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Tottenham striker Harry Kane could end up making a shock move to rivals Chelsea if he doesn’t sign a new deal, according to journalist Tom Barclay.

The Lowdown: Kane’s future up in the air

The 29-year-old has been linked with a move away from the club for a long time, with Bayern Munich now being strongly associated with a possible swoop for the England captain.

While Kane appears largely happy at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, his contract expires in the summer of 2024 and there is no sign of him extending his stay just yet.

While a move abroad seems most likely if he were to depart Spurs, a surprise switch to Premier League rivals hasn’t been ruled out.

The Latest: Chelsea move discussed

Speaking to GiveMeSport, Barclay claimed that the idea of Kane going to Chelsea is plausible, amid recent reports that new Blues manager Graham Potter is a big admirer of the 29-year-old.

The journalist said of the Spurs striker:

“You would think that the nearer it gets to the end of his contract, pretty much any club in the world – barring maybe someone like Manchester City just because they’ve got Erling Haaland now – would be interested.

“It doesn’t surprise me with Chelsea. Obviously, they need a long-term number nine because of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s age, so that wouldn’t surprise me.”

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The Verdict: Surely he wouldn’t?

While some Spurs fans may not find it difficult to begrudge Kane a move to an overseas club like Bayern, seeing him exit for Chelsea would be a different scenario altogether.

The rivalry which exists between the two clubs is difficult to overcome, particularly with both clubs now competing for Champions League football annually, so to see Tottenham’s star player join one of their biggest adversaries would be sore to take for the N17 faithful.

It still feels more likely that Kane will end up signing a new deal, with the 29-year-old enjoying life under Conte with 26 goals in 45 appearances during the Italian’s reign so far.

Right now, the idea of him joining Chelsea seems incomprehensible.

West Ham United manager David Moyes has shared an update on attacker Jarrod Bowen, who sustained an injury during their 2-0 victory over Wolves on Saturday.

The Lowdown: Hammers’ much-needed win

After a disappointing start to the Premier League season, the Irons got back on track at the weekend as they claimed their second top-flight win of the campaign, beating their visitors 2-0 at the London Stadium.

Goals from Gianluca Scamacca and Bowen ensured three points for the Hammers, who climbed out of the relegation zone and up to 15th after the victory.

However, the win was spoiled for the second goalscorer, who picked up a nasty finger injury during the match. This was treated by the medical team on the pitch, enabling him to see the game out.

The Latest: Bowen’s injury

Despite playing on for the rest of that game, the 25-year-old’s injury seemed to cause concern for West Ham’s medical team afterwards.

Speaking after the match, Moyes shared an update on the winger. As quoted by The West Ham Way, the Irons manager said of Bowen’s injury: “He’s just told me and actually, the physio just came over and said he’s done something to his finger and said it was pretty bad.”

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The Verdict: Hopefully nothing too serious…

After a poor start to the season, West Ham fans will surely be hoping that Bowen’s injury isn’t serious, as the attacker has proven to be vital to the Hammers’ success in recent years.

Having ranked in the 86th percentile for non-penalty expected goals and the 84th percentile for non-penalty goals among wingers in Europe’s top five leagues over the past 12 months (via FBRef), the former Hull City man has been crucial in finishing off the Irons’ attacking play in the final third.

Bowen ended the 2021/22 Premier League season having ranked as West Ham’s top scorer and assists provider, while according to WhoScored he was also their best-performing player, having earned an impressive 7.14 average match rating.

Hailed as ‘unbelievable’ by Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp prior to the Irons’ visit to Anfield in March, news of Bowen’s injury will come as a blow for Moyes, who will be hoping that the recovery period is swift for the reliable winger.

Arsenal are interested in a deal to bring Evan Ndicka to The Emirates.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by Italian media outlet Il Romanista (via TEAMtalk), who claim that both AS Roma and Arsenal are keeping a very close eye on the situation of the Eintracht Frankfurt centre-back, whose current deal at the Deutsche Bank Park is set to expire at the end of the 2022/23 campaign.

However, the report goes on to suggest that it is Mikel Arteta’s side who currently appear to be leading the race for the 23-year-old’s signature, with the former France U21 international being able to sign a pre-contract with a potential new club upon the turn of the year – should he not sign a new deal at Eintracht in the time between.

Imagine him & Saliba

With Gabriel Magalhaes currently being Arteta’s only left-footed centre-back in his first-team squad – with William Saliba, Ben White and Rob Holding all being right-footers – it is easy to see why the Spaniard would be interested in a move for Ndicka, especially if he is available to sign on a free.

