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A surprising name may be the next to depart Tottenham Hotspur, according to Fabrizio Romano…

What’s the word?

Speaking on his Twitch channel, the renowned Italian transfer guru revealed that left-back Ben Davies could be the latest player to leave the club before this month’s transfer deadline.

Back-up goalkeeper Joe Hart became the most recent departure, swapping North London for Glasgow, signing for Celtic. He followed both Erik Lamela, who has joined Sevilla, and Toby Alderweireld, who has gone to Qatar, out the exit door.

“Ben Davies is one of Tottenham’s players that could leave next,” Romano claimed.

Doesn’t fit the system

The 28-year-old featured in 38 matches across all competitions under Jose Mourinho last season but only 14 of these were starts in the Premier League.

This move could be the first real sign of Nuno Santo stamping down his mark on the club, especially as the Portuguese seems to be awash with plenty of options in the role.

Nuno’s first-choice option is likely to be Sergio Reguilon, who seems the perfect fit for him as he likes to get up and down the flank. Similarly, rarely-seen gem Ryan Sessegnon is in a similar mould, whilst there’s also Dennis Cirkin, who Mourinho was a big fan of too.

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Davies is much more defensively-minded than either of the trio above, which means his place is in a precarious spot right now.

Even then, there have to be question marks over his ability as he struggled at times last season, none more so than a game against Liverpool, where he was described as “appalling” by former Leeds striker Noel Whelan to Football Insider.

Only one other Spurs star (Moussa Sissoko, 6.44) that started more games in the league recorded a worse average WhoScored rating than Davies (6.56), which speaks volumes and would reinforce why Nuno may want to offload him.

The Portuguese coach must be ruthless if he knows that there is no place for the 64-time Welsh international in his side, especially as his exit could help finance some further incomings.

Valued at £14.4m by Transfermarkt, Spurs could also get around £65k-per-week off the wage bill, which will help Fabio Paratici and his transfer plans even more.

With Nuno expected to utilise an attacking left-back next season, it would be wise for Davies to move on. He’s just not the right fit for the new Spurs boss, nor is he good enough anymore.

Daniel Levy and Paratici must sanction his exit, should any bids come forward.

AND in other news, Spurs target to “fly to London” to complete move…

Derby County have been dealt a major blow regarding the fitness of Lee Buchanan ahead of their upcoming Carabao Cup tie.

What’s the latest?

Speaking in the build-up to the Rams’ EFL Cup fixture against Salford City on Tuesday evening, Wayne Rooney shed some light on the current state of his Derby County side.

One player the 35-year-old discussed was Buchanan, with the left-back having missed the club’s Championship opener against Huddersfield Town on Saturday due to a thigh injury.

And, it would appear as if the 20-year-old will once again be watching from the stands at Pride Park on Tuesday, with Rooney revealing that the England U21 international has not recovered in time for the cup clash, as well as claiming the defender could be a doubt for the trip to Peterborough United on Saturday.

As cited by Derbyshire Live, the manager said: “Lee won’t be involved, he is still recovering. He will be touch and go for next Saturday. We are hoping he is ready for Saturday but will have to wait and see what the next couple of days brings.”

Rooney will be gutted

Derby fans will not need reminding just how threadbare their first-team squad is at present, with Rooney having just 14 outfield players at his disposal, four of whom – Tom Lawrence, Jason Knight, Krystian Bielik and Buchanan – are currently carrying knocks.

As such, while the visit of Salford in the Carabao Cup will not exactly be high on the 35-year-old’s list of must-win games this season – as it would appear likely the Rams will be putting all of their energy into ensuring that they remain in the Championship come the end of the campaign – the fact that Buchanan has not been deemed fit enough to feature will nevertheless have left the manager gutted.

Indeed, the match would have provided the man Rooney dubbed a “top player” with a relatively pressure-free run out to help him ease back into his stride before returning to action in the league.

However, with it looking as if the left-back will remain sidelined for the visit of Salford, as well as potentially missing out on the trip to Peterborough this weekend, the Rams boss may well be forced to start Craig Forsyth in the position once again on Tuesday evening, although both Rooney and the 32-year-old will more than likely wish the defender could sit out the Salford game with the Championship fixtures already coming thick and fast.

In other news: Derby County plotting swoop for “outstanding” £25k-p/w beast, Rooney would love him

Paul Stewart thinks Tottenham’s lack of transfer activity could lead to them being a long way behind the Premier League leaders before the first international break.

