Speaking to GiveMeSport, journalist Paul Brown has shared a potential big boost for Tottenham Hotspur before their clash with Leeds United.
The Lowdown: Spurs slumping…
Unable to build upon their shock 3-2 victory over league leaders Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium last weekend, Antonio Conte’s men took two step backwards with a 1-0 defeat at Burnley on Wednesday night.
Clarets defender Ben Mee scored the only goal of the game, which took Spurs’ torrid Premier League run to four losses out of their last five.
Following the game, much noise has been made over Conte’s future at N17, but Brown may actually have some good news for Spurs fans ahead of their all-important encounter with Leeds this weekend.
The Latest: Skipp could return…
According to the reporter, Spurs midfielder Skipp could be back for their trip to Elland Road on Saturday lunchtime.
Brown explained to GiveMeSport: “I think his injury is taking longer than people thought, definitely. But we’re told there’s a chance he could be back this weekend.”
The Verdict: Big potential boost…
After Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg’s regrettable outing away to Burnley, with the Dane finishing the match as one of Spurs’ lowest-rated players on SofaScore, Conte could be relieved to have another option for his midfield if Skipp does indeed return for the visit to Yorkshire.
His form at stages over 2021/22 when available even spurred talk of a new deal at one point, and according to WhoScored, he has averaged a higher passing accuracy rate than any player in the Tottenham squad.
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Skipp’s possible return could therefore come as a big boost for Conte after a very regretful midweek.
In other news: ‘Spoke to me just now’…ITV reporter makes major claim on Conte’s future, find out more here.
Aston Villa will host Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side this afternoon, and Steven Gerrard will be hoping to end Southampton’s seven-match unbeaten run by securing all three points at Villa Park.
However, a fresh injury update has emerged which could set Villa back in their pursuit of a second consecutive win.
What’s the word?
The Villa manager took to his pre-match press conference on Friday to confirm that Carney Chukwuemeka will not be available for the clash with Southampton this afternoon.
Gerrard told the press: “Carney will miss tomorrow’s game, he’s got an outside chance of being involved against Leeds. He’s back out on the pitch, clearing one or two things before he comes back into full training, hopefully on Monday.”
Gerrard will be gutted
Aston Villa have the opportunity to climb the Premier League table as they are currently level on points with Leicester City and Crystal Palace, whilst only three points away from breaking into the top half.
The former Rangers boss will surely be gutted to have his squad weakened during these important last few months of the season, and he will want to have all of his best options available, with Chukwuemeka a reliable member of the squad and a hot prospect on whom Gerrard will definitely have his eye.
The 18-year-old has been impressing in Premier League 2 this season with two goals and two assists in just six appearances, as well as being rewarded with nine senior appearances, with one assist already in Gerrard’s side despite only being in the starting line-up once. [Transfermarkt]
The teenager has earned the public praise of his manager, who said in December: “We believe in him and we trust him”, in addition to calling the young midfielder a “fantastic talent”.
The youngster could be in contention to gain another appearance against Leeds during their midweek fixture, as he is expected to be back in training ahead of that match in good time.
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However, not having him as an option off the bench against Southampton today will definitely be a big blow for a clear admirer in Gerrard, especially with Hasenhuttl’s side in such impressive form over the last month.
In other news: Steven Gerrard must axe this Villa player today
After tasting defeat in his first game in charge of Leeds United, Jesse Marsch will no doubt be hoping to kick-start life at Elland Road with a victory against Aston Villa on Thursday night.
The clash against Steven Gerrard’s men in the Premier League represents the American’s first game in front of the home fans, who will surely still be reeling from the heart-breaking exit of predecessor Marcelo Bielsa couple of weeks ago.
Marsch has been given a huge boost heading into tonight’s game though, with a couple of players back from injury and pushing for recalls.
And, with that in mind, below is a look at how Leeds might line up when Aston Villa come to town.
While the Whites looked much better defensively against Brendan Rodgers’ side last time out – they conceded just seven shots on goal all game – Marsch could look to bolster the centre of defence with the returning Diego Llorente.
