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According to the Daily Star, Tottenham Hotspur’s bid to move their Europa League tie with Lokomotiv Plovdiv to north London has been rejected, and the Bulgarian club’s owner has blasted their official ‘offer’ to rearrange the qualifier. 

Spurs gear up for a busy fixture calendar ahead of the 2020/21 season, including a Europa League qualifying round tie with Plovdiv in just under two weeks’ time – a match which the Lilywhites are due to play only four days after their opening Premier League game against Everton.

The tie is due to be held in Bulgaria, with Plovdiv given home advantage at their Lokomotiv Stadium, prompting Tottenham to try and rearrange the location for England due to a heavy run of fixtures.

As a result of Spurs’ attempts to move the game to London, Plovdiv owner Hristo Krucharski has slammed the English club ahead of the clash in mid-September, insisting that the match will be played in Bulgaria as scheduled and backing his team to overturn Mourinho’s side.

“There was an offer from Tottenham to play there. But I told them quickly that we don’t play for money but for pleasure,” Krucharski said, as per quotes from the Daily Star.

“We are Bulgarians. We have the chance to host this match here and the match will be played on Bulgarian soil.

“The miracle is clear. That we will beat them. We will beat them. The question is by how much.”

This could come as a blow for manager Mourinho and the Spurs squad, especially considering the flight path and travel time for a mid-week match before Tottenham are required to be action again the following weekend.

It’s likely that the Portuguese boss will heavily rotate his squad for the tie, potentially giving the likes of Jack Clarke, Cameron Carter-Vickers and fellow youngsters a chance to shine.

Club record signing Tanguy Ndombele, if he hasn’t been sold by then, could also be tested out as Spurs aim to overcome the Bulgarian minnows, whose owner is full of bombast ahead of the match.

Spurs fans, what are your score predictions for the Europa League clash? Let us know your thoughts in the comment section below…

Everton’s run in the EFL Cup continues later this evening with a third-round clash at Joey Barton’s League One outfit Fleetwood Town but will Carlo Ancelotti stick or twist with his winning team?

The Toffees won convincingly at Salford City in the last round with the Italian primarily opting for fringe players and youngsters and then at the weekend, the strongest XI thrashed West Brom 5-2 in the Premier League.

With injuries mounting in defence, he certainly has plenty to think about.

Here’s the lineup we’re predicting at Highbury Stadium tonight…

Ancelotti could make as many as eight changes, though there’s a couple of spots for some that started on Saturday afternoon.

Usual number one Jordan Pickford hands the reigns to young shot-stopper Joao Virginia, who signed a contract extension in midweek and he’ll be protected by the first-choice duo of Michael Keane and Yerry Mina as the only two senior centre-backs available.

19-year-old Niels Nkounkou, who was signed this window from Marseille, replaces Lucas Digne on the left with Jonjoe Kenny coming in for Seamus Coleman on the right.

In midfield, £20m summer signing Abdoulaye Doucoure could well keep his place with Tom Davies a reported target for Premier League rivals Southampton. He may partner Gylfi Sigurdsson at the base of a three-man engine room with Brazilian winger Bernard taking up the number ten role once again.

Meanwhile, on the wings, there’s another opportunity for Alex Iwobi to impress after a cameo from the bench at the weekend. He gets the nod over Theo Walcott. Young 19-year-old prospect Anthony Gordon takes up a place on the left.

Without risking injury to the in-form Dominic Calvert-Lewin or Richarlison, Ancelotti may well opt for £27.5m-rated Moise Kean to lead the line again.

It also means there are no places for Allan or James Rodriguez, who are handed a rest before they face Crystal Palace this weekend.

AND in other news, Everton have been the real winners from £22.5m Ademola Lookman sale

Norwich City are ‘confident’ of keeping hold of Todd Cantwell, who has been linked with a move to Leeds United.

English football’s domestic transfer window closes on 16 October and links of a move for Cantwell to Elland Road continue to be reported by Football Insider.

The young midfield talent is currently playing for Norwich City in the Championship, having been part of the Canaries side that suffered relegation from the Premier League last season.

