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In a recent article, Alasdair Gold revealed that the Tottenham Hotspur centre-back, Davinson Sanchez, retains the backing of Spurs staff behind the scenes, despite Jose Mourinho’s desire to sell the defender.

According to Gold, writing for football.london, there are ‘some within the club’ who hold the belief that, with the addition of a centre-back partner who would complement Sanchez’s style of play, the 24-year-old could reach new heights for Tottenham.

However, this would appear to be a belief that directly contradicts the view of the Spurs manager, who has been reported to have tasked Jorge Mendes with replacing Sanchez this summer, as the 58-year-old feels that the £65,000-per-week defender “can’t be trusted” in big matches, according to a Football Insider source.

Transfer Tavern Take

If these reports are to be believed, the contrasting opinions of the Tottenham hierarchy and Mourinho regarding Sanchez would represent yet another disagreement between the two parties concerning the future of a Spurs player.

In perhaps the most tedious transfer story of the last year, Dele Alli has continuously been linked with a move away from north London, with Mourinho thought to be more than happy to see the back of the midfielder, while Daniel Levy was reluctant to sell the 24-year-old.

So, adding Sanchez to the list of players Mourinho wants rid of but Levy and co would like to keep does not appear to bode well for the future of the Portuguese boss, as the 58-year-old could be losing control of his say in Spurs’ transfer dealings.

In other news: the asking price of this £24k p/w Tottenham target has been revealed; Mourinho is being backed to seal a summer deal – find out more here!

According to a report by club insiders Claret & Hugh, via West Ham Central, defender Craig Dawson will sign for West Ham United once he makes just two more appearances for the club – a fee which will apparently total £2.2 million. 

Manager David Moyes also confirmed in a press conference that Dawson is ‘very close’ to becoming a permanent player as the club near his obligation to buy clause over the amount of matches featured (football.london).

Now, Claret & Hugh claim that the exact number of appearances needed is two – with the transfer fee paid to parent club Watford amounting to around £2.2m when the clause is triggered.

Flocking to this claim, plenty of Hammers were in full reaction as one supporter called it the ‘best news I have heard all day’.

Given the unexpected impact Dawson has made at the London Stadium, keeping the likes of Fabian Balbuena and Issa Diop out the team at points this season, it’s hardly surprising some supporters are excited.

Find all of their verdicts down below.

West Ham fans flock to Dawson claim

“Great business he is a decent solid pro”

Credit: @StuartPiner

“Best news I have heard all day”

Credit: @Lydgate1

“7.2 million for Coufal and Dawson… Ridiculously good business. Quite rare for us.”

Credit: @ConCroucher

“What a bargain”

Credit: @mattw00druf

“Wow we need to wrap him up in cotton wool and hope he don’t get injured and be out for the rest of the season, which would normally be our luck (just hope he actually wants to stay)”

Credit: @Ludders59

“Absolute bargain”

Credit: @DazzaG77

“unbelievable signing”

Credit: @Tynam76161269

In other news: West Ham are eyeing this 44-cap star, find out more here.

With Neil Lennon no longer in charge of Celtic, the club’s hierarchy are on the lookout for a new boss. Whoever is deemed suitable to try and re-energise life at Parkhead may well have their work cut out.

As many as 12 players could leave this summer while they will be expected to work with a completely new structure. The Hoops are on the search for a director of football too, while Dominic McKay is set to replace Peter Lawwell as their new CEO.

With that in mind, trying to decide who should be the next manager could be a messy affair. It’s recently been reported that Martin O’Neill has been contacted in order to get his perspective on who the new boss should be.

The likes of Roberto Martinez, Steve Clarke, Rafa Benitez and Frank Lampard have all been mentioned but the freshest name doing the rounds must be at the top of their shopping list.

That happens to be David Moyes. GIVEMESPORT reported this week that he has been sounded out as Lennon’s potential successor.

Moyes is out of contract with West Ham in the summer, a situation made all the more perplexing by their current rank of fifth in the Premier League. They are two points off the Champions League spots and have a game in hand over fourth-placed Chelsea.

This has been an incredible season for the Hammers with Moyes breathing fresh life into what was a tired and bedraggled club.

