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This article is part of Football FanCast’s The Chalkboard series, which provides a tactical insight into teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

Barcelona are travelling away to the Czech Republic on Wednesday to face Slavia Prague in the Champions Leauge.

And even though it’s difficult to see him starting the game, Ernesto Valverde simply has to find some minutes for Ousmane Dembele.

On the chalkboard

The Blaugrana are definitely improving.

After all, they have tallied five successive victories across all competitions and even managed to keep two clean sheets in the process.

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As a result, they are now top of the table in La Liga and are level on points with Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League. But this clash could be huge for Dembele, in particular.

The 22-year-old Frenchman has been struggling with fitness issues this season and his game time has diminished drastically.

Not to mention that his recent suspension and the postponement of El Clasico won’t really help his cause. For that reason, it’s crucial Valverde gives him a shot tonight.

Aching to play

Dembele is talented and one has to feel that he has what it takes to make it on the biggest stage but he is struggling due to various external reasons.

Injuries, for one, are a big part of that struggle.

The young Frenchman has already missed six games in the ongoing 2019/20 campaign due to various fitness setbacks and has, for that reason, only tallied three games under his name in the Spanish top-flight.

Watch Lionel Messi and Gareth Bale answer the internet’s weirdest questions in the video below…

And then when he finally got the chance to play, he got sent off in the clash against Sevilla with a direct red card from referee Mateu Lahoz, which resulted in a two-game ban for the forward. That suspension, however, is only valid in La Liga which means he can still play in the Champions League.

But it may be his only chance for a long while.

After all, not only did he miss the last game against Eibar in the domestic league but Barcelona will also miss out on playing this weekend with the Clasico being moved to December 18th.

That gives the Catalans a weekend off and when they do return to action next Tuesday, guess who won’t be in the squad due to his suspension? Dembele.

With that being said, if Valverde keeps him sidelined against Slavia, that would mean that he would have been without any football from 19 October until possibly 2 November, missing out on three games in the process.

For a young footballer who is struggling with game time as it is, that is far too much.

Seeing how the clash with Slavia Prague could be his only chance to tally some minutes, Valverde absolutely has to utilise him.

Tottenham may have been on the end of their most humiliating defeat since Mauricio Pochettino took over on Tuesday, but fans have found some positives from Serge Aurier’s poor display.

The defensive disasterclass proved that Serge Aurier is not up to the task for performing for Spurs on a consistent basis, following up his red card against Southampton last weekend with a shocking display that earned him a 2/10 rating from Football London.

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Fans are thankful that the right-back is unavailable for the trip to Brighton at the weekend, as his involvement could lead to another disappointing result.

Also, some supporters on Twitter think the Ivory Coast international was fortunate not to be dismissed against Bayern Munich, too, after colliding with David Alaba.

Despite the heavy loss another Spurs fan has used Aurier’s dismal display as a positive, and they hope it will encourage the board to look at a new right-back in the transfer window.

Until that point Kyle Walker-Peters is another option for Pochettino, as well as Moussa Sissoko who filled in against Southampton, and judging by the following fan reaction those two are preferred to Aurier.

According to Football Insider, Tottenham Hotspur are keeping a close eye on Wolverhampton Wanderers central defender Willy Boly.

Per the report, both Jan Vertonghen and Toby Alderweireld will see their contracts at Spurs expire next summer, which could create a real problem heading into next season.

Mauricio Pochettino’s side will reportedly make regular checks on Boly over the next few months before deciding whether to launch a move in next summer’s transfer window.

The 28-year-old has made 92 appearances for Wolves since arriving from Porto – initially on loan before completing a permanent move in the summer of 2018.

This term, Boly has contributed one goal in 14 appearances in all competitions, but his contract at Molineux will expire in little under two years.

Watch Tottenham Hotspur Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

A number of Tottenham fans have been on social media commenting on the transfer rumour and despite Boly’s solid form this season, it seems that the majority are against a deal taking place.

