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Former Premier League star Carlton Palmer insists that Jarrod Bowen should stay at West Ham United amid links elsewhere.

The winger has been touted as a potential target for a number of clubs, including Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur.

Bowen has, of course, enjoyed a fine start to the season, with David Moyes’ side competing on multiple fronts after qualifying for the Europa League last term.

The winger has made eight appearances in all competitions and has provided an assist, while also occupying defenders with his pace and trickery.

Bowen is tied to a lengthy contract with the Hammers that runs until 2025 and he is valued at £27m by Transfermarkt.

And Palmer thinks that Bowen would be best served by remaining in east London as he looks to take the next step and reach a level befitting a move to an elite club.

He said: “When you’ve got players that are doing well, obviously clubs are going to be interested. That’s par for the course. But where does Jarrod go? He’s playing at West Ham, they’re a top-six side, so the only place he’s going to go, if you go off last season, you’re looking at Man City, Liverpool, Man United, Leicester City, there’s your top five clubs, so where’s he going to go?

“And you’re playing week in, week out at West Ham. For me, I think you sit tight. You sit tight, you’re playing football, carry on doing what you’re doing. He’s 24, he’s a young player, just carry on getting the experience and playing. When you leave to go to a big club, you need to play, you don’t leave to go and sit on the bench.

“That’s what you should never do. So he just carries on playing at West Ham. They had a fantastic season last season, they’ve started well this season, there’s no need to be thinking about a move.”

In total, Bowen has made 61 appearances for the Hammers, scoring nine goals and laying on 11 assists.

Heung-min Son has been one of Tottenham Hotspur’s standout performers for several seasons now but under Nuno Santo, he has quickly emerged as the main protagonist, with Harry Kane struggling to find the net.

The South Korean sensation signed for the north London outfit from Bundesliga side Bayer Leverkusen back in August 2015, costing Daniel Levy just £22m.

He has been ever-present since, going onto record 289 appearances, 110 goals and 66 assists – and counting. Across six seasons, he has managed a direct contribution every 110 minutes.

A consistent and impressive feat indeed.

So far this campaign, he has scored more goals than the rest of the Spurs squad combined, whilst he tops the charts for shots on goal (3.2 per game) and creating key chances (1.5 per game), as per WhoScored.

Undeniably, he has been Nuno’s best-performing player thus far.

You could argue that he has been Levy’s greatest-ever success story, transfer or whatever you’d like to call it.

The versatile 29-year-old forward, who can play on the wing as well as through the middle, has seen his worth increase to a whopping £76.5m, making him the second-most valuable player at Tottenham and the ninth overall in the Premier League, as per Transfermarkt.

That is an increase of 248% on Levy’s investment, so it certainly has to be lauded as a masterstroke.

Throughout his career in north London, the 92-time international has received plenty of glowing endorsements, only adding to just how big of a success he has been.

Jose Mourinho regularly waxed lyrical about Son and once called him a “special player” and a “special human being”, whilst Martin Keown previously dubbed the winger a “revelation” on Match of the Day 2 [16/02, 10:45pm].

On the above evidence, Spurs and Levy have clearly struck gold and hit the jackpot with Son.

The long-serving attacker has even been tied down until the summer of 2025 after signing a fresh extension during the summer, so the Lilywhites faithful will get to witness a whole lot more in the coming years.

AND in other news, Spurs receive huge transfer boost ahead of January window…

Frank McAvennie has been left slamming Daniel Levy after what he has heard coming out of Tottenham Hotspur.

The Lowdown: Levy tried to halt Newcastle

As per The Daily Mail, the chairman tried to stop Newcastle United from signing lucrative new sponsors following the takeover by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) consortium.

It was also claimed that Spurs lobbied the Premier League against the deal amid fears of increased competition for Champions League spots.

The Latest: McAvennie slams Levy

Speaking to Football Insider, former Celtic and West Ham United striker McAvennie has slammed Levy for his actions, claiming that the Spurs chairman is scared that Newcastle could become more successful than the Lilywhites. The 61-year-old raged:

“Levy isn’t even talking to the fans now, he’s blanking them.

“He hasn’t got a leg to stand on, the fans have fully turned on him.

“It’s as if he’s trying to wind them up as much as possible. He thinks he doesn’t have to answer to anybody.

“This has all come from fear. Levy is scared that Newcastle could knock Tottenham off the map.

“He cannot compete with that wealth. Not being able to compete scares Levy.

“He tried to stop the takeover, now he’s trying to stop sponsors, grow up.

“Honestly, it’s pathetic, I’m embarrassed for him.”

The Verdict: Embarrassing

It is truly embarrassing on Levy’s behalf that he would even try to stop the Magpies from signing new sponsors, and ultimately screams of jealousy on his part.

