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Tottenham reporter Charlie Eccleshare believes Spurs will try and sign an alternative attacking player in January, with a move for Fiorentina’s Dusan Vlahovic more likely next summer.

The Lowdown: Vlahovic links

Tottenham were after Vlahovic in the summer, however, as we know, a move never materialised.

Fiorentina owner Rocco Commisso revealed earlier this week that the 21-year-old won’t be penning new terms with the Serie A side, with his current contract up in 2023.

It appears as if Vlahovic is still on Tottenham’s radar, however, it seems as if another attacking addition will be heading to north London in the New Year.

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The Latest: Eccleshare’s claim

Eccleshare, Tottenham’s correspondent for The Athletic, answered various questions in a mailbag on Friday.

One of the questions he responded to was about Spurs’ plans for the January window.

He admitted that a move for Vlahovic is more likely next summer, however, he did reveal that director of football Fabio Paratici will be after an attacking acquisition in the winter window. Eccleshare name-checked Wolves winger Adama Traore as a player who could fit the bill over the coming months.

The Verdict: Exciting times

Spurs’ only attacking addition over the summer was Bryan Gil from Sevilla, with the club losing the services of loanees Gareth Bale and Carlos Vinicius prior to the 2021/22 campaign.

Erik Lamela went to Sevilla in a deal that brought Gil to London, so it seems as if Nuno Espirito Santo is in need of bolstering his ranks.

It appears as if Spurs will do all they can to do just that, with a move for Vlahovic potentially happening next summer.

In other news: ‘Perfect’ – Spurs pundit raves as Paratici eyes ‘top signing’ for Nuno, find out more here.

Sharing a live TV development out of Eastlands, Sky Sports have some big Manchester City transfer news involving River Plate striking sensation Julian Alvarez.

The Lowdown: Guardiola in striker hunt…

Over the summer, it is no secret that Pep Guardiola and sporting director Txiki Begiristain were on the hunt to sign a world-class out-and-out striker to boost City’s chances of retaining their 2020/21 Premier League crown.

Bids were lodged for Spurs superstar Harry Kane, with links even emerging to Cristiano Ronaldo during the latter stages of that transfer window.

City were ultimately unable to bring in a target of Guardiola’s desired calibre, but reliable reports have suggested that the Sky Blues will be on the lookout for a new forward addition as the main summer priority in 2022.

Borussia Dortmund striker Erling Haaland is seen as a top target with meetings planned (David Ornstein), but Sky Sports have now shared news out of Eastlands as the English champions also eye a star for the future.

The Latest: Sky Sports drop Alvarez to Man City news live on air…

As per the reliable broadcaster, sharing a live TV transfer update out of City, Begiristain and co are in talks to sign ‘exciting’ South American forward Alvarez.

“We’ve got some breaking transfer news here on Sky Sports News,” they explained (via Football Daily).

“We can reveal that Manchester City are in talks with River Plate striker Julian Alvarez, now sources in Buenos Aires have told us his release clause is somewhere in the region of £15 million-£17 million.

“They’ve tracked him for some time, along with a host of other top clubs, he’s 21-years-old, he’s been capped five times for Argentina, and he’s scored 36 goals in 96 appearances for River Plate.

“In that time, he’s also set up 25 goals as well, certainly an exciting player, and Manchester City are in talks with his club about bringing him to the Etihad.”

The Verdict: Get it done…

Journalists close to the club, such as Manchester Evening News correspondent Stuart Brennan, say that a move for the Argentine marksman would not affect City’s interest in signing Haaland or returning for Tottenham star Kane later this year.

Taking this into account, we implore Guardiola’s side to win the race for Alvarez given his sky-high potential and ‘meteoric rise to prominence’, as Brennan put it.

Additions from the Americas have worked out well for City thus far, with Brazil international Gabriel Jesus really coming into his own since signing from Palmeiras in a £27m deal in 2016. Still just 24 years old, he has racked up a brilliant 88 goals and 43 assists in 220 City appearances as he nears a century of goals under Guardiola.

Going by his own prolific record across the Atlantic, Alvarez could follow a similar trajectory and become a real favourite for the Citizens. For a meagre fee between £15m-£17m, this move really seems like a no-brainer.

In other news: ‘Yes please’, ‘Finally’, ‘We need him’…Man City fans erupt over ‘perfect’ transfer claim involving £146,000-per-week ace, find out more here.

Sunderland fans were livid with the performance of Aiden McGeady during their 1-0 defeat to Burton Albion on Tuesday evening.

The Black Cats started the season very promisingly, winning each of their first three games 2-1 in all competitions (Sky Sports).

