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Speaking to the Last Word on Spurs podcast, Sky Sports journalist Fabrizio Romano has confirmed that Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy and co want three more signings ahead of the 2020/2021 Premier League campaign – specifically a centre-back, winger and striker.

Romano, who appeared as a guest on the popular podcast mid-week, shed light on some of Spurs’ potential next moves after already landing a trio of defensive names.

Indeed, Tottenham have secured the acquisitions of Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, Matt Doherty and Joe Hart for a net spend figure of around £16.4 million – but reliable transfer guru Romano has confirmed that the club are not done there.

Famous for his ‘here we go’ Twitter announcements concerning new arrivals at Europe’s top clubs, Romano has been touted as one of the most reliable journalists of the window – and he has now claimed that Spurs want to strengthen at centre-back, on the flank and going forward ahead of the new Premier League season.

Spurs have been linked with a plethora of forwards as they search for a reliable back-up to Harry Kane, with Bournemouth duo Callum Wilson and Josh King coming up repeatedly over the last fortnight (football.london).

Meanwhile, correspondent Alasdair Gold has outlined other links both past and present – including the likes of Chris Wood, Arkadiusz Milik, Olivier Giroud, Ollie Watkins and Darwin Nunez.

While the forward area seems key, Tottenham also want to acquire a centre-back and winger – with Marash Kumbulla most recently linked to taking up a role at Spurs in the former position (Corriere di Verona).

On the wing, Romano claims that Bayer Leverkusen star Leon Bailey attracts manager Jose Mourinho’s admiration – but the club would have to pay over the odds.

Judging by the Italian’s comments to the LWOS show, this could shape up to be an entertaining end to the window.

Spurs fans, who would you like the Lilywhites to sign? Join the discussion by commenting below…

Even though their squad is already pretty good, Neil Lennon is hoping to make some adjustments while the ongoing summer transfer window is still open. For Celtic, the priority is still very much to buy a new left-back to reinforce the backline.

Of course, with the Bhoys chasing that 10th Scottish Premier League title in a row, it’s understandable that they are going to put a lot of effort into fine-tuning the team and making them as competitive as ever.

One of their big transfer targets is Paris Saint-Germain’s Mitchel Bakker and if recent reports are to be believed, Celtic have already tried getting the 20-year-old full-back on loan but their bid was turned down by the Parisiens.

And, unfortunately, Lennon has suffered another big blow in his chase because Sky Sports report Bakker himself has told PSG that he wants to stay at the club and fight for his spot in the team.

Of course, with only three starts for the Ligue 1 champions and Champions League finalists last season, he’s not exactly the first name on Thomas Tuchel’s list. However, succeeding at Paris Saint-Germain seems to be his priority.

It remains to be seen how Lennon reacts to this piece of news and whether the Hoops will try again or look for alternatives elsewhere. The former Ajax youngster is now still pretty far away from Celtic Park at this particular moment in time.

Verdict

It goes without saying that landing Bakker would be an incredible piece of business for Celtic, even if it’s just on a loan deal. However, the youngster is not exactly thrilled with that option and simply wants to play for his current club.

We’ll have to wait and see whether this update shuts the door for the Bhoys completely or will it just be a minor setback in their pursuit of the 20-year-old’s signature.

Illan Meslier earned a number of plaudits due to his incredible showing against Sheffield United as Leeds kept their first clean sheet of the season.

The Frenchman, who signed for Leeds on a £5.85m permanent deal in the summer, certainly deserved all the praise that came his way, making two incredible saves to keep the Blades out as both John Lundstram and George Baldock tried their luck.

The 20-year-old looks to be the real deal, having kept seven clean sheets in 10 league appearances last season, before once again proving to be Leeds’ hero on Sunday.

However, despite all the signs being positive at the moment, having a goalkeeper so young as your first-choice will always be something of a risk.

