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An update has emerged on Leeds target Okay Yokuslu, regarding Celta Vigo’s stance on his future.

What’s the talk?

According to Spanish outlet Marca, Celta Vigo are willing to cash in on Leeds United transfer target Okay Yokulsu this summer. The La Liga outfit are attempting to lower their wage bill and are now prepared to sell the defensive midfielder to raise funds in the coming weeks.

Leeds are reportedly one of the clubs looking into a possible deal for the midfielder who spent last season on loan at West Brom. He is said to be available for a fee in the region of £5m (€6m).

Bielsa would love him

Victor Orta must pounce on the opportunity to sign Yokuslu following this update as he could be an excellent addition to Marcelo Bielsa’s squad, which he would be buzzing with.

£5m for a player who impressed in the Premier League and is in the peak years of his career appears to be a bargain deal on paper and one which Leeds should seize upon to bolster their ranks ahead of next season.

The Turkish international spent the second-half of the 2020/21 campaign on loan to West Brom in the Premier League.

Although, he was unable to prevent them from being relegated, his individual displays caught the eye and he showed that he is capable of putting in strong displays as a holding midfielder against the best teams in England.

He averaged a superb WhoScored rating of 6.96 in 16 appearances for the Baggies, a score only four outfield players for Leeds – Kalvin Phillips, Raphinha, Liam Cooper and Patrick Bamford – were able to better.

This means that he ranked higher than both Mateusz Klich and Stuart Dallas, who operated as the two number 8’s ahead of Phillips in the XI.

Although, Klich and Dallas plundered 12 goals between them and Yokuslu would be more of a conservative option in that area of the pitch, which could give Bielsa more tactically flexibility with his system.

Earlier this year, West Brom defender Kyle Bartley called him “tenacious” and praised his performance against Manchester United.

He said:

“I thought he was great against Manchester United on his full debut and then he backed that up with another impressive performance on Saturday against Burnley. He’s tenacious. He’s good on the ball. He’s calm and composed.”

His defensive statistics back up Bartley’s claim. He averaged 4.6 tackles and interceptions per game in the Premier League, a tally unmatched by Leeds’ midfield options.

Therefore, Bielsa could love having him in the squad as he could be an added enforcer in the middle of the park to press the opposition and win the ball back in good areas, with the 27-year-old having already shown that he can do it in the English top-flight.

AND in other news, Leeds must land “explosive” £60m-rated gem who’s “so fast”, Bielsa’s desperate for him…

Lots of Everton fans have been left buzzing over some injury news that has emerged ahead of their game away at Norwich City in the Premier League.

As per The Athletic journalist Patrick Boyland, Dominic Calvert-Lewin, Richarlison and Yerry Mina are all now back in training for the Goodison Park faithful, meaning that they could all feature against the Canaries if deemed fit enough.

All three of them rank among the Merseyside club’s ten best players so far this season, according to WhoScored, with Calvert-Lewin number one.

The striker has scored three goals in the four matches that he has played in the Premier League this term, and having him back with Richarlison will certainly give Rafa Benitez’s team more of a goal threat, while Mina provides another solid option defensively.

Everton fans on injury news

These Toffees buzzed as the injury news was shared on Twitter, with one Blues supporter even going as far as to claim that it was a ‘huge boost’:

“Good news Boyland at the back post!!!”

Credit: @EFCMatt1

“Huge boost for weekend hopefully”

Credit: @GraemeMcV

“Yesssssss”

Credit: @Foxy0580

“Cracking news this”

Credit: @Byrdsman75

“Brilliant. Start all 3 on Saturday imo”

Credit: @CBobblers1878

“Things you love to see”

Credit: @JGreenway8

In other news, find out which EFC ace’s claim has fans speculating here!

Tottenham Hotspur suffered a major blow in the race for a top-four finish as the Lilywhites lost 1-0 at home to Brighton & Hove Albion on Saturday afternoon, with Leandro Trossard bagging a last-minute winner.

Antonio Conte’s men were lacklustre in front of goal, managing just five shots all game, none of which were on target, whilst Brighton managed to get five of their 12 shots on target.

Despite staying in fourth, the defeat will provide an opportunity for Spurs’ rivals in the top four race to make up ground as we enter the final weeks of the season.

