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One of Tottenham Hotspur’s mooted transfer targets has made an interesting claim this week amid speculation over his future…

What’s the word?

Last month, unnamed reports, cited by Football.London, suggested Rennes sensation Eduardo Camavinga was on Jose Mourinho’s shortlist next year whilst back in March, Spanish news outlet, Sport, linked Spurs with interest in the 18-year-old.

And now, the newly-capped France international has spoken out about the rumours as he approaches the final 18 months of his contract, he told reports (via Football.London):

“The great clubs make me dream, but I cannot name one in particular for my future. We’ll see [about a new deal at Rennes]. We haven’t set a date to discuss my future, I’m in no rush about it. There will be negotiations to keep me here. It would be a pleasure for me to continue at Rennes. I still have two years left on my contract and we have enough time to talk about it.”

Either way, it leaves the Ligue 1 outfit in a tricky spot as Europe’s elite circle in on the youngster.

Imagine him & Hojbjerg

Some would see a move for another defensively-minded midfielder as a mistake after the £15m arrival of Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg this summer but it could actually see Spurs breed even more attacking returns.

Whilst Heung-min Son and Harry Kane are firing on all cylinders, Mourinho is yet to see much of a return from any of his number 10s, namely Giovani Lo Celso, Dele Alli and Tangy Ndombele.

The Argentine seems the best fit for the role long-term, averaging around 1.2 key passes per game since his arrival from Real Betis last season.

However, across the Premier League and both European competitions, he has only delivered three goals and two assists – for comparison, Christian Eriksen managed at least six goals and eight assists in every Premier League campaign barring his final swansong.

Having a player as talented as Camavinga partnering Hojbjerg would allow Lo Celso the freedom to thrive behind a lethal front three of Son, Kane and Gareth Bale.

The €70m-rated (£62m) monster averaged a whopping 4.2 tackles and 1.4 interceptions per game in Ligue 1 last season, which is one more tackle each appearance than what the Dane has managed for Spurs so far this campaign.

Pair them both together, and Spurs could have an industrious and scary defensive pivot for the future.

If that’s not enough, then you should reconsider as Man Utd superstar Paul Pogba has waxed lyrical over his abilities, he said: “He has everything for that. His future is in his hands. He is very at ease, he is a little dancer. He makes me think a bit about me. He is not a timid person. It is good, because he is confident. He has confidence in his qualities. He is a very good youngster, I like him enormously.”

Also dubbed a “huge talent” by Didier Deschamps, Spurs should do all they can to secure the teenager either in January or later in the summer.

AND in other news, Levy got on the wrong side of Pochettino and lost £15m with one controversial call…

Even though he has been a big part of Chelsea’s success over the years, N’Golo Kante has lately also been linked with a move away from Stamford Bridge. Of course, whether that will indeed materialise or not remains to be seen, but the transfer rumours are still there.

Not only that but over the course of the summer transfer window, Manchester United suddenly emerged as potential suitors should the versatile midfielder really want a change of scenery.

And now, the Red Devils have essentially been tipped to go in for the player by Crystal Palace star, Andros Townsend.

Here’s what he said for TalkSPORT: “For me, 100 per cent, his best position is just in front of the back four, patrolling that midfield, literally like a wall between the midfield and the back four. He is the best player in the world in that position. If, hypothetically, he went to Man United, he would make them title challengers.”

The reason behind such a huge claim is that Townsend believes Kante would free up both Paul Pogba and Bruno Fernandes, giving them more licence to attack and play higher up the pitch where they are the most dangerous.

Of course, the current Blue is also keen on playing in advanced areas as well but can be deployed in a deeper, destroyer role.

But at the end of the day, a switch to Old Trafford would indeed be a very difficult operation and one that Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is not necessarily contemplating at the very moment.

Verdict

Adding Kante to such a talented and stacked midfield would surely push Man United to a whole new level.

But realistically, it would be difficult to see Frank Lampard part ways with his midfielder in the first place, let alone let him go to a direct rival for the top of the table in the Premier League.

When Curtis Edwards made his senior debut for Darlington Football Club at nineteen years old he would never have guessed that seven years later he would be lining up for the Swedish Champions, Djurgården. 

