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Speaking to French newspaper L’Equipe, via Sport Witness, Eric Abidal has lifted the lid on Tottenham Hotspur and Daniel Levy’s failed coup for Barcelona star Frenkie de Jong – with the former Catalan technical secretary revealing that Spurs ‘made good progress’ but were ultimately beaten.

De Jong, who was a highly sought after midfield prodigy at the time, with Manchester City, Paris-Saint Germain and Bayern Munich all chasing his signature at one stage, also attracted keen interest from Spurs.

Abidal exposes failed Levy coup for de Jong

Indeed, speaking to L’Equipe, Abidal has sent a Tottenham transfer message revealing Levy’s failed coup for de Jong – going on to say that Spurs ‘made good progress’ on the matter but his ‘dream’ was the Nou Camp.

“I was already following Frenkie before arriving at the club. We had to recruit for this position and that was our priority.

“Manchester City, Paris, Bayern and Tottenham made good progress on the matter. But we are Barca and we knew that his dream was to play for us. We therefore decided to attack and first contact Ajax, with whom Barca has always had good relations, then his representative.”

Transfer Tavern take

As this revelation emerges that Spurs were genuine contenders for de Jong, Lilywhites supporters may be wondering what might have been with the 23-year-old ace.

Lauded as an ‘extraordinary footballer’ by Catalans legend Xavi, speaking on the 2022 World Cup’s Instagram account, the Dutchman also attracted praise from none other than former Tottenham boss Mauricio Pochettino.

Quizzed on the midfielder by football.london back in 2019, Pochettino heralded the ‘fantastic’ de Jong as a key player for Ajax – going on to say he fully understood why Barca paid £65 million for his signature.

In other news: Tottenham could lose this talent, find out more here.

Leeds United decided to slam the door on any potential movement for rising talent Sam Greenwood. Clubs including Swansea City have been circling the 19-year-old striker as he’s been making waves at the U21 level at Elland Road.

But despite the interest, The Telegraph’s Mike McGrath has reported that Leeds rejected Swansea’s approach for his services. Marcelo Bielsa reportedly wants to see the teenager stay with the Whites for the second half of the season.

What does the future hold for Sam Greenwood?

For the Argentinian boss to reject any moves for Greenwood, he must have some plans up his sleeve for the former Arsenal man. According to Transfermarkt, he has already netted six goals in ten appearances for Leeds’ youth side. He was also handed his first Leeds senior appearance when the Whites took on Crawley Town in the FA Cup third round earlier this month.

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Patrick Bamford is currently Bielsa’s only reliable option when it comes to strikers. The Englishman boasts Leeds’ highest goalscoring tally, leading the way with 11 goals and four assists so far this season. The player with the next highest amount is winger Jack Harrison, who has five goals and four assists, according to BBC Sport.

But Bamford still leads the way by a large margin. In fact, the only out and out back-up he currently has in case of injury is Joe Gelhardt. Summer signing Rodrigo can play as a centre-forward, but he recently admitted that his preferred role is operating in the pocket of space just behind the striker.

With Bielsa opting to keep Greenwood at Leeds for the rest of the season, he may have plans to bring him into the action off the bench. The teen could be given the chance to live up to his hype – after being likened to Robin van Persie during his days in Arsenal’s youth system.

With Bamford picking up a dead leg injury against Leicester, options are very, very limited. This could be Greenwood’s time to really kick start his career and show what he’s made of in England’s top flight if he is given a chance to shine.

If he isn’t in Bielsa’s plans, then the decision to not let him leave on a loan would be seen as an odd one, so by keeping him around, the boss may be thinking of using Greenwood at some point in the coming months.

In other news, Leeds taking a risk amid Phil Hay’s deadline day update…

Aston Villa could clinch a unique signing for Dean Smith by landing Sheffield United midfielder Sander Berge.

