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Daniel Levy must cash in on forgotten Tottenham Hotspur defender Juan Foyth this summer amid latest claims from his loan club, Villarreal…

What’s the word?

Speaking to Spanish outlet AS, Villarreal boss Unai Emery revealed that he would like to sign the 23-year-old permanently following a successful spell thus far, he said:

“If I would keep [him]? The truth is that it is something that we must wait, but if it were up to me, yes, I would keep [him] with us.”

Although it is claimed that the La Liga outfit may not be able to afford the €15m (£13m) option to buy, so they will have to negotiate with the Spurs chairman in order to keep hold of him past the current season.

Get rid

The report goes onto suggest that Foyth has been one of Emery’s most utilised players, featuring 23 times in all competitions, which is one fewer appearance than what he’s managed for Spurs since the start of the 2018/19 season.

Indeed, the versatile Argentinian has struggled to break into the first-team in north London and the fact that Jose Mourinho was willing to ship him out despite losing the vastly-experienced Jan Vertonghen speaks volumes.

It’s hard to envisage him ever coming back and making an impact at this stage, especially as the Spurs boss is lusting for a ‘transformative’ signing at the back that can echo the rewards of Virgil van Dijk at Liverpool, and Ruben Dias at Man City.

Finances will be tight once again, so it would be wise to now cash in on Foyth to get the money rolling ahead of the summer.

The £9m-rated defender, who earns a reported £36k-per-week in N17, will merely be stealing a wage if he returns to Spurs at the end of the season as he’s surely a fourth or fifth choice behind the likes of Eric Dier, Toby Aldweireld, Davinson Sanchez and Joe Rodon.

If Mourinho gets his wishes, then he’ll only slip further down the pecking order.

In the past, Mauricio Pochettino has lauded the “clever” centre-back someone with “a lot of potential” and “quality” but we’ve never really seen it – last season in the Premier League, he averaged a 6.03 WhoScored rating, which would see him sit comfortably as their worst player this season.

Villarreal want to keep hold of him, so Levy may not get a better time to offload the 2017 signing. It’s time to get rid.

AND in other news, 22 y/o gem could be a perfect replacement for Matt Doherty…

Tottenham Hotspur have seen many a starlet break into the first-team, but none have quite had the impact and transformation of Harry Kane.

We’ve seen the likes of Harry Winks, Oliver Skipp and Japhet Tangana all make their debuts over the last few years while Jose Mourinho has twice broken the record for the youngest-ever player to feature for Spurs this season alone.

One of which being Dane Scarlett.

Back in November, he made a substitute appearance during the 4-0 thumping of Ludogorets at just 16 years, eight months and two days old.

For a long time, fellow academy hopeful Troy Parrott was touted to be one of Spurs’ brightest prospects, and he took the chance to follow in Kane’s exact footsteps earlier this campaign by joining Millwall on loan.

But things have not gone to plan for the 18-year-old Irishman.

In 14 appearances, he failed to score a single goal and only provided one assist which has resulted in him being recalled and subsequently shipped out to League One Ipswich Town instead.

His chances of becoming the next Kane are on the brink, though Scarlett could have far greater potential long-term.

Just like the leading Spurs talisman, the 16-year-old wonderkid has already been capped at international level for the U15s and U16s, but unlike him, he’s already made his senior debut for the Premier League giants.

That’s already a hugely encouraging sign.

His form in the youth set-up has been hugely remarkable too.

In 15 appearances this season across the Premier League 2, U18s Premier League and FA Youth Cup, Scarlett has bagged a whopping 20 goals which includes three hat-tricks, via Transfermarkt.

It’s no wonder he caught the eye of Mourinho, who said after his debut a few months ago:

“He played a few minutes in some of our pre-season matches. Of course, he went back to his [U18] team. He trains with them.

“Yesterday when I felt there was space for another young player in the squad, I didn’t decide by myself, I asked my football director and I asked the academy director and they contacted all the coaches. ‘Who deserves it?’

“There are of course a few names, especially the U18s because they are doing so well. They gave me his name and because I knew him already I thought if the opportunity would arise it would be a good chance for me and a good feeling for everyone in the academy.”

According to football.london’s Alasdair Gold, there’s a belief in the academy system that Scarlett can become a ‘real star of the future’ whilst fellow colleague Rob Guest claimed last month that the 16-year-old “has a big future in the game.”