A selection of the Twitter reaction can be seen below:

It’s not often a footballer can be on the end of a 4-0 thumping and come out with any credit. Ryan Christie appears to have managed just that after his performance against Belgium on Monday night. Despite only scoring 4.05/10 on the BBC Sport website, he was Scotland’s second highest rated player behind goalkeeper David Marshall.Christie has started this season well for Celtic with eight goals and five assists in thirteen games. It was a surprise that he didn’t start Scotland’s first game of this international break against Russia when his goal scoring prowess could have helped to prevent the 2-1 defeat.The Celtic midfielder has said after the defeat via The Daily Record that he will look to use the game as a learning experience having shared the pitch with world class players like Kevin de Bruyne.Although it will be scant consolation for Christie, several Scotland fans raved about his performance wishing he’d started in the more winnable game against Russia and that his showing may have given hope for a brighter future for the Scottish national team.Here’s a look at what they’ve been saying on Twitter…

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Everton are beginning to get into a bit of rut with two defeats on the bounce and lacklustre displays in all departments, with defence a particular concern.

In their last Carabao Cup outing they had quite a lively affair in their visit to Lincoln, overcoming an early setback to put four past the Imps, with new signing Alex Iwobi particularly impressing and scoring from a header.

Sheffield Wednesday promise to be a sterner test however, and the ninth-placed Championship side are still unbeaten in two games under new manager Garry Monk, and have only conceded seven goals in eight league games.

As a result, it is not a game Marco Silva can take lightly, so here is the line-up he should start with.

The Toffees conceded five times against Bournemouth and Sheffield United, three of which came from set-pieces.

It is an area where Marco Silva must focus his attention, but something the defence will only get better at with more game time, and therefore he must choose consistency in his backline and start the same back five as normal.

Mason Holgate may feel aggrieved by his lack of game time and being left out will be another setback for him, but Silva must prioritise results over squad morale at this point, given the pressure he is under.

In that respect, Jordan Pickford has to start despite his recent mistakes. Some pundits have suggested he has been out of form for some time, but to drop him now could dent his confidence severely, and he and his defensive teammates need the faith of their manager if they are to improve as a defensive unit.

The same could be applied to the rest of the squad, with players like Gylfi Sigurdsson and Dominic Calvert-Lewin underperforming somewhat this season, with one goal and one assist for the former, and a single goal in five games for Calvert-Lewin.

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Moise Kean, comparatively, has struggled to adjust to English football, with no goals in seven games and only 32 touches against Sheffield United, the first game in which he has played the full 90 minutes.

That excursion may have also affected his freshness for this midweek game, and the fresh legs of Calvert-Lewin, as well as his aerial prowess – with an average of 4.6 aerial duels won per game this season – could be better suited to the challenge of Sheffield Wednesday.

Finally, Tom Davies deserves a chance once again. Morgan Schneiderlin has been effective in retaining possession with a pass success rate of 89%, but he hasn’t added to Everton defensively and the Englishman has a point to prove, having been limited to 11 minutes so far.

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Liverpool fans have been reacting on social media to a bold claim in the French media that Adrien Rabiot would prefer to join Jurgen Klopp’s side than Tottenham Hotspur.

We recently covered reaction from a cohort of Liverpool fans who were pleased to hear that Rabiot is keen to move to Merseyside – however, it appears not every Reds supporter is quite so impressed by the news.

The claim has been reported by Paris United, who revealed that Spurs are hoping to sign the midfielder, as well as the likes of Barcelona and Bayern Munich.

Are the media letting Jurgen Klopp off lightly for his lack of silverware? The Pl>ymaker FC squad have their say in the video below…

Rabiot is out of contract in the French capital come the summer, and appears more interested in leaving the club than agreeing a new deal.

Paris United are now suggesting that Tottenham are trying to win the race for his signature by offering the 6-cap Frenchman a €5million (£4.3m) signing bonus and a €7.5million (£6.4m) per year wage to move to London.

But the same PSG-focused site are also claiming that Rabiot would prefer to join the ranks at Anfield if he were to move to the Premier League.

