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Ryan Sessegnon could be leaving Tottenham Hotspur sooner than expected. 

It has been a challenging first season for Sessegnon as his progress has been hampered right from the start. He was an unused substitute against Manchester United and West Ham, before being dropped from the squad altogether for the defeat at Sheffield United (as per Transfermarkt). Sessegnon suffered the same fate last night as Jose Mourinho left him out in favour of Spurs prospect Dennis Cirkin.

According to The Telegraph, as per @TranSPURS, Spurs may be forced to send him out on loan in the summer transfer window. The club are concerned that his development is stalling under Mourinho, as he has struggled for game-time so far, starting only four matches in the Premier League.

In fairness to Mourinho, he already has his work cut out trying to solve Tottenham’s defensive issues. The Lilywhites have leaked goals for fun all season, conceding more than Arsenal, Manchester United and Premier League champions Liverpool this season.

The manager cannot and should not be expected to focus all of his attention on helping the 20-year-old improve. Removing Sessegnon from the equation for the time being would at least ease some of the pressure on the Portuguese.

The England under-21 international still has a lot of work to do if he wants to play for Spurs on a regular basis but he needs to be guaranteed minutes if he is to continue to develop as a player. As Alasdair Gold writes, his versatility is his biggest problem, as Mourinho doesn’t quite seem to know where he fits in.

A loan move would present him with the perfect opportunity to find his best position, while it should also benefit Mourinho in the long run as Sessegnon could pick up valuable experience and return to Tottenham ready to challenge for a place in the first team.

Spurs fans, do you think that Ryan Sessegnon needs to go out on loan? Let us know below…

Manchester United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is set for a summer clear-out after coming from behind to draw against West Ham at Old Trafford. 

Solskjaer’s side moved up into third place, a point ahead of Leicester City, who they will face at the King Power Stadium at the weekend.

Michail Antonio opened the scoring after Paul Pogba blocked the ball with his hands in the penalty box, before Mason Greenwood levelled the score.

As James Ducker pointed out, Solskjaer did nothing, which shows what he really feels about his squad as the second half dragged on for what seemed like an eternity.

According to The Telegraph, the Red Devils are ready for a spending spree in the summer, as the Norwegian believes he needs five players to challenge for the Premier League next season.

Solskjaer has made four permanent signings so far, namely Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Bruno Fernandes, Daniel James and Harry Maguire, but he is not prepared to stop there.

The Telegraph claims the head coach and his assistant Mike Phelan have worked out what they need to compete for trophies once again.

Despite the fact he has made four signings in his first 12 months, Solskjaer wants a right winger, a centre forward, a centre midfielder, another centre-back and a left-back as well.

He privately feels a winger, defender and defensive midfielder are his top priorities for now, but will wait and see what the summer brings.

Ducker revealed Solskjaer has already decided to sell the deadwood to raise some much-needed funds, as he considers Jesse Lingard and Phil Jones surplus to requirements, among others.

While he remains determined to sign Borussia Dortmund star Jadon Sancho in the summer, he has serious problems at the other end of the pitch he urgently needs to address.

Victor Lindelof has never really looked convincing next to Harry Maguire, as he has received a low WhoScored rating so far, while the club captain has copped a fair amount of criticism for his performances since the Premier League restart.

The board may be reluctant to get rid of Maguire so soon after signing him from Leicester for a world-record fee for a defender, but he certainly needs a new partner to bring the best out of him.

Although they did not know it at the time, the Red Devils had a real chance to put some distance between them and Chelsea, as the Blues ended up dropping points against the champions, and they could live to regret their failure to beat the Hammers.

Missing out on Champions League football could have dire consequences for a deal for Sancho this summer, so there is so much at stake heading into the weekend.

United fans, do you think Solskjaer can make the changes he needs to challenge for silverware next season? Let us know down below!

Manchester United ‘fear’ Borussia Dortmund are trying to spark a bidding war for Jadon Sancho this summer, reports say. 

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has identifed the 11-cap England international winger as the missing piece of the puzzle he needs to revamp the Red Devils but Man United are concerned they could miss out on Solskjaer’s top target.

According to The Daily Star, as cited by The Daily Express, United believe Dortmund want to open a transfer auction which would make Ed Woodward’s job a whole lot harder.

It’s no secret that Solskjaer wants to sign the 20-year-old in the summer, but the Old Trafford hierarchy are cautious amid reports tipping Liverpool to launch a last-minute bid.

