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Tanguy Ndombele’s days are surely numbered at Tottenham Hotspur after another disastrous outing resulted in a torrent of boos from the crowd on Sunday afternoon.

Spurs edged into the fourth round of the FA Cup with a 3-1 victory over League One minnows Morecambe but that was after the Frenchman was withdrawn by manager Antonio Conte.

The introduction of Harry Kane and Lucas Moura changed the game and spared the Lilywhites their blushes.

Ndombele, who was graded as SofaScore’s lowest-rated outfield player for either side, was withdrawn in the 69th minute to a raucous reaction from the home supporters. He trudged off slowly as the volume of the boos increased and went straight down the tunnel – that will surely anger the Italian head coach.

Considering the £34m-rated midfielder cost a club-record £55m over two-and-a-half years ago, the 24-year-old should be picking apart a side of the Shrimpers’ quality – with all due respect.

Indeed, the expensive flop, who ex-goalkeeper Joe Hart once dubbed “unplayable” cut an uninterested figure throughout the game and that drew criticism from the press box.

‘Booed off by his own fans after trudging towards the touchline when he was replaced by Kane. It felt terminal and you wonder if that’s the last we’ll see of him in a Spurs shirt. Followed an ineffective display,’ wrote the Evening Standard’s Dan Kilpatrick in his post-match column.

Ndombele won just one of his six duels (16%), a rather weak effort up against a team two divisions below. Elsewhere, he failed to register a single shot on target, key pass, tackle or interception, via SofaScore.

According to Italian transfer guru Fabrizio Romano, Spurs are “looking for a solution to sell or loan out” the former Lyon dynamo, so after these latest antics, it could well be the beginning of the end for Ndombele at the club.

That, at the very least, should be the last time that he gets to put on a Tottenham shirt.

AND in other news, Spurs dealt major injury blow ahead of  Chelsea clash…

An update has emerged regarding Newcastle’s interest in Real Madrid midfielder Casemiro.

What’s the talk?

According to Spanish outlet El Nacional, the Magpies are eyeing up a potential swoop for the Brazil international in either January or next summer.

The report claims that a move could happen as the 29-year-old is currently uncomfortable with Carlo Ancelotti being the manager at the Bernabeu.

Lerma 2.0

Eddie Howe is reportedly on the verge of becoming the new manager of Newcastle and a move for Casemiro could be an excellent first foray into the market. The £63m-rated beast could be the 43-year-old’s next Jefferson Lerma, who excelled in the top flight as a midfield enforcer for Bournemouth.

The 27-year-old played 65 games under Howe before the coach’s exit from the Vitality Stadium in 2020, having signed for £25.2m from Levante in 2018. The Colombia international enjoyed an impressive debut campaign in English football with the Cherries as he averaged a WhoScored rating of 6.97 across 30 Premier League appearances, with 3.3 tackles and interceptions per game.

Casemiro is a similar type of player in style. The Brazilian is a strong defensive-minded midfielder who breaks up the play. He has averaged five tackles and interceptions per game over the course of his career, playing the best part of 300 matches for Real Madrid, Porto and Brazil.

This season, he has made 3.8 tackles and interceptions per game whilst averaging an excellent WhoScored rating of 7.01 in La Liga. These statistics are similar to the numbers Lerma was posting in his first season under Howe, which suggests that Casemiro could thrive under the former Bournemouth boss’ management, as he has shown that he can help a player of such style to thrive.

Former Real Madrid boss Julen Lopetegui once hailed him as a “joy to coach” and the enforcer’s comments on his work behind the scenes show why.

Casemiro once explained: “I love to learn. I watch back, see the errors, evaluate. I love that. People say I think like a coach. I always try to read the game, the other team’s mind, their coach, what they’re trying to do. Often the smallest details – a metre either way – change everything. I have [football analytics platform] Wyscout and watch everything, from China or anywhere.”

This suggests that Howe could love to work with Casemiro and help him improve. At the age of 29, he still has plenty of time ahead of him in the holding midfield role. Fernandinho, for instance, is still playing for Manchester City at 36, and the Real Madrid man could hopefully be Newcastle’s midfield anchor for years to come.

