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Tottenham Hotspur legend Gary Mabbutt has told Football FanCast that Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg has been one of the club’s best signings in recent memory, and thinks he is keeping Harry Winks out of the team.

The Denmark international arrived from Southampton in the summer and has gone on to become a key member of Jose Mourinho’s starting XI.

Hojbjerg has played in every minute of every Premier League game, and that has seen Winks drop out of the team.

That was underlined last week as Gareth Southgate named his England squad and left Winks out.

The 25-year-old has made just seven starts in the Premier League this season, playing in just one of Spurs’ last 11 games, and was not even included in the squad for the win over Aston Villa.

Mabbutt believes that Winks remains an accomplished option in central midfield, but he has hailed Hojbjerg, and thinks that the competition for places is the reason behind the Englishman’s exile.

Speaking exclusively to FFC, he said: “I think Harry’s an excellent player. I think he’s an excellent character as well. I think there’s a lot of competition. In that area, you’re talking about Pierre who’s done so well for Spurs this season.

“I think he has been one of our best signings for a long time. You can  see what he’s doing and what he’s bringing to the side, and he’s exactly what the side needed.”

There are numerous options for Mourinho and that will be bolstered this summer when Oliver Skipp returns from his impressive loan spell at Norwich City.

Mabbutt added: “But Pierre has got strong competition from the likes of Harry Winks. Oliver Skipp will return from Norwich, where he’s having an exceedingly good season.

“I’m sure he’s wanting to help them to get promotion back to the Premier League. Sissoko, so there’s a lot of competition.

“You’re talking about maybe one or two places and you’ve got three or four players who are top players fighting for that place. That’s what you want as a manager.”

Celtic have been heavily linked with a move for former Sheffield United manager Chris Wilder since his Bramall Lane exit.

Reports claimed that the delay to the 53-year-old’s recent departure in Yorkshire was actually down to interest from the Hoops, but a potential move to Glasgow is yet to gather any real pace.

No Wilder approach from Celtic

According to The Scottish Sun, Celtic are yet to make contact with Wilder, but an approach would reportedly prove hard to turn down.

The report claims that Wilder would miss out on a huge chunk of his United payoff if he made a swift return to management, with the Englishman still being paid by the club for the next six months.

Transfer Tavern take

Wilder is already looking around for vacancies, so it seems as if he isn’t too worried about losing a chunk of change from his former employers.

Bringing him in to replace Neil Lennon could be a smart move, as he has previous experience of rebuilding a side successfully. He took Sheffield United from League One to the Premier League after moving to the club in 2016, finishing in ninth position in the club’s first campaign back in the top flight.

A Parkhead rebuild appears to be on the cards both on and off the pitch this summer, and Wilder may be tempted to replicate his achievements with the Blades at Celtic Park.

In other news: Major Celtic appointment reportedly ‘90% done’ – find out more here. 

MatériaMais Notícias

Destaque do treino do Corinthians no último sábado, o atacante Gustavo voltou a brilhar em atividade no CT Joaquim Grava neste domingo. O mais novo reforço do Timão balançou as redes duas vezes em trabalho em campo reduzido, mas também levou uma bronca do técnico Cristóvão Borges. Ao tentar uma jogada sozinho, sem tocar a bola, o camisa 9 alvinegro ouviu os gritos do treinador: “O jogo é coletivo, Gustavo!”

No entanto, não foi só com o centroavante que Cristóvão gritou. O comandante corintiano deu várias orientações e algumas duras no trabalho desta manhã, sobretudo quando os atletas cometiam erros de passe ou eram “fominhas”.

O treinamento não contou novamente com Bruno Paulo e Guilherme. O atacante, que ainda nem sequer estreou pelo clube, fez trabalho de reforço muscular no Lab R9 (laboratório de biomecânica do Timão), enquanto o camisa 10 realizou fisioterapia por conta de dores no músculo posterior da coxa direita. O meia pode ser desfalque diante do Sport, na próxima quinta-feira, em partida da 23ª rodada do Brasileirão, na Arena Corinthians.

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Mais uma vez Cristóvão Borges não dividiu reservas e titulares. A tendência é que isso comece a ser feito nesta segunda-feira, quando os jornalistas terão acesso apenas ao aquecimento dos jogadores.

Para o próximo compromisso, o Timão terá o retorno de Fagner, que está com a Seleção Brasileira, mas não poderá contar com Balbuena, zagueiro que está suspenso por ter sido expulso na última partida.

