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Tottenham fans have taken to Twitter to react after their former player Nabil Bentaleb hit a double against Manchester City in the Champions League.

The Spurs academy graduate left the club to sign for Bundesliga side Schalke back in 2017 after spending a season on loan with the German team, and has gone from strength to strength at the Veltins Arena.

On Wednesday night, the Algerian international got fans talking after scoring a brace from the penalty spot against Pep Guardiola’s reigning Premier League champions, which looked like it would give them an unlikely win but for Leroy Sane and Raheem Sterling’s late heroics.

The 24-year-old has now scored eight goals this season in what has been an eye-catching campaign for him personally – impressively, he has also scored all 14 of his penalties for the club.

It must’ve been a proud moment for Spurs fans to see their academy graduate make an impact in the Champions League, so let’s see how they reacted on Twitter to Bentaleb’s performance…

Speaking to GiveMeSport, journalist Michael Bridge of Sky Sports has shared what he knows on the future of Steven Bergwijn at Tottenham Hotspur.

The Lowdown: Bergwijn on the move?

As per The Times, Spurs’ winger is being heavily linked with a north London exit at the moment despite being a key player under ex-boss Nuno Espirito Santo at the very start of the campaign.

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The Times believe that Bergwijn could now be one of the players who may leave in January alongside defender Joe Rodon.

Manager Antonio Conte recently confirmed he was making squad evaluations ahead of the winter window as the Dutchman now becomes the latest player who may well move away amid Ajax’s interest.

The Latest: Bridge makes claim…

Speaking to GMS, this is what Bridge had to say on the matter, sharing what he knows from ‘very good sources’.

“I know he’s maybe going to Ajax in January, I don’t know, has someone said something? Very good sources in Holland are saying that Ajax will look to get him in January or does Conte genuinely see something in him?”

The Verdict: Play him?

Lauded as ‘very talented’ and ‘unique’ by former boss Nuno, Bergwijn also made a big impression when first arriving at Tottenham – particularly against Manchester City on his debut.

The 24-year-old, if not for his consistent injuries, would arguably have made more progress in a Spurs shirt by now – as evident by how well he started this campaign before returning from international duty with a knock.

Despite the January exit rumours, there has been talk of Conte turning to Bergwijn as a makeshift striker as he aims to create an ‘open door’ environment at Tottenham akin to Gareth Southgate’s England (London World).

As his first winter window looms, it will certainly be interesting to see what Conte elects to do with his winger.

In other news: Spurs in pole position to sign ‘perfect’ player as price tag drops by nearly half, find out more here.

Tottenham Hotspur have been doing their best to keep hold of their star player, Harry Kane, which has been an uphill battle for the club over the last 12 months, and now another link away for the Spurs goal machine has been reported.

What’s the story?

According to reports coming from El Nacional, Kane has been offered to Real Madrid, as Tottenham would prefer to sell the player to a foreign club, despite Pep Guardiola reportedly still interested in the striker.

The claim states: “He is desperate to leave, seeing that the results they are achieving are still very erratic.”

Kane has struggled to establish his usual form at Tottenham, only scoring one goal and offering up one assist to his teammates in the league this season, which is a far cry from last season where the 28-year-old won the golden boot and playmaker award, becoming only the third Premier League player to finish the season with the most goals and most assists.

Antonio Conte has since joined as Spurs manager, after rejecting the job initially in the summer, and it was thought that the appointment of the popular Italian could tempt Kane from making a move in January.

However, in a big twist to the tale, he’s now reportedly being offered elsewhere by the club.

El Nacional have reported that Guardiola wants to ‘throw himself at Kane’ in the winter transfer market, as Manchester City continue the season without a striker, and want to resolve that issue by bringing in Kane at any cost.

It is suggested that a move to the Santiago Bernabeau is more intriguing to the forward as he continues to desire a move to a club playing Champions League football, despite Carlos Ancelotti allegedly not interested in signing the Englishman.

Conte will be furious

Conte recognises Kane as an “important player”, and it was speculated that the manager turned down the job originally in the summer due to the uncertainty surrounding the striker’s future at the club, so clearly further talk of a move away will not be welcomed by the Italian manager.

Losing the goal threat of the England striker to another club, especially a Premier League side, would certainly hinder the progress and vision Conte has for the team moving forward, so it could be a really frustrating transfer window for the Lilywhites if they finally let him go.

The centre forward has scored 229 goals in 356 appearances for Tottenham, only 37 shy of the club record held by the late Jimmy Greaves, and has been integral to the side’s progress over the last eight years.

