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Tottenham defender Emerson Royal could be heading towards the exit door in the near future, according to an update from Spurs insider John Wenham.

The Lowdown: Emerson falls down the pecking order?

The 23-year-old was sent-off for a reckless foul in the 3-1 defeat at Arsenal earlier this month, a mistake that won’t have endeared him to Antonio Conte.

His subsequent suspension has seen Matt Doherty handed opportunities to shine at right wing-back, with the Irishman impressing much like he did in the second half of last season.

It could even be that the Brazilian’s time at Spurs is drawing to an end despite his emergence as the first-choice to begin this campaign.

The Latest: Doherty’s place to lose

Speaking to Football Insider, Wenham of insider news channel Lilywhite Rose talked up an exit at some point in the near future, admitting the former Barcelona starlet could struggle to get back in the team:

“I hope it is hard for Emerson to get back in now. I hope Matt Doherty continues to impress, he’s been incredible. At Man United last year, we had this really good run of form going into the game and Doherty had been playing really well.

“In that game, he had a poor time and Man United really targeted him so this game is a big test for him. If he comes through that with flying colours and we win then it will be very, very difficult to take him out of the team.

“I don’t think too many people would be upset by that because Emerson has been underwhelming for a while now. Spence played as well so if he can continue to get minutes it is hard to see how Royal gets back into the side.”

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The Verdict: Time to go?

Emerson has certainly shown glimpses in a Tottenham shirt this term – Lucas Moura has said his compatriot has a ‘great future’ – but there are lingering doubts over whether he is good enough, particularly offensively, with plenty of his displays last season coming in for criticism.

With Doherty and Spence both representing good options in the same position, it could be time to part ways with the defender at the end of the season.

These coming months could almost act as an audition for Emerson, Doherty and Spence, in terms of showing Conte who the best choice is moving forward, but with a contract running until 2026, the club may be tempted to cash in next summer if the former cannot force his way back in.

Journalist Josh Bunting hailed the performance of Alex Pritchard alongside Patrick Roberts and Jack Clarke as Sunderland won 3-0 on Wednesday night.

The Lowdown: Attack on point

The Stadium of Light outfit’s attacking players were all on point away at Reading, despite the early setback of Ellis Simms having to go off in the first half through injury.

Roberts grabbed two goals in the first half with two fine finishes into the bottom corner, while the third was a magnificent team goal finished off by Clarke.

The Latest: Pritchard hailed

Taking to Twitter, Bunting was left hailing Pritchard as well as the goal-scorers calling all three ‘dynamite’, while he also thought that Aji Alese had his best performance since joining the Wearside club:

“Brilliant performance, best performance of the season that one for me. So organised, ruthless on the counterattack. Jack Clarke, Alex Pritchard and Patrick Roberts dynamite. Alese with his best performance since joining the club. Very solid and another 3 points in the bag.”

The Verdict: Dominant in the middle

Although he did not grab many of the headlines by scoring or assisting in the game, Pritchard was one of the players who led by example with a bit of everything and helped guide his team to victory.

The 29-year-old contested eight duels and also recorded one shot on goal, an interception, one tackle, a key pass, an accurate cross and one long ball, maintaining an 84% pass accuracy throughout the match (SofaScore).

Nonetheless, Tony Mowbray’s side are now in a great position in the league table, and can really start thinking about potential back-to-back promotions even at this early stage in the season.

Tottenham Hotspur were regularly linked with Leeds United winger Dan James in the final few days of the transfer window and Fabio Paratici dodged a bullet when Fulham signed the Wales international.

It was reported earlier in the week that Paratici was a fan of the former Manchester United man and was keen to sign him for Antonio Conte’s side.

However, it was Fulham who would win the race for the 24-year-old, as they signed him on a loan deal from Jesse Marsch’s. It’s some fall from grace for a player who cost the Whites £30m this time last year.

The young winger has averaged a disappointing 6.3 rating from WhoScored for his performances in the Premier League so far this season, failing to contribute a single goal or an assist, so there is little to suggest that he would have been a worthwhile addition, particularly to a club who want to be challenging for trophies like Spurs.

His performances last season weren’t much better, as he averaged a 6.44 rating from WhoScored after contributing four goals and four assists, which was significantly worse than the likes of Heung-Min Son, Dejan Kulusevski and even Lucas Moura.

Leeds-focused journalist Conor McGilligan clearly wanted the winger gone from Elland Road this summer.

