To Dare Is To Do. Tottenham Hotspur supporters are strict adherents to this way of football, and so they are at odds with Thomas Frank, given his pragmatic tactical identity.

Though it’s been another frustrating campaign for Spurs, it’s worth remembering that the 2024/25 campaign, for all the struggle, ended with a flourish after Manchester United were beaten in the Europa League final.

There has been something of a clamour for a new centre-forward, with all of Richarlison, Randal Kolo Muani and Dominic Solanke all struggling in different ways, but it is a dearth of creativity that is the true crux of Frank’s struggle, and ENIC Group are consequently prepared to invest in a playmaker this month.

Spurs lining up playmaker in January

Brennan Johnson’s sale to Crystal Palace had been in the works for a while, but Mohammed Kudus picked up a hamstring injury during Tottenham’s recent draw against Sunderland, thus putting a spanner in the works.

The Ghanaian winger has been one of the brighter sparks down N17 this season, having joined from West Ham United for £55m during the summer. His haul of five assists places him fifth in the Premier League playmaking charts.

But Kudus is not a natural ball-playing creative, and that’s why the Lilywhites have identified an exciting new attacking midfielder.

According to TEAMtalk, Spurs representatives have made checks on AS Monaco’s Maghnes Akliouche, who has a price tag of £50m and is also being chased by Manchester City, Newcastle United and a host of further European suitors.

Tottenham scouts have been in attendance at some of Akliouche’s games of late, and club-to-club talks were held last summer, so the groundwork has been completed if the Londoners now want to push and get the deal done.

Why Akliouche would be perfect for Spurs

Akliouche, 23, has become an increasingly important presence for Monaco in recent years, scoring 19 goals and supplying 22 assists across 119 senior appearances since graduating from their famed youth academy.

This season, he has scored three goals and supplied five assists from 23 fixtures in all competitions, with his artistry on the ball leading talent scout Jacek Kulig to hail him as a “magician” who has a “left foot made of gold”.

He is not blessed with Kudus’ electric pace, but the five-cap Les Bleus star has showcased his technicality and athleticism in the Champions League this season, ranking among the top 10% of positional peers for progressive passes and the top 19% for successful take-ons per 90, as per FBref.

Moreover, he has created seven big chances from only 15 starts in Ligue 1 this season, thus underscoring a level of flair on the ball that could help lift Tottenham away from their playmaking rut.

Premier League 25/26 – Lowest xG Totals

Team

Goals Scored

xG

West Ham

21

20.5

Wolves

14

19.0

Tottenham

28

18.9

Burnley

20

17.6

Sunderland

21

16.8

Data via FBref

While Tottenham chiefs may want to sign a snappier winger after Johnson’s departure – and Kudus’ injury – this might be an opportunity that is too good to pass, with his particular skillset seemingly fit to dovetail into the system and instantly provide relief in the club’s attacking play.

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Kudus is a fantastic player, almost one-of-a-kind in his ability to dart past opponents and wreak havoc in and around the danger area.

But he’s not a natural playmaker, and that’s why Akliouche could prove an upgrade on him down the right, given the glaring deficiencies down N17 right now.

Akliouche is still at the start of a promising career, and having established himself as a future superstar in his homeland, Tottenham should take a punt and add to Frank’s squad the kind of creative talent who could make a real, lasting difference.

Related Their new Dembele: £87m "monster" midfielder has become a target for Spurs

Tottenham are clearly struggling for control and creativity in midfield under Thomas Frank’s stewardship.

Posts 2 ByAngus Sinclair

In addition to its long-standing reputation as one of English football’s premier cup competitions, the League Cup’s record of showcasing the talents of football’s brightest young things has increasingly become its trademark. As we look forward to the next round of the competition, FootballFanCast pays tribute to Arsene Wenger, the man who has arguably done more than anyone to give youth a chance in the League Cup.

Arsenal will travel to Reading in the next round of this year’s Capital One Cup and it’s almost certain that, as he has done throughout his career, manager Arsene Wenger will take the opportunity to give a few of his younger players the chance to take the stage.  When you hear about the Capital One Cup as a breeding ground for stars of the future, the Frenchman is often, and rightly, put forward as the architect of the trend.

Earlier this season, Wenger used the Capital One Cup third-round tie at home to Coventry to blood three more youngsters – Argentine goalkeeper Damian Martinez, Swiss centre-back Martin Angha and German winger Serge Gnabry (as a substitute) all featured in the comfortable 6-1 victory.

