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Son Heung-Min is set to return to action for Tottenham Hotspur after playing for South Korea at the Asian Cup.

The winger, playing in his second international tournament this season, could not avert a shock defeat for his country in the quarter-finals as they were beaten 1-0 by Qatar on Friday, and Son needs to be back in Mauricio Pochettino’s XI as soon as possible.

On the chalkboard

Spurs have struggled without Son.

Of course, Harry Kane and Dele Alli both sustained injuries at the worst possible time with Son already away, leaving Pochettino without his three most potent attacking weapons.

He had been on an electric run of form before his departure to the United Arab Emirates, scoring eight goals and providing five assists in just 10 games, as per Transfermarkt.

Spurs lost 1-0 to Manchester United in his final game, and have since been knocked out of two cup competitions without the winger.

Which big 6 club needs to do the most business in January? Check out what the Pl>ymaker FC squad think in the video below…

A 2-0 defeat to Crystal Palace on Sunday saw them eliminated from the FA Cup, while they were beaten by Chelsea in the Carabao Cup semi-finals on Thursday, losing on penalties at Stamford Bridge.

Son, during his time at the Asian Cup, drew a blank for South Korea, but he did provide two assists in the final game of the group stages against China as they won 2-0. Perhaps unfortunately for Spurs, Son played 89 minutes against China, 120 against Bahrain – in which his nation won in extra time – and 90 in the defeat to Qatar.

Pochettino, per the London Evening Standard, expects to have Son available for the midweek clash with Watford but unsurprisingly revealed that the winger is exhausted: “He’s so tired, played three games. Very tough games. Not too much energy today, but we hope he’ll be available on Wednesday.”

Fatigue be damned

Son simply has to start against Watford.

He may be tired, but an exhausted Son is better than a fully-fit Georges-Kevin N’Koudou.

The 23-year-old turned in an atrocious display against Palace, despite earning his chance in a cameo against Fulham after Son’s departure; he came off the bench to provide the assist for Harry Winks’ dramatic late winner.

Son was sorely missed against both Chelsea and Palace, however, with no player able to offer his pacey, driving runs on the counter.

Fernando Llorente has played reasonably well without him, but it is very clear that he does not have the required ability to lead the line for Spurs for a considerable period of time.

Now Son is back, he should be restored to the striking position against the Hornets and give Spurs the cutting edge they have brutally lacked.

It is, of course, a tough ask to expect him to hit the ground running but with the lack of alternatives in the squad, Pochettino simply does not have another option.

Old Trafford has been home to many huge football superstars over the years, and it’s not often that Manchetser United get it wrong when they make moves for players to bring into the club.

However, Ed Woodward had an absolute howler in letting one player slip through the cracks, and the United board will surely regret not taking the player’s potential more seriously.

Former Red Devils scout Jorge Alvial revealed to Manchester Evening News that the powers at Old Trafford ignored the chance to sign Bayern Munich superstar Alphonso Davies on numerous occasions, ignoring 40 reports on the talent before he signed for the Bundesliga giants.

Eventually the club did offer Davies a trial, but the 17-year-old rejected the offer and committed his immediate future to Vancouver, with the player reflecting on the interest from English clubs when he signed for Bayern Munich two years later.

He revealed to the Daily Mail: “I know there were rumours about England. I know different teams had approached my agents. My full focus at the time was Vancouver and trying to get into the play-offs.”

At this point, the left-back has become one of Europe’s hottest prospects, winning 12 trophies with Bayern Munich since he joined in 2019, including a Champions League and three Bundesliga titles. Therefore, the United board must be having nightmares over relinquishing the opportunity to sign the 21-year-old when they had their chance.

Another kick in the teeth for the Red Devils will be the fact that the German champions signed Davies from Vancouver for just £9m, and according to Transfermarkt as of December 2021, the young player is now worth an astonishing £63m, a 600% increase in value in just three years.

When you compare Davies to United’s most recent left-back signing Alex Telles this season, the Bayern Munich star has made 23 more ball recoveries, completed over 200 more passes, has a better pass accuracy, completed 55 more take-ons and won 55 more ground duels according to Squawka.