Nuno Espirito Santo’s first competitive game as manager is a daunting clash against champions Manchester City on Sunday.

But whilst Tottenham have enjoyed an unbeaten pre-season, which included beating north London rivals Arsenal on Sunday, Santo isn’t likely to name any new faces in his starting XI to face City.

Bryan Gil has arrived from Sevilla, although he’s been at the Olympic Games and didn’t start training until this week, whilst goalkeeper Pierluigi Gollini will be on the bench as back-up to Hugo Lloris.

Spurs’ latest signing Cristian Romero is expected to come straight into the backline, although only once he gets fully fit following an injury sustained in the Copa America final.

With Spurs’ lack of business completed, Stewart exclusively told Football FanCast that Santo’s side could easily be winless from their first three fixtures:

“I’m not saying you lose it, but you can be a long way behind. You need a pre-season and have time to settle in. You’d be worried if you were bringing them in after the season has started, and you can certainly lose sight.

“You can see nine points on the board for Man City, but at Spurs you can see them not winning a game and being seven or eight points behind. And that for me, it’s a distinct possibility.”

Queens Park Rangers centre-back Conor Masterson has secured a temporary move away from the Kiyan Prince Foundation Stadium this summer.

What’s the latest?

In a statement posted on the QPR website, the club confirmed that the 22-year-old has joined League One side Cambridge United on loan until January 6th.

The move comes shortly after Mark Warburton revealed there was a considerable amount of interest in the Republic of Ireland U21, with the 58-year-old suggesting that he would only be sanctioning the departure of the defender if he was satisfied that the bidding club would help further the youngster’s development.

The manager said: “There’s interest in Conor. He’s done well for us at Championship level and if he goes out on loan, it’s got to be the right move for his development.

“Clubs are well aware of Conor. Les will work on the right move. It has to be right – you don’t just send a player out willy-nilly. You have to make sure it’ll be right for his career development path.

“If that opportunity arises for Conor then we’ll take it. If not, then we’re very happy to have him here.”

Warburton will be delighted

Considering the QPR manager’s comments regarding Masterson’s loan move, it would appear as if the 58-year-old believes that Cambridge are a side that meet all of his criteria in order to sanction the temporary departure of the centre-back, something that will undoubtedly delight the former Glasgow Rangers boss.

While the £270k-rated man’s game time has been limited since joining the Rs back in 2019, with the 22-year-old making just 20 first-team appearances for the club, Masterson has nevertheless demonstrated that he is a player with a significant amount of potential.

This is something the £3.4k-per-week defender has already proven at Cambridge, as, after being parachuted straight into the U’s starting XI following his arrival, he helped his new side keep a clean sheet, as well as making five clearances, winning six duels and completing 18 passes in their 3-0 win over Burton Albion.

These returns saw the player Warburton himself dubbed an “excellent” talent earn a SofaScore match rating of 7.00, ranking him as United’s joint fourth-best player in the fixture.

As such, should Masterson continue this level of performance during his spell at the Abbey Stadium, he will undoubtedly come back to QPR in January as a much more well-rounded defender, something that would please Warburton greatly.

In other news: Lost 75% duels: £810k-rated QPR flop who lost possession 10x failed Warburton vs Tykes

Kyogo Furuhashi became an overnight sensation at Celtic when he scored a hat-trick on his Parkhead debut, being hailed “incredible” by his manager just weeks after signing.

All of the discussion in pre-season was about how the Hoops potentially replace Odsonne Edouard, but in hiring Ange Postecoglou, they enabled themselves to find the perfect successor.

Furuhashi has been a breath of fresh air in Glasgow, dominating defences with his remarkable pace and intelligent movement.

In just seven outings for the Bhoys, the Japan international has scored six times. To say he’s hit the ground running would be somewhat of an understatement.

However, with Edouard working himself back into favour under the new management, it has seen Furuhashi moved onto the left-hand side.

Whether this decision is a wise one will take time to work out; in one game Kyogo could fire on the flanks, but at the moment, it’s difficult to argue that his finest position isn’t through the middle.

The 26-year-old caused St Mirren problems in Celtic’s emphatic 6-0 win on Saturday but he definitely wasn’t at his best. Edouard and Furuhashi combined for the Frenchman’s goal but it was a disappointing day at the office for the latter beyond that.

He spurned two excellent chances, including one sitter in the first half when he really should have found the back of the net. The forward has spurned such opportunities already this season but the difference is that he’s made up for it by scoring later in the match.

