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Young West Brom pair Jovan Malcolm and Reyes Cleary ‘will be involved’ against Chesterfield in their FA Cup third round replay, Joe Chapman reports.

The Lowdown: West Brom host Chesterfield

The Baggies are in a superb run of form at the moment, winning their last four Championship matches in a row and jumping to sixth place in the table.

In the FA Cup however, Carlos Corberan’s side needed a last-gasp equaliser from Brandon Thomas-Asante to secure a 3-3 draw at Chesterfield, with a replay now required to separate the two sides.

The two sides meet again on Tuesday evening, with Corberan potentially rotating ahead of a crucial trip to Burnley on Friday night.

The Latest: Duo expected to play

Taking to Twitter, Chapman reported that Malcolm and Cleary will feature at home to Chesterfield:

“Corberan has confirmed both Malcolm & Cleary will be involved on Tuesday.”

The Verdict: Great chance for young pair

It makes complete sense for Corberan to give players like Malcolm and Cleary an opportunity to shine on Tuesday, especially with matches coming thick and fast.

For the former, it would be a senior West Brom debut, with the striker scoring 20 times in 37 appearances for the Under-18s, while the latter has made four appearances so far this season.

There is the risk that West Brom could end up losing, of course, given the lack of experience on show, but it is a gamble that Corberan needs to be willing to take, with promotion a larger priority.

Tottenham Hotspur have been urged to make some ‘big signings’ during the upcoming January transfer window by former Hibernian striker Tam McManus. 

The Lowdown: Spurs’ season so far

So far this season, Antonio Conte’s side have won nine of their 15 Premier League games, drawing two and losing four, leaving them fourth in the table with 29 points.

One concerning aspect of Spurs’ latest league campaign is the number of goals they have conceded (21), ultimately leaving the north London club with just four clean sheets to their name.

With the January transfer window around the corner, it seems that the Lilywhites have been urged to make moves to remedy their leaky defence.

The Latest: Spurs urged to sign players in January

Speaking to Football Insider, McManus reflected on Spurs’ defensive efforts so far this season and urged them to reinforce in that regard during January.

He said: “That defensive record, it’s horrible really. Conte’s teams are usually so well-drilled and solid so you have to think that it is the players. Conte tried to fix it in the summer.

“[Ivan] Perisic, [Clement] Lenglet, [Djed] Spence, only Perisic has made a real impact for me. Something needs to change in January because Tottenham won’t get into the Champions League if they concede first every week.

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“I’m talking big signings. Top, top players who are going to come in and actually change things. We know they have the money and Conte will want to see the ambition from the club.

“He has the ambition to win Tottenham trophies so the club needs to give him what he needs. They score loads of goals, the midfield has a load of depth. It’s only the defence.

“I don’t know who those players are but they are out there. If Spurs are serious this season then those players have to come in.”

The Verdict: Spurs need defensive reinforcements

Taking into account the number of goals that Conte’s team have conceded so far this season, it’s safe to say that this is one of their weaknesses that Fabio Paratici and co should aim to fix in January.

With the club showing in previous transfer windows that they are well capable of bringing new players to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, this should fill their supporters with confidence that the same will happen this time around.

If Spurs can bring in some new defensive figures to N17, this could be the best way for Conte to fix things up at the back and put his team in the best position to cement a place in the top four by the end of the season.

With the World Cup just around the corner, Southampton have an abundance of talent who will be hoping to go along to Qatar with their respective nations.

Given the location of the club, naturally the majority of the focus will centre around their captain and stalwart James Ward-Prowse.

The 28-year-old is notorious across England for his proficiency over a dead ball, and would certainly offer a steady pair of legs should Gareth Southgate decide to take him along.

However, one man who might be set for a starring role for his nation is Mohammed Salisu, who will line up with Ghana this winter.

His national side faces one of the toughest groups, and to stand any chance of progressing the 6 foot 2 goliath will have to be at his brilliant best to silence the potency that Uruguay and Portugal possess.

Despite their poor start to the season, where they currently sit in the relegation zone, the 23-year-old has actually impressed at the back for the Saints alongside Armel Bella-Kotchap.

He boasts a 7.12 average SofaScore rating, which is only bettered by the aforementioned midfielder.

His displays across both this season and the last led journalist Zach Lowy to claim that he was “quickly emerging as Southampton’s defensive leader.”

With 5.1 clearances, 2.7 tackles and 1.2 interceptions per game, he might just be right.

Should he translate this form and apparent leadership to his national team, their chances of progression will increase tenfold.

The defender boasts confidence on the ball too that will help his side progress from the back, outlined in his 70.4 touches per game and 78% pass accuracy.

The main reason why Salisu might impress more than Ward-Prowse in Qatar is due to his guaranteed starting place, which his teammate does not have.

