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Ahead of Tottenham Hotspur’s Premier League clash with arch-rivals Chelsea this evening, Jose Mourinho has been cruelly dealt some troubling injury news…

What’s the word?

According to the Evening Standard’s Dan Kilpatrick’s update ahead of tonight’s game against Chelsea, two of Spurs’ injured players have now seemingly been ruled out for the remainder of February.

Giovani Lo Celso has been absent since pulling up with a hamstring problem in their 2-0 defeat to Leicester City on December 20th, and the reliable journalist claims ‘there is little prospect of the midfielder returning for at least three weeks.’

While Sergio Reguilon is another who is currently on the treatment table at present.

Kilpatrick has also delivered an update over his progress as he too is out with hamstring trouble, though just like the Argentine, he’s ‘set to miss most of February.’

Cruel blow

Given Spurs’ current form, this will quickly become a nightmare for Mourinho as he could really do with both players right now. Indeed, they have lost back-to-back matches and now face the Blues, who have a bit of a new manager bounce after appointing Thomas Tuchel.

Spurs have missed both players and their attacking influence substantially over the last few weeks and would have hoped to have them back as soon as possible.

Across their two defeats to Liverpool (3-1) last week and then Brighton (1-0) on Sunday, Mourinho’s side have only amassed an xG of 0.47 as per Understat.

Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg’s strike against the defending champions was a rare scorcher from long-range, so without that, they’d have failed to score in successive outings.

Lo Celso ranks third for key passes per 90 (1.88) but when you factor in those that have played at least ten league games, he sits top of the tree, so clearly, Spurs have lacked his presence in attacking midfield as he’s been the man providing those valuable chances to Kane and co.

Similarly, only Kane (11) and Heung-min Son (six) have delivered more assists for Spurs than Reguilon (three) in the Premier League this term, as per WhoScored.

No left-sided full-back is managing as many as his 0.7 successful crosses per 90 either. And that’s a problem as they attack most down this flank (37%).

It’s no wonder that Spurs have struggled to score in the absence of the duo, so to be without them throughout the rest of the month with games against Everton in the FA Cup, league leaders Man City and for the return of the Europa League knockout stages, is potentially one cruel blow to their chances of stopping the rot anytime soon.

Even when Kane hopefully returns next week, he’s going to struggle to score goals himself if Spurs aren’t creating chances, so having Lo Celso and Reguilon sidelined for such a long time is certainly going to keep Mourinho up at night.

AND in other news, Mourinho must unleash “exciting” £26m-rated beast tonight, he could be Spurs’ game-changer…

According to SporX, West Bromwich Albion are set to prioritise a move for Haris Seferovic over Mbaye Diagne.

Baggies to move for Seferovic

The Baggies were reportedly in talks to sign Diagne, but are said to have been put off making a move for the Galatasaray forward after learning about the terms he wanted.

As such, they are now set to prioritise a move for Seferovic instead.

Erratic

Seferovic has been in good form for Benfica so far this campaign, scoring ten goals and providing three assists in all competitions (Transfermarkt). However, throughout his career, his goalscoring record has been erratic. For example, he netted just nine times in 45 games last term, but during the 18/19 term, he struck 27 times in 51 matches.

Diagne, meanwhile, has far more of a solid track record. He has 11 in 19 games this season and has a record of more than a goal every two matches throughout his time as a professional.

Money clearly appears to be an issue at the Hawthorns at the moment, but Seferovic is valued at £9m (Transfermarkt) and has three more years left on his contract in Portugal – he could well cost the club a considerable sum. Either way, the Baggies need a striker after scoring just 15 times in the Premier League so far this term (Sky Sports) – they need to get a deal done quickly.

In other news, West Brom eye a move for this 38-time Belgium international.

Steve Bruce must recall Jeff Hendrick to the Newcastle United starting line-up for their FA Cup third round trip to Arsenal on Saturday in order to give Mikel Arteta a scare.

Hendrick has not featured for the Magpies in any of their last five fixtures across all competitions, with Bruce opting against fielding the Republic of Ireland international from the bench for even a second.

Newcastle failed to win any of the matches in which Hendrick did not play a role in the action, despite the 28-year-old providing one of United’s two goals during their 5-2 mauling at Leeds United last month whilst earning his 10th and most recent start of the season so far.

