Tottenham Hotspur are reportedly eyeing a possible summer move for Barcelona starlet Ansu Fati, with the highly-rated wonderkid seemingly facing an uncertain future at Camp Nou.

What’s the word?

According to La Vanguardia (via Sport Witness), the Lilywhites – along with bitter rivals Arsenal – are said to have shown an interest in the exciting 20-year-old, with the La Liga club’s financial woes potentially sparking belief that a sale could be on the cards at the end of the season.

The report suggests that while neither of the north London clubs have yet made an approach for the Spain international, they are both believed to be hopeful that they could get a deal secured, should the Catalan giants sanction a departure.

The piece adds that the seven-cap sensation – who reportedly has a €1bn (£846mm) release clause in his existing contract – is being affected by his lack of game-time under Xavi Hernandez this season, having only made nine starts in all competitions.

Conte’s answer to Rashford

Despite that limited involvement, the fleet-footed “machine” – as lauded by former team-mate Dani Alves – has still managed to showcase his quality in recent months, having provided six goals and three assists in 31 games across all fronts to date in 2022/23.

That has ensured that, despite his relative youth and persistent injury setbacks, the 5 foot 10 superstar boasts a return of 34 goal involvements in just 89 games for La Blaugrana, having burst onto the scene at the tender age of 16 back in 2019.

A player capable of producing moments of “magic”, in the words of club colleague Eric Garcia, the £237k-per-week gem would certainly provide Antonio Conte with another eye-catching attacking weapon for his forward line.

Any possible fears of whether the Guinea-Bissau-born speedster would be able to make the transition to life in the Premier League can be eased by the fact that he is said to share a number of stylistic and statistical similarities to Manchester United talisman Marcus Rashford, according to FBref.

The latter is currently proving to be a real difference maker for the Red Devils with 20 goals already in all competitions this season, with the “unstoppable” marksman – as described by Erik ten Hag – helping to maintain United’s top-four push, potentially at the expense of Conte’s side.

It would no doubt prove a real coup for Tottenham to find an answer to the 25-year-old in the form of Fati, with the explosive Spaniard also able to mirror Rashford’s versatility with his ability to feature all across the front line.

The likeness between the pair is also illustrated by the fact that Fati averages 2.36 progressive passes and 2.99 progressive carries per 90 over the past year, while the Three Lions star averages 2.42 and 2.62 respectively for those two metrics. Those numbers show that the two players can cause havoc both with their creativity, as well as their ability to surge forward with the ball at their feet.

With Rashford currently utilising such traits to devastating effect at Old Trafford, Spurs could respond by bringing Fati to England ahead of next season.

Dan Cook has stated on the HLTCO podcast that Crystal Palace and their supporters should brace themselves amid the speculation surrounding Marc Guehi’s future.

The Lowdown: Palace looking to hold firm

Palace appeared to pull off a major coup in the summer of 2021 when they landed the young defender from Chelsea for just £18m, with Guehi going on to rack up 65 appearances for the Eagles.

Guehi isn’t just impressing Palace fans and Patrick Vieira, but also England boss Gareth Southgate, who has handed him three caps for the Three Lions since his move to Selhurst Park.

Therefore, it’s no surprise that clubs pushing for silverware and the top four are interested in the young centre-back, and it was claimed earlier this month that Tottenham Hotspur were said to be very keen on the former Chelsea man, according to journalist Alasdair Gold.

In fact, the rumours show no signs of stopping, with speculation rife as links between Guehi and the north Londoners continue to emerge.

The Latest: Guehi will attract interest

While Cook won’t want to lose Guehi – and isn’t convinced they will this summer – he is bracing himself for a summer of speculation and wants fans to do the same.

He said: “It just seems like a player-and-club marriage that ticks all the necessary boxes – other than, of course, Crystal Palace being a little bit higher up the Premier League table, which I’m sure Marc would absolutely love – but with Brighton on the horizon, you don’t want to think too deeply about the potential of one of our key players leaving in the summer.

“It’s just something to keep an eye on because it’s the second or third time that I have seen Spurs linked with a move for him in the next transfer window, so I would suggest there’s no smoke without fire in terms of this particular story and we may well have to be braced for a summer of rumour and gossip in relation to Marc and a potential move to north London.”

