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Daniel Levy can complete Jose Mourinho’s dream Tottenham Hotspur midfield unit by signing Red Bull Salzburg gem Dominik Szoboszlai this January.

What’s the word?

According to BILD, Szoboszlai has informed Salzburg that he wishes to leave the Austrian Bundesliga leaders in the winter market amid widespread interest from across Europe.

It is suggested that almost half of Europe are keen on the Hungarian wonderkid, who has lit up whatever competition he has taken to this term with five goals and nine assists in 14 games.

Szoboszlai has only failed to contribute to the scoring in three of his appearances this term, too, taking his Salzburg record to 22 goals and 33 assists and ensuring attentive glares are earned from the likes of Arsenal, Liverpool, Manchester United, Wolves, Leicester, Everton and Tottenham.

Real Madrid, FC Barcelona, Atletico Madrid, Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund, RB Leipzig, Paris Saint-Germain, Olympique Lyonnais, SL Benfica and FC Porto are all tipped to be keen, as well, with Szoboszlai available for just €25million (£22m) thanks to a bargain release clause in his contract.

Spurs’ interest in the young sensation, who Lothar Matthaus described as being “like Kai Havertz”, has been brought to the fore once more as the 20-year-old has allegedly told RB Salzburg that he wishes to secure a transfer in the upcoming January window.

Salzburg Director Christoph Freund has not ruled out the possibility of a move, either, having told Sky Sport Austria that anything is possible.

“Of course, you would like to have the player in the club as long as possible. On the other hand, it is also healthy if he takes the next step at the right time” he said. “Let’s see what happens in winter, but there is a high probability that he will move to a big club.

“[I’m] convinced that he can become one of the most interesting midfielders in Europe in the next few years.”

Complete Jose’s dream Spurs unit

Levy can complete Mourinho’s dream Tottenham midfield unit with a winter swoop for the versatile and intelligent attacking gem that is Szoboszlai, who has provided all of his goal involvement this term from the left-wing.

He has previously excelled in a central role, too, but with Tanguy Ndombele enjoying the responsibility in behind Harry Kane thus far in the 2020/21 Premier League campaign, the Frenchman would expect to see Szoboszlai arrive and offer greater competition for the likes of Dele Alli instead.

Alli has struggled to prove himself to Mourinho this season and is now being urged to quit Spurs, with the MK Dons product starting just one of his two top-flight outings and being given just 74 minutes in the Europa League thus far.

The potential arrival of Szoboszlai would surely spell the end for Alli’s hopes of re-establishing himself at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, having been named as the 19th-man in the squad to face Manchester City last weekend only to be left watching the match from the stands.

AND in other news, an £80k-p/w Spurs man’s struggles may have re-opened the door for a “perfect” outcast to return.

Wolves summer transfer window was an eye-catching one to say the least.

Ever since Fosun and Nuno Santo entered the football club, they have never been afraid to spend big sums of money. You only need to look at the £15m investment they made on Ruben Neves when they were still in the Championship.

However, after selling Diogo Jota to Liverpool they took their spending to a whole new level.

They broke their transfer record to sign Fabio Silva for a fee of £35.6m and then landed former Barcelona right-back Nelson Semedo for an initial fee of £26.61m.

However, one man they missed out on was exciting Brazilian winger Pepe.

The Gremio sensation is an electric talent and according to reports, Wolves even submitted a bid for the 23-year-old.

Back in September, it was claimed that the Midlands side were ready to pay €15m (£13.6m) for his services. Negotiations then supposedly began properly in October but nothing came of the talks between the two clubs.

As such, Wolves missed out on someone that could have replaced Adama Traore. The Spaniard was linked with an exit in the summer and it’s now thought that Wolves are growing frustrated over his contract. Thus, it’s not too far-fetched to suggest he may leave.

Compare Pepe to Traore and it’s clear to see why they should regret missing out on the diminutive Brazilian.

Speaking about him back in April, Gremio vice president Paulo Luz said: “Pepe is a young, talented player who has that extra touch of class. He is fast and is a great finisher.”

Talented? Tick. Touch of class? Tick. Fast? Tick. Pepe has everything that Traore has.

