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Aston Villa gem Cameron Archer bagged a stunning hat-trick as the Midlands outfit defeated Burton Albion in the EFL Trophy on Tuesday night.

The 19-year-old was in ruthless form at the Pirelli Stadium, delivering an absolute goalscoring masterclass in front of first-team manager Dean Smith, his assistant Craig Shakespeare and sporting director Johan Lange.

Having gone two goals down, it was the young forward who kickstarted the comeback ten minutes before the break.

The Walsall-born teenager fired a low-driven effort past the home goalkeeper before doubling his tally to put Villa into the lead just after the hour mark. He beat the Brewers’ backline with a nicely-timed run before slamming the ball into the net once again.

He completed his hat-trick with less than 20 minutes to go, it was yet another clinical and impressive finish from the striker.

BirminghamLive reporter Ashley Preece described Archer’s display as “absolutely sensational” in his post-match ratings column.

“It was finishing of the highest order with Archer being applauded off by Smith, Shakespeare, Danks and Lange in the stands. Archer was levels above here, whacking home his trio past Balcombe in the Burton net,” he added. “Villa need to get his contract sorted now. His development since the summer has been staggering. The boy’s some finisher.”

It merely continues his electric form in 2021/22, having been given a proper opportunity for the senior side in the Carabao Cup, where he bagged another hat-trick against lowly Barrow and a magnificent header against the Champions of Europe, Chelsea.

The Claret and Blue Army have witnessed many a young talent break through the system and become regular first-team stars over the years, with the likes of Gareth Barry and Jack Grealish being prime examples.

But it’s been a while since a proper frontman went onto become a hero at Villa Park – perhaps the last being Gabby Agbonlahor. Whilst Archer and the former Lions star aren’t like-for-like, the young prospect could well be the man to break the trend.

Archer has “genuine pace” but is also “stocky”, according to Preece, so he can combine sheer speed and physicality to dominate opposing defences for years to come, and just like Agbonlahor, he had to go out on loan to the lower divisions before getting his chance.

The 19-year-old marksman enjoyed a successful stint at local side Solihull Moors, where his former boss Jimmy Shan waxed lyrical about his ability.

“He’s a centre-forward. His movement is excellent but it’s his pace that makes him such a threat,” he said. “He was rapid, let me tell you. He doesn’t look quick but he just pulls away from defenders with ease. He’s a bright and intelligent guy and very inquisitive.”

Also described as a “major talent” by Guardian journalist John Brewin, Villa boss Smith could genuinely unearth the next big thing in the Midlands by unleashing Archer more frequently.

The teenage sensation could be the first homegrown talent since Agbonlahor to go onto greatness in the senior side.

AND in other news, “Sources confirmed…”: Gregg Evans drops Aston Villa update that’ll really worry fans…

West Ham United will no doubt be linked with a number of players in the January transfer window due to their injuries in defence as well as the need to find more goals to support Michail Antonio, and one man who has been heavily linked with a reunion to his former loan club is Jesse Lingard.

Lingard was monumental to the success of West Ham last season and their ability to secure European football, when he was brought in to the side during the January transfer window at the beginning of 2021, scoring nine goals and bagging five assists in just sixteen appearances for the Hammers.

David Moyes has made no secret of his interest in the 29 year old, but claimed that the team had “moved on” when asked about a potential return for Lingard.

“All I can say is we really enjoyed having Jesse, he made a great contribution to the team and he’s helped the team.

“The team’s moved on, we’ve kicked on again so, look, Jesse is a Manchester United player and it’s up to them to decide what he does.”

However, another player who has been linked with a move to West Ham is Dele Alli, with Danny Mills claiming that it would be a “good move” for the Tottenham Hotspur outcast.

“If Dele Alli is prepared to work hard then there is no better manager than David Moyes. They need that sort of player, they need that sort of attacking player in their ranks. That would be a good move.”

Alli has struggled to make a consistent impact on his Spurs side over the last few seasons, with only 15 Premier League appearances last season and just eight league appearances this season so far, without a single start since Antonio Conte arrived – the former wonderkid is expected to be offloaded in January as he is not in the Italian’s plans.

Despite his inconsistencies in form, Alli has offered moments of magic for Spurs and scored plenty of goals in his time at the club, with 67 strikes and 61 assists in 265 appearances.

The £27M-rated midfielder was hailed as a “machine” by ex-Manchester United player Rio Ferdinand after noticing physical qualities in Alli’s game against Crystal Palace at the start of the season.

“Physically he can overpower, he can dominate, he can outrun most players around,” Ferdinand said. “Physically he is a machine, he is a specimen.”

