3 Added Minutes

Watch more of our videos on ShotsTV.com

and on Freeview 262 or Freely 565

Visit Shots! now

Football Manager 2024 predicts how the January transfer window could play out for Spurs.

Sign up to our newsletter for the most distinctive football content delivered direct to your inbox

Sign up

Thank you for signing up!

Did you know with an ad-lite subscription to 3 Added Minutes, you get 70% fewer ads while viewing the news that matters to you.

Submitting...

This season has been one of contrasting fortunes for Ange Postecoglou and his Tottenham Hotspur squad after they claimed some eye-catching wins and suffered a number of demoralising defeats.

That all came on the back of a hectic summer transfer window as the former Celtic boss looked to put him own stamp on his squad in a bid to guide Spurs to some long-awaited success. There were departures as defensive duo Emerson Royal and Joe Rodon and midfielders Oliver Skipp and Giovani Lo Celso all left the club as their sales raked in around £40m.

Five players left the club on free transfers when their current contracts came to an end and the likes of Manor Solomon, Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg and Bryan Gil were granted season-long loan departures.

Spurs will be keen to add to their squad after seeing it decimated by injuries during the form half of the season and have already been linked with a number of big names - but what business could they conduct in the first month of the new year. We fired up Football Manager 2024, updated the Spurs squad to its present form and allowed the world’s most popular managerial simulation to predict what could lie ahead for Postecoglou and his players.

January departures

Spurs moved to avoid losing several players on free transfers by authorising a number of outgoing transfers in January. Firstly, defensive duo Ben Davies and Sergio Reguillon were both allowed to join Leicester City in deals that raked in a combined income of £11m.

Backup goalkeeper Alfie Whiteman’s time at Spurs effectively came to an end after he joined Scottish giants Rangers on loan and Yves Bissouma proved to be the big departure from Spurs as he moved to Saudi Arabian Pro League club Al Shabab in a £29m deal as he entered the final six months of his current deal. However, there were two players that extended their time at Spurs....and they will head up the next section of this roundup.

January signings

The big news to come out of Spurs during the first month of the new year was that influential forward Son Heung-min had agreed to remain with the club after he penned a two-year extension to his current deal that was originally set to come to a close at the end of the season.

Veteran goalkeeper Fraser Forster also agreed a new deal that will keep him at Spurs until the end of next season. There were also two new arrivals and it will come as no surprise to discover they came at either end of the pitch as Bayer Leverkusen defender Jonathan Tah joined in a £22m deal and former Fulham striker Aleksandar Mitrovic was tempted back to the Premier League after Spurs agreed an £19m deal with Saudi club Al-Hilal.

What happened next?

Honestly, not a lot! Spurs saw their FA Cup run come to an end in the fourth round after they were given a somewhat cruel away tie at Liverpool. Despite Mitrovic putting Postecoglou’s side in front with his first goal for the club, Liverpool roared back as braces from Mo Salah and Darwin Nunez ensured thoughts of silverware were put to be for another season.

There was some hope Spurs could force their way into the top four of the Premier League and return to the Champions League - but a late season dip in form that saw Postecoglou’s men take just one point from their last five games ensured it was Europa Conference League football that will be on the agenda after Spurs slipped to seventh place in the table.

Watch more of our videos on ShotsTV.com

and on Freeview 262 or Freely 565

Visit Shots! now

The latest injury news and fitness updates as Tottenham host Manchester United in a blockbuster Carabao Cup quarter-final clash

Sign up to our newsletter for the most distinctive football content delivered direct to your inbox

Sign up

Thank you for signing up!

Did you know with an ad-lite subscription to 3 Added Minutes, you get 70% fewer ads while viewing the news that matters to you.

Submitting...

Ange Postecoglou will look to live up to the promise of ‘always’ delivering trophies in his second season at a club as he prepares his Tottenham Hotspur team for a blockbuster League Cup quarter-final clash against Ruben Amorim’s Manchester United.

Spurs are without a trophy in 17 seasons in a run stretching back to 24th February 2008 when goals from Dimitar Berbatov and Jonathan Woodate helped the Lillywhites come back from a goal down to win the League Cup at Wembley against Chelsea after a Didier Drogba opener.

