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Tottenham Hotspur are in pole position to sign Ryan Sessegnon from Fulham this summer, per The Sun.

The 18-year-old appears likely to leave the Cottagers after their relegation from the Premier League and a number of clubs are said to be interested.

What’s the word?

The Sun claim that Manchester United and PSG are also heavily interested in signing the defender-cum-winger.

His contract expires at the end of next season and the report also suggests that Borussia Dortmund could look to convince Sessegnon to run his contract down and move on a free transfer in the summer of 2020.

However, The Sun claim that Spurs are at the forefront of the queue due to the influence of manager Mauricio Pochettino.

Sessegnon, who would not demand a massive contract, is liked by the Argentine and his work with young players is said to make Spurs an attractive proposition for young players.

Indeed, Spurs are reportedly set to spend this summer after two transfer windows without a new signing.

The proof is in the pudding

Spurs’ mentality is working if this is true.

Pochettino has worked wonders with the likes of Dele Alli, Harry Kane and Harry Winks at the club while making stars of the likes of Luke Shaw and Adam Lallana at Southampton.

Spurs chairman Daniel Levy will have been well aware of his abilities and attributes concerning young players when he appointed him in 2014, and his decision appears to be paying off.

Sessegnon is perhaps the most in-demand young English player currently in the Premier League.

The idea of him choosing to move to Spurs, ahead of such an expansive list of suitors, shows that long-term managerial and transfer strategies can see hearty rewards.

Newcastle legend, Peter Beardsley, has today been formally charged by the Football Association on three counts of using racist language to players.

Arguably one of the greatest players to wear the famous black and white shirt, he was suspended in January last year after allegations of bullying and racism towards members of the Under-23 squad, who he was manager of at the time.

His departure was made permanent earlier this month — 14 months after the alleged incidents took place.

BBC Sport state that Beardsley has until 12 April to respond to the charge.

The report states the FA charges in full, who allege: “Mr Beardsley used abusive and/or insulting words towards Newcastle United FC Under 23 players, which were contrary to FA Rule E3(1), whilst employed as their coach.”

It goes on to say: “It is further alleged these words also constituted an ‘aggravated breach’, which is defined in FA Rule E3(2), as they included reference to ethnic origin and/or colour and/or race and/or nationality.”

Questions were asked when Newcastle’s statement announcing his departure made no mention of the outcome of the internal investigation, nor did it reference the allegations at all.

In fact, the statement said the club were “grateful for the contribution” he had given the club and “wish him well for the future”.

It seemed a strange choice of words, and led Football Anti-Racism organisation, Kick It Out, to state they were “concerned” at Newcastle’s failure to “outline the reasons” for Beardsley’s departure.

The way it was handled by Newcastle makes it appear that the club were trying to let the dust settle, and sweep — what is a serious issue — under the carpet.

It appeared wholly inappropriate, and that the FA took control of the situation and launched an investigation of their own, resulting in these charges, exposes the apparent blasé approach taken by United.

But it will come as no surprise to Toon fans, who have become numb to the off-field management of the club they adore.

This is just the latest in a string of poor decisions made by those in charge, and is another reason why most Newcastle fans are likely to believe that Lee Charnley is out of his depth in his role at the club, and should be replaced by someone with more of a football background.

What do you think of the latest developments regarding the Beardsley allegations? Should Lee Charnley be replaced for his handling of the situation? Let us know your thoughts…

It has been a season to forget if you are a Huddersfield Town supporter.

A total of 24 defeats from 32 games in the Premier League has resulted in the Terriers being relegated from the top-flight in record-equalling time. Just three victories all year has left the club’s fans with very little to cheer about yet this could be about to change.

Following impressive showings for the club’s youth sides which saw him score nine goals in 30 appearances, Aaron Rowe was given the chance to demonstrate his talents for the first team last month as he made his senior debut against AFC Bournemouth.

The midfielder, who can operate either just behind the striker or as a winger showed promising signs for the Terriers and was handed his first start against West Ham United on March 16th. Although his side would go on to lose the game 4-3, Rowe delivered another solid individual performance which would have excited the club’s supporters.

