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Writing on Twitter, reliable Spurs correspondent Alasdair Gold heaped praise on midfielder Tanguy Ndombele as the one ‘real ray of light’ after his first-half performance against West Brom at the Hawthorns.Â

Ndombele, who impressed during a somewhat lacklustre first 45 minutes, made two key passes over that time whilst standing out above the likes of Harry Kane, Son Heung-min and Gareth Bale – with that front trio tipped to take the game by storm.

Ndombele praise

However, during the first period, one man who really stood out for Gold was Ndombele – and the journalist called him a ‘real ray of light’ for his brilliant showing after he has seemingly been rejuvenated under Jose Mourinho.

Spurs went through a scare with the star man going down in a lot of pain at one stage, and was substituted soon after, with supporters potentially hoping it isn’t serious.

A report by Get French Football News earlier in the summer claimed both the Frenchman and Mourinho had a behind the scenes bust-up, with his future looking severely in doubt at one stage.

Transfer Tavern take

Signed for a club-record £53.8 million, a significant investment by chairman Daniel Levy, Spurs supporters could now be glad they’re currently seeing the very best of Ndombele after a brief spell of tension at the club.

Indeed, the ‘phenomenal’ 23-year-old has shone in a role more further forward recently in central attacking midfield, arguably a tactical masterclass by Mourinho which has allowed him to express his ability in a less shackled role.

Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg and Moussa Sissoko, the enforcers sitting just behind Ndombele, give license for the player to wreak havoc with his boundless energy and creativity.

After his first-half showing, as Gold says, it’s safe to assume Spurs won’t want to lose him.

In other news: Fans were in full reaction after Mourinho’s comments, find out more here.Â

Bailey Wright was one of the stars of the show as Sunderland were held to a draw away to Rochdale on Tuesday night, yet his performance alongside his Black Cats defensive partners left manager Phil Parkinson “disappointed”.

Sunderland travelled to the Crown Oil Arena looking to bounce back from their first defeat of the season after a 3-1 loss at home to Portsmouth over the weekend, and begun the League One clash in fine fashion through Charlie Wyke after 15 minutes.

The Black Cats’ lead lasted just 10 minutes, however, as Matty Lund struck his first of the night to pull the game level, something the Northern Irishman would again do just before half-time once Wright had restored the visitor’s advantage.

Lund was able to poke home his fourth of the third-tier campaign thanks to generous defending by Sunderland, leaving Parkinson saddened to see his side’s once superior defensive record further slump having previously allowed just one goal to be scored over the opening six matches.

“I’m disappointed with the two goals we conceded tonight, of course I am,” said Parkinson, via quotes by the Chronicle. “We have been waiting for the goals to come, [but] the bedrock of the team has been in our defensive third.

“I’ve just said to the lads that they need to make sure that is in place, don’t let the frustration of not killing teams off and converting chances stop us defending properly. Prior to the Portsmouth game we were doing so well, we’d only conceded one goal all season, but there was an undercurrent of ‘we’ve got to score, we’ve got to score’.”

While Parkinson was rightly frustrated to see Sunderland ship two goals at Rochdale on Tuesday night, Wright’s efforts in the centre of the Black Cats’ line of three centre-halves surely would have left a positive impression on his boss.

Wright, who has opened all eight of Sunderland’s League One games this term, achieved SofaScore’s highest match-rating for a visiting player against Rochdale at 7.8 out of 10, only trailing the host’s double-scorer Lund (8.3/10).

The North East outfit’s 28-year-old defender warranted his side’s highest match rating thanks to an impressive tally of 82 touches while completing 57 of his 68 passes, both of which were game-high figures.

He further stood out with a match-high eight clearances and blocked two shots, made one tackle, won four of eight duels, found teammates with 15 of 26 attempted long passes and scored with his only shot of the night.

Wright is now one of just six players to have scored for Sunderland in League One this season, highlighting the Black Cats’ need for goals but also demonstrating how he’s helping the Stadium of Light natives to keep a mostly tight unit at the back.

AND in other news, a promotion rival has pinpointed a major flaw in Phil Parkinson’s tactics that could spell dire consequences for Sunderland.

Chelsea boss Frank Lampard has revealed the reasoning behind the signing of Kai Havertz after the German came under criticism for his opening two performances in a Blues shirt.