Indeed, since joining the Bundesliga side from AJ Auxerre back in 2018, the 23-year-old has quietly established himself as one of Europe’s leading defenders, with FBref ranking the £28.8m-rated talent in the top 4% of centre-backs in Europe’s big five leagues for blocks per 90, as well as the top 11% for aerial duels won, the top 19% for clearances, the top 14% for blocks, the top 30% for tackles and the top 40% for interceptions over the last 365 days.

However, it is not in defensive metrics in which the £8.6k-per-week starlet has impressed most, with FBref also ranking Ndicka in the top 5% of centre-backs for assists per 90, in addition to the top 19% for non-penalty goals, the top 27% for shots, the top 28% for dribbles completed and the top 39% for passes attempted over the last 12 months – proving his capability in the opposition penalty area and in bringing the ball out from the back.

As such, while Gabriel has been impressive in the heart of Arsenal’s backline alongside Saliba so far this season, it is undeniable that the player who Christopher Michel dubbed both a “leader” and “incredible” would make an exceptional addition to Arteta’s options at left centre-back – especially if he were to be available to sign on a free, just months after boasting a reported €28m (£24.5m) price tag.

And, with both Saliba and Ndicka being Frenchmen, the signing of the Eintracht star could well see the duo form something of a defensive French connection at the Emirates – something that will no doubt be an incredibly exciting prospect for everyone involved with the Gunners considering their history of impressive imports from across the channel in the past.

Aston Villa have invested heavily in the playing squad over the last few summers, with Steven Gerrard having had the chance to make his own mark over the most recent summer.

Arguably his marquee signing was to tempt Diego Carlos to Villa Park, with expectations of him being the domineering centre-back to lead them up the Premier League table.

However, disaster struck just two games in as he ruptured his Achilles against Everton, ruling him out for the foreseeable future.

It has led to a long-term recall for Tyrone Mings alongside Ezri Konsa but leaves them incredibly light at the back now.

Gerrard might have to call upon the youth squad to find added depth, and in there he could actually find an heir to the 29-year-old Brazilian.

One such prodigy is Josh Feeney, who seems to have all the hallmarks of a really impressive centre-back.

The 17-year-old stands at an outstanding 6 foot 3 and has already captained the England under-18s side on numerous occasions.

 There is a reason why BirminghamLive reporter Ashley Preece labelled him “highly-rated”.

Mature beyond his years, he has even been called up to Villa’s U23 side and has one goal in his opening two appearances this season in the Premier League 2.

Last season was when he truly made the step up to this level, featuring just three times in the under-18s Premier League before making 18 appearances in the higher age group.

Already standing way above Carlos’ 6-foot frame, he clearly has the physical attributes to compete with the former Sevilla defender.

Last season in La Liga he averaged 1.0 tackles and a mammoth 3.5 clearances per game, which was impressive as he led his side to a fourth-placed finish.

He was instrumental, so it makes his freak injury even more frustrating.

However, with the lack of depth, it could now present a fine opportunity to slowly move Feeney up through that last step to senior football.

Blessed with incredible height, and clearly a threat from set pieces too, this miserable period could be the marking of a long-term successor to Carlos birthed through his own injury.

Newcastle United have been blessed with some exceptional strikers over the years as fans have enjoyed the likes of Les Ferdinand, Papiss Cisse, Callum Wilson and, of course, Alan Shearer.

The Magpies faithful have seen their fair share of clinical goalscorers over the years and they will be hoping that summer signing Alexander Isak, who joined from Spanish side Real Sociedad, will be the next cult hero for the club in that position.

Dan Ashworth splashed out a club-record transfer fee of £63m to snap up the Sweden international but money does not guarantee success, as Newcastle have found out over the years with bargain signings and expensive flops.

One acquisition the club played a blinder with was Demba Ba, who moved on a free transfer from West Ham United in the summer of 2011 when Alan Pardew was in charge.

He had scored seven goals in 12 Premier League matches for the Hammers in the previous campaign and that was enough to convince the Magpies to secure his services.

Pardew heaped praise on the striker’s instincts at the time of the move, saying: “He’s a player that has a natural eye for a goal, my connections at West Ham are very good and I know everything about him.”

The forward had failed medicals with Stoke and Stuttgart and it was reported that there were doubts over whether or not Newcastle would go through with a deal due to concerns over a long-term knee injury.

Instead of backing out of the transfer due to potential injury complications, Pardew decided to go through with the signing and the English manager’s decision paid dividends with that call as Ba went on to be a terrific player for the club.