United tried to sign Sancho during Jose Mourinho’s infamous tenure but they missed out the first time round as he moved to the Signal Iduna Park instead.

Now, they are worried that Lucien Favre’s side will try to start a transfer battle to raise the asking price of their most prized possession.

The Englishman is the club’s top scorer this season, having scored 20 goals and supplied 18 assists in all competitions so far (via WhoScored).

The Bundesliga giants are in no rush to sell the right winger as his contract will run out in 2022.

However, United are ‘confident’ of completing a deal for the former Manchester City academy graduate, even though the transfer saga has already rumbled on for several months.

The Red Devils believe they will win the race and will be able to prise him away from the Westfalenstadion for £80m in the summer, which would make him the club’s second-highest signing of all time, just behind mercurial midfielder Paul Pogba.

Solskjaer’s side have qualified for the Champions League after clinching third place in the Premier League table on the final day of the season. Their chances of signing Sancho have improved as their transfer budget has significantly increased as a result, although there is still a long way to go until the transfer window closes in October.

United fans, do you think Ed Woodward will sign Sancho this summer? Let us know down below!

Aston Villa will have to battle many of their top-flight rivals if they are to land a very intriguing target this summer…

What’s the word?

According to the Telegraph, Dean Smith’s side have shown interest in Nottingham Forest’s versatile right wing-back Matty Cash, who several Premier League teams are chasing.

Sheffield United have already failed with a £10m offer, which could be followed up by Fulham whilst West Ham and the Lions are also keen.

However, it is thought that the Championship outfit want £15m to let him go before the end of the transfer window.

Versatile sensation

Whilst Smith has plenty of competition at right-back in Frederic Guilbert and Ahmed Elmohamady, the 23-year-old would be the perfect upgrade on the latter and could quite easily nab that starting spot.

Per WhoScored, Cash provided three goals and five assists whilst averaging 3 clearances, 2.6 tackles, 1.4 interceptions and 1.1 key passes per appearance, which goes to show he contributes very well at either end of the pitch.

Villa may remember his contribution during an enthralling 5-5 draw against Forest back in November 2018, where the Reds graduate gave Alan Hutton the run around whilst playing as a winger.

The veteran lost possession 14 times, won only six duels and had to make one last man tackle, per SofaScore. It wasn’t a great afternoon up against the tricky Cash.

One year on from that match, respected journalist Henry Winter lauded the youngster and claimed that he “looks Premier League class” and more recently this season, Quest TV pundit Sam Parkin said Cash was “having an outstanding season”.

These are all encouraging signs as to why he’d be a success at Villa Park and at £15m, they’d be getting a steal especially if they manage to beat their rivals.

AND in other news, Aston Villa could add £270k-per-week superstar, and it won’t cost Sawiris a penny…

This article forms part of our Profit Players feature series, which is where Football Transfer Tavern takes a look at how well a player has fared since being signed or sold, using statistical figures and statements from pundits to prove how good of a deal the club managed to achieve.

Moussa Sissoko is now an established Premier League player for Tottenham Hotspur under Jose Mourinho, but before then he was playing for Newcastle United when a fan would often shout “comeon” when the Frenchman was on the ball.

Signed for a mere £1.8 million from French club FC Toulouse on the 21st January 2013, manager at the time Alan Pardew was very pleased with his capture:

“This transfer window has proved very productive for us and Moussa arriving today is a massive plus for the Club.

“He will bring drive and energy to the squad, he is a winner and that’s why I’m especially pleased to have him with us,” the 59-year old claimed, according to the official website of the Tyneside club.

Indeed, Sissoko’s debut term at St. James’ Park was not a bad one at all, as he managed to score three goals and make a further three assists in 18 games in all competitions from the heart of the midfield, as per Transfermarkt.

His market value by the end of the 2012/13 season rose up to £10.8 million, and so the £1.8 million paid for to get his signature over the dotted line was already looking like a bargain.

The 31-year old would go on to play in a further 115 matches in all competitions over the next three campaigns, netting nine more times and providing a further 16 assists (via Transfermarkt).

Sissoko’s market value while in the North East would rise to a peak £13.5 million before moving to Spurs in for a mammoth £31.5 million transfer fee on Deadline Day in the summer window of 2016.

Given that the Magpies initially paid £1.8 million for his services, they made a quite staggering 1650% profit.

