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Tottenham Hotspur return to Premier League action this afternoon as they welcome Aston Villa to N17.

Nuno Santo and his side will be looking to stop a run of three straight heavy defeats in the English top-flight later today and the Portuguese has many interesting selection dilemmas following their midweek win in the UEFA Europa Conference League.

One player who started that game but did not feature in the north London derby defeat last weekend was Cristian Romero, whose only Premier League start came in the 3-0 defeat to Chelsea but as Football FanCast explained at the time, he was perhaps the one shining light from the game.

Spurs have leaked three goals in each of their last three outings, losing 3-1 to Arsenal, and 3-0 to the Blues and Crystal Palace.

Nuno would be foolish to stick with the often calamitous, often inconsistent duo of Davinson Sanchez and Eric Dier at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium today, especially when the 2020/21 Serie A ‘Defender of the Year’ is sitting in his ranks.

Villa have plenty of firepower, even despite the departure of club captain and favourite Jack Grealish to Manchester City – along with Ollie Watkins, Dean Smith now also has Danny Ings, Leon Bailey, Emi Buendia and Bertrand Traore.

There are plenty of players that could do Spurs some serious damage and that’s why the 47-year-old must turn to the Copa America winner here today.

Last season, Romero led the Italian top-flight for interceptions per game (3.1), on top of two tackles and 3.6 aerial duels won, combining an impressive ability to read the game with his imposing physical stature.

On Thursday night, he displayed these qualities in a Spurs shirt, albeit against much weaker opposition than Villa, But still, it was a huge source of encouragement.

As per WhoScored, the £31.5m-rated beast recorded a whopping five interceptions, three tackles and two aerial duels won against Slovenian champions NS Mura.

The 23-year-old, who has been capped five times by Argentina, was once dubbed “phenomenal” by Serie A expert Conor Clancy during an exclusive interview with This is Futbol.

“Romero can pick out a 50-yard pass onto the foot of a striker perfectly but it’s something that goes a little bit unnoticed because his defensive work is so good and he is a top, top defender,” he added.

Meanwhile, current Lilywhites teammate Pierluigi Gollini – who also signed on loan from Atalanta this summer – recently dubbed the 6 foot 1 colossus an “animal” who is “perfect for the Premier League” to the Evening Standard.

On that basis, he simply has to start against Villa this afternoon. The fans are calling for it, his recent performances justify it and Nuno is in desperate need of a better solution in defence.

Romero must be in that starting XI come kickoff today.

AND in other news, “Tottenham are watching”: Spurs insider drops managerial claim, fans will be ecstatic…

Heung-min Son has been one of Tottenham Hotspur’s standout performers for several seasons now but under Nuno Santo, he has quickly emerged as the main protagonist, with Harry Kane struggling to find the net.

The South Korean sensation signed for the north London outfit from Bundesliga side Bayer Leverkusen back in August 2015, costing Daniel Levy just £22m.

He has been ever-present since, going onto record 289 appearances, 110 goals and 66 assists – and counting. Across six seasons, he has managed a direct contribution every 110 minutes.

A consistent and impressive feat indeed.

So far this campaign, he has scored more goals than the rest of the Spurs squad combined, whilst he tops the charts for shots on goal (3.2 per game) and creating key chances (1.5 per game), as per WhoScored.

Undeniably, he has been Nuno’s best-performing player thus far.

You could argue that he has been Levy’s greatest-ever success story, transfer or whatever you’d like to call it.

The versatile 29-year-old forward, who can play on the wing as well as through the middle, has seen his worth increase to a whopping £76.5m, making him the second-most valuable player at Tottenham and the ninth overall in the Premier League, as per Transfermarkt.

That is an increase of 248% on Levy’s investment, so it certainly has to be lauded as a masterstroke.

Throughout his career in north London, the 92-time international has received plenty of glowing endorsements, only adding to just how big of a success he has been.

Jose Mourinho regularly waxed lyrical about Son and once called him a “special player” and a “special human being”, whilst Martin Keown previously dubbed the winger a “revelation” on Match of the Day 2 [16/02, 10:45pm].

On the above evidence, Spurs and Levy have clearly struck gold and hit the jackpot with Son.

The long-serving attacker has even been tied down until the summer of 2025 after signing a fresh extension during the summer, so the Lilywhites faithful will get to witness a whole lot more in the coming years.

AND in other news, Spurs receive huge transfer boost ahead of January window…

With Bruno Lage’s Wolverhampton Wanderers side heading into Saturday’s Premier League clash on the back of a number of impressive results, winning three of their last four league fixtures, the 45-year-old manager would have undoubtedly been hoping for yet another promising performance in order to continue Wolves’ climb up the table.