With Huddersfield’s drop to the second tier confirmed by last Saturday’s 2-0 defeat at Crystal Palace, there is no reason why boss Jan Siewert shouldn’t continue to hand the teenager more chances to show just what he is capable of in the club’s final six fixtures of the season. If Rowe continues to develop as a result of playing against the best that the Premier League has to offer, he could become a vital player for the Terriers over the coming years which may even force his German boss to build a squad around him.

Whereas it is naive to suggest that the 18-year-old’s future depends on what he is able to deliver for his club over the next two months, a promising end to the campaign may force Huddersfield to reconsider their transfer policy in the summer.

With a number of players emerging from their academy this season, the Terriers will be hoping that they can usher in a new generation of homegrown talents that can represent them in the Championship and therefore follow in the footsteps of Philip Billing and Tommy Smith who have both established themselves as first-team regulars in recent years.

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Jordan Henderson played the full 90 minutes as Liverpool drew 0-0 with Everton in the Premier League on Sunday afternoon.

It was a hugely important match for Jurgen Klopp’s side, but they were unable to take all three points, with Mohamed Salah guilty of missing some excellent chances.

Henderson has now made 24 Premier League appearances for Liverpool this season, but has not registered a single goal or assist, which is a bit concerning.

Meanwhile, according to WhoScored, the 6ft ace only made one tackle and managed just one shot during his 90 minutes on the field against Everton.

The England midfielder is not in the team to score goals, but the Liverpool fans have wanted a lot more from him in terms of overall performance this season.

It would be fair to say that the 28-year-old struggled to really contribute at Goodison Park, which has led to criticism from his own club’s fans.

A selection of the Twitter reaction can be seen below:

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Newcastle’s Jamaal Lascelles was reportedly a target for former Manchester United boss Jose Mourinho, before the Portuguese manager was given the sack at Old Trafford as reported by ESPN.

What’s the word, then?

Lascelles, who has made 22 Premier League starts for the Magpies, found himself amongst a list of potential targets for the January transfer window before the former Chelsea boss was given his marching orders in December after an abysmal run of form.

Inter Milan defender Milan Skriniar and Napoli colossus Kalidou Koulibaly were also said to be on the list of January targets, although both were unlikely to be available mid-season.

Lascelles, formerly of Nottingham Forest, signed a new long-term contract at St James’ Park until 2023 towards the end of 2017.

How would Newcastle cope if Lascelles left?

Whilst he is the captain on Tyneside and one of Rafa Benitez’s key men, the Magpies could definitely cope if Lascelles were to leave the club given the quality of the names they currently have in defence.

The 25-year-old embarked on a poor run of form towards the end of 2018, coming under fire from some fans for some terrible performances most notably in the 4-0 loss to Liverpool at Anfield.

Benitez has the likes of Fabian Schar, Florian Lejeune, Ciaran Clark and Federico Fernandez at his disposal, and given the fact that he has been using a 3-man centre-back formation with wing backs for most of this season, the aforementioned quartet along with Lascelles could be too many bodies to keep happy if only three are set to start.

If Newcastle received a huge fee for the 6 foot 2 defender, then perhaps it would be worth considering given their strength in depth in his position.

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Tottenham Hotspur have established a solid reputation as an ideal home for the next generation of English talent to fine tune their talent, and a  report in The Mirror suggests that they are lining up a player who could be the next big thing to rise under Mauricio Pochettino.

What’s the word?

According to The Mirror, Spurs are planning on stepping up their interest in Norwich City’s Max Aarons ahead of the summer window.

The coveted full-back is also attracting interest from Chelsea and Arsenal, although Spurs are leading the chase for his signature, as per the aforementioned source.

Tottenham scouts have already filtered back positive reports about his talent, but Norwich have placed a £15 million price-tag on his head to stave off interest.

However, for a 19-year-old of his potential, that fee still represents an incredible opportunity.

 Leeds display showed Aarons’ potential

Aarons has been exceptional on the right side of Daniel Farke’s backline this season. Defensive solidity has been supplemented with potent bursts forward into the final-third, as his return of two goals and four assists illuminates.