He said: “What is Dan James’ future at Leeds? Is he just going to be a 20-minute player where he comes on and runs around like a headless chicken for 20 minutes?”

With Richarlison also added to the squad this summer, it is difficult to see where James would have fit into Conte’s squad, and his performances certainly don’t suggest that he would cut it in the Champions League for Spurs this season.

In 86 Premier League appearances for Manchester United and Leeds, James has scored just ten goals, which again suggests that he would not have added much in the final third in Conte’s side.

Therefore, while he might do well at Fulham, his Premier League statistics provide little evidence that he could have been a success in a top-four side such as Spurs and Paratici may well have avoided a deadline-day howler by missing out on James.

Liverpool will not sign Sporting CP midfielder Matheus Nunes in the summer transfer window, according to journalist James Pearce.

The Lowdown: Midfield issue at Anfield

Thiago’s hamstring injury suffered at Fulham last weekend has rocked the Reds’ early-season plans, with the Spaniard expected to miss at least a month of action.

He joins Curtis Jones and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain on the treatment table, while Naby Keita has also been absent recently through illness.

It has arguably highlighted the need for Jurgen Klopp to bring in a new midfielder this summer but it now looks as though Liverpool may be making do with what they have.

The Latest: Pearce drops Nunes update

Writing on Twitter on Thursday, Pearce refused to change his stance regarding Nunes, claiming the Reds won’t be signing the Portuguese maestro, despite being strongly linked with a move:

“Reported a few weeks ago when rumour first came up that LFC were not interested and believe that’s still the case.”

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The Verdict: Big risk

Not signing a midfielder now feels like a huge risk by Liverpool, or Klopp himself for that matter, should the German be genuinely happy with his current options.

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The likes of Jordan Henderson and James Milner are ageing figures, others are too injury-prone and individuals such as Harvey Elliott and Fabio Carvalho are still learning their trade.

All of a sudden, the midfield looks like Liverpool’s problem area of the pitch with Thiago out, and not bringing in someone of Nunes’ quality could ultimately be the difference between winning and failing to win the Premier League title.

The hope is that someone like Elliott could step up and become a key man week in, week out, having just signed a new deal, but it is arguably expecting too much of him at this stage in his career.

There has been an update regarding the future of Rangers striker, Fashion Sakala…

What’s the word?

As per journalist Jordan Campbell – in his piece for The Athletic – Championship side Burnley have walked away from a deal for the Zambia international, despite having been tipped to make a £3m approach in recent days.

The report suggests that the Turf Moor outfit were only willing to fork out between £2m-£4m to land the 25-year-old, with that figure seemingly below the Old Firm giants’ asking price.

The suggestion is that Vincent Kompany’s side had ‘enquired’ about the forward’s availability, although ‘no discussions’ were had with the Glasgow side, with the Clarets now signing Southampton youngster Nathan Tella on loan instead.

GvB frustrated

That collapse should no doubt be a source of frustration for manager Giovanni van Bronckhorst, with it having looked an ideal chance to cash in on a player who has appeared on the fringes since his appointment back in November.

While the former Oostende ace scored a respectable haul of 12 goals in 50 games in all competitions last term, he was restricted to just 18 starts in that time, with the former Feyenoord boss seemingly favouring other attacking options.

That has been evident in the new season as the 5 foot 10 menace is yet to make a single appearance for the Scottish Premiership side thus far, albeit with Campbell’s report revealing that he had been nursing a slight injury of late.

Even so, it still remains unclear what the future lies in store for the £8.3k-per-week man should he stay with the Gers beyond this summer, having admitted himself that the manager does not view him as a viable centre-forward option – despite having been signed to play that role last year.

His versatility to play on the flanks is no doubt a valuable asset, although with both Tom Lawrence and Rabbi Matondo having arrived in the current window it has only enhanced the competition for places, with Sakala facing a real battle for regular minutes both as a number nine and as a wide option.

Having been shunted down the pecking order, a departure could well have been what was needed for the electric speedster, with the one-time Spartak Moscow man unlikely to be best pleased at residing on the bench this season.

As for Van Bronckhorst, he may well have seen the benefit in bringing in a tidy profit on a player who was signed on a free transfer last summer and who is unlikely to be a regular pick moving forward.

Barcelona have a ‘serious interest’ in Aston Villa midfielder Carney Chukwuemeka, according to Fabrizio Romano.