After an impressive start to the season, Tottenham are currently lingering in ninth place in the Premier League table, and they only managed to qualify for the Europa Conference League from finishing seventh last term.

Newcastle promise to disrupt the so-called ‘big six’ with their new wealth, which could leave the north London club even further adrift. Nonetheless, Levy may need to reach into his own pockets once more to try and keep up with the likes of the Magpies in the transfer market.

In other news, find out who Fabio Paratici is now ‘thinking’ of signing for Spurs

Many Everton fans have been left raging over some news involving changes to their fixtures.

As per the official website of the Goodison Park faithful, they have had six fixtures moved for coverage on TV during the festive period, including the Merseyside derby at home to Liverpool now being played midweek at 8:15pm.

They also have Monday night games at home to Arsenal and Leicester City respectively, while there is also a midweek visit to Chelsea.

Understandably, the changes have not left Toffees supporters happy, as night-time matches make it harder for them to attend due to travel and work commitments, especially the visit to Stamford Bridge.

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The 7:45pm kick-off time for the Chelsea clash looks to be an absolute nightmare for travelling Blues, while they’re not particularly happy to see the derby with their red neighbours moved to midweek either.

Everton fans on fixture changes

These EFC fans raged as the changes were shared on Twitter, with one Evertonian even going as far as to claim that they are ‘fuming’, while another said the changes are ‘terrible’:

“They’re absolutely horrendous”

Credit: @gfarr92

“Absolute joke.”

Credit: @JayShelley89

“Absolute disaster.. another reason not to book flights until fixtures here changed”

Credit: @Ryan__Hughes

“Fuming!!”

Credit: @EvertonHel

“Terrible fixture changes”

Credit: @andymitchell73

“These fixture changes are an absolute disgrace. @SkySports don’t care about fans who actually go to the match at all but unfortunately if you dance with the devil then it’s to his tune. I feel for people working nights or who’ll have to use annual leave to attend these games!”

Credit: @Paddy_McKeanEFC

In other news, find out which 18-year-old Toffees want to start against Watford here!

Frank McAvennie has dubbed Celtic defender Anthony Ralston ‘too lazy’ and urged him to ‘take notes’ from Boli Bolingoli. 

The lowdown

Ralston has made 19 appearances for Celtic so far this season across all competitions. He has scored three goals, including one in the Hoops’ Europa League group stage opener against Real Betis, and provided two assists (via Transfermarkt).

In terms of the defensive side of the game, he ranks second in the Celtic squad for tackles per game with 2.5, while Bolingoli leads the way with three (via WhoScored). They have both averaged 0.5 interceptions, but the Belgian is making considerably more clearances – 3.5 per game to Ralston’s 2.1.

The latest

Speaking to Football Insider, McAvennie said that Bolingoli, who is back in the fold after a loan spell at Istanbul Basaksehir, is setting an example for Ralston.

He accused the 22-year-old of ‘going missing’ as he prioritises his attacking responsibilities, forcing team-mates to cover for him.

“When you are a defender, you have to defend,” McAvennie said. “I know it sounds simple but it’s true.

“Ralston gets forward a bit and he got a few goals at the start of the season but I want my defenders to defend.

“I have gone on about how Ralston goes missing before. Other players end up doing his work for him.

“Bolingoli actually defends. He was brilliant at the weekend. He sits back and does his job. That’s not too much to ask for me.

“Ralston wants to watch Bolingoli and how he plays, he needs to learn. He’s too lazy at the moment.

“There is a good player in there, just do your job.”

The verdict

Postecoglou’s trust in Ralston is clear from the amount of football he has played this season. We can safely say that the Celtic manager doesn’t share McAvennie’s concerns about the 22-year-old’s application.

It could simply be the case that the two players the pundit mentions are playing to their own strengths. How much would Celtic lose going forward if the shackles were put on Ralston? Based on his tally of 1.8 key passes per game, quite a lot. If anything, he and Bolingoli appear to complement each other nicely.

In other news, find out the latest name linked with Celtic

Writing for The Sun, journalist Paul Jiggins has dropped a damning behind-the-scenes Tottenham Hotspur claim involving senior players at N17.

The Lowdown: Nuno back in the firing line…

Following two consecutive Premier League wins against Aston Villa and Newcastle, the pressure on Nuno Espírito Santo was slightly eased as he aims to guide Spurs into his very own era.

However, this last week has seemingly placed the Portuguese back in the firing line with another two losses now on the board – this time to Conference League minnows Vitesse and bitter London rivals West Ham.

After the regrettable last round of fixtures for Tottenham’s head coach, reporter Jiggins has now dropped a damning behind-the-scenes reveal in another blow for Nuno.