The Irons were on the verge of being relegated last season but are now close to securing European football. Indeed, it would now be a disappointment if they didn’t see it through.

With that in mind, luring the Scot to Parkhead would surely prove difficult. He’s built a marvellous project in east London, one that will have those in Glasgow rubbing their hands with glee.

[snack-amp-story url=”https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/latest-celtic-manager-hunt-stories-wagner-marsch-martinez-lennon-news” title=”The last stories on Celtic’s hunt for a new manager!”]

Celtic’s crisis might not be as bad as potential relegation from the top-flight but they are in need of a figure who can grab the players by the scruff of the neck and change the mentality of the whole club.

In the words of The Athletic’s Oliver Kay, West Ham “now look like a quick, young, hungry team rather than a tired, slow, lazy one.”

The final passage there would define Celtic pretty well. Their football has hit a stumbling block and they are lacking a certain cutting edge that’s taken them to the title in nine of the last ten years.

Unlike many managers on the Celtic shortlist, Moyes knows Glasgow. He played for the Bhoys between 1980 and 1983 and the expectations are still the same; beat Rangers.

That’s something they failed to do this season but the 57-year-old coach is capable of reviving their fortunes. The turnaround he’s achieved at West Ham has been miraculous, but it’s no surprise when you consider his qualities.

“David Moyes is a fantastic manager and exceptional man-manager. He’s a really nice guy and his football knowledge is incredible. He’s amazingly hard-working and he knows the game inside-out,” Danny Mills told Football Insider.

“He has a certain style of play,” Mills added before hailing the work-rate he instils in his players.

It’s hard to argue the Hoops players have worked hard enough this season. One of the main criticisms of Lennon’s tenure were his coaching methods. Moyes, on the other hand, knows how to get the best out of players stuck in a rut.

He has an old fashioned style but it would undoubtedly suit the Bhoys. He has to be at the very top of their shopping list when it comes to re-shaping the future of the football club.

AND in other news, Celtic manager search takes fresh twist; it should be good news for Hoops supporters…

According to The Athletic’s David Ornstein, West Brom have now entered pole position on deadline day to sign Arsenal’s Ainsley Maitland-Niles on loan in this transfer window.

What’s the story?

With the England international struggling to get consistent starts under Mikel Arteta this season in the Premier League – he’s started just once in the Gunners’ last seven top-flight games – it’s no surprise that recent reports have indicated he is generating a lot of interest from sides keen on signing him on loan.

It was suggested early on deadline day that Southampton were leading the race to take Maitland-Niles, but Ornstein has delivered a fresh twist in this developing saga.

The journalist claims that West Brom have reignited talks to sign him, and that a deal should get done, with Arsenal reluctant to send him to a rival and Maitland-Niles himself not wanting Southampton.

Edu must intervene

Whilst the allure of consistent first-team football makes this a pretty good move on the face of it for both Maitland-Niles and Arsenal, for the Gunners in particular, it’s a very dangerous move.

The north London side have already been burned before when it’s come to sending young talent to the wrong clubs on loan, with Serge Gnabry of course the most high-profile example when he played just three times under Tony Pulis at the Hawthorns.

Whilst Maitland-Niles may play more regularly than the German did in his time with the Baggies, the styles of football are so distinctly different between Arsenal and West Brom that it just doesn’t make sense from the north London side’s point of view.

Is letting the 23-year-old go to a club who rank bottom for possession (40.8%), bottom for shots per game (7.9), 19th for dribbles per match (6.5), and fifth-highest for long balls per game (63) the wisest decision? Maitland-Niles wouldn’t be playing his football in the kind of environment that Arsenal have developed over the years, and it could set his progress back considerably, as it did for Gnabry.

The Baggies’ style of play isn’t what’s best for the £16.2m-rated ace’s development. Edu should intervene and either keep him at the Emirates and let him fight for his place, or find another suitor for him. Letting him join West Brom would be a grave mistake on the technical director’s part.

Meanwhile, this Arsenal transfer target showed he could be Thomas Partey’s perfect midfield partner…

Tottenham Hotspur boss Jose Mourinho has already confirmed that he will be starting veteran centre-back Toby Alderweireld in the second leg of his side’s Europa League Round of 32 clash with Wolfsberger AC this evening.