More than 6,000 days have passed since that triumph, and in that period Tottenham have made it to two League Cup finals, four FA Cup semi finals and one Champions League final without getting a single sniff of silverware.

Postecoglou, who enjoyed success at the likes of South Melbourne, Brisbane Roar, Yokohama F. Marinos and Celtic will be determined to end that run this season, but must first overcome a Manchester United side that are riding a wave of euphoria after a late victory on derby day against reigning Premier League champions Manchester City.

Tottenham are expected to name a full strength team for the contest in North London but will have to cope with the absence of a number of notable stars. With that in mind, we round-up all of the injury and suspension news from the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium:

Guglielmo Vicario

Tottenham Hotspur will be without first choice shot-stopper and Italian international for the remainder of 2024. The 28-year-old picked up an ankle injury during a 4-0 victory over Manchester City at the end of November. Estimated return date - 08/03/2025

Richarlison

Richarlison’s third season in North London has been marred by persistent injury issues. The Brazilian international, who had made an initial comeback in a 4-1 victory over Aston Villa in November, will not return until at least January after sustaining a thigh injury in that same game. Estimated return date - 15/01/2025.

Ben Davies

Wales international Ben Davies has missed the last two matches with a hamstring injury but is edging close to full fitness. Ange Postecoglou said: “Ben is not as bad as first thought. There is a chance he could be back hopefully before the new year, so that was positive again.” Estimated return date: 29/12/2024.

Rodrigo Bentancur

Uruguay international Rodrigo Bentacur is currently serving seven-match suspension for a breach of FA Rule E3 in relation to a media interview. He is expected to return to action on Boxing Day for Tottenham’s match against Nottingham Forest. Estimated return date: 26/12/24.

Heung-Min Son

Picked up a knock during the first half of Sunday’s 5-0 victory over Southampton. Will be assessed ahead of kick-off. Estimated return date: 19/12/24 (currently being assessed)

Destiny Udogie

Was subbed off after 26 minutes against Southampton after sustaining a thigh injury. Ange Postecoglou said: “We'll see how he is. He felt a bit tight in his quad. To be fair, he wanted to continue, but we can't take any risks. I don't think it's anything significant at this stage and more precautionary.” Estimated return date: n/a.

Wilson Odobert

The 20-year-old suffered a hamstring injury in mid-November which is expected to keep him out for the remainder of the calendar year. Estimated return date: n/a.

Cristian Romero

The Argentinian international picked up a thigh injury in the build-up to Sunday’s game against Southampton. The extent of the injury has not yet been confirmed by Ange Postecoglou, who said: “We probably won't get clarity until next week. When guys get injured, without getting too technical, you need to let the injuries settle down before you get the real prognosis, and that will probably be sometime next week.” Estimated return date: n/a.

The centre back is also missing with a thigh injury which is expected to keep him out until 2025. An exact timescale on his recovery has not yet been confirmed. Estimated return date: n/a.

Watch more of our videos on ShotsTV.com

and on Freeview 262 or Freely 565

Visit Shots! now

The latest injury news from Tottenham Hotspur as Ange Postecoglou's side prepare for crucial Europa League and Premier League fixtures.

Sign up to our newsletter for the most distinctive football content delivered direct to your inbox

Sign up

Thank you for signing up!

Did you know with an ad-lite subscription to 3 Added Minutes, you get 70% fewer ads while viewing the news that matters to you.

Submitting...

These are difficult times for Ange Postecoglou and his Tottenham Hotspur players as they aim to bounce back from two poor performances and results in defeats against Bournemouth and Chelsea.

A Dean Huijsen goal was enough to ensure Spurs emerged empty-handed from their midweek visit to the Vitality Stadium, before a poor second-half display allowed Chelsea to come back from two goals down to secure all three points from their short trip to north London.

Despite taking control of Sunday’s game with early goals from Dominic Solanke and Dejan Kulusevski, Postecoglou’s men fell to a defeat as Cole Palmer’s brace and a goal apiece from Jadon Sancho and Enzo Fernandez helped the visitors to the points at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Even a late strike from Son Heung-min wasn’t enough to rescue a share of the spoils for Spurs.

