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Southampton midfielder James Ward-Prowse scored his first England goal in their 5-0 win against San Marino in midweek, and Ralph Hasenhuttl should perhaps be concerned that it could increase interest in the 26-year-old ahead of the summer.

The Saints academy graduate has been a mainstay in the Austrian’s line-up so far this season, playing every single minute in the Premier League in a season where nearly every other player has been struck down by injury at one point.

He has also equalled his best-ever goalscoring season in the top flight with seven goals to his name in 29 appearances, which has seen him average an impressive 7.10 WhoScored match rating.

This ranks him as Hasenhuttl’s best performer in the Premier League and, after another excellent season with the Saints, it would not be a surprise if some clubs playing in Europe next season come knocking in the summer.

Even if it was against San Marino, His performance also highlighted just how good he can be in a team which gives him the freedom to go forward and attack more, as he opened the scoring from open play, something he has managed just once in the Premier League this season, in the 2-0 win against Everton.

The rest of his goals have either come from free kicks or the penalty spot, which have also boosted his reputation this season, with Pep Guardiola remarking that he is the “best free-kicker taker I have seen in my life” earlier this season.

Whilst he did come close to a second goal against San Marino with a free kick, it was a superb all-round display from the Saints captain.

As per SofaScore, Ward-Prowse – who reportedly earns £45,000 per week at Southampton – earned a superb 8.3/10 match rating for his display, which was only bettered by Mason Mount with 8.8.

During the 90 minutes, the 26-year-old Saints man completed as many as five key passes whilst also registering a 94% pass accuracy, both of which are significant improvements on his average numbers in the Premier League this season.

Although we must take into consideration the standard of the opposition, there is no doubt that Ward-Prowse was one of the standout performers for England in midweek; and if he produces similar displays in the European Championships during the summer, then it may be a struggle for Southampton to keep hold of him ahead of next season.

In other news… Hasenhuttl can amend key Saints issue next season with swoop for £10.8m-rated “great talent”

Marcel Brands must seal a deal for Everton to retain goalkeeper Robin Olsen beyond the end of the season, after Carlo Ancelotti praised the impact that the AS Roma loanee has brought to Goodison Park.

Reports earlier this week by TuttoMercatoWeb claimed that the Blues are still in contact with the Giallorossi hierarchy over a permanent transfer for the Sweden international, having seen Olsen find a home for himself on Merseyside.

The 31-year-old was allowed to leave the Stadio Olimpico on deadline day in October after being unable to establish himself as Roma’s first choice in two years with the Serie A outfit, and has featured nine times across all competitions since joining the Toffees.

Olsen had been resigned to a backup role for much of the season and only featured twice in the Premier League before the turn of the year, but was given a run in the side throughout early February while Jordan Pickford was sidelined with an abdominal injury.

The Roma flop excelled between the sticks as Everton beat Leeds United 2-1 at Elland Road last month, with Olsen producing a string of sublime saves – including a rapid triple effort – to deny the Whites a comeback.

His efforts off the field had already impressed Ancelotti as much as those on the pitch, too, with the former Chelsea and Real Madrid boss stating aspirations of retaining the £4.5m-rated shot-stopper this summer after talks with the Giallorossi fell through in January.

“No news but the idea is the same to keep him permanent,” Ancelotti said, via quotes by the Liverpool Echo, when asked for an update on Everton’s pursuit during the winter transfer market. “In the next few months, we are going to talk with Roma about this.”

It appears that has been the case, with TuttoMercatoWeb claiming that discussions are ongoing over the £20k-a-week ‘keeper‘s future at Goodison Park, and Everton’s Director of Football Brands must see that those talks result in a deal being agreed.

Ancelotti has frequently praised Olsen for the levels that the 42-cap Sweden international brings to his game and his ability between the posts, noting at the end of January how he considered the Roma loanee to be not too far off Pickford.

“This is true. It is not always the same situation,” he said, via quotes in The Telegraph. “Honestly, when there is a big difference between the first and the second goalkeeper, I was not used to rotating the players. But when the quality of both of them is quite the same, I was used to rotating. Like I did in Real Madrid and in Napoli and like I am doing here.

“In this case, Jordan and Olsen, I have a lot of confidence in them. Jordan is younger but he plays a lot of games in the Premier League. Olsen is more experienced, maybe with less individual quality.”

