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Tottenham Hotspur have several first-team players out on loan away from north London this campaign.

This includes Juan Foyth at Villarreal under former arch-nemesis Unai Emery, Cameron Carter-Vickers at AFC Bournemouth and Ryan Sessegnon, who is getting valuable game time at Hoffenheim.

However, none of these are proving to be a long-term defensive solution for Jose Mourinho, although young academy prospect Timothy Eyoma is surely catching his eye.

The 20-year-old has excelled at right-back for Lincoln City this season and is equally adept in central defence – very much like Japhet Tanganga and Kyle Walker.

Per WhoScored, the youngster has started 11 times in League One, where he has averaged 2.4 aerials won, 1.9 tackles, 1.3 clearances and 0.9 dribbles per game.

The official Spurs website describes Eyoma as “calm on the ball and intelligent at playing out from the back” and in the summer, he was rewarded with a new three-year contract which only emphasises what the senior hierarchy at the club thinks of him.

Eyoma has been involved in the first-team on three occasions, twice as an unused substitute in the Premier League and EFL Cup whilst against Tranmere in 2019, he made his debut by replacing Davinson Sanchez with 11 minutes to go.

The Imps find themselves fourth in the table with one of the best defensive records in the division, conceding just nine goals from 11 matches which is less than a goal-per-game. Only two teams have conceded fewer, Charlton and Sunderland, two former heavyweights at the top.

Spurs’ young starlet has played an integral part in that so it’s important that the decision-makers, including Mourinho, do not turn their nose up because of the standard at which he is playing.

Firstly, they sent him to this level and secondly, Walker was impressing in the very same league on loan to Northampton Town whilst still at Sheffield United before securing his move to the north Londoners.

Look how he turned out.

Lincoln boss Michael Appleton has lauded Eyomas as an “aggressive athlete” who is “very comfortable on the ball” which should be everything that Mourinho wants in a defender.

It may be too soon for first-team stardom, but he’s certainly a name that should be considered going forward. His emergence would certainly save Daniel Levy a lot of money in the future.

AND in other news, £62m-rated Spurs outcast dealt another cruel sucker-punch…

A source close to the Bellagraph Nova (BN) Group has given some insight into their proposed takeover of Newcastle United.

According to the Daily Mirror, the source revealed that they are “still discussing all terms” in terms of their bid and showed the outlet the details of the 31 companies that make up their empire, which includes 23,000 employees.

The consortium say they are huge in the healthcare industry with 250 clinics, leaders in the provision of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) with, for instance, 330 million boxes of gloves that have since been sold to the United States government.

They also claim to lead in the robotics industry, and want to also diversify into sport and thus “have a presence in the football business”.

Their bid of £280 million was lower than the original £300 million that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabian (KSA) group, which consists of the Middle Eastern crown prince Mohammed bin Salman (MbS), his country’s Public Investment Fund (PIF), the businesswoman and head of PCP Capital Partners Amanda Staveley and the billionaire London-based Reuben brothers, but the BN Group claim that they did this so that they could have more money available to spend on “top level players”.

Indeed, it is a brave move by the consortium, which was co-founded by businesswoman Evangeline Shen and Singaporeans Nelson and Terence Loh, and brought to the table by former Magpies striker Michael Chopra.

The KSA group withdrew their own bid after growing increasingly frustrated with just how long it was taking the Premier League and its chief executive Richard Masters to approve of the deal, so perhaps the Singapore consortium will have to be more patient if they wish to get their takeover over the line.

Geordies, do you have a preference over who takes over? Comment below!

Liverpool have kicked into high gear as the transfer window approaches its final couple of weeks. 

Long-awaited transfer target Thiago Alcantara was finally announced on Friday after months of ongoing talks. The £20m move appeared to flick a switch in the Reds camp, as the champions have also agreed a move for Wolves’ Diogo Jota.

According to Melissa Reddy, the Portuguese forward is set to agree a five-year deal with the reigning Premier League champions. His signing will cost the club £45m but Wolves have accepted to receive an initial 10% instalment in the next 12 months.

Liverpool’s primary payment for their newest coup will see them pay just £4.5m. Youngster Ki-Jana Hoever is also set to move in opposite direction after a £13.5m move has also been agreed between the two clubs.

Many Kopites can hardly believe their luck and have flocked to the replies to Reddy’s tweet to share their excitement. One supporter has said that sporting director Michael Edwards ‘is a genius’ whilst another believes this signing could be a ‘smokescreen’ ahead of an upcoming marquee deal.