The French international still remains in North London, where he has made 160 appearances so far over the last four consecutive terms, but he has only managed to bag just four strikes and produce 15 assists (per Transfermarkt), which is arguably a poor return for a midfield player.

Given also that his market value only increased to a high £22.5 million while playing for the Lilywhites, it seems as if the Toon have done great business selling Sissoko when they did for the huge amount of money that they got for him.

However, NUFC fans will be hoping that he does not come back to haunt them in the new 2020/21 season.

Geordies, was the selling of Sissoko great business? Comment below!

Speaking to talkSPORT, ex-Tottenham midfielder Jamie O’Hara has insisted that most Lilywhites would swap Dele Alli for linked Aston Villa star Jack Grealish – with the Billericay Town player-manager going on to laud the playmaker as a player Spurs ‘need’.Â

Grealish, who has been touted with a move to north London in the past, with supposed swoops from chairman Daniel Levy ultimately failing in recent years, appears to be out of the club’s price range.

Indeed, the Daily Mirror claimed recently that the Englishman would not leave Villa Park for less than £80 million – a far cry from the £25m bid Spurs lodged for him back in the summer of 2018.

Given Grealish’s lofty valuation, it’s now highly unlikely that Tottenham supporters will get to see him in Jose Mourinho’s midfield, but O’Hara has now claimed that most Lilywhites would take up a swap deal to potentially lower the price tag.

If such an opportunity were to arise, the ex-Spur insists Alli would be gladly placed on the chopping block in favour of landing Grealish – who has just earned his first ever England international call-up following Harry Winks’ withdrawal from the squad.

The £100,000-per-week star, O’Hara says, is a different player to Alli and one ‘that Spurs need’ – with Tottenham’s current midfield maestro apparently preferring to make runs in-behind rather than operate as a playmaker.

Since Christian Eriksen’s departure to Inter Milan, the club have failed to find a suitable creative replacement in his mould – and that position could soon become a priority behind Spurs’ need for a Harry Kane striking back-up.

Lilywhites, would you swap Dele Alli for Jack Grealish? Have your say in the comments below…

West Brom already look like they’re going to be in trouble this season.

We’re two games into the new campaign and the Baggies have already shipped eight goals while only finding the net themselves twice, and if they are to make a real go at the Premier League, they will need to make a few more additions before the transfer deadline.

Fortunately, they’ve been linked to a new signing this week. Unfortunately, the name that is cropping up is Emmanuel Adebayor.

Before you google it yourself, he’s 36 years old now, and his last team was Olimpia in Paraguay.

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The Togo international is available on a free transfer after leaving his last club, and West Brom are apparently looking at the possibility of signing him.

Taking a punt on an ageing striker who used to be quality is a punt worth taking sometimes, Nwankwo Kanu was scoring FA Cup final winning goals when he was 32, Jermain Defoe hit 15 in the league for Sunderland as a 35-year-old, while Zlatan Ibrahimovic is still banging them in for AC Milan at the age of 38, even after a spell in MLS.

However, in Adebayor’s case, this has already been tried before, and it didn’t go well.

In January 2016, Alan Pardew thought that his Crystal Palace team needed some more firepower, so he looked towards Adebayor as his solution on a free transfer.

The former Spurs man came in and scored one goal in 12 league games, before being let go at the end of the campaign.

We’re four years on from that disaster, and despite failing to make an impact in the Paraguayan league in the past 12 months, the striker is still being linked with a move back to England.

Surely West Brom aren’t stupid enough to sign a player who looked past his sell-by date four years ago?

Tottenham Hotspur have enjoyed a phenomenal transfer window thus far but there’s one signing that could round off Jose Mourinho’s plans.

Spurs have taken a look at Inter Milan colossus Milan Skriniar for several weeks now, but according to Football.London’s Alasdair Gold, the two clubs are far apart in their valuation of the Slovakian who would be keen on a move to the Premier League.

The 25-year-old started against Lazio over the weekend but never say never. It’s no secret that Mourinho is desperate for a new centre-back, so if Daniel Levy does manage to pull off one final masterclass, then here’s how the north Londoners could look when full strength.

There may be some surprises…

Skriniar could take up a place front and centre in a back three as Mourinho opts for a 3-5-2 system.

This will make the most of three of the club’s other summer signings with Sergio Reguillon at left wing-back, Matt Doherty on the other side and Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg playing as an anchorman, which will allow the aforementioned duo to bomb on without much worry.