Reports in recent days have suggested that Villa are eyeing a move for the Norway international in the summer transfer window, with the Blades likely heading back to the Championship given that they are currently rooted to the bottom of the Premier League table with just 13 games remaining.

While signing a player from the Premier League’s worst side may not sound like the most exciting of captures, the kind of qualities Berge would be able to offer to Smith makes him a very intriguing prospect.

Standing at a towering 6 foot 5, the 23-year-old is unlike any of Villa’s current midfield options, and it’s something his manager at the Blades, Chris Wilder, has been quick to highlight.

He said: “Sander has been unique. He is the one who has stood out for us. He is a complete midfielder. He can play as 8s and as 6s. He can play in different formations. The wonderful thing about Sander is his attitude.

“Complete midfielders are like that. Look at Jordan Henderson (FWA’s Footballer of the Year last term). Sander should gain enormous confidence that he can play so well in various positions in the Premier League.”

Berge’s extra height and physicality marks him out as someone who would offer Smith something completely different to what he already has at his disposal, and so it’s no surprise that when it comes to duels won in the air (1.2 per game), the Norwegian comfortably betters any of Villa’s midfielders.

While Douglas Luiz and John McGinn have been Smith’s preferred partnership in central midfield, Berge’s arrival could add a different dimension to Villa’s engine room should the manager look to consolidate in games, or even go down the old ‘Marouane Fellaini as a number nine’ route if a goal’s needed instead.

Either way, like Wilder says, Berge is a “unique” talent and one that Johan Lange should consider bringing to the club.

Crystal Palace will be under no illusion of the scale of the task at hand after the humiliating 7-0 defeat to Liverpool at Selhurst Park on Saturday afternoon.

It was a sorry sight as Jurgen Klopp’s side put the Eagles to the sword after Roberto Firmino and Mohamed Salah both scored twice to leave Roy Hodgson with an awful lot of work to do.

The Eagles have conceded 25 goals in the Premier League this season, the third worst total behind newly-promoted sides Leeds United and West Bromwich Albion, and find themselves 13th in the table, level on points with Newcastle United, although Steve Bruce’s side has a game in-hand.

If that weren’t bad enough, Palace have several players who will be out of contract at the end of the season, including first-team regular starters Christian Benteke and Gary Cahill as well as Scott Dann.

With the January transfer window only a matter of days away, it’s time for Steve Parish to shift some of the deadwood, and you’d have to imagine that Max Meyer will be one of the first names on the list.

However, Hodgson must also urge the Palace chairman to cash in on former West Ham defender James Tomkins, who has made just one appearance during an injury-disrupted campaign despite earning around £50,000-per-week.

Reports in recent times revealed that West Bromwich Albion manager Sam Allardyce is keen to reunite with the 31-year-old after working with the centre-back at Selhurst Park and West Ham, and Parish could kill two birds with one stone by cutting his losses once and for all.

It sounds harsh, but the stats don’t lie, and Tomkins simply isn’t up to scratch anymore. The £3.6m-rated defensive stalwart came off the bench to replace Cheikou Kouyate in the second half to mark his first appearance of the season but he couldn’t prevent Palace from capitulating against Liverpool at Selhurst Park, although most of the damage had already been done.

Per SofaScore, he received a low rating of 6 out of ten for his efforts – despite playing just 27′ minutes of first-team football – as he failed to record a single tackle and he also managed to lose possession of the ball three times.

It’s fair to say that Tomkins has been an ever-loyal servant of the club but he has arguably entered the twilight of his career and as such, seems destined for the Selhurst Park exit.

When push comes to shove, Parish must be ruthless and push him out the door, as he’s certainly bled him dry over the past few months, that’s for sure.

AND in other news, Forget Sarr: Crystal Palace chairman Steve Parish must secure Michael Olise as a Townsend alternative…

According to Eurosport’s Dean Jones, West Bromwich Albion are reportedly eyeing up a move for out-of-favour Manchester United outcast Phil Jones.

What’s the word?

