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The return of the Premier League this weekend after the latest international break sees Southampton take on Leeds United at St Mary’s on Saturday, with both teams having had rather disappointing starts to the campaign.

The Saints’ previous league outing before the break saw them fall to a 3-1 defeat against Thomas Tuchel’s Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.

Djenepo should start for Southampton on Saturday

One player who did not feature in Southampton’s starting XI against Chelsea but who should come in against Leeds is Moussa Djenepo, who is currently earning a weekly wage of £55k-per-week according to Spotrac.

Southampton signed the winger back in the 2019 summer transfer window on a four-year contract from Belgian club Standard Liege in a deal which could rise to £15m.

Since then, the 23-year-old – who is currently valued at £11.7m by Transfermarkt – has made 58 appearances for the Saints across all competitions, in which he has scored four goals and provided two assists along the way.

So far this season, Djenepo – who was described by teammate Nathan Redmond as being a “super-talented” player – has played in all but one of Southampton’s league games, starting four of them, but has yet to score a goal or provide an assist.

Nonetheless, he has managed to rack up 1.2 shots per game so far this season in the Premier League according to WhoScored, showing that he is still very much an attacking threat for the Saints whenever he’s on the pitch, and he could therefore be a potential game-changer against Leeds. Only four players can exceed that tally and there is a strong chance that two of them won’t feature on Saturday through either suspension (James Ward-Prowse) or injury (Che Adams).

After replacing Nathan Tella in the second half of the Chelsea game, Djenepo made two successful dribbles and won five ground duels and two tackles in just 17 minutes, ultimately seeing him earn a match rating of 6.5/10. That was higher than the likes of Tella and Redmond, both of whom started the match according to SofaScore.

Looking ahead to the Leeds clash, we feel that Hasenhuttl should go with Djenepo over Tella on the left wing to see if the Mali international can help the Saints secure their first league win of the season against Marcelo Bielsa’s side – who they would overtake in the table if they manage to do so – based on the decent showing the 23-year-old delivered off the bench against Chelsea.

In other news: Hasenhuttl must unleash “perfect” £9m-rated Southampton gem, he’s a real game-changer

Everton have made a “concrete” enquiry to sign Juventus star Dejan Kulusevski in this January transfer window.

What’s the story?

The Toffees might be without a permanent manager currently following Rafa Benitez’s sacking, but it appears they are still trying to make moves in terms of their recruitment.

And, according to Romeo Agresti, the Merseyside club have got their sights set on Sweden international Kulusevski.

Speaking on Goal Italia’s Twitch channel, the journalist said: “Everton made a more concrete survey for Kulusevski. But Juventus did not receive any offers.”

Huge upgrade on Iwobi

Amid all the chaos and confusion surrounding who Everton will be looking to appoint as their new manager, bringing in Kulusevski would be an unqualified success that Toffees fans would absolutely get behind.

Described as “explosive” by former Villa and Sweden striker Marcus Allback, he also added: “He likes to challenge his direct opponent. He likes to dribble with the ball, play the short passes and he is very good on the through balls. He’s quick and would cause a lot of trouble for most of the teams he plays.

In fact, while Toffees fans might be sick of the sight of Liverpool star Mohamed Salah, they could find themselves getting their own version of the Egyptian in Kulusevski.

Italian coach Pierpaolo Bisoli once claimed: “He has incredible physical strength. He reminds me of a young Salah for the way he shakes off opponents in the first ten metres.”

Crucially, Kulusevski is a significant upgrade on what Everton have already got in Alex Iwobi, who quite frankly, has been a very disappointing signing since his own big-money arrival from fellow Premier League side Arsenal.

The Nigeria international has managed just six goals and five assists in 80 Premier League games for the Toffees, while his start to the current campaign has been similarly underwhelming to say the least – just the three goal contributions in total.

That lack of end product is not something Kulusevski struggles with however, with the Swede a real threat with his directness and quality.

Last season saw him score seven goals and provide another seven assists in all competitions for Juventus – a real indication of how he is very much at home at such a high level for someone who remains only 21 (four years younger than Iwobi).

As per Whoscored, Kulusevski also averages far more shots, dribbles and key passes per game over his career, and unlike Iwobi has broken into double-figures for goals in a season before – the Swede has also managed more assists than the Everton man in a single campaign too.

The £27m-rated star would be the kind of signing that would get Goodison Park rocking.

Meanwhile, Moshiri should look to hire this man…

According to RMC Sport, Marseille chiefs have been left angry with defender Duje Caleta-Car after he refused to join West Ham United or Wolverhampton Wanderers before the deadline.

The Lowdown: West Ham summer completed…

As the Irons have completed their summer business, it’s safe to say most supporters will be fairly happy with the outcome given they had just Alphonse Areola to show for a majority of the window.