The Latest: Senior Spurs players ‘seriously angered’…

As per the journalist, writing in The Sun, senior members of Nuno’s Europa Conference League squad have been left ‘seriously angered’ due to the manager’s tendency to think too far ahead.

This has apparently created a ‘needless chasm’ at Hotspur way and left the team’s morale in ‘tatters’ – coming after he decided to field a second-string team against Vitesse and rest key players for West Ham only to lose both anyway.

Jiggins also believes the Spurs squad is now ‘divided’ under Nuno amid increasing pressure.

The Verdict: Blow for Nuno…

The external pressure from critics alone is one huge obstacle the 47-year-old must face and harbouring furious senior squad members will do little to help his cause.

There is still time for him to steer the Spurs ship back around, especially considering they lie just three points away from a top four place and are keeping fair chase statistically.

However, a swift revival in terms of both results and performances is needed – starting with Burnley in the Carabao Cup tonight.

In other news: Paratici may now be willing to offer ‘frightening’ player over £200,000-per-week to join Tottenham, find out more here.

Tottenham Hotspur manager Antonio Conte has placed Matthijs de Ligt on his transfer wish list.

What’s the talk?

According to reports in Italy (via i News), the new Spurs boss has identified the Juventus centre-back as one of his top targets in the January transfer window as he looks to strengthen his options in the heart of the north Londoners’ defence, with both Davinson Sanchez and Eric Dier being tipped for an exit from the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

The Daily Express reported that the 52-year-old has around £150m to spend in the winter market, something which would allow the former Inter Milan boss to meet the reported €70m (£60m) figure at which Juventus value the Netherlands international.

Fans will be buzzing

Considering the sheer amount of potential that De Ligt quite clearly possesses, the news that Conte is plotting a move for the defender, coupled with the prospect of much-maligned duo Sanchez and Dier being moved on, is sure to have Tottenham fans buzzing. Indeed, both the Colombian and the Englishman have turned in some rather awful performances in recent weeks.

Indeed, while the 22-year-old has not quite hit the heights of his final season at Ajax since his £76.95m move to Turin back in 2019, the youngster has nevertheless demonstrated that he still possesses the ability to flourish into one of the world’s leading centre-backs – something which would likely be realise under Conte’s management.

Over his seven Serie A appearances this season, the £63m-rated Dutchman has helped his team to keep one clean sheet, scored one goal and created one big chance for his teammates, as well as making 1.1 interceptions and one tackle, completing 42.1 passes and winning 4.7 duels per game.

These returns have seen the player who Italian football expert Carlo Garganese dubbed a “monster” average a SofaScore match rating of 6.94, ranking him as Massimiliano Allegri’s joint fifth-best performer – alongside legendary centre-back Leonardo Bonucci – in the Italian top flight.

As such, it would indeed appear a highly advisable move for Fabio Paratici to do all he can to get a deal over the line for the £200k-per-week De Ligt in January, as the defender seems like a player around whom Conte could build his Tottenham defence for many years to come.

In other news: “Conte greenlights…”: Journalist claims Spurs want £18m-rated beast, fans will surely be buzzing

Aston Villa are considering a move to appoint Kasper Hjulmand as Dean Smith’s successor at Villa Park.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a claim made by Rob Dorsett, with the journalist revealing on Sky Sports that the Denmark manager is one of the names on Aston Villa’s shortlist of candidates to fill the vacant managerial position in the Villa Park dugout.

Dorsett went on to claim that Villa’s sporting director, Johan Lange, is a big fan of the 49-year-old coach, as well as suggesting that Hjulmand will be brought in for an interview at the club.

In his comments, the journalist said: “The Denmark boss Kasper Hjulmand is also on their list. He’s very well known by the sporting director [at Aston Villa], Johan Lange, who himself is Danish. I expect him to be interviewed – but I suspect he’s a bit of an outsider for the role, as I see things at the moment.”

Lange would love him

Considering the rather remarkable job Hjulmand has done since being appointed as the Denmark manager in the summer of last year, in addition to achieving equally as impressive results during his time in charge of FC Nordsjaelland, it is easy to see why Lange is such a fan of the 49-year-old coach.

Indeed, after being promoted from Morten Wieghorst’s assistant manager to first-team coach at Nordsjaelland back in 2011, Hjulmand went on to guide the Danish side to their first-ever Superligaen title during his debut campaign at Farum Park, pipping FC Copenhagen to the league on the final day of the season.

The following campaign, Hjulmand once again defied expectations with Nordsjaelland, securing a second-place finish in the league, as well as earning what is perhaps the most famous point in the club’s short history – in the form of a 1-1 draw with Italian giants Juventus in the group stage of the Champions League.

