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Che Adams produced a disappointing display as Southampton threw away a 2-0 lead in their 3-2 loss against Manchester United on Sunday afternoon.

Goals from Jan Bednarek and James Ward-Prowse had given Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side a 2-0 lead going into half-time but a poor second-half display allowed United back into the game, with Edinson Cavani’s late winner snatching all three points for the Red Devils.

One man who will be disappointed with his performance will be Adams, as the former Sheffield United man produced an ineffectual display.

As per SofaScore, the 24-year-old earned a 6.5 rating on Sunday, with only Jannik Vestergaard, Kyle Walker-Peters and Alex McCarthy scoring lower.

During his time on the pitch, the striker had just 40 touches of the ball but was unable to use it effectively, with only 19/24 of his passes finding a Southampton shirt, resulting in a pass accuracy rate of 79%, meaning he completed fewer passes than Saints ‘keeper McCarthy.

The Englishman was unable to register a single shot on target during the 90 minutes and he never really threatened the Manchester United defence.

Adams also lost possession 13 times during the game and came out second-best in a lot of his duels during the game, winning just four of 12 ground duels, whilst he was only successful in two of his six aerial duels, resulting in an overall success rate of 33%

Unfortunately for the Saints, with Danny Ings still sidelined through injury, the pressure has been on Adams to replace the former Liverpool man’s goals in recent weeks, and whilst he has notched three times in the top-flight so far this season, today was clearly not his day.

After he scored in Southampton’s 2-0 win against Newcastle United earlier this season, Hasenhuttl was full of praise for the young striker, saying:

“He’s a role model for the time we went through – from zero to hero at the moment” (per Daily Echo)

However, today, Adams was more like his old self than the rejuvenated player we saw post-lockdown.

However, his performance against United was far from good enough and he will need to do a lot better in the Saints’ next game against Brighton, in order to repay the faith shown in him by Hasenhuttl.

West Ham United icon Frank McAvennie has claimed David Moyes gave Aaron Cresswell a “kick up the backside” by fielding Arthur Masuaku in the starting line-up.

What’s he said?

While speaking with Football Insider, McAvennie has stated how the arrival of Said Benrahma on loan from Brentford will offer Pablo Fornals competition for a place on the left-hand side of Moyes’ forward line.

The Irons legend feels the Algerian can bring from the Spaniard what Masuaku has brought out of Cresswell, having seen the former Ipswich Town defender thrive in a central defensive position after losing the left-back role to the DR Congo international.

McAvennie is unsure to what extent Benrahma can replicate his Brentford performances at the London Stadium, where Grady Diangana was sold for £18million this summer much to the anger of club captain Mark Noble.

Benrahma has since arrived on a season-long loan featuring a £20m obligation to buy, but has only recorded one assist and is yet to start in claret and blue. McAvennie was pleased with what he saw from the 25-year-old during his 18-minute cameo at home to Fulham, though.

“Benrahma played well when he came on,” McAvennie said. “I did not see the logic in selling Diangana and buying Benrahma but that does not mean that I do not rate Benrahma.

“He is proving what a fantastic player he is, and he is showing glimpses of what he can do. It looks like he will come in [and] provide competition for Fornals on the left-hand side.

“The best thing he brings is competition for places. I know Cresswell has been playing as a centre-half but Masuaku coming in has given him a kick up the backside. It keeps the team ticking.”

Moyes: A tactical genius?

Moyes certainly appeared to hit gold by giving Cresswell the chance to impress at centre-half, having decided early on that Masuaku would be his preferred left-back following a move to a three-man core in defence.

Cresswell was far from at his best at left-back versus Newcastle United on the opening day of the Premier League season, having only registered two tackles, one clearance, two accurate crosses from six attempts, made no successful dribbles and lost possession 18 times, per SofaScore.

He immediately bettered that record when played at centre-half against Arsenal, with Cresswell recording six clearances, one tackle and winning each of his duels. Similarly, against Wolves, the £50,000-per-week ace registered five clearances, blocked two shots, completed 88% of his passes and played four key balls.

