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After making his return from injury on Sunday night, it’s fair to say that Matty Cash didn’t enjoy the greatest of games in Aston Villa’s 2-0 defeat to Tottenham.

The former Nottingham Forest star had been out of action for Dean Smith’s side for several games due to injury, with veteran defender Ahmed Elmohamady coming in for him.

After being named as an unnamed substitute last time out against Newcastle, Cash was given the nod to make his first appearance in a Villa shirt since his injury, but things just didn’t go to plan.

As well as being involved in the controversial decision to award Harry Kane a penalty in the second half, the right-back just seemed to lose his composure as the game wore on, perhaps more to do with his match fitness levels more than anything else.

As per Sofascore, he lost possession a whopping 29 times on the night, by far the most of any player on the pitch, and a telling sign of how he just couldn’t get his normal game going – his season average has seen him concede possession 14.4 times per match in the Premier League.

As well as his wastefulness on the ball, Cash also attempted no dribbles, provided no key passes and delivered no crosses either – offensively, the full-back was just a complete non-entity and couldn’t link up with Bertrand Traore at all.

Writing in his post-match player ratings for the Birmingham Mail, Ashley Preece admitted: “Back in for his first start since tweaking his hamstring at Brighton. Cash started brightly and was aggressive in the challenge against the likes of Lucas and Reguilon.

“However, his performance dipped off significantly in the second half and it was Cash’s clumsy challenge which put this fixture to bed as his trailing leg caught Kane in the box for the penalty. His aggressive nature and willingness for the cause were both welcome but, like most, he wasn’t on his usual game.”

With Elmohamady set to turn 34 later this year, and reports already indicating that Smith is preparing to let him go, there’s a real lack of genuine quality and competition to challenge Cash at right-back either when he’s out injured, or if he’s in bad form.

It’s exactly why the Villa boss will be worried about Cash’s display against Spurs, and will simply be hoping that it was a minor blip in what has otherwise been an impressive debut campaign at Villa Park for the former Forest full-back.

Meanwhile, this Villa man was woeful against Spurs…

Newcastle United are reportedly interested in signing Sidnei Tavares, according to Esporte ao Minuto.

However, as per the news outlet, the St. James’ Park faithful may face competition from the likes of Sporting Lisbon, Benfica, Sevilla, Almeria and Nice for the signature of the Leicester City talent.

Tavares one for the future

Tavares is very much seen as a player for the future, with his own manager Brendan Rodgers dubbing him as a ‘real talent’ after a very impressive display in a pre-season win over Birmingham City back in August of last year.

The 19-year-old made his senior debut for the Foxes in their 2-0 home loss to Slavia Prague in the UEFA Europa League on Thursday night, showing how much faith Rodgers has in him already at such a young age.

Tavares has a very famous cousin in the form of former Manchester United and Portugal international star Nani, who of course has won both the Premier League and the Champions League with the Red Devils.

If he is to develop to be anywhere near as good as what Nani was, then Tavares certainly has a bright future in the beautiful game.

Nonetheless, the Tyneside club may have a real player on their hands if they are able to secure his signature.

In other news, find out who the Magpies have teased the return of here!

Alasdair Gold has criticised the display of Dele Alli despite Tottenham Hotspur beating Dinamo Zagreb 2-0 in the UEFA Europa League on Thursday night.

Harry Kane got himself on the scoresheet twice to give Spurs a decent home lead going into the away leg in Croatia, but while there were some very good performances for Jose Mourinho’s team, Gold was critical of Alli’s.

Writing in his latest ratings piece for football.london, the journalist claimed that the former MK Dons star looked “rusty” and gave him a mere 5/10 overall rating, the worst out of any Lilywhites player to have started the game in North London.

Alli looked rusty

Alli did look quite rusty throughout the match in what was not one of his best by his usual high standards.

The attacking midfield player failed to record a single shot on goal, successful dribble or key pass, and also lost possession of the ball no fewer than on 10 separate occasions in total throughout the clash (Sofascore).

