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Tottenham Hotspur are about to be handed a timely financial boost, according to emerging reports.

It’s claimed that the North London outfit have sealed a new lucrative sponsorship deal that’ll help boost the coffers after dealing with the difficult repercussions of the pandemic over the past year.

The ever-reliable Alasdair Gold revealed the news on football.london earlier this week.

“football.london understands that Tottenham are set to boost their finances with a new training kit partner sponsorship deal, which is believed to have already been tied up and will see the new partner’s name visible on the Nike apparel,” he wrote.

Lilywhites chairman Daniel Levy stated that the club were expected to lose around £200m in revenue due to the lack of crowds and events at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, which led to him taking out a £175m loan from the Bank of England.

That has since been paid off but it’s hard to imagine that they have regained much of the funds lost throughout the previous 12 months as fans aren’t expected back in the ground until the new season gets underway.

Therefore, any new finances will surely come as a huge bonus to Levy and the club.

It is the first time that Spurs have dipped their toes into this kind of sponsorship, even though it is prevalent right across the Premier League these days.

For instance, in 2018, Liverpool struck a four-year deal worth £20m-a-year with insurance provider AXA to sponsor their training kit. That relationship has since increased to include sponsorship of their new training base.

Similarly, Manchester United had American insurance giants AON on their training tops until May and that was thought to be a £120m deal across eight years.

Now Spurs are set to join the party, you can expect a little boost to the finances and that should leave Nuno Santo absolutely delighted as he looks to stamp his authority down in N17.

He and new sporting director Fabio Paratici could now get to work on potential arrivals in the transfer market, they’ll surely be working together at Hotspur Way knowing that they have a little more money to work with.

This is a great boost for for Levy, who’ll be buzzing to get some extra funds in the Spurs account after such a difficult 18 months.

AND in other news, Paratici should seal Spurs summer swoop for “excellent” beast admired by Lionel Messi…

David Moyes’ West Ham United side went into Sunday’s Premier League fixture against Southampton in something of a dip of form, with the Hammers having won just one of their last six league fixtures.

And, despite twice drawing level through Michail Antonio and Said Benrahma, after Mohamed Elyounoussi and then James Ward-Prowse had given Saints the lead in the fixture, Jan Bednarek’s 70th-minute header was enough for Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side to seal all three points at the London Stadium, with the visitors running out 3-2 victors.

As is to be expected after such a result, a number of West Ham’s players did not enjoy their finest of displays on Sunday afternoon, with centre-back duo Issa Diop and Craig Dawson, as well as Nikola Vlasic and Vladimir Coufal, all enduring something of a fixture to forget.

However, it was undoubtedly 25-year-old Pablo Fornals who let his manager down the most against Southampton, as the Spain international turned in a particularly anonymous display from attacking midfield.

Lost the ball every 2.1 touches

Despite having been in decent form over his 17 Premier League appearances so far this season, scoring four goals, registering two assists and creating four big chances for his teammates, the £18m-rated Fornals was far from at his best on Sunday afternoon.

Indeed, over his 45 minutes on the pitch, the £79k-per-week midfielder managed a mere 26 touches of the ball, completed just 14 of his 24 attempted passes – a completion rate of 58% – failed with both his one attempted cross and one attempted long ball and won just one of his three duels.

The Spaniard also lost the ball on 12 separate occasions, meaning he ceded possession with every 2.1 touches, and was dribbled past by an opponent twice, before being hooked by Moyes at halftime.

These returns saw the 25-year-old earn a SofaScore match rating of just 6.3, with only Lukasz Fabianski between the West Ham sticks receiving a lower score than the midfielder on the day.

Furthermore, the Evening Standard journalist Jack Rosser awarded Fornals a five in his own player ratings, writing of his display: “Not his usual energetic self. Couldn’t get anything going on the break against a Southampton side leaving big gaps.”

As such, it is clear for all to see that the forward badly let his manager down against Saints on Sunday, with it looking extremely unlikely that Fornals will retain his starting spot in the side when the Hammers visit Watford on Tuesday evening.

In other news: Moyes can finally axe “special” £115k-p/w West Ham flop by signing 21 y/o “phenomenon”

Liverpool have a multitude of attacking players in their squad who have contributed to keeping the Reds in the race to win the Premier League title, along with securing the Carabao Cup earlier in the season.

One figure who hasn’t been as active in the Premier League as some of his attacking team-mates this season is Roberto Firmino.

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With 17 league appearances under his belt, the Brazilian has only started nine times, which shows that he hasn’t always been a first-choice pick for Jurgen Klopp at times this season, in addition to having some injury issues.

Despite scoring five goals and providing three assists in the league, the 30-year-old’s overall performances have earned him a disappointing season rating of 6.84/10 from WhoScored, making him one of the lowest-rated Liverpool players to start more than three league games.