The Verdict: Palace must match Guehi’s ambitions

Given that Guehi has missed just one game all season in the league, the thought of losing the England international this summer will be a tough one for Vieira to stomach, especially when he looks set to lose Wilfried Zaha as well.

However, the fact Palace have won just one of their last 10 matches will be a cause for concern and something that Guehi may not wish to be part of if there is interest from sides playing European football.

Vieira and Steve Parish will know that in order to keep their best players, the Eagles will have to do better than slugging it out in a relegation battle, or they will jump ship very quickly to progress their own careers.

Chelsea are working hard to get a deal done for Enzo Fernandez today and now a new update has emerged from a reliable source on the situation unfolding in the final hours.

What’s the latest?

CBS reporter Ben Jacobs has given an insight into Chelsea’s attempt to complete a deal to sign the Benfica midfielder today.

Jacobs claimed in a Twitter space with Football Transfers this afternoon:

“It’s all on Rui Costa, Benfica are in the Champions League and they don’t want to sell, you would expect Rui Costa would delay into the afternoon whilst Benfica look at their own options for a replacement and they have a match today, Enzo Fernandez won’t be involved.

“We’re heading into an afternoon now where Rui Costa and quite a divided Benfica board will finally make a decision, this is what gives Chelsea still some hope and until we know the resolution of that meeting – I was told was after lunch – the picture will not be clearer which is why there hasn’t been any significant progress this morning.

“Chelsea are ready to go they’ve agreed on terms with the player, they’ve got the logistics in place to complete the deal, so if it does happen late they will be able to pull it off, but it really is about getting that green light from Rui Costa which hasn’t yet arrived.”

Could be a Deadline Day howler

There is no doubt that Fernandez would be the cherry on top of an outstanding transfer window for the Blues, however, if the meeting held this afternoon does not end positively in Chelsea’s favour it could be an absolute howler.

The west London club have already accepted a bid for Jorginho to join Arsenal before the transfer window closes in a few hours, which could mean that if Chelsea do not pull off this deal for Fernandez it could leave Graham Potter with extremely limited options in the centre of the pitch over the remainder of the season.

N’Golo Kante and Denis Zakaria are two midfielders that make up a long injury list at Stamford Bridge at the moment, so the exit of their experienced Italian titan could only add to a poor Deadline Day for Todd Boehly and co.

Fernandez has been a speculated transfer target for several Premier League clubs in January with Liverpool and Manchester United also credited with interest after the 22-year-old ace won the World Cup with Argentina last month.

However, it appears now Chelsea are in pole position to secure the youngster’s signature as long as the Benfica president sanctions the move in the dying hours of the window.

With that being said, it will be interesting to see what the outcome of that final decision will be and whether Chelsea will look at other options available to them. Indeed, they must ensure someone else is lined up otherwise they will facing a late howler.

Injury expert and Sky Sports contributor Ben Dinnery has given his verdict on the ‘long-term’ injury to West Ham United defender Kurt Zouma. 

The Lowdown: Injury concern

Zouma is currently out with a hamstring injury which he suffered at the end of last month. Indeed, the Frenchman missed the Premier League club’s last game in a FA Cup clash with League One outfit Derby County.

The 28-year-old has been a go-to option for David Moyes in the league this season, having featured and started 15 times in the 2022/23 campaign.

This season summer switch in 2021 from Chelsea on a four-year deal.

The Latest: Not available

Speaking on Premier FPL Injuries, Dinnery claimed that Zouma may have suffered a soft tissue-related setback which is why he’s unavailable.

He stated (43:01), “He looks to be out, only recently returned from that long-term problem. Not uncommon to see players pick up soft tissue injuries when they come back.

“And sure enough that’s what’s happened with Zouma so he’s not available for now.”

The Verdict: A big miss

We believe the injury to Kurt Zouma is a big blow for the Irons, it leaves a lot of uncertainty in the centre-back position.

West Ham does have Nayef Aguerd and in our view, he deserves to start following his successful World Cup with Morocco. The defender has been very unlucky with his injury blows at the start of the season.

Roshane Thomas of The Athletic claimed Aguerd played a ‘leading role’ at the back for the African nation against Croatia and Belgium.

The issue will be who sits alongside the Moroccan at the back? Summer signing Thilo Kehrer has been shaky since making the move to east London and Angelo Ogbonna has raised concerns for some fans and pundits for a number of years.