The Blues spent an initial £72.7million to bring the Germany international to Stamford Bridge this summer in attempt to freshen up his attacking options.

The 21-year-old arrived alongside compatriot Timo Werner, but he has failed to impress during his first two outings for the club.

Chelsea opened the new season with a 3-1 win over Brighton and Hove Albion before losing to last season’s champions Liverpool at the weekend.

Discussing Havertzs’ impressions thus far ahead of his side’s EFL Cup third round tie with Barnsley, Lampard called for patience to be put on the shoulders of the attacking midfielder.

“Kai has played in various positions through his career,” the former Derby County boss is quoted as saying by The Metro.

“I think the main point at the minute with Kai is getting him fit. He is heavily, what I mentioned about the squad, in pre-season mode, because of the situation we aren’t in a position where we can bring in players, back-up players with big levels of money, that we can wait and integrate him into the team.

“Kai has come here to be a huge talent for this team and we just need to get him fit and ready and then the position will become very clear.”

Lampard took Havertz off at half-time against Liverpool on Sunday afternoon and with the likes Christian Pulisic and Hakim Ziyech both vying for a starting place, it will be interesting to see who starts from now on.

At just over £70m, you would have to think that Havertz will be a regular starter but Lampard does have some superb options in his squad.

Patience is key though, especially given the attacking midfielder’s age. You cannot judge him off just two matches, he needs more time to settle in.

Who do you think should start? Havertz, Pulisic or Ziyech, or can more than one start…… Let us know in the comments section below…

Tottenham Hotspur have been tipped as a perfect landing spot for one Premier League star this week – and he’s been linked with a move to the club before…

What’s the word?

Speaking on talkSPORT’s ‘White and Jordan‘ show on Monday afternoon, former Crystal Palace chairman Simon Jordan claimed that Spurs would be the ideal destination for Eagles winger Wilfried Zaha to elevate his game.

He said:

“It hasn’t been a great season for Wilfried Zaha. Palace have a valuation for him I think is based on his talent. Some of the output he has given for Palace this season would not necessarily demand the same figure.

If you could get £60 million last year, you’re going to really struggle to get that now because his form hasn’t been what it was. He does want to go but I’m not entirely sure there’s a queue of clubs that will buy him.

I think, as much as it galls me, Tottenham is a place that would do Wilfried well.”

Two birds with one stone?

In the past, the north Londoners were mooted with interest in the 27-year-old, which includes a reported £12m bid back in 2016 and according to Steve Parish, who took over from Jordan, Zaha was a player Mauricio Pochettino was hugely keen on.

So much so that the former Spurs boss believed the Eagles sensation could be “the next Ronaldo”.

Zaha has since failed with moves to the likes of arch-rivals Arsenal as well as Everton due to the whopping £80m asking price and this summer, he has made it clear in his intentions to depart Selhurst Park.

The Sun now believe he could be available for just £30m, which should have Daniel Levy ready to pull the trigger as he’d solve a couple of issues at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Despite a below-par campaign, Zaha still contributed to seven goals whilst averaging a career-best 4.3 dribbles and 1.6 shots per game, via WhoScored.

His ability to play centrally as well as out wide should hint towards him being the perfect foil for Harry Kane whilst also being a genuine upgrade to Erik Lamela on the wing.

In the three previous seasons, the Eagles star had a part to play in at least 12 goals each term, which is substantially better than anything the Argentine has ever managed at Spurs.

It’s no wonder Roy Hodgson believes he’s a “game-changer” whilst Mikel Arteta dubbed Zaha “phenomenal” ahead of their meeting last term.

Spurs could have signed him 17 years ago aged ten, now they mustn’t pass up this opportunity as it’ll aid Jose Mourinho a lot during this hectic season.

AND in other news, Eight-figure swoop is already looking like shrewd business by Daniel Levy…

Noel Whelan believes that Glasgow Rangers striker Jermain Defoe’s age is catching up with him, and that his fitness has now become a worry for Steven Gerrard.

Since joining the Ibrox outfit, initially on loan in January 2019, the 37-year-old has played an important role for the 54-time Scottish champions. In 52 matches, he has scored 25 goals, 17 of which came last season alone as he finished as the club’s second-top goalscorer behind Alfredo Morelos.

