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Antonio Conte could be on the verge of making one of his first mistakes at Tottenham Hotspur after a recent claim emerged about central defender Joe Rodon.

What’s the word?

The 24-year-old Wales international has barely featured under the Italian since his arrival last month, featuring for only 54 minutes against NS Mura in the Europa Conference League, in what was just his fourth start of the season overall.

He was signed from Swansea City a year ago for around £11m and could now look to force an exit this January, in a bid to earn some more minutes on the pitch.

According to Football Insider, the 6 foot 4 colossus is “100 per cent” keen to secure an exit next month. Meanwhile, Spurs are seemingly on the lookout for defensive reinforcements, having been linked to the likes of Inter Milan’s Stefan de Vrij and Alessandro Bastoni, as well as AC Milan’s Alessio Romagnoli.

Now, Sky Sports reporter Michael Bridge, who is generally clued up on things behind the scenes at Hotspur Way, has delivered his verdict to GIVEMESPORT. He said:

“As it stands right now, I just get this feeling that Antonio Conte doesn’t think he’s at the level Tottenham need.”

Bad call?

This is a worrying claim as it almost certainly highlights the fact that the 52-year-old isn’t a fan of the Jose Mourinho addition, not at least because of his one start under him and that lasted less than an hour.

It is interesting that Conte will not turn to him despite their mini injury crisis that has seen star centre-back Cristian Romero ruled out for a couple of months heading into the start of 2022.

Rodon features regularly for his country and excelled at Euro 2020 alongside fellow Lilywhites defender Ben Davies, who the Italian has deployed in his back three regularly.

Indeed, the Welshman has played nearly as many times for Rob Page’s Dragons (12) as he has Spurs (16) in 2021.

But it’s a little perplexing as he clearly has a lot to offer and is a more natural centre-back than his compatriot and perhaps an even more reliable option than someone like Davinson Sanchez, who has been regularly lambasted as a “liability” during his time in N17.

Valued at £18m by CIES Football Observatory, Rodon has delivered fine performances for Wales, leading to praise such as “flawless” and him being a “special player” by journalist Ian Mitchelmore.

Meanwhile, in the past, he has been likened to two Premier League greats by Sky Sports’ Andy Hinchcliffe. “You look at Rio Ferdinand and John Terry and there are elements of both in Rodon’s game,” he claimed.

He’s also a player that the Lilywhites faithful have also been very keen to see and some feel that he should be in the starting XI more often, especially with Romero out injured – as seen in reactions relayed by This is Futbol earlier this month, once after the aforementioned Football Insider report and again after he was snubbed from a matchday squad.

They will not be thrilled by this latest update, so with the writing seemingly on the wall for Rodon, Conte could well be about to drop his biggest blunder yet in north London.

AND in other news, Imagine him & Conte: Spurs could form frightening duo with “fearless” £18m-rated beast…

Wolves midfielder Bruno Jordao is expected to seal a loan move to Grasshopper Club Zurich on deadline day, according to a new report.

The Lowdown: Jordao struggling at Wolves

The 23-year-old joined Wanderers from Braga B back in 2019 but he is yet to make any kind of impression at the club.

Jordao has only made five appearances for Wolves to date, having been loaned out to Famalicao in 2020/21, and he played his first Wanderers game of this season in the FA Cup third round clash with Sheffield United earlier this month.

It now looks as though another loan move is on the cards for Jordao, with the deadline day clock ticking down.

The Latest: Loan move expected

According to The Daily Mail, the 5 foot 11 midfielder will join Grasshoppers on a temporary basis prior to the deadline on Monday.

Jordao’s current Wolves deal expires in the summer of 2024, but with each passing month, the more you wonder if he will see out his time at the club.

The Verdict: Possible summer exit?

The signing of Jordao has unquestionably been a failure, with the Portuguese ace never managing to settle and being badly hampered by injury problems, in fairness.

At 23, he can no longer be seen as a young prospect though and he needs to be playing regular football at a key point in his career, making his Grasshoppers move feel logical.

It could be that Lage has seen enough regarding Jordao, potentially selling him for good in the summer transfer window and hoping this temporary stint will do enough to put him in the shop window.

In other news, another late Wolves transfer claim has emerged. Read more here.

Southampton have recently been linked with a move for Angers left-back Souleyman Doumbia, but it would be a poor decision by Ralph Hasenhuttl and Martin Semmens to bring him to St Mary’s this summer.

What’s the word?

According to Football Insider, the Saints are eyeing a move for the 24-year-old as they seek a potential replacement for Ryan Bertrand, who is currently set to depart the club at the end of the season when his contract expires.

