Tottenham Hotspur have been offered the chance to do a deal for Juventus midfielder Emre Can this month, but what would he bring to the club?

On the chalkboard

Sources confirmed to Football FanCast earlier this month that the club have been given the opportunity to make a move for Can.

And reports now claim that a number of clubs are interested in a move for the ex-Liverpool midfielder; Bild, via The Daily Mail, reports that Manchester United, Arsenal, Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund are also interested.

This season, Can has made eight appearances in Serie A but just two have been starts.

He has yet to complete the 90 minutes, however, thus his sample size is too small to measure his ability.

Last season, then, offers a clearer picture. He made 29 appearances in Serie A in total, scoring four goals and registering one assist.

Per WhoScored, he averaged 1.1 shots per game, 0.7 key passes, 0.9 dribbles, along with 2.2 tackles, 1 interception and 1.5 fouls along with 1 clearance.

He also averaged a passing completion rate of 87.1%, with an average of 34.7 per game.

The defensive midfielder needed

Spurs really do need a defensive midfielder.

They only have Eric Dier and Victor Wanyama as options in the position and the latter has played just 23 minutes in the Premier League, while Dier has not completed 90 minutes in the league since the win over Wolves in December.

Spurs have thus been operating without a proper anchor-man in midfield but Can would offer an option to revert to utilising that role in their system.

The big fat Tottenham quiz of 2019 – how much do you remember about the last year at Spurs?

He has the ability to spray the ball around accurately as well as win it back and he has Premier League experience too, playing 115 times in the competition during his spell at Liverpool.

If the competition can be beaten, Spurs would do well to bring him into the club prior to the transfer deadline.

Meanwhile, Spurs have to offload one star this month!

Hertha Berlin are looking to put themselves on the map in the Bundesliga.

In the summer, they received €125m (£105.4m) following new investment from Lars Windhorst, and the arrival of Jurgen Klinsmann has seen an increase in publicity for the club from the German capital. The former Tottenham striker has said that Hertha can have a European presence within three years.

Their transfer dealings, though, indicate that they now have the financial power to back up those quotes. They broke their transfer record in the summer by signing Dodi Lukebakio from Watford – he cost €20m (£16.9m) – and they have now done so again – Lucas Tousart has completed a €25m (£21.1m) move to the Olympiastadion.

Call yourself a Liverpool expert? How much did each of these big-money January signings cost?

This transfer could have an impact on the future of Marko Grujic. The Serbia international has been with Die Alte Dame since the summer of 2018 on loan, and has since made 37 leagues appearances for the club. During that time, he has eight goals and two assists, and was even called the best midfielder in 20 years at the club by former manager Pal Dardai.

The 23-year-old has himself said that he wants to return to Liverpool, and some Reds fans look like they would welcome him back with open arms. Now, it looks as though this is going to be a crucial moment in the career of the former Red Star Belgrade man. Tousart will be loaned back to Lyon until the end of the season – that means that he could be seen as a replacement for Grujic, and it indicates that the latter will not be there beyond the summer.

Where he ends up remains to be seen. Liverpool, of course, could still move him on, whilst he may also have done enough to earn himself a place in Klopp’s squad. He has just a few months to make certain that it ends up being the latter, rather than the former.

Meanwhile, our writers give their verdict as Jurgen Klopp’s turns down the chance to re-sign one ex-star.

A large number of Premier League footballers are now enjoying their winter break and stars are rather ‘busy’ posting images from their holidays on social media.

Interestingly enough, while many would naturally decide to go sun-bathing somewhere hot and exotic, Andrew Robertson took a different approach altogether.

The Liverpool star decided to go back home to Scotland and play some golf instead.

And he was quick to post a hilarious

/B8O9K0GBcvj/” data-lasso->Instagram snap to reveal his preferred winter break destination.

Robertson joked about the strength of the Scottish sun and mentioned that the fans don’t have to worry about him since he’ll be using factor 50 to protect himself.

Of course, he’ll be lucky to catch any sun in early February back in Scotland and it didn’t take long for some of his friends to respond to the hilarious post and rinse him in the process.

The likes of Kevin McDonald and David Meyler were among the first ones to the scene but were quickly followed by Jamie Redknapp as well.

McDonald remarked how Robertson must be the only guy willingly going to St Andrews to play golf at a time when any other sane person would be sun-bathing in Dubai.

Still, the immensely popular Liverpool left-back always was special, wasn’t he?

In other news, many Liverpool fans reacted to Matthew Upson’s rather harsh verdict on their FA Cup victory…

Liverpool have set the Premier League alight so far this campaign.