Davies, who was hailed the “Usain Bolt of football” by Rio Ferdinand, clearly has a bright future ahead of him, and United must learn from the decision to ignore the young star as they move into their new era with a new manager at the helm this summer.

In other news: Man Utd suffer major Ten Hag setback which will have Red Devils fans worried

Crystal Palace will take on Brighton tonight at the Amex Stadium in their first Premier League fixture since New Year’s Day, when they lost to West Ham at Selhurst Park.

However, Eagles manager Patrick Vieira took to his pre-match press conference to deliver some bad news in the form of a double injury blow which will see James Tomkins and James McArthur unavailable for selection tonight, leaving Palace without five senior players for their trip to the south coast.

Vieira spoke specifically on Tomkins’ injury during his press conference and gave a rough idea of the timeframe of the defender’s absence, as he outlined: “It is an injury and we need to wait and see how he will improve. Not having him with us is losing an experienced player in the dressing room and on the field.

“We need to evaluate the injury week after week. Hopefully, it’ll be a couple of weeks, not months.”

As far as McArthur is concerned, Vieira revealed that the midfielder still has “a long way to go” in his recover despite there being rumours of an imminent comeback, after he had sustained a hamstring injury in November.

The 45-year-old will surely be gutted not to have five of his senior players available for tonight’s clash, with Cheikhou Kouyate, Jordan Ayew and Wilfried Zaha all away with their countries at the Africa Cup of Nations on top of the aforementioned injuries.

However, there is a silver lining for the Eagles as Vicente Guaita, who dislocated his finger in December and was sidelined in last weekend’s 2-1 FA Cup win at Millwall, is expected to return for the clash with the Seagulls.

Brighton are not an easy team to beat, picking up points in their last three games with a win and two draws, whereas Crystal Palace have lost two of their last three, only picking up one win in their nine away matches in the league. It’s a trend that Vieira will be keen to buck tonight, though he can perhaps take inspiration from the Eagles’ smash-and-grab victory on their last visit to this ground 11 months ago.

However, with McArthur being their second-best performer this season according to WhoScored and Tomkins having been a regular in the side prior to his injury setback, it is a huge blow for the Frenchman to be without the duo for tonight’s grudge match.

In other news: Vieira could sign this marksman as an alternative to Eddie Nketiah

A frustrating injury update has emerged on Newcastle United midfielder Isaac Hayden…

What’s the latest?

According to Telegraph journalist Mike McGrath, the Magpies enforcer is set to face months on the sidelines after undergoing surgery this week.

He tweeted: “#NUFC midfielder Isaac Hayden underwent knee op yesterday at private hospital in London and faces spell of recovery. Played with injection in last game but procedure needed.”

McGrath later added: Surgery was to repair MCL damage. Faces months rather than weeks recovery.”

Fans will be fuming

Newcastle fans will surely be fuming with this news as it comes as another big blow for the club, having also lost Allan Saint-Maximin and Callum Wilson to injury after the draw with Manchester United.

Hayden has been one of the better performers in the Magpies squad this season, albeit that is not too much of a compliment given their current situation in the league. He is ranked sixth in the squad for average WhoScored ratings, with fellow midfidlers Joe Willock, Jonjo Shelvey and Jeff Hendrick all below him.

These are the players who may now be needed to cover for him in the coming weeks and months in the Premier League, which is why fans will be fuming with this body blow.

Hayden has averaged three tackles and interceptions per game, along with 0.6 blocks, and he is a natural defensive midfielder who looks to break up the play and win the ball back for the side. This means that Newcastle will be losing his bite in the middle of the park, which could have a negative impact heading into crucial matches from which they will need to pick up points to escape the bottom three.

This may also place an added emphasis on the need to sign a defensive-minded midfielder in the January transfer window. Eddie Howe may need to reevaluate his plans for new signings because of these injury blows, which could potentially slow down the recruitment process as they need to readjust their priorities to deal with these frustrating setbacks.