No player in a Tottenham shirt can hold their head up high after the defeat, with Emerson Royal, Heung-min Son, Eric Dier all being well below-par.

However, it was undoubtedly left wing-back Sergio Reguilon who was the worst of the bunch against Brighton.

According to SofaScore, the Spaniard enjoyed just 46 touches all afternoon, as well as lost possession on 12 separate occasions – meaning he gave away the ball with every 3.8 touches.

Moreover, the 25-year-old failed to complete a single dribble, attempting just one.

Furthermore, there was also little defensive prowess from the wing-back, who failed to make a single interception, clearance or block, in addition to making just one tackle all afternoon.

Most of all though, Reguilon’s passing was well below par, with the Spaniard’s 62% accuracy – completing just 17 of his 28 attempted passes – being the worst out of Spurs’ starting lineup.

The left wing-back has had a decent season – for the most part – this term, averaging a 6.92 SofaScore match rating. However, against Brighton, the 25-year-old mustered a 6.6.

Against the Seagulls, Reguilon made his sixth appearance in Spurs’s last seven in the league – having missed the 5-1 win over Newcastle with a knock – and had certainly been earning his place in the side back after falling down the pecking order.

Following Tottenham’s 3-2 defeat to Southampton in early February, the wing-back who John Wenham claimed is the “worst of the bunch” and Tom Young labelled “pathetic” went a month without game time in the league before being reintroduced against Everton last month as the Lilywhites won 5-0, with Reguilon scoring.

What is for certain is that lacklustre displays as Tottenham pick up poor results won’t pass the grade for Conte, and Reguilon will certainly have to produce better performances over the remaining weeks of the season to ensure that his place in the side is a certainty going into next season.

AND in other news: Source: Insider drops major Spurs claim on £30m maestro, it’s great news for Conte

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

A lesser-known fact surrounding the EPL is that there have only ever been a few teams that circulate at the top.

Of course, this is something that doesn’t tend to get a lot of media attention, and if this truth was more well-known, it could lead to a potential decrease in anticipation for certain games (something which would be a nightmare for event organisers).

Despite this, it is true; there are a select few teams in the EPL that tend to dominate all competition.

In this article, we will be taking a look at the top three teams that have won the most games in the EPL, as well as also touching upon a few of the points why this phenomenon tends to take place.

 1. Manchester United

As many of you may have already expected, Manchester United takes the number one spot on this list.

However, even though most people tend to know about United’s notorious reputation, few actually understand the true depths that their talents go to.

As a whole, Manchester United has won an impressive 697 wins.

Even without giving any explanation at all, this is already somewhat mind-blowing.

Although, when you factor in the fact that the trailing Manchester has 100 fewer wins under their belt, this only becomes all the more awe-inspiring.

There are a ton of reasons why people love Manchester United, and United fans are known for being some of the most devout followers out there.

Their impressive win rate is just one of the factors that embolden their fans to such an extent, and out of any of the teams in the EPL, they have the right to call themselves the best club overall.

Moreover, most people who know a thing or two about football know this is the case.

Just try EPL betting at 10bet or your preferred booking hub of choice and you will see for yourself that despite the fact no one likes to admit it, everyone knows Manchester United is king.

2. Arsenal

Taking the number two spot, albeit with a huge margin between the first, is Arsenal.

More so than most other teams, Arsenal is known for being phenomenal at away games, and this is just one of the reasons why they have such a high win percentage.

If Manchester United was to be crowned the best EPL team overall, Arsenal would also have to be titled as the best performer at away games, and it is certainly their redeeming factor.

That’s not to say they are in any way bad when playing from home. On the contrary, they are an amazing side, and they have some of the best football players in the world amongst their ranks.

However, if they are considered a good side while at home, they should be known as being an exceptional team whenever away, and there are few teams out there that are able to perform as well under pressure as Arsenal.

 3. Chelsea

Coming in at number three, we have Chelsea.

It is important to note that number two and number three are pretty much identical in overall wins, with both Chelsea and Arsenal being interchangeable.

Chelsea is an all-around solid team, and they excel in almost every area.

Chelsea truly has it all; world-class players, an insane work ethic, intelligent strategies – they really are an incredibly well-rounded side.

Once again, if you happen to bet on EPL then you will already be accustomed to their high favorability in almost all situations, and it is not very often that Chelsea comes up against a team that is able to deal with them easily.