The Lowdown: Chukwuemeka at Villa

Chukwuemeka, who can play as a central or attacking midfielder, has progressed into the first team after joining Villa’s academy back in 2016, and he has been labelled as ‘outstanding’ by Paul Merson for the quality of his performances.

The 18-year-old made 16, and he provided an assist in a 2-0 win over Norwich City.

However, Chukwuemeka is now into the final 12 months of his current deal, and it looks as if he could be on the move.

The Latest: Romano’s update

Romano, who broke the news regarding the Midlanders’ move for left-back Ludwig Augustinsson over the weekend, took to Twitter on Monday evening to share some more Villa-related transfer news.

He revealed that Barcelona have a ‘serious interest’ in Chukwuemeka, with the Catalan giants viewing the teenager as a player with ‘huge potential’. The transfer expert added that Chukwuemeka would be available for ‘FIFA training compensation’ in January, which means that he could leave Villa Park for a meagre amount well below his £5.4m Transfermarkt valuation.

The Verdict: Time to act

Providing that Villa keep hold of the youngster this summer, they will have a four-month window in which they will be able to tie Chukwuemeka down to a new long-term deal ahead of the January transfer window.

He appears to be a star of the future after progressing through the ranks for both club and country, so Villa may need to guarantee him regular game-time over the coming years in order for him to stay.

Steven Gerrard is thought to be ‘desperate’ to have Chukwuemeka at Villa Park for his first full season in charge, and hopefully the 18-year-old will be around for much longer despite the interest from Barcelona, who would be able to offer him Champions League football.

A big update has emerged regarding Rangers and Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s pursuit of an international striker in the summer transfer window… 

What’s the talk?

According to the Daily Record, Rangers are keen on a deal to sign Antonio Colak in the coming weeks, with his club eager to offload him.

They also cite Politic as stating that the Gers have had one bid turned down by Greek outfit PAOK, who are holding out for a fee in the region of €2m (£1.7m).

However, the Daily Record added that a second offer is unlikely to come in the immediate future as Ross Wilson weighs up his options after the initial talks leading to an opening salvo.

Big Kemar Roofe upgrade

By securing a deal to sign the Croatia international, Wilson could land Gio van Bronckhorst a big upgrade on Kemar Roofe.

Prior to returning to PAOK in January, Colak caught the eye with a string of impressive performances for Swedish side Malmo on loan. In the 2021 Allsvenskan campaign, the forward plundered 14 goals and three assists, along with creating six ‘big chances’ for his team-mates, in 26 appearances as he averaged a SofaScore rating of 7.26.

He also scored a whopping five goals in eight Champions League qualifiers for Malmo, two of which came at Ibrox. His goals helped them reach the group stage of the competition, which is something the Gers are aiming to do this year.

Before making the move to PAOK in 2020, the goal machine found the net 51 times (and also claimed 15 assists) in 90 appearances for Croatian side HNK Rijeka.

Meanwhile, Roofe managed 10 goals and one assist, along with creating three ‘big chances’, in 21 Premiership outings last term. Whilst this is a respectable return from the striker, he has only scored four goals and provided one assist in 17 European matches for the club.

Therefore, Colak could be a big upgrade on the Jamaican, as he has a recent track record of being lethal in Europe – particularly in Champions League qualifiers – and could provide Van Bronckhorst with a much-needed goal threat in that competition to support Alfredo Morelos.

The Gers will surely be desperate to play in the group stage of the Champions League, and recruiting a player who has proven that he can make a big impact in the qualifiers is a smart way of going about it.

Roofe has not shown enough in Europe to suggest that he is the man to fire Rangers through the qualifying stages, and he could now be replaced in a deal to sign Colak from PAOK.

AND in other news, “Looking at..”: Transfer insider drops exciting Rangers claim supporters will love…

Leeds United are ‘frontrunners’ to sign New York City FC striker Valentin Castellanos, and we believe the swoop could be Victor Orta’s best of the summer.

The Lowdown: Leeds most interested

The Whites have already signed Brenden Aaronson and Rasmus Kristensen from RB Salzburg in this transfer window and appear to be closing in on Bayern Munich midfielder Marc Roca.

A new striker is also on the agenda ahead of Jesse Marsch’s first full season, with the Whites thought to be the ‘most interested’ suitor in the race for Castellanos.

Manchester City passed up on their option to sign the 23-year-old from a fellow City Group outfit, while Orta and Angus Kinnear were recently spotted alongside Leeds director Massimo Marinelli just over five miles from New York City FC’s Yankee Stadium.