Despite the disappointment suffered by the youngster, he managed to impress throughout the 2019/20 campaign with six goals and two assists in his 37 top-flight appearances.

Norwich hoping to fend off Leeds’ interest in Todd Cantwell

With few days remaining in the current window, Football Insider claimed that Norwich are keen to fend off any interest after receiving two bids from Marcelo Bielsa’s side in the past month.

The report added that a recruitment source claimed that Norwich fully expect the attacking midfielder to be at the club beyond the 16 October domestic transfer deadline.

Cantwell, who is valued at £18m by Transfermarkt, has two years remaining on his contract at Carrow Road after renewing terms in July 2019 and is said be keen on a move to Elland Road.

Cantwell the final piece of Bielsa’s puzzle

Spending just under £100m thus far in the transfer window, Argentine tactician Bielsa is seemingly desperate to bring in a new and young midfielder to Leeds, having missed out on Michael Cuisance last week.

Cantwell, who is claimed to be dreaming of a move to Leeds, would seemingly improve his game further if he were to move to Yorkshire, potentially learning from the likes of Pablo Hernandez over the coming months.

A move for the young English midfielder would seemingly be a real coup for Bielsa, but Norwich certainly aren’t going to let him depart too easily.

Do you think Cantwell will join Leeds before the end of the domestic transfer window? Let us know your views in the comments section below…

Southampton centre-back Jannik Vestergaard has shed light on his transfer situation over the last 12 months. The Denmark international admitted that a move was on his mind earlier this year, but he ultimately decided to stay at the request of Ralph Hasenhuttl and the club.

Speaking to Goal.com, Vestergaard mentioned the fact that even in the summer, clubs had come knocking for his services. However, since being convinced to stay, his focus is only on Southampton and he has not received any information on interested parties from his agent.

Whilst his loyalty to the club is admirable, the Saints should look to reevaluate their decision. Is the 28-year-old a player Southampton are reliant on?

Hasenhuttl made a mistake with Verstergaard talks

It’s certainly an odd decision to keep Vestergaard at the club following his quiet 2019/20 season. The Dane was dropped for 17 Premier League matches and missed a further two due to picking up a knock (via Transfermarkt). This hints that Hasenhuttl had no real desire to deploy the defender, especially having four players in the same position fighting for their role in the squad.

When Vestergaard has been on the pitch, he’s been subject to a lot of criticism. Lots of Southampton fans have ridiculed his performances and even club icon Matt Le Tissier has given him both barrels. Speaking to Sky Sports (via HITC), the pundit slammed the Saints man for not doing enough to mark his man.

“It’s a really odd habit to get into,” Le Tissier said following Southampton’s loss to West Ham last year.

But Vestergaard hasn’t just been disappointing for his club, his international displays have also left a lot to be desired. Denmark’s most recent match against England saw him play just 16 minutes, with the previous fixture leaving him reduced to the bench (via Sofascore).

Leicester were reported to be linked to Southampton’s controversial man, but a move didn’t materialise. Hasenhuttl should look to strike up talks against once the January window comes round, in hopes to cash in on the man slowly being phased out of the team.

In other news, Southampton cashed in on Morgan Schneiderlin at the exact right time…

Tottenham Hotspur chairman Daniel Levy could soon lose out on one of the club’s reported transfer targets and he’ll only have himself to blame…

What’s the word?

According to The Sun’s Alan Nixon, Spurs have bid just £7m with add-ons for Swansea City centre-back Joe Rodon, an offer which is likely to be rebuffed with the Championship outfit looking for £20m.

And now Premier League rivals Leicester City have entered the race to clinch the impressive 22-year-old whilst West Ham and Sheffield United are also said to have an interest.

The Foxes, however, would want a move in January or in the summer but Rodon is keen to make the step-up as soon as possible.

Hardball mistake

So it’s time for Levy to stop playing his tough-negotiating hardball game.

£7m is quite frankly an insult considering the Welshman’s talents and potential, and now the door has been practically opened for the north Londoners to secure him over their rivals as he’s dreaming of that top-flight switch right now.