Arsenal’s starting line-up in that match also included Ignasi Miquel, Nico Yennaris and Francis Coquelin, as well as senior players Johan Djourou and Andrei Arshavin. The bench featured another four players unfamiliar to most Arsenal fans, with goalkeeper James Shea, defender Hector Bellerin and midfielder Thomas Eisfield joining Gnabry. Though the nature of the League Cup may have changed in the last couple of seasons, Wenger remains unwavering in his aim to blood young players through the competition.

It’s been a particularly successful policy for the Gunners in the past decade. Wenger’s policy of turning to youth in the early 2000s, when his first great Arsenal team began to break up, required Arsenal to re-tool somewhat on the fly. The likes of Fabregas and Senderos were rushed into first team action, perhaps a little before their mentor might have liked, and the League Cup – where Arsenal play lower-league opposition early in the season – was an excellent opportunity for Wenger to give his young charges more playing time.

Many of the most prominent players to have emerged from the youth teams into Arsenal’s first team under Wenger’s tutelage have done so by making their debut in the League Cup. Ashley Cole, Johan Djourou, Philippe Senderos, Robin van Persie, Cesc Fabregas, Gael Clichy, and Wojciech Sczcesny.

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Today, with seven trophy-less seasons weighing him down, Wenger’s determination to invest in youth appears to have taken a back seat, with the last two summers welcoming the arrivals of Mikel Arteta, Lukas Podolski, Olivier Giroud, Per Mertesacker and Andre Santos, among others. And while many have criticised his policy to the League Cup in recent years, it should be pointed out that Arsenal have reached two of the last six League Cup finals – fielding near-full strength teams on both occasions, but going down by identical 2-1 scorelines to Chelsea (2007) and Birmingham City (2011).

In last week’s club AGM, Wenger stated that qualification for the Champions League was just as important as winning a title and ending the club’s drought. Any manager, though, would be foolish to turn down the chance of lifting a trophy – especially when, as in Wenger’s case, he could use the chance to allay some fears into his leadership. One only has to look at the Frenchman’s response to the first-leg semi-final defeat to Ipswich in 2011 to see just how much he values the opportunity to secure some silverware – and if he gets a chance to swing for the Capital One Cup this year, you can guarantee Wenger will take it.

Sunderland sporting director Kristjaan Speakman may have a job on his hand to get the fans back on his side in the coming months.

A section of the support blasted the Stadium of Light supremo for how he handled the club’s search for a new manager last month, whilst some fans questioned some of his business in the January transfer window.

Speakman opted to sack Lee Johnson after the 6-0 defeat to Bolton and he failed to get a replacement in for their matches against Doncaster and Cheltenham as Sunderland lost both games with an interim managerial set-up in place.

Masterclass

The ex-Birmingham academy manager now has the opportunity to resurrect his image at the Stadium of Light by sealing a masterclass with young striker Josh Stones.

TEAMtalk recently reported that they are one of a number of clubs in the race to land the Guiseley centre-forward, with Wolves, Burnley, Watford, Huddersfield, Middlesbrough, Crystal Palace and Newcastle also said to be keen on him.

This shows that there is a huge amount of interest in the striker from teams in the divisions above Sunderland, which is why winning the race for his signature would be a masterclass by the club. The fans would surely be impressed if Speakman can convince Stones to turn down several Premier League sides, including their fierce rivals, to join the Black Cats.

After all, this is a team that has so often seen their academy gems taken away from them by the rich and the elite in English football.

He has scored against Palace at youth level for England’s schoolboys and has been playing regularly in the National League North this season despite being in his teens. That suggests he has the potential to go far in his career as he has been able to break into a senior set-up at such a young age, showing that he has the ability and physicality to play at first-team level.

When you consider what is a freakish record at academy level this term, it only makes a move even more exciting with Stones bagging 21 times in 14 outings throughout 2021/22.

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Therefore, the youngster would be a shrewd addition to Sunderland’s academy side this year. If he is then able to make the step up to League One, or potentially the Championship, then he would be saving the club millions as they’d be able to avoid dropping a big transfer fee on a new, already established, striker to bolster the side.

Speakman must now work hard to ensure that he can get a deal over the line for Stones to restore his reputation and make sure that Alex Neil has a talented player in the pipeline for the future.

AND in other news, 75% duels won: SAFC could find a saviour in “quick learner” who’s a “massive asset”…

Mutter the name Ryan Christie in the presence of a Celtic supporter and it may just send shivers down their spine or provoke a look of despair in your general direction.

On his day, the former Bhoy had the potential to frighten defences to death, cutting inside with the finesse of Arjen Robben and devastatingly finding the net. Yet, on other days, the ex-Parkhead gem resembled a frustrated figure, somebody who to coin an old phrase, couldn’t hit a barn door.