Hendrick had been one of Bruce’s favoured midfield options over the opening months of the Premier League campaign with minutes in 10 of their 12 matches, but now finds himself with a point to prove all over again following his summer arrival as a free agent.

Former Burnley captain Frank Sinclair firmly believed Hendrick would prove to be a player Sean Dyche would miss at Turf Moor following his exit, feeling the £8m-rated ace had been “terrific” during his four-year spell in Lancashire.

Bruce, too, expected big things from Hendrick and described the midfielder as a “big asset” who is entering his peak, and must now turn to him once again to best-place Newcastle ahead of their FA Cup trip to Arsenal.

Arteta will not be scared of facing the Magpies should Bruce opt to name the same central midfield pairing which lost at home to Leicester City last time out, as a dual-axis pivot of Sean and Matty Longstaff was as far from ideal as it possibly could have been.

Sean Longstaff endured a horror show as he was overrun in the engine room against the Foxes, and even the second-half introduction of the experienced Jonjo Shelvey failed to turn the tide as he allowed Youri Tielemans to drift through unchallenged to score his side’s second of the day.

Bruce would risk Newcastle’s position in the FA Cup by keeping his faith in those who were exposed by Brendan Rodgers’ side last week, so must turn to Hendrick and offer the 60-cap international a recall at the Emirates Stadium.

Hendrick had been a creative and combative presence in Bruce’s plans when fielded in the Premier League prior to his festive omission, with the Derby County product providing 0.8 shots, 0.6 dribbles, 1.6 tackles and 1.0 interceptions a game, per WhoScored.

His long-range passing had also been at a higher level than seen from the likes of Isaac Hayden (1.7), Miguel Almiron (0.7) and Matty Longstaff (0.5) with 1.8 accurate attempts a game, and is the only Toon player other than Callum Wilson to have scored more than once in the top-flight this term.

AND in other news, Steve Bruce has no alternative but to perform a U-turn and tie a £4.5m-rated Newcastle star down with a new deal now…

Everton defender Jarrad Branthwaite will have thrilled Carlo Ancelotti after producing a brilliant performance during his Blackburn Rovers debut at home to Stoke City on Saturday.

Branthwaite only moved to Ewood Park  on Thursday after agreeing to a half-season loan deal to become the Championship side’s first signing of the January transfer window.

The 18-year-old described the deal as a “no-brainer” as Tony Mowbray’s side was the only club he wanted to leave the Toffees for, after making only one first-team outing at Goodison Park this term due to an early-season ankle injury.

Branthwaite played the full 90 minutes as Blackburn rescued a point at home to Stoke on Saturday, in a game that saw the Potters’ influence grow throughout the second-period as Rovers struggled to find their rhythm.

Stoke took the lead late in the first half courtesy of a Nick Powell header but were pegged back by Adam Armstrong, who saved the Lancashire outfit’s blushes against a 10-man Potters side with his 16th goal of the Championship campaign.

Despite Stoke’s pressure, Branthwaite offered a reassuring presence at the back with strong and assertive challenges, and Rovers have been lauded by Lancs Live for bringing a ball-playing centre-half to Ewood Park, even if the £15,000-per-week titan’s inexperience occasionally came to the surface at set-pieces.

Rovers supporters also flooded a club tweet praising Branthwaite for an assured display, with some describing the 6 ft 5 colossus as their Man of the Match for his brilliant efforts.

Branthwaite deservedly earned the praise of Blackburn supporters following his debut, as his performance offered Mowbray a key figure beside Rovers captain Darragh Lenihan that will have undoubtedly delighted Ancelotti back at Everton.

The teen talent, making his first senior appearance in any competition since September, attempted one additional tackle compared to his experienced central defensive partner Lenihan, with each man boasting a 100% tackle success rate with in each of their three and two respective tackles, per WhoScored.

Branthwaite further stood firm to provide his side’s second-most clearances (3) to help protect Thomas Kaminski’s goal, was never dribbled past, and offered two interceptions to thwart Stoke’s frontline consisting of six-goal striker Powell and Jacob Brown, who has offered 0.8 shots per game on average this season as a frequent attacking threat.