Moyes and the board should’ve looked to add a new centre-back last month in our view, with the Hammers in and amongst the battle for relegation any game-costing defensive errors could have a massive impact on their Premier League status.

Journalist Mark Ogden has claimed that Premier League clubs may not want to speak out against Manchester City following the charges made towards the club over breaches of financial rules.

What’s the word?

Man City were hit with charges of improper financial conduct dating back over 10 years ago by the Premier League earlier this week, and there has been talk that an eventual punishment could go as far as a points deduction or even relegation.

City have won six Premier League titles since they were taken over by Sheikh Mansour in 2008, and have spent over £1bn on transfers since.

Speaking on Sky Sports News, Ogden revealed that the attitude of City’s Premier League rivals is hesitant towards them for now as they wait to see what happens next.

He said: “From people I’ve been speaking to at clubs, the big clubs certainly, don’t want to say anything.

“They don’t want to be seen as victimising City or ganging up on City. Their view is the less that they say, the better, because there’s nothing they can do now.

“It’s the Premier League, an independent inquiry, they cannot get involved, they can’t influence it. So they’re quite happy for Man City to basically find a way to defend themselves because there’s nothing they can say or do.

“I think by talking about or briefing about it, it almost makes City’s case stronger in a sense that they can say, ‘look, everybody’s ganging up on us, everybody wants us out’.

“There’s almost like this omerta of silence amongst the bigger clubs that they just want to let the Premier League get on with it.”

Would clubs want a harsh punishment?

Whilst relegating City from the Premier League could damage the overall brand of the competition, it would not be a huge surprise if, further down the line, other clubs in the league support harsh punishments.

City’s financial wrongdoings, if found guilty, saw them beat competitors to major trophies, which included marginal title wins ahead of Liverpool, as well as using their financial muscle to take some of the best talent from the rest of the league.

If they are proven to have acted improperly and are set to be punished, their rivals at the top, as well as teams near the bottom, may then call for the league to set a precedent about financial conduct.

But we understand Ogden’s claim about the clubs’ supposed stance, as there is plenty of apparent evidence against the current champions that actively seeking a heavy punishment in spite of this could end up being counter-productive.

There is little doubt that City being expelled from the top flight would be of benefit to the other Premier League clubs – particularly the big guns – but being seen to influence matters could easily throw this scandal into even murkier waters.

Journalist Ross Gregory has claimed that Newcastle United midfielder Joe Willock may not be fit enough to play in the upcoming Carabao Cup final.

What’s the latest on Joe Willock and his NUFC injury?

The Englishman is currently a doubt for the club’s next Premier League fixture after coming off early last weekend with a hamstring injury.

While it will be bad enough to lose a key member of the Magpies set up for that big league clash against Liverpool, Willock will nervously be looking beyond that with regard to his possible return.

Indeed, Eddie Howe and co take on Manchester United at Wembley Stadium on 26th February, and it now looks as though the midfielder is facing a race against time to get fit.

While speaking about the possible injury disappointment on NUFC Matters, Gregory explained: “Joe Willock, I don’t see being fit [for Liverpool]. I think that’s fairly obvious that his hamstring injury is going to keep them out, and potentially keep him out of the Wembley fixture as well, which would be a real blow for him.

“I think he’s going to be out. That leaves Newcastle really short on options in that centre of the park.” What does the Willock injury mean for Newcastle?

If Willock can’t play against the Red Devils, that will come as a huge blow for the individual who no doubt would be desperate to feature in the club’s first cup final since 1999.

Seeing as he has played in every round of the Carabao Cup so far as well – earning a respectable average of 6.73 match rating per game in the competition, too (via Sofascore) – manager Howe likely won’t want to alter his winning formula at the final hurdle if possible.

In total, Willock has featured in 29 games across all competitions this term for the Magpies, showing just how trusted he is by his manager. If he can’t play at Wembley they may struggle without him.

The Express & Star’s Lewis Cox highlighted an ‘interesting’ comment made by West Bromwich Albion manager Carlos Corberan about goalkeeper David Button following his side’s defeat on Friday night.

The Lowdown: Button errors

The Baggies shot-stopper was at fault for both of the goals they conceded during their Championship clash against Birmingham City.