The club’s manager will have to do whatever he can in the January transfer window to ensure he can keep hold of his star man at least until the end of the season, in an effort to prove to the £108m-rated gem that Tottenham can win trophies under his reign, which could tempt Kane to stay long term.

For now, however, he should be seething that within just a matter of months of joining Spurs, his most important asset could depart.

In other news: Antonio Conte must unleash Ryan Sessegnon after fresh Spurs injury setback

Crystal Palace have been enjoying a promising season so far, and Patrick Vieira is now in a position to lead his side to a top-half finish if they can find a good run of form in the last few months of the season.

The club enjoyed a busy transfer window in the summer and have been linked with a few players this month, but emulating the previous transfer window could be off the cards.

What’s the word?

Sky Sports journalist Michael Bridge has made a fresh claim on the likely scenario for the rest of the winter transfer window in terms of the Eagles adding players to their squad during January.

He told GiveMeSport: “Things are going pretty well under Patrick Vieira at the moment. He would like to add maybe one or two, but from what I’m told, they’re happy. And it would have to take a bit of a crisis injury wise to change that at the moment.”

Palace have been strongly linked with two players over the last few weeks, with both Eddie Nketiah and Bamba Dieng having their names put forward as potential targets for the south London club. However, nothing has materialised as of yet, and no bids have been made for either player.

Fans will be fuming

With nine draws in the Premier League this season, there have been plenty of missed opportunities to rack up a few more wins and push even higher up the table. The loss of two points late on against Brighton on Friday night, and the concession of a last-gasp equaliser in the reverse fixture in September, illustrates as such.

Being linked with attacking players such as Nketiah and Dieng could well have strengthened Vieira’s options when it comes to maximising output in the final third of the pitch.

Some Palace fans have been outlining the positions where they feel the squad need strengthening this month, but Bridge’s update suggests that supporters waiting on new arrivals in January will be left fuming.

Although the Eagles are lodged in a comfortable mid-table position, all it takes is a handful of injuries to key players for their squad to suddenly appear threadbare. Therefore, it could be a source of frustration that the club seem content not to bolster their playing ranks this month while they are getting the opportunity to do so.

In other news: Journalist drops huge update on Eagles target Eddie Nketiah

Ange Postecoglou’s Celtic side threw down a huge gauntlet in the Premiership title race with a devastating performance in tonight’s Old Firm clash, with the Bhoys running out comfortable 3-0 winners at Parkhead.

In a whirlwind first half, Reo Hatate continued the breathtaking start to his Celtic career with two stunning long-range strikes that saw Celtic race into a two-goal lead, before the Japan international put Liel Abada on a plate with a pinpoint cross to make it 3-0 shortly before the interval.

The second half was much less dramatic, with the Hoops appearing happy to drop further back and allow the visitors more time on the ball – something that Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s side failed to capitalise on, with the scoreline remaining 3-0 when the final whistle blew.

However, while Hatate will undoubtedly steal tomorrow morning’s headlines, it will perhaps be the performance of Josip Juranovic that will have most pleased Postecoglou on Wednesday night – as the right-back played a crucial role in a victory that Chris Sutton dubbed an “absolute pumping” of the former league leaders.

“Absolutely outstanding”

Over the course of his 90 minutes on the pitch, the Croatia international turned in a performance of the highest quality – both in a defensive and offensive capacity.

At the back, the £3.6m-rated defender made five tackles, one interception, two clearances, blocked two shots and won six of his nine duels – a success rate of 67%.

Going forwards, the 26-year-old completed one cross, three long balls, made one key pass and enjoyed 63 touches of the ball – the seventh-most of any player to feature in the match.

These returns saw the £16k-per-week dynamo earn a highly impressive SofaScore match rating of 7.7, ranking him as the joint third-best player to feature in the derby – with Sutton dubbing his display as “absolutely outstanding.”

Indeed, it is easy to see why the former Celtic centre-forward felt this way, as Juranovic’s calmness in possession of the ball, solidity when defending and ability to set his side off on counter-attacks was clear for all to see on Wednesday, with the defender playing a crucial role in what is arguably the Bhoys’ biggest result of the season.

In other news: Maeda & Kyogo in, “outstanding” 20 G/A beast axed: Celtic’s strongest XI after January

An ominous update has emerged regarding the future of Rangers centre-back Connor Goldson at Ibrox…

What’s the talk?

Gers reporter Chris Jack has dropped a worrying claim on the defender as the January transfer window gets underway.

