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According to The Daily Star, Tottenham are ready to revive their interest in out of favour Barcelona star Malcom this January. 

The Brazilian can play anywhere in the front three, which could prove to be invaluable to Tottenham during this testing period of the season.

With star man Harry Kane possibly facing a spell on the sidelines after injuring his ankle against Man United at the weekend, Tottenham are left with only one recognised fit striker, Fernando Llorente, because Son Heung-min is at the Asian Cup. The arrival of Malcom would help Tottenham through the next few weeks, whereby they face Chelsea again in the League Cup semi-final.

However, there is no guarantee that the 21-year-old would be an instant success at Tottenham. For example, his compatriot Lucas Moura arrived at Tottenham this time last year but was largely anonymous throughout the 2017/18 season. It is only this season that Moura has come into form and impressed. Tottenham simply cannot afford that same time period with Malcom.

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However, given that both Malcom and Moura are built in a similar fashion, and are stylistically very similar, there would surely be the same worry from Mauricio Pochettino that the Brazil under-23 international will need the same amount of time to acclimatise to the rigours of the Premier League; by that time, The Lilywhites may have paid the price.

Ultimately, Malcom would be a tremendous addition to the Tottenham setup, but there will be a lot demanded of him as soon as he arrives, and everyone involved with Tottenham will hope that he delivers.

As stadium delays keep Tottenham away from their spiritual home well into 2019 and potentially through to the end of this season, it’s possible the biggest match of the campaign within range of White Hart Lane will be played this Saturday.

It’s not Spurs. It’s not Arsenal, either.Â

That’s because at 3pm on Saturday afternoon at Coles Park, Hashtag United and White Ensign will face off in a top of the table meeting in the Thurlow Nunn League title chase.ÂIt simply doesn’t get much bigger than this one in the tenth tier of English football.Â

“Hashtag United vs White Ensign is potentially the biggest game in Hashtag’s short history,†Hashtag United team founder Spencer Owen said.

Hashtag United, the club spawned from a YouTube channel created by Owen in 2013, have found immediate success playing in their first league campaign. The club head into the weekend as league leaders with 55 points and looking to fight off three separate challengers all sitting within four points of the top. Second-placed White Ensign, meanwhile, trail Hashtag United by just two points, and will arrive in North London having won three of their last five matches.Â

The visitors defeated Hashtag United 2-0 in the reverse fixture back in August in what was only the club’s third-ever league match. The hosts have recovered soundly since to skyrocket up the league.Â

With greater experience and the confidence of a strong extended run under their belts, Hashtag United enter this second meeting in a much better position and appear prepared to maintain their spot at the top of the table.

“They beat us 2-0 in only our 3rd ever league match back in August in a game that easily could have gone the other way,†Owen said. “Now, 5 months later, we have improved a great deal and are hoping to give a much better account of ourselves this time around.â€

So if you’re looking for some fiercely competitive football on White Hart Lane this weekend, get yourself down to Coles Park.

[ad_pod ]According to South Korean outlet Sports Chosun, free agent Jordon Mutch is set for a surprise move to Asia despite Sun journalist Mike McGrath saying via his official Twitter account on Monday that the midfielder was scheduled to train with Aston Villa this week.

What’s the word?

Well, Sports Chosun reports that Gyeongnam FC coach Kim Jong-boo is keen on adding an attacking midfielder with an eye for a pass to the ranks and sees Mutch as the perfect signing.

The Englishman may have proved too costly to sign while still on the books at Palace, but is now available at no expense having terminated his contract by mutual consent, as per cpfc.co.uk.

Mutch reportedly expressed interest in moving to the Far East and playing Asian Champions League football with GFC, contrary to earlier claims that he was set to go on trial with the Villans.

Dodged a bullet?

Villa boss Dean Smith has done a pretty tidy job of mopping up the mess left by Steve Bruce in October although the urgency for reinforcements still remains – the Villa park outfit are light in both midfield and defence and have previously had another free agent in James Collins train with them, although he sustained an unfortunate injury and tore up his five-week deal.

Collins left West Ham last summer as a cult hero and having chalked up 214 appearances for the Hammers, but the same cannot be said of Mutch, who hardly featured in red and blue – he played his last full 90 minutes for the Eagles almost three years ago.

Part of a mass Selhurst Park exodus this month, the 27-year-old may be out of work but is not ready to quit just yet it would seem and, while Smith and co may feel aggrieved that he is moving elsewhere, they have surely dodged a bullet by not taking him on.