Cresswell’s performances have maintained that high-level, too, with a Man of the Match-worthy 8.6 rating against Leicester City thanks to six clearances, two interceptions and four key balls. He again earned the MOTM award against Fulham, as well, with 101 touches, 69 accurate passes, two clearances and one tackle as Lukasz Fabianski kept his third clean sheet of the season.

If Benrahma’s arrival can see a similar lift in Fornals’ performances as Masuaku was able to draw from Cresswell, Moyes will be in delirium at his tactical genius.

AND in other news, West Ham have been given the ideal chance to sign a “phenomenal” £20m David Moyes target.

Speaking to Football Insider, pundit and former Scotland manager Alex McLeish has reacted to England manager Gareth Southgate’s ‘gamble’ over Harry Kane ahead of Tottenham’s return against West Ham. 

Kane, who played against Denmark despite muscle fatigue, is confirmed to be starting on Sunday with new summer signing Carlos Vinicius set to appear on the bench.

Kane gamble

However, in an alternate universe, things could have gone differently with Southgate’s gamble over the Englishman’s fitness during the international break.

Reacting to the national team manager’s decision, McLeish believes Jose Mourinho would have been ‘apoplectic’ over the choice to play him against Denmark in their 1-0 midweek defeat.

Indeed, the ‘exceptional’ forward is crucial to Tottenham’s hopes of achieving glory this season, and the fact Spurs suffered whilst he was sidelined with a hamstring injury last campaign could have been cause for worry.

At the time, McLeish believes Mourinho would have been lived, going on to explain the Portuguese’ potential thoughts surrounding Kane as the Lilywhites gear up for West Ham on Sunday.

“Mourinho will be apoplectic about that one, I’m sure he’ll be going: ‘Argh, what’s happening?’ You can imagine Jose,” explained McLeish to Football Insider.

“I think he’s got him back in one piece, his legs will probably be just a wee bit sore, the muscles and the masseurs will be working 24/7 over the next few days to get Harry back and ready for the next game.”

Transfer Tavern take

Luckily, as confirmed by Mourinho, Kane is indeed ready and fit to feature against the Hammers – a lucky stroke for the team.

In other news, marquee summer signings Gareth Bale and Carlos Vinicius could be set to make their debuts as supporters eagerly anticipate Spurs’ first game back since the international break.

Spurs fans, what will your front three look like against West Ham? Have your say in the comments down below…

According to Football Insider, Tottenham defender Serge Aurier is one of a number of players who the club are trying to get rid of before Monday’s transfer window deadline.

What’s the word?

The Ivory Coast international has been linked with an exit from the north London side for what feels like the entire summer, with Serie A giants Milan reported to have been one of those teams most heavily on his case.

But with the deadline inching ever closer, the right-back still remains at Spurs, and has even featured in two games this season, playing the full 90 minutes against both Shkendija and Chelsea in the Europa League and Carabao Cup respectively.

Now, Football Insider claim that Aurier is among seven senior players at the club who are all in line for a late exit, with the Lilywhites working hard to trim the wage bill and raise cash through sales.

Levy heading for disaster

The fact that Monday’s deadline is approaching, and Spurs still haven’t seen the back of Aurier yet, is already a huge error on their part. But if the Ivorian stays beyond the start of next week, then it would be an unforgivable mistake from Daniel Levy and co.

Jose Mourinho has made it abundantly clear that he simply doesn’t trust the defender enough, with those who have seen the All or Nothing documentary watching on as the Portuguese man admitted Aurier is a liability and is afraid of him giving away stupid penalties during a game.

Former Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand simply said Aurier is “rash”, and that he “lets his team down far too often” – a statement made back in February 2018, and in fact, nothing has really changed since.

Earning around £70k-a-week, the 27-year-old is in the top ten of the club’s highest-earners right now, and each week that passes by without him leaving, is another sum of money being completely wasted.

Spurs have already signed a new first-choice right-back in Matt Doherty from Wolves, and having somebody like Aurier just continue to pick up massive wages whilst being on the bench isn’t a good look. Unless Levy sorts it out sharpish, the north London side would have had a nightmare.

Leeds United are edging closer to another club-record signing and this one could help fill the void left behind by former Marcelo Bielsa favourite Samuel Saiz…

What’s the word?