That was the story of Christie’s Celtic career in a nutshell; promise, excitement but ultimately, he’d let you down and disappoint too regularly. The very fact he was branded a “laughing stock” by pundit Frank McAvennie paints a very vivid picture of his final campaign with Celtic.

After all, at one stage last term, he scored just once in a run of 19 league outings.

Yet, as the Premiership title race begins to captivate and enthral with Ange Postecoglou’s side stuttering in attack, they could well do with his presence.

Liel Abada has been exceptional at times this term, scoring 14 goals and assisting 11 since penning terms with the Scottish giants. Sadly, however, he has failed to find the net in his last four outings.

Daizen Maeda has also struggled and with the likes of Kyogo Furuhashi, Karamoko Dembele and Giorgos Giakoumakis regularly spending time on the sideline through injury, they have been bereft of much offensive depth.

Additionally, James Forrest’s career looks to be winding down now but in Christie, they had the perfect man to cover in a multitude of positions across the forward line and his presence would surely be appreciated right now.

He wasn’t always a prolific goalscorer but in terms of his creativity, he was a marvel, supplying 15 goals in his final campaign in Scotland.

Capped 26 times by his country, he also offers experience, something that would be invaluable to a young and developing Celtic team.

To call letting him go a mistake may be pushing it, but there must be an element of regret in allowing him to run down to the final six months of his contract.

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As a result, the Bhoys fetched just £2.5m for a player whose value has quickly increased by a whopping 224% to £8.1m after waving farewell to Postecoglou and co.

Celtic have fetched plenty of big fees in recent years; namely for the likes of Odsonne Edouard and Kieran Tierney, but they should have received far more for Christie as well.

AND in other news, Forget Jota: Celtic passenger who lost 71% duels is becoming a “huge problem” for Ange…

Speaking to Football Insider, Tottenham Hotspur ‘insider’ John Wenham, who break news on his Lilywhites Rose social media channels, has shared what he’s been ‘told’ about transfer target Toby Savin.

The Lowdown: Spurs set sights on lower league talent…

Tottenham chief Fabio Paratici is allegedly leaving no stone unturned in his search for top talent, not excluding England’s lower leagues.

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/tottenham-latest-news-copy/” title=”Tottenham latest developments!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

Peterborough United wing-back Benjamin Mensah and Middlesbrough starlet Djed Spence are two players who have been linked with a north London move recently and Savin, currently of Accrington Stanley, is another.

The young goalkeeper has impressed under John Coleman in recent seasons, allegedly attracting the interest of Spurs, with Wenham now sharing what he knows.

The Latest: Wenham shares what he’s been told…

As per his sources, speaking to FI, Tottenham are ‘very keen’ on Savin and the insider expects Paratici to make a move ‘as soon as the window opens’.

“I’m always happy for Tottenham to be signing up young, English talent from the lower leagues,”  he explained.

“From what I’m told, Tottenham are massively interested in him and we have had scouts watching him extensively.

“I do expect we will make a move for him as soon as the summer window opens.

“What I think could then happen is he could be loaned back to Accrington for the 2022/23 season.

“He might even be loaned to a team in the league above, I’m not sure.

“But from what I was told, Tottenham are very. very keen on him.”

The Verdict: Get it done…

Also drawing attention from the likes of Man United, Savin has arguably stood out as one of the most promising keepers in the Football League in recent seasons.

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Coleman has already lavished praise on the ‘outstanding’ homegrown youngster and we believe he has the potential to be a future heir for Hugo Lloris should he continue his rise.

The colossal 6 foot 4 ace could well be one to keep an eye on.

In other news: Conte eyeing major priority as Spurs make pre-summer move for ‘fantastic’ player likened to Bale, find out more here.

Journalist Paul Brown has claimed there is some worry around the Everton squad following Frank Lampard’s arrival at the club.

The Lowdown: Lampard’s tenure

The former Chelsea boss joined the Toffees at the end of January as Rafa Benitez’s replacement after the Spaniard left the side in 15th position in the Premier league table.

Worryingly, the 43-year-old has been unable to turn Everton’s dire form around, with the Blues still battling it out for top-flight survival.

In his five league matches in charge, Lampard’s side have Everton sit a single point above the relegation zone with just 13 fixtures to go.

The Latest: Brown’s claim…

Brown has weighed in on the situation, saying there is some ‘disillusionment’ around the club, singling out the likes of Dominic Calvert-Lewin in the process.