In fact, if we’re looking for areas that the Wolves target is better in, it’s undoubtedly in front of goal. He has scored seven goals in just 18 outings in the league this season. For context, Wolves’ number 37 is yet to find the net this term.

That being said, he has still been a huge threat with his dribbling and the ability to beat a man. Traore has performed 3.4 successful dribbles per match in the Premier League this season, a number that Pepe comes close to – registering 2.7 of his own back in Brazil.

At under £20m, Wolves could have had a snip here but such is Pepe’s rapid progression, he’ll now probably cost a lot more. Over to you, Jeff Shi.

In other news, Nuno’s big GAMBLE could be a game-changer for Morgan Gibbs-White…

Just a matter of weeks ago, Neil Lennon’s Celtic side were sinking without a trace.

Despite being 13 points off the pace in the SPFL, he has at least bought himself some time.

On the chalkboard

This season has been an utter disaster for the Hoops.

It was supposed to be about a tenth consecutive league crown and tarnishing Rangers’ reputation once again. However, the precise opposite has occurred.

Celtic are seriously behind in the league and appear to be conceding goals at will, being handed a drubbing on the European stage almost every time they take to the field.

Twice they conceded eight times against Sparta Prague and as the goals flew in, supporters could only blame their abject goalkeepers.

Scott Bain failed to command his area in the away clash against Sparta and then Vasilios Barkas made some horrendous errors versus AC Milan.

For the good of Celtic and indeed their defence, changes had to be made.

The solution

It was always going to be interesting to see how Lennon solved the issue of not re-signing Fraser Forster in the summer. Spending £4.5m on a goalkeeper with international recognition looked a good idea on paper but Barkas has been average at best.

It’s no surprise, therefore, that Celtic have played better since introducing a more reliable pair of hands.

That happens to be Conor Hazard, a young player on the verge of earning a new contract for his emergence and form between the sticks.

The 22-year-old hadn’t played all year for the Glaswegians until the last two matches and surprise, surprise, the Bhoys have won those outings. He may have conceded twice against Lille but Hazard kept the club’s first clean sheet since the 1st November when they defeated Kilmarnock 2-0 last weekend.

It’s not ideal when you have to rely on your youngest senior stopper to save the season but that’s what he’s on the verge of doing. In playing so well, he has handed Lennon more time in the Parkhead hot seat and he owes the stopper plenty of thanks.

Hailed as a “massive talent” by Alex McLeish, it looks as though it’ll take some doing to displace Hazard. He deserves to be Celtic’s number one.

AND in other news, Celtic must unleash their “wonderful” ace with “explosive power” on Sunday…

Writing on Twitter, Sky Sports transfer guru Fabrizio Romano has shared a huge update involving Diego Costa after he was tipped to potentially join Tottenham – with the Spaniard apparently ‘set to leave’ Atletico Madrid with his time in La Liga ‘over’. 

Costa, who has been tipped to leave Spain with Spurs as a potentially likely destination along with other suitors, looks to be on the way out of Atletico following this update by Romano.

Costa breakdown

Indeed, writing on social media, this reliable source claims that the 6 foot 2 star will bide his time when it comes to taking next steps over his next club, with a Premier League return seemingly not ruled out.

Chinese and Brazilian clubs have allegedly ‘contacted’ the forward over a move, and with his contract expiring at the end of this season, he is able to discuss leaving on a free transfer in the summer as well for a fee in January.

Despite signing Carlos Vinicius as a more-than-capable back up to Harry Kane in the summer, Tottenham have been tipped as a possible destination for Costa as Romano shares this huge update on his playing future.

Transfer Tavern take

Described as ‘phenomenal’ by Atletico president Enrique Cerezo Torres, the Spaniard is proven in the Premier League for Chelsea and a towering force, with Spurs having been linked in the summer.

However, despite him being a ‘beast’, the acquisition of Vinicius could mean that a swoop for Costa shouldn’t be too high on Daniel Levy’s agenda – regardless of him being tipped with a move.

Time will tell where he could end up, but it will certainly be interesting to see if Tottenham pounce on the opportunity to begin negotiations.

In other news: This playmaker is ‘interested’ in joining Spurs, find out more here.

After finally picking up their form, Celtic head into the Old Firm clash against Rangers on Saturday afternoon with a bit of wind in their sails.

