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Tottenham Hotspur sit top of Group G on goal difference as they return to UEFA Europa Conference League action later this evening.

Nuno Santo and his side will be looking to make it four straight wins in all competitions when they head to the Netherlands to face Vitesse at the GelreDome.

The Portuguese is expected to ring the changes, keeping in mind their Premier League clash with West Ham United on Sunday afternoon, so not all of Spurs’ first-team stars will make the trip.

One player who shouldn’t travel is centre-back Cristian Romero, who narrowly made it back from South America to face Newcastle United at the weekend.

He started and played the full 90 minutes as the Lilywhites defeated the Magpies 3-2 at St James’ Park but you could tell that his preparation for the match was far from ideal, thus he should remain in England and be rested for tonight’s encounter.

During the match, the Evening Standard’s Dan Kilpatrick described the 23-year-old defender as “unsurprisingly very shaky”, whilst football.london’s Alasdair Gold made note of his blunder for the home side to open the scoring.

Romero was beaten far too easily by Callum Wilson just minutes into the game and he never really recovered, not that it was his fault for his selection.

Just a couple of days earlier, he featured for Argentina in their win over Peru in Buenos Aires, he then had to fly back on a private jet along with Spurs’ other three players who had been on international duty in the continent, only just making it back on Saturday – one day earlier.

Meanwhile, as per SofaScore, the £31.5m-rated colossus was dribbled past three times, the second-most in the match, whilst he also lost possession 13 times and made just 49 of his 60 passing attempts, only proving that he was sloppy and a little sluggish on the afternoon.

He should remain in Nuno’s first-choice XI, however, he could probably do with sitting this one out in order to be fresh for this weekend’s London derby.

This decision could be hugely beneficial heading into Sunday.

AND in other news, £27m-rated “freak of a talent” facing fight to save Spurs career amid latest Nuno call…

West Ham United are interested in a deal to bring Aaron Hickey to the London Stadium in the January transfer window.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a claim made by ExWHUemployee, who revealed on a recent episode of The West Ham Way podcast that, after pulling out of the race for Everton left-back Lucas Digne, David Moyes has now turned his attention to younger options in the position this month, with the 19-year-old Bologna left-back being one of the 58-year-old’s targets.

Speaking about the Hammers’ interest in the Scotland U21 international, Ex said: “I’ve been told there’s another Scottish left-back that we may have an interest in, he currently plays for Bologna and is called Aaron Hickey.

“He was on the brink of joining Aston Villa, and Aston Villa are on the brink of signing Lucas Digne – the Everton left-back – who we were also showing a distant interest in. That interest stopped quite early on when we discovered his wage demands.

“I think Moyes is looking to get someone a bit younger with a bit more to prove, and someone who more fits the bill. So this Scottish left-back at Bologna… he’s a very good player with a lot of potential.”

Fans will be buzzing

Considering the sheer amount of potential Hickey quite clearly possesses, the news that West Ham are interested in a move for the 19-year-old this January is sure to have left the London Stadium faithful buzzing.

Indeed, over his 19 Serie A appearances in the current campaign, the £11.7m-rated left-back has helped his side keep five clean sheets and scored four goals, as well as making an average of 0.9 interceptions, 1.1 tackles, 0.8 clearances and winning 62% of his duels per game.

These returns have seen the £16k-per-week defender who Daniel Stendel dubbed an “extraordinary talent” average a highly impressive SofaScore match rating of 6.91, ranking him as Sinisa Mihajlovic’s sixth-best performer in the top flight of Italian football.

As such, with Ex claiming that Digne was demanding between £160k and £180k-per-week in order to make a move to West Ham, it would indeed appear that pulling out for the race for the 28-year-old in favour of a move for Hickey was a very wise move by the Hammers boss.

The youngster will undoubtedly be a much cheaper option for the club – as well as one who could well turn out to have a higher ceiling than Digne.

In other news: “We do like..”: Ex drops big transfer update on WHU-linked beast, Moyes would love him

Rangers, and by extension their sporting director Ross Wilson, are preparing to make a six-figure bid for Aberdeen starlet Lancelot Pollard, according to The Scottish Daily Express.

