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Tottenham Hotspur have been dealt a late blow ahead of the January transfer window deadline…

What’s the word?

According to The Athletic’s David Ornstein, a move for Wolves winger Adama Traore has fallen through at the 11th hour with the player rejecting Spurs’ offer and he’s now closing in on a switch to Barcelona instead.

“Barcelona working to sign Adama Traore from Wolves on loan with ~€35m buy option. #FCBarcelona speaking to #WWFC & 26yo. Not done yet. Spurs deal all-but over. Club-to-club talks were going positively but he wasn’t keen to play RWB,” he tweeted alongside an accompanying article.

The 26-year-old played for the LaLiga giants before moving to Aston Villa in 2015.

He looked set to join the Lilywhites after positive talks with the Old Gold hierarchy but now manager Antonio Conte has been dealt a gutting setback just days away from the transfer window closing.

Time running out

It appears as if the Italian head coach has little faith in his current wide options, particularly at right wing-back, where he has switched between Emerson Royal and Matt Doherty intermittently.

Traore would have likely been transformed into a solid option in the role, given Conte’s previous success with Victor Moses at Chelsea, where he converted the struggling attacker into a Premier League and FA Cup winner.

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The Spain international’s lack of end product makes him a weak choice to play up front but his physical and dribbling (seven successful attempts per 90) attributes would suggest that he would be quite the threat a little further back.

“He’s a machine. I was watching him pre-game and he could be a powerlifter or a cruiser-weight boxer – he’s huge,” pundit Rio Ferdinand once told BT Sport (via BirminghamLive).

With just the weekend to go in the window, it seems hard to envisage sporting director Fabio Paratici and co finding an alternative in such a niche position in time.

Attention will now surely turn to getting Sofyan Amrabat and Luis Diaz over the line before Monday but even if the club does manage to secure both, which seems unlikely – it is Spurs after all – then it still falls short of Conte’s desires to sign three players in priority positions.

This latest bombshell from Ornstein will surely leave him absolutely furious as he desperately needs to bolster the squad with quality additions.

AND in other news, “Spurs are..”: Alasdair Gold drops exciting transfer update, fans will be buzzing…

According to a report by Football Insider, Newcastle United will not pursue Tottenham midfielder Dele Alli in the upcoming January transfer window, despite previous rumours linking him with the club.

The Lowdown: Alli set to leave Spurs

Spurs have granted the player the opportunity to leave next month, permitting both permanent and temporary deals, but it is more likely that he will move on loan for the remainder of the season.

The 25-year-old has made just nine appearances in the Premier League this term, with only two of those coming under Antonio Conte. This includes a recent outing against Liverpool, where the midfielder played 81 minutes in Spurs’ 2-2 draw, receiving a 6.5 SofaScore rating.

Three years ago, Alli was worth a staggering £90m. However, a decline in game-time and form since then has seen his market value slip to just £22.5m. This illustrates the severity of the player’s decline and suggests that Spurs bosses are finished with the midfielder, with him set to be offloaded in January if a potential suitor can be found.

The Latest: Newcastle will not pursue Alli

According to a fresh report by Football Insider, Newcastle will not go in for Alli in January, as Eddie Howe has rejected the chance to push for the player, deciding that he needs to prioritise other areas of his squad.

This news arises following previous reports that the Magpies had made initial enquiries with Spurs, but now it seems that Howe has had a change of heart and no longer considers Alli a transfer target. Instead, he is keen to brining in a more traditional midfielder, rather than an attacking one, along with a defender in a bid to bolster the spine of the team.

The Verdict: Newcastle move could have been good for both parties

Alli is looking to revive his career after suffering a stagnant few years at Tottenham. His former manager Jose Mourinho labelled the midfielder as ‘lazy’ and said that he created ‘problems for his own team’.

However, his talent is undeniable. Mourinho admitted that Sir Alex Ferguson gave him one bit of advice whilst he was in charge at Manchester United – ‘buy Dele Alli’. Even Brazil legend Roberto Carlos once said that the Spurs ace is ‘undoubtedly good enough for Real Madrid’.

If this talent was to be utilised in full force again, Alli could still prove to be a top-class player. With Newcastle often lacking an attacking threat in the final third, the 25-year-old could have been a fantastic addition for Howe if he hadn’t shifted the focus to other areas of the squad.