No offer has yet been made by the Reds, and these members of the Anfield faithful were quick to remind Rabiot of that…

This article is part of Football FanCast’s Transfer Focus series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent transfer news…

According to Mundo Deportivo, Carles Perez, who’s still officially a Barcelona B player, had multiple offers on the last day of the transfer window but the Catalans decided to turn them all down.

This might prove to be one of their best moves of the summer as Perez can become the perfect reinforcement for their team.

What’s the word, then?

Perez was not really such a hot topic over the course of the summer transfer window because many other names took the spotlight. There was not much time for outlets to break stories about a talented 21-year-old winger from Barcelona B when Blaugrana were busy buying Antoine Griezmann and chasing Neymar.

But Perez was always there, somewhere in the shadows, not getting noticed but still performing week in week out. Mundo Deportivo’s Ferran Martinez claims that the young forward got a lot of attention after his first games with the seniors in pre-season and also in the first couple of games in the new 2019/20 La Liga season.

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As his performances were very good, multiple teams enquired about his services, with many La Liga teams – as well as some outsiders – mentioned in the report. But the most important thing is that he stayed and, with that decision, Barcelona just might have hit the jackpot.

Perez checks all the boxes

In so many ways, Perez was Barcelona’s revelation this summer. Before that, he was still in Barcelona B, a team he is also still registered with, and despite him being their top scorer last season, there was not much talk about him in regards to a first team promotion. And that’s not a surprise since Barcelona had different priorities with the aforementioned superstars.

But Perez was the silver lining in a long and unlucky spell of injuries that the Catalans went through. Since almost the entirety of their frontline got sidelined, Perez had to be called up and once that happened, he took the stage by storm. So far, he’s tallied one goal and two assists in the three games he’s played in La Liga this season.

We shouldn’t forget that he’s also still just 21 and he comes for free, as opposed to Barcelona having to dip their toes into the market to find someone as reliable and as capable as he already is. In so many different ways, he ticks all the boxes: young, cheap, talented, already skilled and eager to continue impressing.

Not to mention that he’s only five games away from being officially promoted to the first team since there is a clause in his contract stating that if he plays seven games with the seniors, he will automatically be promoted. But, there’s a catch, he has to at least play 45 minutes in a game for that game to count towards those seven.

So far, he has two games and 14 minutes in the bank.

But either way, it’s just a matter of time.

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Darwin Nunez is reportedly now the ‘priority’ signing for Newcastle United in the January transfer window.

The Lowdown: Another striker in?

Following the arrival of Chris Wood from Burnley, it seems as if the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) consortium now want to bring in another striker to try and fill in the void left by the injured  Callum Wilson.

The Englishman is still their top scorer so far this season with six goals in total over all competitions, and while Wood has been potent in the Premier League before, he has only managed three strikes in the top flight this campaign.

Nonetheless, after the disappointing 1-1 draw at home to Watford last time out, there is another big game around the corner in terms of the relegation battle in Leeds United, and so Eddie Howe could do with some more firepower in order to get a kickstart on the points that they so desperately need.

The Latest: Nunez the ‘priority’

As per Record (via Sport Witness), Nunez is now the ‘priority’ signing for the St. James’ Park faithful, as he is currently on ‘top of the list’ in terms of who they want to bring in next through the door.

They have already made ‘first contacts’ over a potential move, but learned that Benfica want at least €60m (£50m) for his signature.

The Verdict: Centre-back first

Yes, the North East club could do with another striker, but they must look to bring in a new central defender first of all, before splashing the cash on Nunez.

They currently have the second-worst defensive record in the top flight, and Wood will surely start scoring goals once he is given time to settle on Tyneside.

Nonetheless, Nunez would be a top signing, as he is one of the most exciting strikers in world football, having been dubbed as a ‘special’ player with ‘no ceiling’ by Almeria sporting director Joao Goncalves (BBC).

The Uruguay international has 19 goals and two assists so far this season (Transfermarkt), and at just 22 years of age, he has the potential to go to the very top.