A big fortnight lies ahead for Postecoglou’s squad as they travel to Rangers for a Europa League tie on Thursday before returning to Premier League action with a visit to Southampton on Sunday. A hectic period is rounded off with a Carabao Cup quarter-final clash with Manchester United and a home game against current league leaders Liverpool. The former Celtic manager will hope for some positive news on the injury front over the coming days - but could Postecoglou be able to call upon the services of any of his players that have missed the last two defeats?

Richarlison

The Brazil international suffered a hamstring injury after providing an assist in last month’s 4-1 home win against Aston Villa and was initially said to be out of action until the new year. That early prediction is believed to be true as the former Everton man is not set to return until the middle of next month. Predicted return date: Mid-January.

Guglielmo Vicario

Vicario has not appeared since the impressive win at reigning Premier League champions Manchester City last month after picking up an ankle injury. Speaking after the blow, Postecoglou said of the Italian: “It's not going to be weeks. It'll be months. With surgery, there are certain timelines. I don't like giving timelines so early in the process, as it puts undue pressure on the player... Once he starts getting [on the training pitch], we'll have a clearer idea.” Predicted return date: Mid-March.

Mikey Moore

The Spurs academy graduate has seen his season disrupted by an illness that has kept him on the sidelines since he was named on the bench for the home win against Aston Villa in November. However, Moore is expected to return to contention over the coming week. Predicted return date: Mid-December.

Ben Davies

The 92-times capped Wales international had put in some impressive performances before suffering what was believed to be a thigh injury in the defeat at Bournemouth last week. That forced him to miss Sunday’s home loss against Chelsea and Postecoglou confirmed Spurs are awaiting news of a scan before giving any indication over when Davies could return. Predicted return date: Unknown.

Wilson Odobert

The summer signing suffered a hamstring injury and underwent surgery earlier this month to rectify the issue. However, there is no set date for a possible return to action and the winger will continue to be monitored by Spurs medical staff. Predicted return date: Unknown.

Watch more of our videos on ShotsTV.com

and on Freeview 262 or Freely 565

Visit Shots! now

The latest Premier League transfer rumours, featuring news from Manchester United, West Ham and Tottenham Hotspur

Sign up to our newsletter for the most distinctive football content delivered direct to your inbox

Sign up

Thank you for signing up!

Did you know with an ad-lite subscription to 3 Added Minutes, you get 70% fewer ads while viewing the news that matters to you.

Submitting...

Welcome to today’s run-through of the latest new Premier League transfer rumours. Today, we have got news from Manchester United, West Ham and Tottenham Hotspur.

Starting in the North West at Old Trafford, Football Insider report that Manchester United defender Harry Maguire is ‘attracting interest’ from some league rivals. The England international is out of contract at the end of the season and his long-term future is up in the air.

Maguire joined the Red Devils in 2019 and has since played 217 games in all competitions, scoring 12 goals from the back. Prior to his move there, he had spells at Sheffield United, Hull City and Leicester City. Transfer expert Mick Brown has said: “There are Premier League clubs keeping a close eye on the situation. Any club who wants a solid and experienced leader and centre-back will be interested in Harry Maguire. He’s a huge threat from set-pieces, both defending and attacking them, and he’s good on the ball.

“He was England’s first-choice centre-back for years so he’s got so much experience. I was constantly on about him when I was at West Ham, but they made an offer of £20 million for him and it was quickly rejected. They’re still looking at singing a new centre-back now, so I’d expect that interest is still there. If United decide to let him go at the end of the season, there are clubs queuing up for his signature, so he won’t be short of options.”

The 3AM Verdict: Manchester United risk losing Harry Maguire for free if they don’t agree terms with him over an extension or sell him in January. It wouldn’t be a surprise to see him leave for a new challenge in the near future, but it remains to be seen at this stage who could be interested in him. In terms of the mention of West Ham, he would be an ideal addition for them if they were able to lure him to the London Stadium and they could do with someone like him to tighten up their defence.