In his first season on Tyneside, the Senegal international plundered 16 goals and four assists in 36 Premier League outings. He followed that up with an impressive 13 goals and four assists in 20 top-flight appearances in the first half of the 2012/13 campaign, which attracted interest from Chelsea.

The Blues activated the attacker’s £7m release clause and snatched him away from the Magpies after 18 months of the supporters enjoying his performances up front.

Former Chelsea TV journalist Jake Heasman once described him as a “lethal” forward who “bangs in goals” at the time of his move to Stamford Bridge in 2013 and his aforementioned statistics at St. James’ Park back that up.

Whilst it was far from ideal for Newcastle to lose Ba midway through a season for £7m, Pardew played a blinder with the attacker as the club made a £7m profit off a free transfer and received a year and a half of outstanding performances after initially doubting whether to bring him to the north east.

Their gamble paid off both in terms of the financial and footballing benefits it brought and the now-retired marksman should be looked back on fondly by supporters.

Sky Sports reporter Anthony Joseph has described Celtic duo Reo Hatate and Matt O’Riley as ‘below par’ in the 1-1 draw with Shakhtar Donetsk.

The Lowdown: Celtic held by Shakhtar

The Hoops knew that only victory would do in the Champions League on Tuesday night, in terms of having a chance to qualify for the Europa League.

Unfortunately, Ange Postecoglou’s men fell short of that objective, taking the lead but being pegged back in the second half, ensuring they will finish bottom of their group.

Too many individuals failed to show up at Parkhead, with Celtic left to rue some poor finishing and a disappointing group stage overall.

The Latest: Joseph critical of Hoops duo

Taking to Twitter, Joseph singled out Hatate and O’Riley for criticism:

“O’Riley & Hatate were below par tonight – neither seemed to have the same drive about them.”

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The Verdict: Harsh on O’Riley?

Admittedly, Hatate failed to stamp his authority on proceedings against Shakhar, losing possession 12 times, but the assessment of O’Riley’s performance feels harsh.

The 21-year-old always looked like making things happen with his creativity, completing all three of his attempted dribbles and winning seven out of 11 ground duels (SofaScore).

Granted, O’Riley’s finishing left a lot to be desired, with chances coming his way and being wasted, but he was arguably the player who seemed to be the biggest attacking threat for Celtic.

West Ham United could move on from their pursuit of Fulham midfielder Joao Palhinha after the Cottagers have placed a huge price tag on the 27-year-old, according to Paul Brown.

Do West Ham want Joao Palhinha?

Now that Declan Rice has almost finalised a £105m deal to Arsenal, the Hammers, who must have been preparing for this moment for some time, will need to find a replacement.

The Hammers captain will be sorely missed at the London Stadium having made a staggering 245 appearances for the club at just 24, and West Ham will have to make sure they have a proper succession plan in place.

One man who has been seen as someone who could fill the void is Fulham's Palhinha, who was mightily impressive in his debut Premier League season last term.

The major stumbling block for a potential deal is Fulham's unwillingness to part ways with their Portuguese star, and the Cottagers have reportedly slapped a staggering £90m price tag on their midfielder.

According to journalist Paul Brown, David Moyes may turn his attention elsewhere after seeing the eye-watering fee it would take to bring Palhinha to the club.

Speaking to Football FanCast, Brown said: "Fulham are very, very determined not to let Palhinha leave. They've quoted a massive fee to try and ward people off. It may be that West Ham move on really from that situation.

"I don't think it's hugely likely they'll be able to get him now. I think Fulham will dig their heels in and won't be willing to accept the kind of fee that West Ham think is reasonable."

This will come as a blow to West Ham who need reinforcements if they are to improve upon their 14th-placed Premier League finish – just six points away from the relegation zone – while also trying to compete in the Europa League.

If Palhinha was perhaps a few years younger, then such a deal may be more worthwhile, but his advancing age means that there would be little to no possible sell-on value for the Irons, and they would perhaps need to replace him again in several years time.

Why do West Ham want Joao Palhinha?

When looking at his numbers, it is incredibly obvious why West Ham are so interested in Palhinha.

The defensive midfielder was quietly one of the top performers in the division last season, sitting in the top 1% of Premier League midfielders for tackles (4.26), tackles won (2.40), dribblers tackled (2.06) and tackles in the midfield (1.88) and the attacking (0.7) third per 90 last season.

Put simply, he's an absolute defensive machine.

Described by teammate Aleksandar Mitrovic as an "amazing, amazing player", he has adapted to life in the Premier League seamlessly and, quite honestly, merits his Fulham valuation.

