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Oliver Skipp looks set to miss a significant portion, if not all, of Spurs’ pre-season after suffering a disappointing injury blow this week.

What’s the latest?

The 20-year-old Hotspur Way academy graduate has enjoyed a brilliant season on-loan at Norwich City, where he has helped deliver their second promotion to the Premier League in three years.

On Tuesday night against Reading, Skipp limped off in stoppage time with what seemed to be a foot problem, and now the extent of the injury has been revealed.

His season is now over.

Speaking to local reporters, Canaries boss Daniel Farke said:

“[It is] a big concern. It was pretty painful for him and our physios’ first assessment was they are not that optimistic for him. It seems like a major injury. Right now, too soon to give a firm prediction. We have to continue to assess him over these coming days but it was pretty sore.

“It is a shame because he was unbelievable this season. One of our outstanding players. All our thoughts are with him and we hope he is capable of being fit for the new season.

“It is an issue with his foot. We think it could be broken.”

Spurs themselves have since confirmed that Skipp did indeed fracture his metatarsal and that he’s had surgery to repair the broken bone.

Could impact plans

Given that he’s gone under the knife, it’s highly likely that Skipp will be in recovery and rehab for most of the summer and that will surely hinder his chances of making the Tottenham senior fold next term.

The young midfielder has been lauded as the “future captain” of the club and has hugely impressed at Carrow Road this term.

He is widely expected to be a first-team presence in the near future and you would imagine that whoever is in charge of Spurs come the summer would like to take a good look at him to assess if he truly does have the potential to step up into the Premier League.

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Skipp has played the second-most minutes (3,863) for Norwich this season, so that only tells you just how crucial he has been to their fortunes. Additionally, his teammate Kenny McLean, explained just how integral he has been to the side, he told Sky Sports:

“He makes my job a hell of a lot easier, I’ll tell you that. He’s been outstanding all season and we’re lucky to have him to be honest. For this level, he’s very outstanding and he’s got a huge career ahead of him.”

The 5 foot 9 dynamo could be an ideal partner for the ever-present Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg in the heart of Spurs’ midfield.

There are doubts over the futures of Harry Winks and Dele Alli; Moussa Sissoko is getting no younger at 31 and both Tanguy Ndombele and Giovani Lo Celso are better deployed in more advanced roles.

However, if Skipp does miss pre-season – or at least the start of the next era under Daniel Levy’s next appointment, as is now expected after his surgery – then Spurs may well want to seek reinforcements in the transfer market and that would deal a crushing blow to his prospects in N17.

Skipp has featured 23 times for Spurs since his debut in October 2018 and should undoubtedly be a big player for the Lilywhites in years to come.

This injury is obviously unfortunate for the player but it is also a cruel setback to the next manager of Spurs, whoever that turns out to be, as he may not be able to take a proper look at Skipp’s credentials, which in turn will impact his plans for next season.

A new manager will always be keen to get a good look at his new players in person, especially a highly-touted youngster but it looks like whoever takes over the Spurs hotseat may have to wait a while before he can assess Skipp close up.

That’s a blow to the incumbent manager as he would want to have as much information as possible about his players and his squad going into his first season in the dugout, but alas, it looks like he’ll have to settle for watching replays of Skipp’s Norwich’s performances to make a decision on whether he feels he is good enough, or if he needs to go into the transfer market.

AND in other news, In-house hire could be Martin Jol 2.0 at Spurs…

An update has emerged regarding Newcastle United’s pursuit of Inter centre-back Milan Skriniar.

What’s the talk?

According to The Daily Mail, the Magpies and Tottenham are both interested in a deal to sign the central defender in January.

CIES ranked him as the third-best defender in the world in 2021, behind Real Madrid’s David Alaba and Manchester City’s Ruben Dias.

The Daily Mail reacted to this by profiling some of the players in CIES’ rankings, mentioning in their section on Skriniar that Newcastle and Spurs have been looking at him.

Best signing since Wilson

The Toon Army fans will surely be delighted with this update as the defensive enforcer could be the club’s best signing since they landed Callum Wilson from Bournemouth last summer.

Joe Willock was the club’s only signing of the transfer window just gone and he has struggled to find his best form this season. He has averaged a dismal WhoScored rating of 6.45, with zero goals and zero assists to his name in 15 appearances.

In terms of permanent additions, Ryan Fraser, Wilson, Jamal Lewis and Jeff Hendrick came in during the 2020/21 campaign. Of those players, Wilson (6.84) was the only player to average a higher WhoScored rating than 6.38 in the Premier League.

