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Tottenham Hotspur take a break from Premier League action this midweek as the European competitions make their return.

Jose Mourinho’s side find themselves in the Europa League group stages after a gruelling qualification campaign which saw them head to Bulgaria and Macedonia early in the season.

And they’ve been dealt a pretty easy route into the knockout stages too as they’ve been paired with Royal Antwerp, Ludogorets and LASK Linz, the latter of whom they face at home on Thursday evening.

These matches will present a decent opportunity for Spurs’ fringe players to garner some valuable game time whilst at the same time, help the club contend for a major trophy – one that Mourinho has won before with Manchester United.

Perhaps it’ll be a good opportunity to get Gareth Bale back up to speed quickly as everyone in N17 will want to see that lethal-looking front three of Heung-min Son, Harry Kane and Bale sooner rather than later.

The 31-year-old superstar made his Spurs debut for the second time on Sunday evening, coming on a 73rd-minute substitute against West Ham, but he looked ever so rusty, as you might expect for someone that played just seven times for Real Madrid since January this year.

Tim Sherwood pointed out such issues to talkSPORT, he said:

“Gareth Bale needs to get fit; obviously when he came on, he had that one lung-busting run, his shot went past the post and when you saw his face after that, he was struggling to breathe – he needs to get back to fitness, he’s not ready to start at the moment.”

Per SofaScore, Bale recorded three accurate passes from six attempts, had one successful dribble and won two duels but crucially, he missed what might’ve been the match winner.

He ghosted past Angelo Ogbonna in injury time, rolling back the years in doing so, and it was the sort of self-created genius you’d expect from the tricky forward but he could only fire wide with Lukasz Fabianski rooted to the spot.

The attempt drew an xG of 0.29 and Bale was left without a fairytale start to life back in north London.

By comparison, two of Spurs’ three goals in the thrilling 3-3 draw were below 0.1 xG as per Understat, so it was certainly a golden opportunity missed.

His former teammate at the La Liga giants, Casemiro, still believes that on his day, Bale is one of the best three players in the world, speaking to Esporte Interativo, he said:

“He can spring a surprise at any time, and he’s already shown that. He’s a decisive player who scores goals in Champions League finals. We have to be honest and say that he’s not at his best, but when he is, he’s incredible and in the top three in the world. I have a lot of love for him, and that’s why I try to take care of him as much as I can.”

If Spurs are to bring that back out of him, then he needs to get that fitness back, therefore it would be wise for Mourinho to unleash the £22.5m-rated winger on LASK this Thursday and who knows, a goal or two could see his confidence return too.

It’ll surely be a win-win.

AND in other news, Spurs can land Jose Mourinho his new Matic next summer for £50m…

According to journalist David Tanner, Rangers may well make a move for Livingston striker Lyndon Dykes this summer.

What’s the word?

The 24-year-old enjoyed a fine season for the Scottish side, proving himself to be a reliable goal-scorer and goal-creator for Gary Holt’s men, scoring 12 times and providing a further ten assists.

Are you a massive Rangers fan? Know everything about the club? Well do you know your Gary Stevens from your Michael Ball? This quiz will separate the loyal from the fake…



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And after Rangers boss Steven Gerrard confirmed that Jermain Defoe had suffered an injury and hinted at potentially doing some business in the transfer market to help ease that worry, Tanner claimed on Twitter that Livingston may be getting a call for Dykes.

Complete striker

Speaking earlier this year ahead of their clash against Livingston, Gerrard himself waxed lyrical about what Dykes can bring to the table. He said: “They’ve got a forward in-form in Lyndon Dykes who’s having a real good season, who is capable of playing in the air or on the floor, he’s quite dangerous.”

In fact, Dykes’ 22 goal contributions for Livingston last season meant that he was involved in more than half the times that his side found the back of the net in the league – they scored 41 times in total.

Rangers centre-back Nikola Katic admitted that defending Dykes can prove to be a very troublesome task, even comparing him to Alfredo Morelos too. He revealed: “When you play against a striker like Dykes it’s always tough too because he is really good. Almost he’s on the same level as Alfredo and I think he will become a really top player, it is always hard to play against him.”

Judging by the kinds of glowing comments Dykes has earned from those of a Rangers persuasion, Ross Wilson would certainly be pulling off a masterstroke by bringing in the talented striker to Ibrox.

Hibernian are after Ross McCrorie from Rangers this summer. The 22-year old midfielder spent last season on loan at Portsmouth, and is on the radar of Hibs boss Jack Ross.

According to Edinburgh News, McCrorie would prefer a permanent move away from Ibrox this summer rather than going out on loan again. Jack Ross is in pursuit of the versatile midfielder and he feels like the addition of McCrorie will be vital to his squad.