AND in other news, “Some members of consortium…”: Pete Graves drops NUFC update that’ll excite fans…

Everton are hopeful of intervening in Nabil Fekir’s contract negotiations with Real Betis, according to Spanish outlet Fichajes.net. 

The lowdown

Fekir has contributed two goals and two assists so far in 2021/22 for a Betis side that sits 10th in La Liga.

The name will ring a few bells on Merseyside given that Fekir came very close indeed to signing for Liverpool in 2018.

The 28-year-old is valued at £22.5million by Transfermarkt and his current contract runs until June 2023.

The latest

Negotiations over a new deal are said to be ‘advanced’, with the Frenchman ‘very happy’ in his current surroundings and confident in the project.

However, his ‘excellent’ start to the season has ‘sparked the interest’ of ‘several’ Premier League clubs, and the landscape could change if a ‘powerful financial offer arrives’.

Marcel Brands and co have ‘great aspirations’ in the transfer market and have added Fekir to their list of targets – they of course spent very little in this summer’s window.

They face competition from two London outfits in the form of West Ham United and Arsenal.

The verdict

Where would Fekir slot into this Everton team if Brands gets a deal over the line? Well, you’d naturally assume that he’d play just behind Dominic Calvert-Lewin.

Demarai Gray may have thrived in that role recently but he can be shifted out wide if needed.

You don’t look at the rival suitors here and worry that Everton may get blown out of the water. In fact, Rafael Benitez probably holds more pulling power than David Moyes or Mikel Arteta.

In other news, Michael Ball has lavished praise on this Everton star who has ‘everything’.

In an interview this week, Rafa Benitez was asking a poignant question. Would Everton supporters afford him less time because of his connections to the red corner of Merseyside?

After labelling the Toffees a ‘small club’ during his stint in charge of Liverpool the emphatic should have been an emphatic, ‘yes.’

Instead, the Spaniard disagreed with the statement, suggesting that they’d actually afford him more time at Goodison Park because they appreciate what he’s already done in the city.

However, after a catastrophic 4-1 defeat to their local rivals on Wednesday, it marked the nadir of Benitez’s short tenure at Everton so far.

The pressure is ramping up on his job and according to some outlets, he will be facing the axe in the not too distant future. However, owner Farhad Moshiri has rejected any speculation, claiming that he will be given time to sort out this mess.

As some may remember, though, that isn’t necessarily a bad sign. As Sky Sports reporter Alan Myers reminded us on Thursday afternoon, Moshiri said similar things about Ronald Koeman before sacking him just 21 days later.

If the same eventuality befalls Benitez then there will surely be no shortage of candidates for the role. Frank Lampard and Kasper Hjulmand have already been touted as potential replacements, while Nuno Santo, a man linked with the job in the summer, is also thought to be on their radar still.

The man who should be front and centre of the boardroom’s thoughts if they do get rid of the current head coach, however, is Graham Potter.

The 46-year-old was naturally touted with the Goodison outfit a few months ago after Carlo Ancelotti exited and should he still be on Everton’s radar, he’d be the perfect replacement.

After all, there is a reason he and his style of play have been described as “exceptional” by Jurgen Klopp.

He took Ostersunds in Sweden from a club languishing in the lower tiers, built them up and subsequently steered them to European football, eventuality beating Arsenal on a famous night at the Emirates in the Europa League.

Since then, he has gained experience in England with Swansea and Brighton, earning a reputation for possession-based football.

The Athletic understands that some figures at Everton are currently growing tired of the “ugly football” on display from their team but Potter would undoubtedly be able to correct that mantra.

His Brighton side have seen 56.7% of the ball on average this term, the fifth-highest tally in the whole division. The trouble is, they don’t have a genuine goal-scorer in the team. The Seagulls have only found the net on 13 occasions in 14 matches this season.

They have no issue creating chances and thus, if Potter arrives at Goodison in the coming weeks or months, he could finally have the answer to his woes in 2021/22.

Everton have plenty of players capable of fashioning chances, namely in Andros Townsend and Demarai Gray. Fortunately, they also have a player capable of scoring goals on a regular basis; Dominic Calvert-Lewin.

