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According to reliable Tottenham Hotspur journalist Dan Kilpatrick of The Evening Standard, manager Antonio Conte has now made a player decision ahead of this summer’s transfer window.

The Lowdown: Big summer ahead…

The Lilywhites, currently chasing Champions League qualification, also face a big looming summer transfer window as Conte gears up for his first full season in charge.

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Tottenham have set their sights on a number of top transfer targets already, mainly in defence according to The Athletic, but they may need to offload certain players to boost their kitty.

One of those stars, club record signing and Lyon loanee Tanguy Ndombele, now looks like one Tottenham asset who could be up for grabs as Spurs’ head coach makes a pre-summer decision.

The Latest: Conte makes Ndombele call…

According to Kilpatrick, Conte has no faith in the 25-year-old with his future at Spurs now ‘uncertain’.

Indeed, Tottenham’s manager allegedly ‘sees no future’ for Ndombele at the club, with Lyon also not expected to exercise an option to sign permanently.

The hope now for Spurs and chairman Daniel Levy is his end-of-season performances attract interest from other clubs.

The Verdict: Time to go?

Ndombele, who shined under ex-boss Jose Mourinho at points last season, clearly has bags of ability and Spurs may well be able to attract a fairly substantial sum for his services.

Lauded as ‘underrated’ by pundit Martin Keown last season, West Ham star Declan Rice also revealed that some Lilywhites players believe the France international can be ‘unbelievable’.

The only question marks, as ever, will be centred around his attitude and application and that could prove a major sticking point for clubs interested in making a move.

Ndombele’s possible exit may well be one of the talking points of Tottenham’s summer transfer window and it will be interesting to see if Spurs manage to offload for a decent fee.

In other news: Tottenham eye agreement ‘in the coming weeks’ as they make offer for exciting midfielder, find out more here.

Ryan Fraser has been a positive influence and mainstay under Newcastle United manager Eddie Howe, which is why the hamstring injury he sustained against Wolves last week will come as a major blow to the Magpies faithful.

On the Scotsman’s injury, Howe said: “It looks like a hamstring issue. I don’t know how serious it is, but it was obviously enough to bring him off the pitch today, which is a huge blow with the form that he’s been in.”

Opportunity knocks for Almiron

Fortunately for the Magpies boss, he can now count upon Miguel Almiron, who came on in place of the injured Fraser and put in an impressive performance last Friday, having created the only key chance of the game in his 77 minutes on the pitch.

The 28-year-old – who has been described as “unbelievable” by sports writer Charlie Bennett – received even higher praise from his manager, who was encouraged by his efforts against the Old Gold.

On the Paraguayan’s performance, Howe said: “I thought Miggy did really well. Miggy has been away on international duty, then he was ill, so we haven’t seen a great deal of him. But never doubt him physically. Despite the fact that he hasn’t trained with us a great deal, I backed him physically to play that time, and the energy and pressing that Miggy gives you is a real weapon.”

High praise from the boss, but in fairness everything that Howe said is the truth. In terms of a pressing asset, Almiron has proven himself to be one of the best amongst positionally similar players in Europe’s top 5 leagues across the last 365 days. His average of 5.3 pressures in the attacking third per 90 place him in the 94th percentile, according to FBRef.

Perhaps even more impressively given his position on the pitch, his average of eight pressures in the defensive third places him in the 84th percentile, as he occupies an attacking position and tracks back tremendously. It demonstrates his versatility and ability to act as a team player, which is of course a welcome attribute for any coach.

The £74k-p/w Paraguayan’s 2.5 touches per game in the opponents’ penalty box once again sets him apart and further demonstrates his ability to fill the void left by Fraser.

The injury to the Scotland international is of course unfortunate, but Newcastle’s depth in that area of the pitch with the likes of Almiron to call upon has softened the blow. It’s now time for Howe to place his trust in the industrious 28-year-old.

In other news – Howe could land NUFC’s new Waddle as PIF plot bid for “unbelievable” 115-goal machine

With his contract set to expire next summer, there has been plenty of talk about Christian Eriksen’s future.

The 27-year-old, however, is only focusing on his football as he looks to help Tottenham win their first top-flight title since 1961.

The Breakdown

“Christian only wants to focus himself on football,” Eriksen’s agent Martin Schoots recently told ESPN. “Besides his technical, tactical and athletic skills, also this attitude has contributed over the years to his impressive transformation from world class talent to world class player.”

With things extremely tight at the top of the Premier League table, Tottenham do not need any added distractions, especially at a time where they have been forced to pick up results without star duo Harry Kane and Dele Alli.