However, he is yet to feature this season as an injury keeps him out of the action. And Whelan is now worried that this could be the beginning of the end of the former England international. He told Football Insider:

“I’ve got nothing but admiration for Jermain Defoe. He’s been one of the best strikers in the Premier League for a number of years.

“Sometimes, when you start picking up these injuries it’s your body telling you, it’s the wear and tear from the games you’ve played over your career is catching up with you.

“That intensity that you need to play football, sometimes your body can’t handle it and that’s the problem when you come to the back end of your career.

“It is worrying because we’ve seen what a quality player he is. In pre-season he was banging in the goals and looked very sharp.”

As Whelan says, the injury problems are a worry for both Defoe and Gerrard. At 37, it is an awful lot harder for the body to recover on a regular basis, and as such even the smallest of issues end up becoming bigger problems.

Gerrard does have Morelos, Cedric Itten and Kemar Roofe to choose from, so it isn’t as though he is struggling for options up front, but Defoe has years of experience at the highest level which could be hugely important as the Gers look for a first major trophy since 2011.

Let us know what you think below!

Chinese businessman Sammy Yu has revealed that he has made three attempts to discuss a potential takeover from current Sunderland owner Stewart Donald.

Life at the Wearside club has been full of controversy and drama in recent years, having had the majority of it documented via Netflix series Sunderland Til I Die.

Current owner Donald has been a big part of the latest travails at the Stadium of Light, taking over from Ellis Short only to reveal that he wanted to sell the club after just 19 months.

With a second successive failure to gain promotion from League One fresh in the minds of the club’s fans, a claim made by potential new owner Yu is likely to cause more controversy.

Yu, who previously had talks with former owner Short about a potential takeover on Wearside, spoke to Sunderland Echo about his desire to make a bid for the Black Cats but also revealed that communication between himself and Donald was proving tricky.

“For Sunderland, me and my group are always interested,” the Chinese businessman said.

“But after two or three different attempts, we found that it’s difficult to communicate with Mr Donald and he hasn’t been giving a proper response to allow a negotiation.

“If, one day, he can come up with something concrete and has the appropriate manner to talk, then yes – it’s still on. We’re interested to go forward, but not until then.

“At times we were told that we could go ahead and talk,” he continued.

“But we never get to the stage where we can talk about concrete terms and conditions of the deal.

“It’s quite annoying and we’re quite saddened by it.”

This is probably not going to go down well with Sunderland fans, many of whom have previously criticised Donald’s ownership of the club, and they are unlikely to be impressed with his apparently recurring failure to engage with Yu.

One must wonder what Donald is playing at by refusing to dignify Yu with a response ahead of yet another season at League One level for Sunderland.

Do you think Sammy Yu will come in to replace Donald? Let us know in the comments section below…

According to The Sun, Tottenham are interested in luring Norwich defender Ben Godfrey to north London this summer.

What’s the word?

Jose Mourinho’s side have had a difficult season this year, particularly defensively, with 44 goals conceded in just 32 Premier League matches.

And with the long-term futures of both Jan Vertonghen and Juan Foyth up in the air, it’s no surprise to hear the Lilywhites are interested in reinforcing their defence.

As per The Sun, along with the likes of Borussia Dortmund and RB Leipzig, Spurs have set their sights on Canaries centre-back Godfrey, who is currently valued around the £25m mark.

Shades of Ledley

Despite only being 22, and playing for a side rooted towards the bottom of the Premier League table for the entire season, Godfrey has shown his leadership qualities week-in and week-out, even taking on the captain’s armband for the clashes against Crystal Palace and Aston Villa.

Spurs of course know all about young and promising centre-backs who can carry a dressing room, with Ledley King taking on the skipper’s role full-time back in 2005, at the age of just 25.

Is it Mido or Pedro Mendes? This Spurs quiz will separate the loyal from the fake…

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The 6 foot Godfrey has himself previously admitted to embracing the idea of being a leader, after being named captain of England’s U21s. He said: “Being made under-21s captain was such an honour. I do see myself as a leader. I don’t know why. I enjoy being captain of the team and, with or without the armband, I’d be the same but it’s such a good feeling to lead out your country.”