Despite the recent departure of Ralph Hasenhuttl, journalist Joel Bortey took to Twitter to praise the work the Austrian did in shaping this young defender.

He claimed that “he built something special” in Salisu, which could come to light on the world stage.

Any success Ghana have this winter will likely hinge on the performances of their Premier League centre-back, whose solidity and consistency this season bodes well for his national team.

Liverpool will host Napoli at Anfield today in their final Champions League group-stage clash and Jurgen Klopp will surely be hoping that his team can get it together after taking another disastrous defeat in the Premier League last weekend.

The Reds suffered their second consecutive league loss to Leeds United on Saturday night after losing to Nottingham Forest the week before, but the manager will take solace in his team’s form in the Champions League this season so far with the club already qualified ahead of their meeting with the Italians tonight.

Indeed, Liverpool are currently second in their group and it will take a 4-0 defeat on Merseyside to steal the top spot from a Napoli side that are not just undefeated in the competition but in all competitions so far this term.

In terms of injuries, Luis Diaz, Diogo Jota, Joel Matip, Naby Keita and Arthur Melo are all ruled out of the clash with ongoing issues and luckily for Klopp there do not appear to be any new injury problems to report.

With that being said, this is how Football FanCast expects Liverpool to line up this evening…

We expect to see three changes made to the team that lost to Leeds on Saturday night, with the Liverpool manager resorting back to his usual 4-3-3 formation.

The first change we predict is Ibrahima Konate reprising his role in an otherwise unchanged backline of Virgil van Dijk, Andy Robertson and Trent Alexander-Arnold, replacing Joe Gomez who made a catastrophic error in the league game just a few days ago.

The defensive liability who was dubbed “terrible” by journalist Thomas Hammond, delivered an overhit back pass meant for Alisson Becker but instead teed up Rodrigo for Leeds’ first goal of the game, so it may be the perfect time for Konate to return.

The second change we expect is the Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson returning to the midfield three alongside Thiago Alcantara and Fabinho to provide some much-needed experience ahead of Harvey Elliott in the centre of the pitch against a formidable Napoli side.

The third and final change we predict is Fabio Carvalho completing the front three with Mohammed Salah and Darwin Nunez, with the youngster replacing Roberto Firmino in the starting line up to accommodate the change of formation in the wide left position.

Klopp will be hoping that a slight change of system and some fresh faces in the side can inspire a positive performance for the Reds and inject some confidence back into the team before they return to action in the Premier League again this weekend.

West Bromwich Albion have added Swansea City boss Russell Martin to their shortlist for the vacant managerial role at the Hawthorns, according to The Athletic (via Football League World).

The Lowdown: Martin’s career

Upon his retirement as a player at MK Dons in November 2019, the 36-year-old took on the job as the club’s new manager. The Scotsman took charge of 80 games there, during which time the side averaged 1.38 points per match in League One.

Having been promoted the season prior under manager Paul Tisdale, Martin led the Dons to an 18th place finish in their first season back in the English third division.

The following season, his side climbed up to 13th in the League One table, earning the manager a move to Swansea in August 2021.

Currently, after 13 games played, the Swans sit 6th in the Championship table.

The Latest: West Brom interest

According to The Athletic (via Football League World), West Brom have identified Martin as a potential candidate to replace Steve Bruce at the Hawthorns.

Since chief executive Ron Gourlay decided to terminate Bruce’s contract, the club have been hard at work looking for the perfect successor.

Heading the list is Martin, alongside former Huddersfield Town boss Carlos Corberan.

Martin, who opts for a 3-4-2-1 system, remains under contract until 2024, so the Baggies will first have to seek permission from Swansea to open talks.

It also remains to be seen just how much the South-Wales side will seek in compensation if discussions with their manager reach an advanced stage.

The Verdict: Great appointment?

Whilst the Albion sit in the relegation zone, currently 22nd in the Championship table, Swansea are sixth in the league, having gained 21 points from their opening 13 games.

Categorically the bigger team, the Baggies job will appeal to those looking to get the Midlands club back on track – fighting for a place in the Premier League.

Having been hailed as a ‘future Premier League manager’ by former professional player Jamie Mackie, it is clear Martin has the quality needed to succeed in the second tier, so the step up to the Hawthorns could come at the perfect time.

Whilst at MK Dons, only Manchester City and Barcelona had a higher possession percentage in Europe, illustrating the 36-year-old’s progressive style of play. Therefore, his appointment will depend on a drastic change being made by the board, as they are renowned for their defensive managerial preferences.

Glasgow Rangers are reportedly confident of securing an extra £4m in add-ons for Joe Aribo after he departed Ibrox in the summer.

