash with Norwich City on Sunday, per Phil Hay.

The Lowdown: Bamford a big miss as injuries stack up

The 28-year-old was arguably the Whites’ best player in 2020/21, bagging 17 goals in the league, helping his side to a ninth-place finish as the top scorer and third in assists behind Jack Harrison and Raphinha.

Unfortunately, Bamford has failed to get going yet this season, with injury ruling him out of action since the 1-1 draw at Newcastle United in the middle of September.

There have been countless problems in the injury department for the Whites, with the likes of Luke Ayling, Diego Llorente, Kalvin Phillips, Robin Koch and Bamford all missing considerable time, and Hay has now shared some more news on the latter.

[freshpress-quiz id=“375277″]

The Latest: Injury absence goes on

Taking to Twitter on Friday from Marcelo Bielsa’s press conference, Hay gave a seven-word verdict confirming Bamford is still not available:

“Bamford missing again for Norwich on Sunday.”

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/latest-leeds-united-news-22/” title=”Latest Leeds United news!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

The Verdict: Need him back

Bamford has been a huge miss since being out and it has played a part in Leeds winning just one of their opening nine league games, sitting just above the relegation zone in the process.

Granted, the Whites weren’t necessarily firing before he got injured but they have still scored just three goals in four league matches without him.

Bamford’s eventual return could spark Leeds’ campaign into life, given his eye for goal, hold-up play and ability to create for others (seven league assists last season).

In other news, Beren Cross has highlighted the Leeds players who are currently out of form. Read more here.

Many Everton fans tore into Mason Holgate during their Premier League clash against Wolverhampton Wanderers on Monday night. 

Everton were looking to bounce back from their 5-2 home defeat to newly-promoted Watford last time out, while Wolves were in search of a fourth win in five matches, which would lift them above their opponents and up to seventh in the Premier League.

Rafael Benitez made four changes from the game against the Hornets, with Richarlison, Jean-Phillipe Gbamin, Alex Iwobi and Holgate coming into the side. Lucas Digne, Tom Davies, Anthony Gordon and Solomon Rondon all made way.

The visitors went behind on 28 minutes as Max Kilman headed home from a corner, and Raul Jimenez then doubled Wolves’ lead after capitalising on a Ben Godfrey error. Alex Iwobi brought it back to 2-1 on 66 minutes as Everton improved following a dismal first half performance.

How did Holgate play at Molineux?

Holgate’s SofaScore rating of 6.0 was the third-lowest in the Everton team. Only Godfrey (5.6) and Gbamin (6.2, subbed off at half-time) fared worse. He won only three of his nine ground duels – equating to a success rate of just 33.3% – and he also missed one ‘big chance’ to halve the deficit late in the first half.

He also came close to giving away a penalty for a foul on Trincao which was initially awarded as a spot kick, only for VAR to judge that the challenge took place just outside the box, as per Sky Sports.

Here’s what some Everton fans on Twitter had to say about the 25-year-old’s display, with one angry supporter deriding him as a “liability”.

These Everton fans savage Holgate

“Abysmal. Lucky it’s only 2-0. Holgate consistently fails us. There are others but he is the biggest time bomb in the side”

Credit: @Everton_Fans2

“My mum is a better center half than Holgate and she is 76.”

Credit: @ChrisCundall

“Holgate is a liability and couldn’t get into the Tranmere first team”

Credit: @grahame2014

“Holgate is like trying to play golf with a stick of rhubarb.”

Credit: @mick197811

“Holgate is the laziest footballer in the world”

Credit: @Andre_Houghton

“Holgate is League 1 quality”

Credit: @SkinnyPaolo

In other news, Everton are keen on this midfielder

Leeds United drew 1-1 with Leicester City on Sunday in an end-to-end Premier League encounter. 

The Whites took the lead through Raphinha’s free kick after an entertaining start at Elland Road, but then conceded 10 seconds following the restart with Harvey Barnes curling the ball past Illan Meslier.

Ademola Lookman had the ball in the hosts’ net in the second half but the goal was disallowed after a VAR review, meaning that the teams ended all-square.

Some Leeds players struggled in a frantic encounter, as The Transfer Tavern looks at the three worst-rated outfield starters as per statistical specialists SofaScore…

Jack Harrison – 6.2/10

Leeds’ worst-rated starter was Harrison, losing possession a whopping 21 times. The 24-year-old was making his eighth Premier League start of the campaign but is still awaiting his first goal involvement.

Harrison lost 12 of his 18 duels, failed to complete an accurate cross and missed a big chance to put the Whites back in front during the second half.

Kalvin Phillips – 6.4/10

Phillips is next on the list, ending with an average rating of 6.4/10. He lost the ball on 16 occasions, was second best in 12 of his 15 duels and didn’t complete a cross or tackle.

The England international also committed five fouls and ended with a pass completion rate of 76% as he fell well below his best at Elland Road this afternoon.

Rodrigo – 6.5/10

Along with Adam Forshaw, who was substituted and therefore had slightly less time to prove his worth this afternoon, Rodrigo was Leeds’ joint-third worst performer today.

He gave the ball away on 18 occasions, lost four duels and failed to make a tackle all afternoon. The forward also struggled offensively, not registering a cross throughout the game.

In other news: Orta now set to bring in ‘quality’ midfielder; lots of clubs are ‘pushing’ to sign him.  

Newcastle United are reportedly ‘keeping a close eye’ on Luis Diaz ahead of a potential transfer.