Rodon leaked three goals to England in midweek but has enjoyed a solid start to the Championship season – via WhoScored, he’s averaging a whopping 7.8 clearances, 5.3 aerials won, 2.3 interceptions and over an 80% passing accuracy per game.

Standing at 6 foot 4 inches, the Swans colossus is taller than all of Spurs’ current defensive options, meaning he’s going to be a bigger threat at either end of the pitch and that’s reinforced by his aerial numbers this term.

Having lost both Jan Vertonghen and Juan Foyth during the summer transfer window, Jose Mourinho could really do with an additional option to supplement first-choice duo Eric Dier and Davinson Sanchez alongside Toby Alderweireld.

Lauded as a “special talent” by Sky Sports, who have also likened his playing style to both John Terry and Rio Ferdinand, it would be an unforgivable mistake to miss out on yet another target just because Levy thinks he can pay a cheaper price.

Look how that turned out with Jack Grealish and many others.

AND in other news, £80m sensation continues to show why he’s Levy’s greatest mistake…

It’s fair to say that Crystal Palace speedster Eberechi Eze has arrived at Selhurst Park with the weight of great expectations on his young shoulders. Roy Hodgson recently revealed he is keen to keep the pressure off the summer signing, but that hasn’t stopped him from being named in a five-man shortlist of players who are ready to play for England, which was compiled by The Sun pundit Danny Higginbotham.

Eze made everything look easy in the Championship, as the winger scored 14 goals and supplied 8 assists last season, whilst he averaged 2.2 shots, 1.8 key passes and 3 dribbles per game, via WhoScored.

However, the 22-year-old has struggled for game time this season, as he has only made two Premier League starts since joining Palace from Queens Park Rangers in the summer. What better way for him to show what he can do against Wolves?

Once described as a “fantastic” player by QPR executive Lee Hoos, Eze received plenty of praise from Cheikhou Kouyate after he made his full debut in the defeat to Everton in the Premier League. Whilst the result didn’t go the way he wanted, Kouyate has tipped him for the very top. He told the club’s website: “This kid is so special.

“Now we need to give him a little bit of time.

“The Premier League are going to enjoy him because he has a good mentality, he plays well and we are happy to have this boy here.”

In essence, that’s exactly what Eze needs right now. He needs some minutes under his belt in order to continue his growth and development as a player.

Palace picked up all three points against Fulham at Craven Cottage in the Premier League last weekend. Whilst there were several standout performers, including Wilfried Zaha and Michy Batshuayi, a few struggled to make much of an impression, like Jeffrey Schlupp, who was actually replaced by Eze on the 76th minute.

Per SofaScore, the 27-year-old received an average rating of 6.5 for his performance – he lost possession ten times, won only four out of ten duels overall (40%), whilst he was dribbled past once and only took 31 touches of the ball.

By comparison, Eze was awarded a higher score of 6.7, whilst he won four out of his six duels (66%), wasn’t dribbled past at all and only lost possession of the ball five times in total, as per SofaScore.

If you look at his heatmap from the last game, you can see that he popped up all over the pitch, which seems to suggest that he was trying to make things happen in his brief cameo. Why not use his scintillating pace to attack an ageing Wolves defence? After all, he needs to be testing himself against some of the best in the league on a regular basis.

AND in other news, Eze and Ward start, Schlupp dropped: Crystal Palace Predicted XI vs Wolves…

Glasgow Rangers have a pretty stacked squad after a hefty summer spending spree, but if there’s one position Steven Gerrard still needs to fill, it’s a goalscoring, box-to-box midfielder.

What was the story?

Reports in recent times revealed that Rangers were interested in signing Lewis Ferguson from Scottish Premiership rivals Aberdeen after Gerrard had identified the former Hamilton Academical academy product as one of his top targets in the summer.

In the end, the Gers signed Bongani Zungu from Amiens on an initial loan deal on transfer deadline day instead. However, Glen Kamara’s future remains uncertain amid interest in the midfielder from Premier League clubs like Leeds United and Newcastle United and European giants such as Borussia Dortmund and Monaco, whilst Steven Davis’ contract is set to expire in 2021, with Gerrard remaining coy over talks of a potential extension.