The Reds are breaking records left, right and centre – they have a 22-point lead at the top of the table, for example, which is the biggest such margin in the history of England’s top flight – and they are still unbeaten in the division so far this term.

Can you name the result these iconic Liverpool images belong to? Give it a go now…

However, with the league all but sewn up, the Reds will have to defend their inevitable title next season, and that could lead to some new signings arriving at Anfield to boost Jurgen Klopp’s squad. One of those who is said to be of interest is Inter Milan’s Marcelo Brozovic. As per fcinternews.it, the Reds have scouted the 27-year-old, who has a €60m (£50m) release clause for clubs outside of Italy.

The fans have been reacting to this news, but it seems that they aren’t really behind the idea. Many believe it won’t happen.

Tonali is another player plying his trade in Serie A. A midfielder who plays for Brescia, he has been linked with a move to Merseyside (Corriere dello Sport via Sport Witness).

Others believe that his age will stop a deal happening.

Indeed, considering the Reds’ have signed Sepp van den Berg, Harvey Elliott and Takumi Minamino in the last three transfer windows – who are aged 18, 16 and 25 respectively – it would be a move that does not fit in with their apparent current transfer policy.

Others, meanwhile, don’t think they need him.

In all fairness, there could be a spot for a new midfielder in the summer. Adam Lallana is set to leave, whilst Georginio Wijnaldum could also depart. Brozovic would fill that void should he arrive.

Elsewhere, James Pearce says this signing is more likely for Liverpool than Jadon Sancho.

Celtic are set to travel to Denmark on Thursday evening for the first leg of their last-32 Europa League encounter with FC Copenhagen.

The hosts returned from their winter break on Friday with a 1-0 defeat away at Esbjerg as the title-chasing outfit struggled for creativity in the absence of Viktor Fischer. 

The former Ajax ace has been in outstanding form for the Danish outfit this season, providing two goals and an eye-catching nine assists in the Superligaen.

But the Hoops will fortunately be spared of the task of preventing Fischer from weaving and conspiring at the Telia Parken Stadium on Thursday.

The 25-year-old has been officially ruled out for a few weeks after injuring himself at Copenhagen’s training camp in Portugal earlier this month.

While neutrals and Copenhagen supporters will naturally be disappointed by the playmaker’s absence, Celtic are likely to view the setback through a starkly contrasting lens. 

It’s a huge boost for the Hoops as they bid to finally make a significant impact on the European stage this season, and it’s one which could have a knock on effect on veteran striker Dame N’Doye. 

The 34-year-old striker is something of a legend at the club, having scored a whopping 115 goals in 213 appearances across all competitions which span over a 12 year period. 

He started in a front-two with Michael Santos on Friday and is likely to lead the line once again this week, but the absence of Fischer is telling. 

In the 47 games the two players have played alongside each other, they have combined to goal scoring effect on 14 occasions. That Fischer has teed up Copenhagen’s relentless goal machine in 11 of those instances underlines the effectiveness of their understanding in the final third.

Without his partner in crime, N’Doye may lack the spark in midfield which he needs to carve out clear cut opportunities in front of Fraser Forster’s goal.

To put things into perspective, Inter Milan’s Christian Eriksen, who Fischer has played alongside with at Ajax and also for the Denmark national side, has combined with Copenhagen’s star six times – the second highest number of joint goal participations after N’Doye.

This is undoubtedly a huge blow for Copenhagen on a collective level, but for their star striker it’s particularly troublesome as the Scottish giants bid to make a big statement in Scandinavia.

West Brom are enjoying a renaissance under Slaven Bilic as they steamroll towards the promised land of the Premier League, but the decisions of former boss Tony Pulis still winds some supporters up to this day.

And that has been echoed in Oliver Burke’s comments this week; a disastrous flop Pulis signed for an eye-watering £15m back in the summer of 2017.

Speaking in the Daily Record, the 22-year-old said: “For me, right now I’d like to find myself a club where I can settle, enjoy and play week in, week out. And find my confidence again, which I’m slowly getting back, to prove all the doubters out there wrong.”

Burke is currently on loan to La Liga side Alaves where he has only contributed to two goals in 20 appearances, per Transfermarkt.

It has caused outroar amongst the Baggies faithful, here’s what has been said…

There’s certainly no love lost between Albion fans and the Scottish winger and descriptions such as “fraud,” “selfish idiot,” and “absolute waste” go a long way in proving that.

You can read more on this and other top stories via our West Bromwich Albion News page.