With this in mind and the £180k-per-week attacker’s contract at Anfield set to expire in the summer of 2023, it seems as though the Merseyside club could have identified a potential future long-term replacement for the Brazil striker.

According to a recent report from Record (via Sport Witness), the performance from Benfica striker Darwin Nunez against the Reds in their recent Champions League meeting impressed the hierarchy at Liverpool and a number of their players.

In 79 appearances for the Portuguese club, the 22-year-old has racked up 42 goals and provided 15 assists across all competitions.

Labelled a “tenacious” player and a “monster” on the pitch by journalist James Dodd, the £36m-rated attacker not only scored against Jurgen Klopp’s squad in midweek, he also made two key passes and completed all four of his dribbles, highlighting what a tricky player he is for opponents to handle.

Also, the Uruguayan has twice as many shots per game on average (2.8) in the Portuguese league this season compared to Firmino in the Premier League (1.4).

Taking all of this into account, if the 30-year-old ends up leaving Merseyside in the near future, signing Nunez as his replacement could be just what the Reds need to keep their lethal attack ticking over nicely.

In other news: FSG could replicate Elliott masterclass as LFC plot bid for “special” teenage sensation

As per TUTTOmercatoWEB, it appears that Tottenham Hotspur manager Antonio Conte has his eyes on yet another Serie A name in Juventus winger Dejan Kulusevski.

The Lowdown: Conte plots Italian raid…

There are reportedly a host of stars from Italy’s top division currently being eyed by Conte as Spurs become linked with many big players from the continent.

Indeed, according to Calciomercato, the likes of Federico Chiesa, Matthijs de Ligt, Stefan de Vrij, Marcelo Brozovic, Alessio Romagnoli and Dusan Vlahovic are all on his radar. Meanwhile, the likes of Franck Kessie have also been heavily linked, with a report by La Gazzetta dello Sport (via Get Italian Football News) recently claiming that talks were at a very advanced stage.

Another name has emerged in recent days as Spurs eye one of Serie A’s brightest young talents.

The Latest: Conte in awe…

As per TUTTOmercatoWEB, Tottenham could now sign the 21-year-old and are considered a ‘credible candidate’ for his signature alongside north London rivals Arsenal.

Additionally, both Conte and Spurs managing director Fabio Paratici ‘share the esteem’ for Kulusevski and consider the player to be a ‘gem’ with huge potential.

Funnily enough, the former Inter boss had wanted him at the San Siro, only to miss out to Paratici’s Juve at the time.

The Verdict: Big talent…

It appears that Spurs are still weighing future seasons as links also emerge to some of Europe’s brightest emerging prospects, as evident by their interest in Club Brugge starlet Charles De Ketelaere (Calciomercato).

Going by Kulusevski’s credentials, he certainly comes as a hugely exciting prospect, with the Champions League attacker even lavished by the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, who called him a “great talent”.

Another Portuguese footballing icon in Bruno Alves was also left amazed by the 19-cap Sweden international, hailing Kulusevski and his ‘incredible’ intensity as a player (via Forza Italian Football).

Valued at around €35m (£29.8m) in the summer (TUTTOmercatoWEB), his value will only increase if he keeps turning this many heads.

In other news: Spurs now close to signing ‘monster’ player as Conte seeks to solve severe problem, find out more here.

Leeds United manager Jesse Marsch confirmed to talkSPORT on Tuesday that Junior Firpo was expected to make a return to training.

The Lowdown: Firpo’s absence

The American, who told talkSPORT that he inherited a Whites squad which had been ‘over-trained’, lost Firpo to a serious knee injury in just his second game in charge.

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The left-back hasn’t been seen since the 3-0 defeat to Aston Villa, with Leeds picking up 10 points from a possible 12 during that time.

Stuart Dallas has filled in for Firpo during those four matches, but it looks as if the summer signing could be in line for a return when Leeds travel to Crystal Palace on April 25.

The Latest: Marsch’s comments on Firpo

Speaking live on talkSPORT, Marsch was quizzed about the injury issues at the club.

He confirmed on air that Firpo was ‘likely to be in training’ on Tuesday and took the blame for Patrick Bamford’s setback against Wolves last month.

The Verdict: Good news for Leeds

Leo Hjelde also returned to the squad against Watford last time out, so Firpo’s availability for the run-in will bolster Marsch’s defensive options even further, which can only be viewed as yet more good news for the manager.

The 25-year-old hasn’t had the best of debut seasons at Elland Road, missing 13 Premier League games throughout the season and receiving more yellow cards than any other Leeds player.

