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Tottenham Hotspur sporting director Fabio Paratici is targeting Sassuolo midfielder Davide Frattesi as reports from Italy share an update.

The Lowdown: Lilywhites display ambition…

In a showcase of real ambition, Spurs and Paratici certainly attempted to back manager Antonio Conte in the summer window after he guided them to a top four Premier League finish last year.

The north Londoners sealed deals for Ivan Perisic, Fraser Forster, Yves Bissouma, Richarlison, Clement Lenglet, Djed Spence, Destiny Udogie and a permanent move for Cristian Romero.

Currently one of only two teams yet to taste defeat in the top flight, with the other being champions Man City, Spurs have managed to make themselves extremely difficult opponents to beat even when not playing at their very best.

As the squad continues to change and evolve, Paratici never stops, and it appears the transfer chief has now set his sights on Frattesi.

The Latest: Paratici eyes Frattesi move…

Indeed, according to reports out of Italy, the 23-year-old is on Spurs’ wanted list.

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La Gazzetta dello Sport claim Sassuolo ‘held out’ on selling Frattesi in the summer window, counting on ‘competition from Tottenham’ to raise an auction.

The report adds that Paratici has ‘certainly not let go’ as Tottenham remain very much in the race for his signature.

The Verdict: Get it done?

Called a ‘very interesting’ player and ‘the next big thing’ Sassuolo have, Frattesi has also been compared to Italy and Inter Milan superstar Nicolo Barella (Fabrizio Romano).

As per WhoScored, the Azzurri’s starlet has continued to shine at the Mapei Stadium this season, already ranking as Sassuolo’s second best-performing player by average match rating.

He’s also bagged two Serie A goals thus far whilst completing their second-highest rate of successful take-ons per 90 – highlighting the traditional defensive midfielder as a real all-rounder.

Taking all of this into account, it’s clear as day why Paratici and Spurs hold a firm interest.

Julen Lopetegui has emerged as one of Wolves’ two main candidates to replace Bruno Lage as manager, alongside Bo Svensson, reports journalist John Percy.

The Lowdown: Wolves searching for new boss

Bruno Lage’s time as Wanderers boss was brought to an end on Sunday, following a poor run of form that ended with a 2-0 defeat away to West Ham.

The loss left Wolves sitting in the Premier League relegation zone and the task now is for those high up at Molineux to find a suitable successor who can bring more goals and excitement to a team seemingly devoid of it.

A number of names have emerged in recent days but it seems two in particular lead the way.

The Latest: Lopetegui in the mix

Taking to Twitter, The Telegraph‘s Percy confirmed that Sevilla boss Lopetegui is the most likely individual to replace Lage, with Mainz manager Svensson also getting a mention:

“Julen Lopetegui and Bo Svensson emerge as two of #Wolves’ top targets after the dismissal of Bruno Lage. Lopetegui currently at Sevilla, Svensson at Mainz.”

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The Verdict: Lopetegui No.1 choice?

Lopetegui seems to have been the manager most commonly linked with the vacant Wolves job and he arguably looks the most exciting choice, too.

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The 56-year-old, known for operating in an ‘attacking’ 4-3-3 system, has great experience at the top level, managing Spain, Real Madrid and now Sevilla, sealing Europa League glory with the latter back in 2019/20.

Svensson is excelling at Mainz and also represents an interesting option but he feels like more of a risk when stability is required, having only taken charge of FC Liefering and Mainz to date in his managerial career.

Aston Villa manager Steven Gerrard will be under huge pressure if his team were to lose to Nottingham Forest tonight, according to transfer insider Dean Jones.

The Lowdown: Huge game for Villa

The Villans make the trip to the City Ground, with both teams near the bottom of the Premier League table and badly in need of points.

For Gerrard, it is a vital game – less so than for Steve Cooper, who he has just signed a new deal – and the ex-Liverpool captain will surely be aware of reports that the club are already looking at possible successors.

Many Villa fans have been losing patience with the results and football on show, and another defeat against out-of-sorts Forest could spell real trouble for him.

The Latest: Gerrard under pressure

That’s certainly the opinion of Jones, who told GiveMeSport that a defeat on Monday night would really crank up the pressure on Gerrard.

The journalist said:

“The only way he’s going to win over these sections of fans is with results and certainly with wins over teams like Forest, who they would expect to be beating in this division. If they did lose to Forest, I think that Gerrard would be under pressure.”

The Verdict: Must not lose

This certainly feels like a must-not-lose game for Villa, considering that they are up against another struggling team who have shipped five consecutive defeats to slump to the foot of the table.