Fans could also be frustrated by the news on Hayden as the potential change in plans could mean that signings take longer than previously expected. It could be a tense month for supporters if it comes down to the final days of the transfer window and a couple of key positions are yet to be strengthened.

AND in other news, PIF could save NUFC’s season with £20m move for “decisive” gem likened to N’Golo Kante…

Tottenham Hotspur could seal their best signing since Heung-min Son following an exciting claim from transfer guru Fabrizio Romano.

The north London outfit are in desperate need of fresh additions this month, certainly if Antonio Conte is to stand a chance at reviving this sinking ship.

Given his tactical system – primarily deploying three-at-the-back – he needs further reinforcements to his backline, where left-back Ben Davies has been plugging a gap and the likes of Davinson Sanchez and Japhet Tanganga have had to be trusted.

One player that Spurs appear keen on is Villarreal defender Pau Torres, who rejected a move to the club during the summer window but back then, it was the underwhelming Nuno Santo in charge – rather than the trophy-laden Italian.

And Romano believes their interest is something to keep an eye on heading into deadline day in a little under two weeks time.

“Let’s see what happens with a centre-back. Tottenham want to sign a new centre-back in January. Pau Torres has always been on their list since last summer, but Villarreal have no intention to let him leave in January,” he told the ‘Here We Go’ podcast last week.

Torres’ desire may well hinge on any sort of Champions League involvement but Spurs are firmly in the race for a top-four finish and that could well be achieved with the Spaniard’s arrival.

He played an integral role for former Arsenal boss Unai Emery at the Yellow Submarines as they defeated Manchester United to clinch the Europa League title last season.

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Meanwhile, domestically, the 25-year-old colossus ranked as their fourth-best player (6.76) in La Liga last season. Across 33 starts, he proved to be an excellent ball-playing option by averaging an 87.8% passing accuracy and 0.8 dribbles per game, as per WhoScored.

“When he was small you could see he had an extraordinary talent to construct the play, I even played him for a few games in midfield, but he told me he was more comfortable at the back. Bit by bit he picked up more intensity, more strength, becoming more physical and he kept developing,” once claimed his former youth coach, ex-Villarreal midfielder Javi Calleja.

His profile is exactly the sort of one that Conte would love in his backline – an aggressive but astute on-the-ball beast to pair alongside summer signing Cristian Romero and Eric Dier.

As such, any move for Torres would surely excite the manager and fanbase alike. He’d be such a necessary addition that it could well equal the arrival of Son, who has quickly become one of Tottenham’s most reliable players over the years.

Fabio Paratici and co must seal a move for the £45m-rated Villarreal star at all costs this month.

AND in other news, “I understand..”: Sky Sports reporter drops transfer claim that’ll anger Spurs fans…

Wolverhampton Wanderers have been dealt a blow in their bid to bring Sven Botman to Molineux in the January transfer window.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by Sky Sports Italia, who claim that AC Milan have now joined the race for the LOSC Lille centre-back ahead of the winter market, as the Serie A are side looking to sign a replacement for Simon Kjaer – who has been ruled out of action for around six months due to a knee injury.

An earlier report by The Athletic revealed that Newcastle United are another side keeping tabs on the Netherlands U21 international, while Liverpool are also credited with an interest in the former Ajax defender – for whom Lille are commanding a £40m fee in order to part with in January.

Shi will be fuming

Considering the fact that Wolves were reported to be in talks to sign Botman this summer, as well as having been credited with an interest in the 21-year-old this winter, the news that the likes of AC Milan, Liverpool and mega-rich Newcastle United are now also in the race for the Dutchman is sure to have left Jeff Shi fuming.

Indeed, the £25.2m-rated centre-back highly impressed over his 37 appearances in Lille’s title-winning campaign last season, helping his side keep a whopping 20 clean sheets, as well as making an average of 1.5 interceptions, 0.8 tackles, 60.6 passes and winning 68% of his duels per game.

These returns saw the player who Kevin Phillips dubbed a “Van Dijk-like signing” average a seasonal SofaScore match rating of 7.08, ranking him as his club’s joint third-best performer in the top flight of French football last time out.