Read more replies from the Anfield faithful here:

Do you think Diogo Jota will be a good signing for Liverpool? Have your say in the comments below!

The Daily Record has suggested that Steven Gerrard could make a move to take Adrian Mariappa from Watford to Glasgow Rangers.

The Gers were recently dealt a huge blow as it was confirmed that Nikola Katic will be out for the foreseeable future with a cruciate ligament injury. As such, Gerrard is light at centre-back with just Connor Goldson, Filip Helander and George Edmundson realistically to choose from, and as such he could be in the market for another centre-back.

This has led to Mariappa being mentioned and, given he will be available on a free transfer once the Premier League term comes to an end, he is certainly an interesting option. The £1.44m-valued 33-year-old – as per Transfermarkt – is coming towards the end of his career but, although he is a far from a household name, he is a player who has played over 150 matches in the English top flight and also has 49 caps for his country, Jamaica.

He has years of experience behind him at the highest level and, on a free transfer, he could be the perfect signing to provide cover in the absence of Katic. With a weekly wage of £15,000 with the Hornets, he would be a realistic signing for Gerrard as well.

Not only can he fill in the hole left by the Croatian’s absence, he also has experience that could be vital as the Gers push for a first piece of silverware since 2011.

Let us know what you think below!

It appears Everton’s transfer saga from last summer is set to re-emerge once again with the transfer window back open for business and Marcel Brands must secure his signature this time around.

What’s the word?

This is, of course, surrounding Crystal Palace winger Wilfried Zaha, who the Toffees failed to land last year due to an astronomical £80m asking price.

However, according to the Daily Mirror, the Eagles are set to listen to offers this time around and Carlo Ancelotti’s side is set to return with another bid.

Zaha has three years to run on his current contract but has made it clear in his intentions to depart Selhurst Park this summer.

It’s claimed that Palace have lowered their valuation although it still very much remains to be seen what sort of fee that might be. Transfermarkt currently value him at £39.6m.

Iwobi upgrade

Ancelotti has quite the task on his hands to improve Everton’s fortunes, but kickstarting a rebuild with a star like Zaha would be the perfect way to go, provided he manages to bolster the engine room in the heart of the pitch too.

Theo Walcott is edging closer towards the twilight of his career whilst there are question marks over Bernard and Alex Iwobi, the latter only managed to bag one goal all season after a £34m move from Arsenal.

The Ivorian winger has been streets ahead of the Toffees flop this campaign having averaged way more dribbles (4.3) and shots (1.6) per game whilst Zaha also brings in more free-kick opportunities as he’s fouled a whopping 3.2x per match compared to Iwobi’s 0.2.

Palace’s main man has provided four goals and five assists, too.

If that’s not enough, the 27-year-old has received glowing endorsements across the top-flight, ranging from his current boss Roy Hodgson labelling him the team’s “game-changer” – something Ancelotti lacks – to Gunners manager Mikel Arteta lauding him as “phenomenal”.

Back in 2013, Zaha was also dubbed “the next Ronaldo” by Mauricio Pochettino amid Spurs’ interest

AND in other news, Everton fans slam “statue” who’s “10x worse than Davies”…

This article is part of Football FanCast’s Pundit View series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent quotes from journalists, pundits, players and managers…

West Bromwich Albion’s former midfielder Jonathan Greening has tipped his former side to clinch the Championship title this season after comparing them to the 2007/08 side he played in.

What’s he said?

After the midweek rung of fixtures, the Baggies currently sit second in the division having struggled to see off Wigan Athletic on Wednesday evening.

Slaven Bilic made a number of changes to his rampant side as they drew 1-1 at the DW Stadium just days after thrashing Swansea City 5-1, thus handing Leeds United the advantage going into this weekend.

Both teams are only separated on goal difference with them setting the early pace by opening up an 11-point gap to third-placed Fulham.

Greening won promotion with West Brom in the 2007/08 season and made a total of 218 appearances at the Hawthorns.

The 40-year-old, who now works in coaching and media, spoke very highly of Albion this week, posting on LinkedIn he said:

Title chances

The Championship is quickly becoming a two-horse race this season with both West Brom and Leeds surging ahead as we approach Christmas.

There’s still a long way to go with so many other factors to consider such as injuries and suspensions to key players – or even a deja vu of Harvey Barnes last January, but the early signs are all good.