Ancelotti will also have been impressed to see the Blues’ prospect contest a game-high five defensive aerial duels with a 60% success rate, as he held down the left-side of defence beside full-back Barry Douglas, winning more aerial duels than Everton’s current centre-half options have averaged per game in the Premier League this season.

Branthwaite was also far safer in possession than 26-year-old Lenihan, with an 84% completion rate from 41 of 49 passes, compared to his teammate’s 74%, while losing possession 10 times compared to 19, and never shying from taking the ball to register 62 touches, per SofaScore.

Had Branthwaite’s performance been in an Ancelotti backline during a top-flight fixture, his efforts would likely have stood out, with only Ben Godfrey offering a greater haul of successful tackles per game (3.3) when fielded centrally for Everton, per WhoScored.

It was a good start to his team at Blackburn, hopefully for Everton, Branthwaite can continue to play in such a manner for the rest of the season and come back to Goodison Park as a player who is ready to battle for a regular place in Ancelotti’s starting line-up.

AND in other news, Everton are monitoring a £9m defensive titan ahead of a potential January transfer.

Sunderland are back in action this evening as they head to League Two strugglers Oldham Athletic for the second round of the EFL Trophy.

Lee Johnson was only appointed on Saturday afternoon, and was thrown straight into the mire, though his presence in the dugout couldn’t inspire the Black Cats to a victory as Wigan Atheltic ended a ten-game winless run at the Stadium of Light.

Ahead of tonight’s fixture, the 39-year-old claimed he would use the encounter as an opportunity to implement his ideas, so there may not be too many alterations to the starting XI.

Although, there will be some changes in personnel as the likes of academy shot-stopper Anthony Patterson and Wolves loanee Dion Sanderson are set to be handed starts whilst Charlie Wyke is in line to feature.

The 20-year-old goalkeeper replaces Lee Burge between the sticks in the first change from Saturday’s defeat.

Central defensive pairing Bailey Wright and Tom Flanagan are set to keep their places, but Johnson will be forced into another change at left-back after Denver Hume was confirmed to be out for the rest of December.

We could see Callum McFadzean come in as the only alternative whilst Sanderson replaces Conor McLaughlin on the other flank.

In midfield, there could be some rare opportunities for the likes of George Dobson, taking the defensive midfield role from veteran Grant Leadbitter, as well as young 19-year-old sensation Daniel Neill, who may start alongside Josh Scowen further up the pitch.

Neill has started all three matches in the EFL Trophy thus far, but is yet to feature in League One this term.

Chris Maguire is another who keeps his place amongst the line-up but there are two more changes.

At left-wing we could see Jack Diamond come in as Aiden McGeady isn’t fit enough to start back-to-back matches in quick succession whilst the aforementioned Wyke replaces Will Grigg in the attack.

Predicted XI: Patterson; McFadzean, Wright, Flanagan, Sanderson; Dobson, Scowen, Neill; Diamond, Maguire, Wyke.

AND in other news, Sunderland could prosper immensely under Kristjaan Speakman…

Spurs will be hoping that they can continue their impressive run of form as they take on league heavyweights Manchester City as domestic football returns.

Jose Mourinho’s side are unbeaten in their last seven games and have banked impressive results including their shock 6-1 win over Manchester United. Despite the fact the team has suffered a few injury blows, including losing Tanguy Ndombele to a foot injury, Spurs will be favourites going into the match based purely on form alone.

Whilst Ndombele being out will be a blow for Mourinho, it presents new signing Giovani Lo Celso with a perfect opportunity to show what he’s all about.

Tottenham signed the attacking midfielder from Real Betis over the summer on a £27.2million deal worth £60,000 per week. His final season in Spain saw him rack up a handsome 16 goals and six assists, numbers he could may well replicate for Spurs, but is yet to really get going.

So far this term, Lo Celso has struggled to make his mark on the Premier League and has no goalscoring involvements in six appearances. However, all but one have come from off the bench, so today could be the day he puts pressure on his teammate and fights for his place in the starting lineup.