He told GIVEMESPORT: “I think they do need to find that Goldson replacement. I’d be amazed if Connor is still here next season. A real blow to lose him for nothing.”

Fans would be livid

Rangers fans will surely be livid with this update, as it suggests that Goldson will be on his way out of the club at the end of the season.

His contract is up in the summer and Jack does not appear to believe that the 29-year-old is willing to put pen to paper on an extension. This will be particularly frustrating for Rangers fans as a report came out earlier this week stating that the club are set for talks with the defender over fresh terms, whilst also claiming that they will not allow him to leave in January and would rather he goes on a free in the summer.

Jack does not think that those talks will bear much fruit for the Gers, and supporters will be fuming at the prospect of the defender leaving Glasgow for nothing as he is a crucial player for the club. He has proven that he can perform consistently to a high level in Scotland and it could be difficult for Giovanni van Bronckhorst to replace him ahead of the 2022/23 campaign.

In the Premiership this season, Goldson has averaged a SofaScore rating of 7.18. Last term, he was a regular at the heart of the defence and helped the side to keep 26 clean sheets as Steven Gerrard led the Gers to the league title ahead of rivals Celtic. This shows that he can perform week in, week out and produce high-quality displays consistently, which is why fans will be fuming that he appears set to move on from the club this year.

It will be down to Van Bronckhorst and Ross Wilson to work hard in the transfer market to ensure that they are able to bring in a suitable replacement. Signing a player this month with a view to taking over from Goldson in the summer could be beneficial for Rangers, as it would give the new man a few months to settle in before the ex-Brighton defender goes on his merry way.

AND in other news, “In talks” – Jordan Campbell drops crushing Rangers transfer claim, it’s a nightmare for Van Bronckhorst…

Tottenham Hotspur winger Steven Bergwijn is attracting interest ahead of the January transfer window.

What’s the talk?

In recent comments cited by SoccerNews (via Sport Witness), Erik ten Hag suggested that he would be willing to make a move for the 24-year-old forward in the upcoming winter market, as well as revealing that he is currently exploring the possibility of securing a deal for the Netherlands international.

When discussing Ajax’s January transfer business, the 51-year-old said: “I may repeat myself, but we want to improve. If there is an option for that, we will investigate it. Whether we also investigate Bergwijn’s situation? We investigate everything. We are professionals.”

Levy must axe Bergwijn

While it is undeniable that Bergwijn is a player who can produce a moment of magic for Spurs, such as his incredible debut goal against Manchester City, whether or not the forward has proven worth his £27m transfer fee is another – much more debatable – matter entirely.

Indeed, over his 21 Premier League appearances – only 13 of which came as starts – during his first full season in north London, the £26m-rated winger scored just one goal, registered three assists and created no big chances for his teammates, as well as taking just 0.7 shots and making a mere 0.6 key passes per game.

These returns saw the player who Nuno Espirito Santo dubbed a “unique” talent earn a disappointing seasonal SofaScore match rating of 6.56, ranking him as Spurs’ worst performer in the top flight.

Things have not improved much for the £73k-per-week winger this term, averaging a SofaScore match rating of 6.70 over his six league fixtures, as well as being awarded just three minutes of first-team football since Antonio Conte’s arrival at the club.

Indeed, it has been reported that the Italian is far from the 24-year-old’s biggest fan, with Dutch journalist Mike Verweij even claiming that Conte has spoken just “two words” to Bergwijn during his short time at the club.

As such, with Bergwijn’s resale value still likely to be relatively high, it would seem a wise move for Daniel Levy to cash in on the forward this winter. As it seems unlikely that the Dutchman will become an important part of Conte’s first-team squad at Spurs, his hefty weekly wage could easily be put to better use by the 52-year-old in January.

In other news: Paratici can seal Conte’s dream Spurs signing in 6 ft 1 beast he dubbed “outstanding”

The future of Aston Villa midfielder Douglas Luiz could be one to watch on deadline day, with Tottenham keen on a late deal.

That’s according to talkSPORT’s Alex Crook, and his claim has had a lot of Villa fans talking on social media.

Villa have been planning to open talks with Luiz over a new contract, with his current deal set to expire in 18 months time.

However, in recent days, he’s been linked with both Arsenal and Tottenham, with the latter of the two preparing a bid in the region of £32m. The Daily Mail claim that Steven Gerrard values Luiz highly, with Spurs’ late swoop set to fail.

But according to Crook, a move to Antonio Conte’s side could still be on the cards. Taking to Twitter, the talkSPORT man revealed that Luiz ‘could be one to watch’ on Deadline Day, placing Tottenham’s hashtag in alongside Villa at the end of his post.