He has been out injured since the fourth match of the campaign but would surely relish playing under a possession-orientated coach in Potter.

If Benitez goes then the Brighton manager simply has to be the man they turn to. He has revolutionised the south coast side as they sat 7th in the Premier League prior to Thursday’s fixtures, a position that Everton should be aiming for themselves.

AND in other news, Forget Coleman: Everton lightweight who lost 91% duels may have just cost Rafa his job…

Wolves winger Adama Traore and his chances of being picked for the Spain squad for Euro 2020 are faltering, according to reports.

Bad to worse for Traore

The 25-year-old has failed to register any goal contributions of any kind during the 2020/21 campaign and is without a goal since October 2019.

Despite this, Traore still managed to score four times and provide nine assists last season – which saw him pick up his first cap for his country.

However, Spanish news outlet ABC revealed that Traore is in a losing battle to be selected to represent Spain in the European Championships this summer.

Described as a player who is “hard to stop” by manager Nuno Espirito Santo, Traore continues to be trusted by his manager despite some fans wanting him to leave last month.

Transfer Tavern Verdict

Those concerns of his chances of further international duty are, unfortunately, justified at this stage.

There has been a lot of talk about Traore’s future despite his slump in form, with the likes of Liverpool, Leeds United and Manchester City all interested in his services.

As it stands, Traore will have to go on a mammoth scoring run to be considered both by his national manager and by the aforementioned clubs in the transfer window.

In other news, Wolves fans react to Tim Spiers’ claim on Nuno’s squad implementation.

It started off so promisingly, but in the end, it was just oh-so typically Arsenal.

Mikel Arteta’s side took the lead in the first few minutes of their Premier League clash against Burnley on Saturday afternoon through a fine strike from Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. However, after gifting the Clarets their equaliser thanks to a shocking choice of pass from Granit Xhaka inside his own area, the Gunners were forced into a tough contest at Turf Moor.

The north London side can count themselves desperately unlucky not to have picked up all three points, with a penalty for handball denied, then a red card and spot-kick overturned by VAR, and in the dying moments of the game, a strike cannoning off the post.

However, while Arteta can point to how the Gunners could and probably should have won, one man who really disappointed and let him down was Willian.

The Brazilian was handed the chance to start again after putting in an impressive performance against Leicester last time out, picking up an assist against the Foxes.

Although he was credited with another assist in Saturday’s game after laying the ball off to Aubameyang, the Brazilian was largely anonymous, and looked as ineffective as ever.

Away games at Burnley in the Premier League have come to be known for the rough and tumble side of things, and Willian in particular just seemed to struggle with the Clarets defence looking to impose their will on him.

Time and again he was just muscled off the ball far too easily or seemed to let Burnley’s pressing get the better of him, losing all five of his contested duels on the day.

He also looked a complete non-entity going forward with the ball at his feet, attempting no shots on goal whatsoever and not managing a single successful dribble either, per SofaScore.

While Xhaka of course had the standout moment of the match when his pass rebounded off Chris Wood and into the back of the net, the Swiss midfielder at least still looked to keep his composure and offered a much-needed presence to the back-four for the rest of the game – only Bukayo Saka won more ground duels than him for Arsenal, and nobody had more touches than him either with 101, a whole 20 more than the next-best in this regard in Calum Chambers, per SofaScore.

After being given the nod to start against Burnley, Arteta would have been hoping that Willian could show that he had picked up a consistent bit of form after last week’s display against Leicester.

Instead, the Brazilian let him down with a timid display when the Gunners needed him most.

Meanwhile, Arsenal are eyeing this Premier League starlet…

Everton have had an awful 2021/22 campaign thus far – with the Toffees embroiled in a tough relegation battle, and Frank Lampard trying everything he can to keep the club from dropping into the Championship next season.

Many players have already been linked with moves away from Goodison Park following their disappointing campaign in the Premier League, with Richarlison, in particular, heavily speculated to leave the club this summer.

With that being said, the Toffees boss must exercise some damage control when it comes to keeping the team together – no matter the outcome at the end of the season – and now another player is reportedly being lined up for a move away from the club.