The performance will certainly put question marks over whether he should be starting in the derby away at local rivals Arsenal on Sunday afternoon, as THFC will surely be looking to stamp their authority on the fixture and continue their climb up the Premier League table.

In other news, find out who Mourinho is planning to start ‘virtually every game’ here!

Grady Diangana has found life tough since making his permanent switch to West Brom this summer.

Indeed, the enigmatic winger has struggled to replicate the lucrative returns that saw him help the Baggies to promotion last season.

On Albion’s way to the Championship runner-up spot, the then on-loan Diangana delivered eight goals and seven assists from just 23 starts, via Transfermarkt.

Everyone at the Hawthorns got a glimpse of what was to come when he bagged himself a brace on debut against Luton Town, so it’s no wonder that sporting and technical director Luke Dowling pulled the trigger on signing him for the long-term.

The 22-year-old cost the Midlands outfit an initial £12m, which could rise to £18m in add-ons, according to the Express & Star.

That sum was a considerable chunk of their summer transfer budget. Karlan Grant cost the exact same fee, but one that is spread out in £2m instalments over six years, whilst they accounted for the permanent £9m addition of Matheus Pereira.

As a result of such an outlay, you’d want a huge bang for your buck – well, Diangana’s just not delivered in the big time.

Despite featuring in 15 of their 17 league outings this term, the 5 foot 11 attacker has contributed just one goal and has certainly struggled to repeat his attacking output from the second-tier.

Per WhoScored, Diangana has regressed from 2.4 dribbles, 1.6 shots and 1.4 key passes per game in 2019/20 to a pathetic 1.5 dribbles, 0.8 shot and 0.3 key passes per match.

This suggests that he’s struggling to combat the rise in quality of opposition as he’s clearly not been able to beat his man with his dribbling ability and as a result, he simply has not bee able to get near the goal to fire off chances.

Once dubbed an “explosive” threat who’s a “total nightmare” to play against by Sky Sports pundits Lee Hendrie and Keith Andrews, the young wide man has been wholly ineffective and is now bordering on becoming one expensive flop.

In some ways, it draws serious comparisons to that of Nacer Chadli, whose spell at the Hawthorns was disastrous – the irony being that he was once voted the ‘Flop of the Year.’

After splashing out a club-record £13m to Premier League rivals Spurs for his signature, the Belgian winger scored only six goals in 38 appearances before being relegated. An all too familiar position to that of Diangana and Albion right now.

The £10.8m-rated former Hammers ace is in grave danger of becoming another Chadli as a rate of two goal contributions in 32 top-flight appearances is currently way worse than even the ex-Baggies disaster achieved.

AND in other news, WBA must OFFLOAD £50k-p/w flop once dubbed a “manager’s dream”…

According to reports, Tottenham are interested in signing former Arsenal star Aaron Ramsey.

What’s the story?

The Wales international left the Premier League to join Serie A giants Juventus, and though he’s shown flashes of brilliance with the Bianconeri, has struggled to really nail down a place in the starting eleven – he’s completed the full 90 minutes just twice in the league.

Now, Italian publication TuttoJuve claim that both Jose Mourinho’s Spurs, and fellow Premier League side Wolves, are keen on luring the 30-year-old back to English football, and reveal that the Serie A champions “could be willing to sell him to earn a figure of €10-15m (£8.7-£13.1m)”.

Mourinho’s next Lampard

While things haven’t quite panned out at Juventus, there’s no questioning that Ramsey’s style of play is something Spurs could desperately do with.

Mourinho sorely lacks a real box-to-box presence with that goal-scorer’s instinct in his squad, with only Tanguy Ndombele even coming close to matching that with his tally of six goals this season in all competitions.

But in Ramsey, the Spurs boss could find the closest thing to a Frank Lampard. The Chelsea icon’s performances under Mourinho is well-known, with the ex-Blues boss bagging 70 goals and providing a further 61 assists in just 215 games.