As such, it is clear to see that the £18k-per-week Botman would make a fantastic addition to Bruno Lage’s current options in the heart of defence at Molineux, a position in which it would very much appear Wolves simply must bring reinforcements into this winter.

Indeed, with Willy Boly and Romain Saiss more than likely being unavailable for selection in January due to their potential participation in the Africa Cup of Nations, coupled with summer signing Yerson Mosquera being ruled out of action until at least February with a hamstring injury, the 45-year-old manager could well be left with just two senior options at centre-back come January 1.

However, following the latest news concerning Botman, unless Shi can pull something incredibly special out of the bag in order for Wolves to beat the likes of Milan, Liverpool and Newcastle to the signing of the 21-year-old, it looks as if the club will have to turn their focus away from the Lille defender – something that will undoubtedly come as a major blow to the chairman.

In other news: Shi must avoid Wolves disaster on “superb” £26m ace who “gets the crowd on their feet”

With just ten goals scored in their opening 11 Premier League games of the season, Southampton have not been particularly prolific in front of goal in this campaign compared to some of the other teams around them in the league table.

Taking this into account, it seems as though the south coast club have their eye on securing a new young talent that could well improve their attacking power for the foreseeable future.

What’s the news?

It has recently been reported by the Daily Mail that Southampton are one of the clubs interested in signing West Brom youngster Reyes Cleary, who has been described as a “powerful forward player with an eye for goal” by Baggies U18 manager Peter Gilbert.

As a product of West Brom’s youth academy, the 17-year-old striker has scored an impressive 16 goals in 21 appearances for their U18 side as well as netting three goals in eight appearances for the U23s, which is presumably why clubs such as Southampton and others like Newcastle United, Crystal Palace and Bayern Munich are all reportedly keeping tabs on the teenager.

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Given how Cleary has yet to make a senior appearance for West Brom in the Championship, Southampton may not see him as a player ready to play in the Premier League against top opposition, despite how impressive he has been from a goalscoring point of view in Albion’s youth ranks.

With that in mind, Southampton should do all they can to make sure they are the ones that are securing Cleary’s signature as one of England’s potential top youth talents so they can develop him in their youth ranks. If he arrives, he could follow in the footsteps of the likes of Jack Stephens, Nathan Tella and James Ward-Prowse to become a regular first-team player for the Saints.

Also, with current Southampton striker Shane Long see to see his contract expire in the summer and the fact that the 34-year-old has only played 16 minutes of Premier League action this season, there’s every chance that Cleary could well be the Irishman’s long-term replacement at St. Mary’s.

It would be a strange coincidence if he could emulate the striker, as he has ties to West Brom himself from earlier in his career.

In other news: Ralph dealt potential injury blow on “excellent” Saints beast, fans will be gutted – opinion

Leeds United’s return to the Premier League saw them embark on a bit of a spending spree under Marcelo Bielsa, and the Whites’ most high-profile signing was undeniably the capture of Valencia star Rodrigo.

Reports claimed that the Yorkshire club shelled out a club-record sum to bring the Spain international at Elland Road, and almost a couple of years later, it’s quite safe to say things haven’t really worked out for the forward – he’s managed just 12 goals and three assists in 55 games across all competitions for Leeds.

What perhaps makes a move for Rodrigo even worse now on reflection, is that they were actually also attempting to sign Rafael Leao at the same time back in 2020.

Football Insider claimed that the Portugal Leao was of interest to Leeds, although it was suggested that luring him away from the San Siro may prove to be “complicated” as Milan still had “high hopes” for him.

It was added the Whites had made enquiries for the attacker, and that if Milan were going to sell, it would be for nothing less than the £20m they themselves have paid to sign him for French side Lille.

Since that deal failed to come to fruition, Leao has come on leaps and bounds in his time in Serie A.

Now valued at £60m by CIES, the 22-year-old – almost a decade younger than Rodrigo – has really come to the party for Milan this season, bagging 11 goals and providing another six assists in 34 games across all competitions – including notching in the Champions League earlier this year.