Tottenham Hotspur man wanted

According to Spanish news outlet Super Deporte, Getafe are keen on landing Spurs left-back Sergio Reguilon. The La Liga are interested in luring the defender back to Spain next month as they look to boost their defensive ranks.

Reguilon, who is 27-years-old, has fallen down the pecking order at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and doesn’t much game time under Ange Postecoglou. He joined the London club back in 2020 from Real Madrid and has been loaned out to Atletico Madrid, Manchester United and Brentford to get game time over recent times.

The 3AM Verdict: A move back to Spain with Getafe makes sense for Reguilon. It would suit all parties involved if it happened. He would return home and have more of a chance of getting regular minutes under his belt. In addition, the La Liga side would be picking up a very shrewd signing and someone who would add more quality to their squad. Cutting ties with the full-back would also free up space and funds in Spurs’ ranks to pave the way for reinforcements themselves.

Watch more of our videos on ShotsTV.com

and on Freeview 262 or Freely 565

Visit Shots! now

The biggest new Premier League transfer rumours reviewed - featuring news from Manchester United, Chelsea and Spurs.

Sign up to our newsletter for the most distinctive football content delivered direct to your inbox

Sign up

Thank you for signing up!

Did you know with an ad-lite subscription to 3 Added Minutes, you get 70% fewer ads while viewing the news that matters to you.

Submitting...

Welcome to Wednesday’s round-up of the biggest new Premier League transfer gossip – and today we’re going to spare you the pre-amble and get right down to business with a report which claims that Manchester United are preparing a surprising Serie A raid.

Sport Witness have picked up on a story from the Italian media which suggests that the Red Devils are “thinking about” a move for Napoli goalkeeper Alex Meret with talks over a new contract for the 27-year-old stalling.

Apparently United have “long been interested” in Meret and with the goalkeeper keen to evaluate his options before inking a new deal in Naples, they may strike. The report questions the story on the assumption that Meret wouldn’t be able to take the number one spot from André Onana – but could it be bad news for the Cameroonian instead?

The 3AM Verdict: No fee is mentioned in the story, and there is a strong sense that the story is more speculation than solid fact. As Sport Witness point out, it would be a strange move as he’d have to dislodge Onana, but there’s always some chance that new head coach Ruben Amorim isn’t keen on his current number one… We suspect this one doesn’t have much to it, however.

Right-back battle developing

We’re going to stay at Old Trafford for our second story, today. Some of you might have spotted the claim that went around yesterday that Real Madrid were contemplating a surprise bid, worth up to £50m, for Diogo Dalot because they wanted a right-back now rather than waiting for Trent Alexander-Arnold – and now it seems as if they may not be the only team with the same idea.

According to Caught Offside, Barcelona are also keen to kick-start “an auction” for the Italian full-back, who doesn’t seem well-suited to Amorim’s system – despite which, Caught Offside claim that Amorim would rebuff efforts to sign him this January. Real have supposedly opened talks and it doesn’t sound like Barcelona have followed suit, but it seems that they would “muscle in” should the chance arise.

The 3AM Verdict: We’re still scratching our heads over the original story, if we’re honest – even if you decide that £50m is a fair price for Dalot, choosing to pay that rather than pushing to sign Alexander-Arnold on a free seems like an idiosyncratic decision. A lot of news outlets have run with the Dalot claims, but we want to see something solid before we buy it.

Three sides to be disappointed by Serie A man

We’re leaving Manchester United behind now but as it happens, we have another story with an Italian flavour for you – according to Calciomercato, three Premier League clubs are showing an interest in AC Milan and Netherlands midfielder Tijjani Reijnders, whose recent form has been “poetry in motion” and has “turned the spotlight on him”.

The midfielder, valued at no less than €50m (£41.5m) is interesting Chelsea, Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester City, but it seems like all three sides may be disappointed – Milan are working hard to tie their man down to a contract extension and a deal is expected to be completed within the next month.

The 3AM Verdict: Reijnders’ name has cropped up quite a few times in recent gossip columns, but we hadn’t seen Chelsea linked with him before – either way, it sounds like it might not matter. The report reckons it even knows the amount he would be getting paid to stay at the San Siro, which hints that there’s enough solid information behind it to be worth believing.