The Latest: Dean Jones comments

Talking to GiveMeSport in a story shared late on Sunday evening, journalist Dean Jones said that the Argentine attacker has been ‘scouted by a lot of clubs’ but it is Leeds who ‘are the frontrunners’ when it comes to a potential move.

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“He’s highly thought of and has been scouted by a lot of clubs. Man City are not going for him at this stage, but I think they would have had first option on him, so they’re opening up to other Premier League clubs, and right now, Leeds are the frontrunners.”

The Verdict: Orta’s best

The Whites are in desperate need of a forward over the coming months, especially with Patrick Bamford missing the majority of last season due to a number of injuries. Bamford managed just seven league starts, with Marsch relying on youngster Joe Gelhardt in the final games of the season.

Castellanos could be the perfect attacking addition at Elland Road and boasts an extremely impressive goalscoring record in the MLS. He contributed to 27 MLS goals in 32 games last year and has 16 contributions in 17 games in 2022.

Time is also on his side at the age of 23 to improve on his already impressive game, and Castellanos can also play on either wing if required. That could be of use, especially with Jack Harrison and Raphinha linked with exits.

With the Argentine striker at the top of his game with a career-high £10.8m Transfermarkt valuation, a summer swoop could be Orta’s best so far, gaining a versatile asset in red-hot form in a position of need whose market value is only going one direction.

In other news: Leeds now won’t sign ‘superb’ midfielder despite Phil Hay revealing talks

Everton are interested in making a move for Wolves winger Adama Traore in the summer transfer window, according to a fresh transfer rumour.

The Lowdown: Traore out of favour under Lage

The winger struggled to become a key man under Bruno Lage last season, starting a total of just ten Premier League matches for the Wanderers.

He was then shipped out on loan to Barcelona, where he also failed to impress, starting well but eventually falling out of favour at the La Liga giants.

Traore will return to Wolves this summer but it could be that a permanent exit comes to fruition, despite being hailed as ‘fantastic’ by BBC pundit Tim Sherwood.

The Latest: Everton keen on move

According to Football Insider sources, Everton are interested in snapping up the 26-year-old, as Frank Lampard looks at attacking reinforcements ahead of next season.

A bid of £20million should be enough for Wolves to accept, with former Molineux Director of Football Kevin Thelwell now at Everton, having bought Traore back in 2018. That could be key to a deal being done.

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The Verdict: Right time to sell

This feels like an ideal time for Traore to move on permanently from Wolves, considering Lage likely doesn’t see him as an important part of his future plans.

The club could receive a hefty amount for his services, which could then be spent on players the manager actually wants, as he looks to improve his squad this summer.

The fact that Traore’s current Wolves deal expires next summer means they could lose him on a free transfer at that point, further highlighting why now is the time to sell.

In other news, Wolves have been linked with a move for one player after a meeting took place. Read more here.

Leeds United have held preliminary talks with Noa Lang’s representatives ahead of a possible summer move, according to Football Insider.

The Lowdown: Lang links

The Club Brugge winger has been a name on the radar at Elland Road for some time now. The Whites were first credited with an interest in the 22-year-old last summer, with rumours continuing during the January window.

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Lang, who shares the same agency as six Leeds players, extended his Club Brugge contract through to 2025 back in September, but it doesn’t look like Victor Orta is willing to give up on the Dutch attacker just yet.

The Latest: Source shares update

FI shared an update regarding Leeds and Lang on Saturday morning after being informed by a recruitment source. They claim that Whites chiefs have held preliminary talks with the player’s camp and have laid the groundwork for a ‘big-money’ move.

Lang has made it clear to Club Brugge that he wants to leave, however, any possible Elland Road move depends on the club avoiding relegation back to the Championship over the next eight days.

The Verdict: Raphinha replacement?

It could turn out to be an extremely busy summer in the transfer window ahead of Jesse Marsch’s first full season in charge, with Raphinha looking likely to swap Leeds for Barcelona regardless of what division the Whites find themselves in.

Therefore, Lang, who can play anywhere across the front four, could be viewed as an ideal replacement for the Brazilian. He’s contributed to 51 goals in 83 games for his current employers and has been described as a ‘phenomenon’ by Peter Vandenbempt.

Lang is also on £20,000-a-week, so, financially, personal terms shouldn’t be a problem ahead of a summer deal, however, as mentioned, Leeds need to remain in the top flight to have any chance of a transfer progressing.

In other news: Leeds want powerful 12-goal striker who is ‘ideal’ for the Championship