Scarlett is still undoubtedly raw, but if Mourinho and the club play their cards right, then they could well stumble across their next Kane. And given his desire for trophies at 27, that could be a timely thing to uncover.

IN other news, Forget Eriksen: Spurs need £30m “goal threat”, he’s “perfect” for Mourinho…

Wolves come into their clash with Manchester City in decent form. We haven’t been able to say that too regularly during their season so far.

They have tasted defeat in just one of their last seven league outings and with the Old Gold moving back to their tried and tested three-man defence, the signs are looking better at Molineux.

That being said, they face their toughest clash of the season so far when they travel to the Etihad to face Manchester City on Tuesday evening.

Pep Guardiola’s men have won 20 straight games so this will not be easy by any stretch of the imagination.

With that in mind, how could Nuno’s XI look for their clash with the Citizens? Here’s how we reckon the Portuguese could go.

We’re tipping the Wolves boss to continue with his three-man backline but to make two changes to the side that drew with the Magpies.

One of those changes is in attack while another comes in the defence. We’ve already discussed the need for Leander Dendoncker to be dropped from the starting line-up.

The Belgian was given a torrid time by Allan Saint-Maximin on Saturday, being consistently skinned by the Newcastle winger. He recorded four key passes and four dribbles, carving out a major opportunity for Joe Willock.

With that in mind, he could struggle against Raheem Sterling if he’s picked on the left of City’s attack. As such, we’re tipping Max Kilman to come into the backline.

The other change is up top where Pedro Neto and Adama Traore start in a two-prong attack. Willian Jose drops out with Owen Otasowie coming in to offer more protection and steel in the midfield.

Jose is yet to score in a Wolves shirt and was desperately poor against Newcastle. The Brazilian made just 11 passes all game and failed to have a single shot towards goal.

Clearly, he has not offered the much-needed presence the Old Gold needed in attack.

AND in other news, Better than Jose: Wolves could rue missing £18m target once dubbed “out of this world”…

In an exclusive interview with Football FanCast, Sheffield Wednesday legend Carlton Palmer has fired a stark warning to the next Owls boss.

Thai owner Dejphon Chansiri sacked Tony Pulis less than two weeks ago after just ten matches in charge and now he’s looking for his fifth manager in three years at Hillsborough Stadium.

The Owls have gone four matches unbeaten, three of which under caretaker coach Neil Thompson, who Palmer has backed to receive the job permanently.

Whilst the likes of Paul Cook, Joey Barton, Thorsten Fink and Jose Morais have all been linked to the vacant role in south Yorkshire.

Though, Palmer isn’t sure that anyone would want to work under the current structure at Wednesday as he dropped a huge claim on how Chansiri operates in the transfer market…

He told FFC:

“My understanding is, in the past, from what I’ve heard is that Chansiri will come to the manager and say ‘right, here’s four or five players – choose which one.’

“That’s still not right because it is maybe not the players that the manager wants.

“The manager should [be the one to] draw up a shortlist of players he wants.”

Chansiri claims that he sacked the 62-year-old Welshman over his negative brand of football, claiming it was a “mistake” to appoint him in the first place, though it could not have come at a worse time now we’re a week into the January transfer window.

Indeed, if the Owls make any moves before that crucial appointment, then it will only add further weight to Palmer’s damning remarks.

The job at Hillsborough is certainly less attractive if the new manager isn’t going to have full autonomy over incomings and outgoings.

Wednesday face League Two outfit Exeter City in the FA Cup this weekend and it doesn’t seem like an appointment is going to happen before then.

AND in other news, Exclusive: Sheffield Wednesday tipped to appoint 57 y/o as next boss…

Leeds’ start to the New Year hasn’t exactly been ideal.

They suffered defeat to Tottenham and were then swept aside in rather embarrassing fashion by League Two Crawley last weekend. They can be thankful, therefore, that the transfer window is open.

What’s the word?

Cast your minds back to last summer and you will remember a certain link to a French striker.

The Sunday Mirror (August 9th print edition, page 66) reported that Leeds were interested in signing Celtic forward Odsonne Edouard.

Of course, a deal didn’t happen, but with speculation mounting again surrounding his future in Glasgow, there has been an update on Celtic’s stance towards the attacker.

That’s courtesy of journalist Ignazio Genuardi who said this week:

“While no agreement could be reached for an extension, Celtic is gradually revising its requirements downwards for a possible departure of the former Parisian Edouard. Today, there is more talk of a price around €25-30m.”