Man City are currently tenth in the table and are in desperate need of banking some points. They are currently six behind league leaders Leicester, which may not be a huge deficit but it doesn’t bode well for Pep Guardiola and his men to be on the border of the bottom half of the table. They will likely come out all guns blazing in order to strike first, which will give Spurs ample opportunity to catch them on the counter-attack.

With both Harry Kane and Son Heung-min both in impeccable form, Lo Celso could help pull the strings from the midfield and notch up an assist or two. He certainly has the backing of many, with teammate Harry Winks labelling him as an “exciting player”. Now he must repay their faith.

In other news, Mourinho should deploy this Spurs man as shock Bale replacement vs City…

Speaking exclusively to The Transfer Tavern, former West Brom goalkeeper Chris Kirkland says that Albion had no chance of signing Callum Wilson and Ryan Fraser as soon as Newcastle were interested.

Kirkland discusses Wilson and Fraser

Bournemouth pair Fraser and Wilson were linked with the Baggies during the summer transfer window, however, both ended up making the move to the Magpies. Fraser joined on a free transfer, and Wilson cost £20m.

Kirkland was asked whether there was any chance of the duo moving to The Hawthorns. His answer may not be music to the ears of Baggies supporters:

“Well nobody knows but if you’re asking me if they both agreed the same fee, would they have gone to West Brom or Newcastle? They’d have gone to Newcastle. No disrespect but when Newcastle is a full house again and you know 52,000 fans then yeah, there’s always going to be one winner there and that’s Newcastle.”

Kind of talent Bilic needs

Whilst they did not spend a huge amount of money during the summer, they still parted with £36.41m. Karlan Grant, for example, cost Slaven Bilic no less than £15m.

However, so far, the Hawthorns outfit have struggled to adapt to the Premier League, failing to win any of their first eight games in the competition.

Both Fraser and Wilson are top talents. The former once recorded 14 assists in a single Premier League season with the Cherries, whilst Wilson is the Toon’s top goalscorer in the top flight with six strikes so far this season.

That kind of talent could have had a big impact on what West Brom could have achieved this season but Kirkland, despite being an ex-WBA player, obviously doubts that they were ever serious targets once Newcastle came in.

In other news, West Brom fans praised this man against Fulham.

Glasgow Rangers defender George Edmundson faces an uncertain future as Ibrox boss Steven Gerrard has been given a huge injury boost, if recent reports are to be believed.

What’s the word?

According to The Daily Record, Nikola Katic is expected to make a full recovery from his long-term injury in January. The Croatian sustained an injury in training before the start of the season which has ruled him out of action for several months.

Gerrard brought in Leon Balogun as emergency cover in the summer and the Nigeria international has turned out to be a real bargain so far. But Katic is targeting a return from rehab for some time in January.

His agent Ives Cakarun said, as quoted by The Daily Record: “All is going well.

“We hope Nikola will be ready for January. It was a big operation, cruciate ligaments and both meniscus.”

The timing couldn’t be any better for Gerrard, as Balogun somewhat survived unscathed during the international break after a minor injury scare, which would have left him with only two viable centre-back options in Connor Goldson and Filip Helander, as Edmundson has been handed a lengthy suspension after breaking coronavirus protocols to attend a party with people from outside his household.

The Daily Record revealed both Edmundson and Jordan Jones have been hit with seven-game bans by the SFA for breaching COVID rules, which means they will only be available for selection by the end of December. So Gerrard and Ross Wilson must rid themselves of the Oldham Athletic academy graduate when the transfer market reopens in the winter as this is surely the final straw.

Get him gone, Wilson!

When trust is broken in a relationship, that is in essence where the problem lies. Gerrard, ever the consummate professional during his heydays at Anfield, will have been appalled by the fact that they couldn’t adhere to COVID regulations like the rest of their teammates.

Anyone who has watched The Last Dance will remember the time when Dennis Rodman went partying in Las Vegas during the NBA season. The trouble is, Edmundson isn’t Gerrard’s Michael Jordan, let alone Dennis Rodman. If anything, he’s a bit-part fringe squad player at best, someone who is often on the outside looking in. He has only made one appearance in the Europa League qualifying rounds so far this season, playing the full 90′ minutes against Lincoln Red Imps, before being left out of the squad along with Jermain Defoe and Jones for the group stage matches.