Jones has yet to feature for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side so far this season, having been deemed surplus to requirements at Old Trafford.

And it appears a reunion could be on the cards, with West Brom boss Sam Allardyce keen to reunite with his former defender in the January transfer window.

However, they will face stiff competition to secure his services, as 90min claim Newcastle United are also looking to land the former England international on loan.

It’s time to go

The 28-year-old made his first-team debut for Blackburn under former Rovers boss Allardyce during the 1-0 win away at Nottingham Forest in the League Cup all the way back in 2009.

‘Big Sam’ even went so far as to say that Jones would be given the England captain’s armband one day but it’s fair to say that it hasn’t panned out the way everyone hoped it would have done.

It’s been quite a dramatic fall from grace for the centre-back who was once tipped to become the greatest player in the club’s history by none other than Sir Alex Ferguson himself.

The fringe player has failed to cement a place in Solskjaer’s squad, let alone the starting line-up, as he has struggled with injuries, lack of fitness and poor form over the past few years alone.

His injury struggles have done very little to disguise his defensive errors as he has developed a somewhat unsavoury reputation for making a series of high-profile mistakes.

Under Solskjaer, it seems there is no place for Jones, who earns around £75,000-per-week at Old Trafford, as Harry Maguire and Victor Lindelof seem to be his preferred pairing, with Eric Bailly and Axel Tuanzebe jostling for position in the pecking order.

Valued at £5m via Transfermarkt, United simply must bite the bullet and cash in on Jones, who is currently under contract until 2023 with the option for a further year, as Solskjaer clearly has no confidence in his ability any more.

AND in other news, Woodward must sanction Man Utd swoop for youngster likened to Paul Pogba…

It’s been an incredible start to the 20/21 Premier League season with plenty of talking points, including controversial penalty decisions, VAR drama and bags of goals. There’s still a lot of football left to play, but we now have an idea on which clubs will be battling out for the title and who will be involved in a relegation scrap. Using expected goals (xG) Infogol’s Jake Osgathorpe sums up the performance of sides at both ends of the table and provides some insight into what fans can expect over the coming months.

Have City taken a backwards step in attack?

Many people tipped Manchester City to reclaim the league this season. After finishing 18-points adrift of Liverpool last year, fixing their problematic defence seemed to be the solution.

However, it hasn’t quite gone to plan and with only 10 league goals so far this campaign they aren’t the ruthless City that we’ve all come to expect.

At the same stage last season, they had already scored 27 goals, although Infogol’s data shows it isn’t just down to a lack of clinical finishing. Their creativity has also slipped and are averaging only 1.53 xGF per game. This is their worst attacking process since Pep Guardiola took over. When you compare that against last year when they averaged 2.67 xGF per game, there is some cause for concern.

Manchester City xGF per game by season under Pep Guardiola

City had a shorter pre-season than the majority of other clubs as they were involved in last season’s extended Champions League campaign. Although they’ve looked good in spells, they haven’t been able to put together a consistent run of performances. Pep will be hoping that the players find their rhythm when league football returns on Saturday.

They have also been without strikers Sergio Aguero and Gabriel Jesus. Without a recognized striker they have had to adapt their system and tactics, which could have impacted the number of chances they create.

With both Aguero and Jesus available to play against Tottenham we should have a better idea of whether City are still the attacking threat they used to be. But unless City start creating more chances on a regular basis they will struggle to challenge for the Premier League title.

Brighton should trust the process

Although Brighton find themselves in sixteenth place, the Infogol data shows that the Seagulls have been very unfortunate to be so low, as based on expected points (xPoints) they should actually be fifth in the league.

Graham Potter’s side have been excellent, winning the xG battle in five of their eight league games. The results just haven’t gone their way.

Brighton results 20/21 Premier League 

They have the sixth highest expected goal difference (+2.4 xGD) in the league and an underlying process of a team that should be in the top half (1.50 xGF, 1.20 xGA per game).