Coupled with the fact that Scott Arfield also isn’t getting any younger, there may soon come a point where Rangers will have to rejuvenate their aging midfield – they have the second oldest squad in the Scottish Premiership. So, Ross Wilson must return for Ferguson in the near future.

Gerrard’s dream

Gerrard knows a thing or two about being a hardworking box-to-box player, as he carved out a career by playing as a central midfielder, featuring as a second striker, holding midfielder, an attacking midfielder, right back and right winger on several occasions as well – you get the idea.

Whilst we aren’t for one minute suggesting that Ferguson is anywhere near as good as Gerrard right now, as there is still room for improvement in terms of the diversity of his passing, he has been one of the best players for Aberdeen over the past couple of years.

Like Gerrard, the 21-year-old, who is the nephew of Rangers legend Barry Ferguson, prefers to play with his right foot. He has scored 8 goals and supplied 2 assists in the Scottish Premiership this season so far, whilst he is averaging 2.2 shots, 1.8 tackles, 1.7 interceptions and 1.2 clearances per game, via WhoScored. In contrast, even Kamara is managing fewer than one tackle, one interception and one clearance per league game, as per WhoScored.

Ferguson famously scored an overhead kick to take the Europa League qualifier against Burnley at Turf Moor to extra time. Whilst his efforts were ultimately in vain, Aberdeen boss Derek McInnes heaped praise on the youngster for his performance, saying he will “only get better.”

Granted, Gerrard isn’t short of options, as he has generally opted for a combination of Kamara, Davis, Scott Arfield, Ryan Jack and Joe Aribo in the middle of the pitch so far this term, whilst Zungu is yet to make his first-team debut for the Ibrox outfit, although he is in contention to start against Hamilton on Sunday afternoon. However, as we all know, that could all change in a matter of months when the transfer market opens again.

Ferguson won’t come cheap, as he is currently contracted until 2024 at Pittodrie, whilst the Dons are keen to keep a hold of him for as long as they can. One thing’s for sure, he’d be a perfect option for Gerrard if the chance to sign him arises once again.

AND in other news, Bassey & Balogun start, no Helander: Glasgow Rangers Predicted XI vs Hamilton…

Earlier this month, we wrote about one of Crystal Palace’s worst missed chances in the club’s history in the form of Ferland Mendy, but it’s about time we looked at one of the smartest sales Steve Parish has ever sanctioned.

Back in 2019, Aaron Wan-Bissaka was one of the hottest properties in the Premier League, he’d just been named the Palace Player of the Year and had become known for being the most effective defender in Europe.

Wan-Bissaka registered four assists for the Eagles overall as well, which made him a wanted man in the summer, with Chelsea, Manchester City and Manchester United reportedly competing for his signature.

Palace weren’t able to fend off interest from the Premier League giants, with the Red Devils winning the race to sign him for £45m plus £5m in add-ons on a five-year-deal, via Sky Sports.

Unfortunately, things haven’t perhaps quite panned out how Wan-Bissaka or Ole Gunnar Solskjaer would have imagined when he first arrived at Old Trafford. The 22-year-old performed admirably enough, picking up four assists in the Premier League last season, whilst he averaged 3.7 tackles, 1.9 interceptions and 1.7 clearances per game, via WhoScored, but Solskjaer’s side still finished 33 points adrift of league champions Liverpool, whilst they conceded more goals than their arch-rivals too.

It’s arguably been more of the same so far this season, although United have struggled for consistency, as they lost to Palace in a thrilling 3-1 defeat at Old Trafford in September, before being beaten by Istanbul Basaksehir in the Champions League. His market value has actually decreased over time, as he is currently valued at £36m via Transfermarkt.

The Eagles got rid of the academy graduate at the perfect time, they cashed in him and bought a much-needed striker in Jordan Ayew instead, signing now-first team regular starters James McCarthy and Gary Cahill as well.