However, he is also reportedly on the radars of Nice and Lyon after establishing himself as the first choice left-back with Les Noirs et Blancs this season.

Would he be a good signing?

Whilst it is impossible to know whether or not Doumbia would prove to be a success at St Mary’s, his stats this season are rather underwhelming and suggest that he would not prove to be a suitable replacement for Bertrand in Hasenhuttl’s side.

In 26 appearances this season, the Ivory Coast international has managed no goals and just one assist, resulting in a less than impressive 6.63 average match rating from WhoScored.

Last season saw him make just six league appearances for Rennes and Angers combined, as he initially joined Stéphane Moulin’s side on loan in January 2020; and if he wasn’t a regular with either of those sides, he would perhaps find it difficult to establish himself as a consistent presence at Southampton.

Whilst he is rated at just £2.25m by Transfermarkt, suggesting that he would prove to be relatively cheap should the Saints make an official approach, his performances have done little to suggest that he would be a good addition in the Premier League.

Although Hasenhuttl has suggested that Southampton will target players for less than £10m this summer, it feels as if they are really scraping the barrel with their interest in Doumbia, as the best spell of his career was arguably with Grasshoppers Zurich in Switzerland.

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If we were to compare Doumbia’s defensive stats to Southampton’s this season, his 1.8 tackles per game would rank him joint-tenth, whilst his 82.3% pass success rate would rank him tenth. Considering that passing and tackling are two key attributes for a modern full-back, it is difficult to believe that he would be an improvement on any of Southampton’s current options.

His recent displays have also been very disappointing, as the last time he earned above a 7/10 match rating was in January, suggesting that he lacks the consistency to thrive in the Premier League.

[freshpress-quiz id=“594431″]

Therefore, Semmens should steer well clear of Doumbia this summer as he could prove to be a  disastrous signing if he is brought to St Mary’s.

In other news… Ralph handed big boost in pursuit of £8.1m-rated beast, Semmens must deliver

Sky Sports pundit Gary Neville lavished praise on West Ham United centre-back Craig Dawson during the 1-0 defeat against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge. 

The lowdown: Last man standing

With central defensive options Issa Diop, Kurt Zouma and long-term absentee Angelo Ogbonna all sidelined, Dawson was the only recognised choice in David Moyes’ much-changed side to face their London rivals.

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Making up a new-look back three alongside Aaron Cresswell and Ben Johnson, following a drab first half without action in what has previously been a pulsating London derby, the second 45 kicked into gear early on and the Hammers were called into defensive action.

However, the 31-year-old had proved to be more than a match for the attack on more than one occasion prior to being dismissed for hauling down Romelu Lukaku inside the area with just minutes remaining on the clock.

The Evening Standard rated his performance as ‘superb’ being undermined by the red card, with big name Sky pundit Neville joining in on the praise during West Ham’s encounter.

The latest: Neville impressed

Speaking as a co-commentator during Sky Sports’ live coverage, Neville was left in awe of the experienced Englishman’s actions at the 50-minute mark.

“Brilliant from Dawson. All the talk before the game was about Dawson being the only centre-back. He’s the only one they needed in the last minute or two. Two really good blocks.”

Ultimately it wasn’t Dawson’s error that cost the visitors a valuable point as Jorginho missed the resulting spot-kick before moments later Christian Pulisic netted beyond Lukasz Fabianski with West Ham without a recognised centre-back.

Overall the ex-Watford man completed seven clearances, seven blocked shots and won 1/1 (100%) of his aerial duels in a 7.30 rated display despite the red card (Sofascore).

The verdict: Outstanding before dismissal

Dawson has been nothing short of a revelation since arriving at the London Stadium and this was another flawless display from the experienced former England Under 21 international before being given his marching orders late on.

So far this season the Rochdale-born ace has made 44 appearances for Moyes’ side, scoring four times for the Irons as he proves to be equally adept in either penalty area and will be a huge miss whilst suspended.

Albeit the Hammers would’ve welcomed back any of Diop, Zouma and Ogbonna with open arms prior to this clash, Dawson has once again proven that he can be relied upon to marshall a backline successfully – even taking into account the dismissal.

In other news: Agreement reached: ExWHUemployee also has some promising player news for West Ham supporters! Find out more here.

Manchester City are now reportedly leading the race for Aston Villa star Jack Grealish ahead of the summer and should he join Pep Guardiola’s side, it could well be bad news for Raheem Sterling.

According to the Daily Mail, City are now favourites to sign the impressive 25-year-old this summer, despite Manchester United having been very keen on the Villa star last year.

The £54 million-rated Grealish has been the driving force behind Villa’s impressive season in the Premier League this season, with the England international contributing six goals and 10 assists in just 22 top-flight appearances, resulting in a superb 7.73 rating.