However, he has shown his quality in stages during his first year in England, posting the squad’s joint-third best tackling average, so hopefully he can remain fully fit under Marsch going into the American’s first full season in charge at Elland Road.

In other news: ‘I know’ – Journalist says Orta now ‘thinking’ of signing 28-goal midfielder alongside Aaronson

Liverpool fans want to sign Franck Kessie after the Reds were linked with a move for the AC Milan midfielder.

Over the past few years, 24-year-old Kessie has evolved into one of the best midfielders in Serie A. He started out at Atalanta, where he scored seven goals and provided three assists in 31 appearances for the club (Transfermarkt). That earned him a move to Milan, one of the biggest clubs in the country. He has continued to impress, missing just 10 league matches since making the move in 2017.

However, his contract is set to run out at the end of the season. And, according to Gazzetta dello Sport, the Reds are prepared to pay the €8m-a-year (£6.8m) contract the Ivory Coast international is looking for.

The news was shared on Twitter by @AnfieldEdition, and it attracted plenty of attention from the supporters. They took to the social media platform to share their thoughts on the rumour, with one fan claiming Kessie is ‘perfect’…

Let’s see what the fans had to say about the Kessie news below

“The Wijnaldum replacement. Not bad tbh decent player”

Credit: @Gho1stR7

“Masterclass”

Credit: @GxlDeSalah_

“Hed be a perfect signing.”

Credit: @joshambrown_

“Hopefully we can get him.”

Credit: @Seyjith

“Would be a quality player for us”

Credit: @ShayTreanor2

“Good player and still relatively young. Free transfer? Surely fsg are interested.”

Credit: @umxr168

In other news, Liverpool fans want this man to leave the club.

Many Everton fans have been left reacting as some early team news emerged ahead of their away game at Leeds United on Saturday afternoon.

Speaking in his pre-game press conference ahead of the match, Rafa Benitez said with regards to whether Jean-Philippe Gbamin will play (via Toffee TV): “It will not be easy because we have some players in isolation.”

The central midfield player was pictured in training earlier this week, but strangely looks set to miss out against the Whites at Elland Road due to protocols.

Gbamin has barely featured for the Goodison Park faithful since his move a couple of years ago and did not play in their 3-1 opening day win at home to Southampton.

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A lot of supporters of the Merseyside club are simply desperate to see him in action more, and so have been left frustrated by this latest setback.

Everton fans on Gbamin news

These Toffees gave their reactions as the news was shared on Twitter, with one Blue even going as far as to claim that it was ‘bizarre’:

“Wasn’t he photographed training yesterday. All getting a bit ridiculous. Is Gomes injured or isolating as well?”

Credit: @photogareth

“It’s very bizarre why he or the club won’t come out and actually tell us who’s isolating and who’s injured”

Credit: @EfcSl

“2 years of nothing. I’d just try and release him now”

Credit: @Conform1984

“Makes no sense at all he was pictured in training all getting a bit weird this”

Credit: @Ryanc10efc

“He’s such a weirdo”

Credit: @EFCbuggi1878

“Obviously this is a mind game but I’m not quite sure that’s even a sentence that makes sense…”

Credit: @1878_Shirts

In other news, find out what comments from one player has Evertonians fuming here!

Aston Villa want to sign Joe Gomez in January, and that could spark the end of Tyrone Mings’ time in the starting lineup under Steven Gerrard.

The new manager has started his tenure in a great way, winning three of his four fixtures with the only defeat coming to league leaders Manchester City at Villa Park. After a clean sheet in his first game though, Villa have conceded four goals in the following three games to add to their woeful defensive record this season.

So far in the current campaign the Midlands side have conceded 24 goals in 15 games, with only five teams conceding more than they have. Of those five teams, Norwich and Newcastle are both in the relegation zone – which shows the size of the problem that Gerrard has in front of him.

Reports suggest he is keen to bring the £27m-rated England international Gomez into the fold on a temporary basis to help bolster the defence, with the 24-year-old currently fourth choice centre-back at Anfield behind Virgil Van Dijk, Joel Matip and Ibrahima Konate.

He has made just three starts this season in all competitions, with only two appearances off the substitutes bench to his name in the Premier League. His total of 13 minutes of action in the league means his chances of getting back into the England squad are very slim and with a World Cup coming up next year, he will be keen to get more regular game time.

But should he arrive then Gerrard will have a decision to make over whose place in the team he will take between captain Mings and Ezri Konsa. But after his brace in the win over Leicester at the weekend, Konsa has made his claim to keep his place.

This season Konsa has averaged 0.7 tackles per game, 0.7 interceptions per game and 0.4 fouls per game in comparison to Mings’ 0.4 tackles per game, 0.9 interceptions per game and 0.9 fouls per game per WhoScored.