In other news: Sky Sports journalist shares info as Newcastle eye potential ‘brilliant signing’

Antonio Conte will be without as many as four first-team stars for the second leg of Tottenham Hotspur’s Carabao Cup semi-final clash with Chelsea this evening…

What’s the latest?

Spurs will need to overturn a two-goal deficit if they are to qualify for their second successive League Cup final but that seems an even bigger ask following a fresh injury update.

“[Eric] Dier, [Heung-min] Son, [Steven] Bergwijn, [Cristian] Romero all missing for tomorrow,” revealed Press Association Sport journalist Jonathan Veal to Twitter on Tuesday.

All four players missed the Lilywhites’ FA Cup third-round victory over League One minnows Morecambe at the weekend but the Blues present a much tougher test.

Big blow

Indeed, it is an even taller order for Spurs to get a result at home this evening as all four players would have improved their chances tenfold.

Aside from Harry Kane, who has been out of form for much of the season anyway, Son is Conte’s main source of goals and creativity. He leads the squad with eight strikes, four more than the Englishman, as well as assists (three) and key passes (1.9 per game), per WhoScored.

Elsewhere, without his first-choice defensive pairing of Dier and Romero, the Italian is left short on options at the back.

It means he will have to once again fall back on Japhet Tanganga and Davinson Sanchez, who were both at fault in the first leg last week, to partner left-back Ben Davies, who has been playing centrally.

Spurs also have the small matter of the north London derby on Sunday, so it’s a tricky dilemma for Conte – does he risk the remainder of his first-team squad in a game that seems out of reach or does he try and salvage a place in the final at Wembley?

That still remains to be seen but the Italian head coach will surely be frustrated – if not gutted – by these continuous and quite frankly, major injury problems, even more so as he faces his former club once again.

AND in other news, Contact made: Spurs have “sounded” out “phenomenal” 35-goal star, fans will be fuming…

Following on from their narrow 1-0 win over Wolves in their latest Premier League outing, Liverpool are back in Champions League action this evening with their away group clash against AC Milan.

On the chalkboard

With Liverpool having already qualified to the next stage of the tournament after their 2-0 win over Atletico Madrid back in early November, Reds manager Jurgen Klopp has the opportunity to rest and rotate some of his players on this occasion as he did by playing the likes of Neco Williams and Tyler Morton in their previous Champions League match against FC Porto.

On this occasion, one player that had a short but rather important cameo appearance in the recent win at Molineux that should be in the starting XI in midweek is Divock Origi.

With 22 minutes of the clash left to play against Bruno Lage’s side at the weekend, Klopp rolled the dice and put the Belgian on who then managed to fully repay the faith put in him by Klopp by scoring the winner.

The Belgian has previously shown his knack for bagging from the bench when he netted a consolation goal in their 3-2 defeat against West Ham United earlier in the season.

With this in mind, it would be a nice move by Klopp to give Origi the chance to shine from the start of the match against their Italian opponents tonight ahead of Diogo Jota, who should be rested ahead of Liverpool’s next league game against Aston Villa at the weekend.

Labelled as an “outstanding player” with “incredible” finishing abilities by Klopp after the Wolves game, the 26-year-old, who is currently earning a weekly wage of £82k-per-week according to Salary Sport, has scored 39 goals and provided 16 assists in 166 appearances across all competitions.

Looking ahead to the match in Milan, this match could be a great opportunity for Origi to show that he is more than just an impact player from the substitutes bench and has what it takes to put in a solid performance from the start.

If he does start this evening and manages to deliver an impressive display, there’s every chance that he could give himself a shot of starting their game against Villa as well.

In other news: Edwards must seal LFC swoop for £43m gem who Klopp dubbed “one of the biggest talents” – opinion

Speaking to inews, a Tottenham Hotspur source has broken some transfer news involving Bologna star Mattias Svanberg as Fabio Paratici enters pole position.

The Lowdown: Spurs eyeing Serie A raids…

Since new manager Antonio Conte’s arrival at N17, Spurs and managing director Fabio Paratici have been linked with a host of names from the Italian top flight.

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Indeed, the likes of Dusan Vlahovic, Stefan de Vrij, Franck Kessie and Lorenzo Insigne are just some of the star Serie A names tipped with a possible move to N17.