In the end, manager David Moyes came out with Aroela, centre-back Kurt Zouma, midfielder Alex Kral and attacker Nikola Vlasic – with only the lack of another striker being a sour point.

The central defensive area was a big topic for much of the window, and before West Ham landed Zouma, they were apparently in the mix to land Caleta-Car from Marseille.

The Latest: Marseille chiefs angry with Caleta-Car…

As per RMC Sport, chiefs at the Ligue 1 giants are angry with Caleta-Car after he refused to join West Ham a few weeks ago, or Wolves before the deadline.

Marseille apparently needed to ‘lift some of the constraints’ weighing on the club in this transfer market and were desperate to find a solution to sell the player.

Valencia came forward in the last minute but to no avail, with the 24-year-old now set to stay at the Stade Vélodrome in January.

The Verdict: Blessing in disguise?

Despite Caleta-Car having perks of his own, standing at a colossal 6 foot 4 and possessing the physicality for Premier League football, Zouma stands out as the better option.

The latter man has a wealth of experience both in Europe and the English top-flight – all while being a calm and composed option at the back for West Ham.

He averaged an impressive 90.9% pass accuracy out from the back over 22 league starts for Chelsea last season and even pitched in with five goals going forward (WhoScored).

Missing out on the £22.5 million-valued Caleta-Car could actually come as a blessing in disguise.

In other news: ‘Yayyyy’, ‘Ooooo’, ‘Actually mental’…West Ham fans rave over ‘fantastic news’, find out more here.

An update has emerged on Rangers’ quest to sign Juninho Bacuna this summer, with journalist Alan Nixon providing details of a potential deal to bring the versatile midfielder to Ibrox.

The Lowdown: Rangers eye up Bacuna move

Steven Gerrard is on the lookout for some late-summer transfer business at Ibrox, as he aims to bolster his squad after a slow start to the campaign.

One player who has been linked with a move to Rangers is Bacuna, with the Huddersfield Town man making 43 Championship appearances last season.

The 24-year-old has also won 10 caps for Curacao, scoring twice in that time, having initially played for the Netherlands’ Under-18s, Under-20s and Under-21s.

According to Transfermarkt, he has played as many as ten different positions in his career, from right-back to left-wing and all the way through midfield.

The Latest: Journalist provides update

The reliable Nixon has now given an update on the matter, taking to Twitter to confirm that a ‘full time deal’ to bring Bacuna to Ibrox is ‘advanced’, with add-ons included in a low-cost signing:

“Low with add ons on games.”

The Verdict: Great addition for Gers

Bacuna could be exactly what Gerrard is looking for in the middle of the park, bringing both quality and bite to the team.

He has scored 11 times and registered nine assists in the league in the last two seasons, highlighting his quality in the final third, and also averaged 1.15 tackles per game in that time.

That all-round skill set combined with his versatility could make him a real asset for the manager, providing depth in several positions at once.

In other news, one club have played down claims regarding one Rangers player. Read more here.

Tottenham Hotspur are keeping an eye on Dusan Vlahovic after an update on his future emerged this week…

What’s the word?

That’s according to Italian journalist and transfer expert Fabrizio Romano, who delivered an exciting update to his ‘Here We Go’ podcast.

The Fiorentina striker has turned down a lucrative new contract extension that would have made him La Viola’s highest-paid player in their history and now Spurs, who were linked with the 21-year-old in the summer window, are watching his situation closely.

“Tottenham, they will keep an eye on this boy because Fabio Paratici always works like this. If he likes a player he will follow this player for a long time,” he revealed.

“So Tottenham will keep an eye on Vlahovic’s situation, but a lot of clubs in Europe will keep an eye on this situation. He is officially an opportunity, his contract is up in 2023 so Fiorentina need to sell the player in January or in [the] summer.”

Promising news

This news should leave many supporters around N17 absolutely buzzing as there is a chance that Spurs could land one of the most promising young forwards in Europe right now.

Vlahovic was in prolific form last season, bagging 21 goals in just 37 league appearances, and that has rolled into the 2021/22 campaign already, finding the net six times in eight matches, via Transfermarkt – that’s even despite the interest in his signature throughout the off-season.

“I think that after Haaland and Mbappe, he is one of the strongest in Europe,” is how former Italy international Christian Vieri once described the Fiorentina talisman.

Whilst the 6 foot 3 colossus has earned plenty of comparisons to Zlatan Ibrahimovic, too.

“He’s just a complete number nine and I know it’s just off the back of one season, but he’s strong, can link play up, can hold the ball up and most importantly, he’s scoring goals. He’s one of those players that when he looks confident, you almost expect him to score every time he plays,” claimed Serie A expert Conor Clancy to This is Futbol.