Ancelotti also seems pleased with how Olsen’s form has forced Pickford to up his game, having rarely been challenged in previous seasons by the likes of Maarten Stekelenburg, Jonas Lossl, Joel Robles or Joao Virginia.

“In goal, Jordan is doing well, because I take him out [to rotate the goalkeeper] it removes a little bit of pressure. Robin Olsen is injured, when he is back, he can play some games to keep Jordan fresh and good like he is in this moment,” the Italian said on Thursday.

Pickford certainly seemed to be at the top of his game during last month’s Merseyside derby win over Liverpool, with the England shot-stopper proving his doubters wrong by producing a superb showing at Anfield.

If displays like Pickford’s against Jurgen Klopp’s defending Premier League champions are what the £100,000-per-week shot-stopper is capable of producing with a bit of pressure from Olsen, Brands and Ancelotti must ensure the Roma loanee stays at Goodison Park.

AND in other news, Everton can sign a £13.5m-rated brute Carlo Ancelotti thinks is “excellent” for free…

Tottenham Hotspur legend Gary Mabbutt has told Football FanCast that Spurs could still finish as high as second in the Premier League table.

Spurs had fallen as low as ninth under manager Jose Mourinho but have enjoyed a three-game winning run that has seen them beat Burnley, Fulham, and Crystal Palace.

That has left Mourinho’s men in seventh, five points behind fourth-placed Chelsea but with a game in hand.

Such is the congested nature of the Premier League table, Spurs are nine points behind Manchester United in second but, again, they have a game in hand.

Both West Ham United and Everton, in fifth and sixth respectively, have played the same amount of games as Tottenham, but Mabbutt is quietly optimistic that the north London club can still force their way into the top four.

Spurs have an interesting run-in and they still have to play both United and Everton, while they also meet Leicester City on the final day.

Those three games could well define how Spurs finish the season.

Speaking to FFC, Mabbutt was asked if this was the tightest top-four race he’d seen and whether he could see Spurs potentially being able to finish third.

He replied: “Absolutely, if not higher. We have a game in hand on Manchester United, if we win that game in hand, I think we’re only six points behind them.

“People were talking about Spurs, three or four weeks ago, crikey, a dip in form and look at them lying in eighth place in the table. They were top of the table in December.”

The weekend’s set of Premier League fixtures only served to spotlight how crazy results have been this season, as United beat Manchester City and Liverpool lost at home to relegation-threatened Fulham.

Mabbutt added: “I can’t talk about results anymore, because it’s totally bizarre. The results that we are seeing, I think probably over the weekend, the only result that went as you’d expect was the Spurs result.

“All the other results, Man City will have expected to beat United, Liverpool at home to Fulham. Liverpool, six straight defeats after 68 games unbeaten. It’s a totally bizarre season that we’ll probably never see again.”

This has been an awful season for Celtic but things could be set to change in the coming weeks.

That’s if Dermot Desmond finally pulls the trigger and sacks Neil Lennon. A host of replacements have been talked about from Eddie Howe to Jack Ross, but a new name is now on their radar.

On the chalkboard

For Celtic, this has been a campaign completely out of the ordinary. They have had an almighty stronghold over Scottish football in the last decade, winning an impressive nine titles in a row.

Rangers haven’t even been in the equation until this season, but they have bounced back in tremendous fashion. The Hoops are 23 points behind their fierce rivals and are sinking without a trace.

Although Lennon’s management has to be questioned, undoubtedly their biggest problem on the field has been their defence.

With Christopher Jullien out for the next four months, things are only set to get worse for a side who have shipped 11 more goals than Steven Gerrard’s team. That’s despite playing three fewer games in the league.

Their defensive problems extended to Europe as well where they conceded a mighty 19 goals in just six outings. Thus, if they are to get themselves out of this rut, they must improve in that area.

Benitez to arrive?

Fortunately, the Bhoys could be on the verge of bringing a defensively adept coach to Glasgow.

Rafael Benitez has been linked with the Parkhead hot seat over the last few days and if Dermot Desmond is able to hand him the keys, it could be game-changing.

That’s because Benitez instantly revived the fortunes of Newcastle in his last major job in British football.

Although he was held back by the financial constraints of Mike Ashley, his impact was felt almost immediately in the northeast of England.

The Spaniard was brought to Newcastle in March of 2016 with the club staring relegation in the face. They still went down, but Benitez showed that he does have what it takes to turn round a crisis – bringing them back up the year following.

