Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Mousa Dembele has rejected a £20million move to Inter Milan according to The Daily Mail.

What’s the story?

Dembele has been one of the stars for Spurs since joining from Fulham in 2012 and has gone on to make 171 league appearances for the club.

The Belgian international is due to enter the final year of his contract and a number of clubs have shown interest in the box-to-box midfielder, including Juventus, Napoli and Inter Milan.

However, according to the latest report, he has rejected an offer to join Inter Milan because he wants to stay at Tottenham this season.

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Huge boost

Tottenham haven’t enjoyed the best of transfer windows and are still yet to bring anyone in this summer.

However, the news that Dembele wants to stay at Spurs will be a massive boost to Mauricio Pochettino, as he has consistently been one of their most important players over the past few years.

It could well be the most important piece of business Tottenham do this summer as he would have been a very difficult man for Daniel Levy to replace.

Burnley have been extremely active during the final week of the transfer window.

After winning their first European tie in over 51 years, Sean Dyche has significantly strengthened his squad after a quiet couple of months in the window. Burnley defeated Aberdeen to set up a tie against Turkish side Istanbul Basaksehir. Since then, the Clarets have signed Joe Hart and Ben Gibson. Their latest signing could be their best yet.

Eager to bolster his forward line, Dyche completed a £11m deal for Derby County striker – Matej Vydra. The striker was believed to be close to a move to Leeds United earlier in the window but rejected a move in hopes of moving to the Premier League. He signed a three-year deal with the option of a fourth at Turf Moor.

Valued at £7.2m by Transfermarkt, Vydra could turn out to be an excellent piece of business by the Clarets.

The 26-year-old was in excellent form last season for the Rams. He scored 21 goals in the Championship, finishing as the top scorer in the division. Vydra also notched four assists for his team-mates.

The Czech Republic international would add some much-needed firepower to the Burnley attack as they look to juggle European and domestic competitions. Vydra is a natural goal scorer and has the killer instinct needed to be a success in the Premier League.

For £11m, Burnley have picked up one of the deals of the summer.

Burnley fans, will Matej Vydra be a good signing for the Clarets? Let us know!

After the news broke last week that Newcastle defender DeAndre Yedlin had sustained a bad knee injury in his side’s 2-1 loss to Tottenham in the season opener, manager Rafa Benítez said he planned to deploy new signing Federico Fernandez as a replacement. 

Benítez’s rationale was that it would provide some defensive stability to his side, particularly giving The Magpies some aerial dominance. But this is a worrying way to look at it from Benítez, and the Spaniard has more positive options to chose from, especially in light of who they face this weekend.

Newcastle will be relieved after the news that Yeldin’s injury is not as bad as it first seemed, but they still have a job to do before he returns, and Javier Manquillo is the man to do that.

Manquillo (valued at £4.5m on Transfermarkt.co.uk) is a fairly uninspired alternative to Yedlin, but is still the best fit. The 24-year-old isn’t the most attacking player, but will still bring more to the table than Fernandez. The former Liverpool man played 21 times for Newcastle in the Premier League last season so is certainly up to scratch.

The fact that Newcastle lack a like-for-like replacement for Yedlin exposes their poor summer spending. But Manquillo is certainly a solid deputy. Salomón Rondón is in line for a potential start on Saturday, and the big Venezuelan will want as much delivery into box from wide as possible. Although Manquillo will not be able to provide that as well and as consistently as Yedlin, he will certainly do a better job than Fernandez.

The message that Benítez will send to the rest of the league if he fields Fernandez at fullback is also not desired. Replacing Yedlin with a centre back would show that the Newcastle boss lacks faith in his defenders by creating a makeshift defensive line. Displaying a lack of belief in your team will fill any opposition with confidence.

Newcastle travel to newly promoted Cardiff this Saturday, in a game they will hope to win. Turn up with a team that is too defensive and they may not get the result they wished for.

Benítez will miss his American speedster, but has nothing to worry about.