But who will partner the 31-year-old Belgian?

Joe Rodon isn’t registered for the competition, so it’s between Eric Dier and Davinson Sanchez, who both started their last two league defeats against West Ham (2-1) and Man City (3-0).

The latter could be in the most danger of losing his place, and quite rightly too…

On the Chalkboard

It’s been quite surprising to see the former club-record signing back involved amongst the starting XI in the Premier League.

He’s only started ten of their 24 outings, three of which coming in their last three matches, while across a nine-game period between the end of October and Christmas, he was snubbed entirely in the top-flight, via Transfermarkt.

At one stage, it seems as if Spurs weren’t against him leaving during the January transfer window – according to The Athletic correspondent Charlie Eccleshare, they would have considered offloading him if they could have found a viable replacement.

His long absence from the squad was a mere consequence of a calamitous afternoon against the Hammers, in which he conceded an own goal and endured a torrid time, and that has now come full circle.

The 24-year-old received his second-lowest rating (5.82) of the season that day – the worst coming only two games ago in that City defeat (5.57), where he made another error leading to a goal, via WhoScored.

And after the return fixture against their London rivals, former Spurs midfielder Jamie O’Hara urged the club to get rid of Sanchez, he told talkSPORT:

“I look at the team and the back-four is just an absolute shambles. I don’t know why Jose keeps playing [Davinson] Sanchez and [Eric] Dier because it’s probably one of the worst partnerships in the Premier League!” before adding: “Get rid of them!”

No Spurs defender lost possession more times than the 6 foot 2 colossus, while he was dribbled past more times (three) than any other visiting player too, as per SofaScore.

Supporters have often dubbed him a liability, as seen in post-match reaction against Brentford in the Carabao Cup semi-final, and in response to a transfer report ahead of the January window.

Sanchez, who is valued at £36m by Transfermarkt and earns a reported £75k-per-week in north London, was identified as a “weak link” by Mourinho during a Europa League final between Man Utd and Ajax, according to Tony Cascarino, so the Spurs boss knows all too well about his faults.

“Absolutely dreadful” (Sky Sports, via HITC) and “disgraceful” are just two other phrases used to describe Sanchez and his defending since the turn of the year alone, only proving that he’s continuously let the club down for weeks, if not months, on end.

On the above evidence, the Mauricio Pochettino flop has no business being involved in the starting XI tonight – or in the near future either. Mourinho must be ruthless and axe him over Dier this evening.

AND in other news, Better than Dier: Levy could land Spurs a massive upgrade in £22.5m-rated “machine”

Celtic could be just days away from embarking upon a new chapter in the club’s history. After a disappointing season, it appears that the guillotine is inching closer to Neil Lennon’s neck on the chopping block.

The Mirror has reported that following his decision to leave China, Celtic have eyed Rafael Benitez as the perfect successor to their current head coach. Should these talks come to fruition, treble winner Lennon will be axed from his position and he only has himself to blame.

Why Lennon could be replaced by Benitez

For a side with as rich a history as Celtic, it’s extremely disappointing to see them struggling to assert their dominance. The Scottish Premiership is their bread and butter – a league that many believe belongs to the Hoops.

They were on track for their tenth consecutive league title this season, but an uncharacteristically subpar campaign has resulted in them being humiliated on several occasions. Not only are they trailing to their bitter rivals, but Rangers top the table by a mammoth 23 points.

Steven Gerrard and his men are yet to lose a single Premiership match this term and have drawn just three games. Although Celtic have three games in-hand, any chance of a revival looks long gone.

Odsonne Edouard has seriously struggled this season, falling off track in terms of his personal numbers. The Frenchman looks a shadow of himself from last campaign, in which he tallied 21 goals and 12 assists in 27 appearances. However, he has managed just seven goals and four assists so far this time round, according to Transfermarkt.

It seems his passion for the club has dimmed due to their frustrating season and Celtic run the risk of losing him. Edouard has been linked to both Arsenal and West Ham this window, with talks of a £35million price tag circulating.