The former Birmingham man spent much of the last two years on loan at Reading and then Vancouver Whitecaps, neither of which he performed particularly well for – if Villa want to get back into the Premier League, they shouldn’t be settling for someone who failed to convince an MLS team that he was worth signing permanently, as per Sky Sports.

Thogden has ranked his top 5 sets of Championship away fans for Pl>ymaker FC. Did your club make the list? Find out in the video above…

Earlier this season, Celtic forward Scott Sinclair was in a bit of a rut at Parkhead. 

The 29-year-old was on a downward trajectory, where he looked to be even less threatening than he was last season. He still played well, but there was a feeling that he was a marked man. He played 54 games in total last term, managing 18, goals which is definitely still a decent return.

However, compared to his 2016/17 season, where the winger scored 25 goals in all competitions in Celtic’s treble-winning season, this was a drop in standards. In this season, he was also voted the Celtic Supporters’ Player of the Year, Celtic Players’ Player of the Year, the PFA Scotland Players’ Player of the Year, and the SFWA Footballer of the Year. It was a momentous season where he looked to be the player that earned a move to Man City from Swansea back in 2012.

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Therefore, from a brilliant first season at Paradise, he slumped considerably, to the point where he was no longer a guaranteed starter this term. There was a sense that manager Brendan Rodgers was slowly turning off him. What’s worse for Celtic fans, he seemed to go missing in a lot of the club’s biggest games, and the fans were becoming acutely aware of this.

However, the former England under-21 international has had a major turn in form recently, where he has notched seven goals in his last five games. He is starting to emulate the form from two seasons ago, and that can only mean good things for Celtic. Their pursuit of their third domestic treble in a row is still well on track, however, the form of Sinclair bodes well for their European hopes.

Still in the Europa League, The Bhoys are desperately seeking to end their poor run in Europe. With the sudden upturn in form from players like Sinclair, that seems more possible than ever. With a visit from La Liga outfit side Valencia in a matter of weeks, this is Sinclair’s chance to show that he is back to his best.

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Everton boss Marco Silva has admitted that he knows his position at Goodison Park is under pressure, as reported by The Mirror.

The Toffees are currently ninth in the Premier League table, and fell to a 3-1 home defeat to newly-promoted Wolves last time out. 

As well as having been inconsistent in recent weeks, the football at Goodison has been uninspiring for much of this season and devoid of any tangible style or identity. Given how much money the club have spent in recent transfer windows, Silva’s side are currently falling short of their high expectations.

Something certainly needs to change soon if the Merseyside club are to save their season and achieve their lofty ambition of making a push for Europa League qualification.

Football FanCast’s Harry Elnaugh and Will Jones debated whether or not Silva is the right man to turn things around at Everton.

Check out the below above to see football played as you’ve never seen it before… in a maze!

Elnaugh: For

I think that if Everton are going to make the step up they so clearly want to take, then they’ve got to give Silva more than one season in charge.

They might achieve a higher finish this season if they were to sack him and bring someone else in but there is no guarantee that whoever the new boss is would be able to improve on that next season or do a better job than Silva would in the long term.

They’re not going to get relegated and they can definitely finish in the top ten if Silva can find the winning formula that has thus far evaded him. I think his style of football is the right one to take the Toffees forward but, as has been the case with his predecessors, there is just one missing piece.

They have lacked a prolific striker since Romelu Lukaku’s departure and they will end up wasting Richarlison away if they don’t find someone who can relieve him of his centre-forward duties. Bite the bullet, give Silva the rest of the season and get a good striker in the summer.

Sacking him will be a huge step back, in my opinion.

Jones: Against

Precisely what Silva has done to garner such a positive reputation in the Premier League eludes me. Whilst you can’t discredit or ignore the success he’s enjoyed abroad, since arriving on these shores he’s done little to suggest he’s the man to take Everton to new heights.

Yes, at Hull City he got them playing good football, but ultimately he couldn’t steer them clear of relegation. At Watford, the Portuguese coach enjoyed a fine start, but as soon as Everton batted their eyelashes in his direction the wheels came off so spectacularly at Vicarage Road that his position soon became untenable.

As things stand, Silva is yet to impress for more than even half a season in English football before things turn sour or he seeks pastures new. 

Silva may well be a talented coach, but it seems just as likely that his era at Goodison will be reflected upon as yet another false dawn for Everton. 

They’ve little to lose by giving him until the end of the season, and should save themselves the upheaval of a mid-season sacking, but long-term there isn’t much to suggest Silva is the man to take the Toffees where they want to go.