They will have been confident of continuing that winning streak against Burton Albion this midweek, but they were defeated by a Jonny Smith goal. Lee Johnson’s side are still in a respectable eighth in the League One table, but this is no doubt a setback after such a strong start to the campaign.

McGeady was in fantastic form for Sunderland last term, managing six goals and 17 assists in all competitions (Transfermarkt). But so far this time around, he has been unable to find that same level of play. Against Burton, he once again failed to reach the standards that are expected of him given his undoubted ability.

The Sunderland fans were far from happy with what they saw from the £653,000-valued 35-year-old (Transfermarkt), and they took to social media platform Twitter to share their thoughts on his showing.

Let’s see what the fans had to say about McGeady below

“Absolute travesty of a result – we were infinitely the better team and the disallowed goal at the end summed it all up! That said though McGeady wants flogging for that miss in the first half – try that when you’re 3-0 up not at 0-0”

Credit: @Scookie555

“Promising performance, those two missed opportunities from Ross and McGeady cost us. It hurts more when you know you deserved to win. That linesman is my new nemesis.”

Credit: @fiona2608

“Maybe yeh mcgeady was off his game again, any news on Evans injury I’d bring him In for onien but got a feeling Johnson will bench Neil”

Credit: @chopper_safc

“I agree with that he’s looking a little unfit to me diamonds pace may be a better option or even hawkes”

Credit: @1charlie29

“Agree. Think he’s starting to fade unfortunately.”

Credit: @LdoubleE_87

“No, he was horrendous today but is levels above everyone else we’ve got on his day”

Credit: @safc28

In other news, Sunderland fans rage at these club struggles.

Tottenham Hotspur have been handed a transfer boost in their pursuit of Weston McKennie ahead of the January transfer window…

What’s the word?

According to Calciomercato, the 23-year-old’s future at Juventus is all but over for a number of reasons and Spurs are among the teams eyeing his signature.

McKennie has been dismissed from international duty with the USMNT for violating two Covid-19 protocols and it’s not the first time he has landed himself in hot water in this regard, having done the same during last season.

There are also concerns over the club’s finances and his fit in Massimiliano Allegri’s tactical system, so an exit at the turn of the year certainly seems more than likely at this stage.

The Serie A giants would ask for a fee in the region of €30m (£26m), with Premier League rivals Aston Villa also keen on signing him.

January boost

Spurs were first linked to the American during the summer transfer window but evidently, a move did not materialise. This latest update, however, should provide sporting director Fabio Paratici and co with renewed hope that a deal can be struck in the near future.

Given the uncertainty over the future of Tanguy Ndombele, who has now expressed his desire to leave the Lilywhites for a second time since his arrival in the summer of 2019, a swoop for McKennie could be a smart one to make, even despite his controversies.

He’s the sort of box-to-box midfielder that the Frenchman should have been in north London.

As per WhoScored, the £22.5m-rated Juventus dynamo has averaged 1.9 tackles, 1.8 interceptions, 1.5 dribbles and one key pass every 90 minutes since the start of the 2016/17 season.

Indeed, McKennie has been described as “an outstanding talent” by ex-Schalke boss David Wagner, who also added: “In the No.6 or No.8 position he has the mentality, a real working mentality that you need. And he’s brave on the ball as well. He can be one of the best midfielders in the Bundesliga.”

Also lauded as a “unique” option by USA coach Gregg Berhalter, the 6-foot powerhouse could hand Nuno Santo everything he’s lacking in Ndombele, who has only contributed eight goals and eight assists after a club-record £55m move over two years ago.

After this fresh transfer boost, Paratici and co must launch a bid for McKennie in January.

AND in other news, Spurs dealt cruel double injury blow ahead of Palace clash…

Crystal Palace attacker Eberechi Eze was in contention to be called up to Gareth Southgate’s standby list for the European Championship over the summer, according to Michael Bridge.

The Lowdown: Impressive debut season

Eze caught the eye of many Premier League clubs after scoring 14 goals and setting up another eight for QPR in the 2019/20 season and Palace won the fight to sign him as they paid just under £20m for him last summer.

The 23-year-old was involved in 10 goals in 34 appearances in his debut Premier League season, but it was curtained in the worst possible manner as he injured his Achilles in training with only two games remaining at the end of the campaign.

He hasn’t featured yet this season under Patrick Vieira, but he will be hoping to continue his impressive start to life in the Premier League when he fully recovers from that setback.

The Latest: England call-up was in the pipeline

Speaking to GiveMeSport, Bridge has made an astonishing claim about Eze and Southgate’s squad prior to Euro 2020 this summer, saying that the £18m-rated maestro was on the fringes of getting the call-up for the Three Lions for the tournament.