With Spurs struggling to keep things tight defensively, and on the verge of losing an experienced character in Vertonghen, bringing in someone like Godfrey who seems like such a natural fit to the role, makes a lot of sense. And with the Canaries likely to go down, Daniel Levy has the perfect chance to take advantage and sign him up.

Mourinho could very well find his next leader a la John Terry in Godfrey.

This article forms part of our Total Duds feature series, which is where Football Transfer Tavern takes a look at how a player has fared since being signed or sold, using statistical figures and statements from pundits to prove how bad a deal the club got.

Glasgow Rangers were a very successful side during the 2000s, and that was possible thanks to some fantastic recruitment along the way.

Signing such as Sasa Papac, Carlos Cuellar, Daniel Cousin and many, many more helped the Gers to win five Scottish Premiership titles in the decade, whilst they also reached the UEFA Cup final in 2008 – they remain the last Scottish side to make the showpiece of any European competition.

Filip Sebo was a player who was signed during that period, coming in from Austria Vienna for the fee of £2.25m, but it is fair to say that his arrival was not one of those that contributed to the club’s success. He had scored eight goals in 40 matches during the 2005/06 campaign, which was not exactly impressive, but perhaps the 22 goals in 29 matches in the Slovakian top tier the season before that convinced the Gers to take him to Ibrox.

It was a transfer that just didn’t work out. In 31 matches during his first and only campaign with the club, he scored a paltry two goals. It wasn’t long before he was shipped out on loan to Valenciennes in Ligue 1 and, despite netting just five time in 36 matches, the French side parted with £1.08m for his services.

That meant that the Gers lost £1.17m, and that each goal he scored for the club had effectively cost them around £1.13m. This is a deal the club would probably rather forget.

Let us know what you think below!

Former Tottenham Hotspur goalkeeper Paul Robinson has said that Mauricio Pochettino “harmed” Eric Dier by limiting his game time, in an interview with Football Insider.

What did he say?

Dier struggled for game time under Pochettino towards the end of the Argentine’s spell at Spurs, managing just 20 Premier League appearances last season.

However, he has become a key part of new boss Jose Mourinho’s plans and is set to be offered a new contract that will keep him at the club beyond 2021.

Asked why Dier has been struggling for game time in recent years, Robinson said the England man had been harmed by Pochettino.

“He had a lack of game time under Pochettino and that has harmed his season,” Robinson told Football Insider.

“Also if anyone was going to get moved about it was Eric Dier due to his versatility but maybe that works to his detriment.

“As he gets older I see him more as a centre-half. I think Dier is best deployed in a back-three.

“There was a time under Pochettino where you thought he was going to be leaving because he was not even in the squad. I hope he can get back to that and kick on after the new contract.”

Quick turnaround

There has been a quick turnaround in fortunes for Dier, who is now back in favour and looks set to earn a new deal.

The England international is versatile and has proven himself as a quality player when given the trust of his manager, and this appears to be what he has with Mourinho.

With Spurs now willing to offer him a new deal it shows how much he is valued and perhaps the fact that Pochettino was willing to phase him out shows why his time at Spurs came to an end.

It’s fair to say Bruno Fernandes showed in a couple of months why he might be one of Manchester United’s most inspired signings in recent memory.

The Portugal international arrived from Sporting CP in the January transfer window, and hit the ground running at Old Trafford. In just nine games for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side, he struck three times and provided four assists, and judging by his latest comments, he is already establishing himself as a real fans favourite.

Spot the fact from the fib: Are these Premier League records true or false?

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In a Q&A session posted on the club’s official website, the attacking midfielder admitted that he wants potential new signings to have a winners mentality, and that they should be “hungry for titles”.

After hearing what Fernandes had to say, United fans took to Twitter to voice their thoughts on the 25-year-old.

A couple of United fans felt their 21st league title is on its way to Old Trafford thanks to Fernandes and his mentality.

Fernandes just can’t seem to do anything wrong.

The Portuguese star has revitalised United, almost single-handedly changing the atmosphere surrounding Old Trafford. Since his arrival in the final week of the January transfer window, Solskjaer’s men remained unbeaten, in large part thanks to Fernandes himself.

And with ambitious comments like these, he is well on the way to becoming a cult hero at the club.

Meanwhile, Man Utd fans discuss their interest in this La Liga powerhouse.