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Former Tottenham defender Graham Roberts has told Football FanCast in an exclusive interview that he would go for Burnley’s Nick Pope over Aaron Ramsdale of Sheffield United.

The MailOnline reported last month that Tottenham are interested in signing Ramsdale as they look for a long-term successor to current first-choice goalkeeper Hugo Lloris, who is out of contract next year.

Ramsdale, a part of Gareth Southgate’s England squad that reached the Euro 2020 final, looks to be a very attainable option following Sheffield United’s relegation to the Championship.

Roberts, though, would prefer someone like Pope over the 23-year-old. Speaking exclusively to FFC, the Spurs legend said:

“He’s young. I’m not so sure. Me personally, I would have gone for the lad Pope; I think he’s a better goalie.

“I think the lad at West Brom [Sam Johnstone] is a better goalie. So those two I think are ahead of Ramsdale.”

If Spurs did consider a move for Pope, the Burnley ‘keeper looks like he could be a very good option.

He obviously has plenty of Premier League experience and has kept 37 clean sheets since making his top-flight debut.

Ultimately, with Lloris now 34 and his contract running down, that goalkeeper position is something Nuno Espirito Santo will have to look at.

On the back of a strong campaign last year, West Ham United have continued to move in the right way this season. With a good start, they have put themselves into contention for the top four in the Premier League, and also made big strides in Europe, qualifying top of their Europa League group.The Europa League success they are having, in particular, is a strong highlight for them. Despite a long list of very strong Champions League teams entering the competition, the latest UEFA Europa League odds have West Ham at 9/1, which makes them joint-fourth favourites to win the competition.There will be a lot of focus on West Ham, but also elsewhere, with the likes of Barcelona, Borussia Dortmund and Sevilla all now in the Europa League, and sure to feature amongst Europa League betting tips in the future. The task for West Ham has become a lot harder since the arrival of those Champions League big names, and others, but it is a sign of just how far West Ham have come and how much they’ve impressed in this competition, that they are still near the top of the betting.You only need to go back a couple of years and fans would not have thought this was possible.

West Ham’s European Success

West Ham were one of the highlights of the group stage, qualifying top of the group to avoid the forthcoming playoff round and finishing with 13 points. That was incredibly important for the Hammers, as that means they avoid the big Champions League teams, for now -Âthose who finished second in the group stageÂhave to face one of those.

They averaged almost two goals per game and conceded just three in the group stage, against some good teams for the level and in some tough environments when they played away from home. Their first game was perhaps the toughest, and resulted in a good 2-0 away win over Dinamo Zagreb, to kick off their campaign in style and give the team a lot of confidence.

Premier League Growth

While the top four may be a little out of reach this season, despite a very strong start, the top six is certainly on, and that would mean a return to European football next season, regardless of where they finish in the Europa League. Of course, winning the Europa League would mean a place in the Champions League next season, which would be huge for the club.

The biggest question for West Ham may be whether they can keep up their challenge in both competitions. In theirÂ2-0 loss to Arsenal, West Ham looked a little tired and struggled in the game, things are only going to get worse.

At some point, the club may have to prioritise one over the other and rest some players for a game they would rather not. However, the fact that West Ham are even making these decisions should be seen as a positive to how they have played recently, and where the club currently is.

Image from: unsplash.com

Aston Villa will be ‘keeping an eye’ on the situation at Burnley following links to winger Dwight McNeil, The Birmingham Mail’s Richard Cusack writes.

The lowdown

Burnley announced on Friday that they had parted company with manager Sean Dyche after 10 years in charge.

The Clarets, 18th in the table and four points from safety with eight games remaining, are facing the prospect of relegation after six seasons in the top flight.

It was Dyche who handed McNeil his debut in 17/18, and the 50-year-old picked him for almost every Premier League match across the last three seasons.

The Athletic’s Andy Jones reported last summer that Steven Gerrard’s predecessor, Dean Smith, had personally scouted McNeil, and Cusack wrote in January that Gerrard could possibly revisit the move this year.

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The latest

Aston Villa are ‘likely’ to be monitoring events at Turf Moor, Cusack writes, because the squad is ‘laden with talent’.

He picks out McNeil as a player Villa are said to admire and says that he ‘might well be available’ come the summer.

However, The Villans would potentially face competition, with other teams ‘no doubt’ considering a move too.

The verdict

McNeil has actually endured something of a difficult season. He’s only managed to record one goal involvement, when in the last three campaigns he’d managed at least seven.

He was even booed by his own supporters during last month’s 4-0 home defeat against Chelsea.