The 60-year-old failed to win his first four opening games but then went on an unbeaten run towards the end of the campaign where the Magpies were unbeaten in six.

In the process, they kept three clean sheets and conceded just once in a 5-1 rout of Tottenham. Considering they’d conceded 56 times in 28 games before his arrival, it spoke volumes about the type of impact Benitez can have.

This type of record has the potential to be huge for Celtic. Of course, they aren’t in a relegation battle but it’s evident that before addressing any other aspects of their play, they must sort out the defence.

Hoops pundit Russell Boyce said last month: “I would go all out for Benitez, I think he would be the absolute masterstroke. He would be ambitious and I genuinely think he would generate the club more money than he would cost them.”

For that, and for the fact he’s improved a disastrous situation before, he’d be ideal for Desmond. That’s without considering his European pedigree too.

AND in other news, Hammond could find Celtic’s new McGeady with swoop for “outstanding” 6-goal gem…

After a disastrous end to last month, Celtic have picked up a couple of morale-boosting victories in the Scottish Premiership as they look to salvage a bit of pride from what has been a horror show of a season.

Neil Lennon’s side have watched their hopes of an incredible ten-in-a-row go up in smoke, and have lurched from one nightmare to the other, not least a 2-1 defeat at home to St Mirren on January 30.

That prompted a reshuffle from the Celtic boss for the game against Kilmarnock, with the Hoops running out 4-0 winners. The Bhoys then clinched a 2-1 win over Motherwell, and head into tonight’s game against St Mirren with the chance to make it three wins from three.

One man who has been absent from Lennon’s starting line-up for the past couple of games has been Ismaila Soro. The Hoops manager recalled skipper Scott Brown into the fold, and his captain duly rewarded him with a goal against Kilmarnock and a very dominant display.

But whilst the 35-year-old might have gotten his mojo back, that’s no reason to keep Soro out of the limelight – especially after he has reportedly been cleared to feature tonight having had a minor car accident.

The £900k-rated midfielder has been a rare shining light in what has been a turbulent season for the club, and prior to the start of this month, had emerged as a vital cog in the engine room for Lennon – he had started the last ten games in the Scottish Premiership.

Speaking after his goal against Dundee United back in December, Lennon said: “He’s played brilliantly. I thought he passed the ball really crisply. I’m really, really pleased with his contribution, his energy and his reading of the game. He’s very, very crisp with the ball at the minute as well.”

Described as someone with “explosive power”, the 22-year-old represents the future of this Celtic team, along with young centre-back Stephen Welsh.

Yes, the Hoops might have found a way to win again, but it feels like taking a step backwards by returning to the old reliable of Brown. Soro is the man Celtic need to build around in midfield, and using the rest of this season as the perfect platform for him to be given even more game-time and consistent first-team starts would do him the world of good.

Much like with Welsh, keeping these young starlets on the side-lines just isn’t going to do them anything in terms of their development, and it would make a lot more sense for them to be in the side week-in and week-out.

The title race is effectively over, so Lennon could do more for the club’s long-term by placing his faith in Soro again. Starting with St Mirren tonight.

David Moyes must axe Mark Noble from his starting plans after seeing the West Ham United captain hold the Irons back in Sunday’s 2-2 draw with Brighton and Hove Albion.

Noble opened the action at the London Stadium as the attack-minded midfielder in Moyes’ plans but struggled to establish himself as the flow of play was not suited to his lack of pace.

His runs often proved aimless and without intent, leaving Moyes with no choice but to hook the £50,000-per-week ace at the break in favour of a more natural No. 10 option in Manuel Lanzini.

Moyes accepted after the game that he got his tactics wrong in search of solutions for the absences of Michail Antonio and Arthur Masuaku, believing the pair brought a balance to the side he had not seen at the London Stadium in recent weeks.

“In hindsight, it was not the right decision. It was something we had discussed, I tried to get Jarrod [Bowen] and Seb [Haller] playing up front together and hope that the two of them would give us something different,” said Moyes, via quotes by football.london.

“We tried to find a solution to losing Arthur and Micky Antonio, we are looking closely to see if there are other things in the squad. We had a balance in the team and a way we played, which helped us, and we are now trying to find that again. In hindsight, the second half was much better.”