Considering all of that, it is imperative for Eriksen to make sure the uncertainty surrounding his future does not affect his performances. And to the Denmark international’s credit, he has done just that.

Alongside Son Heung-min, Eriksen has helped to keep Tottenham’s title dream alive in the absence of Kane and Alli with his creativity on the pitch proving to be too much for opposition teams as ever.

If Tottenham are to go all the way this season, then they need Eriksen free of any distractions.

Everton will take on West Ham United when they return to action tomorrow afternoon in east London, and Frank Lampard will be hoping that his team can pick up where they left off in the Premier League after a big three points earned against Newcastle United.

West Ham are in inconsistent form, with just two wins from their last five league games, but they are still chasing their outside chance to secure a Champions League spot at the end of the season. There is no doubt that David Moyes’ side will feel they have everything to play for tomorrow at the London Stadium, and Lampard must do all he can to ruin their opportunity.

With that being said, being wise about team selection tomorrow is imperative to the 43-year-old securing points and raising momentum after crashing out of the FA Cup at Crystal Palace, so picking the right players to deliver in their roles in the team is a must.

The Everton boss must axe Andre Gomes from the side if he wants to impose a real threat on the Hammers on Sunday and should look to his other midfield options to better control the game.

This season, the 28-year-old has made 12 Premier League appearances, losing five out of the last six league games in which he has been involved, with only a two-minute performance in the win over Newcastle before the international break, and his defensive attributes in the centre of the pitch have been questionable.

According to SofaScore, Gomes – who was dubbed a “walking red card” by Greg O’Keeffe – only averages 29.9 touches per game, losing the ball once every three touches during his game-time in the league this season, with only 37% of his duels won and a 77% passing accuracy rate.

Although Lampard has had his midfield options limited due to Allan serving a three-match ban following a red card in his last league game, the 43-year-old still has plenty of options in his squad with Donny Van de Beek, Abdoulaye Doucoure and Dele Alli available, while Fabian Delph could make an impact as he is predicted to return for selection next week.

With that in mind, it is high time that the ex-Chelsea boss axes the unreliable Gomes, given how high the stakes are over the remainder of Everton’s Premier League season.

In other news: Everton handed fresh lift as update emerges, Lampard will be buzzing

According to reliable journalist Christian Falk on Twitter, Southampton are interested in signing Union Berlin striker Taiwo Awoniyi. 

The lowdown: Rise to stardom

It’s been anything but a simple pathway to success for the Nigerian frontman after a six-year spell on the books of Liverpool.

The 24-year-old was unable to obtain a work permit to ply his trade in the United Kingdom and as such spent loan spells in Germany, Belgium and Holland before making the permanent switch to the Bundesliga in 2021.

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Now, yet another move could be on the horizon following an impressive start to life in the German top flight, but this time with a permanent stay in the Premier League.

The latest: Falk confirms Saints interest

Taking to Twitter, Head of Football for German outlet SportBILD Falk stated that Southampton are among the suitors for the Nigerian international.

“TRUE. West Ham, NUFC and Southampton are interested in Taiwo Awoniyi @fcunion. The striker has a release clause of 20 Mio €.”

Recently hailed as a ‘hero’ by Union Berlin’s official Twitter account, Awoniyi is the only player in the club’s history to score 13 Bundesliga goals in a single season.

The verdict: Striker surgery required

As Saints boss Ralph Hasenhuttl prepares for life without Armando Broja next season – although a potential permanent deal is likely to be explored – it’s wise that the club begin to explore potential alternative options.

Outside of Broja’s nine strikes, this term, Southampton striking trio Che Adams, Shane Long and Adam Armstrong have only managed a lowly 12 goals combined across all competitions during the 2021/22 campaign.

With 18 goals and four assists in 39 outings this term in Germany, Awoniyi has certainly made an impact at the business end of the pitch and Hasenhuttl would be wise to push to bring the Nigerian with an ever-rising stock to St Mary’s.

In other news: Journalist: Southampton enter mix to sign ‘sensational’ and ‘flawless’ player from huge club! Find out more here.

Roshane Thomas has dropped an update on West Ham United’s failed move for Duvan Zapata on transfer deadline day.

What’s the talk?

In a recent article for The Athletic, the West Ham correspondent shed further light on the Hammers’ late move for the Atalanta centre-forward, with it being said that David Moyes’ side had agreed to initially take the 30-year-old on loan – paying a £4m fee to do so – with an option to make the deal permanent at the end of the season.