Watch more of our videos on ShotsTV.com

and on Freeview 262 or Freely 565

Visit Shots! now

The latest Premier League transfer rumours, featuring news from Chelsea, Newcastle, Spurs and Nottingham Forest.

Sign up to our newsletter for the most distinctive football content delivered direct to your inbox

Sign up

Thank you for signing up!

Did you know with an ad-lite subscription to 3 Added Minutes, you get 70% fewer ads while viewing the news that matters to you.

Submitting...

With just four weeks to go until the January transfer window opens, the rumour mill is really starting to accelerate, churning out more transfer tidbits by the day – and as always, we’re here to sift through them all to bring you a quick and easy round-up of the best and wildest Premier League rumours of the lot.

We’ll start today with the latest news from Stamford Bridge, which concerns a winger who could well be on his way out not all that long after Chelsea spent a very significant sum of money on him.

Caught Offside claim that at least three clubs are on alert after the club began shopping Ukrainian winger Mykhaylo Mudryk around. Enzo Maresca wants to get £40m for him, less than half of what was paid for him in the first place, but he report reckons that a loan deal is rather more likely.

The list of clubs who could be interested is intriguing – Newcastle United are there, with head coach Eddie Howe “understood to rate Mudryk highly”, Crystal Palace could also be interested, and the third suitor seems to be Barcelona.

The 3AM Verdict: Mudryk seems bereft of confidence, so perhaps a fresh start would do him good. Would Chelsea let him turn that new leaf over at a rival Premier League club? At this point, probably, as the club sorely need to get some player out of the door if they want to fund their next spending spree. A loan to buy for Mudryk would be a good deal at this point.

London clubs eye English exile

But who, I hear you cry, might Chelsea spend their Mudryk money on? Well, according to a new report from TeamTalk, it could well be former England and Brentford striker Ivan Toney – they’re one of two teams, along with Tottenham Hotspur, linked with a move for a man who is supposedly struggling to settle into Saudi life.

Apparently, Toney is “considering” a return to Blighty, in part because he “has not found the same level of motivation” in the Saudi Pro League. Who could have seen that coming? The article notes that while Chelsea and Spurs have both “shown interest”, a deal is unlikely given that he’s earing £400,000 per week with Al-Ahli, not money either side can match.

The 3AM Verdict: Whether Toney has joined the list of players regretting their lucrative Saudi moves or not, we don’t see this happening – partly because of the financial issues noted in the piece, and partly because the primary source for the story seem to be Spanish rumour website Fichajes, who we’ll politely describe as being hit or miss with their stories.

Forest’s ‘priority target’ revealed

High-flying Nottingham Forest are looking for some reinforcements in January, too, it would seem – or at least, Sport Witness have picked up on reports in the African sports media which implies that they are, because they’ve been linked with a bid for 22-year-old full-back Moussa Ndiaye, who plies his trade for Anderlecht in Belgium.

Apparently, Nuno Espirito Santo is “ready to make an offer” for the Senegalese winger, who has one goal in 38 league games for the Pro League side – not that the article claims to know how much that offer will be for. Apparently Spanish side Alavés are interested as well, which might put the asking price up a little bit.

The 3AM Verdict: An attacking wing-back with a good passing range and strong running skills who does a lot of good work out of possession as well, Ndiaye is a talented young player and developing at a good rate, but hasn’t necessarily looked like a first-team option for a Premier League club just yet. An investment in the future, perhaps, if the story is true.

Watch more of our videos on ShotsTV.com

and on Freeview 262 or Freely 565

Visit Shots! now

The latest injury news from Tottenham Hotspur ahead of Thursday’s visit to Premier League rivals Bournemouth.

Sign up to our newsletter for the most distinctive football content delivered direct to your inbox

Sign up

Thank you for signing up!

Did you know with an ad-lite subscription to 3 Added Minutes, you get 70% fewer ads while viewing the news that matters to you.

Submitting...

It has been a season of mixed emotions for Spurs as they remain on the verge of the battle for a place in next season’s Champions League - despite never really finding consistency and suffering some poor defeats during the first four months of the season.