The Sky Sports journalist said: “Eze, I was told was potentially going to be on the England standby list for the Euros, the way he was playing.”

The Verdict: Still on the cards

Eze’s performances last season were often the shining light in a dreary campaign for Palace. His transition from the Championship to the Premier League seemed to be easy and his four goals and six assists were influential in Roy Hodgson keeping them up in his final year in charge.

With Wilfried Zaha and now Michael Olise in Vieira’s squad, Palace seem to be on the up with their attacking, high-pressing football and it could suit Eze perfectly. If he can come back and rediscover the goal contribution returns he produced prior to his injury, then a call-up to Southgate’s squad won’t be too far away.

With the 2022 World Cup still more than a year away, Eze has time to recover, get back into the Eagles’ XI and do all he can to be potentially called up to represent his nation on the biggest stage. It would be just reward after so cruelly being deprived of partaking in England’s Euro 2020 adventure.

In other news, a rumour linking this Premier League midfielder to Palace has one pundit puzzled. Find out more here.

Dean Windass has exclusively told The Transfer Tavern that some Tottenham fans could show their anger and boo Harry Kane against Manchester City on Sunday.

Kane delayed his return to the UK and skipped training last Monday as he tries to force a move to the Premier League champions following a summer of speculation linking him with Pep Guardiola’s men.

However, the striker has since taken to Instagram to deny those claims and said that he would never miss training and would be returning to Hotspur Way for pre-season.

With a lack of pre-season training under his belt, it looked extremely unlikely that Kane would be involved against City on opening-day this weekend.

But when speaking to Sky Sports earlier this week, Spurs manager Nuno Espirito Santo confirmed that his entire squad will be available for selection and specifically stated that Kane is one of those.

However, having failed to play a single minute in pre-season, a place on the bench would appear most likely for the England skipper.

When asked if he could get booed by his own supporters, Windass told The Transfer Tavern:

“Well, yeah course. Football fans are very fickle, and it changes very quickly. You don’t become a bad player overnight, but supporters will show their anger… if Harry starts against Manchester City, could you imagine that?”

Fabrizio Romano has delivered an encouraging update on Harry Kane’s situation at Tottenham Hotspur…

What’s the word?

The renowned Italian transfer expert dropped a fresh behind-the-scenes claim about the 28-year-old on a recent episode of his ‘Here We Go’ podcast this week.

“I want to say that Harry Kane, now with Antonio Conte, is super happy, he’s super happy,” he revealed.

“A lot of rumours, but I don’t see him leaving in January – let’s see what happens in the summer. But the relationship with Conte is very good, they feel each other as important for the future of the project.

“So Harry Kane knows that if Tottenham will be back for Champions League football, Antonio Conte is the man to do it. And Harry Kane knows that now with this manager, this is the plan for Tottenham: to win and to be back in Champions League football.

“And Antonio Conte loves Harry Kane, as he always says in public and he told him in private many times, ‘you will be my striker’. So this is the message from Conte and he wants Kane to stay for the future.”

His form must return

The England international was at the centre of one of the summer transfer window’s biggest sagas as a move to Premier League champions Manchester City looked to be on the cards following Euro 2020.

However, the switch failed to materialise and Kane has just not looked the same since.

He has found the net just twice in the Premier League this season, with six of his nine goals across other competitions coming against lowly opposition in the Europa Conference League.

Perhaps surprisingly, Kane has been linked with an exit once again heading into next month as reports in Spain suggest that Real Madrid are keen, whilst Pep Guardiola retains interest from the summer.

But that has been refuted by Romano in his claims above and that should delight the Spurs boss heading into a crucial second half of the season.

The Italian head coach must get his leading striker firing on all cylinders once again and it is hugely encouraging to learn that the Englishman is actually “super happy” at the club, so surely the form will follow if his mind is in the right place now.

Spurs have a genuine shot at making the top four this season as the north London outfit occupy seventh place, just five points adrift of the benchmark with three games in hand.

Elsewhere, Conte’s side have advanced into the semi-finals of the Carabao Cup, so there’s once again a real chance at ending their barren run without silverware.

The 52-year-old needs Kane, so this latest behind-the-scenes development should leave him, and the Lilywhites faithful, absolutely buzzing.

AND in other news, Forget Bergwijn: £36m-rated Spurs “monster” with 76 touches ran the show vs West Ham…

Sky Sports man Rob Dorsett has now revealed the latest on the future of Frank Lampard at Everton.

The Lowdown: Under pressure

After the 3-2 loss away at Burnley in the Premier League on Wednesday night, Lampard is now a man seriously under pressure at Goodison Park.

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That was his perilously above the relegation zone.

Nonetheless, the board now have a big decision to make over whether to stick with Lampard or bring in someone new to get them out of trouble.