Speaking with GiveMeSport about Calvert-Lewin and the squad, he said:

“He’s [DCL] come back but he clearly wasn’t 100% fit against Southampton, when I saw him play there. He got a lot of stick for not trying hard enough but Lampard said afterwards that it’s going to take him a while to shake off the rust and get back to his best.

“There’s a bit of disillusionment, in general, about a lot of the players in the squad.”

The Verdict: Need the fans more than ever

With the current state of affairs at the club, this Toffees squad need any boost they can get as they head into the most crucial few months of their Everton careers.

Lampard’s side are likely to battle it out with Brentford, Leeds and Burnley for a place in the top-flight of English football next season, as Norwich and Watford already appear to be back on their way down to the Championship.

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The claim by Brown will come as a worry to Lampard. Having been in charge for just five league games, it would be terrible for the manager to already be losing the faith when he is supposed to be enjoying a new boss bounce.

One thing is for sure, the vociferous Goodison atmosphere will need to be at full pelt for the Blues’ remaining home games.

In other news: Everton: Pete O’Rourke makes investment claim

Phil Hay has dropped a worrying injury update concerning Leeds United forward Rodrigo.

What’s the latest?

In a recent post on Twitter, The Athletic journalist revealed that the 31-year-old, who was withdrawn in the 60th minute of Leeds’ 2-1 win over Norwich City on Sunday, came off as a result of a tight quad muscle – something that would appear to cast a doubt on the Spaniard’s availability for the trip to Wolverhampton Wanderers on Friday evening.

In his tweet, Hay said: “Rodrigo came off with a tight quad muscle.”

Marsch will be gutted

Considering just how impressive Rodrigo was in the crucial victory over the Canaries last weekend, the fact that the forward now appears to be a doubt for this week’s trip to Molineux is sure to have left Jesse Marsch gutted.

Indeed, over his 60 minutes on the pitch against City, the £13.5m-rated dynamo enjoyed 44 touches of the ball, completed 29 of his 33 attempted passes – one of which was key – and found his man with two of his three attempted long balls – not to mention giving his side the lead with a very well-taken finish early in the first half.

These returns saw the £100k-per-week Spain international earn an extremely impressive SofaScore match rating of 7.4, with only Brazilian winger Raphinha receiving a higher rating than the 31-year-old on the day.

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As such, should Rodrigo indeed be ruled out of the Wolves fixture, it will undoubtedly come as a huge blow to the Whites’ chances of leaving Molineux with all three points on Friday – with anything but a win potentially being disastrous to the club’s hopes of retaining their top-flight status come the end of the season.

AND in other news: Sold at £7m, now worth £25m: Cellino cost Leeds greatly on 31 y/o who’s “absolute fire”

Aston Villa have seen many players come in and out of the club since they got promoted back to the Premier League after beating Derby County in the 2019 Championship Play-Off final.

In terms of some of the players that the Midlands club have signed in recent years, one that particularly sticks out for all the wrong reasons for being a waste of time and money is striker Mbwana Samatta.

The Midlands club spent a fee of £8.5m back in the 2020 January transfer window to bring the striker to Villa Park from Belgian club Genk, after Wesley picked up a serious knee injury just a couple of weeks prior that ruled him out for the remainder of that season.

Having made 14 Premier League appearances, the Tanzanian, who was picking up a weekly wage of £40k-per-week according to Spotrac, could only find the back of the net once which came in a 2-1 defeat against AFC Bournemouth, which is less than the five league goals Wesley managed to score before picking up his injury.

As well as a lack of goals, the 29-year-old’s overall performances in the league didn’t live up to much either with WhoScored giving him an uninspiring overall rating of 6.42, making him one of the lowest-rated players to start more than two league games for the Villans, highlighting just how badly suited he was playing in the Premier League.

In September 2020, the striker joined Turkish club Fenerbahce on loan before signing on a permanent deal in July 2021, 75 weeks after his uneventful move to England with Villa.

Rather unsurprisingly, the centre-forward described his time at the Midlands club and his eventual lack of regular game time there as “painful.”

Taking all of this into account, there’s no denying the fact that Samatta was just not right for Villa at that time and the club’s owners Wes Edens and Nassef Sawiris have ended up wasting a combined total of £11.5m on him from his transfer fee and weekly wages.

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Having been brought in as an unexpected replacement for Wesley that may not have been on the club’s radar otherwise, perhaps this could be a factor as to why things weren’t right for all parties at the time.