The Lowdown: Catching the eye

The 24-year-old is certainly starting to make a name for himself in world football, with 11 goals and a further two assists in 16 games across all competitions so far this season (Transfermarkt).

His FC Porto team-mate Sergio Oliveira described the Colombia international as an ‘extraordinary’ player after a very impressive display in the Champions League against AC Milan in recent weeks.

There is sure to be a large number of clubs from around Europe circling around for his signature if he maintains this kind of form.

The Latest: Newcastle interest

As per O Jogo (via Sport Witness), Newcastle are now ‘keeping a close eye’ on Diaz ahead of a potential move, and it is ‘increasingly unlikely’ that he will stay beyond the end of his contract, which runs to 2024.

There is an €80m (£68.3m) release clause included in his current deal, and former Porto striker Jackson Martinez claims that the clause ‘will be paid with ease’.

The Verdict: Sign fast!

With an abundance of top European clubs likely to be fighting it out for Diaz, the Magpies need to pounce, and fast.

The fee should not be a problem for the club’s new mega-rich owners, so the main obstacle would be to try and persuade the 24-year-old to move to Tyneside.

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) consortium will surely have ambitions of eventually winning the Premier League and becoming regular participants in the Champions League, so they can at least sell Diaz the project should they end up paying his release clause.

If they wait too long, he will almost certainly get snapped up within the next year or so, and the Magpies simply cannot afford to miss out on signing a winger in red-hot form who will only get better.

In other news, find out which £15.4m-rated ‘hero’ NUFC are targeting

Manchester United and exciting young talent go hand in hand, and the next starlet could be about to come off their illustrious production line.

Alvaro Fernandez signed for the Red Devils as a free agent back in September 2020 after deciding to depart boyhood club Real Madrid, adding to an already exciting youth setup.

The left-back made an instant impression after putting pen to paper on a four-year deal, scoring a stunning strike on his debut for the U18s.

His eye-catching display in the 5-1 thrashing against Burnley earned him an immediate promotion to the U23s, and Fernandez went on to score a total of three goals and provide a further six assists in 30 appearances for the academy sides last term.

Following the 18-year-old’s decision to depart his homeland in search of regular football, Fernandez’s former coaches at Madrid were open about how the 6 foot 1 youngster would suit the English game.

One coaching source told Spanish outlet AS (via TribalFootball): “Álvaro is a footballer with a great future who has been hurt by having Miguel Gutiérrez in front of him.

“But the conditions for him to do well in England, he has them, his pace and his centres will be appreciated there.”

With Luke Shaw currently dominating the left-back spot at this moment in time, Ole Gunnar Solsjaer may be keen to acquire some extra competition for the England international over the next couple of years.

Alex Telles looks incapable of shifting the stocky defender, and therefore, Fernandez’s presence in the first-team could be the ideal solution.

An outstanding display from the teenager against Brighton and Hove Albion back in November 2020 led to former United trainee Paul McShane telling MUTV that he was quite taken by Fernandez’s showing.

“He looks very good, tidy with his feet. When he steps into midfield areas he stays there, he can act as the extra midfielder. He was very comfortable and very impressive,” McShane said.

As a result, Solskjaer may be tempted to bring Fernandez into one of his matchday squads as the season progresses, adding pressure for Shaw to improve his performances while giving the youngster a taste of the senior setup.

It’s surely only a matter of time, though, until the ex-Madrid ace gets his big break, and everyone associated with United will be eagerly anticipating that day.

And, in other news…Ole could save his job with £350k-p/w MUFC wizard whose “potential is off the charts” 

An update has emerged on Lazio goalkeeper Thomas Strakosha regarding a potential move to Newcastle United in 2022.

What’s the talk?

According to Il Messaggero, via Sport Witness, the Magpies will ‘probably’ sign the shot-stopper on a free transfer next summer.

The report claims that he is set to leave the Italian club upon the expiry of his contract, with St James’ Park named as his most likely destination.

Fans would be fuming

New Magpies manager Eddie Howe could be heading for his first Newcastle disaster if he is seriously lining up a deal to sign Strakosha from Lazio, as this report suggests. The fans would surely be fuming as, on paper at least, he appears unlikely to be a good signing for the Tyneside club.

He has played just nine Serie A games since the start of last season and has not featured in a single league match in the current campaign. The shot-stopper has not been able to nail down a place in the starting XI in the league, with Pepe Reina preferred ahead of him, so why would he be an exciting addition for Newcastle?

Italian outlet Corriere della Sera, via Daily Cannon, previously stated that he is ‘often criticised’ by the media for his displays. This suggests that he was axed from their starting XI due to the nature of his performances, indicating that he was struggling on the pitch and deservedly dropped.

Therefore, why would the Magpies want to sign a player who is desperately lacking in match fitness and form when they already have three senior goalkeeping options. Karl Darlow, Martin Dubravka and Freddie Woodman all remain at St James’ and throwing in Strakosha given his form – or lack thereof in the last 18 months – could do little to clear up the situation.

With a plethora of goalkeepers already at the club, Howe should be looking for a clear upgrade to come in and be the number one option if he wants to make a signing in that position, as otherwise they will be overloaded with options and squandering wages on a number of players. Strakosha’s situation at Lazio suggests that he does not have the quality to come in and do that, which is why Magpies fans could be fuming if he signs for the club.

Therefore, Howe could be on the verge of his first Newcastle nightmare if he opts to continue pursuing a deal for the £6.75m-rated Albanian dud.

AND in other news, Howe could solve major Newcastle issue by signing £116k-p/w “monster” who’s “like Bonucci”…