Dubbed as a “leader” by former Leeds man Noel Whelan, the £70k-a-week earning Spaniard could make an immediate return to the starting line-up, and that could see the 22-year-old Pascal Struijk dropped to the bench – the rest of the back-five should remain unchanged.
In midfield, Marsch may opt to make his other big call, axing Robin Koch and giving Adam Forshaw the keys in midfield.
The Whites ace has been dubbed as “class” by Whelan, while Bielsa has previously admitted just how influential he can be.
He said: “Forshaw is a player who, when he has played, he is always between the better players of the team.
“He has a feature that is very difficult to get. He defends similar to Kalvin, he attacks similar to Klich. What he does close to Phillips doesn’t impede, it is not a problem for him when he goes close to Klich to attack. You are not going to find a lot of players with this kind of characteristic.”
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The forward line should stay as is, with Raphinha and Jack Harrison out wide, and Rodrigo and Dan James tasked with leading the line and providing that goal-scoring threat.
Aston Villa were incredibly busy behind the scenes during the 2019 summer transfer window as they sought to strengthen their squad after securing promotion to the Premier League.
The Midlands club spent a total of £133.74m, according to Transfermarkt, on bringing a significant number of players to Villa Park on permanent deals such as Wesley, Douglas Luiz and Matt Targett among others.
However, as tends to be the case with most clubs, not every player signed in that window ended up being a successful one for the Villans, with just five of the 12 players who secured permanent deals that summer still in the squad at this moment in time.
One player who was brought in to help Villa navigate their way through the 2019/20 Premier League season but ended up being a waste of money was winger Jota Peleteiro.
The Villa Park outfit signed the attacker from close rivals Birmingham City in a deal worth a reported £4m, making him their first signing of that summer’s transfer window.
With just 16 appearances under his belt across all competitions before leaving in October 2020 on a free transfer to Spanish club Alaves, the winger ended up costing the Midlands club £250k-per-appearance in addition to his £25k-per-week wages, with just one goal scored and two assists provided.
After making 25 appearances for Alaves, the Spaniard – who described his time with the Villans as “tough” – failed to score even once before being released last summer, and he is currently without a club.
In December 2019, Transfermarkt had Jota’s market value listed as £4.05m, whereas it now stands at just £1.35m, presumably as a result of his lack of action on the pitch over the past couple of years.
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Taking all this into account, it’s safe to say that bringing the attacker to Villa Park was one deal where Wes Edens and Nassef Sawiris made a rather costly mistake in signing the 30-year-old upon the club’s return to the Premier League.
In other news – Fewer passes than Martinez: Anonymous Aston Villa star badly let Gerrard down v Leeds
Wolves have now been given a big boost in their hopes of keeping Ruben Neves this summer.
The Lowdown: In demand
Neves is a man in demand, with Manchester United and FC Barcelona the latest to be linked with a high-profile move for the central midfield player in the summer.
Described as ‘outstanding’ by The Athletic journalist Tim Spiers after his performance in the 1-0 win away at Everton last time out, Neves has been one of the Midlands club’s standout players once again this season, currently ranking as their second-best performer to have made at least ten appearances in the Premier League.
The Latest: Barca ruled out
As per AS (via Sport Witness), Barca signing Neves has now been ‘totally ruled out’, as they are unwilling to pay the €50m (£42.2m) asking price for his signature.
They could offer a player in any deal, but loan moves are already underway for both Adama Traore and Francisco Trincao.
The Verdict: Big boost
It is a big boost for Bruno Lage’s team that Barcelona are seemingly now out of the running for Neves.
The Portugal international is such a key player at Molineux, with four goals and two assists in the top flight so far this season, while he also ranks highly among his teammates in terms of average shots, passes, long and through balls per game (WhoScored).
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Nonetheless, with one less club out of the race, it gives them a better chance of either keeping him or demanding a huge price tag.
In other news, find out who is set to leave WWFC this summer here!
The Telegraph’s Luke Edwards has delivered the latest update on Newcastle United’s plans for the upcoming summer transfer window.
What’s the story?
The journalist has claimed that contrary to what many people may have hoped or even expected of Eddie Howe’s side, the Magpies have “ruled out making expensive superstar signings this summer with (the) transfer budget likely to be less than the £90m spent in January”.