Even expensive stars like Matthijs de Ligt have got a mention through the media with Paratici and Conte’s pull showing no sign of ending as a source shares news on yet another target from that division.

The Latest: Source makes exciting claim…

As per inews, Spurs are favourites to sign Bologna ace Svanberg with the club even ready to make him Conte’s first signing of the new era.

The 6 foot 1 powerhouse, tipped to be a player Conte would especially like, has also been called ‘very talented’ by the outlet’s source with knowledge of the situation – who also says Spurs may see some ‘big’ changes next month.

“He’s probably one of the top four or five No 8’s in Europe – that’s how good he is,” the source explained.

“Spurs already know him very, very well because of the Italians involved in the club now. And it looks as though there could be some fairly big changes at the club in January.

“Anyone who has seen him play for Bologna will tell you that he’s the sort of player that Conte would enjoy working with.”

The Lowdown: Priority for Spurs?

The 22-year-old’s impressive form for Bologna earned him a call up to Sweden’s Euro 2020 squad and this could be an indication of his sky high potential.

In terms of creativity and what the midfielder could bring to Spurs, Svanberg’s fairly consistent average of 1.3 key passes per 90 in the final third this season highlights his consistent threat at a young age (WhoScored).

Only Lucas Moura and Son Heung-min have managed a higher number by comparison with the international ace also racking up three goals and two assists so far in Serie A.

Given he allegedly turned down a contract offer recently, Bologna could also be forced to sell for a cut price fee as his current deal slowly winds down.

However, given the lack of cover up front for Harry Kane and their potential need for another centre-half, Svanberg’s capture perhaps shouldn’t quite take centre stage – though he would be an astute purchase.

In other news: Tottenham also eyeing ‘special’ £30m ‘beast’ as reporter lifts lid on Levy meeting, find out more here.

Borussia Monchengladbach’s Denis Zakaria is in the sights of Manchester City, according to Calciomercato.

The lowdown

The Switzerland midfielder’s contract at Borussia Park is up at the end of this season, and the report states that his deal ‘will not be renewed’. As such, his Transfermarkt value has fallen to £24.3m.

The 24-year-old is predominantly a defensive midfielder but has also operated further forward and as a centre-back.

Germany legend Lothar Matthaus has compared the Gladbach ‘pearl’ to Toni Kroos, while former manager Marco Rose called him a ‘very complete’ player with an ‘incredible’ understanding of the game (via Planet Football).

The latest

As per Calciomercato, City are said to be among the clubs in the frame as Zakaria’s contract ticks down. However, they face competition from title rivals Liverpool, along with Serie A duo Juventus (who have already been in contact with the player’s agent) and AS Roma.

Zakaria’s dream is to move to Barcelona, but there is no indication that they are in the running at this moment in time.

The verdict

Zakaria could be an excellent signing on a free transfer, and City may view him as a potential successor to Fernandinho. The 36-year-old is out of contract at the end of the season, and while the Premier League champions already have Rodri on their books, they will surely want to retain their strength in depth in that position.

Zakaria’s match average of 1.8 successful tackles is just shy of Rodri’s 1.9 and better than Fernandinho’s, while his excellent passing success rate of 90% is bound to please Pep Guardiola, a manager who places huge pride in ball retention.

They may need to move quickly if they really want the Swiss ace, though, because it sounds like Juventus may be getting the upper hand.

In other news, some City fans were unhappy with this comment from Pep  

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”…

West Ham United moved into the top four in the Premier League with a win over local rivals Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday afternoon.

Irons striker Michail Antonio’s sixth goal of the season was enough for the home side to seal all three points at the London Stadium. The 31-year-old talisman tapped home from close range after a pinpoint corner from Aaron Cresswell.

Both the goalscorer and provider were candidates for the ‘Man of the Match’ award, as were David Moyes’ resolute backline who kept their second clean sheet of the week.

But it was England midfielder Declan Rice who absolutely ran the show in east London.

With the captain’s armband on, the 22-year-old powerhouse led by example as he was graded a 7.5 by SofaScore – better than the goalscorer and both central defenders.

He led the game for passing accuracy, making 93% of his 40 attempts, ranked third in the Hammers’ squad for touches (58), so as ever, a lot of things ran through him.