Burke is yet to live up to his eight-figure price tag having scored just once in 24 appearances for the Baggies, and it has led to further supporters slamming his cost to the club by labelling him as one of the worst signings they have ever made.

He was then blasted for being a “muppet” as well as a “woeful player” whilst one member of the Hawthorns faithful claimed Burke wasn’t even worth £1m let alone £15m.

Watch West Bromwich Albion Videos With StreamFootball.tv Below

This view agrees with the opinions of some more fans, who made it known what sort of level he should actually be playing at with League One and League Two being mentioned.

As mentioned at the start, Burke was signed by Pulis, which was referenced by one final supporter. He pondered if it was one of his many blunders at the club as no one is going to want to sign the 22-year-old upon his return this summer.

And in other news, West Brom assistant Danilo Butorovic has tempted ill-fate on Instagram this week…

Celtic enjoyed another important win on Sunday as they overcame Kilmarnock 3-1, which will have been made even sweeter by the fact that Rangers were held to a draw in their game.

Watch Celtic Videos With StreamFootball.tv Below

Following goals from Kristoffer Ajer and Odsonne Edouard, it was Leigh Griffiths who gave the Bhoys some breathing space for the last half an hour of the game.

This led to plenty of Celtic fans swooning over the 29-year-old and the impact he has been having for the team.

The goal came when Edouard split the defence with a pass to Ryan Christie, who cut the ball back for Griffiths to dart in and finish off the move.

This led to plenty of celebrations among the fans, who exclaimed “super Leigh Griffiths”, showing their appreciation for his contribution.

Only real Celtic fans will get 100% on the Ultimate Hoops quiz. Test your knowledge below…

It turned out to be a telling one, as Kilmarnock failed to get on the scoresheet again after the goal.

There have also been those who have taken the opportunity to shut down anybody who has criticised the frontman, with one fan stating “for a guy who won’t be playing football, he sure does score a lot”.

This comes after there was an original spell after his injury earlier in the season, that saw him make eight consecutive substitute appearances.

However, he has since gone on to start eight league games in a row, scoring four goals and assisting another two, highlighting how useful he can be.

Meanwhile, one player offers Neil Lennon a different solution.

Tottenham Hotspur manager Jose Mourinho denied claims that there would be a squad overhaul this summer earlier this week, but that hasn’t stopped the transfer rumour mill from circulating north London.

According to The Times, Spurs are one of several Premier League clubs keen on signing Leicester City left-back Ben Chilwell this summer and the Foxes boss, Brendan Rodgers, has already begun the process to replace him.

It has left fans at the club discussing the potential of seeing the England international line up for them next season.

The club have seemingly cut ties with Danny Rose despite a lack of options in the role after he was shipped off to Newcastle United on loan, but Football.London claim there’s no way back for him as he’s not wanted anymore.

Here’s what has been said on social media…

Some supporters were all for signing Chilwell this summer – one suggested that he would be a “proper replacement” for Rose while another claimed he was one of the best left-backs in Europe before this season.

In the Premier League this season, the 23-year-old is averaging 2 clearances, 1.6 tackles and 1.2 key passes per game and has also managed two goals and three assists in 23 appearances, per WhoScored.

Watch Tottenham Hotspur Videos With StreamFootball.tv Below

However, plenty more were completely against the idea, blasting the defender for being “overhyped” and “overrated”.

Chilwell was even slammed for being a “Leicester reject” as well as being their alleged weak link.

In the minds of others, they wanted alternatives with some of the names listed including Benfica’s Alex Grimaldo, Everton’s Lucas Digne and AC Milan’s Theo Hernandez – all current first-team starts for their respective clubs, so it remains to be seen if they’d be keen or if Spurs even hold any interest in them.

There were even comparisons made to Spurs’ current options with Chilwell being brandished a “glorified Ben Davies” whilst he was also described as “another version of [Serge] Aurier”.

Transfermarkt currently value the England international at £45m, but it remains to be seen what sort of fee he could command this summer, particularly if he makes the Euro 2020 squad and subsequently plays well.

When did that happen?! Premier League experts will know which surprising clubs these stars once played for…

And in other news, Jose Mourinho’s biggest FLAW is coming through at Spurs…

It was January of 2019, when Mauricio Pochettino made it abundantly clear that Tottenham needed to spend more heavily if they wanted to compete for the biggest titles on offer.

“At the moment we operate in the same way as we operated in five years ago when we arrived. But if after we want to win titles we need to operate in a different way. The other day I saw a stat that in the last 10 years in England and in Europe how the teams were spending money, and I think we were on the bottom, in England and Europe. Of course we’re doing a fantastic job but if we want to be real contenders we need to operate in a different way in the future.”