However, Thomas went on to state that, despite the Serie A side agreeing to these demands and the Irons submitting a deal sheet to the Premier League, the move ultimately proved to be too late in the day to get the transfer over the line prior to Monday evening’s deadline.

West Ham must act this summer

With no new centre-forward arriving at the London Stadium in the January transfer window – despite a £58m bid for Benfica’s Darwin Nunez – West Ham are still desperately lacking any real strength in depth up top – with Michail Antonio currently being the East London side’s only recognised striker.

And, while this will undoubtedly come as a huge blow to the Hammers’ chances of securing a top-four finish in the league this season, should Zapata once again be available next summer, it would very much appear as if Moyes must do all he can to get a deal over the line for the Colombia international – as the 30-year-old looks to be the perfect match for Antonio.

Indeed, the £29.7m-rated forward has been a revelation for Atalanta since joining the club from SSC Napoli back in 2018, scoring 78 goals and registering 38 assists over his 152 appearances for the Bergamo club.

This season, the £57k-per-week striker has once again been in breathtaking form for Gian Piero Gasperini’s outfit, having already bagged nine goals, registered four assists and created three big chances over his 16 Serie A appearances – returns which have seen him average a highly impressive SofaScore match rating of 6.98.

And, with finding the back of the net clearly not being an issue, the 6 foot 2 Colombian’s physical stature is also similar to that of West Ham’s main man in attack, with Papu Gomez previously stating of the centre-forward: “Zapata’s shorts look like underwear, he is so big.

“Sometimes I don’t even want to get close to him in a match because he’s a beast and it hurts. When he is feeling good he’s like a train – you throw the ball forward and ‘ciao!'”

As such, while it was certainly a huge blow to not land the 30-year-old this winter, should a move still be on the table come the end of the season, Moyes could finally find the answer to his centre-forward woes in a move for the Atalanta hitman.

In other news: Moyes can unearth WHU’s perfect DCC alternative with 21 y/o prodigy, he’s “gold dust”

Tottenham Hotspur are now eyeing a move for Inter Milan right wing-back Denzel Dumfries, according to a report by Sport Mediaset (via SportWitness).

The Lowdown: Conte’s search for a RWB

It was heavily reported that Spurs boss Antonio Conte wanted to bring in a new right wing-back in January.

Fabio Paratici was initially negotiating with Adama Traore over the proposition of playing in the position, having come close to agreeing a £20m fee with Wolves.

However, Spanish giants Barcelona swooped in at the last minute, snatching the 26-year-old out of Conte’s grasp.

As a result, the Lilywhites manager has been left with just Emerson Royal, following the season-ending injury sustained by Matt Doherty.

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The Latest: Dumfries rumours

According to a report by Sport Mediaset (translated by SportWitness), Inter may need to sell players to manage the books this summer. Therefore, Dumfries could be an option which would make significant money.

It is claimed that Bayern Munich and Tottenham would be “in the front row” for a summer transfer, as both sides are “watching him very carefully”.

Sport Mediaset further report that it would take in the region between £29.5m and £33.7m to secure the Dutchman’s services.

The Verdict: Good signing

After a shaky start to his Serie A career, Dumfries has gone on to earn comparisons with that of Inter legend Maicon, after a string of “brilliant” performances.

The Netherlands international’s underlying stats certainly illustrate this; he ranks in the 99th percentile in his position for non-penalty expected goals, non-penalty expected goals plus expected assists, touches in the attacking penalty area and progressive passes received (Europe’s top five leagues via FB Ref).

His attacking threat would complement Conte’s play-style perfectly, as he would slot in as an overlapping wing-back in Spurs’ back five.

If Paratici can get this deal across the line, we feel this would be a perfect signing for Conte.

In other news: Tottenham Hotspur: Sky Sports man drops Steven Bergwijn claim

Rumoured Liverpool transfer target Aurelien Tchouameni is wanted by two unnamed Premier League clubs, according to journalist Fabrizio Romano.

The Lowdown: Tchouameni a huge talent

The 22-year-old has emerged as arguably one of the best young midfielders in the world, performing with quality and maturity beyond his years.

Tchouameni has made 25 starts for Monaco in Ligue 1 this season, winning 2.4 aerial duels per game and also being described as ‘extraordinary’ by international colleague Paul Pogba.

Liverpool have been linked with a move for the Frenchman, and Romano has now shed new light on the player’s transfer status.

The Latest: Romano provides update on Tchouameni

Taking to Twitter over the weekend, Romano confirmed that a couple of Premier League clubs want to sign Tchouameni, along with Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain. He revealed:

“Aurelien Tchouameni’s agent has denied to Le Parisien any agreement on personal terms with Real Madrid.