His reputation has been snowballing in recent months but it was his excellent performance against Leeds United on Saturday which really caught the eye.

Pitted against Whites favourite and outstanding Championship ace Pablo Hernandez, Aarons stifled his creativity and deprived the promotion contenders of their main source of inspiration. That the Spaniard was withdrawn by Marcelo Bielsa at half-time tells you all you need to know about the quality of his opponent’s performance.

Neither Kyle Walker nor Kieran Trippier are exactly edging towards international retirement just yet but Aarons has already built a compelling case to argue he will eventually succeed both the ex and current Tottenham players within the England set-up.

Those two have reaped the rewards of learning from Pochettino, and Aarons could follow in their footsteps if he agrees to move to north London in the summer.

Sam Allardyce’s spell was short but sweet at Crystal Palace.

The 65-year-old moved to Selhurst Park in December of 2016, with the Eagles in lots of trouble at the bottom of the table. However, he was able to steer the side away from the relegation zone, with Palace eventually staying up on the penultimate day of the season.

Despite that, though, he didn’t stay beyond the end of the 2016/17 campaign.

He was given money to spend during the January transfer window in an attempt to keep the side in the top flight, and all three of those recruits from the time are still at the club. Patrick van Aanholt and Luka Milivojevic have both proven to be astute pieces of business – van Aanholt is the club’s second top goalscorer this term with three strikes, whilst the latter managed 12 himself last term. Jeffrey Schlupp, meanwhile, has not been as big a success story.

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He cost Palace £12m including bonuses from Leicester City, but he has failed to set the world alight. Despite generally playing as a left midfielder, he has just seven goals and eight assists. So far this term, injuries have blighted him, but he has not been that effective even when he has featured, even if he did score twice in his last three Premier League appearances.

His wages are setting back Palace a pretty penny as well. He currently takes home £56,000 a week, which works out at £2,912,000 a year. Given he has a four-year contract at the club, that means he is costing them £11.7m just in wages. Put the transfer fee on that and he will have cost Roy Hodgson’s side a cool £23.7m

Considering that Wilfried Zaha cost just £6m when he returned to the Eagles from Manchester United, it is hard to argue that Schlupp has been, and is worth, the money they paid.

It can be worrying when, by the age of 27, a player’s best position does not seem to be clear – given he has played in eight roles during his time in football, that appears to be the case with the Ghana international. As Palace move forward, this could be a player worth getting off the wage bill.

Elsewhere, this Crystal Palace target could be part of Steve Parish’s “Wilfried Zaha effect”.

With Liverpool now having three former Red Bull Salzburg players in their ranks following the signing of Takumi Minamino this week, the Austrian club decided to send out a cheeky tweet asking who the Reds were going to sign next.

The Japan international joins Sadio Mane and Naby Keita at Anfield as part of the Salzburg alumni, and the Merseyside outfit will certainly be hoping that the 24-year-old can go on to have a similar impact to the former – the ex-Southampton man has 72 goals in 147 outings for Jurgen Klopp’s men.

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Salzburg certainly have a lot more impressive players such as Erling Haaland, Dominik Szoboszlai and Hwang Hee-chan in their ranks, but Liverpool supporters largely decided to focus on a defensive player instead – and one who plays for Red Bull Leipzig, rather than their fellow franchise counterparts.

Watch Leicester vs Liverpool Free Live and Free with Amazon Prime on Boxing Day

The man in question is Dayot Upamecano, who has a release clause of €100m (£85m), that will reportedly reduce to €80m (£68m) if he fails to sign a new contract before the summer.

One fan said “make it happen” about the aged 21 Frenchman, who has made 93 appearances for Leipzig despite his relatively tender years.

Another fan focused more on what the France U21 international’s arrival at Anfield would actually mean, suggesting he could be the perfect long-term partner for Joe Gomez at the heart of the defence, when the likes of Virgil van Dijk, Dejan Lovren and Joel Matip move on.

Given Gomez is still only 22 himself, that is certainly an exciting prospect for the future.