In English money, that price would equate to around £27m.

Orta must sign him

Leeds must bite Celtic’s hands off if Edouard is indeed available for that sort of fee. The Whites aren’t desperately in need of a new striker but they’d certainly land an upgrade on Patrick Bamford here.

The Whites forward has been nothing short of superb since they were promoted, helping himself to ten goals in just 17 outings. However, by signing Edouard, Victor Orta would land an even more prolific striker.

The Frenchman has been a star in Scottish football, racking up goals as though they’re going out of fashion. Last term, he netted 28 goals from 47 appearances and so far this season, he’s registered 11 strikes – one more than Bamford.

However, he isn’t just about scoring goals. Like Leeds’ current number nine, he’s phenomenal at bringing others into play. The Hoops forward picked up 19 assists for his teammates in 2019/20, a record that blows Bamford’s tally of two out the water.

On top of that, his footwork also surpasses Marcelo Bielsa’s favoured striking option. Bamford is a player who likes to play with his back to goal, but while Edouard can also do that, the 22-year-old gets in behind and can run with the ball too.

Epitomising the Celtic forward’s qualities, former Hoops player Frank McGarvey once said: “I just love watching Edouard. He has that bit of magic in his feet, and he reminds me of Charlie Nicholas. You just know if he gets the ball just outside of the box the other team are in trouble.”

Truth be told, that’s what sets Bamford and Edouard apart. Although the former has nifty feet himself, he doesn’t use it on a regular basis.

Reports circulated a few weeks ago that Leeds were slightly concerned about their forward’s future at the club. If they signed Edouard, they may be able to greenlight a potential exit, rather than worrying about his contract situation.

Irrespective of that, however, Leeds must sign him. He is a sensational goal scorer.

AND in other news, Leeds must swoop for “outstanding” 26 y/o, he could be game-changing…

Crystal Palace midfielder Jairo Riedewald has made such a strong start to the season that Roy Hodgson must recall him to the starting line-up to take on Tottenham Hotspur at Selhurst Park on Sunday afternoon.

Hodgson has no new injury concerns to speak of, which isn’t exactly a bad thing, but this does mean that he faces somewhat of a selection dilemma in the midfield.

Luka Milivojevic and James McArthur started against West Bromwich Albion last weekend as the Eagles cruised to a comfortable 5-1 win over the Baggies at the Hawthorns.

However, Hodgson must resist the temptation to give the club captain a second chance, as he cannot be trusted for the big occasions, whilst McArthur hardly did himself any favours at all with an uncharacteristically lightweight display.

Milivojevic’s ill-discipline can cause a problem, as he has received 35 yellow cards in 126 appearances in the Premier League. Remarkably, he has been sent off just once in the top flight, although he was absent for the entirety of November after Palace lost their appeal against his red card at Wolves.

Instead, Hodgson should seriously consider starting Riedewald, who isn’t afraid of stepping up to the plate, as he played the full 90′ minutes in the first A23 derby of the season.

The 24-year-old initially struggled to make much of an impression upon his arrival at Selhurst Park, but he started in the 4-1 win at home to Leeds United, which is exactly why he must play in the more meaningful games of the campaign, especially when you consider the fact that they conceded just one goal against a side who have scored 17 goals in the Premier League so far this season.

Riedewald could slot into position alongside Cheikou Kouyate in the midfield, who has started ten out of the last eleven games in the centre-back position.

Hodgson himself has heaped praise on the Dutchman, as he described the defensive-minded midfielder as an “intelligent player” who is a “superb professional” after he was called into action for his first game in the first division since April 2018 last season.

Valued at £4m via Transfermarkt, in nine appearances in the top flight this term, the former Netherlands international has scored one goal this season so far, whilst he is averaging 1.4 tackles per game, via WhoScored.

He could play a key part in stopping the free-scoring Harry Kane, who has bagged eight times and ten assists in the Premier League.

Whilst it might seem a little bit harsh to bench Milivojevic, Riedewald lining up against Jose Mourinho’s side may have long-term benefits for Hodgson going forward.

AND in other news, Crystal Palace target Jordan Amavi is the perfect Patrick van Aanholt replacement…

Steve Bruce’s Newcastle United visit Manchester City on Boxing Day looking to bounce back from their Carabao Cup heartache after producing a woeful display in defeat to Brentford.