Confidence and form are so key for any goalkeeper, and we don’t know how Meslier will recover from a setback or a blunder, simply because he hasn’t made a big mistake yet, and for some goalkeepers, one mistake is enough to derail an entire career.

Kiko Casilla made three errors in three consecutive games last season against Wigan, Nottingham Forest and Brentford, with Phil Hay stating that his head had gone after his blunder against the Bees, showing how key confidence is for a goalie.

Former-Leeds star Paul Robinson has admitted he was never the same after his error vs Croatia in 2007, while David De Gea has gone from being one of the best goalkeepers in the world, to an error-prone mess in recent times, with the Spaniard’s ongoing issues again being linked to his confidence.

Relying on a man who has played just 44 senior games to be your number one for the season in the Premier League is a big risk. The sample size simply isn’t big enough to be certain that he’s a goalie capable of being consistent throughout a season at this level, and we don’t know how he’d recover from a setback.

While Meslier’s current form is good enough, if he doesn’t react well to his confidence being knocked, that will prove to be a massive problem, making him something of a ticking time-bomb in Leeds’ squad.

Of course, Casilla remains at the club as a backup, but with a string of high-profile errors to his name in the Championship over the past season and a half, it’s hard to imagine he can be relied on to do a competent job in the Premier League.

Perhaps United’s best course of action would be to get a more experienced and capable number two through the door before the transfer deadline to ensure that Meslier is well protected.

In other news, one potential Leeds signing could be an immediate fan favourite.

Tottenham Hotspur could be about to end their arduous hunt for a new striker this week…

What’s the word?

According to Calciomercato, Spurs are set to meet with the representatives of Napoli striker Arkadiusz Milik in London today in the hope of thrashing out a deal over a potential transfer this window.

They claim that several Premier League teams are interested in signing the 26-year-old and is available for a ‘bargain’ price of around €20m (£18m).

Milik no longer sees a future for himself in Naples with his club ready to sell him on before the deadline in under two weeks time.

Mou’s nightmare over?

Could we finally see a new forward in north London? Daniel Levy failed to sign a replacement for Fernando Llorente, who left for Milik’s Napoli last summer.

It very nearly cost the club everything. Harry Kane went down injured on New Year’s Day and in his absence, Jose Mourinho’s side were knocked out of both the FA Cup and the Champions League and would have been without Europe but for the season coming to a halt.

Kane returned, bagged seven goals and guided his side into the Europa League qualification stages – just.

Had there been a backup, then Mourinho wouldn’t have endured such a nightmare start to live at Spurs.

In Milik, they’re getting a 6 foot 1 colossus who has been likened to fellow Polish compatriot Robert Lewandowski but he also possesses a touch of class and genius with further comparisons to former Arsenal legend Dennis Bergkamp, whom he was coached by at Ajax.

Everton boss Carlo Ancelotti has previously lauded Milik as “sensational” whilst Italian journalist Bruno Longhi believes he “does wonderful things with the ball.”

Despite only starting 19 matches in Serie A last term, the Napoli frontman still bagged 11 goals, averaging 2.6 shots per game, via WhoScored.

For just £18m, you can’t help but feel that Levy would be getting quite the steal and the perfect solution to the striking problem.

AND in other news, Spurs eye move for Adebayor-like striker, he was once wanted by Pochettino…

Leeds United’s backroom situation has been interesting to follow for the past year or so.

Rumours of potential massive investment from Qatar have been bubbling under the surface for some time now, while there have also been the odd murmurs about the San Francisco 49ers increasing their minority stake in the club.

However, the 49ers rumours seem to finally be coming to fruition with The Telegraph reporting that Radrizzani is finally set to sell a further stake in the club to the Americans.

The added investment may be a huge help at Elland Road for years to come, and while the 49ers don’t have the enormous wealth that QSI has, they will be better for the club.

Many fans were worried that the club would sell their soul if QSI came in and Leeds would become unrecognisable from the club they currently, but the 49ers aren’t going to be majority owners, so they won’t bring about that type of drastic change that fans were worried about.