The Daily Mail reported this week that Manchester United are targeting the Everton centre-back for a move to Old Trafford, with the youngster catching the eye of the 20-time Premier League title winners.

The 19-year-old has made just six appearances for the senior team across all competitions this term, with his most notable performance coming in his first Premier League outing of 2021/22 – scoring in the 1-1 draw with Chelsea at Stamford Bridge under Rafa Benitez.

Branthwaite was hailed “fabulous” by Glen Hoddle following this display, and Benitez was also full of praise for the young defender, stating: “He showed character and he’s a player who has potential. Always with the young players, you have to be careful but you have to give them a chance if it is possible.”

Since Frank Lampard has taken over from the Spaniard, Branthwaite has been given three opportunities to prove he has what it takes to compete for a spot in the Everton backline, and his defensive statistics speak for themselves.

The 6ft5 tank has understandably used his height to impose himself on opponents, winning 67% of his aerial duels, as well as making an average of 3.3 clearances and 0.8 tackles per game.

He has also averaged an 81% pass accuracy inside his half, proving he can be a threat and offer presence for the Toffees.

Ultimately, Lampard must avoid a disaster in losing the £5.1k-per-week defender this summer, as sanctioning the sale of one of the club’s most promising up and coming talents may well be a decision that the Goodison Parkfaith never forgive the 43-year-old for.

AND in other news: Huge blow: Everton dealt fresh injury setback ahead of Liverpool, Lamps will be gutted

Manchester City’s impressive recent form has seen them rise to fifth spot in the Premier League table, now just four points behind leaders Liverpool, with two games in hand on last year’s champions.

A depleted Citizens side showed their mettle at Stamford Bridge in the 3-1 win against Chelsea on Sunday afternoon with Phil Foden and Kevin De Bruyne starring for Pep Guardiola’s side.

However, the performance of Rodri should not go unnoticed, as the Spanish midfielder produced an excellent display which will reassure Manchester City fans that he is more than capable of stepping up to replace Fernandinho, with the 35-year-old seeming likely to leave the club this summer when his contract expires.

As per Squawka football, during the game against Frank Lampard’s side, Rodri enjoyed the most touches (108), the most successful passes, the most duels contested, the most recoveries and the most tackles of any player on the pitch, in what was a dominant all-round display.

The Spanish international has faced criticism at times since joining from Atletico Madrid in 2019, with former City star Micah Richards certainly not happy with his performance against Leicester earlier this season, saying:

“I’m not blaming it [the defeat] just on Rodri, there were loads of bad performances in there.

“But in the middle by himself, the way he turns, he doesn’t read danger like Fernandinho [does], and the back line gets exposed.”

Since that 5-2 defeat, however, City have shown themselves to have one of the best defences in the league, with the partnership of John Stones and Ruben Dias working wonders at the back, although Rodri’s influence on this upturn in form should not be forgotten.

The 24-year-old has averaged a solid 7.01 rating for his performances in the Premier League this season and whilst Richards might not believe that he reads the game in the same way Fernandinho does, he has averaged 1.1 interceptions and 1.7 tackles in his appearances in the top-flight this season, whereas the Brazilian has managed just 0.5 interceptions and 1 tackle per game on average.

The Spaniard is also still just 24-year-old, so there seems no reason why he can’t get better and achieve the same sort of status Fernandinho has achieved amongst the City faithful during his time with the club.

And, in other news… Guardiola can sign Mendy upgrade in PL beast with a taste for goals

Celtic have been handed a big boost in their bid to keep in-demand striker Odsonne Edouard this summer.

The Hoops forward has been linked with the Parkhead exit door for a considerable period of time and his future remains particularly unclear.

What’s the word?

Edouard has been catching the eye of the English Premier League for over a year now.

Interest mounted last summer but his time in Glasgow has been severely under threat in the last few months.

West Ham wanted him in January while Leicester and Arsenal are now among the frontrunners at this moment in time.

That said, they have now received a boost in their bid to keep him at Lennoxtown. That’s because according to Anfield Central, he’s actually rejected a contract from Liverpool.

They reportedly threw a weekly salary of £60,000 his way but he turned them down because he wasn’t keen on playing second fiddle to their current options.