Chelsea and Arsenal truly are head-to-head in terms of overall wins, with them both sitting at 597. Only time will tell which one of them will pull ahead in the long term.

Either way, they are both incredible teams, and both deserve their impressive reputations.

 If you are an avid fan of football, then you may have already guessed one or two of the entries on our list.

Few people know just how dominant certain teams are within the premier league, and in reality, the teams we listed in this article are leaps and bounds above most of the others.

The EPL is one of the most competitive events there is in sports, and for just a select few teams to push so far ahead of everyone else, it only goes to show the skill and talent they each possess.

Image from: Old Trafford Manchester United – Free photo on Pixabay

A worrying update has emerged on Newcastle’s pursuit of Marc Overmars, regarding the sporting director role at St. James’ Park.

What’s the talk?

According to Duncan Castles of The Times, the Dutchman will not be taking the job and the Magpies will now be looking at other candidates, although it remains unclear as to whether he rejected an offer or was not given the choice.

This comes after The Mirror reported last week that PIF had opened talks with the former Arsenal man over a deal to join the club.

Gutting

This update from Castles will surely leave Newcastle fans feeling gutted. Overmars has enjoyed success in a behind-the-scenes role at Ajax since becoming their director of football in 2012, having previously been a technical coach in the academy after retiring as a player – representing the likes of Barcelona and Arsenal.

CIES Football Observatory recently named Ajax as the top training club in Europe in 2021, having trained the most footballers playing in 31 top divisions across the continent. 81 players are currently playing professional football in Europe after coming through the academy at the Dutch giants, showing the incredible work being done by the Amsterdam club.

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Overmars, along with manager Erik ten Hag, has created an environment where young players have a pathway to the first team and the right conditions to thrive when they get there. This has resulted in the likes of Frenkie de Jong and Matthijs de Ligt coming through the ranks before sealing £75m+ transfers to Barcelona and Juventus respectively in recent years.

The Dutch director, therefore, could have joined Newcastle and installed a similar philosophy in an attempt to unearth the next Alan Shearer or Paul Gascoigne. Magpies supporters would have no doubt enjoyed this as it would mean more homegrown players potentially coming through their ranks to play in the first team. Mix that with some new, experienced, signings and there would have been reasons to get excited.

This is why the update from Castles will be gutting for the Toon Army to read, as Overmars could have been an excellent appointment for the club given his impressive track record of developing youth with Ajax. It will be interesting to see where PIF go now in their pursuit of a figure to work alongside whoever the new head coach ends up being.

AND in other news, “Sources telling”: Journo drops major NUFC manager update that’ll leave fans ecstatic…

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”…

French side Bordeaux are showing late interest in Celtic striker Odsonne Edouard, according to Alan Nixon.

The Lowdown: Edouard’s summer

Reports back in April suggested that Edouard wanted to leave Celtic Park this summer, regardless of who came in as Neil Lennon’s replacement.

Ange Postecoglou was that man, and the 23-year-old has been a regular this season after his move to Leicester City fell through in July.

Edouard, into the final 12 months of his contract, is still working on a Scotland exit, with Nice thought to be preparing a bid recently.

The striker reportedly wants £85,000-a-week at his next club, and it seems as if another Ligue 1 side could be in for his services late in the window.

The Latest: Nixon’s post

Nixon, who writes for The Sun, took to Twitter on Friday morning to share an update on the French forward.

He claimed that the Hoops’ price has dropped slightly, however, the player’s demands are still big.

“French side Bordeaux taking a late and big interest in Odsonne Edouard at Celtic. Price dropped a bit, wage demands still big.”

Nixon then shared another update on Friday, claiming Rubin Kazan have come in with a €18m bid for Edouard that could tempt the Hoops.

The Verdict: Good decision

This summer could be the last chance the Hoops have to receive a respectable fee for Edouard, described as ‘superb’ by Darryl Broadfoot, so it’s good to see they have lowered their asking price with days remaining in the window.

Should his situation remain the same, he could leave for nothing over the next 12 months, not ideal for a player who Celtic wanted £40m for last summer.

A fee close to or just under his Transfermarkt valuation of £15.3m could still be good business all things considered, and that should put Dominic McKay in profit in his first summer as CEO.