The signing of Skriniar could, therefore, be the best move the club has made since they brought the hitman over from the Cherries. CIES’ report ranks him as one of the top players in world football and his statistics in the Serie A have been very strong, with the defender averaging a WhoScored rating of 6.99 across 16 starts.

His former under-17’s coach, Tibor Goljan, once hailed him, saying: “He has always been the leader on and off the pitch.”

It was reported earlier this year that Skriniar is competing with Nicolo Barella to be named the new club captain of Inter, highlighting his huge influence behind the scenes and in the changing room too.

The Slovakia international averaged a rating of 6.90 in the Serie A last term, playing 32 times, which shows that he also has consistency in his performances – stretching back to the start of last season. He has been previously described as an “absolute beast” and a “monster” by journalists David Amoyal and Siavoush Fallah, highlighting his defensive strength. 

Therefore, he could be a sublime signing for Newcastle as he appears to have the leadership skills off the pitch and the footballing ability on it to be a success in the Premier League. If Eddie Howe is able to get a deal over the line for the Inter gem then it could be their best addition since Wilson…

AND in other news, NUFC liability who lost 83% duels badly betrayed Howe, Shearer thinks he’s a “danger”…

Taking to Twitter, reliable reporter Roshane Thomas of The Athletic has now leaked another major West Ham United development out of Rush Green involving Vladimir Coufal.

The Lowdown: Eventful times at West Ham…

After West Ham confirmed the appointment of Rob Newman in the new head of recruitment role, a change which could have a big impact on transfers, it appears that more news has emerged out of east London, this time regarding fresh terms for Coufal.

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West Ham and GSB have been in talks over a new deal for their 2020 summer signing over these last few months, but an agreement had stalled over reported disputes regarding salary (Sky Sports).

The 29-year-old, who shone last season under David Moyes, is only one of the Czech Republic fan favourites subject to fresh terms at the London Stadium. His compatriot Tomas Soucek has also been touted with a blockbuster new deal, while the club also want to tie down star midfielder Declan Rice (Claret & Hugh).

In a major development, Thomas has now shared exactly how West Ham are getting on in tying down Coufal to a new contract.

The Latest: Coufal signs new deal…

As per The Athletic reporter, sharing the ‘great news’ on his Twitter profile, Coufal has now put pen to paper on a new three-year deal with West Ham, including the option for a further year.

In a ‘huge boost’ for Moyes, the 29-year-old has committed his long term future in east London after quickly becoming a fan favourite.

It is believed that Coufal even turns up to Rush Green on his days off and has helped change the culture at West Ham.

The Verdict: Absolutely massive…

One of the first names on Moyes’ teamsheet having started 34 league games last season, news of the right-back extending his stay is nothing short of massive for the Irons.

He finished his debut season in England as West Ham’s joint-highest tackler per game and attracted praise from club legend Mark Noble, who called him a ‘machine’ of a player.

His dynamism and application on that right-hand side is an absolute joy to behold at times and it’s arguable that he was the Premier League’s best right-back of 2020/21.

Moyes will be delighted that Coufal looks set to remain in the east end of London for a while longer.

In other news: Reliable reporter: West Ham fans should also be ‘excited’ by another big update, find out more here.

Leeds United pundit Noel Whelan believes having Patrick Bamford available against Burnley ‘could be massive’, Football Insider report.

The Lowdown: Bamford in line for return?

Bamford has endured an injury-hit campaign so far this season, making just six Premier League appearances.

He made a brief return from an ankle problem at the beginning of December but suffered a hamstring issue after celebrating his stoppage-time equaliser against Brentford.

However, Marcelo Bielsa refused to rule Bamford out of the scheduled Liverpool game on Boxing Day after the 4-1 defeat to Arsenal.

On that basis, it seems as if Bamford could be in line for a return to the squad for their next fixture now with even more recovery time under his belt, with Whelan giving his thoughts.

The Latest: Whelan’s comments

Whelan, who contributes for BBC Radio Leeds, was talking to Football Insider about the club’s injury issues.

He name-checked Bamford when talking about injuries, labelling a possible return against Burnley on January 2 as ‘massive’.

“It’s been unfortunate.

“It’s given an opportunity to those players who were on the fringes of coming back, like Bamford.

“They’ve had that bit of extra time to get themselves right and be part of the squad for these games. That could be massive. Especially for the Burnley game.

“It’s no secret that we’ve missed a lot of players over this Christmas period. It will be nice to get back to a nearly fully-fit squad for the remainder of the season.”