According to Football Insider, the Yorkshire giants have agreed on personal terms with Udinese midfielder Rodrigo De Paul, although a fee between the two teams is yet to be finalised.

It’s thought that the Premier League newcomers have offered a lucrative contract that is substantially more than his current €28k-per-week (£25k-per-week) wages.

This comes just a few days after transfer guru Fabrizio Romano revealed that the Serie A outfit would ask for between €30m (£26.5m) and €35m (£31m). Talks remain ongoing.

Shades of Saiz

Well, this would not only be one incredible signing for Leeds but also one hell of a statement to the rest of the Premier League having already eclipsed their club-record with a £26m swoop for Rodrigo from Valencia last week.

The 26-year-old seems to be the perfect all-round midfielder – per WhoScored, De Paul provided seven goals and six assists in Serie A last season. He also averaged 2.5 shots, 2.3 key passes, 1.8 dribbles and 1.8 tackles per game.

It’s no surprise to see many sing his praises both on a domestic and international level.

His manager Luca Gotti told Tuttomercato: “I think he is a player who has all the requirements for the high level. From a mental attitude point of view, he has a great personality.”

Meanwhile, former Valencia coach Juan Antonio Pizzi believes the box-to-box maestro “is the best prospect to come through in Argentina in the last five years.”

He very much sounds like a certain Saiz, described as a “natural, head-up dribbler capable of cutting in dangerously from the left and firing powerful and accurate efforts on goal,” this is certainly something United could do in that transition from defensive midfield to attack.

Saiz was the perfect complement to veteran Pablo Hernandez, but now that door is opened for De Paul should Victor Orta and co manage to secure him this summer.

AND in other news, Leeds told to pay £20m for Premier League winger…

Sheffield Wednesday were given a twelve point deduction for the 2020/21 campaign by the EFL for breaking spending rules, however it seems like the Owls are not taking this decision lightly and many fans of the club are reacting as the club have released a statement on the matter.

In their statement, Wednesday revealed that they will appeal the decision made by the EFL following them publishing written reasons why they received the deduction.

They also believe that the hearing of the appeal will be taking place in ‘Autumn 2020’. The rules they breached were around their sale of the Hillsborough stadium to owner Dejphon Chansiri and their decision to include it in the financial year covering the 2017-18 campaign.

In the statement following the written reasons being published, Wednesday said: ‘The Club was disappointed with some of the decisions of the Disciplinary Commission and respectfully disagrees with both the finding that it was in breach of the P&S rules for the 2017/18 season and the sanction of a 12-point deduction to be applied in the 2020/21 season.”

It now leaves fans of the club again unsure as to how they will start next season and whether they will still have the point deduction or not.

Here is what fans said following the news:

Owls fans, what are your thoughts on this news? Let us know down below!

Harry Kane has announced through a gender reveal video on Instagram (via

/CC3VuGtBxcW/?utm_source=ig_embed”>@harrykane) that he and his wife Katie are expecting a baby boy.

The Spurs icon shared footage from their reveal party where he aptly fires a ball from the penalty spot towards a piñata in the net, which rains blue smoke.

The proud parents will wait to welcome their son and third child into the world, who will become a brother to Ivy and Vivienne.

Loads of Tottenham fans have flooded to wish Kane and his wife all the best. A few fans are evening tipping ‘Harry Kane Jr’ to be a future Spurs star, as per the comments on the striker’s Instagram post.

The 26-year-old is rounding off his seventh senior season with his boyhood club and is set to finish as Spurs’ top scorer. Despite suffering a thigh injury which saw him sidelined for 14 games, Kane has still tallied an impressive 23 goals across all competitions this season, with 17 coming in the Premier League (via Transfermarkt).

The England and Spurs captain will look ahead to next season and hope his side can finish in a stronger position. With just one league game left, Jose Mourinho’s men have no chance to fight for a top four spot but are on course to compete in the Europa League.

What do you think of Kane’s family news, Spurs fans? Join the conversation in the comments below!

After going more than a week without a game following their 2-0 victory over West Ham, Tottenham were brought back to reality with a shuddering halt against Sheffield United on Thursday night.

