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Tottenham Hotspur manager Antonio Conte has dropped a surprise hint ahead of the upcoming Manchester United meeting.

What’s the latest?

In recent comments cited by the Evening Standard, the 53-year-old revealed that, with Richarlison ruled out of Wednesday evening’s trip to Old Trafford as a result of a calf injury, as well as Dejan Kulusevski remaining a doubt with a hamstring strain, he could unleash Ivan Perisic in a surprising front three alongside Harry Kane and Son Heung-min.

Regarding his attacking trio, the Italian manager said: “Perisic in a three like a striker is a possibility. I have another training session to make the best decision. You know we like to play with a 3-4-3 with the three strikers and if we can’t change, I prefer to continue to play with the 3-4-3 otherwise we find a solution. I think we have the possibility to continue to play with the 3-4-3.”

Game-changing

While it is true that Perisic has solely been deployed as a wing-back since his move to north London this summer, considering the 33-year-old’s incredibly impressive history of playing further up the pitch, unleashing the Croatian in Tottenham’s front three could well prove to be game-changing for Conte’s side.

Indeed, over the course of his club career, the £17.5m-rated talent has predominantly featured on the left wing, scoring 66 goals and registering 62 assists over his 246 appearances in the position, as well as bagging a further ten goals and four assists over 41 fixtures when being deployed on the right wing.

Undoubtedly the £180k-per-week flanker’s best returns in an attacking position came over his 37 Serie A outings for Inter Milan back in 2017/18, when Perisic scored eight goals, registered 11 assists and created 13 big chances for his teammates, in addition to taking an average of 3.1 shots – 1.1 of which hit the target – making 2.0 key passes and completing 0.8 dribbles per game.

These returns saw the Croat average a simply sensational SofaScore match rating of 7.31, not only ranking him as the Nerazzurri’s third-best performer in the league but also as the 21st-best player in the Italian top flight as a whole that season.

As such, should the 33-year-old be able to refind this level of form alongside Kane and Son – who already have 15 goals and assists combined in the Premier League this term – in the Spurs front three, it is clear to see that unleashing Perisic in attack against United could prove game-changing for Conte – let alone making up for the absence of Kulusevski and Richarlison.

Glasgow Rangers have been dealt an injury concern over Ridvan Yilmaz ahead of their game at Ibrox in the Scottish Premiership this afternoon.

The Lowdown: Injury pile-up

Giovanni van Bronckhorst is seeing a heavy injury pile-up in his squad at the moment, with as many as seven first-team players out for the longer term.

The break for the World Cup cannot come soon enough for the Rangers boss, and he will hope that some of the injured players will be able to regain their fitness in training and ideally come back stronger after the break.

The Latest: Yilmaz concern

Speaking to the media in his pre-game press conference on Friday ahead of their match at home to Livingston, Van Bronckhorst has confirmed that Yilmaz has picked up a ‘knock’ on his knee and is a ‘fresh doubt’ for today’s clash.

The Dutchman said: “Ridvan had a knock on his knee, and we will assess him for tomorrow, our only fresh doubt. A short-term one if misses out.”

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The Verdict: Not ideal

With all of the injuries that Rangers have at the moment, adding another player to the list is certainly not ideal.

Even though Yilmaz has £5m summer signing, so Van Bronckhorst is surely going to give him more game-time as the campaign progresses.

Nonetheless, Borna Barisic has been on the end of much criticism this autumn, so the 21-year-old left-back would relish getting more chances to impress if the Croatian continues to falter.

For now, though, it looks as if he may have to sit out this afternoon’s game.

Newcastle United entered into a new era in their history as Saudi Arabian consortium PIF completed their takeover of the club in October of last year.

One of the first orders of business for them was to replace the manager as they sacked Steve Bruce and appointed Eddie Howe to lead the team forward.

This has turned out to be a fantastic decision as the former Bournemouth boss has been a roaring success at St James’ Park. He helped to keep the Tynesiders in the Premier League last term and currently has them sitting in fourth in the table in the 2022/23 campaign.

Whilst his squad has been bolstered by the signings of Sven Botman, Bruno Guimaraes, Dan Burn and Kieran Trippier, among others, Howe has also played a blinder with some of the players he inherited on Tyneside.

One gem with whom he struck gold is Joelinton, who joined the club from Bundesliga side Hoffenheim as a striker in the summer of 2019 and endured a rough time up front for the Magpies.

The Brazilian’s Transfermarkt value went from £31.5m to £13.5m between 2019 and December 2021 as he scored a paltry six goals in 69 Premier League appearances for the club across his first two seasons in England.

Howe came in during the 2021/22 campaign and one of his early decisions was to move Joelinton from playing in the frontline to being a central midfielder, which turned out to be a masterstroke.