Upamecano wasn’t the only Leipzig player receiving attention from the Anfield faithful though, with striker Timo Werner also mentioned alongsisde the 21-year-old in some tweets.

No clues: Can you name the season these iconic Liverpool images belong to?

Another centre-back in Ibrahima Konate, who has partnered his fellow Frenchman in the Bundesliga outfit’s backline, was also named – it’s clear that the Red Bull franchise are doing something right with so much interest in so many individuals.

In other Liverpool news, Georginio Wijnaldum has a critical job to do in the Club World Cup final against Flamengo on Saturday…

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It is no secret that Jose Mourinho has had a few rifts with his players, to say the least. However, whilst almost everyone is pointing the finger at the Manchester United boss, Romelu Lukaku’s recent comments suggest that it may be the players in question who are the issue…

What did the Belgian say?

When asked how his previous spell under Mourinho at Chelsea went, Lukaku told Bleacher Report, “Working under him when I was 24 was totally different to working under him when I was 19, 20. When I was 19, 20, it was hard on me. The guy was tough. I was doing everything so well, but he was still tough.

“But now, at 24, I understand him. I understand him now. I became better. I improved as a player.”

Interestingly, most of Mourinho’s differences tend to be with the younger players within his squad, such as Anthony Martial, Marcus Rashford and Luke Shaw. If the Belgian international’s words are anything to go by, it is the players who aren’t getting the message.

What do Lukaku’s words suggest? 

At Chelsea, the 25-year-old made just 15 appearances across his three seasons at Stamford Bridge, whilst also spending time on loan at West Brom and Everton.

Playmaker FC’s Matchday with Max caught up with Jamaica’s women’s team. See what happened when he met the history makers in the video below…

It was Mourinho who sold a then 21-year-old Lukaku to the Toffees for £28m, seemingly washing his hands with the striker who he appeared to have little faith in. It is telling, however, that the same manager splashed out around £75m to be reunited with him at Old Trafford.

As the former Anderlecht striker grew older, in his own words, he ‘understands’ Mourinho now. Rashford is 21. Martial is 22. Shaw is 23. They will undoubtedly mature into even better players, perhaps even world class players – the issue right now, however, seems to be that the players aren’t taking criticism in the way that the boss wants them too, according to Lukaku anyway.

This notion of tough love could also be great news and offer hope to Paul Pogba and summer addition Fred, who are still yet to really consistently shine under their Portuguese manager.

Everton fans will be forced to switch their attention from the Premier League to the international fixtures.

The football season gears up for the first international break of the new campaign with 13 Everton players called up to their country. England’s World Cup hero, Jordan Pickford, should start for the Three Lions against Spain in the UEFA Nations League while Seamus Coleman was in action as the Republic of Ireland were soundly beaten by Wales. Everton fans will also be keeping a close eye on Richarlison who was called up to Tite’s Brazil squad for fixtures against the USA and El Salvador.

Much was made of Marco Silva’s decision to spend £40m to sign the Brazilian winger from former side Watford in the summer. However, three goals in his opening three games for the Toffees has quickly eased fears that Richarlison would be a flop. The 21-year-old will be hoping to continue his excellent start when his suspension ends.

With Everton having success raiding Watford, the Toffees should return in January to try to poach Hornets midfielder – Roberto Pereyra. Valued at £9m by Transfermarkt, the Argentina international made the shock move to Vicarage Road from Juventus back in 2016 and has finally found his feet in the Premier League. He made 26 appearances last season, scoring five and assisting two.

The 27-year-old has been key to Watford’s terrific start to the season under Javi Gracia, scoring three goals in just four appearances, helping the Hornets win all four of their opening fixtures to sit alongside Liverpool and Chelsea at the top of the table. If Pereyra continues his impressive form, Everton should definitely launch a bid in January.

Landing the playmaker would ease the creative burden on the shoulders of Glyfi Sigurdsson and add another dimension to the Toffees attack. He wouldn’t be cheap, but signing Pereyra could prove to be another Silva masterstroke.

Everton fans, thoughts?