Neil Lennon’s side have racked up six wins on the bounce in all competitions, and know that only a win will be enough to really get them back involved in the Scottish Premiership title race.

And whilst the Hoops have been in such good form, the Celtic boss should consider making one big change: bringing in Mohamed Elyounoussi.

The Norway international had been in great form in recent weeks, bagging five goals in just three league games. But after netting against Kilmarnock earlier this month, the winger has found himself on the bench for the previous three matches, playing a grand total of 17 minutes.

The Bhoys desperately need a win against Steven Gerrard’s side, and Elyounoussi has got the kind of game-changing ability to turn things in their favour.

Speaking earlier in the summer after a 6-0 win over KR Reykjavik, Lennon said: “Elyounoussi is, I think rightly the Man of the Match, and the one we should talk about because this guy is a very, very good player. When he came to Celtic last season, he might have tailed off towards the end of last season, but he was excellent when he came in.

“He has an awful lot to offer and that performance will fill Neil Lennon with an awful lot of heart because if he’s back to his best, Elyounoussi is a very, very dangerous player.”

The Norwegian has bagged 12 goals in all competitions this season, and will no doubt be hoping to get the call to start against Rangers. Whether it’s playing him from the left or through the middle, he could wreak havoc on a Gers team who might just begin to feel the weight and pressure of leading the title race.

This season has been a superb one for Tottenham so far. Jose Mourinho has done wonders with this team but he has two chief suspects to thank.

Harry Kane and Heung-min Son have very quickly established themselves as one of the most feared duos on the planet and have contributed to over 75% of Spurs’ goals this season.

The fact that Tottenham could strengthen in January, therefore, is a frightening prospect.

Whether it be in defence where Milan Skriniar continues to be linked or in attack where Diego Costa has become an option, broadening their title credentials will be of utmost importance this month.

One player they could sign is Bayer Leverkusen’s Leon Bailey. The winger has been touted with a move to the Premier League in recent weeks and has just switched his agent to the same individual who deals with Ryan Sessegnon.

Whether that serves as an omen remains to be seen but it’s promising he now has direct ties with Spurs.

Capable of playing on either wing, he’d be a fabulous support act for both Son and Kane, especially when you consider what he’s capable of.

Described as an “exceptional” player, one with “very rare” qualities according to Ronald de Boer, he possesses abilities that can frighten the life out of defenders.

His most recent performance for Leverkusen serves as a wonderful example of what he can do. As his team were defeated by Eintracht Frankfurt, Bailey was one of a few bright sparks for the visitors.

The 23-year-old was a real live wire and managed to perform a whopping seven successful dribbles. For context, Son’s highest tally in a single game this season has been just two.

Furthermore, Bailey was strong in one-on-one duels, prevailing with ten of the 14 he contested throughout his time on the pitch. A pass success rate of 77% proves he needs to be a little more careful in possession but he did his best to try and win the game.

The Frankfurt defence couldn’t live with him, bringing the Jamaican down for a foul on three separate occasions.

Valued at £26.5m, this is surely a move that Spurs can afford. Daniel Levy must pursue a deal in the coming weeks.

AND in other news, Spurs beast dubbed “embarrassing” was Jose’s true hero on Saturday…

Manchester United have got their transfer business off to a flying start this year. Having added Timothy Fosu-Mensah to the list of players departing from Old Trafford, Ed Woodward has started to create some space in the squad for new additions. However there is still much more to be done if the Red Devils are to reduce their wage bill and bring in more quality signings.

What’s the word?

According to Sky Sports, French side Nice have reportedly held talks with Jesse Lingard’s representatives over a possible loan move in January.

It’s claimed the French Ligue 1 club have held initial discussions and an formal offer is expected to arrive next week, although it remains to be seen if the Red Devils will allow him to depart Old Trafford halfway through the season.

Lingard made his first-team debut in the 2-1 defeat to Swansea City under former United manager Louis van Gaal in 2014 and has since gone on to make over 200 appearances for his boyhood club.

But chances have been hard to come by for the 28-year-old this season, as he has been restricted to just two starts so far and hasn’t started in a Premier League game for over a year – a clear sign that he isn’t offering Ole Gunnar Solskjaer anything at the current moment in time.