The Lowdown: Aribo’s departure

The Nigerian left Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s side for a reported £6m in July, which could eventually rise to £10m with add-ons.

He played 148 games for the Gers over three seasons at Ibrox, scoring 26 goals and supplying a further 25 assists in all competitions (winning the Scottish Cup last term and of course the Premiership title in the 2020/21 campaign.

The Latest: Rangers confident of extra £4m

As per Football Insider, Rangers are now ‘confident’ that they will secure the extra £4m in add-ons from Aribo’s departure.

‘Sources with knowledge of the situation’ believe that those add-ons are dependent on how many appearances he makes for Southampton, with the midfielder playing in nine matches so far for the Saints, scoring twice (Transfermarkt).

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The Verdict: Significant windfall

Getting that extra £4m could well be significant for Rangers in terms of potential future investment.

If they could get the full £10m for Aribo, he would then rank sixth in terms of record fees received by the Ibrox club for selling players.

It is not clear when they would receive that extra money, or how many appearances Aribo needs to make over the course of his contract at Southampton, but the seven-figure haul would nonetheless be welcomed by the Light Blues’ supporters and board.

Tottenham Hotspur’s unbeaten run came to a gutting end as they slumped to a Champions League defeat against Sporting CP in Lisbon on Tuesday night.

The Portuguese giants bagged themselves two injury-time goals to stun Antonio Conte’s side, who had a number of good chances but could not take them.

Spurs looked to be heading for a point and an eighth game unbeaten before Paulinho headed home from Pedro Goncalves’ left-wing corner, then another Sporting substitute in Arthur Gomes hit a low strike past Hugo Lloris after he had skinned Emerson Royal into next week.

And it was the former Barcelona dud that badly let his manager and his side down with a pretty disastrous display at right wing-back.

The likes of Harry Kane and, in particular, Heung-min Son will take plenty of pelters as the attacking duo endured another disappointing outing and for the latter, it’s eight from eight without finding the net, thus increasing the pressure.

However, the service from Emerson was ultimately shocking, as was his defending, evidently.

As per SofaScore, the £26m signing was one of three visiting players to receive a booking, having committed one foul, whilst he also lost possession ten times from 47 touches and was dribbled past on two occasions, including for Gomes’ incredible match-winner.

Elsewhere, the Brazilian liability made just one accurate cross from four attempts and played just 17 passes at an accuracy rate of 73%, which was comfortably the worst return of any outfield player to feature at the Estádio José Alvalade.

To compound his woes further, the 23-year-old defender lost four duels against his opposite number and registered one big chance missed, also via SofaScore.

Alasdair Gold of football.london was less than impressed by Emerson as he ranked his performance amongst Spurs’ worst performers, claiming:

‘Same old story with his attacking bluntness and at the back he was beaten in the air with Kane for Paulinho’s header and then Gomes skipped past with a nutmeg far too easily.’

Meanwhile, writer Ethan Budowsky lambasted the Lilywhites’ “pathetic” showing and claimed that the right wing-back is “the worst player on every pitch he steps on” and that he “belongs nowhere near a Top 6 club.”

As such, it was he who cost Spurs the most over in Portugal this week. The rest of the squad will need to get back on track when they face Leicester City in the Premier League on Saturday evening,

AND in other news, Levy risking Jack Clarke repeat on Spurs’ rarely-seen “combative” 6 ft 1 “Rolls Royce”…

Tottenham Hotspur central midfielder Harry Winks is set to depart north London in the coming days.

What’s the latest?

In a recent post on Twitter, Fabrizio Romano relayed the comments of Carlo Osti, in which the Sampdoria director confirmed that the Serie A side have now reached an agreement with both Spurs and the 26-year-old midfielder ahead of the former England international joining on a season-long loan.

In his post, the transfer insider said: “Sampdoria director Osti confirms: ‘We have reached an agreement to sign Harry Winks from Tottenham, so we’re going to sign contracts soon.’ Winks will join Sampdoria from Spurs on a loan deal.”

Great news for Conte

Considering just how little Winks has featured for Tottenham since Antonio Conte’s arrival at the club last November, coupled with the fact that the 26-year-old’s departure could allow Fabio Paratici to bring in one of his own replacements for the 10-cap international, the news that the midfielder is now set to join Sampdoria is undoubtedly great news for the Italian manager.

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Indeed, following Conte’s appointment at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium last year, the £13.5m-rated Englishman has been selected from the off in just eight Premier League fixtures, in addition to making a further nine appearances from the bench – playing a total of 845 minutes of league football under the 52-year-old manager.

And, so far this season, Winks is yet to be included in a single matchday squad for Spurs, with the likes of Oliver Skipp, Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, Yves Bissouma and Rodrigo Bentancur all very much appearing to be ahead of the Tottenham academy graduate in Conte’s central midfield pecking order.

