Tottenham Hotspur’s N17 draw against Sunderland to kick off 2026 was imperfect, but it did suggest that Thomas Frank has been receptive to the criticism that has come his way.

It was an improvement on the drab goalless draw at Brentford days before, though admittedly, it would have been a feat to have produced a more lifeless and uninspiring display than that one.

Premier League 25/26 – Lowest xG Totals

Team

Goals Scored

xG

West Ham

21

20.5

Wolves

14

19.0

Tottenham

28

18.9

Burnley

20

17.6

Sunderland

21

16.8

Data via FBref

Tottenham need more impetus and verve in the centre of the park, and the right acquisition could have a transformative effect on the wider

system.

One of the most exciting young midfielders in the Premier League has been earmarked.

Spurs lining up Premier League midfielder

Tottenham’s usual midfield duo consists of Rodrigo Bentancur and Joao Palhinha. Both stars lack the multi-dimensionality to charge Tottenham’s midfield and provide playmaking support to sit alongside their natural defensive strengths.

Tottenham are searching for energy and inspiration. The current crop are too tentative and inanimate in the middle of the park.

Brighton talent Carlos Baleba could be the answer to the Londoners’ problems. According to Caught Offside, Spurs are in the mix for the 22-year-old, ready to challenge long-term suitors Manchester United.

Valued at around £87m, he wouldn’t come cheap, but it’s tacitly accepted at the AMEX that his dip in performances and the abiding interest in his signature point toward a departure in 2026.

Despite a poor season on the south coast, the Cameroon international has the potential to become one of the best in the world, perhaps even growing into Spurs’ new version of Mousa Dembele.

Why Baleba could be Spurs' new Dembele

Baleba was immense for Brighton last season, with his performances leading analyst Ben Mattinson to describe him as “one of the best midfielders in the league” last year.

After an intense Man United-centred transfer saga last year, Baleba has struggled for form this season, but with such potential and a proven ability to perform in the Premier League, he could bring the spark that has been lacking.

This complete midfielder might even establish himself as the next Dembele, especially given that he would join from a divisional rival.

Carlos Baleba’s Premier League Form

Stats (* per game)

24/25

25/26

Matches (starts)

34 (31)

16 (14)

Goals

3

0

Assists

1

0

Touches*

54.0

32.3

Accurate passes*

33.6 (88%)

19.9 (86%)

Chances created*

0.6

0.2

Succ. dribbles*

1.0 (62%)

0.4 (58%)

Ball recoveries*

5.8

3.2

Tackles + interceptions*

3.7

2.0

Duels (won)*

5.9 (55%)

3.1 (46%)

Data via Sofascore

Baleba hasn’t been at the races for a while, but he’s still a physical and athletic force. As per FBref, he ranks among the top 21% of midfielders across Europe for successful take-ons and the top 13% for ball recoveries per 90, as well as the top 15% for aerial duel success rate.

Dembele, too, knew something of the art of progression. The retired Belgian midfielder has secured cult status in north London, playing across seven campaigns and drawing praise from many around him, with countryman Kevin De Bruyne even claiming he was “the best in the world” during his prime.

So silky on the ball and industrious when against the run of play, Dembele made it tick in the middle, so intelligent and aware of his surroundings.

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Baleba isn’t there yet, but he’s shown that he can develop into a Premier League superstar. Indeed, the young Cameroonian has been described as a “monster” of a midfielder by football scout Antonio Mango.

Given that Dembele took a while to get himself up to speed after joining the club from Fulham over a decade ago, it’s clear that Baleba could be a consummate success if signed.

Sure, he’s not at his peak, and he’s inconsistent, but there is such talent there, and he would add not one but a range of dimensions to a static Spurs midfield.

Related Big Johnson upgrade: Spurs make "incredible" £28m talent a new top target

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Leeds United look set to be dealt a big blow ahead of their upcoming matches as supporters wait to hear exactly how long Joe Rodon will be out injured for.

After the Wales international went off with an ankle injury in the first half against Sunderland, Daniel Farke has since confirmed that the centre-back will be out of action for around three weeks with ligament damage.

Rodon, as outlined in the post above, is set to miss a league game after 104 consecutive starts, which is some achievement from the former Tottenham Hotspur defender.

This means that Leeds will have to adjust to defending without the Welsh titan in the backline for the first time in a long time, whilst having to defend against Hugo Ekitike and Florian Wirtz.

Leeds eyeing move for Premier League defender

The Whites already have one eye on how they may replace Rodon in the short-term, as they are looking at signing another central defender.

Transfer Focus

Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.

