Forever a hero in Tottenham’s eyes, Lucas Moura’s name will be etched in the history books for that incredible hat-trick in the Champions League semi-final against Ajax last season. His start to the current campaign however has seen him blow hot and cold, with a goal and an assist in his first two games, before suffering an eight-game drought.

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But against Wolves on Sunday afternoon, the former PSG star continued his form under recently appointed manager Jose Mourinho. After netting in the Portuguese man’s first game in charge against West Ham, Moura scored last week against Burnley, and once again got on the score-sheet at Molineux. It was a goal oozing in quality and confidence, but whilst that was no doubt the standout moment of the game, his overall performance was particularly impressive too.

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Whilst Moura has pace to burn, and bags of tricks in his locker, his defensive side of the game caught the eye too. In blustery conditions and against a physical Nuno Espirito Santo side, the Brazilian more than held his own in the numerous physical encounters he found himself in. In fact, as per Sofascore, his total of 11 duels won was second only to Harry Kane, and more than any of Spurs’ defenders.

No clues whatsoever: Which seasons do these iconic Spurs images belong to?

Add to that his three interceptions and two clearances, and it is so clear to see that he has bought into the work ethic Mourinho typically demands from his players. He never shied away from challenges, and refused to be bullied or hustled off the ball. And when he did receive possession, he was absolute dynamite with it. His four key passes was only bettered by Joao Moutinho over the whole game, whilst he also completed two of his three attempted dribbles.

It was a performance dripping in technical quality, but also a surprising amount of resilience too. The £23m man’s display arguably typified Spurs’ victory. Hard work and gruelling.

Meanwhile, Tottenham fans have lauded this man for his commanding display against Wolves.

In a contest lacking any real quality or substance, Everton and Arsenal played out a drab 0-0 draw at Goodison Park on Saturday afternoon.

Snapshot

Having done an impressive job as interim manager, Duncan Ferguson would no doubt have been hoping to bow out in style against the Gunners. Before the game even kicked-off, it was confirmed that Carlo Ancelotti would be taking over the reins on a full-time basis, and there may have been a sense of hope and expectation that the Toffees could put on a show to impress their new boss.

Instead, the Italian – who was in the stands – watched a game between two sides that failed to create too much in way of chances, with just two shots on target combined over the course of the 90 minutes. But things could potentially have been so much different had Ferguson opted to bring on Bernard instead of Cenk Tosun after Alex Iwobi was forced with a suspected hamstring injury early in the first-half. Instead, the Turkey international’s lacklustre display was summed up by him being substituted himself a la Moise Kean last week.

Off the bench

After seeing Richarlison and Dominic Calvert-Lewin help to secure a creditable point against Manchester United last time out in the Premier League, it was little surprise to see Ferguson opt for the same duo up front once more. But when Iwobi pulled up, the Everton legend decided Tosun was the man to bring on. And whilst he kept the shape the same, it forced him to move Richarlison out wide, thus breaking up the successful strike partnership from the previous weekend.

And as per Sofascore, Tosun struggled immensely in trying to get involved in the game. As per Sofascore, the 28-year-old managed no shots on target, just 11 accurate passes, and lost all three of his aerial duels. Had Bernard come on instead, then Ferguson would have had two centre-forwards more comfortable with running the channels and going in behind. Instead, his substitute’s lack of pace and athleticism meant the pre-match game-plan was upset massively, and they couldn’t turn the Arsenal back-line with balls in between the full-back and centre-back.

Did he play for Everton? Simple question but a lot tougher than you think…

The Gunners were there for the taking, but Ferguson’s substitution helped the north London side seize the initiative. It was no surprise therefore to see Everton register no shots on target, create no big chances, and average just 43%. It didn’t prove to be too much of a costly mistake in terms of the result, but the Toffees legend perhaps in hindsight may have done things differently.

Meanwhile, Everton fans have reacted to this pundit saying the club have made the wrong choice in appointing Carlo Ancelotti.

According to The Sun, Crystal Palace are closing in on a loan deal for Chelsea striker Michy Batshuayi, although the Blues won’t give the green light for a deal until they’ve signed a forward themselves.

What’s the word, then?

Well, Crystal Palace are reportedly keen to be reunited with the Belgian, and Roy Hodgson is happy to wait for the former Marseille man after struggling to land his first-choice Odsonne Edouard, who could now be looked at in the summer instead.

Batshuayi spent the second half of last season on loan at Selhurst Park, scoring five Premier League goals in nine starts while also notching in the FA Cup quarter-final against Watford.

However, the Eagles look to have a rival for the 26-year-old’s signature in Aston Villa, who were looking for a new striker even before Wesley suffered a season-ending knee injury.

Palace shouldn’t worry because of their good relationship with Chelsea

This isn’t the first time that the south Londoners have had competition for Batshuayi.