Compared to Lingard this season, Alli matches him for goals and assists in all competitions, and for all the questions marks over the latter’s decline, Lingard has actually started six less top flight matches.

Another notable difference in the pair is age – Alli is four years younger than Lingard and could offer a more long term investment for the West Ham hierarchy, and it could make signing the 25 year old Spurs player a more attractive signing for Moyes too, granting the manager plenty of time to figure out exactly what needs fixing to bring back the Alli of old.

Either way, West Ham will be hoping to finish in an even stronger position this season as they chase down top four, just one point adrift from a Champions League spot currently, and moves made by Moyes in the January transfer window could play a big part in giving West Ham the ability to compete for those coveted places in the elite.

In other news: West Ham United must move for Darwin Nunez in January

Sunday’s FA Cup semi-final game against fellow London outfit Chelsea proved to be an interesting tactical encounter.

In order to make the game more difficult for Thomas Tuchel, Patrick Vieira decided to fight fire with fire and matched up in a 3-5-2 set-up to limit the Blues’ attacking threat.

It was a tactic that initially played out for the Eagles, with 34-year-old James McArthur restored into the line-up in place of Conor Gallagher.

What’s the news?

Conor Gallagher will make his return to the Crystal Palace starting XI against Newcastle United, after sitting out Sunday’s FA Cup tie versus Chelsea due to a clause in his loan agreement that forbids him from taking part in fixtures against his parent club.

Palace were hopeful that Chelsea would give Gallagher the green light to feature, having previously made the exception for Fikayo Tomori and Mason Mount when they were on loan at Derby County, though this was unfortunately not the case.

Current Champions League champion, Thomas Tuchel, apologised to the 22-year-old Chelsea loanee after bumping into his over the international break and recalled their conversation.

Tuchel said: “I had the chance to speak to Conor, I could also see his frustration. We met some weeks ago, after the national break by coincidence. We ran into each other in a restaurant and we had a chat.

“The subject came up, I apologised because I know how competitive he is and I like him a lot.

“This is the way it is. We play to win the game and the rules were clear when we made the loan.”

Gallagher return is a boost

The midfielder’s return to first-team action will be music to the ears of the Palace faithful and his manager.

His impact for the Eagles this season cannot be underestimated, with his part in Vieira’s set-up this season proving vital in the attacking third.

The £17k-per-week dynamo has produced eight goals and three assists in 27 Premier League appearances for the Selhurst Park side this season.

Though his defensive ability has been a shining light for Palace, with his average of 6.6 pressures in the attacking third per 9o placing him within an astonishingly high percentile of 98 amongst positionally similar places across the top five leagues in Europe through out the last year, as per FB Ref.

Gallagher’s return serves as a major boost for Crystal Palace, who will be making the most of his time with the Eagles, amidst his uncertain future.

In other news: Vieira eyes CPFC move for “sensational” £14k-pw maestro, it could be bye-bye Gallagher

Writing for The Guardian, reliable transfer journalist Fabrizio Romano has lifted the lid on a fresh bid being prepared as Tottenham Hotspur grow ‘increasingly confident’ of signing Wolves star Adama Traore.

The Lowdown: Spurs getting closer?

After being in negotiations for a while, with Matt Law of The Telegraph even claiming there was an attempt to agree a loan move, Spurs appear to edging closer to the signing of Traore.

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Lilywhites boss Antonio Conte has apparently mapped out a key role for the Spaniard in his squad as he aims to re-mould Traore into a right-wing-back, akin to how he transformed Victor Moses at former club Chelsea (The Athletic).

Reliable reporters Alasdair Gold of football.london and Tim Spiers of The Athletic both believe that Tottenham could strike an agreement for the 25-year-old, and this news is now backed by Romano.

The Latest: Romano shares big Traore update…

According to the Italian journalist for The Guardian, Tottenham are ‘increasingly confident’ of landing Traore and are ‘preparing a new bid’ for one of Conte’s top targets.

This comes after ‘fresh talks were held on Friday’, with Wolves apparently accepting that he will not renew his current Molineux deal, which as it stands is set to expire in 2023.

Discussions are now aimed at a breakthrough after the north Londoners’ initial £15m offer was rejected.

The Verdict: Brilliant potential first signing…

As all signs continue to point to Traore’s arrival in north London before January 31, we believe that he may well be a brilliant potential first acquisition for Conte. Once valued at a sky-high £100m, Spurs could now sign a very exciting player for much less than that, as reports claim that his current club will sell for around £20m.

Football Insider pundit Noel Whelan certainly believes that the 25-year-old is the ideal capture for Tottenham transfer chief Fabio Paratici, claiming that Traore is a ‘game-changer’ and ‘match-winner’ with a real ‘excitement about him’.