Villa may prefer to focus on how good McNeil can be at his best, whilst simultaneously hoping that this low-key season has driven the £19.8million-rated Englishman’s value down.

Sky Sports pundit Jamie Redknapp has previously described him as a player with ‘real quality’ who should be commanding the attention of sides competing for Europe.

In other news, Pete O’Rourke makes this claim about an attacking target.

Tottenham have been offered the chance to sign former Liverpool midfielder Georginio Wijnaldum on loan in January, according to 90min.

The Lowdown: Wijnaldum at PSG

Wijnaldum, labelled as ‘incredible’ by journalist Connor Dunn, left Anfield over the summer to sign for Paris Saint-Germain on a free transfer.

The 85-cap Netherlands international is thought to be on over £300,000-a-week in France but has started just 10 games in all competitions under Mauricio Pochettino.

His representatives are thought to be working on a January exit as a result of his lack of game time, and a return to England could well be on the cards.

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The Latest: Spurs offered Wijnaldum’s services

90min shared a story on Thursday regarding Wijnaldum’s future and the chances of a possible exit.

Within their report, they claimed that the 31-year-old representatives have contacted several Premier League clubs over the possibility of a loan move.

Tottenham are one of those who have been approached, with Fabio Paratici and co not yet dismissing the idea of a January transfer.

The Verdict: Avoid?

It seems as if Spurs are still to decide whether or not to move for Wijnaldum, however, they could be better off looking at the bigger picture and snubbing the chance to take the Dutch international on a temporary basis.

Yes, he has plenty of Premier League, Champions League and international experience, however, he is on mega-money and is now the wrong side of 30.

Antonio Conte may want to add to his midfield ranks with Tanguy Ndombele and Harry Winks linked with exits, but moving for someone like Franck Kessie on a permanent cut-price deal could be the smarter option.

He’s seven years Wijnaldum’s junior and a winter window move could well be on the cards according to a Spurs insider, so prioritising the Ivorian over the PSG man could be a smart decision in the long run.

In other news: Conte could swoop for ‘devastating’ colossus after big Spurs source claim – insider. 

Tottenham Hotspur could finally offload Giovani Lo Celso this summer, according to transfer guru Fabrizio Romano.

What’s the word?

Speaking on a recent episode of his ‘Here We Go’ podcast this week, he delivered an update on the 26-year-old’s situation as he continues to impress on loan to LaLiga outfit Villarreal.

“Tottenham are still waiting for Villarreal to make an official proposal.

“From what I’m told, they want to discuss on Villarreal’s side with Tottenham to sign Lo Celso on a permanent deal or to keep the player for one more season.

“But Tottenham want real money so there will be a discussion this summer,” he said.

Summer budget boost?

After arriving in a joint club-record £55m deal from Real Betis in the summer of 2019, the Argentina international failed to live up to the heights of such a price tag, delivering only eight goals and six assists across an injury-barren stint of 84 appearances.

He fell even more out of favour following the arrival of Antonio Conte in the dugout and soon after, he was shipped out on loan.

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Lo Celso has been described as “a little bit awkward” around the dressing room by football.london reporter Alasdair Gold, as well as being dubbed as “unacceptable” by club insider John Wenham to Football Insider due to his inability to finish a game.

Whilst it didn’t work out in north London, it appears as if the £25m-rated midfielder has found his feet back in Spain, where he currently rates out as Unai Emery’s fifth-best domestic and European performer, via WhoScored.

He’s averaged 1.6 and 3.3 tackles per game across LaLiga and the Champions League and has proven to be a creative influence in the final third, especially in the latter competition, where he’s averaging 2.3 key passes per outing.

It’s no wonder the Yellow Submarines are considering a permanent swoop for him in the summer and it is one that the Spurs hierarchy should snatch at instead of trying to integrate him back into the squad.

Those around N17 will surely be delighted as it could hand Conte a big financial boost heading into his second transfer window in charge.

AND in other news, “Paratici went to watch”: Alasdair Gold drops Spurs transfer claim, it could be shades of Kyle Walker…

At this moment in time, Southampton have several players in their squad whose current contracts are set to expire next summer.

One particular player whose terms conclude at the end of the current season that should be offered a new deal to keep him at St. Mary’s is goalkeeper Alex McCarthy.

Southampton signed the stopper back in the 2016 summer transfer window from fellow Premier League side Crystal Palace for a reported fee of around £4m.