“Real are following Tchouameni’s performances with Monaco since long time alongside two Premier League clubs and PSG but there’s nothing agreed with any club.”

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The Verdict: Wonderful potential signing

Tchouameni looks like a spectacular talent, mastering a deeper-lying midfield role and already proving to be such a key player for Monaco, ranking as by far their best performer according to WhoScored metrics.

With some of Liverpool’s midfielders now in their 30s – the likes of Fabinho and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain are close to that milestone, too – the 22-year-old could be an ideal summer addition, capable of playing in a defensive or central midfield role.

Not only does Tchouameni average an eye-catching 2.6 tackles and interceptions apiece per match this season, he also averaged a 90.9% pass completion rate across five appearances for France in World Cup qualifying, demonstrating that he is a midfielder of many talents.

In other news, Liverpool are reportedly eyeing up a move for a former Premier League midfielder. Read more here.

Arsenal will compete with Aston Villa for the signature of Philippe Coutinho, according to Spanish reports (via Sport Witness). 

The lowdown

Villa loaned in Coutinho from FC Barcelona in January and negotiated an option to buy for £33million in the summer.

They will, however, still have to agree a contract with the player, who will reportedly need to take a pay cut to move to Villa Park permanently.

Villa have already opened talks with the Spanish giants, 90Min claim, presumably over the precise structure of the deal.

The latest

The report from Spain states that Coutinho’s performances in claret and blue have ‘aroused the interest’ of other teams, and Arsenal are among them.

The Gunners have ‘already been in contact’ with the Brazilian’s entourage to make their admiration known.

Coutinho is expected to make a decision on where he’ll be playing his football in May.

The verdict

Coutinho has been fantastic for Villa so far, with Steven Gerrard hailing him as a ‘joy to watch’.

He’s scored four times and provided three assists in his 10 appearances, directly contributing to a goal every 111 minutes.

His average WhoScored rating of 7.28/10 is the highest in the Villa squad, ahead of the likes of John McGinn (7.17) and Matty Cash (6.98).

But who would he choose if it came down to Villa or Arsenal?

Well, Arsenal may be able to offer him a larger salary. Their current wage ceiling (£200,000 per week) is significantly larger than that of Villa (£120,000).

But, on the other hand, Coutinho knows that he’s likely to have a starting role nailed down at Villa (Gerrard has selected him for the last nine).

And at Arsenal, he’d be competing with Martin Odegaard, currently ‘in the form of his life’ (in the words of Sky Sports’ Micah Richards).

In other news, links to a Manchester United have emerged.

Tottenham Hotspur will make the trip from north to west London this evening to take on Brentford as Antonio Conte’s men look to strengthen their hold on a place in the Premier League’s top four.

Spurs are currently fourth but their place in the Champions League spots is feeble, with goal difference the only factor separating them and fifth-placed Arsenal.

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Having been dealt a setback last weekend when losing 1-0 to Brighton, Conte’s men can’t afford to slip up again against the Bees.

It is a must-win for the Lilywhites and so here is how Football FanCast believe Spurs will set up.

Tottenham XI: Lloris, Romero, Dier, Davies, Emerson, Sessegnon, Betancur, Hojbjerg, Kulusevski, Son, Kane (3-4-3)

In terms of formation, we expect Conte to stick with his preferred 3-4-3 set-up at the Brentford Community Stadium, with Sergio Reguilon dropping out of the XI in favour of the £58k-per-week Ryan Sessegnon.

The Spaniard returned to the starting lineup against the Seagulls having come on as a substitute the week before against Aston Villa, with Matt Doherty sustaining an injury that has since ruled the wing-back out for the remainder of the season.

However, it was a poor display from the 25-year-old who completed just 63% of his passes whilst failing to provide a single interception, clearance or block whilst making only one tackle.

Labelled as “pathetic” by journalist Tom Young, the £43m left-wing-back has featured in six of Spurs’ last seven matches having regained his place after Ryan Sessegnon sustained a hamstring injury.

The 21-year-old has since returned from his setback, making the bench for the north London outfit’s last two games and could be in contention for a return to the starting lineup.

Prior to his injury, the Englishman had arguably his best run of games in a Spurs shirt, featuring in seven out of eight matches from late January to early March.

Tottenham insider John Wenham was full of praise for Sessegnon after a 3-0 win over Norwich City, calling the wing-back “amazing.”

Conte will have to get his team selection spot on against Brentford with there being no more room for slip-ups with just six games to go.

AND in other news: Conte must finally unleash “absolutely fantastic” Spurs sensation, he’s a “big talent”