Fast forward a year and a couple of months later, and of course, Pochettino is no longer the man in the Spurs dugout. That honour goes to Jose Mourinho, who has historically been at clubs who have splashed the cash – you only have to look at the signings of the likes of Paul Pogba and Romelu Lukaku at Manchester United to see that.

Watch Tottenham Hotspur Videos With StreamFootball.tv Below

But what Pochettino was suggesting, is that Spurs currently have a major dilemma on their hands. To compete with the best, they desperately need new signings and big money being spent. Otherwise they risk simply coasting, or even slipping backwards.

And that is exactly why the recent reports surrounding the north London side’s talisman, Harry Kane, is particularly worrying. There are suggestions that the England international would consider a move to Old Trafford this summer, “as he would prefer not to stay at Spurs while they undergo an extensive rebuild”.

A football legend: Can you get over 80% on this Gazza quiz? Find out now…

The 26-year-old is the undisputed star for the Lilywhites, a player who fans proudly claim as ‘one of their own’. And when you look at his eye-watering goal-record, it is easy to see why he is heralded as a world-class player. In 278 games for the club, he has smashed in 181, whilst he has also provided 30 assists too.

The £135m-rated star represents the beacon of hope that Spurs can achieve great things. Teammates no doubt look to him as a source of inspiration, whilst transfer targets may also view him as the player who legitimises the north London side as a genuine destination.

Losing him could spark a domino effect whereby some other key players follow suit, and also head for the exits. After all, what kind of ambition would be shown if the club’s big star is allowed to leave? A mass exodus would set Spurs on their way to a downward spiral, with potential signings also taking a step back before thinking about joining them.

Spurs have arrived at a crossroads. Get it wrong, and they could be staring down the barrel of years of yet more misery.

Meanwhile, this man’s exit is yet another mess created by Daniel Levy.

Timo Werner remains a Liverpool target as the summer looms but what would the RB Leipzig man bring to the Anfield table and could he destroy their front three?

On the chalkboard

The Athletic have reported that the Reds have a time limit on a £51m move, and that Werner is being lined up as competition for Sadio Mane, Mohamed Salah, and Roberto Firmino.

Per Transfermarkt, however, he is very rarely utilised as a winger by Leipzig and has scored the majority of his goals from a central striking position; he has netted 107 goals in 198 appearances through the middle, and 10 in 59 as a winger on either side.

That likely means that it will be a straight battle between Werner and Firmino for the No.9 spot in the team, and the Brazilian doesn’t come out of this well from a purely statistical angle.

Indeed, Werner has scored 27 goals in 36 games this season; Firmino has 11 in 43. The latter is also 29, whereas his prospective new team-mate is 24.

However, to remove the Brazilian ace from the team would leave a massive void in the centre of the club’s attack.

Indeed, he does not tend to operate solely as a centre-forward, he is more of a hole player, able to drop into pockets of space and link attack and defence, as he plays as a false nine. He has more key passes per game, on average, than every single Liverpool midfielder, via WhoScored.

That is telling, because it allows the likes of Jordan Henderson, Fabinho and Georginio Wijnaldum to do the dirty work and then pop the ball off to Firmino.

Werner doesn’t offer the same attributes. He is a purer centre-forward, looking to run off the shoulder of defenders and get in behind. That isn’t to say that he isn’t a creative player – he and Firmino have both registered seven league assists this season, while Werner averages 1.4 key passes to his counterpart’s 1.3. The difference there is negligible.

But the question has to be asked as to how the rest of the front three would cope.

Tellingly, Firmino is the joint-top assist-maker to Salah in the Premier League this season, with twelve setups overall.

Throw it into disarray

Liverpool’s front three works because it is so in tune.

Firmino drops deep to fill the creative void and allow Salah and Mane to do their thing. He is integral to the trio.

Removing him could throw a spanner into the works.

Werner is, at least, a similar type of player but his predatory instincts mean that he is often in the box instead of outside it. He would be looking to fire Liverpool to glory instead of perhaps being willing to take a back seat and let Mane and Salah be the water-carriers.

Can you name the result these iconic Liverpool images belong to? Give it a go now…

It would also mean that Liverpool would probably need to recruit some genuine creativity in midfield to step into that No.10 role and make things happen.

Finding a way to fit Werner in, at the expense of Liverpool’s chemistry, feels a risky move and one that could ultimately undo the inner workings of a side that has been machine-like at times this season.

Jurgen Klopp should tread carefully.

Meanwhile, Liverpool fans have reacted to a huge midfielder update!