If they can keep this up, then Albion are surely a shoo-in to achieve promotion as recent history suggests that they will surpass a points total that has been enough to do exactly that in four of the last five seasons.

The Baggies are the only team in the division to lose just one match all season, which will surely stand them in good stead going forward albeit that defeat was to their title rivals, Leeds.

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In other news, Phil Hay reveals how West Brom can beat Leeds to one particular thing next month…

Referees aren’t just the guys in the middle of the pitch making sure the rules are being followed anymore, now they’re almost just as talked about as the players themselves.

Nine times out of ten they’re making headlines for all the wrong reasons. Whether it’s a dodgy penalty, missed handball, a goal kick given instead of a corner, and more recently, VAR and goalline technology mishaps, referees all around the world are now well-known names amongst the fans.

As a result, many are accused of favouring certain clubs over others and some have built reputations for being either no-nonsense or just a soft touch. Whether it’s Mike Dean or Michael Oliver, fans will have their opinions on them, mostly without much substantiation other than the fact they made one or two mad decisions that went against their team once upon a time.

Judging referees is a football fans’ favourite pastime in modern football, but do the stats back up the opinions? Well, TOFFS have recently completed a very interesting referee report that will completely change some fans’ opinions on the most recognised referees in the Premier League.

Click through the gallery to see what clubs are favoured more by certain referees, and those who should always dread having a specific man in the middle the next time they play…

Arsenal

Over the last decade, Mike Jones is the referee who has overseen the highest Arsenal win percentage (80%) when refereeing games involving the Gunners, while Michael Oliver has the lowest win percentage (22.22%).

As for cards, Stuart Attwell has the highest cards-per-game ratio for Arsenal matches in the Premier League with 2.67, although Mike Dean has dished out more cards to Arsenal players than anyone else.

Aston Villa

Lee Probert is Aston Villa’s luckiest referee over the last 10 years with a win percentage 42.86%, while Phil Dowd only ever refereed one Aston Villa victory during his career in the middle!

Mark Clattenburg has shown more cards to Villa players in the Premier League than any other referee, while Neil Swarbrick’s average of 2.13 cards-per-game is the highest ratio where Villa matches are concerned.

Bournemouth

Bournemouth fans will be hoping to see more of Kevin Friend in the near future, with the referee officially being the Cherries’ luckiest referee.

That said, Friend also loves to show Bournemouth players cards!

Bournemouth’s unluckiest referee is Lee Mason, who has only overseen one Bournemouth victory from the 12 games involving the club in which he has refereed.

Brighton

John Moss is the referee Brighton fans will not want to see in the middle of their matches in future as the referee has never been involved in a Seagulls victory from six Premier League matches.

But Craig Pawson is Brighton’s luckiest, ref, with a 50% win percentage!

John Moss also holds the record for the highest cards-per-game average for Brighton with 2.67 while Chris Kavanagh is the referee who has shown Brighton the most cards in the Premier League – 20!

Burnley

Martin Atkinson dominates the rankings here for Burnley.

He’s not only Burnley’s luckiest ref with a win percentage of 55% from 20 matches involving the Clarets, but he’s also the man who has shown more cards to their players than any other referee over the last 10 years in the top-flight – 45 yellows and 1 red, averaging 2.3 cards-per-game.

Burnley will dread seeing Michael Oliver appear in the middle of the park for their matches in future, as the ref has only see Burnley win once from 12 games he’s been involved in.

Chelsea

Over the last decade in the Premier League, Neil Swarbrick has been Chelsea’s luckiest referee with a win percentage of 83.33% from 12 games.

While Kevin Friend is the ref who has the lowest win percentage for Chelsea – 45%.

Mike Dean has dished out more cards to Chelsea players over the last 10 years (88), while Anthony Taylor has the highest cards-per-game average with 2.23.

Crystal Palace

Lee Mason is Crystal Palace’s luckiest referee with a 50% win percentage from the 12 Eagles matches he’s refereed. Kevin Friend is their unluckiest, having been in charge of one Crystal Palace victory in 13.

John Moss is the man who seems to love showing Palace players cards, having dished out 52 to Eagles stars with an average of 2.26 per-match.

Everton

Everton’s favourite referee over the last 10 years is Paul Tierney, who has a win percentage of 60%. Then man in the middle they’ll dread seeing in future is Craig Pawson, who has reffed three Toffees victories out of a possible 15!