In other news: Celtic medical: McKay on verge of ‘brilliant’ 9th signing for Ange as development confirmed. 

According to a report by Football Insider, it is looking increasingly likely that Tottenham Hotspur will be forced into a ‘crazy’ schedule in the New Year.

The Lowdown: Tottenham fixtures piling up

Tottenham have been heavily affected by the increased spread of the global pandemic. After Spurs stated that eight players had tested positive for the virus, the club’s Europa Conference League match against Rennes was called off. This was followed by the postponement of the Lilywhites’ away fixture to Brighton on Sunday.

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This has meant that Spurs’ fixtures are starting to pile up, and fans will surely wonder when they’re going to be played. This was exacerbated by the postponement of Spurs’ match against Burnley, which was set to take place at Turf Moor towards the end of November, which was called off due to heavy snowfall.

The Latest: Spurs could play heavy fixture list in 2022

As the outbreak at Hotspur Way led to the Premier League calling off Spurs’ fixture against Brighton, Antonio Conte’s men now have two games in hand on the majority of the league.

Speaking to Football Insider, Spurs insider John Wenham has claimed that playing out the heavy fixture list out in 2022 is the only way forward.

He said: “It’s a really difficult one, all of this is such a blow. I think we will end up playing three games in a week on a few occasions.

“You are looking at a Tuesday, Thursday then Sunday game all in the same week. That’s just to get rid of the backlog we already have before you think about other games that might be called off.

“Other clubs are having… issues so it’s not out of the question other teams might have games called off that will affect us.

“We are so busy already but I don’t see another way around it. It will be a crazy schedule.

“It will be a challenge but hopefully it will be after January so we may have a stronger squad to deal with that congestion.”

The Verdict: Conte needs additions in January

With the current schedule already looking hectic, it does not seem possible that Spurs will be able to fit in these fixtures anywhere else, besides in the New Year. This means that it will be crucial for Conte and Paratici to bring in a few signings in the January transfer window in order to bolster the playing squad.

Spurs have been linked with a plethora of players this season, with much of the attention centered around Fiorentina striker Dušan Vlahović. However, fans may want to see a greater number of fresh faces in January, especially if the squad continues to decimated with injuries, illness or a fixture backlog.

In other news: “Top, top player” – Paul Robinson delighted as Spurs eye ‘underrated’ beast; Conte is a big fan too

Fulham midfielder Andre-Frank Anguissa appears to be edging closer to an exit from Craven Cottage this summer.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by The Athletic, who revealed that the 25-year-old’s absence from Marco Silva’s side in the Cottagers’ season-opening draw with Middlesbrough last weekend came as a result of his desire to leave the club.

The report continues by confirming that the Cameroon international is not injured, nor has a transfer bid been accepted by Fulham. However, there is a significant amount of interest in the midfielder’s services, with at least two Premier League clubs, as well as one each from Spain and Italy, thought to be keen on a move this summer.

Finally, it is claimed that Marco Silva is more than happy to sanction the sale of a player who is not committed to the club, and if an acceptable offer is placed by an interested party, the Portuguese manager will not stand in the way of Anguissa’s departure.

Fans will be devastated

While the Fulham manager is well within his rights to exile a player who is not interested in helping the club secure an immediate return to the top flight this season – as will undoubtedly be Silva’s ambition – fans will nevertheless be devastated to wave goodbye to a very talented player considering how well Anguissa performed for the west Londoners last term.

Indeed, over his 36 Premier League appearances last time out, the £22.5m-rated defensive midfielder  averaged 1.6 interceptions, 2.2 tackles and 0.4 clearances and won 7.3 duels per game. The £70k-per-week man also impressed for his team going forwards, registering three assists and creating four big chances for his teammates, along with averaging 0.8 key passes per league fixture.

These returns saw the player who Joachim Andersen dubbed a “machine” earn an impressive average SofaScore match rating of 6.91, ranking him as Scott Parker’s 10th-best player in the top flight in 2020/21.

As such, while keeping a player of Anguissa’s ability after suffering relegation to the Championship always seemed a long shot, it is undeniable that the 25-year-old’s sale will make Fulham a weaker side – something which may well be a bitter pill to swallow for the Craven Cottage faithful.

In other news: Khan facing nightmare as twist emerges on £2.7m-rated ace, Fulham fans will be gutted