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As the Premier League progresses and players are getting transferred like trading cards in January, it’s interesting to look at the top players of the league to far. Maybe it will inform some transfer decisions, maybe it will inform some betting options or maybe it is all pie in the sky given the ridiculous sums bandied around in the press and on TV.

Whether you’re looking for some insight or amusement, take a look at our picks for the players to keep an eye on in the Premier League.

Photo by Emilio Garcia on Unsplash

Jamie Vardy, Leicester City FC
Are all goals created equal? That is the question that is posed from looking closely at Leicester City’s Jamie Vardy. The striker memorably put away three goals in September in a game against Burnley in the early days of the Premier League – but one of them was an own goal. No, Jamie, we’re not about to forget it either.
However, Vardy is making up for it for being one of the top scorers of the Premier League, third in place behind Liverpool’s Salah and Jota. In 16 games played he has gained nine goals and his ability to turn the tables on his opponent at the last possible moment makes for a nail-biting experience to watch. For that alone, you should keep an eye on him.
Unfortunately, you’ll have to wait to see him, as at the moment he’s off for a month with a hamstring injury incurred during his game against Liverpool on December 28th, 2021. He can do some sports betting online like the rest of us for the time being.
Kieran Trippier, Newcastle FC
Only as of the 4th of January has the news been confirmed that Keiran Trippier is joining Newcastle United FC. Coming in from Atletico Madrid of all teams, the 31-year-old defender was bought for £12million to Newcastle, where he will be reunited with his old Burnley turned Newcastle manager, Eddie Howe. Doesn’t that warm the heart?
The sad reality is that Newcastle is currently second to last in the Premier League at the moment, having shamefully won only one game since the season started, and they’ll need a decent injection of talent to pull them out of this slump. Will Trippier be the one to pull them out?
He’s got the experience, having played for Burnley, Tottenham, and England in the past, and his time with Atletico Madrid has left a good impression, concluding with a La Liga win last season.
Mohamed Salah, Liverpool FC
Liverpool FC are currently third on the Premier League table, just a point behind Chelsea and vying for that semi-final space – and no one can say they would have got there without Mohamed Salah.
Salah not only tops the scorers’ chart but the assists chart too, having assisted on 9 goals on top of his 16 scored in 20 games. In the process he equaled Jamie Vardy’s record of scoring a goal in 15 consecutive Premier League games, proving he can go against the best before him and extending his long history of breaking records.
It was frankly a snub to see that he wasn’t nominated for the FIFA Fifpro World 11 awards, especially when 10 Premier League players made the cut.
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp agrees, saying that Salah is “phenomenal” and that “For sure, at the moment, he is the best player in the world.”
Does praise get any higher? Even, no, especially, if it’s coming from your boss.
Unfortunately, yet another game has been postponed due to an outbreak amongst the players, so we’ll have to wait to see how Salah does against Arsenal in the first semi-final match of the season.

Image from: unsplash.com

Tottenham Hotspur are close to finalising Hugo Lloris’ contract extension…

What’s the word?

That is according to the ever-reliable Alasdair Gold of football.london, who delivered what he described as “a positive update” on the current situation.

‘football.london understands that with talks finally having begun, Lloris’ new contract is expected to be finalised very soon, with the keeper keen to stay and what are believed to be modest demands from him deemed more than reasonable by the club,” he wrote in an accompanying article this week.

The 35-year-old’s £100k-per-week contract was due to expire at the end of the season, so this claim will serve as a major boost to manager Antonio Conte, the squad and the fanbase.

Conte will be delighted

Indeed, the Italian head coach will be loving this news from behind the scenes at Hotspur Way.

Conte’s history with goalkeepers suggests that he likes one solid option between the sticks across all competitions and that’s exactly what he gets with Lloris, who has proven to be a reliable and vastly-experienced choice over the years.

“Hugo today showed that he is at the top and he is always focused and for us, he is very important and I am sure that in the short time they can find a solution in the club because he loves Tottenham and Tottenham loves him,” the 52-year-old told reporters after the win over Watford on New Years Day.

The World Cup winner is on the cusp of joining the 400-club at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium – should things go their way, he will reach that feat in February, having played 394 times since arriving in a £12m deal from Lyon in September 2012.