Described as an “outstanding technician”, Ramsey would offer that same knack of getting into the box at the right times and scoring those poacher-type goals. In fact, Lampard himself wrote in a column for The Evening Standard: “It will probably come as no surprise to people that I like Ramsey. Like me, he makes late runs in the penalty area and he showed that with aplomb for the second goal at AC Milan last week.”

That sentiment was echoed by Ramsey’s former boss at Arsenal, Arsene Wenger, who said: “He is a Frank Lampard type. He is (about) getting in the box and he has a huge capacity to run. Physically, he has a combination of stamina, power and his capacity to repeat high intensity is certainly the best in the league.”

In his time at Spurs’ north London rivals, the Welshman scored an impressive 65 goals, including big strikes in big games, not least two match-winning finishes in FA Cup finals.

While it may not be the most popular move, Daniel Levy could find an absolute gem in the £18m-rated Ramsey, and deliver Mourinho his next Lampard at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Meanwhile, this Spurs star showed he could be Mourinho’s game-changer…

Southampton have been linked with a loan move for Manchester United full-back Brandon Williams ahead of the January transfer window, and manager Ralph Hasenhuttl looks to have dropped a big hint about him potentially joining.

According to The Athletic, the 20-year-old is the Saints’ top target ahead of the winter transfer window, with the South Coast club having also targeted him in the summer before Ole Gunnar Solskjaer blocked his move.

The United academy graduate has struggled for game time, perhaps due to the signing of fellow left-back Alex Telles from Porto, having made just one substitute appearance in the top-flight so far this season.

Therefore, a January exit could well be on the cards for the £9.9 million-rated defender, as he surely won’t be content playing reserve football with the Red Devils, when he could be potentially challenging for a spot in Southampton’s first team.

Hasenhuttl has certainly hinted that the club could move for Williams in January, as he recently said:

“If you want to do something then we do something for the future like we did in the last window in January with Kyle Walker-Peters.

“Maybe a player brought in on loan and then give him half a year’s chance to show if he’s good enough for us and then we can decide in the summer if we want to buy him.”

Therefore, it would not be a surprise to see the Saints replicate the deal they did for Walker-Peters with Williams.

The right-back originally joined on loan from Tottenham Hotspur in the January window before making the move permanent in the summer, having impressed Hasenhuttl during his stay.

If Williams could do the same, perhaps he would be convinced to make his stay with the South Coast club permanent, where he could establish himself as the ideal successor to Ryan Bertrand, with the 31-year-old’s contract with the Saints set to expire at the end of the season.

Certainly, it could be argued that Hasenhuttl is low on left-back options, with just young Jake Vokins available as a back-up to Bertrand at the moment, so a move for Williams in January seems a sensible move for all parties.

And, in other news… Saints will surely rue 2019 transfer decision on “terrific” winger dominating the PL…

Southampton are in the midst of an injury crisis at the moment, with only James Ward-Prowse and Ibrahima Diallo available to Ralph Hasenhuttl in central-midfield, following injuries to Oriol Romeu and Will Smallbone.

The Saints are also lacking options on the wing, with both Moussa Djenepo and Nathan Redmond ruled out, meaning the Austrian manager has had to turn to his youth players on a number of occasions so far this season.

However, the South Coast club could ease some of their injury woes by signing transfer target Mattias Svanberg from Bologna during the current transfer window.

It was suggested earlier this month by Italian journalist Gianluca Di Marzio that Southampton were interested in signing the 22-year-old, along with Leicester City and AC Milan.

The Swedish midfielder has established himself as a regular with the Serie A side since joining from Malmo in 2018, having made 68 appearances for Bologna, in which he has contributed three goals and four assists.

Despite featuring most prominently as a defensive midfielder, he has already contributed two goals and one assist in 16 top-flight appearances this season, so it is no surprise that he is attracting interest.

However, he is also incredibly versatile, having featured in almost every midfield position in his career thus far, whilst also occasionally playing as a striker and a right-back.