The Magpies bowed out of the competition after failing to produce anywhere near the levels needed, despite facing a heavily altered Bees line-up with Thomas Frank prioritising his side’s Championship campaign.

Defeat made it three winless games in a row for Newcastle across all competitions, who will now be desperate to get their Premier League season back on course at the Etihad Stadium after losing to Leeds United and a 1-1 draw with Fulham in recent weeks.

Bruce is unlikely to make wholesale changes against Pep Guardiola’s Sky Blues, but changes are a must from the XI which lost to Brentford. So, with that in mind, here’s a line-up the Toon boss could favour…

Goalkeeper Karl Darlow is the sole Newcastle player to start all 13 of the St. James’ Park natives’ opening Premier League fixtures, and will expect to see his run in the side continue on Saturday with Martin Dubravka yet to fully overcome a pre-season heel injury.

Bruce is likely to alter the back-four which lost to Brentford with Federico Fernandez expected to be passed fit, having missed the Carabao Cup quarter-final after being withdrawn at half-time against Fulham after showing signs of serious fatigue.

Fernandez’s return will allow Bruce to name Isaac Hayden alongside Jonjo Shelvey in the engine room once again, while Jamal Lewis, Ciaran Clark and DeAndre Yedlin will start with Newcastle still without Jamaal Lascelles and Fabian Schar, plus the recent struggles of Emil Krafth and Paul Dummett at full-back.

Bruce has been full of praise for Hayden’s recent efforts whilst slotting in at centre-half, hailing the Arsenal product, who reportedly earns £22,000-a-week, as being “terrific” against West Bromwich Albion earlier this month with a display that left the Toon chief with “food for thought”.

Ryan Fraser badly betrayed Bruce at Brentford on Tuesday night with an invisible showing that saw the summer arrival record fewer touches than Darlow and must be benched on Saturday, opening the door for Matt Ritchie to return.

Ritchie has started two of Newcastle’s last three Premier League fixtures after making his comeback from a shoulder injury in November, which Bruce noted the 31-year-old was “desperate to play” after having missed seven games across all competitions.

Bruce is likely to name Miguel Almiron centrally at the Etihad Stadium despite an underwhelming showing from the Paraguayan against Brentford, with him offering no key passes or shots whilst taking just 17 touches, per WhoScored.

The 26-year-old will retain his place having seen Jacob Murphy offer a creative touch from the right-wing, with the £3m-rated man taking two shots – only Callum Wilson (4) struck more – plus a team-high two key balls and a game-high five successful dribbles.

AND in other news, a Newcastle gem with his “best years ahead” was Steve Bruce’s sole positive at Brentford…

Writing on Twitter, Tottenham correspondent Alasdair Gold has reacted and shared footage of Son Heung-min asking Harry Kane if he got the assist during Tottenham’s 1-0 win at Burnley, with the journalist going on to savour a moment Lilywhites will love.Â

Son, who bagged the winner at Turf Moor on Monday night, once again linked up with Kane to devastating effect as Jose Mourinho’s men ground out a narrow victory in Lancashire.

Gold excited over Son footage

The pair have formed a devastating partnership this season under Mourinho, with Son currently placed top of the Premier League scoring charts, and his telepathic understanding with Kane is arguably key to his top scorer status.

Reacting to footage from the match which emerged on social media , Gold has declared his ‘love’ for the moment Son gleefully asked his teammate whether he got another assist for him.

If any moment sums up the duo’s understanding for one another, perhaps it is this one, with Gold sharing the enticing footage to Spurs supporters on Twitter.

Lauded as ‘very underrated’ by Tim Sherwood, it’s no surprise that Tottenham’s Korean forward has been forcing people to take notice with his stellar run of form.

Transfer Tavern take

Having scored eight goals whilst assisting two others already this season, Son is dramatically putting himself into contention for being one of the best players in the Premier League at the moment. This footage, as relayed by Gold, could serve as a reminder of just how effective the South Korea star and Kane are as a duo right now.

Time will tell whether they continue this run of form, but it could be an exciting few months ahead for Spurs supporters.

In other news: There is a been a twist in the Dele Alli saga, find out more here.Â

Harry Winks could be facing a surprise Tottenham Hotspur exit after an inconsistent start to the 2020/21 season. Alan Hutton has discussed the midfielder’s situation and believes that he could have some “big decisions” to make as the January transfer window approaches.