Button was caught napping as he left his goal exposed at a free-kick, with Hannibal Mejbri capitalising as he whipped the ball into the corner and scored.

Birmingham’s second came from a corner where the Albion stopper ought to have claimed the ball, only for Krystian Bielik to head home.

The Latest: Corberan comments

Speaking on the Express & Star’s YouTube channel, Cox discussed the conversation he had with Corberan about Button following the conclusion of the match, stating that he was affected by the nature of the opening goal from Mejbri’s set piece.

He said: “We’ve had a chat with Carlos Corberan just there and he actually said an interesting thing in that that first goal really knocked Button and he was just unable to sort of recover, rediscover his composure – which says a lot.

“We know he’s had a tough season before he was dropped in October, and you would imagine his confidence and mentality took a real beating tonight after a high at The Hawthorns last week, a clean sheet, he’s right back down to Earth with a bump.”

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The Verdict: Weak area

With Alex Palmer ruled out with an injury at the moment, we believe that the goalkeeper position is an area of weakness for West Brom.

Palmer aside, they only have Button and 21-year-old Josh Griffiths available for selection for their upcoming fixtures.

Furthermore, the error against the Blues is not Button’s first mistake of the season, as he also produced a howler earlier in the campaign against Swansea City.

Meanwhile, Griffiths has recently returned from a loan with Portsmouth in League One and has no experience of playing in the Championship.

Our view is that it all comes down to whether Corberan has completely lost faith in Button for the time being – in which case, it could a good chance for Griffiths to get some game time and develop until Palmer returns.

However, you could argue that it’s a big ask, and with West Brom fighting for a spot in the play-offs, it could be too risky to play such an inexperienced ‘keeper, while further depleting Button’s confidence must surely be in Corberan’s thinking.

Newcastle United are believed to be monitoring developments surrounding Mason Mount’s future at Chelsea, with the England international yet to commit himself to the west London outfit.

What’s the latest on Mason Mount to Newcastle?

According to 90min, the Magpies – as well as Manchester City, Manchester United and Liverpool – are showing a particular interest in the 24-year-old’s contract situation at Stamford Bridge, with the playmaker having just under 18 months left on his existing deal.

The report suggests that while the one-time Derby County loanee ‘does want to stay’ at the club, talks over an extension for the Blues academy graduate have proven ‘challenging’, with the player seemingly demanding a deal that ‘reflects his status’ as a key player for both club and country.

This follows previous reports during the summer window that also suggested the Tynesiders were in the frame for his signature, with manager Eddie Howe said to have been keen to sign the midfield maestro on loan during his time in charge at AFC Bournemouth.

Would Mount be a better fit than James Maddison for Newcastle?

A new creative addition does appear to be high on the agenda for the St. James’ Park outfit, with the top-four hopefuls also said to be considering an approach for Leicester City’s James Maddison ahead of next season, after seeing a £50m bid rejected during the summer.

The 26-year-old has sparkled for the Foxes of late – with nine goals and five assists in 16 Premier League games this season – although a move may well prove difficult to pull off, with champions Man City also now seemingly showing firm interest in his services.

Although Mount has endured an underwhelming campaign by his standards – with only three goals and six assists across all fronts – he could well make Newcastle forget about his compatriot, such is his undoubted quality.

The Portsmouth-born gem notably racked up 29 goal involvements last season in all competitions – just one shy of Maddison – having reached double figures for both goals and assists in the top-flight alone during the 2021/22 campaign.

The £71m-rated sensation is able to couple that attacking quality with his willing work ethic, as he ranks in the top 19% among his European peers for tackles made, having been described as a “manager’s dream” by BT Sport pundit Joe Cole as a result.

That has ensured that the 5 foot 11 ace has established himself as a regular fixture in Gareth Southgate’s side at international level with 36 caps to his name to date, while Maddison has only achieved one senior Three Lions appearance in his career thus far.

As such, it is Mount who boasts the experience of having featured at the World Cup and European Championship, having also provided a crucial assist for Kai Havertz’s winner in Chelsea’s Champions League final victory over City side back in 2021.

Maddison, by contrast, is yet to enjoy a taste of life in Europe’s premier competition, with it to be seen if he can truly deliver on a consistent basis at the very highest level of the game.