Therefore, he could solve a number of issues for Hasenhuttl, as he could play in central midfield or on the wing where the Austrian is currently lacking options, or even as a striker, where the South Coast club have struggled at times in the absence of Danny Ings.

Svanberg is currently valued at just £5.85 million by Transfermarkt, although with his contract with I Rossoblù set to run until 2023, it seems unlikely that they would allow him to leave for so little.

Indeed, the argument could be made that Svanberg would be a better option than Diallo in the Saints midfield, based on their respective performances this season.

The Frenchman has averaged a disappointing 6.22 rating for his performances in the Premier League, in which he has contributed no goals or assists.

Svanberg meanwhile, has averaged a 6.43 rating for his performances in Serie A, with two goals and one assist to his name.

He also averages 1.6 shots per game compared to Diallo’s 0.2, suggesting that he is much more of an all-rounder than the 21-year-old Saints man, and he could provide much more of a goal threat in midfield, which would be useful for Hasenhuttl given how reliant his side have been on Ings for goals this season.

Therefore, considering Svanberg’s excellent versatility and Southampton’s current injury problems, chief executive Martin Semmens must swoop for the Swedish international during this month’s transfer window.

And, in other news… Lost possession 25x: Sloppy Southampton ace was nowhere near his best vs Leicester

Although Manchester City may be casting one eye ahead to the January transfer window, the board must prioritise giving Kevin De Bruyne a new contract first.

It was suggested recently by Italian Football journalist Fabrizio Romano on his ‘Here We Go’ podcast that the Citizens have begun negotiations with the Belgian midfielder over a new contract with the club.

The 29-year-old has established himself as one of the best players in the Premier League since joining from Wolfsburg in 2015, having contributed a superb 58 goals and 96 assists in 233 appearances for the Etihad Stadium outfit (per Transfermarkt).

Although his current contract is set to run until 2023, extending that further would all but ensure that he stays with City for the rest of his career, while he is still able to play at the very top.

However, with the Belgian’s superb passing and crossing ability a key part of his current game, we see no reason why he couldn’t play at the top well into his 30’s, even if he does lose a yard of place.

Therefore, the Citizens must prioritise giving the midfielder a new deal as soon as possible, to ensure that the £108 million rated maestro is fully focused on pushing City back up the league.

During his time with City, De Bruyne has won the Premier League on two occasions, the FA Cup once, and the League Cup four times (per Transfermarkt).

Securing his long-term future would give City the best chance of adding to that trophy haul, as the Belgian international demonstrated his immense quality in the Premier League last season, as he contributed 13 goals and 20 assists in 35 top-flight appearances, which earned him a season rating of 7.97 – the best of any player across the campaign (per WhoScored).

After that wonderful season, he was heavily praised by Alan Shearer on Match of the Day, with the former Newcastle United man saying:

“He’s unbelievable, that right foot is absolutely deadly and he provides ridiculous entertainment. The speed of his feet and to have the ability [to score].”

“When you’re a forward, he finds you. He’s got every right to go for goal but he’s probably trying to get the assist record, which he gets, and the weight of his pass in behind is superb.

“Whatever it is, he can do it. What a player, what a season, he’s unbelievable. I gave Player of the Year to Jordan Henderson as well but he has been a stand-out performer.” (per Manchester Evening News)

Therefore, De Bruyne is clearly a hugely important player in City’s side, and fans will be hoping that he follows Guardiola’s suit and commits his future to the club in the coming weeks.

And, in other news… Manchester City dodged a huge bullet by not signing playmarker loved by Iniesta in 2018

Southampton face Manchester United at St Mary’s on Sunday afternoon hoping to continue their impressive start to the 2020/21 Premier League season.

Ahead of the weekend’s fixtures, the Saints currently sit fifth in the top-flight, whilst Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side are 11th.

If Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side are to pick up all three points against the Red Devils, they may have to keep Bruno Fernandes quiet, with the Portuguese midfielder having enjoyed a superb start to the season.

The former Sporting Lisbon man has contributed six goals and three assists in eight top-flight appearances so far this season, resulting in a superb average rating of 7.75 (per WhoScored).