Edwards’ story is as remarkable as it is unique. The midfielder is a product of the Middlesbrough academy system where he was considered a gifted player. He began his career at Darlington before signing for Thornaby and Spennymoor Town. Despite playing well for the Northern League clubs, Edwards later admitted that he spent too much time partying and clubbing.

It was then he was offered a lifeline signing for Ytterhogdals IK, a Swedish football team playing in the fifth tier of Swedish football. In the remote northern Swedish countryside, away from distractions he found his form.

Edwards was then offered a trial at Östersunds, a club playing in the Allsvenskan, the top tier of Swedish football. He impressed the team’s coach, and ex footballer, Brian Wake in a friendly and was signed in 2016. He would go onto become a cult figure at Östersunds, making 81 appearances and winning the Swedish Cup. Edwards also played in the club’s famous Europa League campaign, in which the Swedish minnows beat teams such as Galatasaray, PAOK and Athletic Bilbao before losing to Arsenal 2-4 in the round of 32.

As he neared the end of his three year contract with Östersund, Edwards was courted by a number of top tier Swedish clubs. Eventually it was Djurgården, the Stockholm based club and twelve time Swedish champions who signed the then 25-year old midfielder. Edwards scored on his debut and would go onto make twelve appearances for the club as they were crowned Champions in his first season at Djurgården.

Unfortunately Edwards’ first season in the Champions League ended in defeat during the first round to Hungarian team Ferencvárosm who would later knock out Celtic.

Djurgården are currently fifth in the Allsvenskan with 20 matches played. They are only three points behind second placed Häcken. The bookies have Edwards’ Djurgården as fourth favorites to win the title. If you are based in the US then make sure to use the 888Sport bonus when betting on any European league.

Chelsea made easy work of emerging victorious at Wembley over Manchester United in the FA Cup semi-final. 

Frank Lampard’s men brushed aside their Premier League rivals in a 3-1 win, which sees them into the last round of the competition. The Blues will prepare to take part in a London derby as they look to face off against Arsenal in the final.

The recently consistent Olivier Giroud opened up the scoring followed by Mason Mount, who was operating on the wing, and an own-goal from Harry Maguire. A late consolation goal from Bruno Fernandes rounded off the action.

Lampard completely switched up his recent preference of 4-3-3 by opting for just three at the back and four in midfield instead. Cesar Azpilicueta and Antonio Rudiger manned the outskirts of the defence whilst Reece James shifted into midfield to contribute to the engine room.

The 20-year-old’s versatility shone against Man United as he was arguably one of Chelsea’s better midfielders. Not once did James look uncomfortable with the change in formation, registering the highest pass accuracy percentage out of the entire match (according to FotMob).

The more attacking role gave James freedom to contribute in front of goal, which showcased his talent of spotting an opportunity. He completed 100% of dribbles attempted (3/3) and 100% of his shots hit the target. James also missed a big chance to find the back of the net, which only amplifies his threat in attack (via Sofascore).

The £20.25m-valued ace’s performance against Man United will have only put himself higher up the pecking order. His versatility teamed with his clever play and ability to get forward as well as defend could see him become an integral part of Lampard’s side. James is definitely one to watch out for when Chelsea undergo their transition next season.

How do you think Reece James performed against United, Blues? Have your say in the comments below!

Newcastle United are on the market for a new defender. Specifically, as it turns out, Steve Bruce wants to buy a new left-back in the ongoing summer transfer window. Of course, with Danny Rose spending some time on loan at the club, it was widely reported he could indeed be permanently acquired at the end of his stint in the north-east.

However, according to an exclusive report from Football Insider, the Magpies won’t pursue Tottenham Hotspur’s returnee and there has been no contact between the two clubs since the end of the 2019/20 season.

And yes, Bruce has talked warmly of the 30-year-old defender during his stay at St. James’ Park but if the same source is to be believed, Newcastle’s interest has cooled and they even have someone else in mind. The identity of that mysterious left-back, who’s described by Football Insider as someone “who can challenge for a first-team place next season”, is still unknown.

What we do know, thanks to the same outlet, is that it likely won’t be Rose. The England international has enjoyed a good spell at the club but the next step in his career is unclear.

Jose Mourinho doesn’t exactly count on him anymore and Rose has now even entered the final year of his contract with the north Londoners, making him easily attainable on the transfer market for any Premier League club out there.