Although he signed a new five-year contract with the Villans last summer, his incredible performances this season, which have resulted in his call-up to the England side, make it seem likely that he could depart for a top-four club during the upcoming transfer window, with the Daily Mail suggesting that he is excited by the possibility of becoming part of City’s squad.

Considering the sort of fee that City would have to spend to bring him to the Etihad this summer, you would expect Grealish to be a regular in Guardiola’s side next season, which could have a serious impact on Sterling’s playing time under the Spanish manager.

The former Liverpool man, who reportedly earns £300k per week at City, has been out of favour for recent fixtures and has regularly found himself on the bench, before making a rare start in the 2-0 win against Everton at the weekend.

Although the 26-year-old has enjoyed another impressive season, contributing nine goals and five assists in 25 Premier League appearances, resulting in a 7.29 average rating, he has come under scrutiny for his finishing, most notably after the 2-0 defeat against Manchester United, where he missed a host of chances at the Etihad.

There is no doubting that when on form, Sterling is one of the very best in the Premier League but you can also argue that Grealish has significantly outperformed him this season despite playing in a poorer side, and therefore, he could become City’s first-choice winger should he join in the summer, which could cause problems for the “extraordinary” Sterling.

And, in other news… 13 duels won: Fernandinho produced a mighty display against Everton

West Ham United fans have been reacting to the news that David Moyes son, David Moyes Jr, is now working with his father at the club as a scout.

The previous term was a marvelous one for the Hammers that exceeded almost all expectations. After narrowly avoiding relegation during the 2019/20 term, the Irons finished in sixth place in the Premier League table last time out – that means they will be competing in the Europa League this coming campaign.

While there are plenty of people who deserve credit for this turnaround in fortunes, it is Moyes himself who has arguably played the biggest role. It seems his success has earned him a bigger say in how the club is run – he has been able to to bring his son on board as a club scout, as per The Daily Mail.

The news was shared on Twitter by @WestHam_Central, and it attracted plenty of attention from the supporters. They took to the social media platform to share their thoughts.

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

“Reminds me of Pellegrini and Husillos bringing their kids on board…”

Credit: @USAWestHamUSA

“Oh here we go .”

Credit: @hibs74

“What experience has he got – just asking?”

Credit: @JohnProtheroe

“Nepotism corruption rules from Sullivan to Moyes where a professional structure should exist Just cheap WHUFC & disgusting”

Credit: @nubaka

“Having the managers son as one of a handful of scouts has worked out really well for us previously”

Credit: @GrazaWhu

“The nepotism in football is shocking. Wonder what the selection process for this was?”

Credit: @BroadleyLewis

In other news, West Ham receive a boost in their pursuit of this Serie A defender.

Dundee are looking to sign Celtic goalkeeper Conor Hazard on loan this summer, according to Scott Burns of The Daily Record.

The Lowdown: Hazard’s Hoops career

Hazard made the move to Parkhead back in 2014 from Cliftonville to link up with the club’s Under-17 side.

Since then, Hazard has spent time out on loan at Falkirk, Partick Thistle and Dundee, making a total of 38 appearances for those three clubs.

The 23-year-old made started five Scottish Premiership fixtures under Neil Lennon last season and was also the hero in Celtic’s historic Scottish up triumph over Hearts back in December.

The Northern Irishman, who was described as ‘excellent’ by Lennon, saved two penalties in a Hampden Park shootout win to seal a quadruple treble for Celtic.

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The Latest: Burns claim

Burns shared a story on Thursday evening, suggesting Dundee are keen on another tempoarary move for Hazard.

He signed a new deal at Celtic Park back in March, however, Burns claims that the Hoops are aware of Dundee’s interest and could strike a deal if Ange Postecoglou manages to bring in a new ‘keeper.

The Verdict: Could actually help Postecoglou

A loan move to Dundee for Hazard could actually help Postecoglou.

His top ‘keeper target is thought to be Brighton’s Mat Ryan, and should he move to Scotland, Postecoglou would have four senior shot-stoppers on the books, possibly one too many.

Allowing Hazard to move out on loan, where you’d expect he would get regular game time, could be handy for all involved.

That would leave Postecoglou with Ryan, Vasilis Barkas and Scott Bain for the new campaign, three experienced goalkeepers.

Should Hazard impress at Dundee, who knows, Celtic may well be happy to explore a permanent sale for him next year.

In other news: Sources claim Celtic could now make ace who has ‘got it all’ their fourth biggest signing ever, find out more here. 

Liverpool duo Curtis Jones and Divock Origi will miss the Reds’ vital Champions League clash with Real Madrid through injury.

