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Tottenham will almost certainly invest in their midfield next summer, and a whopping 89 per cent of fans think they should move for Ruben Loftus-Cheek.

Tottenham could be facing a complete overhaul in the middle of the park next summer, as both Mousa Dembele and Victor Wanyama are expected to leave the club.

Dembele will be out of contract at the end of the season, meaning the club may even be tempted to sell the Belgian in January for a small profit.

[brid autoplay=”true” video=”326259″ player=”12034″ title=”Liverpool Or Chelsea For The Title Forget it!”]

Wanyama meanwhile has struggled with injuries throughout his time in North London, and could leave in search of regular playing time.

Loftus-Cheek could be the perfect signing, as the towering youngster can play several different positions in the middle of the park.

The 22 year-old is simply not getting the chance to shine at Stamford Bridge, and Mauricio Pochettino is the best in the business at transforming young English talent.

A huge majority of fans want to sign the England international, and you can view the full poll results down below…

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On Saturday 13th November 2004, Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal took to the field at White Hart Lane and then proceeded to serve up a scintillating footballing spectacle that encapsulated the spirit of all a derby can, and perhaps should, be.

In a twisting, nerve-jangling, joyously exuberant expression of footballing joie-de-vivre, the old enemies – each suitably clad in white and navy, on the part of the hosts, and red and white, in the case of the visitors – shed nerves, inhibitions, and, lets face it, all tactical discipline, in the name of delivering an absolute rollercoaster of a match.

The Gunners were the favourites. Though, to embrace the cliche, such trifling concerns as form and talent dwindle into irrelevance on derby day. 

That’s not to suggest that Spurs didn’t boast a side packed with real quality. Ledley King, Michael Carrick, and the lethal pairing of Robbie Keane and Jermain Defoe lent Martin Jol’s team a spine that would be the envy of most. Jol himself was taking charge of his first league match as Spurs boss since taking over from Jacques Santini.

Playmaker FC Exclusive: Jermaine Jenas makes bold prediction for North London Derby – Check out the video below…

Arsene Wenger’s outfit were an altogether different beast. The reigning Premiership (as it was then known) champions, whose historic 49-game unbeaten run had been brought to an end only a month earlier, were one of the finest sides in Europe. The likes of Thierry Henry, Dennis Bergkamp, Patrick Vieira, Robert Pires, and an impudently talented teenager by the name of Cesc Fabregas, rocked up to White Hart Lane intent on making their superiority utterly unquestionable.

Things did not immediately go to plan for Arsenal. Hot-tempered German Jens Lehmann was by far the busier of the two goalkeepers for the majority of the first half. After 36 minutes, Spurs took a deserved lead via a volleyed finish from Noureddine Naybet.

Spurs continued to swarm forward, and on the stroke of half-time, were punished for their aggression. Arsenal right-back Lauren clipped an inch-perfect ball over the top of the retreating Tottenham rearguard. The Gunners’ talismanic striker, Henry, expertly took the ball down before poking it home past the despairing Paul Robinson.

It meant that these fierce rivals went in at the break on level terms. A harsh outcome from a Tottenham perspective.

In the second period, though, Wenger’s side asserted their dominance. 

Ten minutes after the restart, Freddie Ljungberg was hauled down in the box and referee Steve Bennett pointed to the spot. Adding a goal to his earlier assist, Lauren stepped up to send Robinson the wrong way.

Moments later, a shambolic mix up at the back allowed Vieira to rob the ball in Spurs’ half and bear down on the home team’s goal. With only Robinson to beat, the Arsenal captain clipped the ball into the back of the net. With the visitors 3-1 up it ought to have been over. It wasn’t.

Less than two minutes later, Defoe took matters into his own hands, and in a repeat of Vieira’s earlier trick, took possession of the ball in the Arsenal final third and opted to simply charge at the opposition defence. Unhindered, he arrived at the edge of the box before gloriously dispatching the ball into the top corner. White Hart Lane erupted. Chaos reigned.