Mourinho’s current first-choice duo of Eric Dier and the £42m one-time record signing Davinson Sanchez could take up a place either side of the potential final addition.

It could also open the door for both Giovani Lo Celso and Tanguy Ndombele to form a creative partnership slightly ahead of the Danish powerhouse.

Whilst Heung-min Son and Harry Kane continue their lucrative and prolific relationship up top – the former has scored six and assisted one whilst the English talisman has contributed to nine of their 12 Premier League goals, per WhoScored.

Unfortunately, Gareth Bale may find it hard to start with Spurs in red-hot form right now. There’s no place for Dele Alli either, he’s been linked with an exit.

Harry Winks and Moussa Sissoko may also find it difficult to get the nod if everything comes together by the end of the day.

AND in other news, Spurs mauler who made 100 passes was an unsung hero vs United…

Talk about bad timing. After hammering Premier League champions Liverpool 7-2, the last thing Aston Villa would surely have wanted was an international break.

Dean Smith’s side would no doubt have been keen to keep riding the wave, but instead watched on as several of his key performers – including the likes of Jack Grealish and Tyrone Mings to name but a couple – jet off to represent their countries.

Villa return to Premier League action on Sunday night, when they take on last season’s high-flyers Leicester, with the Foxes eager to be the team to snap the home side’s 100% start to the new season.

And whilst Jamie Vardy is likely to feature prominently in Smith’s team-talk before the game – rightly so given his goal-scoring exploits – there is one man who Villa cannot afford to let go under the radar: Timothy Castagne.

Leicester’s summer signing has started like a house on fire for his new side, even scoring on his debut in a 3-0 victory over newly-promoted West Brom at the Hawthorns.

That performance led Foxes boss Brendan Rodgers to wax lyrical about his latest charge, saying: “I’ve watched him for a number of years in wanting to sign him. He’s a player that fits the profile of how I want to work, he’s very fast, he’s non-stop running, he gets forward and wants to score goals as a full-back.

“But importantly, he can defend. He’s aggressive, got good composure and he’s a brilliant signing for us.”

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Castagne’s ability to be a major factor at both ends of the pitch makes him a concern for Smith and his men, and it will likely be Matt Targett who is charged with stopping the Belgium international’s forays.

But simply leaving Targett to deal with a runner like Castagne would be setting him up to fail, and if Jack Grealish gets the nod to start from the left-hand side rather than more centrally, then the Villa talisman will have to do his job to ensure the home side don’t get caught out in the wide areas.

Vardy may be the obvious danger, but Villa need to be aware of Castagne too.

And in other news, Villa must surely regret seeing this star leave.

After slipping to a disappointing 1-0 defeat to Leicester in the Premier League on Sunday, Arsenal can get back to winning ways when they take on Dundalk in the Europa League.

The Gunners enjoyed a winning start in their first game of the competition, coming back from behind to beat Rapid Vienna 2-1, thanks to goals from David Luiz and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.

With manager Mikel Arteta facing a number of injury worries, and a huge clash against Manchester United on the horizon at the weekend, the Spaniard may take the opportunity to rest several of his key players.

And with that in mind, below is a look at how the Gunners might line up.

In goal, it appears Arteta is keen on using his number one goalkeeper in every single competition, so Bernd Leno will stay in between the sticks – that despite his gaffe against Vienna last Thursday.

In front of him, the Gunners will be without David Luiz, who was forced off mid-way through his side’s clash against Leicester. With the Brazilian missing, and the likes of Rob Holding, Calum Chambers and Pablo Mari also unavailable for selection, Gabriel is likely to be partnered by Shkodran Mustafi.

The lack of defensive options may force Arteta into going with a 4-3-3 instead of the usual three-at-the-back formation, and that could see Sead Kolasinac and Ainsley Maitland-Niles operate as the two out-and-out full-backs.

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Arteta will also surely look to refresh his midfield set-up, and that could see regulars like Granit Xhaka and Dani Ceballos drop out of the starting line-up, with Mohamed Elneny and Joe Willock coming in to form a trio alongside Thomas Partey.

And up front, expect to see first-choice front three of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Alexandre Lacazette and Nicolas Pepe all drop out, with Eddie Nketiah, Reiss Nelson and Willian getting a taste of the action.

Predicted XI: Leno; Maitland-Niles, Mustafi, Gabriel, Kolasinac; Elneny, Partey, Willock; Nelson, Willian, Nketiah.