Radrizzani would be doing the right thing by inviting in more investment, after all, his own personal wealth isn’t even £1bn, which is seemingly the benchmark for a Premier League owner these days, but he’s not sold the club’s soul by handing the reigns over to the Qataris.

QSI investment would see Leeds become a lot more successful, but there are countless blogs from Manchester City fans warning of the dangers of becoming an overnight financial superpower, the fanbase can quickly lose touch of what the club was and what it means to them, and that’s not what we want to see at Leeds.

Some fans have also expressed their concerns about the heinous human rights violations that the Qataris have been behind over the past few years, but that’s a story for another day, and there isn’t much to say on that front that hasn’t already been said.

The 49ers increasing their stake alongside Radrizzani being at the helm is seemingly the perfect set-up for Leeds at the moment, and the Italian has done right by the club with this backroom rejig.

Wolverhampton Wanderers recorded their first draw of the season but it’ll feel like two points dropped given their dominance at Molineux.

Nuno Santo’s side took the lead through a Raul Jimenez scorcher after the Mexican latched onto a rebound following a weak Pedro Neto free-kick and it looked to be their game until Jacob Murphy produced a piece of magic of his own.

The Magpies wing-back curled home set-piece past Rui Patricio, though the home goalkeeper probably should’ve done better with the wall as well as his save attempt.

However, there were other players to blame on the pitch, such as Leander Dendoncker, who was an absolute passenger throughout the 90 minutes.

He did make all of his 47 passing attempts, recording a 100% success rate, but that’s pretty much all he was – sideward and backward passes galore.

Per SofaScore, the 25-year-old lost 86% of seven duels contested, was dribbled past twice and failed to record a single shot, key pass or interception. The Belgian pretty much watched the game go by.

It’s a bold call from Nuno to pair both Ruben Neves and Dendoncker together in a two-man midfield given they offer quite a few similarities. The influence of Joao Moutinho as not just a creative outlet but also for his tough-tackling nature was sorely missed.

Dendoncker failed to repay the faith put in him and should be a candidate to be dropped next week when Wolves host Crystal Palace, another side that doesn’t create many chances like Newcastle.

Steve Bruce’s side enjoyed just two shots on target from five attempts, compared to a total of 16 shots by the home side. Throw in their 37% possession, and then it’s hard to argue that the Magpies deserved much from the game at all.

Valued at £25.2m by Transfermarkt, Dendoncker has failed to contribute to a goal in five starts in all competitions. In two of Wolves’ three Premier League victories this season, he was deployed an anchorman in a three, this is the only time he should be utilised.

AND in other news, Blow to £30k-p/w starlet could damage his Wolves hopes…

Leeds United will always be grateful for Marcelo Bielsa. He has managed to help them return to the Premier League and is proving they deserve to be there. However, journalist Graham Smyth has dropped a hint over his potential successor.

Smyth answers Leeds enquiries around Pochettino

One fan asked the journalist: “Do you think Orta & Co are having internal conversations about approaching Poch?”

Smyth replied: “I’m 100 per cent certain Victor Orta has a list of potential replacements and I’m certain the ownership would be aware of the list’s contents. Poch would be expensive but I can see why you’d ask about him specifically. It all comes down to timing and availability, ultimately.”

What should supporters think about these comments?

Pochettino was on Sky Sports as a special guest on Monday night, and stated he was ‘ready to return’ to management. He was sacked in November 2019 after a poor start to the Premier League with Spurs. Many rate him highly for the work he did at the North London side, which included reaching a Champions League Final.

Obviously his CV shows that he could be a great manager for Leeds. However, with the structure and manager they currently have, it seems silly for supporters to be discussing future replacements.

It is good for supporters to hear however that Orta does have a plan, or ‘list’ as Smyth puts it, for Bielsa’s eventual departure – the Spaniard seems to be prepared for every scenario.

In other Leeds United news, Phil Hay has discussed why Premier League survival is more important than ever. Have a read why here!