McCrorie has played nearly 50 times for Rangers, though has been subject to various loan spells at Ayr, Dumbarton and recently Portsmouth. He is a defensive midfielder by trade, though he can also play at centre-half and right-back if needed.

The young Scott has two years left on his contract, and it is still unclear as to whether or not Rangers would be willing to let him leave on a permanent deal. In addition to McMcrorie, Hibs are also hopeful of signing Greg Docherty on a permanent deal from Rangers, having spent the last few months with Hibs.

Steven Gerrard’s Rangers take on Bayer Leverkusen on Thursday, and McCrorie is in his extended squad, despite being low-down the pecking order.

Rangers could lose a future gem

If Hibs can sign McCrorie on a permanent deal he would be a great addition to their squad and he has a lot of potential for the future also. He is very versatile and can fill in many positions if needed, and this is vital for any team. Rangers would hope to keep him on loan, though McCrorie is after a permanent move to progress in his career.

McCrorie is a natural born leader, having captained the Scotland under-21 team, and has had a taste playing at different levels during his loan spells. It would definitely be a great move for the young Scotsman.

Adama Traore should stay at Wolverhampton Wanderers and become a legend for the Midlands club, despite former midfielder now loan chief Seyi Olofinjana hinting that he could leave, as he told Goal.

Indeed, Olofinjana admitted that ‘anybody can leave Wolves’, adding that Traore ‘came from somewhere’ and ‘can leave any day’.

The loan chief also claimed that he was a good player and that everyone has seen what he is capable of doing, whilst also complementing his pace, power, goal scoring stint, skills on the ball and also running the length of the pitch.

Indeed, Traore seems to have stepped up his game this season, with six goals and 10 assists in 43 appearances in all competitions so far, according to Transfermarkt.

This has led to the likes of Liverpool chasing him, with TodoFichajes fairly recently claiming that the Anfield outfit are negotiating signing him in the upcoming summer transfer window.

As per the outlet, the talks between the two clubs are well advanced and they hope to reach an agreement in the coming weeks, as Jurgen Klopp has apparently recommended the incorporation of the player and has personally telephoned the former FC Barcelona youth squad.

The publication also claims that the Reds are looking for a possible replacement for Sadio Mane should he leave, but Traore should not jump at the chance just yet.

First of all, there is no guarantee that Mane would leave, and so if Liverpool were to sign Traore, he would struggle to displace both him and Mohamed Salah on the wings, given that they are the club’s top scorers so far this campaign.

Also, WWFC have a realistic chance of achieving UEFA Champions League football for next term given that they are still in the Europa League and are potentially just two points off qualifying in the league if Manchester City’s ban is upheld.

The 24-year old could help Nuno Espirito Santo’s team qualify and who knows what may happen after, given that he seems to be heading in the right direction means that he could stay and eventually become a club legend.

Wanderers, do you think Traore will stay in the summer? Comment below!

Frank Lampard was able to pick out a positive from Wednesday’s 3-2 defeat to West Ham.

Chelsea’s slim lead following a Willian penalty was quickly turned around as David Moyes’ side came out all guns blazing. The Irons equalised on the stroke of half-time before getting their noses in front just six minutes after the restart. Despite a valiant performance from Willian who bagged the Blues’ second goal, West Ham snatched an 89th minute winner through Andriy Yarmolenko.

Despite what is undoubtedly a painful loss, Lampard had a lot to say about Christian Pulisic.

“It is a big positive, he is playing well as we all can see, plus with Willian as the two wingers, Willian got his two goals,” he said in his post-match interview (via Metro).

“It is nice to see him back, fresh and hungry and playing with the quality he has. He is going to get better. He is a young player with great talent.”

Pulisic missed 11 games earlier this year due to an abductor injury, but since his return he has scored two goals in three appearances (via Transfermarkt).

When firing from all cylinders, the winger is a force to be reckoned with in attack. He will be an important asset to Lampard’s side next season, particularly alongside the addition of Timo Werner.

This is Chelsea’s first loss since English football restarted. Although they remain in fourth place in the table, Manchester United’s win over Brighton sees them close the gap to just two points now. The Blues must shake off this defeat and restore their positive form if they want to secure Champions League football next season.

What do you make of Lampard’s post-match comments, Blues? Have your say in the comments below…

Sky Sports commentator Gary Weaver claimed that Liverpool have had scouts watch Ben White regularly this season, during a recent episode of the Sky Sports EFL Podcast.

What did he say?

According to Sky Sports, Liverpool, Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea have all been monitoring the Brighton & Hove Albion defender this season during his loan spell at Leeds United.

White has made 37 starts for Marcelo Bielsa’s side in the Championship this season, with his consistent performances attracting plenty of attention.