The Verdict: Needed…

Leeds’ options from the bench against Arsenal were all Under-23 players, with youngsters Cody Drameh and Joe Gelhardt even starting.

Bielsa is down to the bare bones, especially with the recent Covid-19 outbreak at the club, so having Bamford available against Burnley, even if it is from the bench, could be huge.

Hopefully the 28-year-old is just one of a number of players to make returns at Elland Road on Sunday, and who knows, the club could look back at the recent postponements against Liverpool and Aston Villa as a blessing in disguise.

In other news: Leeds ‘set’ to sign attacker in January who has the same agent as Forshaw – journalist. 

Many fans of Manchester City have been reacting to a post on Twitter which relayed a report regarding the transfer situation of Erling Haaland.

According to Mark Ogden’s report for ESPN, there is a “growing likelihood” that Borussia Dortmund could look to move Haaland on this summer, one  year before a €75m (£64.5m) release clause can be triggered in the striker’s contract at the German club.

Ogden claims this is because Dortmund bosses believe they could sell the £141,000-a-week 20-year-old for “at least double” his release clause at the end of the current season, something which could become a “financial necessity” for the sixth-placed Bundesliga side should they fail to qualify for the Champions League next term.

After City Xtra relayed this report on Twitter, some fans of Manchester City flocked to have their say on the matter, with many begging Pep Guardiola and his side to “urgently” do all they can do land the £99m-rated Haaland in the summer transfer market.

So, what exactly did these Manchester City fans have to say in reaction to the report regarding Erling Haaland?

“Get it done.”

@JMC_OfficiaI

“Yes please.”

@CityJosxph

“Omar Berrada and Txixi don’t fumble the bag I can’t deal with Jesus anymore.”

@Amaz1ngAke

“Sign him ASAP.”

@TeohJohansen

“Let’s get him.”

@sentosabahari8

“We need it urgently.”

@fidels782

In other news: some Man City fans also flocked to this Romano claim, find out more here!

Many Everton fans have been welcoming the news that the South American FIFA World Cup qualifiers due to take place in March have been cancelled.

As per Sky Sports, the South American Football Confederation (CONMEBOL) has decided to suspend March’s double header of qualifiers for Qatar 2022 amid concern over the impact of the global pandemic and quarantine restrictions.

The tightening lockdown and quarantine regulations mean that numerous European-based players will be unable to travel, which may come as a benefit for the Goodison Park club.

The likes of Allan, James Rodriguez, Richarlison and Yerry Mina would have all joined up with Brazil and Colombia if not for the restrictions, which now means that they will all get two weeks’ worth of rest instead.

It means that the Merseyside club will be able to have all of their players fresh and ready for the end of the 2020/21 campaign as Carlo Ancelotti’s men look to chase automatic qualification for the Champions League for next season.

Everton fan reaction to South America news

These Toffees supporters lauded the news on Twitter, with one Blues supporter even going as far as to excitedly claim that it was the ‘best news ever’:

“Yaaaas.”

Credit: @JohnDiazTheOne

“Perfect”

Credit: @cjohno1001

“Huge. Absolutely huge, for our season.”

Credit: @GrantyBoy78

“Wonderful! They could all use a rest and get fully fit!”

Credit: @MrSherminator8

“This is a blessing”

Credit: @ComedianConn

“Best news ever!”

Credit: @Eric_Howell

In other news, find out which two Champions League aces Ancelotti wants to sign!

Giovanni van Bronckhorst has given the Glasgow Rangers’ youth players a chance at Ibrox since replacing Steven Gerrard back in November.

In his very first press conference, the Dutchman mentioned that chances would be given to players regardless of age, and so far, he has stuck by that mantra in his six months in charge.

Opportunities have fallen to youth starlets such as Alex Lowry and Charlie McCann, with the two being deployed in the earlier stages of the Scottish Cup to great effect.

Lowry came on for Ianis Hagi against Stirling Albion and made an immediate impact, scoring in front of a raucous Ibrox crowd.

Meanwhile, former Manchester United youngster McCann emerged from the bench in the next round against Annan Athletic and suitably impressed.

This has led many to push for young striker Tony Weston to be given a chance in the first team, especially considering the fact Alfredo Morelos is out for the rest of the season through injury.

Weston signed for Rangers from Blackpool in the summer of 2020 on a three-year contract and has continued to impress ever since – scoring goals aplenty for the B team – 21 in the Scottish Lowland League alone this season – and pushing towards a first-team opportunity.

Rangers youth coach Steven Smith sang his praises earlier on in the season, dubbing him “clinical” following a double against Dalbeattie Star.