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According to Football Insider, Leeds United are plotting a move to sign Chelsea centre-back Axel Disasi in the upcoming January transfer window.

The report claims that the West Yorkshire outfit have set their sights on signing the French central defender to bolster Farke’s options at the back as a result of Rodon’s ankle injury.

It adds that the Whites want to sign the former Monaco man on loan for the second-half of the 2025/26 campaign, to compete with Pascal Struijk, Jaka Bijol, and Rodon, when he is available.

Football Insider also reveals that Chelsea are keen to offload the £80k-per-week defender in January, but they are unable to send him out on an international loan as they have already filled all of their spots, handing Leeds a boost in the race for his signature.

Why Disasi is a perfect Rodon replacement

Leeds should sign Disasi because he has the potential to be the perfect replacement for the Welshman in the next three weeks and if he is out for any further time.

Even when the Wales international returns to action, the French defender would still be a brilliant replacement for him as a rotation option, or as competition for Bijol and Struijk.

It has not worked out for Disasi at Stamford Bridge, with zero minutes in all competitions this season, but his Premier League form for Chelsea in his debut season and on loan at Aston Villa last term suggest that he can be a good option for Leeds.

Flopping for a team competing for the top four and winning trophies, as Disasi has, does not mean that he is not good enough to be a key player for a side looking to avoid relegation, as Leeds are.

Rodon is the perfect example of that. He only played 24 times for Tottenham, per Transfermarkt, before his move to Leeds, and he has started every Premier League game so far this season for the Whites, although that streak looks set to end this week.

Axel Disasi (Premier League)

23/24

24/25

Appearances

31

13

Goals

2

1

Pass accuracy

91%

90%

Ground duel success rate

62%

52%

Aerial duel success rate

69%

62%

Error led to goal

0

1

Clean sheets

5

2

Stats via Sofascore

As you can see in the table above, Disasi has only made one error that led to a goal in 44 Premier League games so far, and has been incredibly dominant in the air.

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Rodon, meanwhile, has made one error that led to a goal and won 69% of his ground duels and 54% of his aerial duels in 18 Premier League appearances this season, per Sofascore.

This suggests that Disasi, who was described as a “complete” and “dominant” defender by talent scout Jacek Kulig, may even offer more quality to Leeds as an aerial presence, winning a higher percentage of his contests in the air, whilst both players rarely make catastrophic mistakes.

The chart above, comparing Disasi’s first season at Chelsea with Rodon’s form this season, suggests that they both excel in similar areas, which means that the Frenchman could be a perfect replacement for the Welsh star.

The 27-year-old star has the Premier League experience and proven quality to hit the ground running, as he did at Villa last term, as a fantastic short-term loan option for Leeds, offering them instant quality as an aerially dominant defender to take Rodon’s place in the next few weeks.

Related Leeds were ready to sell star, now he's as undroppable as Calvert-Lewin

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Rangers boss Gio van Bronckhorst must brutally axe Steven Davis from his squad at Ibrox during the upcoming summer transfer window.

The central midfielder is out of contract at the start of June and Ross Wilson should allow him to move on instead of offering him fresh terms to extend his stay in Glasgow.

Ally McCoist previously dubbed him as “out of this world” but his time at Ibrox may now be coming to an end as others players have stepped ahead of him.

He has been a fine servant to the Gers and was crucial in the title success last season under Steven Gerrard. Davis averaged a SofaScore rating of 7.06 across 35 appearances, making 3.0 tackles and interceptions per game and completing 89% of his attempted passes.

The Northern Ireland international has found game time hard to come by under van Bronckhorst and has only started nine games in the Premiership so far – one of those coming since the Dutchman joined in November.

This suggests that the ex-Feyenoord coach does not believe he is better than the other options in his side, which could make it a waste of money to extend the player’s contract.

Aaron Ramsey and James Sands have both been brought in to compete in the central areas, but another player has already replaced the £13k-per-week dud in the squad – John Lundstram.

The summer 2021 signing on a free transfer from Sheffield United has hit a rich vein of form this month and is establishing himself as a big player for the Gers. He scored a superb goal against Borussia Dortmund and has formed a solid partnership with Ryan Jack in midfield, with his emergence showing that van Bronckhorst has faith in him to perform.

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When you then throw in Joe Aribo, Scott Arfield and Glen Kamara, along with Ramsey and Sands, into the mix it starts to get a bit crowded in the middle of the park for Rangers. All of the aforementioned players appear to be ahead of Davis in the head coach’s plans and that is why he should be moved on at the end of the season.

The 37-year-old can either retire or head out elsewhere to play regular football before the end of his career. It would be a shame to see him waste his final years as a player sitting on the sidelines watching on as a last-reserve for the Gers, which is why he should be released this summer.