According to a recent report from El Desmarque, Lucas Moura has been linked with a move away from Tottenham this summer. The winger only made the move to North London back in January of this year after five years at French giants Paris Saint-Germain, yet he only mustered 11 appearances for Spurs in the second half of last season. 

And reports suggest that La Liga outfit Real Betis are interested in the £25.2 million-rated ace (as per Transfermarkt) this summer, yet there is little doubt that Pochettino and the club’s hierarchy would be absolutely crazy to let him go before the August 31 deadline were an offer to come in for him.

The Breakdown

Ultimately, things didn’t quite go to plan for the Brazil international last season in featuring just 11 times for Tottenham, yet it is worth noting that he still managed a goal and four assists in those matches as he began to slowly but surely adapt to the English game.

Significantly though, he showed glimpses throughout his time on the pitch for Pochettino’s side that he could be a huge asset to them going forward this term, with the 26-year-old willing to take defenders on and use his pace to get in behind defences and dig out a cross.

Arguably, there isn’t anyone quite like that in the Spurs squad at present in terms of running direct at players with pace to burn, and his gradual adaptation to the club was none-more-so evident than in pre-season, with the Brazilian one of the club’s brightest and most impressive players in the build up the 2018/19 season.

And having signed the winger for £25 million just eight months ago, Spurs are unlikely to want to already part with the 26-year-old – he hasn’t really had much of a chance to prove his worth to the club.

Yes, Moura wasn’t quite at his best in starting their 2-1 win over Newcastle United on Saturday, yet his efforts in pre-season, alongside the fact that Tottenham look set to be without Son Heung-min for a few weeks, suggests that he could play a big part in their success this term.

Thus, despite reported interest from Real Betis, Spurs would be crazy to sanction the Brazilian’s departure this month.

Tottenham fans… what do you think? Let us know!

Everton have set a £28m price tag on Ademola Lookman amid continued interest from RB Leipzig, according to Sky Sports.

What’s the word?

Throughout the summer, Lookman has been linked with a move to the Bundesliga outfit having impressed while on loan at Leipzig last season.

The 20-year-old scored five goals and created four assists in 11 league matches during the second half of the campaign in Germany.

According to Sky Sports, Everton turned down an offer a few days ago of around £22m as the club are keen on a figure of £28m plus add-ons.

Lookman moved to Goodison Park from Charlton Athletic in 2017, but he is yet to establish himself as a regular in the team.

Is the valuation too low?

Logically, for a 20-year-old footballer, a price tag of £28m would be very high, but it has to be looked at differently in this current market.

Elite stars are being sold in the region of £80m to £100m nowadays, so a talent of Lookman’s quality should be commanding a higher fee.

The winger is still young, but he more than held his own in the Bundesliga, proving that he can cut it at the top level.

Given that Lookman still has many years left to develop, he will only improve his game, which will increase his worth in the process.

Everton need to be careful as they could lose out financially.

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Unai Emery finally picked up his first win as Arsenal manager against West Ham at the weekend.

The Gunners lost their opening two fixtures of the Premier League campaign against Chelsea and Manchester City, but Emery earned praise for implementing his style of play to the Arsenal squad. He finally picked up his first win in England at the expense of the Hammers. The Spaniard will be hoping for another positive result against struggling Cardiff City on Sunday.

Emery spent over £70m on new players this summer but is still yet to introduce many of his new arrivals to the first-team. Lucas Torreira is expected to start in midfield once settled into life in England and could feature alongside Matteo Guendouzi who has impressed since leaving Lorient. Despite his signings, Arsenal failed to add a quality winger to their squad in the window.

One man Emery should target to address their problem is Paris St Germain forward – Angel Di Maria. Valued at £36m by Transfermarkt, the Argentina international is no stranger to England following a failed spell with Manchester United back in 2014. He was sold to PSG after just one season with the Red Devils.