Since then, the 31-year-old, who is currently valued at £4.5m according to Transfermarkt, has made 122 appearances for the Saints across all competitions, keeping 33 clean sheets in the process, the latest of which came in their recent 1-0 win over Watford at Vicarage Road. During that game, he managed to make three saves and earn himself an impressive overall match rating of 7.4/10 according to SofaScore.

So far this season, McCarthy has played every minute of Premier League action for the Saints after seeing his league appearances increase with every campaign he’s been at the club, showing how much he is admired by Ralph Hasenhuttl.

The 31-year-old has made a total of 24 saves in the top-flight so far this term, the 12th highest of any of the 29 goalkeepers to have made at least one appearance in the league.

Back in August, it was reported by The Athletic that McCarthy had put pen to paper on a new three-year deal at Southampton, but has yet to be officially confirmed by the club.

If by any chance McCarthy, who is currently earning a weekly wage of £50k-per-week according to Spotrac, hasn’t actually signed a new deal on the south coast yet, then this is something that should be at the top of the club’s priority list given how important he has been for the Saints over the years. After all, he’s previously been described as “fantastic” by Hasenhuttl.

Additionally, with fellow Southampton shot-stopper Fraser Forster’s contract set to expire next summer, it’s likely that he could be on his way out of the club considering he’s only played three games for the Saints so far this season and is currently their second-highest earner with a weekly wage of £70k-per-week.

As a result, it would make sense for the club to keep hold of McCarthy for the next few years as their first-choice goalkeeper.

In other news: Ralph must wield the axe on £10.8m-rated Saints ace with 55% pass accuracy v Watford – opinion

With Ange Postecoglou having endured something of an injury crisis during the early stages of his managerial career at Celtic, the 56-year-old manager will undoubtedly be delighted that a number of his first-team squad are finally returning to full fitness at Parkhead.

Indeed, Mikey Johnston, Josip Juranovic, Georgios Giakoumakis and James McCarthy were all available for selection against St. Johnstone on Saturday after varying lengths of spells spent on the sidelines due to injury, while Christopher Jullien and James Forrest are set to return to first-team training in the coming weeks.

Postecoglou himself recently commented on his excitement regarding the return of Johnston, stating after Saturday’s 2-0 win: “I was really pleased to see Mikey back because he looked really good in pre-season. I know how talented he is but the key for him was to get his body healthy and to be really patient with him.

“He’s a talented player and he’s now getting more game time. The way we play I know he can have a huge impact for us, he just needs to stay healthy and keep improving his game.”

It is easy to see why the 56-year-old appears so happy with the return of the 22-year-old, as, over his brief 8-minute cameo against Ferencvarosi in midweek, the £900k-rated man highly impressed, managing 13 touches of the ball, making one key pass, completing both of his attempted dribbles, creating one big chance and hitting the target with his only shot at goal.

These metrics saw the £9k-per-week forward earn a SofaScore match rating of 7.7, ranking him as the third-best player to feature in the match.

As such, while it is true that Johnston has failed to ever really cement a starting spot in the Celtic side after breaking through into the first team, with his highest number of league appearances in one season being 14 back in 2018/19, Postecoglou simply must unleash the 22-year-old in the coming weeks, as now would finally appear to be the time when the winger can have a real impact within the Bhoys side.

In other news: Conroy drops key update on “priceless” £15k-p/w dynamo that’ll delight Celtic fans

West Bromwich Albion have been handed a triple blow ahead of their upcoming Carabao Cup fixture.

What’s the latest?

In recent comments cited by the Express & Star, Valerien Ismael revealed that on-loan Brighton & Hove Albion centre-back Matt Clarke will miss up to six weeks of action as a result of a hamstring injury, which the defender picked up in the 2-1 win at Blackburn Rovers last weekend.

The Frenchman also confirmed that a further two Albion players are set to miss the EFL Cup tie against Arsenal on Wednesday evening due to illness, although the 45-year-old did not name these two players.

Speaking specifically about the centre-back’s injury, Ismael said: “We received yesterday the information that he will miss a lot of games – five to six weeks.

“We need to deal with the situation. It’s bad news for us, but it is what it is. You can’t influence injuries or [illness]. They’re two situations we have to deal with.

“It’s a good thing that the season is very long in the Championship, so we’ll see him soon.”

Speaking about the further two absentees, the Frenchman added: “They need to isolate. It’s a medical case so I can’t give the information.

“[The pandemic] is always a worry at the minute. You cannot control this. You can only get the jab and make sure you do the right thing, but we knew from the beginning we had to deal with injuries and [illness].

“We’ll deal with the situation and next week is an international break, so we’ll have more time to get the players back.”