There is next to nothing between them, but it should be remembered that Mings was dropped by Dean Smith before he was sacked due to his poor form. With that in mind, there is strong evidence to suggest that an additional defender arriving would be the end of his days as a regular in the starting XI.

During Gomez’s last full campaign, where he was labelled “exceptional” by Jurgen Klopp, he averaged 0.8 tackles per game, 1.4 interceptions per game and 0.8 fouls per game, demonstrating that his reading of the game is considerably better than what the Villans already have at their disposal.

Mings isn’t the quickest and with Gerrard preferring to play a possession-based game with a higher defensive line, Gomez could slot in alongside Konsa for a better partnership to help the system. The 28-year-old captain will be competing with Gomez for an England and Villa place should the move happen, so expect the former Charlton man to be gunning for his place.

AND in other news, Joe Gomez could move to Aston Villa in January for sake of England place.

Newcastle United are reportedly targeting four moves in the January transfer window – for Jesse Lingard, Harry Winks, Ross Barkley and Kieran Trippier.

The Lowdown: Premier League experience needed

With the St James’ Park outfit currently in a relegation scrap, they need to prioritise bringing in players in January who know the Premier League well and therefore would have the quality that it takes to keep them in the division..

Lingard, Winks and Barkley are all currently playing in the top flight with Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea respectively, while Trippier has also played for Spurs as well as Burnley.

Therefore, it is no surprise at all to see the Magpies targeting these kinds of players in order to help them in their fight against relegation.

The Latest: Targets revealed

Writing in his latest piece for The Telegraph, Luke Edwards has revealed that Lingard, Winks, Barkley and Trippier are all targets for Newcastle next month.

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Whether they would be able to bring them all in is another question, but what is clear is that they are targeting players with experience of playing in the Premier League.

The Verdict: All-in

Newcastle need all the help they can get, so going all-in with all four of these players would be a smart move.

Eddie Howe will know all of the players well having managed in the top flight before with Bournemouth, in particular Trippier, with whom he has a great relationship from their mutual time at Burnley, and thus would know how to get the best out of him.

Barkley is a player that Callum Wilson especially admires, dubbing him ‘unbelievable’ and ‘unreal’, and one with whom he would like to play, on The Super 6 podcast (via The Chronicle) earlier this year. He may well get his wish if the Magpies can get these deals over the line next month.

In other news, find out who Mohammed bin Salman is also eyeing for NUFC

Kristjaan Speakman has dropped an encouraging hint on the future of Sunderland defender Bailey Wright.

What’s been said?

In a recent interview with the Sunderland Echo, the Black Cats sporting director suggested that fans should not be overly concerned regarding the speculation surrounding any of the club’s players, including the centre-back who has been heavily linked with a move away from the Stadium of Light this summer.

The 42-year-old continued by reinforcing his belief that he and his side are in the process of putting together as strong of a squad as possible at Sunderland, rather than simply cashing in on a player if interest in their services arises.

In the interview, Speakman said: “I’d always say not to get too concerned about speculation. What I would say is I hope there’ll be a confidence that we won’t let a player go unless it’s in a situation that suits the football club.

“We’re well blessed because we’ve got a lot of players who would complement squads in the Championship and League One, and so there will be interest in them.

“When you’ve got players coming into the final year of their deal, there will naturally be interest. We’ll work on a case-by-case basis, and be flexible enough to deal with any changes we need to make. But we’re trying to build a stronger squad, not a weaker squad.”

Fans will be buzzing

While Speakman does not mention Wright by name, it is abundantly clear that the sporting director is referring to the defender in his comments, and the position the 42-year-old appears to have on the potential sale of the centre-back will undoubtedly leave fans of the club buzzing.

Lee Johnson is neither blessed with a wealth of talent or depth in the heart of his Sunderland defence, with the 29-year-old very much appearing to be one of the manager’s best options in the position.

Indeed, over his 35 League One appearances for the club last season, the £720k-rated man helped his side keep 10 clean sheets, as well as making an average of 0.8 interceptions, 0.9 tackles, 4.6 clearances and winning 5.9 duels per game.

The defender also chipped in for his side going forwards, scoring two goals and taking an average of 0.7 shots per match.

These returns saw the man Johnson dubbed a “warrior” earn a seasonal SofaScore match rating of 7.05, ranking him as the Mackems’ seventh-best performer in the third tier of English football last season.

As such, sanctioning the sale of the £13k-per-week centre-back would appear to be something of a mistake by Speakman and his transfer team this summer, particularly to a Wigan Athletic side who could well be one of the club’s promotion rivals next season, meaning that the sporting director’s latest comments are likely to be well received by the Stadium of Light faithful.

In other news: Speakman drops update on “huge” £4.3k-p/w “nightmare” that will have SAFC fans buzzing