In other news: Gerrard heading for first AVFC mistake as insider claim emerges from Bodymoor Heath

Wolves’ woes in front of goal have continued on from Nuno Santo’s reign, as just five teams in the Premier League have failed to score more than Bruno Lage’s side, with Leeds as far down as 16th having put the ball in the back of the net more times this campaign.

Strikers Raul Jimenez and Hwang-Hee Chan have netted a disappointing total of 11 goals between them, while £36m signing Fabio Silva has managed just one goal all season – which came for the U23s team in the Premier League 2.

They could have wasted even more money last summer though, as they targeted Sheffield United striker Oliver McBurnie in a potential £15m deal, according to The Sun.

The Telegraph also reported on transfer deadline day back in August that the club attempted to complete a deal near the closure of the window, but they had just run out of time – which perhaps was a blessing in disguise.

Having made just six starts in the Championship and appearing a further 19 times from the bench, he has failed to score all campaign and has set up just two goals, in what has been a very unsuccessful season for the £6.3m-rated Scotland international.

With that in mind, it’s hardly a surprise that pundit Tam McManus described the attacker as “desperate” for his efforts in the final third.

After having a number of run-ins with the law in recent years, he has also become somewhat of a controversial figure in football, and fans and pundits have regularly criticised his attitude on and off the pitch.

Former Blades striker Carl Asaba is just one of the people who have leapt to his defence recently though, saying in an interview with The Star: “I watch McBurnie arrive at the ground, he’s smiling and happy, he warms up not looking like a man who is tense, or desperate to find a goal as I used to.

“He’s happy and jokey when a substitute and wishes his team mates good luck before kick off.

“He gets onto the pitch and he retains possession, ambles into the box when I’m screaming from commentary box that he needs to break his neck to get across the near post or that he should have taken a shot as you don’t shoot you don’t score.”

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With that being said, McBurnie clearly wasn’t the answer for Wolves if he is struggling for goals in the Championship – and the West Midlands club don’t need another forward to ‘retain possession’ or be ‘happy and jokey’ with teammates.

Instead, they need a proven goal-getter who can fire them into European qualification, and the 17-time Scotland international, who hasn’t yet scored for his national side either, isn’t that man.

In other news: Insider drops big Wolves claim involving Ruben Neves, it’ll devastate supporters

Tottenham Hotspur are set to revisit their previous interest in Adama Traore this summer…

What’s the word?

The stocky winger swapped Wolverhampton Wanderers for his former club Barcelona during the January transfer window, rejecting Spurs in the process, but as the 26-year-old is only on loan, he’s a player that the north Londoners remain interested in.

According to Spanish newspaper Sport (via Sport Witness), the Catalan giants are unable to fork out his €30m (£25m) option to buy this summer due to the club’s finances, though they remain hopeful of some sort of player swap deal involving Francisco Trincao, who is currently on loan in the other direction.

At the current time, this seems unlikely to happen, making Traore potentially available again ahead of next season. Antonio Conte and co retain their interest and will hold out to see what situation emerges over the coming months.

Bergwijn in danger

Forgotten Lilywhites man Steven Bergwijn should be hugely concerned by these developments, as a move for any new winger would surely push him closer to the exit door as he’s already slipped down the pecking order.

Dejan Kulusevski’s arrival on January deadline day has seen the Dutch winger further limited to game time. He has played only 486 minutes in the Premier League and 811 minutes overall this season, in which just 337 minutes have been under Conte.

Eredivisie champions Ajax have regularly been linked with a move for the 24-year-old outcast, so if Traore were to walk through the door at Hotspur Way, then you’d imagine Bergwijn – who cost £25m in January 2020 – would quickly become expendable.

It would be something of a major upgrade, too, though.

Across 76 appearances, the £18m-rated winger has only scored seven goals and laid on ten assists, as per Transfermarkt. Those are hardly inspiring numbers for an attacking player in the Premier League and whilst Traore’s returns aren’t much better, it’s the eye test that clinches it.

Built like a brick wall, the Spaniard has been lauded as “unplayable” by Premier League-winning head coach Jurgen Klopp and a “monster” by Southampton forward Che Adams.

Traore is also capable of playing centrally up front, on the other flank and at right wing-back, ticking plenty more boxes than Bergwijn, so he could be of much greater use, especially if the 26-year-old’s natural role is being taken up by someone like Kulusevski.

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It remains to be seen whether Spurs would have to splash out £25m to sign Traore, although that is around his current estimated value of £25.2m, as per Transfermarkt.

Either way, this sustained interest in the Wolves loanee certainly spells trouble for Bergwijn heading into 2022/23.

AND in other news, Spurs leading race to sign £42m-rated “special talent”, could be Conte’s next Martinez…