اعترف الحارس الدولي المقدوني، ستول ديميتريفسكي، لاعب فريق رايو فاييكانو، أنه شعر بالفخر لمعرفة أن نادي برشلونة الإسباني، يريد التعاقد معه في نافذة الانتقالات الشتوية الجارية.

ويرتبط نيتو الحارس الثاني لنادي برشلونة بالرحيل عن صفوف البلوجرانا، في ظل الاعتماد على الألماني مارك أندريه تير شتيجن، لذا أبدى النادي الكتالوني اهتمامه بالتعاقد مع ديميتريفسكي.

وقال ديميتريفسكي في تصريحات نقلتها صحيفة “سبورت” الكتالونية: “أنا أركز بشدة على مباريات فريقي هذا الموسم، وهذا حقًا ما يُثير اهتمامي”.

وأضاف: “سماع أشياء كهذه يجعلك تشعر بالسعادة والامتنان لأنني بالتأكيد فعلت شيئًا جيدًا لأن هذا هو اهتمامهم بي وسؤالهم عني، ولكنني أركز بشدة على فريقي”.

اقرأ أيضًا.. وكيل ديمبلي يشعل الأزمة مع برشلونة: الأمر لا يتعلق بالمال فقط

وواصل “أنا لا أفكر في هذه الأشياء، أركز على العمل مع فريقي وأرغب في إضافة المزيد للفريق، أنا ليس لديّ أي معلومات وبشكل مباشر لا أرغب في معرفة ذلك لأنه يمكن أن يؤثر على يومي لأنني شخص جاد وهادئ للغاية”.

وأردف: “اليوم هناك برشلونة وغدًا ربما أتلتيكو مدريد، لذا عليك أن تكون مركزًا وتتدرب جيدًا وتلعب بشكل جيد”.

وأتم تصريحاته قائلًا: “أنا هدفي أن أتحسّن دائمًا مع فريقي، وبالطبع أرغب في الانتقال إلى نادٍ كبير، لكنني أركز فقط على رايو فاييكانو”.

Liam Kennedy has dropped a reassuring claim on the potential takeover of Newcastle United after a fan questioned him on Twitter.

The Shields Gazette journalist has claimed that the £300m deal between Mike Ashley and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) group is ‘still live, and possible’ in what may come as a much welcome relief to some members of the St. James’ Park faithful.

What next for the potential Newcastle takeover?

The KSA’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) still need to come back onto the table if the original bid from the consortium is to be revived.

There is also the issue of a pending arbitration hearing between the North East club and the Premier League in order to settle their legal disputes, which if the Tyneside club were to get the better of could spark a kickstart back into the proposed takeover.

However, there are some fears that relegation from the English top flight could end up scuppering the deal, as the Magpies would surely not be seen as much of an attractive club if they were down in the EFL Championship.

Steve Bruce’s team are currently a mere six points ahead of the dreaded drop zone in 17th spot in the table (BBC Sport), and relegation may dent the Toon Army’s takeover hopes.

In other news, find out what inside claim on Mike Ashley has been dropped by one former NUFC man here!

According to a report by Football Insider, Tottenham Hotspur and chairman Daniel Levy have set their sights on signing two new goalkeepers this summer amid speculation surrounding a potential exit for Hugo Lloris.

Indeed, as per the outlet, Levy and co are ‘in the market’ for a possible heir to Lloris as well as a quality back-up option – with the club planning for a possible exit as he is soon to enter the final 12 months of his contract.

Daniel Levy sets sights on two Tottenham additions

As well as the Tottenham first choice, both Paulo Gazzaniga and Joe Hart will be in the final year of their contracts this summer, prompting the club to weigh up options for the goalkeeping department next window.

Lloris has been linked with a Spurs exit lately, as Football Insider recently reported that he is in ‘regular contact’ with Paris-Saint Germain coach and former Lilywhites boss Mauricio Pochettino who would apparently love to sign him.

After this claim, Football Insider has dropped an update sharing that Spurs officials have set their sights on two new goalkeepers this summer as they plan for Lloris’ potential departure.

Transfer Tavern take

Whether or not this comes to fruition remains to be seen, but it could be an interesting development after Pochettino was also heavily linked with Dele Alli in January.

It appears Levy may have plenty of contact with the man he sacked when the transfer window opens this summer, and a departure for Lloris would certainly force his hand in the goalkeeper market.