Then, amid some response from fans about the article, Edwards added on Twitter: “Reactions are mixed but I can tell most of the negative ones haven’t read the article. This is a sensible and pragmatic approach from #nufc who have been dismayed by ludicrous transfer stories since takeover. This is an accurate appraisal of things based on multiple sources.”
Newcastle fans will be gutted
After a run of form that has seen Newcastle well and truly climb out of a relegation dogfight, attentions will swiftly be turning towards the excitement of the summer transfer window and the kind of eye-catching business the Magpies will do.
The Tyneside club brought in the in-demand Bruno Guimaraes from Lyon for a big-money fee in January, and that deal certainly whet the appetite of many a supporter on Tyneside.
Indeed, speaking earlier this month, Frank McAvennie said: “The season’s over, they aren’t going to get relegated. I’m interested to see what they do in the summer. Some big, big players are going to come in. There isn’t much of a squad there, as we saw against Everton, so they need to strengthen their options.
“But they aren’t just going to sign average players to beef out the squad, they will be top, top players. I think Newcastle can fly up the table towards Europe next season because that squad will be so different.”
But, if Newcastle fans were hoping that this summer could see a massive spending spree to rival the real big guns across Europe, then it appears they are sadly mistaken.
Edwards’ update that the club may even spend less than what they did in January is extremely disappointing news not only for the club’s fan-base, but also for Howe, who no doubt would have been hoping and even dreaming of splashing the cash yet again.
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The Magpies boss not be happy at all with the club’s current plans.
AND in other news: Sold at £2.2m, now worth £90m: Ashley had a big NUFC disaster on “unstoppable” wizard
Leeds United goalkeeper Illan Meslier is yet to make a return to training ahead of the clash with Southampton on Saturday, The Yorkshire Evening Post report.
The Lowdown: Molineux injury
The Whites sealed back-to-back wins before the international break against Norwich and Wolves, with the victory at Molineux coming at a cost.
[freshpress-quiz id=“383507″]
Jesse Marsch lost Patrick Bamford, Diego Llorente, Mateusz Klich and Meslier through injury.
Bamford has now been ruled out for six weeks with another foot problem, whereas Meslier, labelled as ‘excellent’ by Sky Sports pundit Micah Richards, suffered bruising after a collision with Raul Jimenez.
The Latest: Update
The Yorkshire Evening Post shared injury news on a number of Whites players on Tuesday afternoon.
When it came to Meslier, they claimed that the goalkeeper hasn’t been in training since his impact injury but is expected to be available against the Saints.
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The Verdict: Marsch worried?
Although Meslier is expected to make a return, it is a worry knowing he hasn’t trained during the international break.
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The Frenchman has started every league game so far and has made more saves than any other ‘keeper in the division, making him a crucial member of Marsch’s squad.
The Leeds boss was forced into handing Kristoffer Klaesson his Premier League debut for the final 35 minutes against Wolves, and you’d expect the American would rather be able to call upon Meslier, but how much faith can he have in a player who hasn’t trained for two weeks?
In other news: Orta now ‘open’ to signing ‘unbelievable’ Raphinha replacement who’s scored vs Leeds this season.
It was not that long ago that it looked like Dominic Calvert-Lewin was a poor piece of business by Leeds United during the summer transfer window.
The former England international joined on a free transfer from Everton, reportedly on £100k-per-week, and only scored one goal in his first 11 appearances of the campaign, missing nine ‘big chances’ in that time, per Sofascore.
Since then, though, the ex-Toffees centre-forward has plundered an eye-catching six goals in five appearances in the Premier League, which has taken him to seven league goals for the season.
How Dominic Calvert-Lewin has ignited his Leeds career
Leeds started the season playing a 4-3-3 formation and, essentially, attempted to soft-launch themselves in the top-flight by playing a slightly more reserved version of the 4-2-3-1 system and style of football that led them to 100 points in the Championship.
With Leeds in the relegation zone heading into home games against Chelsea and Liverpool, Daniel Farke opted to change the formation to a 3-5-2 and started to play more direct and aggressive football to chase results.
Since he first utilised the formation, at half-time against Man City, Calvert-Lewin has scored six goals in four-and-a-half matches, clearly benefitting from the new style.