AND in other news,  £5.6k-p/w wasted: Rangers liability has been ransacking Wilson’s pockets for 56 weeks…

Speaking to Football Insider, pundit Gabriel Agbonlahor of talkSPORT has let rip into three ‘overrated’ West Ham United players.

The Lowdown: No backing in January…

Following what was a regrettable January transfer window, manager David Moyes will have to contend with his current crop as he aims to guide the Hammers to Champions League qualification whilst keeping their Europa League dreams alive.

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West Ham are now out of the FA Cup following last night’s disappointing 3-1 away defeat to Southampton and, depending on their European chase, face the prospect of going trophy-less for another campaign.

Moyes will need some members of his squad to rediscover their best form with Agbonlahor not impressed with three Irons stars in particular.

The Latest: Agbonlahor slams ‘overrated’ trio…

Speaking to FI, the ex-Aston Villa striker has ripped into Said Benrahma, Pablo Fornals and Manuel Lanzini – simply stating they don’t offer enough threat for Moyes.

“Apart from Antonio and Bowen, there are no other attacking players in that squad that I rate,” he explained.

“I think Benrahma is overrated, I think Lanzini and Fornals are overrated, they’re average. They need more help, they need more pace on the wings.

“I like Bowen on the right but can they get more pace on the left-wing? Benrahma drifts out of games and is subbed early.”

The Verdict: Right to criticise?

According to WhoScored, Agbonlahor may be right to single out members of this trio, but others remain up for debate.

Lanzini, for example, could arguably be questioned given he is statistically one of West Ham’s worst performers in the Premier League – averaging a 6.68 match rating and ranking among the lowliest of Moyes’ performers (WhoScored).

However, while there is evidence of Benrahma ‘drifting out’, he’s also averaged the third-most shots at goal per 90 with only Jarrod Bowen and Michail Antonio managing more goals/assists combined (WhoScored) – perhaps indicating he can still be a threat.

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Fornals, who has made the joint-second most key passes per 90 for West Ham in England’s top flight, is another who comes in as a mixed bag – with the Spaniard also among West Ham’s best in terms of goals/assists this season.

The fact these players are attracting such fierce criticism could bring into debate the validity of stats in certain cases, but one thing is for certain, Moyes will need the best out of Fornals, Benrahma and Lanzini if West Ham wish to finish 2021/2022 strongly.

In other news: Insider: Moyes’ brand new transfer demand could now spell the end for ‘fantastic’ West Ham player, find out more here.

When it comes to the full-back positions, Celtic haven’t exactly brought in great quality with the Hoops devoid of many first-class options in Ange Postecoglou’s ranks at Parkhead.

Take Boli Bolingoli for example. The Belgian full-back was the subject of a rather stern telling off from Neil Lennon when the current pandemic was at its peak.

He visited Spain on an unsanctioned trip, failed to isolate when he came home and as a result, put the entirety of Celtic’s playing and coaching staff at huge risk of the virus.

But then there’s Greg Taylor as well, someone who is rather divisive in Glasgow.

Capable of bursting forward from full-back and delivering a cross, he is arguably the closest thing the Bhoys have had to Kieran Tierney since he departed for Arsenal.

Yet, met with inconsistency and injuries, he’s hardly an ideal long-term heir.

Of course, Josip Juranovic has deputised ably in that position at times since Postecoglou signed him but they didn’t half make a messy situation out of one of their former academy gems, someone who would now be their first choice every week.

That happens to be Aaron Hickey, a player who Celtic let go in his mid-teens to Hearts and then failed to bring back to Paradise in two successive summers.

The Hoops have long been linked with a move to bring him back into the fold but after a £1.5m sale to Serie A side Bologna, his path now looks destined for greater things.

The 19-year-old has been labelled an “exceptional talent” by Daniel Stendel and has even been compared to Sergio Busquets due to his ability to feature in a holding midfield role too.

Yet, it’s on the left-hand side of defence, an area that needs obvious improvement long-term at Celtic, that he’s become a star in.

As a teenager, he has quickly become one of the most promising young defenders in Italy, scoring four times and assisting a strike in 2021/22 so far.

Furthermore, he ranks in the top 1% of full-backs across Europe’s top five leagues over the last year for shot on-target percentage, and in the same 1% for fouls drawn by an opponent per 90 minutes.

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With those stats in mind, it would appear that not only did Celtic lose a tricky defender from their academy, but they have also missed a golden chance to bring him back to Glasgow.