In that time, Lloris has kept 134 clean sheets and whilst on the face of it, that’s not overwhelmingly exciting, he has not had a solid backline in front of him for several seasons now. If anything, his presence has stopped them from leaking even more goals in recent times.

“He is brave, performance, quality he showed he is one of the best in the world, no doubt,” once claimed former Spurs boss Mauricio Pochettino.

The fact that the club are close to agreeing on fresh terms is indeed positive and that should leave Conte a little less worried heading into the summer. He’ll be delighted to tie his no.1 down for the foreseeable.

AND in other news ,Spurs could sign next De Bruyne in “complete” £24.3m-rated gem, he bullied Pochettino’s PSG…

Some behind the scenes at Elland Road believe key Leeds United duo Liam Cooper and Kalvin Phillips could return from injury earlier than expected…

What’s the latest?

That’s according to the Daily Mirror’s David Anderson, who delivered the encouraging claim to GIVEMESPORT this week.

“[Marcelo] Bielsa keeps talking about March at the earliest for those two, although some people at the club seem to think that’s maybe unnaturally gloomy,” he said.

“They think there may be a chance they could be back maybe a little bit before that.”

Both players picked up hamstring problems during their 2-2 draw with Brentford at the start of December, with the 30-year-old skipper lasting just 15 minutes and the defensive midfield powerhouse managing 55 minutes that day.

Reports have suggested that they will be out for the next two months at least, though there is confidence behind closed doors that they will be back sooner than then.

Huge boost

And that would hand Bielsa one massive boost heading into the second half of the season.

A string of injuries have curtailed the Yorkshiremen’s progress in the Premier League under the Argentinian head coach this campaign.

Even though Sunday’s impressive 3-2 victory over fourth-placed West Ham moved them nine points clear of the drop zone, they have still flirted with the possibility of being dragged into a relegation dogfight.

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Bielsa struggled to name any sort of strong bench for that clash, with Rodrigo being the only senior figure among nine substitutes. The rest were promising academy hopefuls, including 15-year-old midfieldeer Archie Gray.

You’d imaginre that any further setbacks would seriously hinder their chances of kicking on, so it’s easy to see why things are still precarious at Elland Road right now.

However, the prospect of welcoming back two integral figures earlier than expected is surely going to leave Bielsa hugely relieved, if not buzzing.

Phillips is crucial to the way they play as he’s the lynchpin that offers physical stability in front of the backline (2.3 tackles and 1.2 interceptions per game) and is capable of spraying diagonal balls all over the pitch to start many of their attacks (3.5 accurate long balls per game).

Meanwhile, Cooper is the club captain and a reliable option in the heart of defence. In his absence, Leeds are yet to keep a clean sheet and have witnessed emphatic defeats to Man City (7-0) and Arsenal (4-1).

Therefore, it’s hugely encouraging to learn that some at the club think they will return much sooner than first feared.

AND in other news, Leeds gifted significant boost as Phil Hay relays “good news” this week…

Antonio Conte was left embarrassed on his return to Stamford Bridge as his Tottenham Hotspur side suffered yet another defeat to his former club.

And struggling defender Japhet Tanganga played a big part in their downfall.

The Italian head coach was forced into naming a very interesting starting XI and a change to his usual formation too, as Spurs lined up in a 4-4-2, with the 22-year-old academy product at right-back.

It’s fair to say that his England U21 teammate Callum Hudson-Odoi had his number from minute one. By the time Tanganga was booked in just the 37th minute, he was a walking liability.

Right after the break, the Blues opened the scoring through Hakim Ziyech, who curled a tremendous finesse shot past a helpless Hugo Lloris and that was all down to the work of Hudson-Odoi after he beat the Spurs disaster all ends up.

He really should have done better, as alluded to by the Evening Standard’s Dan Kilpatrick in his post-match ratings column and on Twitter, where he graded Tanganga amongst Spurs’ worst performers.

‘A weak link, particularly after he was booked. Too easily beaten by Callum Hudson-Odoi in [the] build-up to Ziyech’s goal,’ he wrote, whilst he tweeted: “He’s been the weak link for Spurs & walking a tightrope since his booking.”

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The Lilywhites really struggled to find a way back into the game after the young defender’s mistake, his third in as many games against the Champions of Europe.