As shown in the graphic above, the English striker needs service into the middle of the box to thrive, and that is what the new system has generated, with more set-pieces and crosses into the box for the towering forward to attack.
Now, Calvert-Lewin looks undroppable for the newly-promoted side, having previously looked like a flop, and Farke may be thinking about how they will ever replace him.
The Leeds teen who could replace Calvert-Lewin
Leeds will need to replace the former Everton man at some point, as with every other player, in the future, and they may already have the perfect long-term replacement in their academy.
In The Pipeline
Football FanCast’s In the Pipeline series aims to uncover the very best youth players in world football.
17-year-old striker Harry Gray has made the bench for one Premier League match, the 3-1 win over Wolves, this season, but is yet to make his top-flight bow for the club.
The teenage centre-forward made his first-team debut as a 16-year-old against Stoke City in the Championship last season, which shows that he is in Farke’s thoughts.
Gray deserves to be in the German manager’s thoughts for the first-team because his form at academy level for the Whites as a centre-forward has been incredibly impressive.
The England youth international has plundered ten goals and two assists in 13 appearances in all competitions in the 2025/26 campaign, per Transfermarkt, which includes a hat-trick against Scunthorpe in the National League Cup.
Gray has shown that he can deliver goals at an incredible rate as a striker at youth level, which suggests that he may have the potential to provide as much of a threat as Calvert-Lewin has in the first-team this season.
Harry Gray’s impressive goalscoring
Competition
Appearances
Goals
Premier League 2
13
8
U18 Premier League
11
8
National League Cup
4
4
EFL Trophy
2
2
Premier League International Cup
2
0
Championship
1
0
FA Youth Cup
1
0
Stats via Transfermarkt
As you can see in the table above, the 17-year-old striker has scored goals in almost every competition that he has made more than one appearance in, which speaks to how prolific he has been in the academy.
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Como scout Ben Mattinson once stated that Gray is “going to the very top” and that he is “one of England’s best prospects in his generation”. It is hard to argue with that assessment when you look at the numbers he has put up for the U18s and the U21s.
Leeds have a right to get excited about the English marksman and the potential that he has to develop into a first-team star in the future, because of how impressive he has been as a goalscorer for the academy.
Whilst Calvert-Lewin is currently thriving as a goalscorer in the first-team in the Premier League, Leeds are already brewing their long-term replacement for him in Gray.
Not DCL: Leeds star looks like their best bargain since Tanaka
Leeds United now have one of their best bargains since Ao Tanaka’s arrival through the door in this crucial star.
Wilfried Nancy finally picked up his first win in charge of Celtic on Sunday with a 3-1 win over Aberdeen at Parkhead in the Scottish Premiership.
The French head coach had lost his first four matches in the dugout for the Hoops, the worst start by any manager in the club’s history, and he will be hoping that this latest result can kickstart a successful tenure in Glasgow.
Goals from Benjamin Nygren, Kieran Tierney, and James Forrest earned the hosts all three points, but there were still several players who underperformed, including Johnny Kenny.
Why Johnny Kenny should be dropped by Celtic
The Ireland international was given another chance to lead the line up front for the Scottish giants, with Kelechi Iheanacho out with another injury, and failed to take it.
Per Sofascore, the 22-year-opld centre-forward failed to find the back of the net from four shots on goal, as he missed two ‘big chances’, before being taken off in the 70th minute.
Unfortunately, sloppy finishing has become a theme for Kenny in the Premiership this season, as he missed an absolute sitter in the defeat to Dundee United earlier in the week.
The Irishman has missed a staggering nine ‘big chances’ in six starts in the league this season, including four in the last two matches, which is why Nancy must drop him from the side for the clash with Livingston next time out.
Nygren, who has scored eight goals in all competitions this season, could be an interesting option for the manager to call upon as a replacement for Kenny.
Kenny, though, is not the only undperformer from the win over Aberdeen who should be dropped from the line-up for the game against Livingston.
The Celtic flop who should finally be dropped by Nancy
These last five games will have been incredibly informative for Nancy as he gets to learn which of his players he can trust and which of those he cannot, like Kenny.