Arsenal are now ‘working on’ a new contract for William Saliba, according to renowned journalist Fabrizio Romano.

The Lowdown: Negotiations ongoing

The Frenchman only returned to England over the summer following his loan spell with Marseille and has taken the Premier League by storm ever since.

The Athletic recently claimed that the Gunners are in negotiations with the 21-year-old over fresh terms, with his current deal set to expire in just over 18 months’ time.

Whilst no agreement has yet been reached, Romano has provided a positive update on the talented prospect’s future at the Emirates Stadium.

The Latest: Arsenal targeting new contracts

Taking to Twitter, the Italian confirmed that Arsenal have now made it their ‘priority’ to tie down Saliba to fresh terms, in addition to finalising new contracts for fellow young stars Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli.

He wrote: “Arsenal already extended Gabriel’s contract until 2027 after rejecting 2 approaches in July — now working on Saliba’s new deal as main priority alongside Saka and Martinelli.”

The Verdict: Fully deserved

Arsenal rewarding Saliba with a fresh contract would be nothing less than he deserves given the instant impact he has made on Mikel Arteta’s starting XI.

Hailed as a ‘monster’ by football talent scout Jacek Kulig, the 6 foot 3 colossus is averaging 2.8 clearances per game and has a pass success rate of 92.1%, with two goals and an assist to his name as well (WhoScored).

Only Gabriel has a higher clearances average among Arteta’s squad, while no other player with more than two league starts can boast a better passing completion rate than Saliba (WhoScored).

The World Cup is just around the corner and he will no doubt be attracting interest should he make the France squad for the finals, which seems likely given that he played in all but one of their UEFA Nations League matches this year.

Therefore, Edu should aim to get the contract situation sorted before the international break.

Journalist Ed Aarons believes that Leeds United could be looking at RC Strasbourg defender Alexander Djiku.

The Lowdown: Djiku profiled

Djiku is 28 years of age and is primarily a centre-back who can also play as a right-back or in a holding midfield role.

The Ghana international could be set to represent his country at the World Cup later this month after being a regular for Strasbourg in recent years.

He’s made 109 appearances for his current employers and is out of contract at the end of the season, with Aarons believing that a move to the Premier League could be on the cards.

The Latest: Aarons’ comments

Aarons, talking to GiveMeSport regarding Djiku, believes that a club like Leeds could be looking, labelling the defender as a ‘really good player’ and ‘a good solid defender’.

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“He’s been doing pretty well. He almost went to Hoffenheim in the summer, I think.

“There’s a problem that he might have with an injury, they’re just waiting to see what happened over the weekend, but he’s in the Ghana preliminary squad. Another really good player, a good solid defender who’s a good age as well at 28 now.

“I don’t think he’s ready for sort of the top-level in the Premier League yet, so somebody who is sort of down the lower end will probably be looking at him, maybe Leeds or somebody like that.”

The Verdict: Needed?

The Whites are fairly well-stocked at centre-back, with Jesse Marsch having four senior options to choose from. However, Leeds have kept just two clean sheets in the top flight this season and have been leaking goals in recent weeks.

Therefore, bringing in a new defender could be of interest to the Whites, and someone like Djiku would provide cover in two other areas of the pitch. That could come in handy as the season progresses, so Djiku may well be a player to watch closely in Qatar later this month.

Leeds United could reportedly make an offer for West Ham defender Harrison Ashby in the New Year.

The Lowdown: Leeds linked with Ashby

Ashby, who shares the same agent as Brenden Aaronson, was a late target for the Whites in the summer transfer window. Reports suggested that the Hammers blocked a move from Leeds for the youngster, with Newcastle also thought to be keen.

The 20-year-old, who is primarily a right-back who can also line out at centre-back, has made seven senior appearances under David Moyes, but it looks as if he could be on the move soon.

The Latest: Ashby transfer update

Claret & Hugh relayed an update from The West Ham Way regarding Ashby on Thursday.

They claimed that the defender looks nailed-on for a January exit and that Leeds could look to table a bid over the coming months.

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The Verdict: Perkins 2.0?

Leeds managed to sign exciting forward Sonny Perkins from West Ham in the summer, with the youngster making his senior Whites debut in midweek.

The 18-year-old has scored seven Premier League 2 goals in nine appearances this season, with the two clubs still yet to agree on a compensation fee.

Ashby, who has been hailed as ‘fearless’ by West Ham podcaster Sam Delaney, could therefore follow in Perkins’ footsteps with a move to Yorkshire. If he does, it may prove to be another academy coup by Victor Orta, Andrea Radrizzani and 49ers Enterprises.