Harry Kane has struggled for goals so far this campaign, failing to score in five Premier League starts, whilst their 2-1 win over Aston Villa was the first time that Nuno Santo’s side scored more than once in any top-flight game this term.

As per WhoScored, the north Londoners are also fourth-from-bottom for average number of shots per game (10.4).

It’s clear that there has been a real problem in the final third for Spurs and Vlahovic’s impressive record surely makes him an interesting and potential solution.

Therefore, the fact that Fabio Paratici is keeping an eye on the Serbian talisman is certainly reason to get excited. If Tottenham can complete a deal for him in January, then they absolutely should do it.

AND in other news, “I saw him limp”: Reliable journo drops Spurs injury claim, fans are surely worried…

According to The Times, Tottenham Hotspur are now ‘progressing’ in talks to sign Inter Milan star Lautaro Martinez.

The Lowdown: Martinez saga emerges…

The Times also first broke news of Spurs and the Nerazzurri agreeing a fee for the Argentine which could reach ‘more than £60 million’, with reliable correspondent football.london Alasdair Gold also backing this up on Twitter.

However, Romelu Lukaku’s move to Chelsea seemingly put a spanner in the works, as Fabrizio Romano says Inter have now changed their mind and don’t want to sell.

Intriguingly, his agent has also come out to say that Martinez and Inter are set for contract renewal talks, but FcInterNews believe that Spurs could still tempt the 23-year-old into leaving Italy.

The Latest: Spurs talks ‘progressing’ for Martinez…

As per an update by The Times, a move for Martinez certainly isn’t dead in the water and Lilywhites talks are ‘progressing’ over a potential £60m deal.

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Indeed, the reliable news source indicates that Spurs are moving forward in their negotiations for the player despite the statement of his agent and Inter’s reported U-turn.

After Spurs’ current transfer activity, it is stated that the club – and by extension managing director Fabio Paratici – are ‘far from finished’ in terms of building the foundations for this season. Alongside talks to sign Martinez, they are also ready to swoop for Villarreal defender Pau Torres, although it is claimed that the player has ‘serious reservations’ over leaving Estadio de la Cerámica.

The Verdict: Get it done…

Signing Martinez as a possible partner to Harry Kane, or even as his replacement depending on developments, would certainly be Paratici’s biggest coup yet.

The exciting forward bagged 19 goals and 11 assists and 48 appearances for Inter last season and has even been called ‘spectacular’ by Paris Saint-Germain star Lionel Messi (talkSPORT).

At such a young age, Martinez also comes with plenty of sell-on value and could represent a big money maker for Spurs in years to come – if they decide to cash in, that is.

Indeed, somehow snapping him up would be quite the move by Tottenham.

In other news: Offer pending: Tottenham front race to sign ‘very exciting’ player with ‘gigantic buzz’, find out more here.

Many Glasgow Rangers fans have been left slamming the display of Ianis Hagi despite their 2-0 win at home to St. Johnstone in the Scottish Premiership.

Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s team came home from Ibrox with all three points thanks to goals from Alfredo Morelos and Ryan Kent, but Hagi, making up the final part of the front three, was certainly not as influential.

The Romania international lost out on five of his duels in total, the joint-most out of any of his teammates on the pitch, and failed to score with all three of his shots (SofaScore).

He was also unsuccessful with all of his dribble and crossing attempts, while Hagi was guilty of losing possession of the ball on no fewer than on 18 separate occasions in the match, the second-most out of any Light Blues player (SofaScore).

Rangers fans slam Hagi

These Teddy Bears slammed his performance on Twitter, with one Gers supporter even going as far as to claim that he was ‘non-existent’:

“Good half but Hagi has been stinkin’”

Credit: @jaayfc

“Btw Hagi is useless wide. We need to stop this”

Credit: @RheiceMulgrah

“Still don’t get Hagi, would love to know how many times he loses possession in a game by just falling down”

Credit: @de5erteaglegreg

“What do people actually see in Hagi?”

Credit: @WilliamGrimes_

“Hagi out wide is utterly depressing just get Fash on”

Credit: @LeighamMacleod

“Hagi non-existent here”

Credit: @L8522Mac

In other news, find out what official RFC post has fans gushing here!

Everton are reportedly among a number of clubs who want to sign Christian Eriksen on a free transfer in the summer.

The Lowdown: Eriksen’s deal expiring

The 30-year-old’s six-month deal at Brentford expires in the summer, so he will be able to talk to other clubs about signing as a free agent.

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The Denmark international has made a return to the pitch after suffering a cardiac arrest while playing for his country at Euro 2020, so caution was taken by the Bees over the length of contract given to him during the January transfer window.

The Latest: Eriksen wanted by Everton

Co-writing in his latest piece for 90min, transfer insider Graeme Bailey has revealed that Everton are just one of the clubs ‘looking’ into offering Eriksen a contract this summer, along with Aston Villa, Crystal Palace, Newcastle United, West Ham United and Fulham.