Moyes must now axe Noble from his starting plans when West Ham visit Southampton on Tuesday night, as he cannot afford to see the 33-year-old, who Alan Hutton believes has been “unbelievable” at the club, hold his team back again.

Noble offered nothing of real value during his time on the field at home to Brighton on Sunday, with a sole key pass the only moment of note for the £4m-rated veteran who failed to attempt a single shot or make a successful tackle, interception or dribble, per SofaScore.

On another day, Noble may even have seen his number shown on the board before the half-time break such was his ineffective presence in the advanced midfield role, and it could now be a while before he earns a fourth start of the Premier League season.

West Ham improved against the Seagulls after Moyes sought to introduce Lanzini for Noble, with the Hammers going from a 36.7% share of the possession in the first half to 49.8% in the second, per WhoScored.

The Irons also outshot the visitors by four attempts in the second period, had four times as many efforts on target and completed 183 of their 235 passes, after attempting just three efforts in the opening 45 minutes to Brighton’s nine and completing 134 of 177 passes.

AND in other news, a West Ham gem who’s “not been at the races” betrayed David Moyes vs Brighton.

It’s time for Tottenham Hotspur to move Lucas Moura on during this transfer window.

The Brazilian winger was an absolute hero only 18 months ago as his dramatic come-from-behind hat-trick in Amsterdam fired Spurs into their first-ever Champions League final, but ever since then, things have quickly gone downhill for the former PSG star.

It says a lot that his only defining moment this season has been a sublime free-kick against eighth-tier Marine in the FA Cup. On Sunday afternoon, he was snubbed again despite all of Steven Bergwijn’s fitness concerns.

The 28-year-old has now only started four of Spurs’ 18 outings in the Premier League, a rather damning indictment towards Jose Mourinho’s feelings on the wide man, you’d imagine.

It’s easy to see why he’s been snubbed so many times – heck, even in midweek without Bergwijn, the Portuguese boss turned to Moussa Sissoko at right-wing instead.

That’s either blasphemy or simply proves that Moura is no longer up to it in north London.

Moura has scored only one goal in the Premier League since December 2019. By comparison, central defender Toby Alderweireld and even right-back Serge Aurier have both found the triple the number of times in the competition.

In addition, his attacking output has dropped immensely – per WhoScored, we’ve seen a regression in dribbles, a key facet of any winger, from 2.1 per game in 2019/20 to 0.4 per match this campaign.

No wonder Mourinho doesn’t start him anymore.

Maybe it comes as a surprise seeing as Moura’s teammate, Eric Dier, waxed lyrical over him in training to the Premier League’s official YouTube channel less than two months ago, he said:

“There’s no-one worse to train against than Lucas Moura. He’s a nightmare. He’s so fast, so sharp.”

Now valued at just £22.5m by Transfermarkt, it might be time to finally sell him as there’s no point having him around if he can’t start against rock-bottom Sheffield United.

According to Eurosport’s Dean Jones, Moura is one of several players the club will listen to offers for, should the right one come in for him this window.

That’s a good stance to take right now as getting his reported £110k-per-week salary off the wage bill could help fund a new signing – it’s well-known that Mourinho wants a new central defender and quite possibly a box-to-box midfielder too.

He can afford to offload Moura too as Bergwijn is the regular in the role, having started eight of 12 top-flight appearances, and there’s still Gareth Bale, who is yet to hit the ground running since his sensational return in the summer.

It’s simply time for Spurs chairman Daniel Levy to offload the £25m star after three years at the club.

AND in other news, Bye-bye Alli: Spurs can land a new Dembele in £22.5m “outstanding talent…

To suggest sacking a manager just six points off the automatic promotion spots would be slightly harsh.

However, when assessing Sunderland it merely seems common practise.

Phil Parkinson was unable to get the Black Cats promoted last season and indeed, it would appear that the former Bradford boss is struggling again.

Sunderland are eight points off top spot and any thought of gaining entry to the Championship automatically is already fading.

In simple terms, it sums up what Sunderland have become. This is a team who at the very least should be competing at the top of the Championship. If you look at their facilities and stadium you’d instantly assume they were a Premier League outfit.

The reality, though, is that they’re languishing in the third tier of English football.

So what has to change? Well the arrival of Juan Sartori and Kyril Louis-Dreyfus could give the business side some fresh ideas and impetus.