It’s time for Woodward to get rid of the deadwood

With the 18-year-old Amad Diallo’s arrival at Old Trafford from Serie A side Atalanta this month, it seems like Lingard’s services are no longer required.

United have an abundance of quality and depth in almost every area with their current squad intact, none more so than the wealth of riches currently available to Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. The club’s official website currently lists 13 first-team players in the midfield, and that’s without even mentioning the likes of Anthony Martial, Mason Greenwood, Marcus Rashford and Edinson Cavani upfront.

Considering that the club were heavily linked with a £100m move for Jadon Sancho in the summer, it’s safe to assume that Lingard has been deemed surplus to requirements, as the former England international has been limited to solely three cup appearances this season – which is even fewer than his teammates Daniel James and Juan Mata.

In actual fact, in a similar way to Fosu-Mensah, Lingard could leave the club without requiring any replacement. Bruno Fernandes and Greenwood have become regular starters in the Premier League, meaning his options are limited once more, as he has fallen even further down the pecking order.

Peter Schmeichel certainly didn’t pull any punches when he appeared to take aim at Lingard after a number of poor performances in 2018. He told MUTV’s Group Chat, via talkSPORT: “I’m on record for saying this a long, long time, since Ole came, that his most important job is not really to sign players, it’s to get rid of players.

“There’s a few players in the squad that we absolutely do not want there.

“They’re not there to play for the badge. They’re there to create a profile for themselves.

“I was reading about one player trying to make themself a brand like Beckham which is shocking really. But there are players there that do not belong in the dressing room.”

Whilst he didn’t specifically mention Lingard, one would have to assume it was the right winger who drew Schmeichel’s ire. After all, he earned the wrath of fellow club legends Gary Neville and Roy Keane for launching a clothing line days before the Liverpool clash in 2018.

Given he earns around £100,000-per-week at Old Trafford, it’s fair to say that Lingard has outlived his purpose, as Greenwood has emerged as a reliable option on the right wing while James, too, has started to show flashes of his obvious potential, and that’s without even mentioning Diallo and Facundo Pellistri, who are waiting in the wings as well.

It has left Solskjaer with several options out wide and although the Norwegian needs two wingers in his preferred 4-2-3-1, Ed Woodward must offload a couple of his options in the coming weeks and months ahead. Lingard, therefore, should be the one to accompany Fosu-Mensah out the Old Trafford exit door.

AND in other news, Luke Shaw slammed by Carlton Palmer for decision-making during Man Utd’s defeat to Man City…

After bowing out of the FA Cup with a tame 1-0 defeat to Southampton on Saturday afternoon, Arsenal have the chance to exact immediate revenge when they travel back to St Mary’s tonight.

Mikel Arteta rang the changes for the cup clash against the Saints, seemingly indicating that the Gunners’ priority this season remains the Premier League.

The north Londoners have built up an impressive run of form in recent weeks, with four wins and a draw in their last five league games, but they’ll know that Southampton away from home present a very tricky test – as they saw at the weekend.

Arteta will surely recall a number of his first-team stars for Tuesday night’s game, and with that in mind, below is a look at how the Gunners might line up for the trip to the south coast.

In goal, Bernd Leno will keep his place in between the sticks despite the recent arrival of Brighton goalkeeper Mat Ryan on loan until the end of the Premier League season.

There may be changes in front of him, however, with Gabriel looking shaky in his first start since being forced to quarantine – the Brazilian was the man who inadvertently diverted the ball into the back of the net for Southampton’s winner on Saturday.

Hector Bellerin could also drop out, with Cedric moving back over to the right-hand side, and the Gunners will be hoping Kieran Tierney can shake off a calf problem to start at left-back.

In midfield, Granit Xhaka should start once more, whilst Thomas Partey is likely to be recalled to the starting line-up after being named on the bench for the FA Cup game.

Further forward, Nicolas Pepe and the 70-cap Willian are likely to be dropped after their respective displays against the Saints, with the Gunners’ young guns of Emile Smith Rowe and Bukayo Saka coming back in.

Willian, in particular, has been a disaster of a signing thus far for the Gunners, with no goals whatsoever for his new club, and his last assist coming in a 2-1 defeat to Wolves back in late November.