In two games in the Europa League last season, the 23-year-old made 6 clearances per game, but only managed 0.5 tackles and 0.5 interceptions per game, via WhoScored. On the other hand, Katic, who is only one year older than his clubmate, managed 2 tackles per game in the European competition last term, as per WhoScored.

Former Celtic centre-back Gary Caldwell believes Edmundson, who reportedly earns wages worth £4,200-per-week, has made a “terrible” decision after the COVID breach. He told BBC Sportsound, as quoted by The Daily Record: “It’s terrible. Steven Gerrard will have something to say about it.

“If you can’t trust the players to adhere to Covid regulations, how can he trust them on the football park? To mark a man from a set-piece?

“It’s disappointing for Rangers but also disappointing for Scottish football.

“The situation clubs find themselves in financially, they’re going to need help at some point so we need to be showing Scottish football in the best light and unfortunately we didn’t do that.”

He burst onto the scene after a strong showing against Hamilton Academical at Ibrox last season, but will have hardly done himself any favours whatsoever with his latest blunder.

If everything plans out as is expected, it’s likely we will see Edmundson heading for the exit, either by way of a loan move or on a permanent basis, as Katic will probably battle Balogun, Goldson and Helander for a place in the starting line-up. You have to set an example, one way or another.

AND in other news, Steven Gerrard must put his faith in Ianis Hagi after “super” verdict from Romania U21 boss Adrian Mutu…

Many Liverpool fans have been reacting with delight to reports that Jurgen Klopp could start Diogo Jota against Aston Villa at Villa Park tomorrow.

The 23-year-old recently made the switch from Wolves to Anfield for a fee believed to be in the region of £41m and got off to a bright start with his new club after scoring during their 3-1 victory over Arsenal last Monday.

It looked unlikely that Jota would walk straight into Liverpool’s first team, due to the sensational form of Sadio Mane over the past five seasons. However, with the Senegal international being ruled out for their trip to the Midlands, there could be good news on the horizon for Jota.

Chris Bascombe of The Telegraph reported that the Portuguese winger could be in line for his first start for the Reds, giving him the opportunity to stake his claim in Klopp’s first XI.

While some supporters were understandably disappointed to be without Mane this weekend, they were equally as excited to see Jota possibly in the starting line-up. Here is a flavour of the Twitter reaction:

Should Diogo Jota make his first start tomorrow? Join the conversation by commenting below…

Burnley defender Ali Koiki has rejected the offer of a new contract from the club and could be set to leave Turf Moor, according to a report from Lancashire Live.

The 21-year-old left-back is keen to play first team football after a prolonged spell with the Clarets’ under-23 side and he was not involved in pre-season training with Sean Dyche’s squad due to uncertainty over his future (as per Lancashire Live).

Koiki has been named on the bench for four first team games with Burnley but has never made a competitive appearance for the Clarets (as per TransferMarkt), with his only senior experience being the 15 appearances he clocked during a loan spell with Swindon in 2019.

There has been a degree of interest in the 21-year-old from Football League clubs but no deal has been reached. The Robins wanted to take him back last summer after his loan spell but were unable to reach an agreement, while Charlton took him on trial recently but cannot purchase players at the moment due to squad restrictions. [via Lancashire Live]

Although the youngster impressed with a 10-goal haul at under-23 level last term, he faces stiff competition at left-back among Dyche’s first team ranks. The manager already has Charlie Taylor and Erik Pieters at his disposal, along with under-23 captain Anthony Glennon, who made the bench for a handful of Premier League games towards the end of last season.

According to Football Insider, Koiki is unhappy that the Clarets boss hasn’t given him a chance in the first team so far, believing that his performances at underage level have warranted a senior debut for the club.

It is frustrating that a promising young player in Koiki looks set to depart without getting a chance to show what he can do for the first team, but Burnley can at least feel that they did their bit in trying to keep him by offering him a new contract.

In any case, Dyche seems well-stacked in the left-back area, while the Clarets will receive compensation if the defender signs for another club as he is under the age of 24. Therefore, some good may come from the potential departure of contract rebel Koiki.

Burnley fans, should Koiki have been given a chance or is it a case of ‘good riddance’? Join in the discussion by commenting below!