However, it will be no easy task. It’s already been reported that Dreyfus is not aware of the financial complications at Sunderland and thus, he could be in for quick a shock once he gets his hands on the keys to the club.

Things could be worsened with a move for Nigel Pearson, someone linked with the north-east club this week. The former Watford boss was described as “incredible” by Pep Guardiola for the work he did last season in nearly keeping the Hornets up and has a reputation for getting teams promoted, both as a player and as manager.

He achieved it twice with Leicester, taking them from League One to the Premier League and that’s the kind of experience Stewart Donald will be lusting for.

That being said, it would surely be nothing short of a huge financial gamble to bring him to the Stadium of Light. The fact of the matter is that they’d presumably have to give Pearson a pretty hefty pay packet.

After taking the Foxes to the top-flight, it was claimed that Pearson wanted to take his £750k-a-year salary to £3m-per-annum. That would have been an absurd £57k-a-week. Clearly, he is used to taking jobs on for a comfortable salary.

Even if he replicated the £750,000 annually he received in the Midlands at Sunderland, it would mean that Donald or Dreyfus would have to pay him just over £14k-a-week.

For context, Sunderland defender Bailey Wright is currently on £13k-a-week so it seems manageable. However, it’s important to remember that Pearson’s latest job was in the Premier League, a role where he earned £1m in bonuses alone when he left Watford.

This seems like too much of a financial burden and if Sunderland brought him in before the takeover is done, Dreyfus would be walking into nothing short of a financial disaster.

One of the most important things Sunderland have thought about in the last 18 months is the sustainability of the football club from a financial point of view.

On the pitch, Pearson would more than likely deliver results but if the Mackems fail in terms of promotion again, it would not have been worth the risk on spending so much.

Donald has already taken a gamble on Will Grigg which didn’t work out. He needs to make sure he doesn’t take the same financial punt once again.

Meanwhile, some very BAD NEWS has emerged for Sartori and Dreyfus in their takeover attempt…

According to an update by reliable correspondent Alasdair Gold, Tottenham youngster Alfie Devine has made a ‘real impression’ on the coaches at Spurs – with the 16-year-old apparently wowing Jose Mourinho and his fellow staff. 

Devine, who was snapped up from Wigan Athletic in the summer after they fell into administration, became Spurs’ first summer signing of what was to be a very fruitful window.

Mourinho blown away by Devine

Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, Joe Hart, Matt Doherty, Sergio Reguilon, Gareth Bale, Carlos Vinicius and Joe Rodon all eventually followed in his wake – with Devine going somewhat under the radar by comparison.

Listed in the Guardian’s next generation 2020, Devine hasn’t featured for the Spurs first team yet, with the unseen ace quietly going about his business in the youth ranks.

However, as reported by Gold, Devine featured in first tram training over this week as the Lilywhites gear up to take on Leicester City on Sunday afternoon.

Transfer Tavern take

While it is unlikely he will be named as part of the matchday squad, it is claimed Devine has been wowing Spurs staff behind the scenes – with the youngster so far making a ‘real impression’.

Described as ‘top class’ by Sky Sports pundit Jamie Carragher, lofty praise from a Premier League icon, the box-to-box midfield player could have a glittering future ahead of him if he carries on in this vain.

Brought to north London for a reported fee of £500,000, Spurs fans will be hoping that’s eventually looked back on as chump change.

In other news: Tottenham have been tipped to land this ‘crazy’ beast in January, find out more here.

According to a report by TUTTOmercatoWEB, Man City have completed a deal for Partizan Belgrade attacker Filip Stevanovic – with the ‘amazing’ talent signing on a four and a half year contract in January worth £7.2 million. 

Stevanovic, who has been tipped to join City’s cross-town rivals Man United by the media, has now done a full u-turn and reportedly opted for a Sky Blue switch instead.

Serbian outlet Republika claimed back in August that Man United had completed a deal for Stevanovic, but it now looks as if City chief Txiki Begiristain has beaten them to the punch.

The 18-year-old winger will remain at Partizan on loan for the rest of the season until officially swapping Serbia for Manchester, with Sky Blues reacting to their proposed new signing on Twitter.

Flocking to this update, many City supporters have expressed a mixed range of opinions on the development – find all of their best verdicts from Twitter here.

Fan reaction to the Stevanovic signing:

In other news: City fans are flocking to this update on another reported target, find out more here and don’t forget to comment below.