The lowdown

Pollard, a 15-year-old attacker, has worked his way up through the youth ranks with the Dons, even featuring for their under-18 side.

Having won the club’s Young Talent of Month award in October, he’s regarded as one of the leading talents in their academy.

Rangers are planning for Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s first summer transfer window at the helm after he took over from Steven Gerrard in the autumn.

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The latest

Reliable reporter Scott Burns, a long-serving journalist for The Scottish Express, says that Rangers are ready to submit a six-figure offer for Pollard to win the race for his signature.

They know that there’s ‘big interest’ in the player and therefore feel pressure to get the deal over the line.

Liverpool are actively pursuing Pollard, while Manchester United have been monitoring him too.

The verdict

The fact that six-figure fees are on the table for a player so young speaks to his potential, as does the interest of three heavyweights.

Pollard is seemingly levels above the other players in his age bracket, hence Aberdeen’s decision to fast-track him.

If Liverpool were to match Rangers’ offer, then it could come down to which club can offer the player the clearest long-term path to first-team football.

While he’s unlikely to be in the senior picture for a good while yet, it’s definitely a name worth remembering.

In other news, Frank McAvennie reacts to transfer developments involving Rangers and a PL club.

Leeds United reporter Adam Pope has revealed that star man Raphinha is ‘fit and available’ to face Aston Villa this evening.

The Lowdown: International scare

Raphinha, who Jermaine Beckford labelled as ‘phenomenal’, starred for Brazil during the international break in a 4-0 win over Paraguay.

The 25-year-old scored the opener, had a goal disallowed and hit the post before being replaced late on.

The forward was on the end of a heavy challenge with eight minutes remaining and limped off, with Leeds physios assessing Raphinha on his return to Yorkshire.

The Latest: Pope’s reply

Pope shared a video on Twitter on Monday evening in which he spoke with Raphinha regarding his future.

He was then asked by a Whites fan about the fitness status ahead of the trip to Villa Park, with Pope simply saying: “He’s fit and available.”

The Verdict: Phew

Raphinha has been the club’s shining light in what has been a difficult season at Elland Road, so knowing he has avoided serious injury is a relief.

The versatile wide man has been Leeds’ best Premier League performer by some distance and has contributed to ten Premier League goals, with Jack Harrison next on the list with five, as per WhoScored.

It seems as if he’ll have to continue to carry the goalscoring burden on his shoulders with Patrick Bamford still sidelined, but his availability in the Midlands this evening is a huge positive.

In other news: Leeds gifted another injury boost pre-Villa as Phil Hay relays news involving ‘important’ player. 

Sky Sports reporter Keith Downie has dropped a major update on Newcastle United’s plans for the rest of the January transfer window.

What’s the story?

Speaking live on Sky Sports News at 16:05pm on Thursday afternoon, he said: “Hugo Ekitike is a player that Newcastle like, and is a player that Eddie Howe likes. Is he the sort of player that could go straight into the Newcastle first-team? There’s question marks over that.

“Ekitike is still a deal that could potentially happen between now and the closure of the window, but the necessity of getting the Frenchman in has been slightly subsided by the fact Chris Wood has arrived.

“It feels very much that the priority right now is, with Wood and Trippier through the door, is to bring in a central defender. Newcastle had been left to the bare bones in the FA Cup on Saturday, they had just the two centre-backs to choose from. I think at the start of the week we felt they would try and get a defender in by the weekend, they certainly have been pushing behind the scenes. They’ll push for that centre-back over the weekend and into next week.”

Fans will be excited

How quickly things can change in the space of a week.

After falling to a shock defeat in the FA Cup against lower league Cambridge United, Newcastle moved swiftly to address their striking concerns by snapping up Chris Wood from relegation rivals Burnley.

Now, Downie’s update that the Magpies have firmly turned their attentions towards signing a new central defender in the very near future should surely be music to the ears of supporters.

While landing Ekitike would certainly add to Eddie Howe’s attacking options even more following Wood’s arrival, it certainly makes sense for the Tyneside club to put all their eggs into the central defensive basket.

With the second-worst defensive record in the division, bringing in a top-quality centre-back could go a long way to solidifying Newcastle’s spine for the second-half of the Premier League campaign.

