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Tottenham Hotspur have reportedly sealed their first signing of the summer ahead of the 2020/21 Premier League season.

According to a report from Football Insider today, Tottenham have signed Alfie Devine from Wigan Athletic. The outlet broke the news on Friday morning that the midfielder was heading to north London to undergo a medical. David Ornstein revealed that he has completed the medical and agreed terms over the weekend.

The 15-year-old was released by Liverpool at the age of 11 and the Premier League champions may live to regret their decision as he has turned out to be a promising prospect. He has even been touted as a potential Premier League star and one to watch for the future.

The teenager was part of Wigan’s FA Youth Cup run this season and starred when they beat Spurs 2-0, which brought him to the London club’s attention.

Despite his young age, he has already played for Wigan’s under-23 side and has been capped by England for the under-16 development squad. The youngster is set to link up with Tottenham’s under-23s at the Enfield training centre.

Wigan’s financial problems have put them in a difficult position with regard to keeping players at the club. The Championship side have entered administration and must sell some of their stars to cover the costs, so it is highly likely the Latics will lose a number of first team and youth team players as a result.

Devine has already left the DW Stadium amid interest from Leeds United, Celtic, Rangers, Brighton, West Ham and Chelsea, while Joe Gelhardt and Jensen Weir could quickly follow suit.

Jose Mourinho is well aware that his budget has been severely restricted and he will have to rely on sorting out swap deals, signing free agents and hunting for bargains in the summer. He could look to loot the Latics again for even more players to add to his squad depth, keeping in mind his long-term plans for the future.

Devine will be hoping he can quickly make his mark in the academy to catch Mourinho’s attention. The Portuguese has given several youngsters plenty of chances so far, as Japhet Tanganga and Oliver Skipp have both seized the opportunity to prove themselves, and the youngster will be keen to follow in their footsteps through the ranks.

Tottenham fans, do you think Daniel Levy has made a shrewd move by signing Devine? Let us know by commenting below!

Sheffield United picked up a crucial victory and their first since football has returned as they beat Tottenham Hotspur 3-1 at Bramall Lane.

It was a great performance and means they went into the weekend sat in seventh place, which is a Europa League spot and with only six games to go this is a great achievement in their first season back in England’s top flight, per BBC Sport.

With the fixtures coming fast, the Blades can’t celebrate their victory for too long and now have their eyes set on the next game against Burnley.

Sean Dyche’s side have done well recently, as they have won their last two games 1-0 and it will be a very tough test for the Blades. Here is the Transfer Tavern predicted Sheffield United starting XI, which sees Chris Wilder make one change for the fixture from their last outing against Spurs in the league.

The back five will be unlikely to change as they nearly kept a clean sheet against Spurs, and looked quite comfortable for large parts of the game. There is some positive news as Jack O’Connell is close to returning, but with Jack Robinson’s good form since he has come into the side, Wilder will not have to rush O’Connell back and he will most likely be on the bench.

John Fleck seems to still have a problem with the injury that kept him out when the Premier League returned, and he was missing from the squad for the Tottenham match, so Wilder will most likely keep the midfield trio that played last time out which means that Ben Osborn will get another start.

Sander Berge showed why the Blades signed him in January as he picked up Man of the Match, scored a goal and provided an assist which saw him receive an 8.5 rating on SofaScore.

Meanwhile upfront, there is no doubt that Oliver McBurnie will start as he scored against Spurs but the other striker position is more up for grabs. David McGoldrick failed to score, but French forward Lys Mousset came on and was a big influence as he scored. This was his third goal as a sub in the division, which is the most of any player in the league. Wilder could start him here to freshen things up.

Blades fans, what are your thoughts on this team? Let us know down below!

Newcastle United are reportedly looking at a triple swoop for Patrik Schick, Todd Cantwell and Chris Basham, according to the Daily Mail.

As per the outlet, the Czech Republic striker is their top transfer target for the summer window, as they also look to raid Norwich City and Sheffield United.

Schick, who is an AS Roma player but spent the 2019/20 season on loan at RB Leipzig in Germany, scored a relatively impressive 10 goals and made a further three assists in 26 games in all competitions (via Transfermarkt).

Cantwell managed seven goals and two assists in 40 matches in all competitions for the Canaries in the 2019/20 season despite them being relegated from the Premier League.