And with captain Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang confirmed to be out, Gabriel Martinelli should start on the left-hand side, with Alexandre Lacazette returning up front.

Predicted XI: Leno; Cedric, Holding, Luiz, Tierney; Partey, Xhaka; Saka, Smith Rowe, Martinelli; Lacazette.

Meanwhile, Arsenal can sign their next Ashley Cole in this Premier League starlet…

Many Arsenal fans were left slamming the display of Cedric in their side’s 2-1 away loss to Wolves in the Premier League on Tuesday evening.

Mikel Arteta’s team took a deserved lead through Nicolas Pepe just after the half an hour mark, a goal which came after Bukayo Saka had hit the post and also had a goal chalked off by VAR as Alex Lacazette was found to be a fraction offside in the build up.

However, a David Luiz red card and consequently a converted Ruben Neves turned the game on its head, with Joao Moutinho then scoring a screamer from outside of the box before Bernd Leno was given his own marching orders for handling the ball outside of his area.

Although there were some very good performances in a Gunners shirt on the night, Cedric’s flattered to deceive several members of the Emirates Stadium faithful.

The Portugal international lost no fewer than nine of his duels in the match, the most out of any of his teammates to have set foot on the pitch, and also failed to make a single interception, key pass or accurate long ball, as he earned a pretty poor 5.6 overall rating on Sofascore, the second lowest out of any player, behind Luiz.

Arsenal fan reaction to Cedric display

These Gooners slammed his performance on Twitter, with a couple of AFC supporters even going as far as to call the 29-year-old ‘awful’:

“Cedric is playing so badly now, this guy hasn’t made any passes so far ever since Leno came off #WOLARS”

Credit: @hayth_09

“Cedric and Bellerin been awful all game #WOLARS”

Credit: @krish___kr7

“Thought Cedric should have come off at HT for Gabriel as he was getting roasted, Saka move into LB and ESR and Pepe narrowly sit behind Lacazette”

Credit: @DaisJenks

“Cedric was poor”

Credit: @afccxo

“Cedric getting toasted by Adama who has been off form throughout the season and all of Cedric’s long balls were awful, one good assist and Edu decided to make him 2nd choice lb, ambitionless owner and club”

Credit: @uvarsenal

“Cedric and Bellerin not good enough however its easy to do against 9 men. Neto was non-existent with 11 v 11”Credit: @Forrest992HIn other news, find out which left-back Arsenal were interested in signing before the window shut here!

Jurgen Klopp has been dealt another big injury blow ahead of his side’s trip to Leicester City on Saturday afternoon, with Fabinho set to miss the game at the King Power Stadium.

The Athletic correspondent James Pearce confirmed on Twitter that the Brazilian would be absent for the game against Brendan Rodgers’ side on Saturday due to a “little muscle issue”.

The defensive-midfielder has been one of Liverpool’s most important players in this bizarre season so far, having filled in superbly at centre-back in the absence of Virgil van Dijk, Joe Gomez and Joel Matip, who have all been ruled out for the season with long-term injuries.

Whilst the Reds did add Ben Davies and Ozan Kabak during the January transfer window, both are yet to make their Reds debut, but could be forced into action against Leicester on Saturday following this injury blow.

Fabinho has been the only real constant at centre-back for Liverpool this season, with Klopp selecting a plethora of centre-back partnerships throughout the season, which have more often than not seen the Brazilian starting alongside the likes of Nathaniel Phillips, Rhys Williams or Jordan Henderson.

The former Monaco man has made 18 appearances in the top-flight this season, with Matip the only other centre-back option (other than Henderson), to reach double digits in terms of league appearances so far this campaign, which highlights how important Fabinho has been in this Liverpool defence.

Whilst he has not been at his best in recent fixtures, which have seen the Reds lose significant ground in the title race, there was perhaps hope amongst fans that he could return to his best by moving back into midfield, now that Klopp has more options in his defence.

If Liverpool were to lose against Leicester on Saturday afternoon it would surely bring an end to their hopes of retaining the Premier League title, so to lose a player as influential as the “world-class” Fabinho through injury is undoubtedly a huge blow for Klopp.

And, in other news… Edwards should swoop for “exciting” PL beast who is “only going to get better”