This is the issue that a number of teams could have this summer which now elevates the hope of him remaining in Scotland.

A key figure

Edouard has been a fantastic servant for Celtic down the years but it’s hard to deny that he hasn’t downed tools in the last few months.

Heading into the Old Firm derby on Sunday, the Frenchman had only scored once in his last five league outings with his overall contribution failing to set the world alight.

[snack-amp-story url= “https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/celtic-manager-transfers-eddie-howe-jesse-marsch-ryan-christie-siriki-dembele” title=”Read the latest Celtic managerial updates, transfer news, rumours and gossip!”]

He wasn’t running hard for the team and then when he got in goal scoring positions, he spurned opportunities that you’d back him to finish with his eyes closed.

The Scottish Cup fourth round defeat to Rangers was a particularly bad one. Edouard missed a simple chance from a matter of yards out and then saw a penalty saved by Allan McGregor in the Gers goal.

That said, he is still a devastating player, an individual capable of carrying the Bhoys to glory. He has scored 82 in 166 for Celtic and has 21 goals this term, by far the most of anyone in the current squad.

Edouard looked back to his best last weekend too. Although the Hoops were thrashed 4-1 by their biggest rivals, the striker still put in a shift.

He scored a well-timed header at the back post to equalise and was then described as “magical” by Ally McCoist during Sky Sports’ coverage of the game for plucking a long ball forward out of the sky with a mesmerising touch.

On his day, Edouard can look sluggish and disinterested. However, if he’s in form, he’s undoubtedly the best player in the whole division.

In the last two seasons, the attacker has scored 38 goals in the Premiership, 14 more than Alfredo Morelos for instance.

The fact that he’s rejected a contract from one of the biggest teams in Europe should leave Dermot Desmond and Dominic McKay delighted; they simply have to keep a hold of him.

AND in other news, Fewer touches than Bain: Celtic dud who lost 71% duels was “absolutely skinned” today…

Writing on Twitter, sharing the latest in a piece for football.london, reliable Lilywhites correspondent Alasdair Gold has dropped a major Tottenham Hotspur managerial update.

The Lowdown: Tottenham manager hunt in motion…

Since the sacking of former boss Jose Mourinho last month, Spurs and chairman Daniel Levy have been linked with a host of new gaffers to take the role in north London.

Names such as Julian Nagelsmann (now taking the Bayern Munich role), Brendan Rodgers and Erik Ten Hag (The Telegraph) have been followed up by the likes of Graham Potter, Scott Parker and Roberto Martinez (Evening Standard).

Spurs allegedly have their criteria for a new boss as they eye contenders who promote open, attacking football – as well as a ‘young’ and ‘dynamic’ boss wanted by technical performance director Steve Hitchen (The Daily Mail).

The Latest: Gold drops major Tottenham managerial update

Writing on social media, sharing the latest developments from within Spurs, Gold has dropped a major update – with Tottenham now completing their managerial shortlist.

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

Indeed, as explained by the journalist, Tottenham have compiled their dossier of candidates for the managerial vacancy and ‘will be pushing forward’ to hold talks for those in contention.

“Understand Spurs now have their shortlist for their next manager and will be pushing forward to hold talks.” he explained (via Twitter).

As explained by the reporter, there will be unknown names due to the secrecy of Tottenham’s hunt, but those believed not to be in the running are Italian quintet Simone Inzaghi, Antonio Conte, Maurizio Sarri, Gian Piero Gasperini and Massimiliano Allegri.

This report reiterates Martinez, Rodgers, Parker and Potter as managers also catching attention from Spurs chiefs.

The Verdict: About time…

football.london recently claimed that Tottenham are aiming to announce their new manager by the end of the season, and we were starting to grow concerned this just wouldn’t be possible.

Sky Sports even dropped an opposing update, stating Spurs looked set to take their time and make an appointment in the summer after Ajax boss and former target Ten Hag signed a new contract.

They urged supporters to not expect an announcement before the end of 2020/2021, but this Gold update could provide hope of seeing a new manager in N17 before the European Championships.

As a result, this update comes as a major one as the Spurs manager hunt lingers on.

In other news: Tottenham told to target this ‘demon’ of a boss, find out more here.