Liverpool are particularly interested, according to Weaver, who claimed that they have sent scout Andy O’Brien to watch almost every game White has played this season.

“I think Andy O’Brien, who’s a Liverpool scout, has watched almost every single game of Ben White,” Weaver told the Sky Sports EFL Podcast.

“He’s obviously at parent club Brighton, but the big teams are interested. He’s taken everything in his stride, and he’s a top, top-quality player.”

Spot the fact from the fib: Are these Premier League records true or false?

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Wanted man

It is no surprise to see how the interest in White has grown this season, with his technical and defensive qualities a real strength in his game.

White’s technical ability is perhaps what has attracted Premier League sides most, while at 22 years of age he has plenty of room to improve and develop.

Glasgow Rangers are one of the two biggest teams in Scotland, and have won more league titles with 54 than any other side on the planet – it is no wonder they have their fair share of celebrity fans to go along with that.

Gordan Ramsay is the first one who comes to mind, but others such as Hugh Grant have also been associated with the Gers. Now, they may have another supporter they can add to their ranks.

Sir Bradley Wiggins is a Tour de France winner, whilst he also has five Olympic Gold medals to his name, but for supporters of the Ibrox outfit it his affinity to their club which they like the most. On Thursday, the 40-year-old shared a photo of himself on Twitter in an old Rangers top, and it is fair to say the fans love the snap – one even called it “sensational”.

They have taken to the social media platform to share their thoughts, and you can see some of the best comments below.

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Let us know what you think!

Leeds United fans on Twitter are a little bit bemused as they believe there are two glaring omissions from the latest Championship Team of the Week.

Indeed, the United fanbase believe that Kalvin Phillips and Jack Harrison should have been chosen in the XI after their performances for the Whites against Blackburn Rovers.

To be fair, even though some of these supporters may be a bit biased it’s fair to say that the United pair deserved a spot in the team.

Earlier in the week, United fans were drooling over Phillips after the incredible job he did keeping tabs on Bradley Dack, while Harrison netted his second goal in as many weeks to secure the win for the Yorkshire outfit.

Two United players were included in the team as Ben White and Patrick Bamford were selected at centre-back and up front, but the fanbase clearly think that two more of their players warranted selection.

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

It seems that Jose Mourinho will start his new adventure over at Tottenham Hotspur with quite a few players out of action.

The club have now confirmed that a number of their players are still unfit and won’t be able to feature as club football is making a return this weekend with the international break finally over.

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One of the players who also won’t be joining the squad in the upcoming fixture against West Ham United is 27-year-old Erik Lamela, their Argentinian winger.

Lamela is suffering from a hamstring injury and still hasn’t recovered.

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So far this season, the 27-year-old has played in nine games in the Premier League, scoring twice and assisting one goal in the process.

But many of the fans don’t seem to think he has a future at the club.

They were calling for him to either retire or be sold with one labelling him as a “waste of space”, and others seem to think Mourinho won’t tolerate him in the squad anyway.

You can see some of their replies down in the tweets below:

This article is part of Football FanCast’s The Chalkboard series, which provides a tactical insight into teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

There’s only so much one man can do.

Having gone through a rather baron spell in front of goal that hadn’t seen him find the back of the net since the end of August, Lukas Jutkiewicz finally ended that drought by scoring the winner against Luton on Saturday.

Speaking after the game, Blues boss Pep Clotet spoke about just how effective someone like Jutkiewicz can be in this division:

“For us he is very important because he is a dominant striker in the Championship, this means the opposition has to put double effort on him, this means he always keeps one-and-a-half, or two centre-backs occupied. That frees up the second striker.

“Importantly for me, tactically he manages to give us that space our players need in front of him.”

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On the chalkboard

The only problem with what Clotet is saying there, is that Jutkiewicz isn’t getting any major help from his current strike partner.

Although his physical presence is taking away some of the efforts of the defenders, nobody is there to pick up the pieces. Alvaro Gimenez for instance has only found the back of the net once this season in 12 appearances.

Birmingham at the moment are working out of a 4-4-2 formation, with Gimenez acting as his main partner.

However, the best way to utilise Jutkiewicz would be to have a third person playing off of him to give the defenders something else to think of, but more importantly another option for him to give the ball to.

If they adopted more of a 4-3-2-1 formation, with Jude Bellingham pushing further up the field in support, Jutkiewicz can use his aerial prowess to win balls in the air for the pacier Bellingham to run off and behind the defence.

As he showed with his goal against Charlton, he certainly knows how to time his runs and create space for himself.

The more options for Jutkiewicz to play with, the better that Birmingham are going to be because they’re going to get more chances.

This isn’t so much about making Jutkiewicz a better player, it’s about what makes him great and turning that into a strength for the team.

That’s the little spark that Birmingham are missing at the moment.