Furthermore, with it being known that the Italian coach is hoping to add a new attack-minded midfielder to his ranks ahead of the closure of the transfer window this week – with Nicolo Zaniolo, Sergej Milinkovic-Savic and Ruslan Malinovskyi all said to be of interest – moving the £50k-per-week Winks on may provide Paratici with a clear run to move for his targets.

As such, considering his current standing within the Spurs squad, his considerable weekly wage and the fact Conte is hoping to land one of his own targets in the 26-year-old’s position, Romano relaying that Winks does indeed now appear to be moving onto pastures new in the coming days is certain to be fantastic news for the 52-year-old manager.

Leeds United are ‘highly serious’ about signing Club Brugge forward Charles De Ketelaere, according to journalist Ben Jacobs.

The Lowdown: De Ketelaere linked with Leeds

The Whites may want a new centre-forward to complete their summer transfer business after signing Tyler Adams and Luis Sinisterra this week.

Described as ‘complete’ by legendary Brugge midfielder Gert Verheyen, De Ketelaere has been heavily linked with an Elland Road move, with Leeds reportedly making an offer in the region of £25.7m.

AC Milan are also working on a deal for the Belgium international, who mainly lined out as a striker for Brugge last season, scoring 18 times to take his tally for club and country to 26.

The Latest: Jacobs’ comments

Talking to GiveMeSport, Jacobs said that ‘De Ketelaere is the other one to watch’ with regard to incomings, claiming that Leeds are ‘highly serious’ over a potential move.

The reporter outlined:

“De Ketelaere is the other one to watch and Leeds are very much serious about bringing on board the Club Brugge forward.

“They’re in competition with Leicester, who are very much circling around the player too.

“I think that it is fair to say Adams’ arrival will turn Leeds’ interest in De Ketelaere into being highly, highly serious as well.”

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The Verdict: Ambitious

De Ketelaere reportedly wants to play Champions League football, something that AC Milan can offer to the forward.

Therefore, Leeds’ continued interest appears to be ambitious, and they may well be fighting a losing battle when it comes to signing the 21-year-old.

They view De Ketelaere as an inside forward or a secondary striker to support Patrick Bamford, but you’d expect that Victor Orta would have alternative attacking targets on his radar.

It’ll be interesting to see how long Leeds pursue De Ketelaere, and with the new season fast approaching, they may be wise to set a deadline before ending their interest and looking elsewhere.

Aston Villa could be set to turn their attention towards Lille starlet Jonathan David, according to talkSPORT reporter Alex Crook.

What’s the word?

Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, the transfer insider revealed that the Midlands side could potentially make a move for the 22-year-old this summer, having seemingly missed out on (or opted against) a deal for veteran striker, Luis Suarez.

Amid reports linking the Canadian to Villa Park, Crook stated: “We know that obviously, they looked at the Luis Suarez situation. But Jonathan David is somebody that might come onto the radar, I’m told.

“That profile of player might be the path that they go down. So, it’s definitely one to look out for because Aston Villa still have spending power in this market.”

The Premier League outfit are believed to have a longstanding interest in the former Gent ace stretching back to his days in Belgium, although are yet to make an official approach to his current side.

Major coup

Although any deal certainly won’t come cheap – with the highly-rated prospect valued at around £40.5m as per Transfermarkt – should NSWE be able to flex their financial muscle again and bring the youngster to the club it would no doubt represent a significant coup for the ambitious outfit.

Amid problems in attack for Steven Gerrard’s side, with Ollie Watkins top-scoring with just 11 goals in all competitions last term, a move for David would seemingly be a notable solution to those goalscoring woes, with the £35k-per-week marksman having been in explosive form in recent seasons.

Plucked by his current side two years ago, the Brooklyn-born menace has since gone on to score 32 goals and provide five assists in 96 games in all competitions in France, notably bagging 28 league goals across the last two seasons combined.

His tally of 15 top-flight goals last term was only bettered by four players in the division, while the 5 foot 11 speedster also boasts an outstanding record at international level, having scored 20 goals in just 20 appearances thus far.

A key component of the Canada side that has qualified for this year’s World Cup for the first time since 1986, the “fearless” forward – as dubbed by national team coach John Herdman – is currently thriving for both club and country, with a major move to help progress his career seemingly on the cards.

Joining a side that finished in the bottom half of the Premier League last season may appear something of a backwards step, although Gerrard and co are seemingly gearing up for a major assault on the European qualification spots next term, with four major signings under their belt already.

Despite his youth, David could well be the figurehead of that side, while his potential arrival could prove another notable statement of intent from the Villans.

AND in other news, Lange eyeing Villa move for £30m “goalscoring machine”, he’d be their own Darwin Nunez