With Howe and co harbouring ambitions of securing a place in the Champions League for next season themselves, it may well make sense to lump for a figure who has already showcased his class in the competition in the form of Mount.

Aston Villa endured a difficult afternoon on Saturday as they were beaten 4-2 by Leicester City at Villa Park in the Premier League and it was a rough match, in particular, for midfielder Boubacar Kamara.

The French enforcer was caught on the ball in his own penalty area just moments after Ollie Watkins had given the hosts the lead and his error allowed James Maddison to make it 1-1.

Emi Martinez played the ball to Kamara under pressure from three Leicester players but the midfielder opted to dribble his way out of it instead of hitting a first-time pass out to the right side to bypass the opposition’s press, which allowed the Foxes to dispossess him and score.

It was an out-of-character mistake from the 2022 signing as it was his first error directly leading to a shot or goal in the Premier League this season.

The 23-year-old had been in excellent form leading up to the match. Kamara has averaged a Sofascore rating of 6.85, having made 3.6 tackles and interceptions per game, whilst completing 84% of his attempted passes.

He has consistently won the ball back for the side, without being a liability in possession on the whole, and has caught the eye with his impressive displays in the middle of the park.

Whilst the Frenchman is only 23, football moves quickly and you never know what could happen in the next few years if he continues to produce excellent performances, or if the gem regresses, and this means that Unai Emery should have one eye on what life could look like after the midfielder.

With this in mind, the Spanish head coach could already have the long-term heir to Kamara at the club in the form of young defensive midfielder Tim Iroegbunam.

The 19-year-old is currently on loan at Queens Park Rangers in the Championship and has put in some excellent displays for the second-tier outfit.

On his since-deleted Twitter account, ex-QPR boss Michael Beale hailed him as a “super impressive” young man with a “bright future” and the gem’s form for the London club this term backs up the latter claim.

Iroegbunam has averaged a Sofascore rating of 6.80 having made 2.7 tackles and interceptions per game across 24 appearances in the Championship this season, whilst not making a single error directly leading to a shot or goal.

The England youth international also caught the eye in a start against Norwich in the Premier League in 2021/22 as the enforcer won five tackles and interceptions combined and completed 82% of his attempted passes – recording a Sofascore rating of 7.00.

Villa’s young gem is a combative midfielder who does not make errors on a regular basis and thus certainly has the potential to be the long-term heir to Kamara in the holding role.

However, it is down to the dynamo to continue to develop and improve to a point where he is able to consistently deliver the level of performance that was on show against the Canaries in the Premier League.

Newcastle United manager Eddie Howe has almost promised Allan Saint-Maximin a run in the side amid the recent suspension of Bruno Guimaraes.

What’s the latest?

Howe’s options have been stretched somewhat over the last week following the red card picked up by the Brazilian in their Carabao Cup game against Southampton.

Although Guimaraes and Saint-Maximin do not play in the same position, this has seen Joelinton return to the midfield from his position at left wing.

And after a run out of the team, Saint-Maximin returned to the fold on the weekend against West Ham United after being selected by Howe to start.

Speaking on his YouTube channel, journalist Lee Ryder has claimed this is a dilemma to watch ahead of their game on the weekend with Howe almost promising the Frenchman that spot on the left:

(1:30) “But then you’ve got people like Allan Saint-Maximin still coming back to fitness. He has been almost promised a run in the team by Eddie Howe. So that’s certainly one to watch.”

Dilemma for Howe

The 25-year-old has certainly endured a difficult 2022/23 campaign to date with just five starts to his name in the Premier League.

Although he did start in the game against the Hammers on the weekend, he was dragged off after 69 minutes for the new signing Anthony Gordon.

It was apparent the Frenchman was not quite having the impact many would have wished for with only one successful dribble, no successful crosses and no shots to his name (via SofaScore).

And there lies the dilemma for Howe ahead of the trip to Bournemouth on the weekend. Does he stick with Saint-Maximin or does he start Gordon?

The new signing came on with just over 20 minutes to play and made an almost instant impact after providing Callum Wilson with a golden opportunity to retake the lead.

And given he was such a big-money signing who is already adapted to the league, there will likely be a clamour from the fans to see Gordon start.

If this is the decision Howe makes, it will likely be a damning indication of where Saint-Maximin’s future lies at St. James’ Park ahead of the summer.