“I think over the coming months, you’re going to see a lot of these talks, especially when you’re coming up to a transfer window, because everybody’s got their eye on the Euros, everybody wants to be in the squad,” he told Football Insider. “He’s [Winks] either going to have to sit down with Mourinho and say: ‘What’s my plan moving forward, am I going to be a starter? If not, I need to look elsewhere.’”

Indeed, whilst the 24-year-old has fallen down the pecking order recently, Jose Mourinho will not want to see him leave the club.

Why Spurs must keep hold of Harry Winks

The three-time Premier League winner is an admirer of the midfielder and spoke highly of his “improving” status during a press conference in February. Mourinho applauded his spatial awareness and the rate of hard work he has been putting into his performances.

Similarly, Jamie Redknapp has heaped praise on Winks’ role in this Tottenham side and recently described him as “the glue” that holds the team together. The ex-Spurs man also went on to discuss how his position under Mourinho allows January signing Giovani Lo Celso to roam further up the field and join the attack.

Although Spurs recruited Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg over the summer, Winks had the better overall defensive performance last season. According to WhoScored, the former Southampton man had a rather disappointing passing accuracy of 78.1% whilst Winks boasted 90.3%. He also committed less fouls per match (0.8) and was dribbled past less times on average (1.2) than Hojbjerg’s numbers of 1.4 and 1.6 respectively.

This campaign, Winks has again been caught out less times by a dribbling attacker (1) and has less fouls per 90 minutes (0.5) to the Dane’s 1.5 and 1.8.

The England international still has a role to play in this Spurs side, which is currently undergoing a huge makeover. Mourinho’s engine room is struggling to create chances for star players Harry Kane and Son Heung-min, fielding Winks will allow his midfield partners to get forward and help catch the opposition off guard. Hojbjerg tends to juggle both an attacking and defending role, which could be why he is so prone to giving away free-kicks and being dribbled past.

Tottenham will regret the decision to sell Winks, especially with his current £75,000 per week contract running until 2024. If Mourinho values his contribution, he must let the player know and give him more time on the pitch to convince him to stay.

In other news, Spurs have perfect chance to offload Dele Alli as Leeds are linked…

West Ham’s start to the new campaign has hardly gone to plan so far.

It’s been two Premier League defeats for David Moyes’ side from their opening two matches and the atmosphere at the London Stadium is bordering on toxic.

The Irons sold young academy prospect Grady Diangana to his loan club West Brom for £18m and GSB are yet to reinvest that money into the playing squad – or sign anyone new at all.

It has led to some protesting outside the ground in recent weeks whilst rumours of a potential takeover continue to bubble beneath the surface.

Speaking exclusively to FootballFanCast, former Hammers striker Neil Mellor delivered his verdict on the Diangana saga and explained how the club’s owners could get the baying supporters back on side.

He said:

“I think they need to start hoping that the results turn around on the pitch because I think that would quieten down a little bit of the noise.

“The West Ham supporters are frustrated and understandably so, the team struggled last season and just about stayed up. They have invested in the squad but when there’s a young player coming through like [Grady] Diangana who the fans were really excited about, one they thought could potentially come through and have that connection with the fans that all teams want.

“Unfortunately, he was sold on and West Ham haven’t invested that money as of yet, now the transfer window still open, we can go and reinvest the perhaps bring a little bit of quality in, which will help them this season.

“But the mood’s not good at West Ham. It’s disappointing to see. It feels like it’s going to be another frustrating season for them perhaps fighting relegation which is what the West Ham fans don’t want. They want to be looking towards the top half of the table perhaps an outside chance of European football but the mood isn’t good at the moment.

“When the transfer window closes it’ll be interesting to see how that money has been invested because the fans need a lift, they need a boost at the moment.”

The Irons’ only piece of business so far this window has been the confirmation of Tomas Soucek’s loan deal becoming permanent for an additional £15m.

Expensive flops Sebastien Haller, Felipe Anderson and Manuel Lanzini have even struggled to make the starting XI despite clear woes in front of goal, so West Ham undeniably need additions.

It’s thought that Moyes would like to bolster his defensive ranks with Burnley colossus James Tarkowski a top target but he’ll need so much more than just one centre-back to get the loyal Hammers faithful back onside.

And as Mellor says, the club could well be on for another season battling relegation.

With only two weeks to go in the window, it very much remains to be seen if GSB will open the chequebook in time.

WHILE in other news, West Ham leading race to sign ex-PL loanee who’s been slammed by Gary Neville…