Last season, the 44-year-old heaped praise on the Brazilian by saying: “Joe has been fantastic for me since we came in. We like him. He has a good mix of physicality, technical ability, superb footwork to get out of tight situations, and he covers every blade of grass.

“He has a selfless mindset, and there is more to come. He can improve, but he is going to be a huge player for us.”

Kieran Trippier recently described the 26-year-old as a “machine”, and that perfectly describes what Howe has turned him into over the last year.

Joelinton won 3.1 tackles and interceptions per game in the top flight last term and has followed that up by averaging a SofaScore rating of 7.01 and making 3.7 tackles and interceptions per match in the current campaign.

His form led to Transfermarkt updating his value to £25.2m earlier this season, which means that his valuation has soared by roughly 86% this year from £13.5m just last December.

Therefore, Howe has struck gold for Newcastle by moving Joelinton into midfield, as his resurgence has caused his market value to rocket, when it looked like his career was only going downhill prior to the current manager’s arrival at St James’ Park.

Transfer expert Dean Jones says that Newcastle United ‘absolutely love’ Bayer Leverkusen winger and reported target Moussa Diaby.

The Lowdown: Still interested

It was reported earlier this month that the St James’ Park outfit ‘retain an interest’ in Diaby ahead of the January transfer window, after reportedly holding an interest in the summer.

This is the same case for Leicester City attacking midfielder James Maddison, so it will no doubt be interesting to see whether the Magpies go for one or both players again in January.

The Latest: Newcastle ‘love’ Diaby

Speaking to GiveMeSport, Jones says that there is not a ‘priority’ in terms of signing Diaby over Maddison and vice versa, but shared that the former is a player who Newcastle ‘absolutely love’.

The journalist said: “I don’t know if there’s necessarily a priority between these two.

“They both kind of have a similar role in mind despite the fact that they’re pretty different players. That right-side of the attack is something that they’re looking at, it’s always been the intention to bring more creativity to the frontline.

“Obviously, Alexander Isak came in, and we haven’t really been able to see enough of him, but Diaby is somebody they absolutely love in what he can bring on both flanks, to be honest, and the pace, and the way [he] runs at people.”

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The Verdict: Get it done

Given the injury problems suffered by Isak and Allan Saint-Maximin this season, the Tynesiders could do with bolstering their front line in order to give them more options.

Hailed as a player with ‘electrifying pace, good with both feet and fearless on the ball’ by The Chronicle journalist Aaron Stokes, Diaby is exactly who they should be targeting, given that he can play anywhere across the top of the pitch.

He has managed four goals and four assists in all competitions so far this season, including two goals in the Champions League, and his tally of 25 goal contributions in the Bundesliga last term is very impressive indeed (Transfermarkt).

Also, the France international is only 23 years of age and still has such a high ceiling that the Magpies could seize upon if they managed to bring him to St James’ Park.

أكدت تقارير الصحف الإسبانية، أن خوان لابورتا رئيس نادي برشلونة الإسباني، اتخذ قرارًا صادمًا بشأن المدير الفني للفريق تشافي هيرنانديز.

وكان تشافي أدلى بتصريحات قبل أيام أفاد خلالها بأن وضع النادي ليس كما هو قبل 25 عامًا، وعلى الجماهير تفهم أنه من الصعب للغاية التنافس مع ريال مدريد والأندية الأوروبية الأخرى بسبب الصعوبات المالية التي يعاني منها برشلونة.

وأشارت تقارير إلى أن تلك التصريحات لم تعجب لابورتا، وهو ما جعل العلاقة تتوتر بين الطرفين.

بالإضافة إلى ذلك، يرى لابورتا أن النادي بذل مجهودًا كبيرًا في دعم الفريق بصفقات مميزة وتشافي لم يستفد من ذلك.

ووفقًا لتقرير صادر عن صحيفة “سبورت” الإسبانية صباح اليوم، وإذاعة “RAC1″، قرر لابورتا عدم استمرار تشافي في منصبه كمدير فني لبرشلونة.

وأفادت الصحيفة بأن القرار ربما لن يتخذ بشكل رسمي إلا بعد مباراة برشلونة ورايو فاليكانو في الدوري الإسباني.

وقرر لابورتا التراجع عن الاتفاق الذي أبرمه مع تشافي في 24 أبريل، باستمرار المدرب في منصبه، وذلك بعد شهور من إعلان تشافي قراره بترك منصبه كمدير فني لبرشلونة.

وسُئل تشافي عن حقيقة توتر علاقته مع لابورتا، ورد عقب الفوز أمام ألميريا، وأجاب: “لم يقولوا لي شيئًا شخصيًا، العلاقة لم تتغير، لقد تواجد معنا نائب الرئيس”، ويمكنك الإطلاع على تصريحاته كاملة من هنا.