If Brighton can maintain this level of performance for the remainder of the season they should stay well clear of the relegation places and climb up towards mid-table.

Don’t get carried away with Tottenham’s improvement

With 17 points from eight games, people are talking about Tottenham’s title credentials.

The xG data proves how much Spurs have improved this season. They are now averaging 2.15 xGF and 1.23 xGA per game compared to last season when they averaged 1.41 xGF and 1.54 xGA per game after Jose Mourinho took over. The data shows that they are rightfully second in the league.

Tottenham rolling xG average 19/20 to Present

Although, it’s important to remember that Tottenham have had the easiest opening run of fixtures in the Premier League based on the average forecast position of opponents faced. The improved stats could falsely represent how good the team really are, and until Spurs face some tougher opponents we won’t know if they can sustain their form and league position.

Average Forecast Position of Opponents Faced – Premier League 20/21

The next six matches should be a much bigger test. They play Manchester City (h), Chelsea (a), Arsenal (h), Crystal Palace (a), Liverpool (a) before hosting Leicester.

Infogol calculate that they should pick up 7.4 xPoints in those next six games. For perspective, they have Liverpool collecting 12.5 xPoints, City 12.9, Chelsea 11.2, Manchester United 11.3 and Arsenal 8.7, so Spurs could find themselves in a much lower league position by Christmas.

Relegation mini-league

Both West Brom and Fulham have struggled since gaining promotion to the Premier League and along with Sheffield United and Burnley have been tipped to be involved in a four team battle to avoid relegation.

Sheffield United have had a difficult set of fixtures – only West Ham have had a trickier opening eight games – so it is understandable that Sheff Utd are considered the most likely to stay up.

Burnley sit 19th in Infogol’s xG table, but it is worth remembering that they have played one game fewer than the other sides at the bottom of the league. They’ve once again been solid in defence (1.2 xGA per game) but are struggling to create chances (0.80 xGF per game).

Of the teams in the bottom four, Fulham have performed the best according to xPoints. They are fifth from bottom in the xG table, but Scott Parker’s side have had the third easiest run of fixtures in the league, while their next six rank as the second toughest schedule.

West Brom  have a laughable attacking process (0.6 xGF per game) and the worst defensive process in the league (1.98 xGA per game). Slavan Bilic’s side created more than 1.0 xGF in a match on just once occasion. So far, they are the worst team in the Premier League this season and they look to be in major trouble.

West Brom results 20/21 Premier League

Leicester and Southampton set to slow down

There are two surprise names in the top four after eight matches as Leicester lead the way while Southampton occupy the final Champions League spot.

Brendan Rodger’s side started last season in a similar manner and were discussed as title challengers up until Christmas – the 15/16 champions are again being dragged into the conversation.

On the face of it their process is good (1.81 xGF, 1.24 xGA per game), but the eight penalties that they’ve been awarded has inflated those stats.

% of xGF from penalties in 20/21 Premier League

That means 44% of Leicester’s xGF total this season has come from penalties, a huge amount compared to the rest of the league.

Brendan Rodgers’s side will not win as many penalties over the course of the season, and given they are averaging just 1.01 non-pen xGF per game, improvements are needed from open play.

As for Southampton, they have managed to get such a high point total points total by coming out on top in tight matches that saw few chances at either end.

Ralph Hasenhüttl’s side sit eighth based on xPoints, with their xGD only +0.4 which places them 10th in the Premier League. They are overachieving in fourth place, with the process proving how tight their matches tend to be (1.25 xGF, 1.18 xGA per game).

Unless Leicester and Southampton can improve their underlying process, they won’t be in the top four for much longer.

Tottenham Hotspur are heading into what feels like a defining transfer window in terms of how Jose Mourinho’s side could shape up for the long-term.

Recent defeats to Liverpool and Leicester City in the Premier League show that the north Londoners have it all to do before they mount a serious title charge, so the right additions may be imperative next month.