As per SofaScore, he was also rated poorly (5.8) as the only player to manage below a 6.3 rating. It was that bad that Statman Dave described the outing as a “horror show” on social media.

Indeed, he won just two of his eight duels (25%) against Hudson-Odoi and co, whilst his 19 touches of the ball were comfortably the fewest of any starter for either team, including Lloris between the sticks (34) and the man who replaced him in the 57th minute, Oliver Skipp (28).

Elsewhere, he was dribbled past three times and he committed three fouls. It’s no wonder Conte hooked him to save further embarrassment as he was merely one more blunder away from being given his marching orders.

Spurs will be lucky if AC Milan are still keen to sign him after that display.

Tanganga endured an absolute nightmare at Stamford Bridge on Sunday night, if the Italians are still lingering around for his signature, then Fabio Paratici must take it and run.

AND in other news, “Tottenham will”: Sky Sports man drops “exciting” transfer claim, Conte surely buzzing…

An update has emerged regarding Newcastle United and their interest in Premier League metronome Douglas Luiz…

What’s the talk?

According to The Athletic, the Villa midfielder has featured in discussions for the Magpies as they eye up deals ahead of the deadline on Monday.

The report claims that Yves Bissouma, of Brighton is too expensive for the Toon, whilst a move to bring Bruno Guimaraes to St James’ Park from Lyon is progressing nicely.

Better than Willock

Newcastle must ensure that they are able to get a deal over the line for Luiz in the coming days, as he could be a major upgrade on Joe Willock in midfield.

The current Magpies midfielder has averaged an unimpressive SofaScore rating of 6.63 in the Premier League this season, losing 53% of his duels over the course of the campaign since his permanent summer move from Arsenal. He has been unable to deliver consistently good displays in the top flight, and that is something Luiz could bring to the table.

For Villa this term, the former Manchester City man has averaged a SofaScore rating of 6.96. He has won 53% of his duels and provided 1.4 key passes per game, along with registering three assists. Luiz is also an asset defensively as he has averaged 3.1 tackles and interceptions per game.

Pep Guardiola previously heaped praise on the Brazilian, saying: “He’s a guy who plays all of the minutes. He’s an important player for Aston Villa. A guy who’s clever with the ball, so physically strong. He’s a lovely, lovely guy. Today, when he was involved in the game, defensively, offensively, he was good.”

Jermaine Jenas once dubbed him “underrated”, and his aforementioned statistics in the Premier League suggest that the 23-year-old is deserving of applause.

The £52k-per-week gem has shown that he can be a reliable option in the top flight by producing excellent performances week in, week out, which Willock has been unable to do this season. Therefore, the Villa ace seems a much better player than the former Arsenal man at the moment and could be a terrific addition to Eddie Howe’s squad.

This is why the Magpies must work hard to secure a deal to bring him to Tyneside, along with Guimaraes, before the window slams shut on Monday. Luiz is a proven Premier League player, and his statistics suggest that he will be a major upgrade on Willock in the middle of the park.

AND in other news, Howe can finally axe shocking NUFC “nightmare” with “incredible” £100k-p/w monster…

Since their promotion to the Premier League, Wolverhampton Wanderers have spent some hefty transfer fees on players, with the likes of Raul Jimenez (£30m), Fabio Silva (£35.6m) and Nelson Semedo (£37m) joining for mouth-watering sums.

Of course, if Wolves are to become European regulars, more deals of this magnitude will have to be made. However, it must be remembered that the West Midlands club have been able to strike bargain deals with Conor Coady arguably the best example in recent seasons.

The then-Championship club signed the then-midfielder for £2m from Huddersfield Town in July 2015 after the Englishman had spent a season with the Yorkshire club following his release from Liverpool where he’d played as a schoolboy.

Fast forward six-and-a-half years and Coady is now 28, an England regular and Wolves’ captain.

In his first campaign at Molineux, the 28-year-old made 37 Championship appearances as Wolves finished 14th in the second-tier, whilst his market value dipped slightly, going from £1.8m to £1.58m and wouldn’t increase again until September 2017.

September 2017 marked the early stages of what would go on to be Wolves’ title-winning campaign that saw them promoted to the Premier League, with Coady playing 45 out of their 46 league matches. It was also the first season where the defender had spells as captain.