Newcastle United have reportedly scouted Lorient midfielder Enzo Le Fee ahead of the January transfer window.

The Lowdown: Standout season

The 22-year-old is enjoying a standout season with Lorient, ranking high in key metrics for Ligue 1 players, and helping his team make a charge up to the Champions League qualifying places.

His performances have been consistently impressive as, over the past year, he has ranked in the 96th percentile for shot-creating actions, 94th percentile for tackles and 90th percentile for dribbles completed out of all midfielders in Europe’s top five leagues (FBRef).

Therefore, it seems likely that Le Fee is due a big move away from the Stade du Moustoir in the near future.

The Latest: Newcastle scout Le Fee

Writing in his latest piece for 90min, transfer expert Graeme Bailey has revealed that Newcastle have ‘scouted’ Le Fee ahead of a potential move in January.

However, the Magpies face competition from fellow Premier League clubs Leicester City and Fulham, along with Real Sociedad, Borussia Dortmund and Lazio from the continent, for his signature.

Lorient are ‘ready’ to open talks over a new contract for Le Fee, but may find it difficult to keep him if a suitable offer comes in.

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The Verdict: Another great option

Le Fee would be another great squad option for Eddie Howe at Newcastle going into the second half of the campaign as they look to maintain their push for a Champions League place.

Similar to Bruno Guimaraes in terms of playing style, the Frenchman could establish a formidable new partnership with the Magpies favourite in the middle of the park, having already racked up a tally of two goals and two assists in 13 matches in Ligue 1 this term (Transfermarkt).

Also, as he is still only 22 years of age, the Magpies could help him to fulfil his high potentialif he comes to St James’ Park.

Leeds United have been dealt a huge injury blow ahead of their Premier League meeting with AFC Bournemouth this weekend.

What’s the latest?

Speaking to reporters on Thursday afternoon (via The Athletic), Jesse Marsch revealed that the injury sustained by Luis Sinisterra – who was withdrawn in the 3-2 loss to Fulham after picking up a knock to his foot – is worse than first feared, with it now looking as if the winger will be ruled out of action until after the World Cup.

Regarding the 23-year-old’s setback, Marsch said: “Luis has a foot injury, more than we originally thought. A specialist looked at it, and they worry that it could be a Lisfranc injury. He is probably out until after the World Cup break.”

Huge blow

While it is true that, as a result of a number of niggling injuries, Sinisterra’s career at Elland Road is yet to fully take off following his summer switch, the fact that the forward has been ruled out for the Whites’ fixtures against Bournemouth, Wolverhampton Wanderers and Tottenham Hotspur will nevertheless have come as a huge blow to Marsch.

Indeed, despite only starting six of Leeds’ 12 Premier League fixtures this season, the £35m-rated forward has nevertheless shown in flashes why Victor Orta paid £21m for his services back in July, bagging a goal in a 1-1 draw with Everton as well as notching in the 5-2 loss against Brentford.

Furthermore, the Colombia international more than proved over his 30 Eredivisie appearances for Feyenoord last season just how big of a talent he truly is, scoring 12 goals, registering seven assists and creating nine big chances for his teammates, in addition to taking an average of 2.6 shots, making 2.0 key passes and completing 3.6 dribbles per game.

These returns saw the attacker average a simply sensational SofaScore match rating of 7.51, not only ranking him as his club’s second-best performer in the league but also as the joint fourth-best player in the top flight of Dutch football as a whole.

As such, the loss of such an attacking threat for the next three games will undoubtedly come as a major setback to Marsch and his side – who will certainly be looking to pick up where they left off in the 2-1 win over Liverpool last time out when Bournemouth make the trip to Elland Road tomorrow afternoon.

Rumoured Chelsea transfer target Leandro Trossard has refused to rule out a move to Stamford Bridge, remaining coy over his Brighton future.

The Lowdown: Trossard linked with Chelsea

The Blues could be aiming to make new signings in the January transfer window as Graham Potter looks to make his mark in west London.

One player who has been linked with a move to Chelsea is Seagulls ace Trossard, who is enjoying a hugely impressive season for Brighton, standing out as a star man at the Amex Stadium.

The Belgian has scored seven goals in 13 Premier League starts in 2022/23 to date, one of which came in a 4-1 rout of the Blues, and he could feel that now is the time to move to a bigger club.

The Latest: Trossard addresses Chelsea rumours

Speaking to Belgian outlet Het Laatste Nieuws [via Sport Witness], Trossard seemingly refused to commit his future to Brighton, which may suggest that he could be eyeing up a move to Chelsea, although he downplayed having any contact from the Blues so far.