In other news: Tottenham are reportedly set for exit talks, find out more here.

Former Rangers player Alan Hutton has recently hailed the club for the expected capture of Bournemouth’s Nnamdi Ofoborh.

Hutton was talking to Football Insider, coming after Bournemouth boss Jason Tindall confirmed Steven Gerrard’s approach for the Nigerian player and for Jack Simpson too. Tindall also said that the deal hasn’t been finalised yet but the talks have been held.

Hutton hails Rangers’ ‘unbelievable’ scouting

Hutton was recently talking about the club’s chase of Ofoborh and he compared the potential signing to that of Calvin Bassey. He also feels that the Gers were tracking the Nigerian for quite a while and he fits the mould of the player that Gerrard is looking for.

The former Gers man said: “It is unbelievable when they’re coming out with these gems right, left and centre. It is very much like the Calvin Bassey one for me, they have obviously been tracking him for a while.

“I had to look him up, he obviously had a good time at Wycombe last season in their promotion campaign and just reading some things about him from past players that have played along with them, he is definitely one for the future.

“I mean he fits the mould of Rangers at the moment, they’re definitely building something and it’s not just for this season or the next, it’s for the next four, five, six which I really like. So he fits that mould just like a lot of other players that they are trying to bring in and he looks a good player. When you look at his clips, he is strong, he is physical, he can go past people, he’s got a good range of passing, so he ticks all the boxes.”

The 21-year-old Ofoborh is a central midfielder by trade but the former Wycombe man can also play as a defensive midfielder or as a centre-back. He has made five appearances in all competitions for the Cherries this season, playing two Championship games. For Wycombe in League One, he played 18 times in the league campaign, scoring once in their play-off games (as per Transfermarkt).

Bournemouth Under-23s boss Shaun Cooper recently praised Ofoborh, saying: “He was probably a bit more ready for it in that respect, but I still thought he did really well playing on the right of a back three. His passing in the first half was good and as a character he is solid and reliable.”

He has also been compared to Glen Kamara in recent days.

Ofoborh could be a useful signing for Gerrard

Kamara is Rangers’ only out-and-out defensive midfield option, while Ryan Jack can also play there. Ofoborh would add depth in that part of the pitch, and since he is only 21, one could expect him to develop rapidly under Gerrard and perhaps claim Kamara’s spot as his own.

Steven Davis isn’t getting any younger and Scott Arfield is also 32, so Ofoborh adds young blood to the team and may well prove an excellent signing for the future.

In other news, Rangers have received a boost in signing a Premier League player – read more here.

David Moyes must axe Issa Diop from the West Ham United starting line-up after the French centre-half struggled on his return to action against Crystal Palace.

Diop had not opened a Premier League fixture since testing positive for coronavirus in September, with the form of Fabian Balbuena, Angelo Ogbonna and Aaron Cresswell locking the £22million Mario Husillos signing out of the side.

But Balbuena was unable to face Roy Hodgson’s Eagles after sustaining a small groin injury and it being deemed not worth the risk of fielding the Paraguayan, who now faces an undetermined spell on the sidelines.

Moyes had only awarded Diop 27 minutes of top-flight action since September’s 2-1 defeat to Arsenal, coming on as a late substitute for Ogbonna against Fulham when the Italian sustained a groin issue after contact with Aleksandar Mitrovic.

Ogbonna was able to make an immediate return thanks to the November international break, seeing Diop – who has earned £8.7m since joining West Ham on a £67,000-per-week contract – miss out once more.

But even if Balbuena is not passed fit to face Chelsea on Monday, Diop should not be so lucky as to start after his dismal display at the London Stadium.

Diop showed worrying signs of rustiness from the off in his efforts to contain Christian Benteke on Wednesday night, who broke away easily and was given acres of space to head home Crystal Palace’s only goal of the game.

Benteke continued to offer an offensive threat for the visitors before being shown what Hodgson believed to be a “ludicrous” red card, after picking up a second yellow for an elbow on Tomas Soucek after a similar incident with Ogbonna.

The Belgian striker glanced two headers just wide of Lukasz Fabianski’s goal and could have done better with a sliced effort when found in the box by Andros Townsend, having been a relentless issue for Diop to contain.

Diop, who Alan Hutton feels has “got a lot of improving left to go”, will likely struggle to shake off the cobwebs against Chelsea if kept in the line-up for Monday’s trip to Stamford Bridge, where Frank Lampard’s side are unbeaten since the opening day of the season and have scored 14 times in the five Premier League fixtures held since.