Michael Oliver has dished out the most cards to Everton players over the last decade with 53, but Bobby Madley has the highest cards-per-game average with 2.2.

Leicester City

Anthony Taylor has overseen the highest win percentage for Leicester City over the last decade, with 53.33%. Martin Atkinson is the Foxes’ unluckiest ref with a win percentage of just under 19%.

Mike Dean is the man who loves showing Leicester players a card the most, with 37 cards shown in 21 games, but Chris Kavanagh is the most card happy where Foxes players are concerned – he averages 2.27 cards-per-game.

Liverpool

Liverpool’s luckiest referee over the last 10 years is Lee Probert, who has reffed a Reds victory in almost 77% of the 13 games he’s been involved in.

Howard Webb is Liverpool’s unluckiest referee, so Reds fans will be delighted that he’s no retired.

Martin Atkinson is the man in the middle who loves giving Liverpool players cards the most – he’s handed Reds players a whopping 71 cards in the 44 games he’s been involved in.

Manchester City

Over the last decade, Neil Swarbrick is the referee who has overseen the highest Man City win percentage (90%) when refereeing games involving City, while Mark Clattenburg has the lowest win percentage (39.29%).

As for cards, Chris Foy has the highest cards-per-game ratio for Man City matches in the Premier League with 2.12, although Mike Dean has dished out more cards to Man City players than anyone else.

Manchester United

Over the last decade, Lee Probert is the referee who has overseen the highest Manchester United win percentage (75%) when refereeing games involving the Red Devils, while Michael Oliver has the lowest win percentage (39.29%).

As for cards, Mike Dean leads way for cards in Man United matches. He’s dished out 96 cards at an average of 2.34 cards-per-game – more than any other referee over the last 10 years.

Newcastle United

Over the last decade, Chris Foy is the referee who has overseen the highest Newcastle win percentage (47.37%) when refereeing games involving the Magpies, while Mike Jones has the lowest win percentage (16.67%).

As for cards, Howard Webb has the highest cards-per-game ratio for Newcastle matches in the Premier League with 2.34, although Andre Marriner has dished out more cards to Newcastle players than anyone else.

Norwich City

Over the last decade, Howard Webb is the referee who has overseen the highest Norwich win percentage (55.56%) when refereeing games involving the Canaries, while Mike Jones has the lowest win percentage (0%).

As for cards, Kevin Friend leads way for cards in Norwich matches. He’s dished out 29 cards at an average of 2.23 cards-per-game – more than any other referee over the last 10 years.

Sheffield United

Andrew Madley, Jon Moss, Peter Bankes and Robert Jones have all refereed a Sheffield United win in the one and only game they’ve overseen involving Chris Wilder’s side.

Lee Mason, Mike Dean and Simon Hooper are all among the most card-happy referees in games involving the Blades.

Southampton

Over the last decade, Martin Atkinson is the referee who has overseen the highest Southampton win percentage (57.14%) when refereeing games involving the Saints, while Lee Probert has the lowest win percentage (0%).

As for cards, Bobby Madley has the highest cards-per-game ratio for Southampton matches in the Premier League with 2.3, although John Moss has dished out more cards to Saints players than anyone else.

Tottenham

Over the last decade, Neil Swarbrick is the referee who has overseen the highest Tottenham win percentage (81.82%) when refereeing games involving Spurs, while Lee Probert has the lowest win percentage (25%).

As for cards, Craig Pawson has the highest cards-per-game ratio for Tottenham matches in the Premier League with 2.4, although Mike Dean has dished out more cards to Spurs players than anyone else.

Watford

Over the last decade, Roger East is the referee who has overseen the highest Watford win percentage (50%) when refereeing games involving the Hornets, while Martin Atkinson has the lowest win percentage (16.67%).

As for cards, Mike Dean has the highest cards-per-game ratio for Watford matches in the Premier League with 2.64, although Anthony Taylor has dished out more cards to Watford players than anyone else.

West Ham United

Over the last decade, Martin Atkinson is the referee who has overseen the highest West Ham win percentage (41.94%) when refereeing games involving the Hammers, while Phil Dowd has the lowest win percentage (7.14%).

As for cards, Neil Swarbrick has the highest cards-per-game ratio for West Ham matches in the Premier League with 2.21, although Martin Atkinson has dished out more cards to Hammers players than anyone else – 65!

Wolves

Over the last decade, Phil Dowd is the referee who has overseen the highest Wolves win percentage (50%) when refereeing games involving the Molineux club, while Peter Walton has the lowest win percentage (11.11%).