And, despite being 2-0 down against Aston Villa with just ten minutes of the match remaining, three late goals from Romain Saiss, Conor Coady and Ruben Neves saw Wolves complete a famous comeback against their rivals, leaving Villa Park with a 3-2 win, all three points and local bragging rights.

However, despite the impressive result, there were nevertheless a number of Wolves players who turned in below bar performances in the clash, none more so than the hero of the club’s Premier League win against Newcastle United last time out, Hee-Chan Hwang.

Lost 90% duels

After somewhat surprisingly being started in a front two alongside Adama Traore, Hwang failed to have any real impact over his 88 minutes on the pitch against Villa.

Indeed, the 25-year-old managed just one shot at the Aston Villa goal, completed no dribbles and made no key passes, as well as touching the ball a total of 40 times – two times fewer than Jose Sa between the Wolves sticks.

The £9.9m-rated man also won just one of his ten attempted duels – a failure rate of 90% – gave away possession of the ball on 12 separate occasions and conceded three fouls, in addition to being dribbled past twice and making one error which led to a shot – with Tim Spiers’ describing this error as Hwang “carelessly” giving the ball away.

As a result of his returns – or lack thereof – the South Korea international received an extremely disappointing SofaScore match rating of 6.0, the lowest rating given to any Wolves player on the day.

As such, while the winger is clearly a much more talented player than his performance against Villa would suggest, Hwang nevertheless failed Lage in the comeback against Villa.

In other news: “Intent” Wolves dynamo who made just 5 passes proved Lage wrong in derby thriller

Everton are fighting it out with two other Premier League clubs for the signature of Real Betis’ Rodri Sanchez, according to Spanish outlet Fichajes (via Sport Witness). 

The lowdown

Sanchez is a versatile 21-year-old who can play as an attacking midfielder and as a left or right winger.

He has made seven appearances in all competitions so far this season, averaging 1.6 shots, 1.3 dribbles and 1.3 tackles per 90 minutes (via WhoScored).

Sanchez made his first appearance for Spain’s under-21s in their 3-2 European Championship qualifying win against Slovakia last week.

The latest

Fichajes claimed that Betis are currently trying to extend Sanchez’s contract, which runs until 2024. His existing deal apparently contains a release clause of €24m, equating to £20.4m.

Everton, Brighton and Southampton are all said to be willing to part with that amount to secure the signing of the 21-year-old.

The verdict

The Athletic’s Greg O’Keeffe suggested on Monday that Rafael Benitez wanted more options out wide at Everton, and Sanchez’s versatility means he could provide cover across a number of positions.

Would he be a good fit for the Toffees? It’s notable that he hasn’t attempted a single cross so far this season, and you feel that aiming balls in towards the aerially prolific Dominic Calvert-Lewin would be an important part of his job if he were to move to Merseyside.

He could possibly try to adapt his playing style to meet Benitez’s demands.

In other news, Greg O’Keeffe has claimed that this Everton defender could be sold 

Aston Villa are keen on making another approach for Bologna defender Aaron Hickey in the upcoming transfer window.

What’s the story?

His emergence onto the scene back in the 2019/2020 campaign saw numerous clubs register their interest in the 19-year-old, with BBC Sport claiming that along with Villa, the likes of Bayern Munich, Bologna and Sheffield Wednesday were all keen on luring him away from Scotland last summer – in the end, it was the Serie A side who won out.

Now, The Birmingham Mail’s Ashley Preece has claimed that Hickey once again is of high interest to Dean Smith’s side, and that the club are ready to make their approach in the coming weeks.

Perfect for Villa

The versatile defender enjoyed a breakthrough season with Scottish side Hearts in that 2019/2020 season, making 22 appearances in the league, scoring once and providing one assist too.

Able to play anywhere across the back-line at just 19, the £7.2m-rated Hickey has already shown incredible versatility, and it’s something Villa could make the most out of.

The man who gave him his first-team debut, Craig Levein, pointed out: “He’s got really good defensive qualities but I don’t know if he’ll end up being a full-back, he might end up going back into midfield. He could be a fantastic holding midfielder with his great awareness of danger and his ability to get out of tight situations with the ball at his feet.”

And after he made his debut for Bologna, manager Sinisa Mihajlovic, said: “He doesn’t speak Italian yet and he has to improve a few things but he’s a lad with quality and personality who did well today. Right up to the end I wasn’t sure whether to play him, because I had other players who have already started in that role, but I like to take risks.”

Given his age and versatility, Hickey could well become a long-term successor to Matt Targett, and fits into the framework of signings that Smith indicated this summer: young, British and with some decent experience already.