Once hailed as a “fantastic” defensive right-back by Gary Neville, Wan-Bissaka is one of the best players to break into the first team from the academy ranks, but Palace can be happy with the fact that they didn’t hold onto him for much longer than they needed to, especially when you consider the fact they recently signed Nathan Ferguson and Nathaniel Clyne.

AND in other news, Former Crystal Palace starlet Victor Moses has thrived since Selhurst Park exit…

Aston Villa striker Wesley Moraes is reportedly eying a return from his anterior cruciate ligament injury in the New Year but faces a mammoth struggle to prove himself all over again.

Supporters have not seen Wesley step foot on the pitch since New Year’s Day when carted off on a stretcher against Burnley, having appeared to twist his ankle in the follow-through of a robust challenge from Ben Mee.

Wesley had just begun to establish himself at Villa Park following a £22million transfer that summer, with the former Club Brugge hitman netting his fifth goal of the Premier League campaign at Turf Moor to open the scoring.

Aston Villa went on to win 2-1 against Burnley but were soon dealt the news that Wesley’s season was over alongside goalkeeper Tom Heaton, who similarly sustained a serious knee injury at Turf Moor.

But while 34-year-old shot-stopper Heaton returned to feature for the Villa Park natives’ Under 23s last month, Wesley continues his wait and is targeting his first taste of action in March – more than a year on from being carried off the field – according to BirminghamLive.

Barring any changes to Smith’s squad in the January window, Wesley’s return will be a huge boost to the Villans boss who has relied on summer signing Ollie Watkins to carry the burden in attack this season.

Watkins moved to the Birmingham-based outfit from Brentford for a club-record £33m in the off-season and has lit up the top-flight since with six goals in nine games, including a hat-trick over Liverpool and a brace at Arsenal in Man of the Match displays.

Smith is yet to hand starts to any other player at centre-forward this term, but will expect Wesley to challenge the 24-year-old once fit and prove himself to be worth the £35,000-per-week contract Villa are not currently benefiting from.

Though Wesley has a mountain to climb if he is to dethrone Watkins as all of his credit is spent, and he will return in March as if he is a new signing who must prove himself all over again.

Smith is already benefiting more from Watkins than he could with Wesley and in fewer games, too, as the Villans’ star of the season so far is averaging more shots (2.1) than the Brazilian achieved in 2019/20 (1.3), contributing more key passes (1.3 to 0.5), winning more aerial duels (4.1 to 3.3), taking more touches (37.9 to 29.5), winning more ground duels (3.4 to 2.0) and playing a higher number of accurate passes (15.1 to 12.5) per game in the Premier League, per SofaScore.

It will be up to Wesley to take the challenge to Watkins, but it will be Smith who decides if the Brazilian has a future at Villa Park beyond the season.

AND in other news, Dean Smith must demand more from his “erratic” £75,000-per-week Aston Villa favourite.

Speaking exclusively to The Transfer Tavern, Gary Mabbutt believes Tottenham’s transfer dealings in the summer were the best in a long time from Daniel Levy.

Mabbutt praises Levy

During the summer, Spurs brought in seven new first-team players, including the likes of Gareth Bale and Sergio Reguilon.

Mabbutt was delighted with the business of Levy and co behind the scenes. He said:

“Our transfer signings in the last window were the best we’ve had for a long, long time.”

Fantastic business

It is hard not to be impressed with what Levy was able to achieve during the previous window. Reguilon, for example, was signed for £28m, despite coming from Real Madrid and having won the Europa League with Sevilla last term. Bale was also brought in from Real, albeit on loan, and his top-level experience could be incredibly valuable to Jose Mourinho this term.

Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg has come in for praise too – he cost the paltry sum of £15m from Southampton, with bit-part player Kyle Walker-Peters going in the opposite direction. Other arrivals such as Carlos Vinicius, Joe Hart, Joe Rodon and Matt Doherty are all likely to play a big part this term as well.

There have been some nightmare dealings at Tottenham down the years – many will still remember how the money from Bale’s original sale was pretty much wasted on a number of players. However, with Mourinho at his side, it seems that Levy is producing some of his best work in north London.

In other news, Fabrizio Romano has shared a big update on this former Tottenham man.