This comfortably ranks him as United’s best performer in the top-flight, so Southampton will surely consider him the danger man for the away side and will give themselves a good chance of winning if they can keep the attacking-midfielder quiet.

Fortunately for the South Coast club, they have, on current form, one of the best defensive-minded midfielders in the Premier League in Oriol Romeu.

The Spaniard, who committed to a new contract with the Saints earlier this month, has enjoyed an excellent start to the season under Hasenhuttl and has been a big reason why Southampton currently sit just outside the top four spots.

In nine Premier League appearances, the 29-year-old has averaged a very sold 7.09 rating, which ranks him as Southampton’s fifth-best performer so far this season (per WhoScored).

During the game against United, Romeu may be tasked with man-marking Fernandes, in an attempt to limit his influence on the game, and if he can get the better of Solskjaer’s star man, there seems no reason why the Saints can’t pick up all three points.

WhoScored suggests that the former Chelsea man likes to tackle and block the ball, whilst he also commits fouls often, so he seems the ideal man to frustrate Fernandes and potentially mark him out of the game.

Earlier this year, Hasenhuttl was full of praise for the way Romeu had responded when he was kept out of the team by Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, saying:

“It is fantastic from my side that Ori comes to me and says, ‘Coach I didn’t play so much in the last time I need a game’ – it’s fantastic.

“It shows what an unbelievable professional he is. To be honest I’ve never seen anyone like him – professional wise. It’s fantastic.” (per Daily Echo)

Romeu has certainly done an astute job replacing Hojbjerg after he joined Tottenham Hotspur in the summer, and Hasenhuttl will need him to be at his very best once again on Sunday if the Saints are to pick up three points against Manchester United.

And, in other news… Southampton should consider loaning out 21 y/o who is “the perfect example of the Southampton way”

Michael Keane must look to use his remaining time with the England national side to take a lesson in leadership from Conor Coady, after the Wolverhampton Wanderers captain upstaged the Everton defender against Wales on Thursday.

Three Lions boss Gareth Southgate opted to tackle the international friendly against rivals Wales at Wembley Stadium with Keane and Coady partnered by Liverpool’s Joe Gomez in a three-man backline, which kept Ryan Giggs’ visitors scoreless in a 3-0 win.

Coady provided the second of England’s three goals with a perfectly timed volley at the back post to meet Kieran Trippier’s free-kick unchallenged, in what was only the 27-year-old’s second international match following his debut against Denmark in August.

Keane, likewise, has one goal to his name for England but from 11 senior appearances dating back to his debut in 2017, but cannot let his greater experience cloud his judgment and ought to use his time wisely to benefit from Coady’s greater qualities.

Keane found himself upstaged on Thursday as Coady led from the back against Wales, barking instructions to his teammates throughout the affair to keep England in check – something the Everton man has often been at fault for at Goodison Park by not organising a difunctional line.

Coady, on the other hand, has often been lauded for his worthiness as Wolves’ captain since the Molineux outfit were promoted to the Premier League, with the Liverpool-born ace’s voice a constant echo being heard around the Black Country whenever Nuno Espirito Santo’s side take to the field.

Teammates and staff repeatedly praise Coady for his organisation and leadership as one of the only voices constantly communicating messages on the pitch, keeping his colleagues in check to ensure no one is left red-faced and opposition attacks are quickly snuffed out.

Coady knows when to push the team forward and when to drop back, he is a true field general in ways Keane can only imagine. But working alongside the Wolves captain can guide the £65,000-per-week 27-year-old to one day take on greater responsibilities under Carlo Ancelotti in a side that has previously been compared to a puppy rolling over and asking for its belly to be tickled.

If Everton are to capitalise on their unbeaten start to the 2020/21 Premier League season and secure their return to a UEFA competition for the first time since the 2017/18 Europa League Group Stage, keeping a solid defence in check over the full campaign will be crucial.

AND in other news, Everton are in need of drastic action with a forgotten player after failing to deal with his situation over the summer.