After failing to get the better of 10-man Leeds in their last outing, more dropped points here would likely lead to even more Villa supporters calling for Gerrard’s head.

A win would be just what the doctor ordered, giving the 42-year-old a little more breathing space and suggesting that he might still be the right man to take the team forward this season.

West Ham United insider ExWHUemployee has shared details about an alleged illness scare taking place at Rush Green.

The Lowdown: West Ham draw at St Mary’s

The Hammers took on Southampton at St Mary’s this afternoon, coming away with a single point after a disappointing 1-1 draw.

Declan Rice scored a fantastic equaliser after a questionable VAR decision involving Kyle Walker-Peters stepping over the line for a throw-in gave Saints the goal for them to cling onto for the remainder of the game.

However, a number of key players were absent from David Moyes’ starting XI. Michail Antonio made a brief three-minute cameo at the end of the game, whilst Kurt Zouma was omitted from the Hammers’ matchday squad completely.

The Latest: Ex’s news

The day before West Ham’s 1-1 draw at Southampton, ExWHUemployee shared his latest interview with The West Ham Way.

With a number of injuries and omissions from the squad against Anderlecht, the Rush Green insider provided further details in their absence.

As quoted by The West Ham Way, Ex claimed: “There has been a case of flu and cold going round the camp and with [a viral infection], the player now has to go into isolation almost instantly when they have any symptoms to stop the spread.

“I believe this affected a number of players on Thursday, notably Antonio and Zouma. The manager has said that Antonio is feeling a bit better, but Zouma has been put into isolation so again, another late decision will be made on him, and I would imagine the team selection too.

“Although at this stage it isn’t known what the issue is with Zouma, so the isolation has been purely as a precaution.

“Both Dawson and Ogbonna felt things during the game and neither were considered serious, but they will face a late race to be available too. I believe Kehrer trained yesterday which is good but Cornet and Aguerd are still missing for the game on Sunday.”

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The Verdict: Zouma’s absence is a big blow

With the news that Zouma has been absent due to illness, the Hammers faithful will be hoping that the Frenchman can make a swift recovery and get back to full fitness as soon as possible.

Prior to today, the 27-year-old had played the full 90 minutes in each of West Ham’s nine Premier League games this season.

In terms of match ratings for the Irons’ central defenders in the currente campaign, Zouma only ranks behind the injured Craig Dawson with a strong 6.88 average in the English top flight (via SofaScore).

Incredibly averaging 5.8 clearances per game, the idea of Zouma’s illness spreading to the rest of the squad at Rush Green will be a scary prospect for Moyes, if it does end up being more than a precaution.

Celtic are back in action at home to Ukrainian outfit Shakhtar Donetsk in the Champions League on Tuesday evening, with the Old Firm giants still seeking a first win in this season’s group stage campaign.

The Hoops’ latest loss in the competition to Bundesliga side RB Leipzig has ensured that the Scottish champions can no longer qualify for the knockout stages, although Ange Postecoglou’s side will still have something to play for with a place in the next round of the Europa League still on the line.

Heading into a clash at Parkhead which could potentially prove decisive in the race to finish third – with the Glasgow side simply having to win to have any chance of avoiding finishing rock-bottom in Group F – there will no doubt be a number of selection decisions for the Bhoys boss to make, with their no doubt intense competition for places at present.

One man who may well find himself out of the side is summer signing Alexandro Bernabei, with the young Argentine having endured a difficult afternoon in the thrilling victory over Hearts at the weekend.

The 22-year-old had gone into that clash at Tynecastle off the back of an impressive run of form for the Scottish Premiership, having shaken off early off-field issues to provide “fierce competition” for usual starter Greg Taylor, in the words of The Athletic’s Owen Brown.

The former Lanus man – who was snapped up on a £3.75m deal in the recent window – had registered two assists in his last two league games heading into the weekend win over Robbie Neilson’s side, although was unable to continue that eye-catching as he produced a frustrating display on the day.

The diminutive full-back seemingly ‘lost his individual battle with Hearts winger Josh Ginnelly’ – in the words of The Scotsman’s Matthew Elder – having notably failed to prevent the opposition forward from teeing up Lawrence Shankland for the striker’s second of the match just after the break.

That moment epitomised the defender’s limp showing as the 5-foot-7 menace also lost possession 14 times from his 57 touches, while winning just two of his four ground duels, having failed to record a single tackle, interception or clearance.

As it proved the new arrival was subsequently hooked just after the hour mark in favour of the aforementioned Taylor, with his match rating of 6.0, as per SofaScore, having been the worst among his teammates.