But, as it turns out, he won’t be joining Newcastle on a permanent basis.

Verdict

It does seem like the Magpies are extremely confident that their mysterious left-back has enough quality to succeed at the club and make his way into the first-team next season. If that is truly the case, then it makes sense not to go for Rose.

Despite still being able to offer a decent return, he is 30 years old and slowly fading. It all, however, depends on that potential surprise arrival and his impact in the immediate future.

This article is part of Football FanCast’s Opinion series, which provides analysis, insight and opinion on any issue within the beautiful game, from Paul Pogba’s haircuts to League Two relegation battles…

Tottenham Hotspur need a miracle to progress to the final of the Champions League for a second successive season.

Last year, of course, they flew by the seat of their pants, beating Borussia Dortmund, Manchester City and Ajax in the knockout stages before eventually bowing out to eventual winners Liverpool, losing 2-0 in Madrid.

The final was actually an anti-climax, a game that was ultimately decided after 30 seconds, when Moussa Sissoko’s errant arm led to a penalty that Mohamed Salah converted.

But the ride was glorious for Spurs fans and full of the drama and controversy that only football can throw up; think of that VAR decision against Manchester City and that famous Lucas Moura winner in Amsterdam.

But this time around, already, it looks to be different.

Spurs have finished second, behind Bayern Munich, in their group and they will face one of the following in the next round: PSG, Juventus, Barcelona, RB Leipzig or Valencia.

The latter two, one might think, could be favourable draws.

The Spaniards, though, topped a tough group that also featured Chelsea and Ajax, even winning at Stamford Bridge, while Leipzig dominated an open Group G also comprising Lyon, Benfica, and Zenit.

They will be tricky away trips, to be sure, and there is no guarantee they will be beaten on home soil either; Spurs lost 7-2 to Bayern in north London and fell 2-0 behind to Olympiacos before rallying to win 4-2.

PSG, of course, boast the megastars of Kylian Mbappe and Neymar and were comfortably clear of Real Madrid in Group A; Juventus have Cristiano Ronaldo and were not troubled by either Atletico Madrid or Bayer Leverkusen; Barca have Lionel Messi and sauntered through a group with Borussia Dortmund and Inter Milan.

Mourinho’s produced some incredible footballing stars – how much do you know about them?

This time last year, of course, Spurs drew Dortmund and it was seen as a tricky fixture; they went on to win 4-0 on aggregate.

One feels that they will need the luck of the draw – avoiding Barca and PSG is paramount – and then they will need to be at their very best to have any chance of reaching the quarter-finals.

Of course, to win this competition, one will have to face a European giant eventually.

Spurs will just have to hope that the scenario comes later rather than sooner.

Meanwhile, Spurs fans have been reacting to a cheeky tweet from the club’s official account.

The final decision on the proposed takeover of Newcastle United by the Premier League may be sped up by the news that Mauricio Pochettino has reportedly rejected the chance to manage at SL Benfica, according to Record (via Inside Futbol).

As per the outlet, the former Tottenham Hotspur boss would prefer to manage in one of Europe’s top five leagues: the Premier League, La Liga, Bundesliga, Serie A or Ligue 1.

Pochettino apparently wants the opportunity to win some of the biggest trophies in the beautiful game, and is keeping an eye on the current situation at Real Madrid, as Benfica are allegedly looking at former Arsenal coach Unai Emery and ex-manager of Everton Marco Silva as potential alternatives to him.

The 48-year old has been strongly linked with the potential job opening at the Tyneside club if Steve Bruce is deemed surplus to requirements by the would-be owners, and the fact that he has rejected the job in Portugal because he wants to potentially manage again in the Premier League could speed up the decision to approve of the proposed takeover.

Pochettino may also buy into the project of the buying side who will surely be looking to win some silverware for the Magpies, given that they will likely have a lot of money to spend on possibly big transfer deals in upcoming summer  windows.

If the Saudi Arabian-led group are ambitious, then they may want to swoop in for the Argentine sooner rather than later before other teams come in for him. They may therefore ask the Premier League more questions as to when they will be able to take control, which could speed up the takeover process.

Geordies, would you like Poch to be your next manager? Comment below!

This article is part of Football FanCast’s Transfer Focus series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent transfer news…

According to Football Insider, Borussia Dortmund are interested in signing Rhian Brewster on loan in January.