The club’s fans will surely be excited at not only seeing their club move fast in addressing their priorities, but also at how soon they could bring someone in too.

Meanwhile, Newcastle have made a fresh bid for this star…

Crystal Palace will be feeling hopeful that they can enjoy a strong second half of the season. 

Whilst they’ve reached the quarter-finals of the FA Cup and made inroads to moving on up the Premier League table, Roy Hodgson can be happy with how his team have been performing in recent weeks.

The Eagles have far more attacking threat about them now with the loan signing of Michy Batshuayi, whilst their defence continues to prove stubborn and resistant on many occasions.

Crystal Palace, have the capabilities to achieve much more and that can be done by bringing in some new players during the summer transfer window.

Someone who could add even more strength and depth to the Eagles back-line is Huddersfield star Terence Kongolo.

Kongolo, (who is valued at £13.5 million on Transfermarkt) has proven to be a good player, especially when initially joining Huddersfield on-loan last season.

He proved to be a massive helping-hand in defence and was a large reason as to why they were able to again compete in the Premier League this season.

Having signed a permanent deal with the Terriers in the summer, Kongolo would have been hoping for more than two wins so far this season, something that leaves Huddersfield bottom of the league.

And whilst Crystal Palace have no guarantees of staying up this season, a move to Selhurst Park could potentially be a lot more prosperous for the former Dutch international, allowing him to show his best ability.

With the likes of Martin Kelly, Scott Dann and Joel Ward all able to be improved upon, Crystal Palace would do well to bolster their options with the capture of Terence Kongolo.

Do you agree… Let us know!

Aston Villa have a new manager at the helm after the club’s hierarchy decided to replace Dean Smith with Steven Gerrard following a run of five consecutive defeats.

The Villans lost talisman Jack Grealish over the summer but replaced him with a plethora of attacking talent in Leon Bailey, Danny Ings and Emi Buendia.

However, Smith proved unable to get the best out of his new-look side and was relieved of his duties with the Midlands outfit sitting in 16th position in the Premier League table and just two points above the relegation zone.

And while the arrival of Gerrard was a surprise to many, the former Rangers boss will bring a new wave of hope and optimism to Villa Park following his impressive exploits north of the border.

Figuring out which system extracts the best from his current squad will be the first task in hand for the 41-year-old, and with the likes of Ings and Douglas Luiz coming back to full fitness imminently, he should have plenty of options to choose from.

With that in mind, here’s how Football FanCast thinks Gerrard’s best XI looks like, with three changes from the side that started Smith’s last game in charge against Southampton…

It would be a huge shock to see the former England international line up with anyone other than Emiliano Martinez in between the sticks after an extremely impressive 18 months with Villa.

Ahead of the South American shot-stopper will likely be a rather familiar back four too.

Although Manchester United loanee Axel Tuanzebe has been filling in at centre-back of late, Matt Targett, Tyrone Mings, Ezri Konsa and Matty Cash should complete the defensive unit on a regular basis.

Gerrard predominantly opted to play a 4-3-3 formation during his time in Scotland, and we expect him to do the same following his move to Villa.

Therefore, an engine room made up of Luiz, John McGinn and Buendia is likely to feature on a regular basis, with Gerrard also favouring the guile and creativity of an attack-minded player in the centre of the pitch, meaning the £11.7m-rated dud Anwar El Ghazi will drop to the bench.

In attack, the former Liverpool legend may be tempted to make a bold move regarding Ollie Watkins. The 25-year-old made his name as a right-winger, and he could find himself back out wide to accommodate Danny Ings, with Bailey taking up residency on the opposite flank.

And, in other news…Lange could seal dream AVFC deal with “fantastic” £5.4m-rated ace, Gerrard “loves him” 

Liverpool remain interested in signing Villarreal winger Arnaut Danjuma but a deal won’t happen in January, according to journalist Fabrizio Romano.

The Lowdown: Reds linked with Danjuma move

The Reds had a quiet summer transfer window and there may have been a feeling that an attacking signing was needed in order to add more depth in the final third.

Danjuma is one player who has been linked with a move to Anfield since then, having ended up staying put at Villarreal in the summer.