Whilst being a Premier League regular for a side that has finished seventh twice and 13th, the Wolves captain’s value has steadily increased with the steepest increase in market value coming between July and October 2020 where the Englishman went from £16.2m to £22.5m, his current value.

That period of time also saw Coady make his senior England debut, hence the value increase as he went on to be described as “phenomenal” by Dave Edwards.

Having been bought for £2m, the Wolves defender is now worth over ten times that figure, with this campaign arguably being his best for the Golden Boys so far.

With Bruno Lage’s men the Premier League’s second-best defence, Coady has been instrumental in helping contribute to that feat. The skipper has missed just three minutes of top-flight football this term and there is little indication that that run will end any time soon.

Moreover, it is well documented that his value as a player doesn’t just help the football club but his value as a human being too, with the captain heavily influential with the football club and the work it does in the community of Wolverhampton.

Now a key member in the current England group, the defender is playing his best football at 28 and will surely go on to become a legend in this part of the West Midlands.

In other news: £37k-p/w waster may have cost Wolves a shot at silverware

As per Spanish outlet Super Deporte, some transfer news has come out of Tottenham Hotspur involving Sevilla defensive star Jules Kounde.

The Lowdown: Conte eyes defensive reinforcements…

Recently, reports have suggested that manager Antonio Conte and the Lilywhites have their eyes peeled on new central defensive additions at N17.

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Managing director Fabio Paratici has apparently set his sights on Lille star Sven Botman and Inter Milan’s Alessandro Bastoni among others (The Telegraph), coming after Conte and the club couldn’t sign a defender in January.

Now, as per a source from Spain, it appears another world class defender is on Tottenham’s radar.

The Latest: Tottenham in picture for Kounde…

According to SD, Conte’s side are in the mix for Sevilla star Kounde after he failed to secure a move away in the summer window.

Tottenham, Manchester United and Chelsea are all apparently eyeing a move for the France international but it is the latter club who are apparently favourites.

The Verdict: Get it done…

Even though Spurs’ London rivals appear more likely to land his signature, we believe no expense should be spared in Paratici’s efforts to sign the 23-year-old – even with his mammoth €80 million (£67m) release clause.

Young and already possessing plenty of experience on the biggest stages in football, Kounde comes with real potential for sell-on value as well as undoubted quality for the here and now.

Former Spurs keeper Paul Robinson certainly holds a belief that the centre-back would be a great signing, even claiming that Kounde could come as a Hotspur Way ‘upgrade’ whilst labelling the player ‘world class’ (Football Insider).

Kounde has started 18 of 24 La Liga matches for Sevilla this season – the best defence in the Spanish top flight – and we believe his signing could be a real statement of intent.

In other news: Tottenham chiefs spotted in Europe as Conte now eyes ‘quality’ £33m striker, find out more here.

Wolves have had a solid season from a defensive point of view under Bruno Lage, having conceded just 17 goals in 23 Premier League games, with only leaders Manchester City boasting a better record in that department.

One figure who has played a big part in Wanderers’ impressive defence this season is Max Kilman, who has racked up more minutes than any other outfield player at Molineux in 2021/22, which just goes to show how valuable he is to the team and how highly Lage rates him.

Wolves secured the 24-year-old, who has been described as an “outstanding” player in the past by Old Gold captain Conor Coady, on a free transfer back in 2018 from Maidenhead United.

Since then, the defender has gone on to make 80 appearances for the Old Gold for their under-23 and senior teams across all competitions, chipping in with three goals and two assists along the way.

This season has seen the Englishman, who is currently earning £14k-per-week according to Salary Sport, prove himself as a very capable Premier League defender by racking up an overall performance rating of 7.01/10, making him Wolves’ fourth-highest rated player according to WhoScored.

In December 2019, Kilman’s market value was listed as £900k by Transfermarkt, whereas it now stands at £8.1m, which just goes to show how much the player has grown and developed on the pitch for the Midlands club.

Taking all this into account, it’s safe to say that signing the defender on a free transfer has turned out to be a very clever piece of business from Wolves, who are now reaping the rewards with his performances.

This shows just what can happen when a club gives a young player the chance to prove himself in the Premier League rather than having to spend money on a new player in every position.