Less than ten minutes later, the two goal cushion was restored, as Fabregas slipped a delightful reverse pass through a gap in the Spurs defence which set Ljungberg loose to sweep home.

Guess what? Ledley King popped up with a header to reduce the arrears once more. It took the Arsenal substitute, Pires, to produce a dazzling shift of the feet and smart finish to once against restore the Gunners’ two goal advantage. Again, it didn’t last, as Freddie Kanoute popped up to briefly re-stoke the fading embers of a game that had finally burned itself out. The final score, Tottenham 4-5 Arsenal.

We may never see a north London derby of its like again. It was, though, a ninety minutes that epitomised the spirit of the fixture. 

Things are very different today. White Hart Lane and Arsene Wenger are gone. None of the players on the pitch on that day in 2004 still represent either club. Gone are the days of Invincible Arsenal; Spurs are currently the ascendant side in north London.

One thing will never change though, on derby day, these two clubs have the capacity to produce Premier League magic. Here’s hoping for another dose on Sunday.

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Manchester City’s unbeaten start to their Premier League season came to an end on Saturday as they lost 2-0 to Chelsea at Stamford Bridge, despite dominating large portions of the game, and there was one tactical mistake that Pep Guardiola made that cost his side.

The Citizens started the game at a blistering tempo, but Raheem Sterling and Leroy Sane both squandered chances to take the lead. Then, with just a minute left of the first-half, David Luiz’s pinpoint cross-field diagonal opened up the City defence.

Spanish winger Pedro took the ball down before finding Willian, and Eden Hazard eventually carried the ball into the box before laying it back for N’Golo Kante to slam home.

Playmaker FC Exclusive: Jermaine Jenas reveals he would have snubbed Tottenham for Arsenal if they’d come knocking in 2005…

Chelsea never really got hold of the game, in fact they only had 38 per cent of the possession, but they always looked the more likely to get the next goal. It eventually arrived in the 78th minute as centre-back David Luiz rose highest from a corner to glance the ball home.

The mistake that Guardiola made though was playing 33-year-old Fernandinho in central midfield alongside the attack-minded David Silva and Bernardo Silva.

The Brazilian certainly had a good game, but given that the Catalan boss likes to play with attacking full-backs, he was essentially being asked to play as a third defender whilst also covering the whole of the midfield.

This was exploited by Chelsea for the first goal. Fernandinho did his job as he dropped onto the penalty spot to head away the initial cross from Willian, but when Hazard played the ball back into space there was no defensively-minded midfielder there to track the run of Kante.

Looking at the stats, it is hard to criticise Fernandinho at all. Defensively, he made six tackles, two clearances and one interception. However, the end result of the game proves that against the top six, Guardiola must offer him more protection.

Fernandinho has been a fantastic servant for City, and it is credit to him that he still seems to be at the top of his game, but given his age he will burn out quicker than he used to, and he cannot be asked to cover so often when the opposition have quality in midfield.

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Manchester United defender Phil Jones will see his contract at Old Trafford expire at the end of the season, and West Ham United should make a move for the Englishman.

What’s the word, then?

Jones is one of a number of United stars out of contract at the end of this season, but it is understood that the Red Devils will soon activate a 12-month extension.

It is thought that the activation is purely to protect the value of the defender, however, rather than to reflect his importance to the team.

Jones was once regarded as one of the best young talents in the English game, but the former Blackburn Rovers defender has just not kicked on over the last few seasons.

The England international made just his sixth appearance of the 2018-19 campaign against Valencia in the Champions League on Wednesday night.

But the centre-back had a bit of a stinker at the Mestalla, scoring an own goal in United’s 2-1 defeat to the struggling La Liga outfit.

There is a player in there somewhere, however, and West Ham should explore the possibility of signing Jones in a cut-price deal.