For Ange Postecoglou, the main frustration will be an ongoing injury crisis that continues to rob him of the services of several key players throughout the campaign. For large parts of the season, the likes of Cristian Romero, Micky van de Ven and Guglielmo Vicario have all watched on from the sidelines as a depleted Spurs squad have struggled to put together a strong run of form.

A trip to Bournemouth is next on the agenda for the former Celtic manager and his side - but could any of his injury stars return to contention for the visit to the Vitality Stadium?

Wilson Odobert

The summer signing suffered a hamstring injury and underwent surgery earlier this month to rectify the issue. However, there is no set date for a possible return to action and the winger will continue to be monitored by Spurs medical staff. Possible return date: Unknown.

Archie Gray

The former Leeds United midfielder picked up what was confirmed as a dead leg on Sunday and is a doubt for Thursday night’s visit to Bournemouth. Possible return date: Thursday 5th December.

Dominic Solanke

The England striker missed Sunday’s draw with Fulham after suffering an illness after being sent home prior to the game. There is some hope Solanke could return to face his former club on Thursday. Possible return date: Thursday 5th December.

Cristian Romero

The Argentina defender has been out of action for Spurs last two games after suffering a toe injury. Speaking ahead of Sunday’s draw, Postecoglou said of Romero: “Romero is closer but probably unlikely. I'm not ruling him out. He's got to get through a few things today, and then there's a session tomorrow.” The defender missed the game but could return later this week. Possible return date: Thursday 5th December.

Mikey Moore

The academy product is suffering from an illness and Postecoglou has already confirmed he is unlikely to return for another fortnight. Possible return date: Mid-December.

Micky van de Ven

The Dutch international has not appeared since he suffered a hamstring injury in the Carabao Cup win against Manchester City in October. A pre-Christmas return to contention was suggested at the time and that still appears to be the target. Possible return date: Mid-December.

Richarlison

The Brazil star has endured a difficult season and has found his involvement limited to just seven appearances in all competitions. His latest blow came in the 4-1 win against Aston Villa as he suffered a hamstring injury that meant he missed games against Ipswich Town, Manchester City and Fulham. Speaking last month, Postecoglou said: “Richarlison, hopefully, he'll be back in the New Year but, again, similar to Micky (van de Ven), we've got to be careful every step of the way.” Possible return date: Mid-January.

Guglielmo Vicario

The Italian goalkeeper has become an integral part of Postecoglou’s plans since he joined Spurs in the summer of 2023. That is why his recent ankle injury was a major blow for the Australian, who confirmed the stopper would be out for months. He said: “It's not going to be weeks. It'll be months. With surgery, there are certain timelines. I don't like giving timelines so early in the process, as it puts undue pressure on the player... Once he starts getting [on the training pitch], we'll have a clearer idea.” Possible return date: March 2025.

Watch more of our videos on ShotsTV.com

and on Freeview 262 or Freely 565

Visit Shots! now

Our verdict on the latest Premier League transfer rumours, featuring news from Spurs, Man Utd, Liverpool, Aston Villa and more.

Sign up to our newsletter for the most distinctive football content delivered direct to your inbox

Sign up

Thank you for signing up!

Did you know with an ad-lite subscription to 3 Added Minutes, you get 70% fewer ads while viewing the news that matters to you.

Submitting...

Welcome to Thursday’s run-through of the biggest – and wildest – new Premier League transfer rumours. We’ve got news for fans of Liverpool, Manchester United and more coming up later, but we’re going to kick things off with a report that might interest Tottenham Hotspur supporters.

Sport Witness have caught us up with some claims from former Bayern Munich legend Lothar Matthäus which suggest that Leon Goretzka is going to be offered to a new of clubs – including Spurs.

The 29-year-old Goretzka has fallen out of favour under new head coach Vincent Kompany and the German giants are “clearly desperate to get rid of him”, amid constant reports that Bayern are looking for a suitable buyer. Matthäus named Spurs, Inter Milan, Manchester United and Atlético Madrid as potential destinations.