The president of Leao’s former club, Lille, Gerard Lopez simply declared him the “Portuguese Mbappe”, while Sporting CP’s former youth coach, Tiago Fernandes, proclaimed: “I pushed (then-Sporting coach) Jorge Jesus to take him in the first team and I said to him: ‘Yes, Gelson Martins has talent but Rafael is the best player in the history of the Sporting Academy’. At youth level, he was better than Cristiano Ronaldo.”

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Dubbed as an “extraordinary talent” by Croatia legend Zvonimir Boban, it’s clear missing out on Leao may rank as one of  Victor Orta’s biggest howlers at Elland Road, especially when you consider how Rodrigo’s career has turned out.

The man with 34 career goals to his name could have been a superstar signing for the Whites up front.

AND in other news: Orta can now axe “awful” £55k-p/w flop as Leeds eye “underrated” £12.5m-rated “threat”

West Ham United have been dealt a huge blow ahead of their upcoming Premier League clash against Crystal Palace.

What’s the latest?

That’s according to a report by Football.London, who claim that David Moyes will once again be unable to select Pablo Fornals for the Hammers’ trip to Selhurst Park this afternoon, as the 58-year-old recently revealed that the Spain international missed out on the 4-1 win at Watford on Tuesday due to testing positive for the ongoing viral pandemic.

Speaking about the current state of his squad, Moyes said: “We don’t have any more numbers because it’s something that you can’t really say now, because you’re so worried that it changes every day. Like every other club, we’re completely unsure what’s going to happen daily. At the moment, today’s update would be that we’re pretty clean.”

Moyes will be fuming

Considering just how important a part of the West Ham side Fornals has proven to be this season, the news that the 25-year-old will once again be unavailable for selection this weekend as a result of illness is sure to have left Moyes fuming.

Indeed, over his 18 Premier League appearances this term, the £18m-rated attacking midfielder has scored four goals, registered two assists and created four big chances for his teammates, as well as taking an average of 1.3 shots and making 1.2 key passes per game.

These returns have seen the £79k-per-week man average an impressive SofaScore match rating of 6.91, ranking him as the Hammers’ joint 10th-best performer in the top flight of English football so far this season.

As such, it is clear for all to see that it is a case of the sooner Fornals returns the better for Moyes and his West Ham side, however, with the Spaniard once again missing out against Palace this weekend, the 58-year-old will have to make do without the 25-year-old in his bid to secure a winning start to 2022.

In other news: Moyes must ruthlessly axe “shaky” £52k-p/w dud today, he could cost West Ham dearly

Many Glasgow Rangers fans have been left buzzing over a hat-trick scored by Tony Weston for the club’s B team on Wednesday afternoon.

The striker helped himself to three of the four goals which saw his team win 4-2 away to Septemvri Sofia in the first leg of their UEFA Youth League tie, with Cole McKinnon grabbing the other as they had to come back from 2-1 down (rangers.co.uk).

Weston grabbed all the headlines in what was a spectacular individual performance which puts Rangers B in firm control going into the second leg.

At 18 years of age, the Englishman is certainly a prospect, and aside from scoring in the Challenge Cup for Rangers B earlier in the season, he has also featured at senior level for Blackpool, albeit a very brief cameo in the FA Cup in the 2019/20 campaign (Transfermarkt).

Nonetheless, Weston is surely a player who Giovanni van Bronckhorst will be keeping a close eye upon as he develops.

Rangers fans on Weston hat-trick

These Rangers fans were buzzing as Weston’s hat-trick was announced on Twitter, with one Light Blues supporter claiming that the youngster is a ‘quality’ player:

“This boy is insane”

Credit: @Gravybawz

“Baller!”

Credit: @CraigStewartRFC

“Quality wee player”

Credit: @N18721

“This boy’s a goal scoring machine.”

Credit: @dave_n84

“Get in there Tony. I hope GvB is watching”

Credit: @harryhastings

“This kid is on fire.”

Credit: @Govanbronkhorst

In other news, this official club post has left many Gers fans fuming