Basham played in every single game for the Blades in their top-flight campaign and helped them to finish ninth in the table, as he averaged 2.2 tackles, two interceptions and 4.4 clearances a match (per Whoscored).

With Schick valued at reported budget of £35m.

However, this figure could well be increased if the proposed takeover at St. James’ Park is approved by the Premier League, meaning that more money is likely to become available for potential spending.

Nevertheless, the Magpies have had to plan for it not happening with the summer window officially opening and have apparently identified Schick, Cantwell and Basham as possible additions, all of which seem astute given their 2019/20 figures.

Geordies, would it be realistic to sign all three players? Comment below with your views!

According to The Athletic’s Greg O’Keeffe, Everton have “monitored” Espanyol’s Marc Roca as a potential alternative to their pursuit of Allan.

What did he say?

One of the big names to be linked to be with a move to Goodison Park this summer has been Napoli midfielder Allan, but a deal for the Brazilian has yet to materialise.

Now, O’Keeffe has suggested that if the Toffees can’t lure the 29-year-old away from Naples, they could turn their attentions to Roca, who was a mainstay for Espanyol with 44 appearances across all competitions last season.

How big of an Everton fan are you? Can you spot Mikel Arteta from Graham Stuart? This quiz will test your knowledge, try it if you’re brave enough…

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He said: “Ancelotti has also been interested in luring another Brazilian, his former Napoli charge Allan, to Merseyside. If not Allan, who at 29 would have no sell-on value, the remit for their new midfielder remains a dynamic, box-to-box player with leadership abilities; something Everton have visibly lacked.

“One who fits that bill, and has been monitored by Everton scouts, is Espanyol’s Marc Roca. The 23-year-old made 35 La Liga appearances for the Barcelona club last season and impressed despite their relegation after finishing bottom of La Liga. Again though, Arsenal are rumoured to be interested and, according to reports in Spain, so are Real Madrid.”

Better value than Allan

At 23, Roca is considerably younger than Allan, and would give Everton a better chance of recouping their money if they were to sell him down the line.

The Spaniard is also still a couple of years away from reaching his peak, and would be the kind of midfield talent that Carlo Ancelotti could really build around at Goodison Park.

The 6 foot ace is a midfield powerhouse, averaging 2.3 tackles per game in La Liga last season – to put that into context, only Djibril Sidibe managed more in Everton’s squad. Having a player like him to break up the play and protect the back-four will be crucial to ensuring the Toffees don’t concede cheap goals.

If Everton can’t secure Allan for Ancelotti, then Roca seems like a very decent alternative.

Celtic return to European action later this evening as their quest to make the Champions League group stages continues in Glasgow.

Neil Lennon’s side host Hungarian outfit Ferencvaros in the second qualifying round with the result to be settled on the night behind closed doors.

The Scottish Champions haven’t progressed beyond the preliminary rounds for two years now whilst it’s been a 25 year wait for the visitors.

Last time out, the Hoops romped to a 6-0 win over Icelandic side KR Reykjavik and then managed to edge past Dundee United at the weekend, so what sort of side could line up at Celtic Park this evening?

Lennon could make as many as three changes to the side that won 1-0 on Saturday.

Vasilis Barkas is sure to remain between the sticks but Kristoffer Ajer could come back into the starting XI after being named on the bench at Tannadice Park.

The 6 foot 5 colossus has been linked with a £25m exit over the past few months.

He’s likely to replace Christopher Jullien to partner a rather impressive Nir Bitton. He’s surely going to be hard to drop after successive cleansheets.

Whilst at right-back Jeremie Frimpong is once again dropped for the UCL with Hatem Abd Elhamed coming in to replace him as the more defensively sound choice with Greg Taylor remaining on the other flank.

In midfield, veteran skipper Scott Brown is dropped to the bench as Callum McGregor and Olivier Ntcham keep their places.

Playmaking Ryan Christie should move back into the number ten role after starting out wide, meaning James Forrest also returns to the starting fray.

Mohamed Elyounoussi was subbed off early on Saturday, but he’s likely to be granted another shot on the left with Odsonne Edouard leading the line as per usual.

Lennon needed the heroics of summer signing Alban Ajeti off the bench against Dundee, so it’s maybe a tad harsh not to see him given a start this time around.