Sadly, any chance of luring him back has now gone as well, with Transfermarkt valuing the Scot at a whopping £11.7m, an increase of 766% on what he was sold for and surely miles out of Postecoglou’s price range.

It’s fair to say they will have plenty of regrets about Hickey.

AND in other news, Forget Jota: Celtic ace with 78 touches today is no longer Parkhead’s “walking joke”…

As per Sky Sports Germany, some very interesting transfer news has now come out of Manchester City as the club lay out their summer transfer plans for manager Pep Guardiola.

The Lowdown: Sky Blues eyeing summer moves…

The Sky Blues are reliably reported to be eyeing a striker this summer transfer window with Guardiola himself confirming his belief that City will try to sign one.

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Txiki Begiristain, sporting director of the Premier League champions, reportedly has Borussia Dortmund star Erling Braut Haaland among his list of priority targets.

Meetings have apparently been held with the Norwegian’s super agent, Mino Raiola, but City face major competition for the elite forward as Real Madrid are also contenders for his signature.

Now, as Sky share news, it appears Guardiola, Begiristain and the club are eyeing an alternative whom Citizens will be very familiar with.

The Latest: Sky lift lid on City transfer plan…

According to their information, Man City will now ‘start a new attempt’ to sign Tottenham Hotspur star Harry Kane.

The England international, who was at the centre of four Sky Blue approaches to sign him last summer, is apparently ‘anything but averse’.

Sky reporter Marc Behrenbeck goes on to say that Kane ‘wants to try again to go to Manchester City’ as he pursues a move to Eastlands.

The Verdict: Big claim…

Chairman Daniel Levy and Spurs proved difficult to deal with last year as City ultimately faltered in their attempts to back Guardiola with a world class striker.

Multi-million pound bids were sent Tottenham’s way but to no avail as the English frontrunners, again, improvise without a recognised centre-forward.

Guardiola’s men have thrived with the use of a false-nine system which seemingly gets the very best out of their inter-changing attacking midfielders across City’s forward line.

It remains to be seen where Kane would fit in, depending on whether Begiristain can prise him away from north London, but he has been revered for his link-up play as well as his proficiency in front of goal.

Journalist Matt Law even called the 28-year-old ‘underrated’ while Guardiola himself has never held back in his praise of the 67-cap England star.

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City’s boss has labelled Kane ‘incredible’ but we believe a swoop for Haaland should be prioritised regardless.

The Bundesliga ace’s €75 million (£63m) release clause, which comes into effect in June, is a major incentive to move and his younger age also sees Haaland come as more value for money.

Dortmund’s sensation, scoring 16 goals in just 13 league starts, certainly stands out above all other options.

In other news: Man City re-join race for ‘big-name’ 2020 target as price tag drops by 85%! Find out more here.

Celtic forward Kyogo Furuhashi has been spotted in a behind the scenes training clip, The Daily Record report. 

The Lowdown: ‘Nowhere’ near return

Furuhashi has played just 15 minutes of Premiership action in Celtic’s last 14 league games due to a hamstring injury.

Ange Postecoglou admitted towards the end of February that the striker was ‘nowhere’ near a return, whereas David Turnbull was almost back in training.

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Turnbull has now returned to full training at Lennoxtown this week along with Jota after he missed the win against Dundee United in what is a timely double boost, and it seems as if things are getting better and better for the Hoops.

The Latest: Blink and you’ll miss it

The Daily Record shared images from Celtic’s official Instagram page, where they focused on right-back Josip Juranovic.

Eagled-eyed viewers spotted Furuhashi in the background training on his own, with the forward having a ball at his feet.

The Verdict: After the international break?

Journalist Mark Guidi suggested earlier this month that Furuhashi could return at the beginning of April, and it seems as if this may well be the case following the official images of him in training.

Celtic have a Parkhead clash with Ross County to navigate prior to the international break, which will give the forward more time to recover ahead of the trip to Ibrox on April 3.

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Seeing the forward back out on the grass at Lennoxtown is unexpected, however, it is a huge boost knowing their top scorer could be weeks away from a return.

In other news: BBC Radio 5 Live man hits out at Celtic player after penning Parkhead deal worth whopping £2.9m. 

Wolves are looking set for a busy summer transfer window, with a number of players expected to leave the club, like Fernando Marcal, who is reportedly set to move to Brazilian outfit Botafogo in the summer upon the expiry of his contract.

Meanwhile, Ruben Neves, Morgan Gibbs-White and Max Kilman have all been linked with moves away too, and Joao Moutinho and Romain Saiss have both still not signed new contracts.