After suffering a defensive crisis at the start of the season, Crystal Palace manager Roy Hodgson finally has options at the back once again, after Gary Cahill, James Tomkins, Joel Ward and Tyrick Mitchell returned to training following the international break.

Cahill has played just 135 minutes of football in total so far this season with most of those minutes coming in the Premier League. The former England international suffered a nasty injury during the draw with Brighton after Lewis Dunk lunged in with a dangerous tackle, with the Seagulls captain subsequently sent off for foul play.

With Cheikhou Kouyate, Scott Dann and Mamadou Sakho struggling for consistency this season – as Palace have so far failed to keep a clean sheet since the 1-0 victory over Southampton at St Mary’s at the start of the season – surely Hodgson must start Cahill against Burnley on Monday night.

Speaking after Steve Parish signed the free agent on a two-year deal in 2019, Hodgson said: “I’m delighted that Gary has joined us. He’s a fantastic footballer who brings a wealth of international and Premier League experience. Having worked alongside Gary during my time as England manager, I know that he is going to be a valuable asset and I’m so happy to be working with him again.”

The Palace chairman added: “Gary is an exceptional professional and a fine addition to our squad. Adding a former England captain and a proven winner at the highest possible level to our ranks will definitely boost everyone at the club and add greater depth to our talented squad.

“I’m sure that Gary will also provide great leadership within Roy’s squad as we prepare for another competitive season in the top flight.”

It’s this kind of leadership that could be a real game-changer for Hodgson, whilst the 34-year-old could disrupt teams like Burnley who often rely on their physicality up front, as the powerhouse has strong levels of concentration and is comfortable blocking the ball.

Furthermore, Cahill boasts a decent record against the Clarets, having won four out of eight games in the Premier League so far, via Transfermarkt.

In 25 games in the Premier League last season, the former Chelsea centre-back picked up an assist, whilst he averaged 4.4 clearances per game, via WhoScored. Cahill is averaging two tackles per game in the top flight this term, which is more than either Dann (0.5) or Sakho (0.8) have managed, despite the fact his two teammates have made more appearances.

With the games coming thick and fast between now and the winter break, now is surely the best time for Hodgson to unleash one of Palace’s most reliable assets at the back to strengthen their position in the top half of the table.

AND in other news, Cahill and Schlupp start, Eze misses out: Crystal Palace Predicted XI vs Burnley…

Glasgow Rangers kept themselves busy during the summer transfer window as Steven Gerrard and Ross Wilson embarked on a summer spending spree, signing Ianis Hagi, Calvin Bassey, Cedric Itten, Kemar Roofe and Leon Balogun in quick succession, before bringing in Bongani Zungu from Amiens on an initial loan deal with the option to buy.

They even brought in a back-up goalkeeper for Allan McGregor in Jon McLaughlin, whilst Jermain Defoe officially joined the club on a permanent basis after signing a pre-contract agreement in January.

Apart from Zungu, there weren’t too many additions to the stacked midfield or indeed any departures of note despite the sale of Greg Docherty to Hull City and the fact that Scott Arfield and Steven Davis aren’t getting any younger.

It means Gerrard has six options to choose from to fill three positions, as he has preferred a 4-3-3 formation in the past, although he has switched to a 4-2-3-1 and 4-3-2-1 on occasion, which means that Zungu, Arfield, Davis, Glen Kamara, Joe Aribo and Ryan Jack are all vying for a place in the starting line-up.

But there will soon come a point when Rangers will have to rejuvenate their aging squad, a fact which won’t have gone unnoticed by Gerrard, as the Ibrox boss currently has the second-oldest team in the Scottish Premiership. So Gerrard may want to take a look at his loan army when the chance arises, although he might be even more inclined to do so after Stephen Kelly’s impressive start to the season at Ross County.

Kelly burst onto the scene following a successful stint on loan with Ayr United, having scored six goals and supplied four assists in 33 appearances for the Championship side, which saw him named the club’s young player of the season.