These goals have given the striker the perfect platform to impress Van Bronckhorst with the final furlong of the season approaches.

And, considering his impressive goalscoring record for the B team, Rangers could well have the next 355-goal Ally McCoist in their midst, and if Weston was even half the player that Super Ally was, then the Gers have got something special on their hands.

AND in other news: Van Bronckhorst can brutally axe “shaky” Rangers dud in deal for “annoyingly brilliant” £0 machine

Rob Draper has shared his own insight on the proposed £300m takeover of Newcastle United by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) group.

The Mail on Sunday journalist reacted to a video of a greeting between the KSA’s Crown Prince in Mohammed bin Salman (MbS), who was very much part of the consortium looking to strike a deal with Mike Ashley, and Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, as he arrived to attend the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) summit in the Kingdom, which had the aim of settling various disputes between the two countries.

Draper tweeted that the greeting was probably the ‘best hope for a Newcastle United takeover’, given the disputes that the two countries have over the banning of the beIN network in the KSA.

Can the Newcastle takeover be revived?

The settling of the disputes between the Kingdom and Qatar is certainly a step in the right direction in terms of trying to get the takeover bid back on track.

With the banning of Qatari broadcaster beIN in the KSA, games from the Premier League were left to be illegally streamed in the Kingdom, worsening their relationships with both Qatar and those in charge of England’s top division.

However, if beIN were allowed to broadcast matches in the KSA as a result of this settlement, then it could well be a step towards a possible revival of the prospective takeover at St. James’ Park as the piracy issue in Saudi Arabia could become one more problem that’s been resolved.

In other news, find out what takeover claim has been dropped after the latest activity from Jamie Reuben here!

Former Aston Villa midfielder Lee Hendrie has told Football FanCast in an exclusive interview that John McGinn was a “steal” amid rumours that he could leave the Villans this summer.

According to West Ham insider ExWHUemployee (via Hammers News), Moyes is interested in the 26-year-old and could make a serious play for him once the transfer window opens.

McGinn joined Villa from Hibernian for just £2m back in 2018 and has played a big part in the club’s recent success, helping them win promotion to the Premier League.

At that price, for Hendrie, his old side got an absolute bargain in the Scottish midfielder, who scored the opener in the Villans’ recent 2-1 defeat to Manchester City.

Speaking exclusively to FFC about McGinn, Hendrie said:

“You look at your top three players in the squad, John McGinn is in there. There’s no doubt about that. He’s been absolutely excellent and he was a steal when they brought him into the football club for such a small price, really.

“I think lots of managers would admire and take John McGinn into the football club because he’s got a great mentality, he’s got a great way of playing, his work ethic, everything about him. He is a very, very good player.”

McGinn is a player Dean Smith will not want to lose this summer, and with his contract running until 2025, Villa are in a strong position should West Ham actually come knocking.

Back home, the former Hibernian man is also highly rated, with Scotland and Liverpool legend Kenny Dalglish a fan of the player.

Get German Football News editor-in-chief Daniel Pinder has exclusively told Football FanCast that Wolfsburg striker Wout Weghorst would be a perfect replacement for Harry Kane at Tottenham.

With Spurs desperately after a back-up striker for the England captain last summer, the Dutchman was strongly linked with a move to north London, but Jose Mourinho ended up bringing in Carlos Vinicius from Benfica instead.

But the Brazilian has scored just one Premier League goal, whilst Weghorst has continued to be one of the most feared strikers in the Bundesliga, with only three players scoring more than his 20 goals, two of which are Erling Haaland and Robert Lewandowski.

Kane himself has been in outstanding form, although there are growing concerns surrounding his future, with Spurs already out of Europe and five points behind fourth-placed Chelsea, meaning Champions League football next season is becoming increasingly unlikely.

Should Kane move on, Pinder told Football FanCast that Spurs should replace him with Weghorst:

“I think he’d be a perfect replacement for Harry Kane, should he leave. Whether it’s because he’s Dutch or not, he’s got similar attributes to van Nistelrooy.

“He’s tall, strong, even though he’s really tall, possesses a great touch – his movement is underappreciated in the Bundesliga. His threat inside the area, his work ethic in pressing the opposition defence.

“His stats alone are evidence of why he’s well regarded at European clubs and is a wanted man this summer.”

Tottenham might be targeting a more high-profile name, but Weghorst has been one of the most prolific goalscorers in Europe in recent seasons, and they could do a lot worse than bringing in the Dutchman, who has a better than one-in-two record for the Bundesliga outfit.