Chalkboard
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Unfortunately, first-choice goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel’s performances continue to suggest that he is set to fall into the latter category, as he struggled once again against Aberdeen.
The veteran Danish shot-stopper had a nightmare for ten-man Aberdeen’s equaliser in the second-half, as he was slow to get down to Bilalovic’s shot, which bounced off the goalkeeper’s hand and went backwards into the back of the net.
Schmeichel, who was given a 4/10 player rating by 67HailHail, conceded one of the two shots against him in the game and won zero duels, which shows that he had little to do in the match aside from the goal that Aberdeen scored.
Unfortunately, it was not a rare mistake from the experienced goalkeeper. Just a couple of games ago, the ex-Premier League title-winner was caught out for Jonah Ayunga’s header in the League Cup final.
On top of those clear errors in the last few matches, Schmeichel has conceded 2.31 more goals than expected in the Premiership based on the xG of the shots against him, and 1.58 more than expected in the Europa League, per FotMob.
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Nancy, therefore, must finally drop the 39-year-old flop from the starting line-up, as well as Kenny, because he has been a liability between the sticks this season, domestically and in Europe.
24/25 Premiership
Viljami Sinisalo
Appearances
6
Save percentage
78.9%
Clean sheets
2
Error led to goal
0
Goals prevented
+2.52
Goals conceded
4
Stats via FotMob
As you can see in the table above, second-choice Viljami Sinisalo performed well when given an opportunity in the Premiership last season, conceding 2.52 fewer goals than expected.
His 0.42 goals prevented per 90 would work out at 15.96 goals prevented over a 38-game season in the league, whilst Schmeichel is currently on course to concede 5.32 more than expected with -0.14 goals prevented per 90, per FotMob.
These statistics suggest that the Finland international, who is yet to start a league game this season, has the potential to be a big upgrade on the Danish number one as a shot-stopper.
Sinisalo has not played a single minute for Nancy in any competition in the last five matches, but he should finally be given a chance to play because of Schmeichel’s poor form.
Celtic now plotting move to sign Championship striker who Sutton called "unplayable"
Celtic moved three points clear at the top of the Premiership table on Sunday as they won 3-2 at home against Dundee FC.
The Hoops went 1-0 down early on in the match but came from behind to lead 2-1 at half-time thanks to a quickfire double from Giorgos Giakoumakis.
Dundee pulled the score back to 2-2 in the 60th minute and looked set to weather the Celtic storm heading towards the end of the match. That was until the Greek striker completed his hat-trick to seal the three points in the 86th minute.
The likes of Giakoumakis and Jota may get the praise of their flashy attacking play and an unsung hero from the match may come in the form of Anthony Ralston. He was sublime from start to finish and played a key role in the result, although he may not get the plaudits that the exciting forward players get for terrorising the Dundee defence.
Defensively, he was outstanding for Celtic. As per SofaScore, he won 80% (8/10) of his individual duels and made two tackles, truly living up the “warrior” tag given to him by Postecoglou. This shows that he was strong in physical battles and did not allow himself to be bullied by any Dundee players, which the manager will surely be delighted with as he will not want his players to be lightweights on the pitch.
Ralston, the £7.5k-per-week battler, also offered quality in possession of the ball. Via SofaScore, he had 116 touches of the ball and completed 106 passes, whilst completing 100% of his dribbles (1/1) and creating one chance – resulting in the winner for Giakoumakis in the 86th minute as his cross met the forward on the head from close range.
The opening he created for the Greek striker to win the game was registered as a ‘big chance’ and this shows that he delivered a superb cross at a crucial point in the game. He was, therefore, key to Celtic picking up all three points instead of dropping two and remaining just one point clear of their arch-rivals Rangers as he provided quality in defence and offence.
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Postecoglou will be buzzing with the player’s performance at both ends of the pitch and hoping that he can continue to deliver displays of a similar vein for the rest of the campaign. The Hoops are battling for multiple trophies and having a number of players producing week-in-week-out like Ralston, Jota and Giakoumakis will surely be a huge help to their chances.
AND in other news, Ange must brutally axe “really selfish” Celtic liability who left Lennon “appalled”…