There are also futures to resolve for many of Spurs’ current stars who have hit a crossroad in their career – both Dele Alli and Harry Winks instantly spring to mind.

They both were regular starters early on in the Mourinho reign but now find themselves flirting with an exit from the north London outfit.

And the same could be said of Davinson Sanchez, who continues to be completely snubbed by the ‘Special One’ despite only having two other senior centre-backs on the payroll.

The £36m-rated Colombian has made just one Premier League matchday squad since their late capitulation against arch-rivals West Ham in October – that’s eight of nine games that he hasn’t even made the bench – even with the new increase from seven to nine players.

It seems the Irons’ late come back from 3-0 down was the final straw for Mourinho as Sanchez has only featured in the Europa League (five starts), often to give Toby Alderweireld a break.

Indeed, we know that the Spurs boss has never really been a fan of the 6 foot 1 colossus as he targeted the centre-back during Manchester United’s Europa League triumph back in 2017.

The Red Devils eased to a 2-0 victory with Sanchez failing to cope with the likes of Paul Pogba and Marcus Rashford.

Former rival striker Tony Cascarino dubbed the 24-year-old their main “weak link” during the summer, telling the Evening Standard that a defensive pairing involving Sanchez and Eric Dier was a “disaster zone.”

Whilst ex-England defender Danny Mills believes the outcast is everything Mourinho doesn’t want in his centre-backs, he told Football Insider:

“Davinson Sanchez can be a little up and down at times. His performances can be fabulous and then not so much. His form is sporadic. We know what Mourinho likes. He wants defenders to defend, to be consistent and just do the simple things.”

According to Calciomercatio.it earlier this month, Sanchez has been warming to the idea of a switch to the Serie A to revive his faltering career with AC Milan mooted as a potential destination.

If any offers do come in for the £75k-per-week calamity, then Daniel Levy absolutely has to sanction the exit before he continues to burn a massive hole in his pockets.

Having been signed by Mauricio Pochettino in whopping then-club-record £42m deal in 2017, the disastrous signing has cost the club a total of £55m – and counting.

AND in other news, Exclusive: Spurs tipped to secure “unbelievable” deal for £30m maestro…

Having arrived in the summer transfer window from fellow Premier League side Burnley, Jeff Hendrick has quickly established himself as a key part of Steve Bruce’s side.

The 28-year-old has featured in every single top-flight game for the Magpies, completing the full 90 minutes in three out of the four – he even got his Newcastle career off to the perfect start with a goal and an assist in the opening day clash against West Ham at the London Stadium.

But in the Republic of Ireland’s defeat to Finland on late Wednesday afternoon, Hendrick delivered one of his poorest displays of the new season.

Think you’re a big Magpies fan? Can you name these former players by looking at their careers? Go on, give it a go…

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The midfielder struggled to get into the game at all, and it was no surprise to see him hooked mid-way through the second half of his country’s Nations League match.

As per Sofascore, his 6.2 match rating was only better than that of Aaron Connolly and Darren Randolph, and when you look at the underlying numbers behind his performance, it’s no surprise to see why.

He lost every single duel that he was involved, and conceded possession on 12 separate occasions, whilst he also made no tackles or interceptions whatsoever.

The 6 foot 1 ace looked surprisingly lightweight, especially given how he has performed in a Newcastle shirt this season – in the Premier League he has won an impressive 2.8 duels per game.

With the Magpies facing Manchester United next up in the top-flight, Steve Bruce will surely be pondering whether Hendrick’s display was just a minor blip in what has otherwise been a fine start to the new campaign.

With the Red Devils coming to town on Saturday, the Newcastle boss will have to make a decision fairly quickly on whether the 28-year-old will make the starting line-up. Having players in top form will be crucial to their chances of securing a victory against Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side, and they can’t afford to have passengers in the way Hendrick was on Wednesday.