The 3AM Verdict: It’s worth noting that while Matthäus’ involvement at Bayern means he almost certainly has some degree of an inside track, he is a pundit and not a club official, so a pinch of salt has to be taken with everything he says here. There’s also no mention of a transfer fee – but this would surely represent a pretty exciting buy anyway, and it’s likely Goretzka has plenty left to offer.

Liverpool’s left-back bid

Next up, a story which suggests that Liverpool are looking for a long-term replacement for left-back Andrew Robertson, who at 30 may be starting to enter the twilight of his career. TeamTalk reckon that the Reds have identified Bournemouth left-back Milos Kerkez as the answer to that issue and they are now “pursuing him.”

That quote comes via Sky Sports Germany reporter Floran Plettenberg but TeamTalk also claim that their own sources suggest that Bournemouth would demand a minimum of £40m for the young Hungarian’s services. Apparently Manchester United, who have been linked with Kerkez several times over recent months, are interested but he’s far enough down their shortlist that they wouldn’t stand in Liverpool’s way.

The 3AM Verdict: Kerkez is having a fine season and seems to be developing nicely – in particular, he’s starting to be more productive in the final third and generating a healthy volume of chances, so we’re not shocked to see him linked with the biggest teams. Manchester United seem to be prioritising Alphonso Davies and Theo Hernández (as we discovered in yesterday’s column) so this all checks out.

Premier League trio target Bremen boy

Last up today, a story from TBR Football which suggests that three Premier League clubs are in hot pursuit of 24-year-old Werder Bremen attacking midfielder Romano Schmid – namely Aston Villa, Fulham and Southampton.

The Austria international would apparently set a suitor back no more than £10m, too, which isn’t bad for a player who’s been a Bundesliga regular for the past few seasons. A contract which only runs until 2026 may partly explain the relatively low asking price.

The 3AM Verdict: A creative and versatile midfielder who generates plenty of chances and works hard off the ball, he fits the bill for most Premier League squads even if he doesn’t score a ton of goals – just six in his 93 Bundesliga games. These reports seem to be nice and fresh, too, which makes it hard to know how much truth there is them. He’s the kind of player who’s affordable in January, which might push him up a few shopping lists.

Watch more of our videos on ShotsTV.com

and on Freeview 262 or Freely 565

Visit Shots! now

Tottenham signed James Maddison for £40m and needed him for their vital Man City win.

Sign up to our newsletter for the most distinctive football content delivered direct to your inbox

Sign up

Thank you for signing up!

Did you know with an ad-lite subscription to 3 Added Minutes, you get 70% fewer ads while viewing the news that matters to you.

Submitting...

Tottenham Hotspur made mincemeat of Manchester City at the Etihad over the weekend. The Lilywhites thrashed the Premier League defending champions 4-0, with the opener and second goal coming from James Maddison, who, until the game against City, had been playing in a more withdrawn role.

Having set up his team in a 4-2-3-1 formation in his first season at Tottenham, Ange Postecoglou ditched the setup for a 4-3-3 this season. Dejan Kulusevski, who was previously known as a right winger, has been playing as a right central midfielder, while James Maddison has taken on the role of left central midfielder. This makes the team an ultra-attacking side, but Maddison, despite his impressive goal contributions, has not been playing close enough to goal.

The defeats to Galatasaray and Ipswich led Postecoglou to tweak his formation back to a 4-2-3-1, and it worked wonders against a formidable side like Manchester City. With Maddison at number 10, Spurs had an efficient player positioned closer to goal. The two goals he scored against City were no fluke. This is what you get when you play him near the action.

The same formation also ensures that there is a traditional central midfielder next to the defensive midfielder. This cover is vital for a team with attacking fullbacks like Pedro Porro and Destiny Udogie. Pape Matar Sarr covers for Yves Bissouma, and Bissouma in turn provides support for Porro.

Although Kulusevski has excelled in central midfield in the 4-3-3 formation, the Swede is at his best as a right winger, where he has the space to dribble, cut inside, and deliver dangerous crosses, like the one that assisted Maddison’s opener at the Etihad.

The former Juventus winger is among the best in the league in his preferred position. In just one game back on the right wing, he showed the football world that he can go toe-to-toe with the best.

He created two big chances, more than any other player in Gameweek 12, and completed four successful dribbles, the highest in the game week.