The Dane’s former club Tottenham Hotspur are also ‘interested’ in his signature, and there is interest from abroad too, but the 30-year-old would prefer to remain in England.

The Verdict: No-brainer

Assuring that the Merseyside club can stay in the Premier League, signing Eriksen for free is surely a no-brainer.

Described as a ‘magician’ by Spurs insider John Wenham earlier this season, and recently hailed as ‘unbelievable’ by his manager Thomas Frank, the playmaker has already reminded the Premier League what he is capable of by scoring one goal and supplying one assist in his five Brentford appearances so far, including netting in the recent 4-1 demolition of Chelsea at Stamford Bridge (Transfermarkt).

Currently rated at £13.5m, and not thought to be wanting six-figure wages, landing Eriksen on a free transfer would be a real bargain, and the Toffees would do well to beat off the fierce competition for his services.

In other news, find out what ‘significant’ update has now emerged from Goodison Park

Liverpool will take on Porto at Anfield this evening, and the side is expected to rest players due to an early qualification to the last sixteen thanks to going unbeaten in Europe this season so far.

The reds have taken maximum points from their first four games in their group, currently seven points ahead of their opponents on Wednesday evening.

Klopp has hinted in his press conference that he will be resting players in the fixture that has no effect on the side’s qualification in the tournament whether they win, lose or draw.

The German coach told the press;

“We always respect the competition but we have to think about ourselves, our schedule and the situation of our players first.”

With Liverpool’s injury crisis in mind – they are missing Curtis Jones and Naby Keita – there is one player that has been a hot favourite with fans for a start tonight in the European fixture. At just 19 years old, Tyler Morton is predicted to make his Champions League debut for the side ahead of the likes of Thiago and Fabinho.

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Hailing him as “brilliant”, Klopp heaped praise on the teenager a few weeks ago and talked about getting him ready for first-team football;

“You can see Tyler Morton, I told him now we pretty much have to send him directly to the gym now. Because if he gets a body, he’s a brilliant footballer.

“There’s obviously some things to come physique-wise, but the football brain is outstanding.”

Morton is no stranger to the first team this season, putting in a confident performance against Norwich in the Carabao Cup when he came on in the second half, and more recently made his Premier League debut, when he was subbed on for Thiago Alcantara in the final six minutes of the game against Arsenal in which the side ran away with a 4-0 win.

The youngster is set to get his first opportunity in the starting line up against Porto tonight and will be hoping to prove to Klopp that he made the right choice in introducing him into the first team, which he can achieve with a measured display

Liverpool will be hoping to remain unbeaten in Europe with a win over Porto tonight, where the Portuguese side will be hoping to steal a win at Anfield to widen the gap in second place holding back AC Milan and Atletico Madrid from qualification.

In other news: Liverpool predicted Champions League XI vs Porto

Celtic have two distinct financial plans in place for whether or not they qualify for next season’s Champions League, according to football finance expert Doctor Dan Plumley.

The Lowdown: Celtic closing in on title

The Hoops are enjoying a memorable season to date, with Ange Postecoglou proving to be an inspired managerial appointment last summer despite a rocky start in Glasgow.

As the season slowly reaches its conclusion, Celtic find themselves six points clear of Rangers in the Scottish Premiership title race, as well as preparing to face their arch-rivals in the Scottish Cup semi-finals.

If Postecoglou’s side are crowned champions of the league they would of course qualify for the Champions League, as they look to make their mark in Europe’s biggest club competition.

The Latest: Financial plan in place

Speaking to Football Insider, Plumley revealed that plans are in place at Celtic financially, in terms of them qualifying for the competition or not, as it could make a £17m difference:

“You have to be careful, of course. Celtic know near enough what their revenue will be each year because it’s almost guaranteed that you’re going to finish first or second.

“They sell out every week and they know what they’re working with. The differentiator is, of course, European football. If they win the league this year, they get automatic qualification, which is going to be worth £17m minimum.

“That makes a big difference, so they’ll have different models depending on different possibilities.  Model A, they make the Champions League. Model B, they don’t. That extra money makes a big difference.

“Everything is based around those distinct models and whether you can repeat the trick and qualify year on year.”

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The Verdict: Shrewd approach from Desmond

This is a really smart approach after major shareholder Dermot Desmond hinted at as much recently, ensuring the club is run in sensible fashion rather than recklessly.

The expectation should be that Celtic are in the Champions League next season, of course, but in the event that it doesn’t happen, it is only right that a contingency plan is in place.

While Postecoglou and his players deserve huge praise for their performance on the pitch this season, the manner in which the club is being run as a whole is also worthy of positive reviews.

In other news, Kieran Devlin has singled out one Celtic player for praise. Find out who it is here.