Averaging a brilliant 4.2 successful take-ons per game in the Premier League this season, far more than any current Spurs player (WhoScored), it’s hard to disagree with Whelan’s assessment.

In other news: Spurs also reportedly ‘edging closer’ to signing ‘massive’ £15m defender, find out more here.

Everton writer for The Athletic Patrick Boyland has revealed the latest information in the Toffees’ pursuit of signing a right-back in the upcoming January transfer window.

What’s the story?

In The Athletic’s ‘Transfer Mailbag’ series, Boyland responded to a question from an Everton fan regarding the possibility of signing a right-back to challenge Seamus Coleman by saying: “That’s certainly our understanding currently — right-back is still an area of priority.

“They know it needs to be addressed and that they’re currently putting too much strain on Coleman.”

Boyland also revealed that they “continued to track Rangers’ Nathan Patterson even after the failed summer move” who “is the favourite as it stands.” Everton have also tracked “Aberdeen’s Calvin Ramsay and Metz’s Fabien Centonze” as well as Arsenal’s Ainsley Maitland-Niles being mentioned.

Everton fans will be buzzing

Seamus Coleman, now 33 years of age, is approaching the 13th anniversary of when he first signed for the Merseyside club and is still their first-choice right-back by some margin with Jonjoe Kenny making just two Premier League appearances this term.

The Irishman is still a key player for Rafa Benitez’s side having played 13 league games this season. However, with the right-back approaching veteran status, it may be wise for the Everton hierarchy to start seeking out an eventual replacement.

After 13 years of loyal service, Coleman will certainly go down as a fan favourite at Goodison Park. That said, it’s no secret that he’s is approaching the end of his lengthy spell in the royal blue.

Performances this season have largely been under par, earning a SofaScore match rating of above 6.2 just twice in his last five matches. That highlights the club’s need for a replacement with it clear that Benitez doesn’t much fancy Kenny as Coleman’s long-term successor.

The 33-year-old’s contract expires in June 2023, meaning that the Irishman will go into the final year of his contract next season, should he still be an Everton player.

This should act as an alarm bell of Everton’s hierarchy who will surely opt against handing an ageing full-back a contract extension in six months’ time.

Therefore, the news that a right-back is a priority for Benitez and Moshiri should leave fans elated.

AND in other news, Benitez heading for unforgivable EFC transfer disaster on “cold” £40.5m-rated machine…

According to The Sun, Man United and Chelsea are set to battle it out for Tottenham’s Christian Eriksen in the summer. 

This comes after Spanish giants Real Madrid have pulled out due to Tottenham’s valuation of the midfielder.

Now the debate surrounding Eriksen at Tottenham will seemingly endure for the rest of the season. On one hand, if the Denmark international is not going to sign a new contract at Tottenham, they will want to sell him at the end of the season. With a year and a half remaining on his contract, they will definitely not want him to leave for free.

Moreover, with the money that comes from the sale of Eriksen, the club could invest in bringing in a number of players to plug holes elsewhere on the field. Seeing as this could be quite a large sum, this means Tottenham could seriously bolster their team.

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However, as the weekend’s result against Crystal Palace in the FA Cup showed, Tottenham seem to be completely lost without Eriksen in attack. Of course, there were a large number of stars absent against The Eagles, but there is a correlation between Eriksen’s absence and how turgid Spurs’ attack looks. His ability to find space and transition play from defence to attack is like no other at Tottenham, and they simply do not have a player like him at all.

Unless they manage to replace such a unique and crucial player, Tottenham could be hurt by his departure. With every game that passes, it looks like Tottenham need Eriksen more and more, and the club should think about giving him the bumper contract that he desires.

Even though Liverpool currently have a hefty number of central-midfielders in their senior squad at the moment, some of them, such as Thiago Alcantara, Jordan Henderson and James Milner have all hit or gone past the age of 30.

One player that the club currently have in their youth system that we feel could well go on to be a suitable replacement for one of those previously mentioned senior midfielders is 18-year-old Tyler Morton.

As a product of Liverpool’s youth academy, Morton, who is currently valued at £270k according to Transfermarkt, has made 23 appearances for Liverpool’s U18 side in which he has managed to score six goals and provide seven assists in the process.

Morton has also made 24 appearances for Liverpool’s U23 side, scoring five times and supplying four assists along the way, proving himself as a rather useful attacking option from midfield.

The midfielder made his senior debut for Liverpool during their 3-0 win over Norwich City in the Carabao Cup last month in which Reds manager Jurgen Klopp said Morton put in a “confident” performance in his first senior outing for the Merseyside club.

Opening up on the midfield general, the German boss explained: “Tyler, really, he gave us the opportunity to connect again, because he just played simple, passed the ball in the right spaces, defended the right spaces.”