On this occasion, however, the £1.8m-rated attacker didn’t beat the goalkeeper.

It’s difficult to critique Furuhashi, simply because he’s been so impressive since arriving on Scottish shores. Yet, his impact was minimal despite Celtic running riot this weekend.

Before being substituted on 67 minutes, he won just 28.5% of his duels in the entire contest. Despite having a slender frame, that’s a meagre tally.

Furuhashi completed 100% of his passes but his tally of 17 was just one more than goalkeeper Joe Hart, a player who was merely a spectator at Paradise on Saturday.

Although the Japanese sensation was quieter against St Mirren, we should expect more when he plays in a solo role up top again. After all, he has been exceptional after being lured to Scotland.

AND in other news, Ange must complete Celtic swoop for “undroppable” £3m beast, he’s an upgrade on Soro…

Anthony Haggerty from the Daily Record believes that Celtic fans have already fallen in love with Joe Hart.

Following their horrendous goalkeeping difficulties last season, the former Manchester City and England shot-stopper arrived hoping to become Ange Postecoglou’s number one.

And whilst it remains early days in Hart’s Parkhead career, he’s already made a huge impact during his three weeks in Paradise.

Prior to the 34-year-old’s arrival, Celtic had made a winless start to their season and had already crashed out of the Champions League in the qualifying round.

However, some three weeks later and the Hoops have won all six matches with Hart in between the sticks – recording consecutive 6-0 wins in the league, progressing in the Scottish League Cup, whilst his impressive first-leg performance against AZ Alkmaar has put the Glasgow giants 90 minutes away from securing their place in the Europa League groups.

When asked what he’s made of Hart’s time in Scotland, Haggerty told Football FanCast:

“I think the Celtic fans love Joe Hart; they just took him to their hearts. Joe Hart gets what it means to play for a big club, this is a former England number one goalkeeper.

“When goalkeepers hit a dip in form, there’s no hiding place, but Joe Hart has been up there, seen it and done it.”

Sky Sports journalist Michael Bridge has confirmed that Rangers are unlikely to add any more players to their squad before the 11pm transfer deadline, but has refused to completely rule out anything happening.

The Scottish club are basking in the afterglow of an excellent performance at the weekend, when they beat Celtic in the Old Firm derby.

It seems as though Rangers are more focused on keeping their star players as opposed to adding to the squad.

Bridge insists that the club remain active to potential possibilities before the deadline but does not think it is likely that there will be new additions prior to 11pm.

Rangers have already been aggressive in the transfer window, signing Fashion Sakala on a free transfer from KV Oostende, as well as snapping up Bournemouth’s Nnamdi Ofoborh and Sheffield United’s John Lundstram on frees, along with Juninho Bacuna from Huddersfield Town.

While Bridge does not want to say that there will be no additions at all, he would be surprised if new signings do end up moving to Ibrox.

He said: “As it stands, no incomings but Rangers are always busy. Gerrard always likes a signing so I’m never going to rule anything out with Rangers, never.

“It would be wrong of me to rule anything out because Gerrard and his team always seem to ask to be kept aware of anything but let’s be honest, if Rangers don’t bring anyone in, it’s a sign of things are probably going well at the moment and it’s a sign of the times that they’re actually a very settled football club.”

Karamoko Dembele has long been the darling of the Celtic academy.

Blessed with pace, agility, trickery and an eye for goal, it’s obvious to see why the Hoops have been so excited about his talent for years now.

Dembele was playing for Celtic’s U20 side at the age of just 13 and then broke into the senior team as a 16-year-old back in 2019. He came off the bench against Hearts and immediately caught the eye with his close touch control.

Months later he was being named alongside Barcelona superstar Ansu Fati in L’Equipe’s crop of European football’s finest wonders. They put together six of the best young players revolutionising the game at the time.

Dembele is still only 18 years of age but two years down the line from his debut and he’s still not started a match for Celtic.

Injury issues have plagued him and he even refused a loan spell last season. However, with under a year left on his contract at Parkhead, it feels like now or never in terms of a breakthrough.

That being said, they have another fine young winger coming through the ranks that could well usurp Dembele if you believe the hype.

That happens to be Ben Doak who starred for Scotland U17s a few days ago. Just 15, it will be a while before we see him on the senior stage but he is making all the right noises in academy football.

He scored a fine looping header against Wales a few days ago, a goal that came just moments after a jaw-dropping piece of play down the right.