Whilst lack of goals is worrying, Lennon’s defence is also a serious issue. In their Europa League run alone, the Hoops shipped 19 goals in the group stages, which was the joint-highest amount conceded in that point of the competition. But despite this, the boss appears to be showing no urgency to bring any new personnel in.

A goalscorer and a new centre-back must be a priority for Celtic, but Lennon has seemingly been uninterested in the transfer market this month. If he is to be given the boot, he will have put the final nail in his own coffin with his summer transfers, his questionable team selections, his choice to make the Dubai trip and his seeming inability to attract new players to the club this month.

In other news, Hammond set for masterstroke sale of Jack Hendry…

David Moyes must axe Said Benrahma when West Ham United host Burnley on Saturday, after an issue-strewn FA Cup showing from the Algerian at Stockport County on Monday night.

Benrahma was given a rare start at Edgeley Park but struggled to find a grove to get going on the left-flank, with his decision making often poor and end product frequently lacking despite regularly seeing the ball played to his feet.

The match had started with much promise for the 25-year-old as he connected well with Manuel Lanzini against the Irons’ National League opposition, yet faded from the frontline the more the game progressed to begin holding West Ham back more than he helped.

Ultimately, Benrahma was fortunate not to see his number shown and be hauled off before second-half stoppage-time in what was only his fourth start in 10 appearances, as the six-cap international’s wait for a maiden Hammers goal continued.

Stockport were largely pegged back into their own half during Monday night’s encounter, which saw the Brentford loanee, who West Ham are obliged to buy for £20m in the summer, miss the target with each of his three shots, per SofaScore.

The closest Benrahma come to finding the back of Ben Hinchcliffe’s net came in the sixth minute when his effort clipped the outside of the post after Declan Rice did supremely well to dig out a cross, only for things to fall apart thereafter.

Mark Noble’s rolled pass midway through the first period sat up perfectly for Benrahma to shoot, yet his attempt sailed well wide of the mark much like his hit 15 minutes from time when Hinchcliffe’s shanked clearance fell straight at the forward staring at an unguarded goal.

Too often he was pushed off the ball without so much as a fight, just days after The Guardian’s Jacob Steinberg claimed Benrahma “needs to toughen up” after being shoved into the shadows during West Ham’s 1-0 win at Everton on New Year’s Day.

Not only did he miss the target with each of his three shots at Stockport, but Benrahma also misplaced each of his two crosses, offered no key balls from 39 accurate passes, made no dribbles, turned over possession 10 times and lost three of his five ground duels.

Moyes has only just begun to back Benrahma after initially being hesitant to trust the summer signing, but must axe the winger at Burnley on Saturday or risk seeing more of the same from a player who will soon be void of all confidence thanks to his current efforts.

AND in other news, West Ham risk signing another Sebastien Haller with a £25m January raid for a 6ft potential target…

Ahead of the January transfer window, Everton have been linked with yet another midfield option, though it’s one they should avoid at all costs…

What’s the word?

According to Calciomercato, the Toffees are ‘making concrete steps forward’ in their reported pursuit of Juventus outcast Sami Khedira over a potential deal.

It’s claimed that the German World Cup winner wants to leave Turin and is working to have his contract terminated before the turn of the year.

The 33-year-old is said to want a move sorted out before he leaves the Serie A giants, which is where Everton come into the equation. It remains to be seen where the Merseysiders currently stand in this regard.

Gbamin 2.0?

Khedira is yet to play for Juventus this season and has not featured for the Italian champions since their 0-0 draw with AC Milan in the Coppa Italia back in June.

In fact, that has been his only competitive showing in 2020. This is because the former Real Madrid powerhouse has been battling injuries for the latter part of his career.

During the last two years alone, the veteran midfielder has gone under the needle twice for two knee surgeries and that has got to be a major red flag, especially considering this effectively mirrors the problems the club have been dealing with in the shape of 2019 arrival, Jean-Philippe Gbamin.

The 25-year-old has played just twice for the Toffees since joining for £25m. Whilst it is not his fault, director of football Marcel Brands cannot afford to risk his reported £184k-per-week wages when there’s a risk he won’t even play let alone be the back-up to Allan.

In the past, Khedira has been lauded as an “intelligent and smart player” by Joachim Low whilst Jose Mourinho dubbed him the “best” in his position.