To compound the misery on Wolves fans, Barcelona could trigger a clause that will see Adama Traore move permanently to Catalonia, after impressing so far in his loan spell with the La Liga club, setting up four goals in ten appearances.

With Francisco Trincao also just on-loan in the West Midlands, and having not entirely convinced fans of his quality yet, as well as new signing Chiquinho still adjusting to England, it would make sense if the club heads into the transfer market to find a replacement.

Valencia star Goncalo Guedes and Benfica ace Rafa Silva have both been heavily linked this week with summer moves to Molineux, but should the club decide upon spending their cash in other areas of the squad, they may look to their academy to find a replacement right-winger, and exciting young talent 18-year-old Lee Harkin could be that man.

A former Republic of Ireland U16 international, the teenager first turned heads when he helped County Londonderry to a sensational 2-1 victory over Manchester United in the Super Cup NI, scoring two sensational lobs against a team which included the likes of Charlie Savage, who made his senior debut for the Red Devils in the Champions League earlier on this season.

Despite claiming to not watch much football and not have a favourite team, Harkin looks set to have a successful career at a professional level, after being promoted into Wolves’ U23 side this season and impressing, scoring three goals in 12 Premier League 2 appearances.

With that in mind, it’s clear to see why reporter Josh Bunting once labelled the teenager as “such a good talent.”

Being their joint-second top scorer in Premier League 2 behind Chem Campbell and alongside Harry Birtwistle, it’s clear that he is highly rated at the club, and if he has a good pre-season and impresses first-team manager Bruno Lage enough, he could receive chances at senior level next season in cup competitions and from off the bench.

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In the process, he’d also potentially help supporters forget all about Traore.

In other news: Neves 2.0: Wolves could save millions by unleashing 19 y/o who “works his socks off”

Ben Dinnery has now dropped a shock Everton injury claim involving Andros Townsend.

The Lowdown: Out for the season

The Goodison Park faithful confirmed in March that Townsend will be out for the rest of the season, after sustaining an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury during their 4-0 loss away at Crystal Palace in the FA Cup.

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A scan on his knee revealed that he will have to now undergo surgery, before starting his rehab with the medical staff at Finch Farm.

The Latest: Dinnery claim

Speaking to Football Insider, Dinnery, a medical expert who runs the Premier Injuries site and has a background in both medicine and data analysis, has claimed that Townsend may not be able to get back to his pre-injury levels until the 2023/24 campaign:

“Whether a surgery has been successful or not comes down to the definition of success.

“Is success a full return to play and pre-injury levels? If so, we won’t know for up to nine months, maybe even longer.

“Surgeons these days are well-versed in carrying out these procedures. There are very, very high success rates.

“In terms of the injury, I’d be fairly confident that it will all go as planned. But it will be several months before we know how Townsend has responded.

“It could be early 2023 before we see him back in contention. Then it might even be 2023-24 before we see him back to his pre-injury levels.”

The Verdict: Shock

It may come as a shock to some fans of the Merseyside club just how long it could be until Townsend fully recovers.

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By the 2023/24 term, he would be 32 years of age, and so there would have to be question marks over how long he could still perform at the highest level.

Townsend has ranked as one of the Toffees’ best players in the Premier League, and has contributed three goals and two assists (WhoScored), so losing him for such a long time will come as a big blow to Frank Lampard and the supporters.

In other news, find out which ‘excellent’ brute Kevin Thelwell is now plotting a move for here!

Transfer insider Dean Jones has now revealed some fresh Newcastle United transfer news involving Sven Botman before the trip to Tottenham.

The Lowdown: Two-way fight

As per The Times, the St. James’ Park faithful are now set to battle AC Milan to sign Botman in the summer, after failing to land him in the January transfer window.

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Lille stood firm on their valuation of the Netherlands international, but could now be tempted to sell if the price is right.

The Latest: Botman update

Speaking to The Transfer Tavern, Jones has revealed that Milan are ahead of the Magpies in the race for Botman, although that could change ‘very quickly’:

“Right now, AC Milan are up there, and Newcastle were still down here. That could change very quickly, but at the moment, they’re still up there.” The Verdict: Difficult

It will be difficult for the Tyneside outfit to beat Milan to Botman’s signature, based on where the two clubs are at.

The Italian giants are currently top of the Serie A, and look likely to secure their place in the UEFA Champions League for next season, if not win the league on top of that.

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On the other hand, the Toon are not guaranteed safety in the Premier League just yet, and are only at the start of their long-term project.

Nonetheless, it is likely that Botman would choose Milan over them right now, but that is not to say that the North East club could not come back in for him in the future.

In other news, find out who NUFC have now ‘agreed’ to sign here!