AND in other news, Celtic signing Serie A star could hinder one of Lennon’s favourites…

Former Sheffield Wednesday striker Atdhe Nuhiu is reportedly in talks to make a surprise return to Hillsborough ahead of the 2020/21 Championship season.

That is according to an article from the Yorkshire Live, which suggests that the Kosovan said in an interview whilst away on international duty that he has opened discussions about another deal with the Owls.

Nuhiu joined Wednesday back in 2013 from Eskisehirspor on a free transfer, but his contract expired following the conclusion of the 19/20 campaign.

With no fresh terms announced between club and player, most assumed that the 31-year-old’s time in South Yorkshire had come to an end. However, if these reports are accurate then that may not be the case, and there could be legs in it given Garry Monk has refused to rule out his return.

Journalist Joe Crann tweeted out the news and it seems that many Owls fans aren’t happy about the big striker’s potential return, despite the fact that Jordan Rhodes is currently the only out and out centre-forward on the books at Hillsborough.

Some supporters are suggesting that they could do better, with one claiming it would be ’embarrassing’ to bring him back. Indeed, Nuhiu did not have the most prolific of scoring records whilst with the club, netting just 50 times despite making 277 appearances overall.

Here is what some had to say…

Owls fans, would you take Nuhiu back for another year? Let us know below…

Liverpool’s academy has been mightily impressive when it comes to producing talent in recent years, with the likes of Trent Alexander-Arnold, Curtis Jones and Neco Williams all impressing to varying degrees for the Reds last season.

However, one man whose development hasn’t quite followed the upward trajectory many had hoped for is Ben Woodburn.

The youngster was tipped as the club’s next big thing after his debut goals for the Reds and the Wales national team sprung him to superstardom almost overnight.

Unfortunately, he hasn’t been able to build on that great start, with two underwhelming loan spells with Sheffield United and Oxford United hampering his progress in the last two seasons.

Woodburn is set for another temporary spell away from Anfield this season, but rather than heading down to one of England’s lower divisions for a third time, he may get a chance to strut his stuff in the Eredivisie with Sparta Rotterdam as Goal claim that they’re now favourites to land him.

While a move to Sparta Rotterdam for Woodburn seems a little strange on the surface, there is precedent to say that a spell in Holland can help a player prepare themselves for the rigorous challenges of English football.

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Mason Mount had an incredibly successful loan spell at Vitesse during the 2017/18 season, netting 14 and assisting 9 in 32 appearances, and just two years later he was a regular starter for Chelsea, and a senior England international.

If Woodburn can impress in a similar way to Mount, his path to Jurgen Klopp’s starting XI may become a lot clearer, but he will have to put the work in to make sure this isn’t yet another opportunity spurned.

The 20-year-old hasn’t yet kicked on to become the star he was once touted as, but this could be a chance for him to seriously grow as a player.

Tottenham Hotspur’s quest to find a new striker this transfer window has taken an interesting twist, according to emerging reports over the weekend…

What’s the word?

Football Insider claim that Spurs are lining up a bid for Benfica centre-forward Haris Seferovic with less than a week remaining before the deadline.

It’s suggested that the north London outfit are set to launch a loan bid for the 28-year-old with talks planned in the coming days.

Both Daniel Levy and Jose Mourinho are in agreement that another addition upfront is needed, though time is ticking.

Finally, a solution?

Spurs have been longing for a viable back-up for several years, over six in fact.

For the past year alone, Harry Kane has been operating on his own following the departure of Fernando Llorente last summer, and it’s something that nearly caused a catastrophe.

After picking up an injury on New Year’s Day, Mourinho’s men soon crashed out of both the FA Cup and the Champions League. They only managed to qualify for Europe as the English talisman returned to action post-restart.

Roberto Soldado, Vincent Janssen and Clinton N’Jie were all failed experiments, costing in excess of £40m. None made any sort of impact and are now forgotten men in N17.

Bringing in Seferovic temporarily should give Levy and co an opportunity to see what bang they get for their buck and if successful, a permanent switch would undoubtedly follow.

It was only two seasons ago that the Swiss international pocketed 23 goals in one league campaign and despite only starting 14 matches last term, he still found the net on five occasions, via WhoScored.