Di Maria was a key player during Emery’s tenure at the French club, making 32 appearances in Ligue 1, scoring 11 and assisting six as PSG were crowned champions. The 30-year-old has made an excellent start to the new campaign under Thomas Tuchel, starting three games and picking up three assists. Despite his form, his contract is due to expire next summer, and no talks have begun over new terms.

He might not have been a success at Old Trafford, but Di Maria could thrive under Emery’s guidance at the Emirates. The former Real Madrid man can operate centrally or on the wing which makes him a useful option for the Spaniard to have. Averaging 1.7 key passes per game last season (WhoScored), his arrival could mean even more goals for Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang in the Arsenal attack.

The Gunners would be wise to give Di Maria a second chance in the Premier League.

Arsenal fans, thoughts?

Liverpool enter the international break top of the Premier League table after four games.

Jurgen Klopp significantly strengthened his squad during the summer window adding Naby Keita, Fabinho, Xherdan Shaqiri and Alisson Becker to his team. The Reds have made an excellent start to the new campaign picking up wins against West Ham, Crystal Palace, Brighton and Leicester. Klopp will be hoping their form continues against Tottenham following the international break.

Fresh from the news of Jordan Henderson’s contract extension, the Anfield faithful were dealt a huge blow with the news that Adam Lallana had suffered a groin injury while on international duty with England. The 30-year-old was restricted to just one Premier League start last season after being plagued with problems throughout the campaign. Following another spell on the sidelines, Klopp would be wise to source a replacement in January.

The perfect alternative could be Flamengo wonderkid – Lucas Paqueta. Valued at £13.5m by Transfermarkt, the 21-year-old is considered one of the brightest prospects emerging from Brazil and has been tipped to follow Gabriel Jesus in moving to the Premier League. Paqueta has netted six goals for his side this season, and his impressive form earned him a call-up to the Brazilian national team.

Paqueta is an intelligent, tricky playmaker who would be an excellent replacement for Lallana. Not only would his creative ability be a welcome boost to the Liverpool engine room, but the youngster would also fit perfectly into Klopp’s pressing system, evidenced by his terrific work-rate shown here. (https://twitter.com/Mobyhaque1/status/1036578086521851905)

He could be the final piece of the puzzle in the Liverpool midfield.

Liverpool fans, thoughts?

Tottenham supporters have been pretty quiet in recent times after seeing their team suffer their first defeat of the Premier League season just prior to the two-week break for internationals.

Mauricio Pochettino’s men went into their most recent clash with Watford off the back of victories over Newcastle United, Fulham, and Manchester United in their opening three matches, and thus having made a very fast start to the campaign. And in taking the lead at Vicarage Road through an Abdoulaye Doucoure own goal, the North Londoners looked on course for a fourth straight win, only for headers from Troy Deeney and Craig Cathcart to seal all three points for Javi Gracia’s Hornets.

As such, there have been many despondent Spurs fans up and down the country in recent times, several of whom have taken to Twitter recently to express their irritation at seeing attacker Son Heung-min play for South Korea in a friendly against Chile on Tuesday.

And given the amount of football the £45 million-rated ace (as per Transfermarkt) has played in the last few months, those Spurs supporters are absolutely justified to be frustrated with the lack of rest the 26-year-old is getting.

Ultimately, the South Korea international played a hugely important role in Pochettino’s side last season in netting 18 goals and laying on 11 assists in all competitions for Tottenham, 12 goals and six assists of which coming in their run to third place in the Premier League.

Thus, it was clear that the South Korea star was a vital part of the squad at the North London club and as such went into this summer’s World Cup in fine form, although he was unable to help his country out of the group stages in Russia, despite playing his part in a famous victory over Germany.

And a matter of weeks later saw Son named in the South Korea squad for the Asian Games, which the 26-year-old helped his country win by beating Japan 2-1 in the Gold Medal match at the start of this month – as such, he has been playing football pretty much non-stop since this time last year.