This article is part of Football FanCast’s Pundit View series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent quotes from journalists, pundits, players and managers…

Leeds United boss Marcelo Bielsa has revealed it is unlikely that club captain Liam Cooper is fit enough to play Hull City at Elland Road on Tuesday night.

What’s he said?

The 28-year-old was a key absentee alongside Kalvin Phillips against Huddersfield Town on Saturday afternoon as the Whites secured a 2-0 victory away from home.

It was their sixth successive win and 11th clean sheet of the season, per WhoScored, meaning they regained temporary control at the top of the Championship table with nearest challengers West Bromwich Albion playing later this afternoon.

In his post-match press conference, Bielsa was asked if he believed they struggled to cope in the absence of the influential duo and whether or not his skipper would be returning anytime soon, he said:

“No. It wasn’t about the lack of players. Berardi had to replay Cooper and he had a good game. Alioski did well too. White was in the function of Phillips and the rest of the team was the same players. We resolved the absence.

“Today it could have been a risk if he played. I don’t think this situation will change for Tuesday so we will see for next Saturday.”

Defensive troubles rumble on

Given this update, it seems likely that Leeds’ backline is going to be somewhat makeshift once again.

Phillips will no doubt walk back into the starting line up having served his one-match suspension so that will allow Brighton loanee Ben White back into the heart of the defence.

However, the position next to him will surely go to one of Gaetano Berardi or Luke Ayling as the pair managed to keep a clean sheet against the Terriers.

Both players are full-backs by trade so it is far from ideal with Bielsa practically writing off Cooper’s return until next Saturday’s game against Cardiff City.

One option could be youngster Oliver Casey after he was handed his first-team debut with a five-minute cameo at the end of the match, fans have certainly been hyping him up since then.

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In other news, could Leeds be in trouble if Phil Hay’s prediction comes to fruition?

Duncan Ferguson has spent just two matches in caretaker charge of Everton but he has already changed a great deal and produced two quality performances from his players.

He has great popularity amongst the Toffees fanbase and they have already become enamoured with his managerial style, and that may provide him with more lee-way in regard to his decision making.

In particular, the call to take off Moise Kean in the 89th minute after substituting him on less than 20 minutes earlier certainly raises some questions about his treatment of the youngster.

The Italian has had a tough time since arriving on Merseyside and therefore needs support, not public humiliation, yet a great deal of Everton fans have supported Ferguson’s actions.

In some ways Ferguson’s zero-tolerance is refreshing at Everton, as under Marco Silva players were allowed to get away with far too much.

Players like Morgan Schneiderlin and Gylfi Sigurdsson were continually picked despite consistently underperforming, but under the new regime players will know that a failure to work hard and obey instructions will lead them to not play.

As such, fans believe the 19-year-old only has himself to blame due to the lack of effort he put in, and though he may be disappointed now, the decision may pay off in the long-term and lead to an improvement from Kean.

In other Everton news, Kean could find his chances even more limited as the Toffees are targeting Alfredo Morelos, who could come straight into the team if he signed.

This article is part of Football FanCast’s Opinion series, which provides analysis, insight and opinion on any issue within the beautiful game, from Paul Pogba’s haircuts to League Two relegation battles…

Aston Villa are showing an interest in signing Chelsea winger Pedro during the January transfer window, according to The Telegraph.

The Spain international’s start against West Ham was his first in the Premier League since September and just his fourth of the campaign.

This is an indication of how far down the pecking order he the 32-year-old has found himself at Chelsea, though it now seems like Villa are offering him a route to more regular football.

While it will be a boost to have someone who has won a World Cup within the squad, this could see Dean Smith reverse what has been one of his biggest calls this season: moving Jack Grealish to left-wing.

Villa’s talisman has now played eight games out wide, getting four goals and two assists in that time, having managed just two assists in his previous six league matches.

This comes despite the 24-year-old having previously admitted that he prefers playing in a more central role, as reported by FourFourTwo:

“I don’t think the manager will like me saying this, but I prefer playing as a number eight, but I’ll play wherever the manager wants.”

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Though Smith did explain why the change has been made: “I just feel at the moment, for the balance of the team, it is a really good position for him. That’s the thing a mature Jack knows now, that he is doing a job for the team by being there.

“I feel he gives the opposition problems when he gets on the ball and runs at them, and as we saw against Newcastle, he won two free-kicks that led to two goals.”

Even when Grealish’s ability to thrive out on the left is considered, it is difficult to see Smith continuing to play the Englishman out there if Pedro comes.