Ismael will be devastated

While the Carabao Cup is not likely to be a competition that the West Brom manager is prioritising during a season in which his side are pushing for automatic promotion from the Championship, the absence of Clarke, as well as the two unnamed players, will undoubtedly have left Ismael devastated.

Indeed, while it is not the end of the world that the 24-year-old centre-back will miss the cup tie, the fact that he will also miss a number of league games for the club is sure to come as a considerable blow to the 45-year-old, as Clarke has highly impressed since joining the club earlier this summer.

Over his three Championship appearances for West Brom, the defender has made an average of 2.3 interceptions, one tackle, 2.7 clearances and has won a whopping 7.3 duels per game, with these returns earning the £2.7m-rated man an average SofaScore match rating of 7.03.

Meanwhile, it is difficult to comment how much of an impact the two unnamed absentees will have on the Arsenal fixture, however, the fact that Ismael’s selection options have been reduced by their unavailability will nevertheless cause an annoyance for the Albion boss, regardless of their standing in the first team.

In other news: Valerien Ismael drops fresh West Brom transfer claim that is sure to get fans excited

Leeds United star Raphinha has been his team’s saviour on numerous occasions this season, scoring eight Premier League goals in what has been a largely dismal campaign for the Yorkshire club.

However, the Brazilian has attracted plenty of interest whilst at Elland Road, with German giants Bayern Munich reportedly the latest prospective suitors to express an interest.

What’s the story?

According to French outlet Jeunes Footeux, Bayern are keen on the 25-year-old playmaker as a replacement for Kingsley Coman amid doubt regarding the Frenchman’s future in Munich.

The latter has had to deal with numerous fitness issues, including a heart condition, which has seen him in and out of Julian Nagelsmann’s side.

Furthermore, the report suggests that the Premier League outfit have put a price tag on their star player as opposed to refusing to sell for any fee. It is claimed that the Whites want €40m (£34m) for the Brazilian gem.

Leeds fans will be terrified

The prospect of Raphinha leaving Elland Road, especially mid-season, is a daunting thought for Leeds fans. With the Whites sat in 16th place after an underwhelming start to the season, the Brazilian has been a shining light in what has been a dreary campaign, netting almost half of their Premier League goals so far.

To emphasise how vital the 25-year-old is for the Whites, he is currently the top-flight’s fourth top scorer, despite Leeds being fifth from bottom.

Marcelo Bielsa’s side are certainly in a relegation battle, particularly following their recent form of one win in eight and conceding 16 goals in the last four games. Without their key talisman in front of goal, the Whites would be in a much greater predicament and their top-flight status would certainly be at huge risk.

It does appear inevitable that Raphinha will one day seek a new challenge, but to leave mid-season would put Leeds into major trouble given his importance to the team and their current position.

In other news – Forget Ayling: £15.3m-rated dud who made one tackle was Leeds’ villain on Saturday

Celtic’s talks with Shamrock Rovers for defender Liam Scales are thought to be at an advanced stage, according to Glasgow Live.

The Lowdown: Scales links

Initial links to Scales came out last week, with The Irish Mirror’s Paul O’Hehir one of the first to share discussions between the two clubs for the 23-year-old.

Scales, who was described as ‘really, really good’ by Rovers manager Stephen Bradley, admitted recently that he could be on the move before the transfer window slams shut, with Norwich City and Southampton also thought to be keen on his services.

The Irish Examiner’s John Fallon believes that Celtic could have to pay a ‘significant’ six-figure sum for Scales, and it seems as if transfer talks are progressing well.

The Latest: Advanced stages

Glasgow Live shared a transfer story on reported Celtic target Fabricio Bustos on Monday evening.

Within their report, they dropped a line on Scales, stating that talks between the Glasgow giants and Shamrock Rovers are at an advanced stage.

The Verdict: Desmond’s deal?

Dermot Desmond has a 25% stake in the Irish champions, so perhaps the Celtic chief has helped talks to progress in the past week.

Should Scales arrive at Parkhead, he would offer Ange Postecoglou plenty of versatility. Last season, the Republic of Ireland under-21 international made 10 appearances in his primary centre-back position, 12 as a left-midfielder, one as a left-back and one as a defensive midfielder.

He also showed his goalscoring knack with a crucial last-gasp winner over Longford Town at the weekend, a result which maintained Rovers’ three-point lead in the League of Ireland Premier Division and ensured a happy 23rd birthday for the defender.

He may not be an instant starter, should he sign for Celtic, but over time he could prove a key member of the squad in a number of positions.

In other news: Roma interested in Celtic ace, find out more here.