Before a loan deal was completed last January, Palace faced competition from Tottenham, West Ham and Everton for the Belgian’s signature.

The Toffees wanted a permanent deal, while Spurs and West Ham chased a loan, but Chelsea charged the north Londoners a huge £8m for a loan deal while offering Batshuayi to the Hammers for £4m – interestingly, the Blues then allowed the striker to join Palace for closer to £1m.

Significantly, Hodgson claimed that was because of the Eagles’ good relationship with Chelsea following Ruben Loftus-Cheek’s successful loan spell at Selhurst Park, which suggests that – despite Villa’s enquiry – the south Londoners still remain in pole position.

“I can’t say I’m surprised about it, I’m very pleased about it. A lot of it has to do with the relationship with Chelsea and Crystal Palace, Chelsea people and our chairman, Steve Parish”

How much do you remember about football in 2019? Our quiz will test your knowledge…

Also, Chelsea remain interested in a deal for Wilfried Zaha with The Times reporting that Frank Lampard may try and reach an agreement with Palace by offering them one of his strikers, which only adds to the feeling that Hodgson’s side remain in a good position in the race for Batshuayi.

In other news, these Crystal Palace fans have reacted to transfer interest in a player who has only recently arrived at Selhurst Park…

Sunderland have been in the market for numerous forwards in the transfer market already this term.

The Mackems have been linked with switches for Sam Winnall and Liam Boyce while Will Grigg has even been touted with a move away to Blackpool.

But a fresh report has spawned suggesting the Black Cats may sign Kyle Lafferty on a free transfer.

The Scotsman claimed on Wednesday evening that Sunderland were in talks to sign the forward who was most recently at Norwegian outfit Sarpsborg.

Lafferty is understood to have met club representatives on Tuesday but it’s unclear as to whether a deal will actually be concluded.

If it does get done, it appears as though some fans at the Stadium of Light would be keen to see him play, as they reacted to the news on Twitter.

One supported deemed that the 32-year-old would be a good fit. However, considering the controversy that’s surrounded his career that’s something to speculate against.

He had a bust-up with Christophe Berra in Scotland while the striker has also been berated for his behaviour by Ian Wright. Not only that, but he was sent off on his debut for his former employers.

Despite the positivity from some individuals, others weren’t too enamoured by the news of Lafferty’s potential arrival in the north-east.

One went as far as labelling the Northern Ireland international as a waste of space, comparing him to Aiden McGeady who is set to leave the Mackems after being placed on the transfer list for having a negative influence in the dressing room.

Craig Levein once detailed how the forward lacked IQ at Hearts so it’s quite possible a similar influence may be had with Lafferty if he arrives in January.

Based on his controversies, this would certainly be a bad move by Sunderland.

Other reaction was focused on the Black Cats’ transfer policy as one fan chose to berate Stewart Donald, someone who has come in for a huge amount of criticism in recent times.

From minutes detailing the events of a fan meeting in early December, Donald supposedly stated: “There will be signings for the future.”

Call yourself a Premier League expert? How much did each of these big-money January signings cost?However, adding a 32-year-old to their ranks clearly goes against this policy. A further supporter was simply unhappy with the possibility of bringing in a free transfer.[EMBED_TWITTER]https://twitter.com/TeaserSJ/status/1215150304917966848?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw[/EMBED_TWITTER][EMBED_TWITTER]https://twitter.com/jakeship10/status/1215207323737710592?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw[/EMBED_TWITTER]In other Sunderland news, one further move could spell DISASTER for Will Grigg…

West Ham United have approached Inter Milan about potentially signing Valentino Lazaro on loan in this transfer window, that is according to a report from FC Inter News.

The Austrian only joined the Serie A outfit in the summer, signing from Hertha Berlin for a fee of £20.16 (Transfermarkt). However, he has failed to make much of an impact at the San Siro and so far has started just four times in all competitions, three of which were in the league (Transfermarkt).

Lazaro is predominantly a right-sided player who is capable of playing either at right-back or right-midfield. The Hammers have recently switched their system to include wing-backs and with Ryan Fredericks out injured for a while (whufc.com), the 23-year-old could be a good signing as he would be comfortable filling that position with plenty of experience both in defending and attacking.

It is reported that Inter are considering what to do with the player, but that they do understand that he needs more regular game time which at the moment they have been unable to give him.

However, plenty of West Ham fans have been left unhappy after reading of their interest in Lazaro. That is not because of the player himself, but because it is yet another loan deal that they are trying to strike. They have already tried to sign Gedson Fernandes on loan this month (The Telegraph) and have also been linked with several others on loan including Ross Barkley (Daily Mirror).