When asked about the Stamford Bridge links, he 27-year-old said:

“Chelsea have in any case not yet reported. Not with Brighton and not with me. I have to wait and see. I want to finish strong at Brighton and leave for Qatar with that good feeling.”

The Verdict: Would be a great signing

Trossard has been one of the standout attacking players in the Premier League this season and he has the ability to be a superb signing for Chelsea, against whom he has scored twice during his time in England.

The fact that Potter knows him inside out as a player, having signed him for the south coast club in 2019, suggests that the 47-year-old could find a perfect place for him in his system, and he is providing consistent end product at a high level for the Seagulls.

Neat on the ball, versatile and capable of delivering in big moments – he scored a hat-trick away to Liverpool earlier in the season – Trossard could be exactly what the Blues need to spark their disjointed attack into life.

Giovanni van Bronckhorst signed seven new players for Glasgow Rangers during the summer as he hoped to build on the momentum which saw the Ibrox side reach the Europa League final and win the Scottish Cup.

Not all have worked out, however, with only Antonio Colak – who has scored 14 goals – impressing for any length of time. Injuries have hampered the likes of John Souttar, Tom Lawrence, and Ben Davies, while Malik Tillman and Ridvan Yilmaz have found it hard to adjust at times.

Despite the underwhelming window, it could have been worse had the Dutchman signed a Rangers target in Harry Winks, as the midfielder has had a torrid time this season.

Rangers dodged a bullet on Harry Winks

It was reported in the summer that Tottenham Hotspur had offered Winks to Rangers as they looked to move him on.

With the midfielder earning £91k-per-week at Spurs, any potential move would likely have been a loan deal, with the London side paying part of his wages.

A move didn’t materialise, however, with Winks joining Serie A side Sampdoria on a season-long loan deal at the end of August, and Van Bronckhorst certainly dodged a bullet on the Englishman.

Journalist Rob Guest had previously suggested that Winks had “struggled” for minutes while at Spurs during the last couple of seasons and the move to Italy looked like it was a fresh start for the player.

Fast forward three months and the move has turned into a nightmare, with Winks not yet playing a game for Sampdoria.

This is due to niggling injuries that have hampered his progress and considering Van Bronckhorst’s current injury crisis at the moment, not signing Winks has turned out to be a blessing in disguise.

A move for the 26-year-old may have been similar to the club signing Aaron Ramsey in January. Players on a high wage combined with a poor injury history trying to get up to speed with Scottish football.

Despite calls for the manager to enhance the squad following Champions League qualification near the end of the summer window, the Ibrox faithful will certainly be pleased to have avoided Winks.

The January transfer window is fast approaching and Tottenham Hotspur may dip into the market to improve their squad ahead of the second half of the campaign.

Antonio Conte, along with every other club manager, has been given an unprecedented opportunity to scout players at the 2022 World Cup prior to the winter window and one player who may have caught his eye is central midfielder Weston McKennie.

Former Spurs shot-stopper Brad Friedel recently claimed that the club “should definitely” be in the running to sign the former FC Schalke dynamo, after his impressive showing against England in Qatar.

Fabio Paratici is reportedly interested in signing the gem for the English side and Calciomercato have stated that Juventus are hoping to cash in on the midfielder for a fee of up to €30m (£26m)

Conte could now land Tottenham’s new Moussa Dembele by pushing his compatriot to strike a deal for the 24-year-old dynamo in January.

When asked about his style of play and where he would prefer to line up on the pitch, the USA international told the Bundesliga website:

“I can’t just play one position. I can’t just play offence or just defence. For me, the best time I’ve ever had was playing as a number eight, where I was free to come back to get the ball and to go forward as well.

“I may not be the person that scores or assists that often, but I feel like I’m good at connecting plays or that defences are aware of just my presence. I have to roam a little bit.”

This indicates that McKennie is similar to the former Spurs and Belgium man as the now-veteran excelled at linking up play between all three thirds.

Journalist Joel Sked described him as the ‘finest’ box-to-box midfielder in the Premier League in 2017, ahead of N’Golo Kante, and hailed the way he made an impact at both ends of the pitch, winning the ball back in his own third before connecting the play through to the attacking unit.

The Athletic’s Sam Stejskal claimed that McKennie “raises the ceiling” for the USA when he plays well and the gem showcased his all-action qualities in a 0-0 draw with England at the World Cup.

As per Sofascore, the maestro completed 100% of his attempted dribbles, won four of his six ground duels, and completed 90% of his passes – creating one chance for his teammates.

These statistics suggest that he is capable of Dembele-like performances by making an impact off the ball, in transition, and in possession.

At the age of 24, he is a young player with the potential to grow and Conte could help him to fulfill his promise and develop him into a figurehead in the Spurs midfield, just as the Belgian international was for Mauricio Pochettino for a number of years.