To make matters worse for Bernabei, his replacement would go on to net the winning goal off the bench after sliding in at the back post to become the unlikely hero, with it looking likely that it will be the Scotsman who takes his place in the side tomorrow night.

If it is the former Argentina youth international who is ditched, the promising talent can seemingly have few complaints.

Leeds United’s American influence could give them the edge when trying to sign Weston McKennie from Juventus, according to journalist Pete O’Rourke.

The Lowdown: McKennie linked with Leeds

The 24-year-old has struggled to make himself a key figure at Juventus, even though he has started eight Serie A games this season, so an exit from Turin could be imminent.

Leeds are one of the clubs who have been linked with acquiring McKennie’s signature as Jesse Marsch looks to bolster his squad options, potentially in January.

A new update from another journalist has further suggested that the USA international could end up in a Whites shirt.

The Latest: Leeds could have one advantage

Speaking to GiveMeSport, O’Rourke backed Leeds’ director of football Victor Orta to sign McKennie because of the strong American contingent already at Elland Road in the form of manager Jesse Marsch, fellow players Tyler Adams and Brenden Aaronson, and the stakeholding of 49ers Enterprises.

The journalist outlined:

“I’m sure Leeds will try and use that American connection to try and help any deal to get over the line if they do pursue a move for McKennie.”

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The Verdict: Could certainly help

While the American factor clearly won’t be the only reason for Leeds potentially signing McKennie, it probably can’t do any harm overall.

The fact that Marsch, Aaronson and Adams are all compatriots could make it easier for the Juventus man to settle if he comes to Elland Road, and a move to the Premier League may also appeal to him.

It isn’t overly difficult to envisage McKennie joining Leeds, although the fact that he is currently at a Champions League club could mean that he wants the same elsewhere, having been described as ‘dangerous’ on set pieces by Clint Dempsey.

The Whites’ cause may also be hindered by their current struggles, which have seen them plummet into the Premier League relegation zone.

Wolves have been handed a boost in their hopes of appointing a new permanent manager as a big update has emerged regarding Vitor Pereira. 

The Lowdown: A move on the cards?

The Old Gold have been without a permanent manager in the dugout since the decision was made to sack Bruno Lage earlier this month.

Since then, the Midlands club have won one and lost three of the four league games that Steve Davis has had in interim charge, leading to reports that the club could go back on their decision to stick with Davis.

Now, they may have a potential breakthrough on their hands over the possibility of seeing Pereira become their new head coach.

The Latest

According to journalist Jorge Nicola (via Sport Witness), a behind-the-scenes update has emerged regarding Pereira’s current position in charge of Corinthians, with Wolves name-checked in the report.

It was reported earlier this week that Molineux could be a potential next destination for the 54-year-old.

Nicola said: “An important source of mine at Corinthians assured me that Vitor Pereira has already informed the president, Duilio Monteiro Alves, the football coordinator, Alessandro Nunes, and director of football, Roberto de Andrade, that he is not staying for the next season. He has a number of reasons that justify his decision.”

The Brazilian season ends before the World Cup.

The Verdict

Having managed several clubs across a wide variety of countries, the Portuguese manager took charge of Corinthians back in February.

With 58 matches under his belt at the Brazilian club, Pereira, known for an attack-minded set-up loosely translating to a 4-3-3, has seen his side win 26 of them, drawing 15 and losing 17 along the way.

Moving forward, if the Wolves hierarchy feel that Pereira is the right candidate to take over from Davis, then his decision to part ways with the Brazilian club could be the first major step in making it happen.

Glasgow Rangers’ season went from bad to worse as they suffered their fifth Champions League defeat in succession on Wednesday night.

The Ibrox giants slumped to a 3-0 defeat away to Serie A leaders Napoli and their performance was woeful, lacking any sort of intensity or desire to gain some foothold in the match.

Giovanni van Bronckorst will likely make changes to his side ahead of today’s Premiership match against Aberdeen, although there is limited room for manoeuvre when it comes to rotating his squad due to injuries.

One player who definitely won’t be making an appearance against Aberdeen is Kemar Roofe, with the Dutchman confirming that the 29-year-old will miss the game, saying: “Kemar has picked up an injury so will be missing for a couple weeks.”

Roofe had only returned to action against Dundee in the League Cup recently, having missed every other match this season up to that point, and he displayed flashes of his ability in that 1-0 win.

A nine-minute cameo against Livingston last weekend looked like it was an exercise in providing the forward with some game time for bigger tests ahead.

With Antonio Colak becoming the only person on whom Van Bronckhorst can rely to score consistently, the 47-year-old surely needs Roofe back fit and firing soon in order to save the Light Blues’ season.