Jose Mourinho’s side were brushed aside 3-1 by the Blades at Bramall Lane, and there was certainly an air of controversy over how the result came about. The Lilywhites saw Harry Kane’s first-half equaliser ruled out by VAR due to a handball infringement spotted by VAR, and it is safe to say the Spurs boss was not happy after the match.

But whilst the north Londoners are right to have their gripes with VAR and the officiating, it doesn’t take away from the fact they produced a pretty toothless performance – over the course of the 90 minutes, they managed just two shots on target, and that despite averaging a whopping 68% possession.

Is it Mido or Pedro Mendes? This Spurs quiz will separate the loyal from the fake…

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And one man who badly let down both Mourinho and his teammates, was Lucas Moura.

The Brazil international was given the nod to start, in what looked like on paper to be a rather exciting front three behind Harry Kane. The likes of Heung-min Son and Steven Bergwijn joined him in attack, and the pace and directness of the trio surely made for an enticing prospect.

Instead, Lucas went completely missing, and his biggest contribution in the game was when he got inadvertently involved in the chalked-off Kane goal.

As per Sofascore, he registered just one shot (and even that was off target), made no dribble attempts, no accurate crosses or long balls, and just one key pass.

And perhaps most worryingly for Mourinho, was that Lucas just didn’t seem to get to grips with the Blades’ physicality. Chris Wilder’s side won more total duels (both on the ground and in the air), and made more tackles, interceptions and clearances as a side as whole – and that was clearly reflected in the way in which they bullied Spurs’ Brazilian winger.

He won just four of his 13 ground duels, and lost possession a staggering 24 times whilst he was on the pitch – both stats comfortably being the highest of any Spurs player.

The £80k-a-week star simply wasn’t at the races, and in a game when they needed him to be fully firing on all cylinders, he simply disappeared.

Many Newcastle United fans have welcomed a piece about the prospective takeover in the northeast from Michael Martin as he wrote for the True Faith website.

The title of the piece is ‘Takeover – smelling a rat!’ and touches upon many subjects to do with what exactly is going on at St. James’ Park. Martin talks about how various reports suggested that the deal was about to be completed as early as last weekend, but since then news has broken about further delays that has put the bid in some doubt.

The Guardian reported on Monday that new legal documents had been presented to the Premier League which could have an effect on their decision to approve of the takeover, a verdict that has yet to be delivered. Martin concluded from this that there are forces conspiring against the deal about which members of the Toon faithful can speculate, as was shared on NUFC 360’s Twitter page.

Nevertheless, these Magpies fans drooled over the piece:

Geordies, what do you make of Martin’s piece? Comment below with your views!

A recent transfer claim from former striker Noel Whelan has caused a stir amongst the Leeds United faithful this week.

Speaking in an interview with Football Insider, he tipped the west Yorkshiremen to sign veteran goalkeeper Joe Hart from Burnley with him set to be out of contract in the summer.

Whelan said: “If he is available on a free transfer you are not going to be losing out on much. His wages will be big though, do not get me wrong but we could possibly get two years out of him.”

Before adding: “He has the experience and I am sure he’s the leader we need.”

And it hasn’t gone down well at Elland Road.

The 33-year-old has struggled ever since his departure from Manchester City in 2018, although the fruits of that labour started to come into effect in 2016.

He was shifted out on loan to Torino and West Ham before joining the Clarets permanently, where he has been behind Nick Pope in the pecking order for over a season.

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Hart has managed just 24 appearances in that time, keeping six clean sheets, via Transfermarkt.

It has led to calls from some supporters that the veteran shot-stopper isn’t needed as they should be signing Illan Meslier on a permanent basis.

There were also claims that Hart wouldn’t fit the system Bielsa tries to deploy – and they could well be right given he wasn’t able to cement his name down under Guardiola, who developed his tactics from the Argentine.

Many also believe the former England number one is ‘past his sell-by date’ too.

It remains to be seen whether or not Leeds would actually be in for Hart, especially with him being on £45k-per-week, via Spotrac.

But clearly those at Elland Road would rather he didn’t sign if presented the opportunity.

AND in other news, Leeds fans react as Phil Hay relays Premier League news…