The 24-year-old has scored five goals and registered two assists in La Liga this season, making 10 starts in the division to date. He also found the net four times in six Champions League group stage appearances, making an impression in Europe’s premier club competition.

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The Latest: Romano provides Danjuma update

Taking to Twitter on Christmas Day, Romano provided an update on the situation, confirming that Liverpool still see him as a potential transfer target but quashing any prospects of a move in next month’s transfer window.

He tweeted: “Danjuma will not leave Villarreal in January. Liverpool are among top clubs monitoring him for the future but there are no talks for January – he’s staying.”

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The Verdict: Strong squad option

Danujma is the perfect type of signing that Liverpool should be looking to make moving forward – someone already performing at a high level but who could become even more of a force under Jurgen Klopp.

The Dutchman has been hailed as ‘exceptional’ by Jonathan Woodgate following a two-year spell at Bournemouth, and two goals in five caps for Netherlands is a promising return.

Danjuma could come in and be a strong backup for the likes of Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane – at 24, he would also be a long-term signing, much in the same way that Liverpool’s African superstars were when they first came to Anfield.

In other news, some Liverpool fans have fumed at an update regarding one player. Find out who it is here.

Liverpool have agreed a deal to bring Fabio Carvalho to Anfield on transfer deadline day.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a claim made by Fabrizio Romano, who revealed in a post on Twitter that Liverpool and Fulham have finally concluded terms after a lengthy meeting this evening.

He said: “Fabio Carvalho to Liverpool, agreement in place for total fee around €10m after 2 hours meeting tonight. Five-year deal ready for Carvalho. #LFC Time to prepare paperworks and sign before midnight then… here we go. He’ll stay at Fulham on loan.”

Klopp will be buzzing

Considering the sheer amount of potential Carvalho quite clearly possesses, the news that the Reds are have tied up a deal for the attacking midfielder with only a matter of hours remaining before the transfer window slams shut is sure to have left Jurgen Klopp buzzing.

Indeed, the £3.15m-rated sensation would appear to make a fantastic addition to the German’s current attacking options at Anfield, as, over his 18 Championship appearances this season, the 19-year-old has been in remarkable form for Marco Silva’s side.

The England youth international has already scored seven goals, provided four assists and created six big chances for his teammates in the league, as well as taking an average of 2.1 shots, making 1.8 key passes and completing 1.3 dribbles per game.

These returns have seen the £650-per-week forward average a highly impressive SofaScore match rating of 7.07, ranking him as Fulham’s eighth-best player in the second tier of English football.

As such, while it is undeniable that Carvalho would not be a starter upon a potential switch to Merseyside, it is clear for all to see that the youngster is a player with a brilliant future in the game – something that leads us to believe the Liverpool transfer team were right to do all they can to get a deal over the line for the 19-year-old prior to tonight’s transfer deadline.

Newcastle United are reportedly now set to snatch Robert Sanchez from Brighton and Hove Albion.

The Lowdown: Goalkeeper wanted

As per The Athletic, the St. James’ Park faithful are now weighing up moves for Manchester United’s Dean Henderson and Chelsea’s Kepa Arrizabalaga.

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This suggests that they are looking for a new goalkeeper in the summer to take over from Martin Dubravka as number one, with the new owners surely set to flex some financial muscle once again when the transfer window opens.

The Latest: Sanchez move

According to The Sun, the North East club are now ‘set to snatch’ Sanchez from the Seagulls, and are ‘lining up’ a £20m offer for the Spain international.

Eddie Howe’s scouts have been ‘tracking’ him, and insiders have revealed that he is Howe’s first choice.

The Verdict: Sign

With Dubravka getting on now at 33 years of age, Sanchez is an exciting shot-stopper that has a much higher ceiling at just 24.

Described as having ‘amazing’ ability and a player who can be ‘anything he wants’ by his manager Graham Potter (Sky Sports), Sanchez certainly has a lot of potential, and could be a mainstay in the Tyneside outfit’s side for years to come.

Despite a dip in Brighton’s form of late, he has still managed to keep five teams in the top flight have conceded fewer goals than them.

Nonetheless, at £20m, he could be a bit of a steal.

In other news, find out what fresh NUFC update this transfer insider has now dropped here!