AND in other news, a rarely-seen West Ham titan who “has a long way to go” is emerging as an emergency solution for a Premier League big hitter.

Leeds United are enjoying a pretty good festive period.

Although they were battered by Manchester United at Old Trafford, they have responded in superb fashion.

Marcelo Bielsa’s team rose to the robust challenge of Burnley a few days ago, winning 1-0 and then demolished West Brom on Tuesday evening.

The Whites were relentlessly emphatic as they won 5-0 at the Hawthorns, playing the type of clinically impressive football we’ve become used to seeing from them under Bielsa.

Jack Harrison ran ragged down the left-hand side and combined with Raphinha and Rodrigo, the Baggies couldn’t live with Leeds.

However, just as important as the dynamic attackers on show was Kalvin Phillips. The England international has been utilised as a centre-back in recent weeks but was back in his preferred holding role on Tuesday.

It was a position he thrived in and absolutely dominated the opposition. To coin the YEP’s Graham Smyth, he was playing in complete “cruise control”, spreading passes and breaking up the play on a regular basis.

Phillips won 83.3% of his duels – ten in total – as he absolutely bullied West Brom every time they tried to break away.

All of the praise will go to those in the final third but Phillips set the tempo and the platform from which Leeds could go and play freely. The 25-year-old completed 92% of his passes and was unsuccessful with just one of the 11 long balls he played during the contest.

This was a complete performance from the midfielder, one that saw him perform two dribbles as he had Albion’s entire team on strings.

Phillips’ display was exactly the type of one that should gain him further England recognition. After suffering an injury that ruled him out of the Three Lions’ last fixtures, it will be encouraging for both club and country that he’s now in such good form.

This was a showing that demonstrated he’s not just about the defensive side – he can also prove to be a difference-maker going forward.

He is well and truly the heartbeat of this Leeds team.

AND in other news, Leeds brute who won 6 aerial duels was an absolute beast vs WBA…

اعترف لاعب خط وسط نادي برشلونة، سيرجيو بوسكيتس، في المؤتمر الصحفي قبل مباراة إسبانيا والسويد بتصفيات أوروبا المؤهلة لكأس العالم، بأنه متحمس بشكل خاص لعودة داني ألفيس إلى الفريق.

وأعلن برشلونة أمس الجمعة عودة داني ألفيس لصفوف الفريق، ليعود بعد رحيله بخمس سنوات، وذلك تحت قيادة تشافي هيرنانديز المدير الفني الحالي للبلوجرانا.

وقال بوسكيتس في تصريحات نشرتها صحيفة “سبورت” الإسبانية: “إنها فرحة، نحن نعرف داني ألفيس بالفعل، معرفة مدى احترافه، أنا متأكد من أنه سيجلب لنا الكثير”.

وأضاف قائد برشلونة: “ألفيس سيضيف أيضًا إلى الفريق وغرفة الملابس بشخصيته وقيادته وجينه التنافسي، أريد حقًا مقابلته مرة أخرى في غرفة تغيير الملابس”.

سيلتقي بوسكيتس مرة أخرى بعد فترة التوقف الدولي الثالثة، مع زميلين سابقين في برشلونة، سيشارك غرفة الملابس مرة أخرى مع داني ألفيس، وسيكون تحت قيادة تشافي هيرنانديز، الذي تولى زمام الأمور بعد رحيل رونالد كومان.

عاد البرازيلي داني ألفيس إلى نادي برشلونة بعد خمس سنوات ليصبح أول توقيع لعهد تشافي في كامب نو.

اقرأ أيضًا.. ألفيس بعد العودة إلى برشلونة: قاتلت بجنون من أجل ذلك

على الرغم من كونه يبلغ من العمر 38 عامًا ووصوله كوكيل حر، إلا أن ألفيس يرفع سقف المنافسة للفريق وتعيد خبرته وقدرته التنافسية بعض الاستقرار إلى المسار الصحيح.

سجل لاعب باريس سان جيرمان ويوفنتوس وإشبيلية السابق 21 هدفًا و101 تمريرة حاسمة في إجمالي 391 مباراة كلاعب في برشلونة.

الآن يأتي إلى برشلونة لرفع سقف المنافسة وإضافة الخبرة والمعرفة إلى فريق يخضع لإعادة الإعمار بعد رحيل ليونيل ميسي.