Hammers fans though want to see their owners actually buy some players rather than just getting them in on loan, with many saying just that on Twitter recently…

West Ham fans, what are your thoughts about the club’s approach for Valentino Lazaro? Let us know in the comments below…

Leeds United could soon have new owners.

QSI have been linked for months and in recent weeks the San Fransico 49ers have reportedly been interested.

The Whites’ fortunes could be completely transformed if either of these investors get involved at Elland Road as they’re worth billions of pounds and the financial boost that the Whites would receive could lead to incredible results on the pitch.

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We spoke to ex-Leeds player Danny Pugh about his thoughts on a potential takeover at his former side and what it would mean for the heart of the club.

“I think it’s difficult to strike that balance isn’t it when one of these big owners come in,” Pugh told Football FanCast.

“You want to try and keep the core of the club and that kind of thing and what makes them what they are.

“But, I think with the way football is going at the moment, if you want to keep up with the big boys you need this kind of investment in.

“There’s that much money in the Premier League, there’s that much money made, there’s that much money spent, and I think if you want to be in that top, top bracket of clubs, which I think Leeds can be, you need that kind of backing.”

Of course, one club that has had a huge transformation since being taken over is Manchester City.

Pugh was on the touchline at the Etihad earlier this month in his player/coach role at Port Vale as they faced off in the FA Cup.

The 37-year-old spoke about Man City’s upward surge to become multiple Premier League champions after far-east investment. He also discussed whether the Eastlands outfit have lost a bit of what the club has historically been about since their takeover.

“I think the stadium has something to do with that at City, but the atmosphere when we were there was fantastic to be fair.

“Would City take that though? They’re competing in the Premier League and they’re in the Champions League whereas a few years ago they were in League One and struggling.

“If you ask most City fans they’d probably rather be where they are now than where they were ten years before the owners came in and they got that backing.”

Whether or not Leeds are taken over or not remains to be seen, but Pugh seemingly believes that it would be more of a positive than a negative.

In other news, our writers have been weighing up whether or not one of Leeds’ midfield targets would be a good signing.

Everton signed Fabian Delph during the summer transfer window, and it was suggested in September by the player himself that director of football Marcel Brands had brought him to Goodison Park to provide some experience and leadership to the younger members of the squad.

That hasn’t exactly gone to plan so far though.

The 30-year-old played the full 90 minutes in four straight Premier League defeats in September and October under Marco Silva, and has also missed 10 top flight matches through injury.

The former Manchester City man was also a second-half substitute in the disastrous 1-0 loss against a severely-weakened Liverpool at Anfield in the FA Cup earlier this month, and didn’t react in the best way in the aftermath.

The Englishman was spoken to by manager Carlo Ancelotti having been involved in a confrontation with a Toffees fans on social media, which is certainly not what you expect from a player of his knowledge and experience.

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Delph may well wear his heart on his sleeve – as The Athletic has reported – but this was not the right way to respond and he has since been booed when coming on as a substitute.

In addition, he was brought in to help influence the younger members of the team and keep them calm and presumably able to hold onto leads, but that is something they failed to do in disastrous circumstances during the week as Newcastle scored two injury-time goals at Goodison Park to come from 2-0 down to draw 2-2.

Meanwhile, Italian journalist Gianluca Di Marzio told Sky Sports News, via Sky Sports’ Transfer Centre (January 23, 9:08pm), that Everton’s primary central midfield target during the January transfer window is Southampton midfielder Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg.

Despite there being older and more experienced players such as Ryan Bertrand, Shane Long and James Ward-Prowse in the Southampton team, it was the then 23-year-old Dane who Ralph Hasenhuttl quickly named as his captain when he was appointed as Mark Hughes’ successor at St Mary’s in December 2018.

He has stood up to the plate, too.

He skippered the team to Premier League survival last season, and has been a real driving force in the middle of the park in Saints’ revival in recent months.

The Athletic reported earlier this month that he had made more possession recoveries (208) than any other top flight player this term, and by quite a significant number.

Call yourself an Everton expert? How much did each of these January signings cost?

Of course, the upturn in form has largely come following the humiliating 9-0 defeat at home to Leicester City at the end of October.

It would have been very easy for Hojbjerg to shirk the responsibility of speaking to the media post-match, but he instead came out and apologised – a much better reaction than Delph’s after the Merseyside derby, one would suggest.

The Denmark international has shown maturity beyond his years in the past 12 months or so especially, and has all of the ingredients to be exactly what the Everton man hasn’t been should he end up signing on at Goodison.

In other Everton news, Toffees fans have been reacting to the performance of a “frightening” Premier League ace, with some saying they want him at Goodison Park…

Wolves have enjoyed a rare week of preparation as they face a trip to Old Trafford to battle Manchester United in the Premier League this afternoon.

The west Midlanders played six games in quick succession during January and go into this match with a bit of a boost, should they choose to utilise it.