In addition to this, Morton was given an overall match rating of 7/10 for his performance against Norwich from the Liverpool Echo who said that he “slotted into the defensive midfield role impressively” after replacing Naby Keita.

The teenager has managed to rack up an average of three key passes per game based on the two performances he’s put in for Liverpool’s U23 side in the Football League Trophy this season, which is considerably more than Henderson (1.1 key passes per game) has done in the Premier League so far this season.

We feel that if Morton continues to play well for the youth team and take any opportunity that comes his way to play in Klopp’s side, such as their upcoming Carabao Cup clash against Preston North End later this month, then he could well see himself as a possible regular first-team player in the next few years, in the same way Curtis Jones has done.

Looking ahead to the future further down the line, even though he signed a new deal over the summer, we could see Morton potentially being a long-term replacement for Henderson if he ends up leaving when his current deal expires given his age.

Like the skipper, he is defensively astute and capable of carrying the ball forward. He’s certainly one to watch.

In other news: Imagine him & Thiago: Klopp must secure LFC move for “incredible” £36m-rated machine – opinion

Many Everton fans have been flocking to some off-field updates from Phil Kirkbride.

Writing in his latest piece for The Liverpool Echo, Kirkbride has revealed that the Goodison Park club are now planning to find two new board members after both Marcel Brands and Sarvar Ismailov left their posts recently.

Further additions to join Bill Kenwright, Denise Barrett-Baxendale and Grant Ingles at the table have not been ruled out, as they are set to lead a ‘strategic review’ of the Merseyside club’s football structure.

There is not expected to be a ‘radical’ overhaul of their scouting and medical operations, but the board are looking at ‘streamlining’ how they work.

While some of the changes have been welcomed, given that the Toffees had gone eight games in the Premier League without a win before tasting victory at home to Arsenal on Monday night, some supporters feel as if there should be an overhaul to their scouting and medical systems – especially as they have spent lots of money on transfers in the last few years but have seen little success come from it, finishing no higher than seventh in the top flight since 2016/17.

Everton fans on off-field news

These Everton fans flocked to the news as it was shared on Twitter:

“If it means Kenwright has 0 role in the recruitment process then”

Credit: @otrochris

“If this stops us taking a month to sign a player we target I’m all for it”

Credit: @GaryChr21501647

“The club’s scouting system is pathetic, if that’s not worrying then I don’t know what is!”

Credit: @Luke_M20

“We got booed for walking out yesterday and not tolerating the same old rubbish like THIS…”

Credit: @WillNSNO

“Lol”

Credit: @BT_1878

“It’s called kicking the can down the road – we need more information with timescales”

Credit: @StevenRoche2

In other news, one Benitez decision has had these Evertonians talking

It ‘doesn’t look like’ Aaron Ramsey’s next club will be Crystal Palace, according to BBC Sport football reporter Alex Howell. 

He took to Twitter on Sunday to pour cold water over any realistic chance of the 31-year-old moving to Selhurst Park, claiming: “I understand that there aren’t any talks happening with Aaron Ramsey and Crystal Palace. Juventus manager Allegri said ‘he’s an outgoing player’ but doesn’t look like it will be to #CPFC”

This contrasts substantially with a previous report from Italian outlet Calciomercato which suggested that Palace were in ‘pole position’ to land the Welshman and that negotiations were ongoing.

While Ramsey does look set to move on during the January transfer window, it now seems a near-certainty that Selhurst Park won’t be his next destination.

What could Ramsey have offered to Palace?

Amidst a succession of injuries, Ramsey has been limited to just 97 minutes of Serie A action this season.

However, he did showcase his quality at last summer’s European Championship, with Wales team-mate Joe Allen hailing him as ‘world-class’ and ‘incredible’ after his goal in a crucial group stage victory over Turkey.

Ramsey also played for Arsenal before joining Juventus, and he commendably racked up 130 direct goal contributions (65 goals, 65 assists) in 371 appearances for the Gunners.

Here’s how some Palace fans reacted to Howell’s tweet, with opinion divided as to whether or not the latest development is a good thing.

Crystal Palace fans split on Ramsey news

“Could cry, there’s a weird idea that he’s washed and average. The guy would walk into our team so easily it’s embarrassing. Injuries and wages are the issues”

Credit: @cpfc_samh

“And just like that our hopes and dreams were dashed”

Credit: @pnm1979

“Disappointed”

Credit: @cpfc_sean

“Could cry”

Credit: @callum_cpfc_

“Thank god for that”

Credit: @cemtuna88

“Great news”

Credit: @PatrickEagles15

In other news, Jamie Carragher ripped into this Palace player against Brighton

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.

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…