As for cards, Stuart Attwell leads way for cards in Wolves matches. He’s dished out 38 cards at an average of 2.92 cards-per-game – more than any other referee over the last 10 years.

Manchester City are back in Premier League action having secured their trip to the knockout stages of the Champions League following a 1-1 draw against Shakhtar in midweek.

But while Pep Guardiola’s men didn’t really have the best of nights in Europe – with a slightly rotated squad – their chase for the third English crown is all but easy back home, and Newcastle are someone they simply cannot underestimate.

With Liverpool slowly but surely getting out of their sights and with Leicester to topple in the table as well, the Citizens will have to treat every game like a final if they’re going to pull through.

So with that in mind, here is the XI Pep Guardiola could start on Saturday lunchtime:

Most of the changes that could occur from the game against Shakhtar will likely take place in City’s defence. Ederson is very much expected to start the game between the sticks but his back four could see some tweaks.

Benjamin Mendy should return at left-back, replacing Angelino who was given a nod in Europe, and the same can be said for Otamendi, who might be making way for John Stones’ return to action.

In the middle of the park, Kevin De Bruyne and Rodri basically pick themselves and Gundogan’s inclusion is also warranted.

After all, it was the German who netted City’s only strike in midweek and even though he was on the bench against Chelsea in the previous match, Guardiola might reward him with another start.

Up front, Sergi Aguero is very much going to be missed as the Argentine is still recovering from the injury he sustained against the Blues, and the same can be said for Leroy Sane, who’s yet to return to fitness following a long-term knee setback.

For that reason, the trio of Raheem Sterling, Gabriel Jesus and Bernardo Silva are likely to make an appearance.

Even though Mahrez did a good job against Chelsea, Silva’s return from suspension should also see him return to the gala XI as well.

When everything is said and done, that should make for only two changes in the lineup overall.

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Liverpool have enjoyed some great success over the past 18 months.

The Reds won the Champions League last term, and now lead the Premier League by eight points as they look to capture their first title in 30 years. However, it could have all been so very different for the Anfield outfit. In 2010, the club were in real danger of entering administration, and the club’s managing director at the time, Christian Purslow, was even forced to come out and play down fears that they would go bust.

In the end, New England Sports Ventures – now known as Fenway Sports Group – took control of the Reds from Tom Hicks and George Gillett. Now, the former has spoken to Sky Sports about his time as owner of the Merseyside team, and his quotes have got people talking.

Some of the main comments include him feeling “betrayed” by the Liverpool fans. As you can expect, this did not go well with some, and it is clear that many still share ill feelings towards the 73-year-old.

Considering the state they found themselves in, it comes as no surprise that he is not a popular figure amongst the supporters. Thanks to himself and Gillett, one of England’s oldest and successful clubs almost became no more.

Throughout the interview, there was a running theme in regards to money. At one point, he even said: “I’d like to have been the half owner when it was worth $3bn but I’m not.”

The club’s supporters picked up on his many cash-related words, and they were far from happy.

Indeed, it does not look good that his apparent main worry is his bank balance rather than the state the club is in. It certainly isn’t the best way to endear himself to the fans, either.

At least Liverpool fans can be happy they have more organised owners now. FSG, led by John W.Henry, have overseen the Reds’ rise to the top of the game, and some supporters have taken this as the perfect opportunity to share their delight at how their club is now run.

It’s fair to say Mr.Hicks will not be welcome in Liverpool any time soon.

In other news, one Liverpool stat could be the biggest proof yet of their title credentials.

Leeds United fans have been laying into Helder Costa on Twitter after an influential fan account tweeted that they’d spoken to a Wolves fan who’d said that he’s never been the same since his injury.

Many United supporters agreed with that sentiment as they seemed to be very unhappy with how his life at Elland Road has started.

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You can understand why they’re not best pleased by him either. The Portuguese winger hasn’t scored in the league since joining the Yorkshire outfit and he’s only assisted one goal.

For a man who contributed to 29 strikes in his two previous seasons in the Championship that simply isn’t good enough, and unsurprisingly supporters have been voicing their discontent on social media.

One fan called him a major disappointment while another questioned his heart and determination.

The attacker will cost Leeds £15m when his loan deal becomes permanent in the summer, and if he doesn’t improve soon that will look like a poor piece of business.

Here’s what the Elland Road faithful have been saying on Twitter…