Why should West Ham make a move?

Sir Alex Ferguson once claimed that Jones could go on to become one of United’s greatest ever players.

There is no question that the 5ft 11in ace has talent, and whilst it has not quite happened in the last few seasons, Jones still has time on his side.

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Indeed, the defender will not turn 27 until February, and he is just two appearances shy of 200 for United in all competitions.

When considering that Jones could be available for a relatively affordable price, the deal would be appealing to West Ham.

Jones has not become the player that many thought he would, but a switch to the Hammers could well bring about a change in fortunes.

After finishing second in their Champions League group, Liverpool were given a tough draw in the first knockout round of the competition with German giants Bayern Munich now awaiting them. 

And while Niko Kovac’s men have had their struggles in the Bundesliga this season, they certainly possess enough quality to beat almost any team on their day with Manuel Neuer certainly fancying his side’s chances ahead of the tie.

The Breakdown

Speaking on Liverpool following yesterday’s draw (Goal), the Bayern Munich captain said: “They’re having a very good season and we know they were in the Champions League final last year.

“They certainly won’t be delighted with the draw, either. They can counter quickly and they’re dangerous in front of goal, but they’re also vulnerable, as we’ve seen, and they’ll be up against a good Bayern attack.”

Being a club of their stature, Bayern will never go into any game feeling like the inferior team. But even so, Neuer is probably not giving Liverpool the respect they deserve, a Liverpool team who are more than capable of winning the upcoming clash between the two European heavyweights. Right now, there is arguably not a better team in world football than Jurgen Klopp’s side.

And with the way Bayern have defended at times this season, if anyone is vulnerable, it is them with neither Jerome Boateng or Mats Hummels looking like the high-calibre centre-halves everyone had become accustomed to watching in recent years.

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According to Spanish publication El Confidencial, Arsenal are keen on a move for Real Madrid’s Keylor Navas and a deal could be struck for a fee of around €14m (£12.6m), as the Costa Rican has slipped behind Thibaut Courtois in the pecking order.

Bernd Leno made the switch from Bayer Leverkusen to the Gunners in the summer as the north London outfit looked to find an upgrade on the waning Petr Cech, but the German has let far too many an error creep into his game – the report suggests that Unai Emery doesn’t trust him to iron these out ay time soon as a move for Navas is in the pipeline.

The former Levante man has made just eight appearances in all competitions this season, despite being a mainstay between the sticks under Zinedine Zidane, as he became a triple Champions League winner.

At 32, the custodian could still have a good few years at the top of his game and these Arsenal fans are desperate to see him make the switch to the Emirates – you can find the best of the reaction on Twitter below…

Playmaker FC believes Arsenal fans won’t have to wait long to see Unai Emery’s long-term ambitions for the club come to fruition. Watch the video above to find out why…

Tottenham lost ground on Liverpool and Manchester City at the weekend after Wolves completed a brilliant comeback at Wembley, though did get back on track against Cardiff.

Spurs got off to the best possible start when Harry Kane lashed a vicious effort into the top corner leaving Rui Patricio stranded in the Wolves net. However, Wolves looked far the better team after the interval and deservedly equalised when Willy Boly headed home from a corner. Only minutes later, they were ahead when Raul Jimenez slid the ball past Hugo Lloris before Helder Costa made it three in the closing minutes.

The result means Liverpool are now nine points clear of the Lilywhites at the top of the Premier League, dealing a huge blow to Mauricio Pochettino’s title hopes. Tottenham lacked energy in the second half and were ran ragged by Nuno Espirito Santo’s men. The result should make the former Southampton boss realise that opening his chequebook now the January transfer window is open may not be a bad idea.

One man he could target is Zenit St Petersburg dynamo – Leandro Paredes. Valued at £22.5m by Transfermarkt, the Argentine moved to Russia last summer, completing a £20m move from Roma. Paredes was an instant hit in St. Petersburg, becoming an integral part of the team and earning a regular spot in the Argentina national team.