Meanwhile, Aston Villa could have their own Raheem Sterling in this academy starlet…

Interest in Celtic centre-forward Kyogo Furuhashi should come as no surprise to Ange Postecoglou.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to commentator and journalist Stuart Hodge, who claimed in a recent interview with GIVEMESPORT that the 26-year-old’s links with a move to Southampton in the January transfer window will not come as a shock to those at Parkhead, as the Japan international has been something of a revelation since joining the Bhoys this summer.

Speaking about whether the interest in the striker is surprising, Hodge said: “Absolutely not. Look at his productivity since he came to Scotland. The age he is as well is a good age. Japanese players tend to mature a bit later in their careers.

“Normally you would say, for a Premier League player, by the time they hit 23 you’ve got a good idea of the level of player they’re going to be. In Japan, it can sometimes happen a bit later because of various things.”

Fans would be fuming

Hodge is correct to point out Kyogo’s impressive productivity since his arrival at Parkhead, as the forward has arguably been one of Postecoglou’s stand out players in the current campaign.

Indeed, over his nine Scottish Premiership fixtures so far this season, the £1.8m-rated man has scored five goals, registered two assists and created one big chance for his teammates, as well as taking an average of 1.8 shots and making one key pass per game.

These returns have seen the player Postecoglou dubbed a “positive character” average a SofaScore match rating of 7.00, ranking him as Celtic’s joint 14th-best performer in the top flight of Scottish football.

The Japan striker has also bagged three goals over four Europa League qualifying fixtures, one goal over two Europa League proper matches and one goal in one Scottish League Cup appearance – taking his total haul of goals to 10 in 16 games played for the club.

As such, while the interest in Kyogo’s services should come as no surprise to the Parkhead faithful, if the Hoops were to cash in on the 26-year-old this winter, it would undoubtedly be a decision that would leave fans fuming – as the forward clearly has the ability to play a major role in Celtic’s bid to reclaim their Premiership crown come next May.

In other news: Major blow: Celtic handed big injury setback ahead of Thursday, fans will be gutted

Franck Kessie and Marcelo Brozovic are amongst the players named on new Tottenham manager Antonio Conte’s six-man shortlist ahead of the January transfer window, according to Sportmediaset.

The Lowdown: Conte plots January moves

Conte has been brought in (The Athletic) to replace Nuno Espirito Santo, who was sacked as Spurs manager after the 3-0 defeat to Manchester United on Sunday.

There are no shortage of areas in the Spurs squad which need improvement, with Harry Kane struggling for goals and no adequate back-up behind him, while the defence has conceded 16 goals in their first 10 Premier League games. To put that number into perspective, 18th-placed Burnley have let in the same amount.

The Italian is seemingly already preparing for the January transfer window, and he has drawn up a shortlist as a result.

The Latest: Six-man list revealed

According to the reports from Italy, the new gaffer has drawn up a six-man list of potential targets to buff up his squad.

Dusan Vlahovic, Franck Kessie, Marcelo Brozovic, Alessandro Bastoni, Stefan de Vrij and Manuel Lazzari make up the alleged list.

Of course, Conte and Fabio Paratici worked together in Italy to great success, winning the league title with Juventus, so it is no surprise to see the pair shopping in their homeland.

The Verdict: What he knows

While Conte did win the Premier League with Chelsea, it is in Italy where he really made his name. He has won Serie A with both Juventus and Inter Milan, massively upsetting the former’s long run of dominance with the latter, while he also coached the Italian national team to a European Championships quarter-final in 2016.

As such, he knows the players in his homeland inside out, and it is not surprise to see him look at what he knows. He even coached three of them at Inter in Brozovic, Bastoni and de Vrij.

There is some real talent there, as well, with the former of that trio having featured in a World Cup final, while £49.5m-valued Kessie (Transfermarkt) for example has been labelled as “devastating” by Antonio Cassano (via Sempre Milan).

Whether he will be able to pick up all or some of them in the next window remains to be seen, but with a reported £150m transfer budget, he is likely to be able to give it a good go.

In other news, the numbers of Conte’s contract have been revealed.

Liverpool are interested in signing Torino centre-back Gleison Bremer in the January transfer window, according to a new report which has emerged.

The Lowdown: Liverpool well-stocked at centre-back

The Reds had a defensive nightmare in the injury department last season, having to make do without Virgil van Dijk, Joel Matip and Joe Gomez for much of the campaign.

Jurgen Klopp is now in a far stronger position at the back, though, with the trio all fit again and Ibrahima Konate coming in from RB Leipzig in the summer. However, it could be that Liverpool are eyeing up another centre-back, if a fresh report is to be believed.