What’s the story?

The 19-year-old asked Jurgen Klopp during the summer whether he could leave on a short-term basis, but the German turned his request down as he saw him as a member of the first-team squad.

He has previously been linked with Aston Villa and Leeds United, but now it appears one of Europe’s big boys would like to take him. Borussia Monchengladbach are also said to have their eyes on a deal.

Bait for Sancho

From Brewster’s perspective, this is a switch that would make perfect sense. Having featured in just two matches this campaign – and indeed his career to date – he is in desperate need of regular football as soon as possible, and he is unlikely to get that at Liverpool, where Roberto Firmino is the first-choice centre-forward.

From a Liverpool perspective, a move to Dortmund could also be in their best interests. Paco Alcacer is perhaps Die Schwarzgelben’s best option up front, but he has struggled with injuries and so cannot be relied upon week-in week-out. In his place this term, the former Nice manager has used Julian Brandt, Mario Gotze and Marco Reus, none of whom are 100% comfortable in that role. As such, you could expect Brewster to get a good run of games.

Not only that, though, but the Reds could use his loan as part of any potential deal to take Jadon Sancho to Anfield. Jurgen Klopp’s team have been heavily linked with the Merseyside club so far this campaign, with former Premier League striker Jan Aage Fjortoft even saying that they are the favourites to sign the England international, who BVB want £130m for. Should they offer Brewster, even on a temporary basis, as part of any deal for the winger, surely Hans-Joachim Watzke and co would be more inclined to move him on to the European champions rather than anywhere else.

Real Reds will get full marks: Take the ultimate Liverpool quiz below…

In that case, it would be a win-win situation for everybody, and as such, if a choice were to be made between the two Bundesliga clubs, Dortmund is the clear and obvious winner.

Meanwhile, Liverpool fans choose their Player of the Month for November.

This article is part of Football FanCast’s Opinion series, which provides analysis, insight and opinion on any issue within the beautiful game, from Paul Pogba’s haircuts to League Two relegation battles…

Leeds are in a very comfortable position at the moment as they sit 11 points clear of third place and we’re almost at the halfway point of the season.

Of course, every Leeds fan will remember last season’s complete and utter capitulation that cost them in the second half of last season as they were consigned to the playoffs after a poor end to the season.

One user of the online forum Waccoe put together the data showing that Leeds do often fall apart at the end of seasons, but curiously it showed that United may have already surmounted too big of a lead for them to bottle it at this point.

The table shows the number of points per game that Leeds fall off on average during every season they’ve spent in the Championship since their relegation.

As you can see, Leeds’ bottling capabilities really came into effect after their promotion from League One as they’ve been worse in the second half of the campaign every year except for one since their return in the 2010/11 season.

Indeed, Leeds are on average 0.313 points per game worse off in the second half of campaigns, but if they stick to that average this season they may already be too far ahead for any team to catch them.

The Yorkshire club have an 11 point lead, and if they were to be 0.313 points per game worse off from now until the end of the season that would see them earn 7.825 fewer points, which isn’t enough for any to overcome the current 11 point gap unless a side below them goes on a miracle run.

Of course, they could bottle it harder than ever before, or a team below them could go on a run that exceeds anything we’ve ever seen, but United are seemingly able to drop off as much as they usually do and still end up promoted at the end of the season.

Meanwhile, Leeds have been linked with a signing that could solve one big problem Bielsa has recently faced.

Tottenham Hotspur fans are torn on the possibility of signing Ajax playmaker Hakim Ziyech after a new report from 90 Min.

The Morocco international has been in electric form for the Dutch giants this season, making 21 appearances in all competitions and scoring six goals, while registering 15 assists.

Ziyech was brilliant for Ajax last season, too, even scoring against Spurs in their Champions League semi-final as he hit 21 goals and laid on 24 assists in all competitions.

Spurs are said to be making plans for when Christian Eriksen departs the club; the report states that the Denmark international will leave before the beginning of the 2020/21 season. As it is, his contract is set to expire in the summer.

And the club are exploring the possibility of bringing Ziyech in as a like-for-like replacement.

But Spurs fans appear torn on the report, with some believing that defenders are needed instead of further attacking midfielders, while others think that he would be a genuinely superb acquisition.

Take a look at the best of the reaction on Twitter below!