Add in two recent friendlies for South Korea, in beating Costa Rica on Friday before drawing with Chile earlier today, and the attacker simply hasn’t been able to have much of a rest and certainly not much of a pre-season ahead of the 2018/19 campaign – that is likely to be a problem for Pochettino and Tottenham as the season wears on.

Clearly, Son is an important player for Spurs such have been his efforts in years gone by, but to go into this season with little pre-season and 12 months of continuous football, it’s going to be difficult for him to produce the goods once again – by not playing either of South Korea’s recent friendlies would have at least given him some time to prepare by returning to Spurs.

As such, those Spurs fans are absolutely spot on to suggest that he deserves a rest, and that his game time needs managing in the coming weeks if the 26-year-old is to be able to produce the goods in Pochettino’s side this season.

Tottenham fans… what do you think? Let us know!

Leeds United’s compelling opening to the season has given the supporters plenty of reason to be optimistic about their chances of clinching promotion, but Patrick Bamford’s injury setback has threatened to dampen that optimism. 

That Bamford has hardly featured in Leeds United’s opening fixtures this season is the only consolation the club can take from his 4 month setback. Kemar Roofe has been excellent at the spearhead of the attack to the extent in which Bielsa has predominantly used the £10 million man as an impact substitute.

Leeds have managed to race into top spot without needing to start Bamford, but a dip in form or injury to Roofe would now leave Leeds in an incredibly undesirable situation.

With Bamford out injured for such an extended period of time Bielsa needs to begin pondering how his team could line-up if Roofe is also ruled out.

Bielsa has two youngsters to chose from in Tyler Roberts and Jack Clarke but their lack of experience at senior level is a legitimate cause for concern, so the Argentine may be forced to deploy a more experienced attacking player at centre-forward or even as a false-nine.

And one player who he would be wise to consider through the middle is Ezgjan Alioski after he bagged 2 goals for Macedonia during the international break against Gibraltar and Armenia.

Alisoki (valued at £3.6 million by Transfermarkt) is one of the club’s most dangerous attacking outlets and his best work arrives in the final-third when he manages to evade the linesman’s flag.

A natural left-winger by trade who prefers to go down the line onto his favoured left-foot, Alioski is unproven at centre-forward but his goal-scoring exploits this week suggest he is an option worth considering if Roofe is unavailable.

Whether he would be more comfortable operating as a classic number nine or in a slightly deeper position is a matter for Bielsa to discuss with the Macedonia international, but there’s no doubt he possesses the skill set to do a job in either role.

With a lack of senior options in attack Bielsa will need to maintain a pragmatic mindset throughout Bamford’s absence and turning to Alioski as a solution to the problem may well be in Leeds’ best interests if they reach crisis point.

Leeds fans – thoughts on Alioski at centre-forward? Let us know below!

Swansea have made a solid, if unspectacular, start to their Championship campaign. 

The Swans currently sit in seventh place with three wins, two draws, and one loss from their opening six games in the league.

After suffering relegation from the Premier League last season, their squad has largely been ransacked by other clubs, creaming off the club’s best players. But the Welsh outfit have been able to keep hold of some stars that make up the bare bones of their squad that featured in England’s top division.

One of those men that manager Graham Potter has been able to keep hold of is striker Wilfried Bony. The Ivorian re-signed at the Liberty Stadium at the beginning of last season from Man City, but could only manage eight starts in total due to injury.

The 29-year-old (valued at £9m on Transfermarkt.co.uk) is still recovering from the knee injury that he sustained in February this year, but Potter recently gave positive signs that the striker may return in the coming months.

This would be an immeasurable boost to Swansea, and can rifle them towards the top of the table, providing they can keep Bony fit. However, as history suggests, that is much easier said than done. The striker has been blighted with injuries his whole career, and that has seriously affected his chances of playing for a big team since he left Man City.

Perhaps that is why Swansea were able to keep hold of the Ivorian over the summer, as a club would not want to invest in a player that is so injury prone.

But when Bony is firing, he is one of the most powerful and lethal strikers in England, the greatest challenge, however, is keeping him healthy.