[freshpress-quiz id=“375258″]

The Latest: Bremer linked with January move

According to Torino Granata [via Sport Witness], the Reds could look to sign the Torino man in January, with the possibility of negotiations being accelerated in order to potentially secure a January move for a player who Klopp has already been following for more than a year.

Bremer is valued at just €10m (£8.5m) by the Serie A club, even though his current deal doesn’t expire until the summer of 2023. The 24-year-old is actually rated at £13.5m by Transfermarkt and has started 11 league games this season, registering one goal and one assist.

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The Verdict: Gomez squad place under threat?

This is a surprise claim in many ways, considering that Liverpool now have four established and available centre-backs at their disposal.

It could potentially point towards Gomez moving on at the end of the season, with the Londoner reportedly unhappy at his lack of playing time. Matip is also 30 years of age and rather injury-prone, so Bremer could arguably be considered a long-term replacement for him as well.

The Torino ace has averaged an impressive 3.9 interceptions per game in the league this season, which is more than double Liverpool’s leading player in that regard, Trent Alexander-Arnold with 1.9.

In other news, some Liverpool fans have flocked to a Fabrizio Romano update. Read more here.

Celtic want to sign Brest goalkeeper Marco Bizot during the January transfer window, according to French outlet Homme du Match. 

The lowdown

The 30-year-old, who has been capped by Netherlands, only joined Brest from Eredivisie outfit AZ Alkmaar last summer in a £4.5m deal.

He has started all of their Ligue 1 matches so far, but boasts the second poorest shot-stopping record in the division. The Dutchman has conceded 4.8 goals more than his xG concession rate (via FBRef).

Indeed, Celtic have strengthened their goalkeeping ranks in recent months with the acquisition of Joe Hart, who has been Ange Postecoglou’s first choice in the role.

The latest

The report from Homme du Match stated that Bizot could make a swift exit from his new club, with Celtic lining up a January move.

The Hoops would like to sign the 1.93m (6 foot 4) goalkeeper on loan, but Brest will have ‘no interest’ in such a proposal unless it includes an obligation to buy in the summer.

The verdict

Perhaps the idea would be for Bizot to come in and apply pressure to Hart, keeping him on his toes. However, Celtic are already fairly well-stocked in the goalkeeping department, with Scott Bain, Conor Hazard and Vasilis Barkas all supporting Hart.

When you also consider the Dutchman’s alarmingly poor form in Ligue 1, it doesn’t seem like it would be the most prudent investment.

If they can avoid an obligation to buy, they could take him on a trial basis, which wouldn’t represent any great risk. Otherwise, though, Celtic should forget this one.

In other news, Frank McAvennie wants these two Celtic players sold

With Liverpool set to return to Premier League action on Saturday evening with a clash at Anfield against Arsenal, it’s safe to say the Reds are not in a good place at the moment when it comes to injuries. That is particularly the case in midfield with the likes of Harvey Elliott, Naby Keita, James Milner, Curtis Jones and potentially Jordan Henderson out injured for the clash against the north Londoners.

Opportunity knocks

Taking this into account, this could provide one promising Liverpool midfielder with the chance of getting some Premier League minutes under his belt and proving his worth to Reds manager Jurgen Klopp.

Having been among the substitutes in their two previous league matches, Tyler Morton could well find himself getting his first taste of Premier League action in the coming weeks given the number of injured midfielders Liverpool have at the moment.

As a product of Liverpool’s youth system, the 19-year-old has 23 appearances under his belt with their under-18 side with six goals and seven assists to his name, as well as 24 appearances for the under-23s with five goals scored and four assists provided in the process.

The teenager, who has been praised in the past by Klopp for having an “outstanding” football brain, has made two senior appearances for the Reds, both of which came in the Carabao Cup earlier this season.

For their 2-0 win over Preston in the Carabao Cup in October where he played the full 90 minutes, Morton’s performance earned him an overall match rating of 7/10 from the Liverpool Echo, whose reporter Ian Doyle said he was “neat on the ball.”

Taking all this into account, depending on how long the currently injured midfielders will be ruled out of action, it seems likely that Morton will get his chance to play in the Premier League in the near future to help Liverpool keep up with the likes of Chelsea, Manchester City and West Ham United at the top of the table.

Looking further ahead to the future, if Klopp does give the teenager a chance to prove himself in the Premier League in the coming weeks and months, the midfielder could well end up becoming a regular figure in Klopp’s squad in the same way Curtis Jones has done in recent years.

In other news: “Incredible” Liverpool ace with 2.2 shots per game has been Klopp’s unsung hero this season