Even Ancelotti has recently waxed lyrical about his former player, he told reporters: “I have a good memory of Sami Khedira, he was with me at Real Madrid and was a fantastic professional. I would love to work with him, but unfortunately, he’s not the only one! I’ve had fantastic players in my career, I’ve had good memories of them.”

Regardless of what he once was, Khedira would be an awful signing for the Toffees to make. It would be inexcusable to crack on and sign him this January, even if he arrived on a free transfer.

AND in other news, Everton flop was worse than Tom Davies during defeat to Leeds…

Sheffield Wednesday boss Tony Pulis finally secured his first victory in charge of the Owls this afternoon, and he has central defender Tom Lees to thank for it.

The veteran glanced home at the far post from a free-kick from skipper Barry Bannan in the 67th minute in the game’s only goal at Hillsborough Stadium.

As a result, the three points moved the Yorkshiremen off the foot of the Championship table, nudging ahead of Wycombe Wanderers on goal difference.

Coventry did try to snag a late equaliser, but heroics from returning 36-year-old goalkeeper Keiren Westwood delivered the Owls their first win in nine outings.

Both Lees and Westwood had a key influence in the result, but another Wednesday man shone above all – Joey Pelupessy.

The Dutch defensive midfielder absolutely dominated the visitors in the middle of the park, bringing home a 7.3 rating by SofaScore.

He won ten of his 12 duels (83%), both aerially and on the ground, made a squad-high five tackles, and only lost possession four times from 31 touches as he proved to be a hard man to combat.

YorkshireLive’s Dom Howson waxed lyrical over the 27-year-old in his post-match ratings, having him a 7/10. He said:

“Worked his socks off in the midfield engine room and kept things simple in possession.”

Pelupessy was also 100% accurate in his long balls, made one key pass and put in one interception.

Overall, it was the divisive powerhouse that completely ran things for Pulis.

By comparison, Lees was rather wasteful with the ball, making just 45% of his passes on top of losing possession 14 times, via SofaScore, so the goal perhaps masked his showing somewhat.

The £450k-rated Jos Luhulay signing is out of contract in the summer, so Pulis may need to dish out fresh terms sooner rather than later, especially if Pelupessy can keep that up in 2021.

AND in other news, Exclusive: Windass reacts to latest Sheffield Wednesday blow…

Do you remember the name John Bostock? Once upon a time, he was the next big thing at Tottenham Hotspur.

Spurs poached him from Crystal Palace in a controversial deal which saw a tribunal set the fee at just £700k, leaving then Eagles chairman Simon Jordan furious.

That was hardly a surprise given his revelation several years later that La Liga giants Barcelona were once courting him aged 14. Chelsea even had a bid turned down for him in the region of £900k prior to his move to N17.

Bostock was at Spurs for five years, first arriving under Juande Ramos in 2008 before Harry Redknapp and then Andre Villas-Boas took the reigns. He made only four senior appearances in north London.

During that time, he was sent out on loan to five different clubs, ranging from League Two Swindon Town to MLS outfit Toronto.

Though, he could never hit the heights he had once been touted for. Bostock was among the same age group as Harry Kane yet it was often the former that was tipped for greatness.

The Daily Mail dubbed him “the golden boy of English football”…

Where is Bostock now?

The short answer is nowhere. The 28-year-old does not currently have employment with any club anywhere.

At the start of October, he was released by Ligue 2 outfit Toulouse, who were relegated from France’s top tier last season, after a loan spell at Championship side Nottingham Forest.

His journey to France came via a spell in Belgium for Thursday night’s Europa League victors Royal Antwerp and then OH Leuven.

It was then Lens and a short stay at Turkish Super League club Bursaspor before returning to French football.

At international level for the England U17 squad, Bostock captained the side but now at 28, he finds himself at a crossroads without a contract.

Whether it was a decision from Villas-Boas or from chairman Daniel Levy, they were clearly right to dump him for free in 2013.

He evidently wasn’t going to make it at Spurs and that call has been fully vindicated as proven in the interesting path his career has taken since.

AND in other news, £63m-rated lightweight may have blown his final chance at Spurs…