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That is because Villa already have Anwar El Ghazi, Trezeguet and Jota competing for a place on the wing, meaning there could be a lot of disgruntled signings if Grealish stays out wide.

By moving Grealish back into the midfield, Smith would open up another place on the wings for the four wide men to battle over, whether that means Pedro would move from the right-wing to the left or one of the others would.

The flanks are already an area that has a lot of depth, so moving Grealish back is a way for Smith to utilise his options and maintain squad harmony.

Landing the Chelsea man could turn out to be a brilliant move for the club, but it could also force Smith to reverse one of his most game-changing decisions.

In other news, FFC has given Dean Smith some advice about how to handle Liverpool in the cup.

After seeing Ryan Sessegnon really announce himself to the Tottenham crowd with a goal-scoring display against Bayern Munich, Jose Mourinho was quick to laud the 19-year-old for his performance.

He said (as quoted by The Daily Mail): “That’s his quality, that’s the quality we know he has, he arrives always in dangerous positions, he is a good finisher. He has to learn how to use his body, he was playing against experienced players – Pavard and Boateng – he has a lot to develop, but the potential is there.”

The teenager could certainly hold his head up high despite seeing his side fall to a defeat to the Bundesliga giants, but ultimately for him, it may not have done much in terms of his first-team chances. As per Transfermarkt, all of his appearances this season have come from him playing at left-midfield – an area where Spurs have Son Heung-min to call upon (the South Korean has struck seven times and provided five assists from that position this year).

Watch Spurs vs Brighton Live and Free with Amazon Prime on Boxing Day

It is incredibly difficult to see Sessegnon displace Son from the starting line-up anytime soon and on a regular basis too, and that shouldn’t really be seen as a slight on the former. He happens to be playing in a role where Spurs have one of their most consistent performers of the campaign. But the 19-year-old could carve out of a niche for him, by harking back to his Fulham days.

In his time at Craven Cottage, the England youth international showed his versatility by operating at left-back as well as further forward down that flank. Indeed, as per Transfermarkt, it is the position in which he has played the most amount of football in his professional career – 48 games, with six goals and six assists to his name too.

No clues whatsoever: Which seasons do these iconic Spurs images belong to?

Quite crucially for him at Spurs, both Danny Rose and Ben Davies have struggled to establish themselves as first-choice in recent years, with both Mauricio Pochettino and Mourinho both rotating between the two. This season alone has seen them play 14 and nine times respectively. It means Sessegnon has the perfect chance for him to go back to his roots, and really establish himself as an attacking left-back, or even wing-back, if Mourinho decides to employ a back-three.

His eye for a goal as evidenced by the strike against Bayern showed he could also be an excellent attacking outlet too. A tactical tweak may well be the key to helping him kick-start his career at Spurs.

Meanwhile, Tottenham swooping for this starlet who was lauded by Luis Campos would be a major coup.

Danny Mills believes that the potential contract extension being offered to Eric Dier is a carrot to other players at the club, per Football Insider.

What’s the word?

The Daily Telegraph has reported that Dier is set to be offered a contract extension by manager Jose Mourinho.

He has made a total of 14 appearances this season and has played six times for the Portuguese in the Premier League.

And Mills believes that the potential reward being offered to Dier shows other players that they can find their way into Mourinho’s good books.

He said: “If you can win and play amazing, great. But first and foremost it’s just about winning.

“And if you’ve got a player who is doing a specific job for the team and is doing it well, then you reward him.

“So of course it’s a massive boost to him but it’s also a sign to everyone that if you do your job and do what is asked of you, you will also be rewarded.

“And if that’s your motivation, then it’s a little bit of a carrot and incentive for everyone else to go out and achieve those types of things.”

Money talks: How much did Levy pay for each of these Spurs stars?

Wrong player

Dier hasn’t really been doing all that well for Spurs.

He’s averaged a rating of just 6.7 in the Premier League, per WhoScored, and has not won a single tackle in his last three outings, despite primarily playing in a defensive midfield role.

He’s conceded three fouls in that time as well as making just three interceptions, with all of them coming in the same game, against Brighton & Hove Albion. That means he’s had two games without an interception, too.

Mills, of course, is far from wrong; in fact, he’s spot on, in the sense that Dier is playing continuously and remains a key member of the squad. One can subsequently understand Mourinho’s motivations.

But giving him a new deal feels like investing in the wrong player.

Meanwhile, Spurs fans have urged the club to buy a Premier League defender.