Doak showcased his electrifying pace and dazzling dribbling by taking the Welsh defence to the cleaners before playing in a cross.

With that exciting run, it gave out immediate Dembele vibes.

After the game, the teenager was given considerable praise by those around him. Manager Brian McLaughlin commented: “Ben Doak did well tonight and he’s a great player. He’s a good threat and great character around training as well. His attitude towards training is infectious and there’s no doubt that he loved his debut for the 17s tonight.

“It felt like every time he had the ball he could create us a chance.”

Meanwhile, Bhoys Analtyics added: “Ben Doak is a name Celtic fans should get familiar with. Real chance of producing a generational talent.”

A direct forward player, he has all of the tools to cause danger at senior level too. If he adds a more physical aspect to his game and continues scoring goals, there is every reason to believe that he’ll be on Postecoglou’s radar.

The thought of Doak and Dembele forming part of the first-team set-up in years to come is a mouth-watering one.

AND in other news, Ange may find Celtic’s new Ntcham in rarely-seen 18 y/o who does things “effortlessly”…

Chris Wilder is interested in the possibility of taking over at Nottingham Forest.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to Alan Nixon’s report in The Sun, with the journalist claiming that the former Sheffield United manager would be interested in taking over from Chris Hughton at the City Ground – should the 62-year-old be relieved of his duties.

The report goes on to state that Wilder has not been in employment since leaving the Blades in March this year, despite having been linked with a number of Championship clubs in the summer, such as Swansea City and West Bromwich Albion.

Murphy must act

After what has been a disastrous start to Forest’s 2021/22 Championship campaign, with the Reds having picked up a single point over their opening six fixtures of the season, even the most ardent of Hughton supporters must now be thinking the time is right for the Irishman to move on.

And, with Wilder appearing keen on taking over from the former Brighton & Hove Albion manager, it would seem a highly advisable move for Dane Murphy to take advantage of the 53-year-old’s interest, as he’d be a major coup for the Garibaldi.

Indeed, despite a disappointing final season with Sheffield United last term, Wilder’s work in transforming the Blades from a side languishing in League One, firstly to a top-half Championship side, then into a Premier League promotion-winning side, all in the space of three seasons, is exactly the profile of manager the Forest CEO should be trying to bring into the club.

There are clear comparisons that can be drawn between United prior to Wilder’s arrival and the current state of Forest, with both clubs being historically big teams with huge fanbases but were/are massive underperforming on their potential.

As such, with the sacking of Hughton very much looking to be a matter of when rather than if, it would appear a very wise move for Murphy to pull the trigger on the 62-year-old’s dismissal, and to subsequently appoint the man Don Hutchison claimed is an “outstanding” manager as quickly as possible, in order to limit the distance currently between the Reds and the rest of the Championship.

In other news: Journalist reveals NFFC talks for “outstanding” £1.8m-rated ace, he’d be a major coup

Tottenham Hotspur were favourites to land Caleb Chukwuemeka before Aston Villa swooped in, Football Insider reports. 

The lowdown

Villa signed Chukwuemeka, the older brother of midfielder Carney, for an undisclosed fee back in July (via Goal).

He was one of four signings for the Under-23s, alongside the West Bromwich Albion trio of Finley Thorndike, Finn Azaz and Tim Iroegbunam (via Transfermarkt).

The forward has already opened his account at Premier 2 Level, netting in a 1-1 draw with Fulham at the end of last month.

Though officially an academy signing, Chukwuemeka also earned a swift first-team debut as a substitute in the 6-0 EFL Cup rout of League Two Barrow.

The latest

According to information from a recruitment source at FI, Spurs made the first move for Chukwuemeka, offering £1million plus add-ons. They were also willing to let 19-year-old striker Kion Ete join Northampton on loan as part of the deal.

But the player ultimately had his heart set on Villa after Johan Lange and co tabled a ‘lucrative’ professional contract and offered him the chance to play alongside his brother.

The verdict

You suspect that Smith was so quick to give Chukwuemeka a senior run-out because he wanted to demonstrate that there’s a path to first-team football at Villa Park. Such assurances would have likely been given in the course of negotiations from the likes of Smith and Lange.

The benchmark for Chukwuemeka has been set by 18-year-old Louie Barry, who boasts an excellent return of 14 goals in 19 appearances in PL2 and is now looking to make the step-up to the men’s game at Ipswich Town.

The future is bright at Villa Park if Lange can continue to poach targets from ‘big six’ clubs.

In other news, fans react to this reported transfer snub.