As a result of these massive overachievements, Bundesliga side 1.FSV Mainz 05 took a chance on the 49-year-old manager in 2014, although he returned to Denmark and Nordsjaelland after winning just four of his 21 games in charge of the German side.

After a further three solid seasons at Farum Park, Hjulmand eventually left the club in 2019, before being appointed as the Denmark national team coach in the summer of 2020.

And, the Dane once again defied the odds with De Rod-Hvide at Euro 2020, guiding his side to the semi-final of the competition, narrowly missing out on qualification for the final as a result of Harry Kane’s extra-time penalty.

As such, while it is true that Hjulmand does not have much experience of managing in one of Europe’s big five leagues, the 49-year-old’s knack of overachieving with the teams he has coached could well be enough to convince the Villa board to take a chance on the Dane.

In other news: “I understand”: Sky journo drops big AVFC manager update, fans surely buzzing

Leeds United have been handed a timely injury boost ahead of their return to Premier League action this weekend…

What’s the latest?

According to Football Insider, left-back Junior Firpo has been given the all-clear to feature against Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday, handing Marcelo Bielsa a huge boost.

It’s thought that the 25-year-old, who signed for £12.8m from Barcelona in the summer, has fully recovered from muscle injury picked up on the training pitch and is now in contention to start in north London.

He has not featured for the senior side since early October – a 1-0 win over Watford – and has missed their last four league outings, as a result.

Major boost

This will be a major source of encouragement for the Argentine head coach, not least because he’s a huge admirer of the Brazilian.

“When Junior manages to have the rhythm the Premier League imposes on you, he’s going to be a full-back that shines a lot,” he told reporters at the end of September (via LeedsLive). “He has all the physical and technical resources to generate moments of very good football.”

Leeds were already light on options in the left-back role and in his absence, a host of players have had to deputies, the latest of which being towering central defensive colossus Pascal Struijk.

The 6 foot 3 Dutchman was deployed out wide against Leicester City as Stuart Dallas had to cover for Jamie Shackleton, who was also injured, on the other wing.

And even then, the 22-year-old academy graduate is filling in for vice-captain Luke Ayling, who has been on the treatment table since mid-September.

As you can see, Bielsa has had to deal with numerous injury problems, so he will certainly be delighted by the return of Firpo this weekend, even more so as Antonio Conte’s system utilises the wide areas to great effect.

The Yorkshiremen will appear a lot stronger in these positions with a natural full-back available.

Firpo’s return is certainly a major boost and Bielsa will be buzzing to have him back.

AND in other news, Leeds could have their own Virgil Van Dijk in teenage “leader”…

Southampton currently have a number of players in their squad that have progressed through the club’s youth system such as James Ward-Prowse, Nathan Tella, Theo Walcott, Will Smallbone and Yan Valery among others.

One other current senior Saints star that worked his way through the youth system at the south coast club is defender Jack Stephens, who joined the youth ranks back in 2011 from Plymouth Argyle.

Since making his senior debut for the Saints back in January 2012 in an FA Cup victory over Coventry City, Stephens has gone on to make a total of 139 senior appearances for the club across all competitions, chipping in with six goals and five assists along the way.

The 27-year-old, who is currently valued at £7.2m according to Transfermarkt, played every minute of league action for Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side before unfortunately picking up a serious knee injury in their  0-0 draw against Manchester City, showing just how important he is to the team.

Despite only being 27, Stephens is still Southampton’s oldest current senior centre-back, meaning that the club could well be looking to find a replacement in the next few years.

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With this in mind, the club could already have their ideal next version of Stephens with 19-year-old centre-back Dynel Simeu, someone who could save millions in transfer fees on a potential successor.

Despite only joining the club back in July from fellow Premier League club Chelsea, the teenage defender, who is currently valued at £900k according to Transfermarkt, has appeared in all but one of the Southampton B team games so far this season, playing the full 90 minutes in all of them, showing just how important he is for them.

In addition to this, Simeu, who has previously been described as “one to watch” by journalist Neil Moxley during his time at Chelsea, has shown in recent weeks how much of a goalscoring threat he can be as well as a defensive unit by bagging in each of his two previous league outings.

Moving forward, if Simeu can keep playing regularly for the B team until the end of the season, then there’s every chance that he could start knocking on Hasenhuttl’s door to potentially get some first-team minutes under his belt and integrate himself among the rest of the senior players at St. Mary’s.

Looking even further down the line, Simeu definitely has what it takes to then potentially become a regular figure in the senior squad and potentially save the club plenty in extra transfer fees when they eventually need to look for a replacement for Stephens.

In other news: Ralph must finally unleash “smart” £1.8m-rated dynamo, he could revolutionise Saints – opinion