But instead of bombing on and contributing in the final third as he has done recently, he was back to his anchorman duties, registering a game-high eight tackles – three more than the next best and two fewer than Spurs’ whole backline combined.

Rice also put in two interceptions and won a total of ten duels from 16 (62.5%) midfield battles, as per SofaScore.

The Evening Standard’s Jack Rosser waxed lyrical about his performance in his post-match column, claiming the academy graduate ‘oozed class’ in the win.

‘With Soucek off the pace Rice stepped up and dominated midfield almost on his own. First to almost everything and always looking to drive the Hammers forward,’ he wrote.

It’s no wonder new teammate Nikola Vlasic dubbed the £60k-per-week England interantional as “unbelievable” in a recent interview.

For the umpteenth time this season, Rice absolutely dominated another Premier League side. That will only cause interest in his services to increase heading into 2022, so the London Stadium faithful better enjoy it whilst they still can.

AND in other news, Moyes could unearth West Ham’s next Joe Cole in 19 y/o gem “similar to Jack Grealish”…

Wolverhampton Wanderers will go into today’s Premier League encounter against Crystal Palace full of confidence after their good run of recent form.

Bruno Lage’s charges are currently on a five-match unbeaten league run after seeing off Everton last time out, with Max Kilman bagging his first goal for the club and Raul Jimenez his 50th.

That result lifted the Midlands outfit to seventh in the top-flight table, and they’ll be boosted by the news that Lage has no fresh injury concerns to contend with coming into this one.

In Friday’s press conference, the Portuguese tactician confirmed that long-term absentees Pedro Neto, Jonny Otto, Bruno Jordao and Marcal remain unavailable, limiting his options somewhat. However, Lage will be able to call upon the same personnel who saw off the Toffees on Monday, providing hope that their impressive streak of results can continue.

With that in mind, here’s how Football FanCast expect Wolves to line up in south London, with just one change from the side which started against Everton…

In goal, summer signing Jose Sa will start between the sticks once again after making a strong start to life at Molineux in the opening weeks of the campaign.

Ahead of the 28-year-old shot-stopper will be a back three which has looked solid of late. Kilman, Conor Coady and Romain Saiss comprise the defensive unit, while Nelson Semedo and Rayan Ait-Nouri will provide support from their respective wing-back roles.

The midfield engine room will be made up of Portuguese duo Ruben Neves and Joao Moutinho after they controlled the game from the middle of the park against the Toffees as they completed 137 passes combined, providing a solid foundation for the front three.

It’s along the forward line where Lage may be tempted to make one change. Jimenez and the in-form Hwang Hee-chan should keep their places but Daniel Podence could come into the starting XI for the £19.8m-rated Francisco Trincao, who is yet to contribute to a goal in seven Premier League starts this term.

In other news… Wolves receive injury boost ahead of Crystal Palace clash, Lage will be thrilled

Newcastle United were offered Juventus midfielder Aaron Ramsey during the summer transfer window, The Chronicle’s Lee Ryder writes. 

The lowdown

The former Arsenal midfielder started 13 Serie A games for the Italian giants last season and has only been selected for one of the first six this term.

The persistent injury problems that dogged him at The Emirates Stadium have followed him to Turin (via Transfermarkt).

Ramsey did provide a reminder of his class at the summer’s European Championships as he helped Wales reach the Round of 16. Team-mate Joe Allen said he delivered an ‘incredible’ performance in a crucial victory against Turkey, silencing the critics ‘in special fashion’ with the opening goal.

The latest

Ryder says that the opportunity to land Ramsey on a free transfer presented itself early in the transfer window, but ‘the conversation was a non-starter’.

That wasn’t because they didn’t rate the player, but simply because of his almighty £400,000-per-week salary.

Juventus are now said to be inviting January offers for the 30-year-old midfielder.

The verdict

If Ramsey is to return to the Premier League at some stage, then you’d think he’ll have to accept a huge pay cut. Indeed, Ryder says clubs like Newcastle ‘can’t even contemplate’ his current salary, and it’s hard to imagine him making his way back in with a ‘big six’ side if Arsenal were happy to let him leave.

The free transfer market could prove important for the Toon. Mike Ashley is injecting very little money, and loan deals have proven difficult because of ‘expensive fees’, so this may be one to keep an eye on if the goalscoring midfielder decides to cut his demands and seek more playing time.

In other news, this came under fire against Watford.