Since joining the Ibrox club, the Jamaican has scored 34 goals in 74 appearances – a decent strike rate, especially considering that he has missed 53 games in just over two years.

Dubbed a “Duracell bunny” by former Rangers manager Steven Gerrard due to his remarkable work rate, Roofe offers more to the team than just goals.

Rangers’ lack of creativity this season, especially in the Champions League, has cost them dearly, and having the 29-year-old available against the Dons would have improved their attacking dynamism against Jim Goodwin’s stubborn outfit.

Indeed, the Dons have made for delightful opponents for Roofe, who has scored four goals in as many games against them, and this just adds to the misery for Van Bronckhorst ahead of today’s fixture.

This match represents a must-win for the Rangers boss, and with the pressure piling on after humiliation in Europe, getting the three points is all that matters today.

Leeds United reporter James Marshment has hit out at the club following an update on Jean-Kevin Augustin.

The Lowdown: Appeal lost

Leeds learned on Friday that they must pay RB Leipzig £18.4m for Augustin after losing their appeal against the transfer by the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

The Whites have been ordered to pay a first instalment of £5.9m, although Phil Hay has hinted that Elland Road chiefs are planning another appeal.

Augustin isn’t Leeds’ player either, with the 25-year-old currently on the books of Swiss side FC Basel, where he has scored three goals during the current campaign.

The Latest: Marshment reacts

TEAMtalk editor and Leeds fan Marshment took to Twitter on Friday afternoon to share his thoughts regarding the update on Augustin.

He labelled it an ‘absolute disaster’ and believes that ‘someone should make themselves accountable’ from Elland Road.

“There’s good transfers, there’s bad transfers and then there’s JK Augustin. What an absolute disaster! Someone should make themselves accountable there. Think the verdict is harsh on Leeds and while I expected us to lose, I don’t think it’s right we’re made to pay the full fee.”

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The Verdict: Nightmare

Andrea Radrizzani, Victor Orta and Angus Kinnear have had a shocker when it comes to Augustin, who you’d expect will go down as the club’s worst-ever signing. He never started a game for Leeds and played just 48 minutes of Championship action back in 2020.

That works out at just over £390,000 for every minute Augustin was on the pitch for the Yorkshire side, and it seems as if the club are just delaying the inevitable by looking to appeal again.

Liverpool scraped through to the next round of the Carabao Cup at Anfield last night after knocking Derby County out during a penalty shoot-out and Jurgen Klopp will surely be relieved that his team managed to take the positive result in the end.

The current trophy holders were held to a stalemate with the League One visitors on Wednesday evening, however, with Caoimhin Kelleher offering the safest of hands in goal Liverpool inevitably progressed to the next stage of the domestic competition.

Despite having a whopping 74% possession, 19 shots on goal, three big chances and far more accurate passes completed (86% v 64%), the Reds struggled to break down the Rams throughout the clash.

Klopp made 11 changes with an entirely fresh starting XI from the team that beat Tottenham Hotspur last weekend and handed five full senior debuts to some of the hottest youth prospects in the Merseysiders’ academy.

Layton Stewart, Melkamu Frauendorf, Bobby Clark, Calvin Ramsay and Stefan Bajcetic all started in the first team for the first time, with Ben Doak coming off the bench to make an appearance too in the 74th minute, giving the German coach a good look at some of the rising stars the academy has to offer.

However, it wasn’t just youngsters who were given the opportunity to prove their worth with many fringe senior players also making rare appearances in the starting line-up like Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Nathaniel Phillips.

Although Liverpool struggled to take the game by the scruff of the neck, there was one player who worked tirelessly throughout the clash to set an example to his younger peers alongside him on the pitch.

Joe Gomez was another of Klopp’s heroes on the night, seemingly relishing his duties as captain, a role he took very seriously when applying himself on the pitch, something that will surely please the Liverpool boss.

The 25-year-old centre-back, who has previously been described as a “monster” by Jack Sear, was certainly that on Wednesday evening.

Indeed, his influence was seen in a whopping 120 touches and 100 accurate passes of the ball.

The centre-back was keen to progress play from the back, delivering 18 long balls throughout his confident and dominant display, as well as winning six out of ten defensive duels, completing two clearances and making one tackle.

Incredibly solid, this was a much better performance from a player who cost Liverpool in the defeat to Leeds, playing a blind pass back to Rodrigo who found the net.

With that being said, Gomez’s performance will have proved to Klopp that the player is keen to fight for a regular spot in the Liverpool backline over the season ahead and he is clearly a member of the squad the manager can rely on.