If the centre-back can end the season by maintaining the same standard of performance has shown up to now, he could end up being viewed as one of Wolves’ most important players and perhaps even in with a shout of a potential call-up to the England squad.

In other news: Shi heading for Wolves disaster on £28k-p/w “tower of strength,” Lage would be furious

Southampton could find themselves in the hat for the FA Cup quarter-final draw tomorrow, should they overcome the challenge that sits before them tonight, in the shape of high-flying Champions League-hopefuls West Ham.

The mood around the St Mary’s Stadium is one of excitement, with Saints boss Ralph Hasenhuttl guiding the club into the top half of the Premier League table, following a string of impressive performances.

With just three players confirmed as injured and unavailable, the Austrian manager hasn’t given too much away in terms of which players will be given the nod to start the game.

“Everybody [who is fit] is in contention and everyone has the chance to play tomorrow,” said Hasenhuttl at his pre-match press conference. “I have not decided yet 100 per cent what we are doing tomorrow.

“We have another session before where we can try a few things and we will see who gets the chance to play.”

With all of that in mind, here’s how we think the Saints will line up tonight against the Hammers, with four changes expected from the team which started against Norwich last Friday.

After being the highest-rated performer according to SofaScore in Southampton’s 2-1 victory against Coventry in the FA Cup fourth round, we expect 40-year-old Willy Caballero to return between the sticks tonight, in place of £72k-per-week earner Fraser Forster.

Meanwhile, in defence, Tino Livramento – who has just come back from injury, may give way for Frenchman Romain Perraud, with Kyle Walker-Peters returning to right-back.

In midfield, we expect Mohamed Elyounoussi to be replaced by £10m signing Nathan Redmond, who has returned from injury after a month out, while 22-year-old Ibrahima Diallo could give Oriol Romeu a much-deserved rest.

Up top, Adam Armstrong is our pick to come in to replace Che Adams, who has played a lot of football recently.

Meanwhile, Armando Broja retains his place due to his recent form making him virtually undroppable in our opinion.

In other news: Forget Tino: Southampton gem with “super football intelligence” is their breakout star – opinion

Ruben Neves has been a fan-favourite at Wolves ever since making a £16m move from Portuguese club Porto back in 2017 – and after five years playing in the West Midlands, he has established himself as one of the top midfielders in the country.

Now, it seems that one of their worst nightmares could become a reality, after journalist Dean Jones delivered a big update on the interest in the 24-year-old star, heralded as “fantastic” by Manchester United legend Rio Ferdinand in recent weeks.

What’s the news?

Transfer insider, Jones, has told GIVEMESPORT that the Portuguese midfielder isn’t likely to move to a Premier League rival – but with a certain Spanish giant who have already signed one of their star players in Adama Traore this season coming knocking, it’s a lot more possible a deal might be completed.

“There is definite interest from Barcelona in Ruben Neves,” said Jones. “That’s a bit of a worry for Wolves because they know at some point the player is going to test himself at one of the elite clubs.

“They were confident he wouldn’t jump ship for Arsenal or Manchester United right now, but Barcelona? That’s different.”

Too hard to say no to Barcelona

Having scored 25 times for Wolves and setting up another 11 in 204 appearances in all competitions for the club, the supporters have been worried for some time now that their star-man could be snapped up by one of the top European clubs.

As a result, this new claim on his future will surely scare them about the prospect of yet another of their top performers heading to Spain, something that would undeniably represent a big blow to their ambitions.

When a club like Barcelona come knocking, it’s usually too hard to say no to them – as demonstrated by Traore in the Summer when he was expected to move to Tottenham, but changed his mind as soon as the Catalan giants submitted a bid.

It’s beginning to become more and more unlikely that the club will get European football next season too, having lost their last three on the bounce. Combine that with Spurs returning to a bit of form, West Ham still to catch, and Southampton now just five points behind Bruno Lage’s Wolves team, the end to the term could be a concerning one.

As a result, should the club not qualify for Europe, it’s quite likely that Neves will see his immediate future elsewhere, and what better place to play his football for more than Barcelona?

In other news: Lage must now unleash “threatening” 19 y/o Wolves prodigy who’s “growing all the time”