Portuguese boss Nuno Santo very rarely tinkers his side but returns from injury and new signings pose an interesting question.

Here’s the team we think he will select today…

We predict that there will be two changes to the starting XI whilst there are places on the bench for new arrivals.

Rui Patricio, as ever, keeps his place between the sticks with skipper Conor Coady in front of him but there will be a return for Willy Boly at long last.

The 28-year-old has been absent for nearly five months after fracturing his fibula during training back in October. He has been on the bench in recent games but is now handed the chance to start. Romain Saiss remains in the back three along with Jonny and Matt Doherty the usual wing-back options.

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In midfield, Nuno’s trustworthy duo Ruben Neves and Joao Moutinho continue to operate the engine room, meaning there is no place for Leander Dendoncker who drops to the bench.

There’s a return to the starting lineup for Portuguese forward Diogo Jota after coming on as a substitute against Liverpool last time out. He has stepped up his game time since returning from injury and is trusted to begin the match.

It means Pedro Neto is forced to be a substitute, quite an unlucky decision on his part after two goals in four games.

Who on earth is that?!?! Can you name all of these obscure January signings?

Raul Jimenez and Adama Traore complete the XI.

There will be no starting debuts for any of their new signings, but expect winger Daniel Podence and maybe even Leonardo Campana to feature at some stage as they have bolstered Wolves’ attacking options.

And in other news, Patrick Cutrone issues a damning verdict on Wolves boss Nuno Santo…

The 4-0 scoreline against Liverpool was perhaps slightly harsh on Southampton.

In the end, the Saints actually managed more shots than their opponents – 17 to 16 – and, had a couple of refereeing decisions gone their way (the Danny Ings penalty claim in particular), the scoreline may have been an awful lot closer. However, even though they were beaten by four goals, it is no embarrassment to lose to a side that is 22 points clear at the top of the Premier League table.

Who on earth is that?!?! Can you name all of these obscure January signings?

Despite the positive aspects of the team’s performance, though, there were still some disappointing individual displays. One of those to underwhelm, was Oriol Romeu.

Even though he played in central midfield, he had just 26 touches and made 15 passes. In all fairness, though, his offensive contribution is not his forte, with just seven career goals to his name.

However, he did not excel going the other way either. He made just one tackle, and was dribbled past on two occasions. Not only that, he gave away three fouls, whilst he also won a paltry two out of six ground duels. Against a side like Liverpool, more is needed in those aspects if you expect to get a result from the match.

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The former Chelsea player started each of the first 12 matches of the season, but this was just his first start since then. His omission from the side coincided with the Saints resurgence – they won just twice with him in the first XI, and seven without him.

This display here will have done little to convince Ralph Hasenhuttl that the £9m-valued man deserves a return to the side on a regular basis. He was given a big opportunity here – unfortunately for him, it was one he wasted.

Meanwhile, this 28-year-old completed his loan move on deadline day.

Melissa Reddy has revealed that one of Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino must leave the club if Liverpool are to complete a “blockbuster attacking purchase” in the summer.

What’s the story?

The Reds have been linked with moves for Jadon Sancho and Kylian Mbappe in recent months, but they already have a star trio up front.

Can you name the result these iconic Liverpool images belong to? Give it a go now…

And Reddy, writing in The Independent, believes that one of those three must depart to make way for a big name. She said: “Unless Liverpool lose one of their pedigreed front three – a situation they are not expecting this summer with none of Sadio Mane, Mohamed Salah or Roberto Firmino showing any intent to exit – there isn’t room for a blockbuster attacking purchase.”

Wrong message

Sancho and Mbappe are, undoubtedly, two of the most talented players on the planet right now. Their form so far this season has been absolutely stupendous – the former has 15 goals and 16 assists so far this campaign in 27 matches in all competitions, whilst the latter has 22 and 13 in 25 respectively.

From a pure footballing point of view, their arrivals would surely be welcomed. But looking at the bigger picture, it surely sends the wrong message.

If you look at where Salah, Mane and Firmino were at before signing for the club, their situations were significantly different to those two young stars. The Egypt international was at AS Roma after he had failed to make the grade at Chelsea, whilst Mane was at Southampton and Firmino came from Hoffenheim. Whilst all three were impressive players, none of them were stars – they have moved up to that platform whilst at Anfield.

Between them this term, they have 43 goals and 32 assists in all competitions. That has helped them stretch out a 22-point lead at the top of the Premier League table – the largest leading margin at the end of a matchday in top-flight history in England – whilst they are also safely through to the knockout rounds of the Champions League. It is irrelevant how good Sancho and Mbappe are, or anyone else for that matter – why disrupt a combination that clearly works? Unless one of those three requests a move, these potential new signings should not even be contemplated.

Meanwhile, this man was Liverpool’s weak link against Southampton.