Jurgen Klopp’s men face one of their biggest games of the season on Wednesday night, as Madrid make the trip to Anfield.

The Spanish giants won 3-1 in last week’s quarter-final first leg clash, on a night when Liverpool were hugely disappointing throughout.

Another special Anfield night in Europe is required, but this time, the Reds will have to do it without supporters roaring them on.

Jones and Origi out of Real Madrid clash

Liverpool’s injury problems may have been easing in recent weeks, apart from at centre-back, but they will have to make do without Jones and Origi at Anfield, according to the Mirror.

The news emerged on Tuesday that neither player was spotted in training at Kirkby, suggesting they will play no part in proceedings against Madrid.

Transfer Tavern take

Jones may not have started the first leg, but his creativity is a loss, with the 20-year-old capable of opening up defences with a moment of magic.

His tally of four goals for the season is more than any of Liverpool’s other midfielders, too, highlighting the guile he possesses in the final third. With some of the forwards struggling this term, losing a goal threat from midfield will certainly hurt.

Meanwhile, Origi’s ability to produce huge moments in Europe was evident against Barcelona and Tottenham in 2018/19, so his impact as a substitute could also be missed on the type of night when cult heroes such as Origi are born.

In other news, some Liverpool fans have bemoaned an update on the future of two Reds midfielders. Read more here.

Graham Roberts believes that Mauricio Pochettino remains the best candidate for the Tottenham job.

The Argentine was sacked and replaced by Jose Mourinho in November 2019, but with Spurs now in need of a manager, reports believe that Pochettino is on Daniel Levy’s radar.

He recently secured his second major trophy with PSG following their Coupe de France final victory over Monaco, but his failure to win the Ligue 1 title has raised serious questions over his future.

Tottenham have been linked with several names following the departure of Mourinho last month ahead of the Carabao Cup final, but Levy is trying to convince Pochettino to make a sensational return just 18 months after he was sacked.

Pochettino was a favourite with the Spurs faithful having turned the club into top four regulars before guiding the north London outfit to their first Champions League final in his final full season.

Asked whether the Tottenham chairman’s ego could get in the way of him approaching Pochettino about a return to the club, Roberts exclusively told Football FanCast:

“Everybody knows he’s got it wrong, so he’s not owning up to anything.

“Why not just say, who is the best person for this football club? Pochettino is your answer.”

Southampton extended their unbeaten run in all competitions to four games following their 0-0 draw with West Ham in the Premier League on Saturday.

The Saints worked hard defensively to ensure that they came away with at least a point, as they kept the likes of Michail Antonio – who was sent off late in the game – and Jarrod Bowen at bay.

Whilst there were some strong performers on the day, with the likes of Jack Stephens, Alex McCarthy and Mohammed Salisu impressing at the back, there were also some disappointing showings. One player, in particular, who struggled against David Moyes’ side was Norweigan international Mo Elyounoussi.

Ralph Hasenhuttl ditched his favoured 4-2-2-2 formation to line up with a 4-1-4-1, opting to select Elyounoussi as one of his two central midfielders – alongside James Ward-Prowse – ahead of Oriol Romeu in the holding midfield position.

Unfortunately, the 27-year-old – who was on loan at Celtic last season – was unable to showcase his quality in a new position. He was given the lowest SofaScore rating (6.1) out of the 22 starters in the game, as he failed to adapt to playing centrally instead of in his more natural wide role in the side.

Defensively, he offered almost nothing. Per SofaScore, he made zero tackles, blocks or interceptions in 90 minutes on the pitch. He was also dribbled past twice and lost a whopping 85% of his duels, losing nine of his 10 battles on the ground and two of his three in the air.

This suggests that he was not up to the physical battle in the middle of the park as West Ham’s players dominated him in one-on-one duels. He needed to be stronger  in order to either retain possession for Southampton or win the ball back, rather than being a liability by allowing the Hammers to consistently come out on top in battles.

Offensively, he did not fare much better either. Per SofaScore, Elyounoussi had fewer touches (33) than goalkeeper Alex McCarthy (41) and he lost possession 11 times from those 33 touches. This means that he gave the ball away once every three touches, which shows that he was not secure enough with the ball at his feet to be effective in midfield for Hasenhuttl’s team – only creating one chance all game.

The Austrian head coach put his faith in Elyounoussi by deploying him in a brand-new role, but the dud let him down with his performance. He offered next-to-nothing defensively and was not up to the physical challenge of playing in the engine room against West Ham, which is why Hasenhuttl will surely be disappointed with his performance.

AND in other news, “That’s his level” – Exclusive: Pundit drops verdict on Southampton ace after transfer claim…