Yet again, Paredes has been in top form for his side during the current campaign. The defensive midfielder loves to dictate the tempo of the game and has managed to score three goals and register two assists for his team-mates in the league. The 22-year-old loves to get stuck in and reads the game well, meaning he would offer another layer of protection the Spurs back four. His long range of passing and expert vision makes him the perfect player for Pochettino’s 4-2-3-1 system in North London.

Paredes is still developing and improving – under Pochettino’s tutelage – he could become world-class.

Tottenham fans, thoughts?

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Andy Carroll’s future at West Ham United is far from secure.

Indeed, the centre-forward will see his current deal with the Hammers expire at the end of the season and it is unclear whether he will be signing an extension.

The 29-year-old has recovered from injury to feature for West Ham in recent weeks and actually scored his first goal of the season against Birmingham City in the third round of the FA Cup on Saturday afternoon.

Carroll’s record of 34 goals in 137 West Ham appearances is not terrific, but there is no question that injuries have not helped the forward.

On his day, Carroll is a very, very dangerous striker.

And with that in mind, we recently asked the Leeds United fans whether they wanted their club to move for the 6ft 4in ace at the end of the season.

As it transpired, 61% of the Leeds supporters polled said that they would not be interested in signing Carroll despite his Premier League credentials.

The full results of the poll can be seen below:

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Notts County recently confirmed that they had agreed to terminate Terry Hawkridge’s contract early so that he could complete a move to another club.

That new club has since been confirmed as National League side Solihull Moors.

The 28-year-old winger was on the fringes of Neal Ardley’s Notts squad this season, making just a handful of League Two appearances. 

Despite always working hard for the team, and being a favourite amongst the Magpies faithful, a move away from Meadow Lane was necessary for the sake of his career. He may feel, though, that Ardley didn’t give him a fair chance at proving his worth this season.

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The former Mansfield and Lincoln City wideman will now be hopeful of getting back to playing week in, week out with new club Solihull Moors. 

Plenty of Notts County fans on Twitter have expressed sadness at seeing Hawkridge go. Here’s a look at some of the reaction to the news of his departure…

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Everton are in desperate need of a centre forward, and reports in Italy suggest they could be set land one of Europe’s most underrated goalscorers – ex Manchester City star Edin Dzeko.

What’s the word?

According to Il Messaggero, Everton are interested in Dzeko, who has started just 11 of Roma’s 19 Serie A games so far this campaign.

The 32 year-old won the Premier League twice during his time with Manchester City, and has since gone on to score 80 times in 158 appearances for Roma.

He has fallen by the wayside slightly this season though, and with his contract expiring in 2020 this could be the perfect time for the Toffees to make a move.

Check out Neymar’s controversial new haircut for 2019 and Xherdan Shaqiri as you’ve never seen him before in the video below…

Perfect swap?

HITC have recommended a swap deal, which would see Morgan Schneiderlin move to Rome with Dzeko coming the other way, and it is definitely something Marcel Brands should consider.

The Daily Mail have reported that Roma want the French midfielder, who having played just 287 Premier League minutes this season is surely looking for a fresh start.

Schneiderlin is three years younger than Dzeko, but there’s no doubt Everton would be getting the better half of the swap.

Is he good enough?

There’s no telling how the 32 year-old will readjust to life back in the Premier League, but you’d be hard pushed to find another striker on the market with 50 Premiership goals and two winners’ medals.

The Bosnia and Herzegovina international, who has scored 55 times in 99 games for his country, has bagged seven times in all competitions this season, with five of those strikes coming in the Champions League.

His ability to hold the ball up and make those around him better would be perfect for young attackers like Richarlison and Ademola Lookman, and his goalscoring record speaks for itself.

So, Everton fans, would you back a move for 32 year-old Dzeko? Let us know your thoughts by voting in the poll below…