Villa fans react

This is what these Villa fans had to say in reply

“No way we sell a DM unless one is coming in the door so…”

Credit: @AvfcTalkTime

“Be moronic with nobody coming in”

Credit: @AVFCTranstweet

“We must have a plan then”

Credit: @BOOMBEEF

“Excuse me?”

Credit: @Villanfandan

“If he’s not going to sign a contract we need to sell.”

Credit: @avfcdiggy

“The only way he goes is if we have a replacement coming in.”

Credit: @JayVtid

In other news: Villa now keen on ‘special’ centre-back after Calum Chambers; he can also play in midfield. 

Leeds are thought to be watching Nottingham Forest star Brennan Johnson, however, he had an afternoon to forget against Luton Town on Friday.

This forms part of our Transfer Watch series, where we react to a performance from a current transfer target.

The Lowdown: Leeds watching

Victor Orta confirmed last month that he tried to sign the Forest star for Leeds when he was just 16 years of age.

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Johnson is now catching the eye in the Championship in what has been a breakthrough campaign at the City Ground, contributing to 22 goals in all competitions.

Journalist Pete O’Rourke revealed in the week that the Whites are watching the 20-year-old closely, however, Johnson struggled at Kenilworth Road in his latest performance.

The Latest: 100% duels lost

Forest fell to a rare defeat on Friday but still occupy a play-off place with six games to go.

As per SofaScore, Johnson played in an attacking midfield role behind two strikers but struggled to make an impact, failing to complete a successful dribble and having just 26 touches all afternoon. Johnson also lost 100% of his duels, gave possession away 10 times and committed two fouls.

The Verdict: Sign if Forest remain in the Championship?

Even though Johnson failed to impress on Friday, he appears to be a shrewd target for the Whites, should Forest fail to earn promotion to the Premier League.

O’Rourke believes he could be a smart replacement for Raphinha, who is heavily linked with a move to Barcelona, and Johnson’s latest display appears to show he isn’t suited to an attacking midfield role.

The Wales international has had success on both wings and as a centre-forward in 2021/22 but has contributed to just one goal in five games as an attacking midfielder.

Therefore, although Orta may not have been impressed with Johnson on Friday, it could give him extra knowledge of where Johnson’s strengths lie and a move should still be pursued if the Reds remain in the second tier.

In other news: Leeds and Orta want ‘extraordinary’ ace in Bosman move; same agent as Bamford. 

Leeds ambassador Noel Whelan believes Jesse Marsch has a new ‘problem’ with Dan James in a central attacking role, Football Insider report.

The Lowdown: James’ Elland Road career

James finally made the move to Yorkshire last summer in a deal worth over £26m. Since then, the Wales international has made 30 appearances for the Whites, scoring four goals and registering four assists.

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He has been used as a centre-forward more than a winger at Elland Road due to Patrick Bamford’s injury struggles, once again occupying a central role in the 1-1 draw with Southampton on Saturday.

The 24-year-old was withdrawn on the hour mark for Joe Gelhardt, and Whelan thinks he may drop out of the starting line up for the trip to Watford on Saturday.

The Latest: Whelan’s comments

Whelan, now a Leeds employee, described ‘the problem’ to FI with James and said he may ‘have to make way’ for Rodrigo or Gelhardt.

“The problem with Dan James in that striker position is that he’s playing like a winger.

“His runs are always the same – in behind and using his pace. But part of a striker’s job is playing with your back to goal, holding the ball up and trying to bring others into play.

“That’s where Gelhardt or Rodrigo would be a more natural choice. I think if James is going to play going forward, it will have to be on that wing.

“With Jack Harrison getting the goal and Raphinha on the other wing, it could be that he’ll have to make way.

“I like to see these jigsaw pieces playing in the correct positions.”

The Verdict: Options limited

Gelhardt would be the natural replacement to lead the line, with Rodrigo just in behind, but he too has suffered a problem, hobbling off for the Under-23s on Monday.

The initial diagnosis was a dead leg, however, the teenager could be in a race against time to play a key role at Vicarage Road, which could result in James once again occupying a centre-forward role.

He has shown at times how much of a threat he can be there, scoring twice against Aston Villa in February, but since then, he hasn’t found the net, so if Gelhadt is ready from the off, it could be a wise move to make a change.

In other news: Elland Road source: Marsch and Orta now ready to axe ‘horrible’ Leeds ace after woeful season.