And in other news, Steve Bruce is facing a hammer blow ahead of the visit of Manchester United.

Whisper it quietly, but Crystal Palace have an underlying problem at right-back that seems to be getting worse and worse.

What’s the word?

According to an exclusive from TEAMtalk, Roy Hodgson is interested in signing Middlesbrough defender Djed Spence when the transfer market re-opens in January.

But it’s claimed that Hodgson’s side will face stiff competition from Everton, Newcastle United and Wolves, who are closely monitoring the situation. So, Palace chairman Steve Parish must secure a deal for the defender at all costs.

Time to strike!

Spence, 20, burst onto the scenes at the Riverside Stadium after he made his first-team debut against Charlton Athletic last term.

In fact, it’s fair to say that the full-back, who can be deployed at the back or on the right wing, has been given a new lease of life under Neil Warnock, as he has made eight appearances in the Championship this season, scoring one goal in the 2-0 win over Coventry City last month, via Transfermarkt.

Once lauded as an “exceptional” player by former Boro manager Jonathan Woodgate, the London-born defender hasn’t looked at all out of touch in the first team. Despite his age, he has started five out of eight fixtures so far, last featuring in the 1-0 victory at home to Nottingham Forest.

Spence, who’s market value is estimated at £1.8m via Transfermarkt, has drawn comparisons with Liverpool defender Trent Alexander-Arnold and former Crystal Palace man Aaron Wan-Bissaka, who now plies his trade with Manchester United.

It’s perhaps hardly surprising that several Premier League clubs including Tottenham Hotspur, West Ham and Brighton were keen to sign the Englishman in the summer, but no move came to fruition.

Palace themselves are in a state of flux at the moment as new summer signing Nathan Ferguson is still injured, whilst Nathaniel Clyne only signed a short-term contract which will run out in January, which has left the club with very little room for manoeuvre.

Joel Ward has been in fine form on the right flank but he cannot be expected to shoulder the burden of responsibilities until such a time when Ferguson is fully fit and firing on all cylinders, whenever the case may be.

Spence could turn out to be a shrewd signing to make as he seems to be a relatively risk-free signing with no previous injury record to speak of.

AND in other news, Bye Benteke: Crystal Palace must return for Celtic striker Odsonne Edouard…

According to Foot Mercato, Aston Villa are trying to sign Lyon star Bertrand Traore in this summer transfer window.

What’s the word?

Dean Smith’s side have already made a significant addition to their forward line with the signing of Brentford striker Ollie Watkins, and the Villa boss now appears to have his eye on reinforcing the wide areas.

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Foot Mercato claim that the Premier League outfit have already made a €17m bid for Traore, but that Lyon are demanding a fee of around €25m (£23m).

The report does add that the Burkina Faso international’s desire for first-team football could see this transfer be on the cards.

Upgrade on Trezeguet

After arriving from Turkish side Kasimpasa last summer, Trezeguet showed flashes of his quality in a Villa shirt during the 2019/2020 campaign, finding the back of the net seven times, including that priceless winner against Arsenal in the penultimate game of the season.

But in Traore, Villa could actually land a significant upgrade on the Egypt international. Whilst he may have fallen out of favour at Lyon last season (he played just 23 times in the league), the 25-year-old has proven himself to be a very exciting performer when given the opportunity.

He has an impressive career average of 2.6 shots and 1.7 dribbles per game, and perhaps crucially when compared to Trezeguet, has played some form of European football over the past four seasons – including a quite superb 2016/2017 campaign in the Europa League when he scored four goals and provided four assists in just 13 matches.

Traore has played at the highest level for the likes of Lyon and Ajax, and that level of experience could bring a touch of quality to Villa. The £63k-a-week earning ace is someone who can get fans of the Midlands side off their seat, with his former teammate at Chelsea, Papy Djilobodji, saying: “Technically he is very, very good: with his feints, he is very hard to stop.”

Villa should seriously consider going back in with a bid for the winger.