Sticking to this formation would likely mean Brennan Johnson would no longer be a starter. The Welshman might not be happy with this, but Spurs fans would be content knowing they have a quality winger on the bench who can make a positive impact in games. After all, all good teams have strong depth in their squad.

Tottenham needed the win after what was truly a difficult 10 days given they lost to Ipswich and the pressure mounting on the boss but so did Manchester City who had lost all their four games and needed a response.

The way Postecoglou did and how Maddison responded is the way to go if they are to rediscover themselves and go all out at leats get the fourth to get back to Champions League football.

Watch more of our videos on ShotsTV.com

and on Freeview 262 or Freely 565

Visit Shots! now

Our take on the latest Premier League transfer rumours, with news from Manchester United, Spurs, Liverpool and more...

Sign up to our newsletter for the most distinctive football content delivered direct to your inbox

Sign up

Thank you for signing up!

Did you know with an ad-lite subscription to 3 Added Minutes, you get 70% fewer ads while viewing the news that matters to you.

Submitting...

Welcome to Wednesday’s round-up of all the biggest and boldest Premier League transfer stories currently making their merry way around the rumour mill – we’ve got news for fans of Tottenham Hotspur, Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester City coming up, but today we’re going to get started with a story for the red half of Manchester.

According to Sport Witness, who cite the Italian press as their source, Manchester United are “serious” about trying to “tempt” Napoli’s superstar winger Khvicha Kvaratskhelia to Old Trafford, and have prepared a wage package worth €9m (£7.5m) per year in order to make the move happen.

Napoli are keen to sign their best player to a new contract but haven’t been able to agree a deal yet, and could sell up if United fork out a hefty €100m (£83.4m). The good news for United’s bean counters is that the Italian side would apparently be happy to come up with a payment plan. Klarnatskhelia, if you will.

The 3AM Verdict: This clashes with recent claims suggesting that United plan to curb their spending next summer, which is when we assume a move would have to happen due to the Premier League’s financial rules – and United get linked with every big-money move going, in the way of these things, which makes us rather sceptical. That said, there’s a lot of specific detail here, which often hints that a story is properly sourced rather than pure hearsay, so you never know…

Spurs in for Serie A star

On to North London now, with a story from TeamTalk – who reckon that Tottenham Hotspur “have prepared a bid” for Inter Milan and Italy midfielder Davide Frattesi with an eye on a January move.

The midfielder, who can play as a number ten or in a deeper central role as has 25 caps for his country, is apparently unhappy to find that he’s been relegated to the bench just a few months after making a loan move from Sassuolo permanent, and as such is pushing for a move. Inter would accept a “significant” fee of around €35m (£29.2m), allegedly.

The 3AM Verdict: The players Frattesi is losing time to are Hakan Çalhanoğlu and Nicolò Barella, so being benched is hardly an indication that he isn’t good enough – Frattesi is creative and very dangerous in the final third. He isn’t, however, a great defensive asset and doesn’t force many turnovers, which is something Ange Postecoglou seems to prize in his midfielders. We’ll see.

New contenders in for Liverpool target

Lastly today, we’re going to return to an old favourite of transfer columns everywhere – the future of Real Sociedad midfielder Martín Zubimendi, who famously turned Liverpool down this summer after deciding that he liked life in the Basque Country too much to leave.

Since then, there has been plenty of speculation suggesting that the defensive midfielder regrets his decision following Sociedad’s poor start to the season, and that Liverpool might try again – which, according to Caught Offside, they will, but they’ll have some competition.

With Sociedad “ready to listen to offers” for the Spain international, Arsenal are also ready to make a bid of around £50m, which Manchester City “could be one to watch” as they wonder whether to replace Rodri in January.

The 3AM Verdict: Whether Zubimendi sincerely regrets his decision or not, he probably won’t stay put forever – but we doubt that Arsenal will spend so much on another central midfielder when they already have Declan Rice and Mikel Merino, and we doubt that Manchester City will make a big move this January, all of which would leave Liverpool in the clear if they want to go back. We’ll see, but we aren’t expecting him in the Premier League until next summer, anyway.