However, the Scotland U21 international initially struggled to make much of an impression with the Staggies, as he spent the first five fixtures of the season as an unused substitute on the bench, but he has started to feature more regularly in recent weeks.

Rangers sporting director Ross Wilson singled out the 20-year-old for praise during a Q&A with the club’s official website.

“We are pleased that Stephen Kelly is now starting to play – we believe he should have played a lot more, but he’s starting to play at Ross County now,” Wilson said.

“I think he was Man of the Match at the weekend, so we are pleased with that.”

Breaking into the first team is never an easy task no matter how talented you are as a player. However, Rangers are keeping tabs on his progress, which is a big step in the right direction.

Kelly has made nine appearances for Ross County in the Scottish Premiership so far this season, registering his first assist in the 1-1 draw with Livingston before the international break, whilst he is averaging 1.2 clearances per game, via SofaScore.

By comparison, even Steven Davis and Ryan Jack are only managing fewer than one clearance per league game in the top flight, as per SofaScore.

Once lauded as a “wonderful” gem by Graeme Murty, the young Scotsman was recently described as “one for the future” by former Rangers defender Alan Hutton.

Standing at 176cm tall, the Rangers loanee is only slightly shorter than Jack, who himself is 182cm tall. At this stage in his career, playing every week is far more beneficial than being sat on the bench.

Given his age, Kelly still has plenty of time on his side to continue to impress his parent club. He’s clearly highly-rated by the Ibrox outfit as his performances at Somerset Park saw him rewarded with a contract extension until 2023, whilst Gerrard and co decided to throw him in at the deep end to himself at Premiership level this season.

It may not be too long before he starts to be given opportunities by his boyhood club, that’s for sure.

AND in other news, Rangers stalwart Steven Davis struggled as Northern Ireland missed out on Euros…

It looks increasingly more likely that Leeds veteran Pablo Hernandez is inching away from Elland Road. Despite playing a big role in their long-awaited promotion last season, the midfielder has fallen out of favour under Marcelo Bielsa this campaign.

The club’s return to the Premier League means that the physical demand is much higher. The Whites are now competing with some of the strongest teams in the world and the manager must ensure he is fielding his best possible squad each week. Unfortunately for Hernandez, it seems that the regular Leeds lineup is being moved on without him.

Tough pill to swallow for Hernandez

Kevin Campbell recently spoke to Football Insider about the 35-year-old’s situation at Elland Road. The player missed out on his spot against Arsenal due to a reported “niggle”, but he could be available to play against Everton this weekend.

Campbell claimed that Hernandez is “upset” and “unhappy” at the moment following Bielsa’s choice to substitute him off against Leicester. Fellow pundit Alex McLeish also said that he feels the Spaniard’s time as a Leeds regular is coming to an end.

He compared his situation with Scott Brown at Celtic, who despite also being 35, is still one of Neil Lennon’s first names on the team-sheet. However, Bielsa has shown that he can be ruthless with his decisions and axing Hernandez is a prime example.

Orta must move to the market

Hernandez has less than two years left on his current £23,500 deal and Leeds will want to make moves before he is eligible for pre-contract agreements. Cashing in on him at the end of this season seems like the only logical way to go for Victor Orta and Andrea Radrizzani.

Should they opt to move him on and not offer him new terms, the board must waste no time in exploring their options on the transfer market. As it stands, Hernandez is the only recognised senior attacking midfielder at the club and not replacing him could seriously hinder Leeds’ chance of scoring. Despite not yet registering a goal or an assist this season, the Spain international has produced some game-changing performances in the past.

Phil Hay waxed lyrical about the attacking “demon” last season and lauded him as “unreal”.

Bielsa simply cannot put more pressure on Patrick Bamford by starving him of creativity. The 27-year-old is already relied on far too much as the team’s main source of goals.

In other news, Radrizzani given reprieve amid likely Laurens De Bock exit…