Seferovic models his game on Zlatan Ibrahimovic whilst the 6 foot 2 powerhouse has been dubbed “more [Alan] Shearer than [Thierry] Henry” by FourFourTwo, who also describe him as an “explosive No.9” and a “lethal” presence inside the penalty box.

This could be the perfect signing to finally fill that ongoing striker nightmare.

At one point, Tottenham had Jermain Defoe, Peter Crouch, Robbie Keane and Roman Pavlyuchenko on the books. It’s farcical to only have one forward in what is a wildly congested campaign.

Go and grab the £9m-rated Seferovic at all costs.

AND in other news, £100k-p/w Spurs lightweight let Mourinho down vs Newcastle…

Liverpool have been dealt a huge blow ahead of the upcoming Merseyside derby on Saturday as Naby Keita is reported to have tested positive for Covid-19.

The claim comes from Foot224.com reporter Amadou Makadji, who has tweeted that the Reds midfielder and four of his international teammates have tested positive for the virus. If confirmed by the club, this will be a massive loss to Liverpool, who are heading to Goodison Park off the back of a 7-2 thrashing.

A green light for Curtis Jones

New signing Thiago Alcantara was in a similar situation, but has recently been snapped walking around the city of Liverpool. The Spaniard is clearly no longer self-isolating and could be available for selection against Everton. However, Keita’s recent impressive form could have been key against the Toffees, who currently top the Premier League table.

The Guinean had really come into his stride towards the end of last season. He was involved in three goalscoring opportunities in five games, which was a refreshing welcome for fans who had grown impatient with his stagnancy. A match against bitter rivals Everton who will know how clinical Liverpool are on the counter-attack would have been perfect for a playmaker like Keita. Now, it’s likely they will be without his influence, but it could pave the way for rising star Curtis Jones.

The teenager has been doing everything right to impress Jurgen Klopp recently and has already proven himself against Everton. Jones bagged the winning goal against a strong Blues side last season in their FA Cup run. He tallied nine reserve league goals and ended the term with 17 goals, seven assists in 31 total appearances (via Transfermarkt).

The 19-year-old also popped up with a brace against Lincoln City at the start of this campaign. Plus, with being a local Liverpudlian, he will be hungry for a result against the club’s neighbours.

Klopp will have a big decision to make but fans could see the Anfield starlet grab his first Premier League start of the season on Saturday.

In other news, Gini Wijnaldum comments on Thiago could mean his Anfield fate is sealed…

West Bromwich Albion are still searching for that elusive first win of the season and they’ll have to do it without one of their promising midfielders.

Baggies boss Slaven Bilic revealed on Thursday that defensive lynchpin Sam Field would be absent for the next four to five weeks with a knee injury.

He said:

“A few people were questioning why [he] wasn’t in the squad. He wasn’t in the squad because during the international break he got injured. He’s gonna be out for another four or five weeks, unfortunately. He’s getting better.”

Whilst the 22-year-old hasn’t featured as much as he’d probably like having made five appearances this season, he is the only true back-up to skipper Jack Livermore in that anchorman role.

He is also very much part of the Croatian’s plans too. During the summer, he rejected the notion that the homegrown talent would be sent out on loan once again, claiming: “I told him we need him and that he gives us something we don’t have in a midfielder. That can be very useful for us so I see Sam as a very important member of the squad.”

Last season, Albion could have been a much more defensively-sound side with Field playing as he averaged more tackles, clearances, blocks and recoveries per 90 minutes than any other member of the squad whilst at Charlton Athletic, as per The Athletic.

Unlike many of those names, Field also has experience in the top-flight already having played 19 times prior to this season in the Premier League, thanks to former Baggies boss Tony Pulis.

Speaking to BBC Midlands, via BirminghamLive, back in 2016, Pulis said: “Technically, he’s as good and as gifted as any footballer I’ve seen at that age.”

Another ex-Albion chief Darren Moore even touted him to one day become a future captain of the club, adding: “There’s a current crop of youngsters there that I think can play for West Brom for the next decade, I really do. I think young Sam Field can step in and be a captain for this club.”

He really deserves to be starting under Bilic, so to have him missing not just for Monday’s Brighton game but for the next month or so, is actually a devastating blow.

AND in other news, West Brom missed out on a £5m bargain in “revelation” better than Grant…