The Latest: Lampard update

Taking to Twitter, Dorsett has now dropped an update on Lampard’s future in Merseyside, revealing that the board are not looking to change manager at this moment in time:

“Real concern in Efc board, I’m told, but feeling is changing manager won’t solve problems right now.

“That’s not to say Lampard safe for rest of season.

“Relegation could be massive for Everton, with few players in squad on contracts that auto-reduce if in Championship.”

The Verdict: Keep the faith

The Toffees simply need to keep the faith with Lampard for now as they cannot afford to chop and change again and have so much uncertainty around going into the last few matches of the season.

While Lampard has lost eight times, and they sit just above the drop zone, they have not sunk into the bottom three yet, and so staying up is still in their hands.

However, the former Chelsea and Derby County boss will need a reaction at home to Manchester United at Saturday lunchtime, or things could really start to get ugly.

In other news, find out what ‘massive’ Blues claim this injury expert has now dropped here!

Since Jurgen Klopp took over as manager of Liverpool back in October 2015, the German has delivered the club their first Premier League title and their sixth Champions League trophy, firmly cementing his place as a club legend.

In his time at Anfield, he has used a significant number of players in his team, but none more so than Roberto Firmino, who has made more appearances under Klopp at Liverpool (296) than any other player.

Since joining the Merseyside club from Hoffenheim back in the 2015 summer transfer window in a deal worth a reported fee of £29m, just a few months before Klopp set foot in Liverpool, the Brazilian has made a total of 303 appearances for the Reds across all competitions, scoring 93 goals and providing 70 assists along the way.

Despite making 11 appearances for Liverpool across all competitions so far this term, a recent report from The Athletic has claimed that Firmino has now gone past his peak age.

With this in mind, and with that the 30-year-old’s current contract set to expire in the summer of 2023, there’s every possibility that the club will be looking at potential long-term replacements for him in the near future.

Taking this into account, the Merseyside club may not have to look too far when it comes to an ideal long-term replacement for Firmino.

Teenage centre-forward Oakley Cannonier rose to fame when he made a quick throw to set up the famous corner which was quickly taken by Trent Alexander-Arnold to assist Divock Origi in their 4-0 win over Barcelona in the Champions League back in 2019 when he was a ball boy, which led to him being called “intelligent” by Jose Mourinho.

During his time in the club’s youth ranks, the 17-year-old has impressively scored 16 goals in as many appearances for Liverpool’s under-18 side, with 12 of those goals coming in eight league appearances this season.

Not only does this show what a goalscoring hotshot he has been for the under-18s, it also suggests that he could well go on to become Liverpool’s long-term centre-forward by the time Firmino leaves. That would be very exciting for fans at the club to see another young hero work his way through the youth ranks to become a regular goalscoring figure for the first team.

Also, with Firmino having been questioned in the past over his goalscoring consistency, it doesn’t seem as though Cannonier would have this issue if he continues to rack up as many goals as he has been doing in recent times.

In other news – Time to shine: Klopp must unleash “quality” LFC gem after James Pearce drops big blow

Leeds United target Khvicha Kvaratskhelia is closing in on a move to Napoli, according to Fabrizio Romano.

The Lowdown: Leeds interest in Kvaratskhelia

The Whites were linked with a move for the 21-year-old ahead of the January transfer window. An offer in the region of £18m would have been enough for the winger at the time, but as we know, Victor Orta didn’t add to Leeds’ senior ranks during the winter market.

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Leeds were once again name-checked with an interest in Kvaratskhelia last month, but it looks as if he won’t be making the move to Yorkshire ahead of Jesse Marsch’s first season in charge.

The Latest: Napoli move

Romano took to Twitter in the early hours of Tuesday morning to reveal that Napoli are closing in on a move for Kvaratskhelia.

The Georgia international, who was also wanted by Tottenham, is now ready to accept the proposal from the Serie A title challengers.

The Verdict: Raphinha replacement needed?

Kvaratskhelia may have been viewed as a replacement for Raphinha, who has been heavily linked with a move to Barcelona. The Brazilian is thought to be in advanced talks over a move to the Nou Camp, but it doesn’t look as if the Georgian will be arriving as a possible replacement.

Orta may now look elsewhere, with Leeds checking in on Nottingham Forest gem Brennan Johnson, who is a similar age to Kvaratskhelia and has netted 14 Championship goals this season.

Attacking reinforcements appear to be needed at Elland Road over the coming months, both out wide and at centre-forward following Patrick Bamford’s injury struggles, so it could be a busy summer around Elland Road.

In other news: Phil Hay has his say on ‘horrible’ Leeds ace who Marsch and Orta now want to offload