In other news, find out the latest on NUFC’s pursuit of this ‘amazing’ centre-back here!

Paul John Dykes has dropped a worrying claim on the future of Celtic winger Karamoko Dembele.

What’s been said?

In comments made on a recent episode of the A Celtic State of Mind podcast, Dykes stated his belief that – with the 19-year-old’s current contract at Parkhead set to expire at the end of the season, and, as yet, the winger being yet to agree a new deal with Ange Postecoglou’s side – the former England U18 international looks as if he will be on his way out of the club this summer.

Speaking about Dembele’s contractual situation, the podcaster said: “I think that Dembele – I feel as though he’s run his race at Celtic. I hope I’m wrong. I hope Ange Postecoglou can convince him to stay another two or three years.”

Disaster for Celtic

Considering how much expectation there has been regarding Dembele’s future ever since his debut for Celtic’s U20 side as a 13-year-old back in 2016, should the winger go on to leave on a free transfer at the end of the season, it would undoubtedly be a disaster for Postecoglou and his side.

Indeed, the £225k-rated sensation was named on the shortlist for the European Golden Boy award as recently as 2020, while, shortly after his arrival at Parkhead, the 56-year-old Bhoys boss also stated his excitement at the potential the £2k-per-week forward possessed, saying:

“He is obviously a hugely talented boy. He has been here for a while and I guess he gets an opportunity now. I think the way we play will suit him.”

However, despite recovering from an ankle injury that had kept him sidelined for the first half of the season towards the beginning of February, Dembele has since played just six minutes of Premiership football, as well as being completely left out of Postecoglou’s matchday squad for Celtic’s last two league fixtures – something that does not exactly appear to be the opportunity the Greek-Australian manager suggested the 19-year-old would receive.

And, following the news that fellow Celtic prospect Ben Doak also appears extremely close to sealing a move to Liverpool, should Dembele indeed join the 16-year-old in moving onto pastures new this summer, it would certainly come as a huge blow to everyone involved with the club – with the Parkhead faithful surely being devastated at the thought of losing a talent as promising as the forward for free.

AND in other news: Ange can axe “infectious” ace as Celtic become “serious contenders” for “massive” deal

West Ham United have been dealt a setback in their bid to bring Jonathan David to the London Stadium in the January transfer window.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to Pete O’Rourke, with the journalist revealing in a recent interview with GIVEMESPORT that the LOSC Lille centre-forward’s agent has claimed the 21-year-old looks unlikely to leave the Ligue 1 side in 2022, as well as stating his own belief that the Canada international will not be on the move in the winter market.

In his comments, O’Rourke said: “I think there’s going to be a big demand for Jonathan David, probably in the summer. I can’t see any move happening in this January transfer window. His agent has come out and said that he doesn’t expect him to leave Lille in 2022 and a lot of big clubs will be looking at Jonathan David.”

A previous claim made by ExWHUemployee revealed that David Moyes had identified the striker as one of his primary targets in the January transfer window, although the West Ham insider also stated his own belief that the Hammers move for David looked unlikely this winter.

Fans will be fuming

Considering just how impressive David has been in France so far this season, the news that West Ham look unlikely to be able to seal a deal for the centre-forward this month is sure to have left many of the London Stadium faithful fuming.

Indeed, over his 19 Ligue 1 appearances in the current campaign, the £45m-rated man has already scored 12 goals and created three big chances for his teammates, as well as taking an average of 1.9 shots and making 0.9 key passes per game.

These returns have seen the player who Hein Vanhaezebrouck dubbed a “phenomenon” average a SofaScore match rating of 7.00, ranking him as Jocelyn Gourvennec’s sixth-best performer in the top flight of French football.

Aside from his remarkable league form, the Canadian has also bagged a further four goals over seven outings in the Champions League and the Coupe de France – taking his total haul for the current campaign to 16 goals in 27 appearances.

As such, it is clear for all to see that the £35k-per-week forward would undoubtedly make a fantastic addition to Michail Antonio in the West Ham attack, however, following O’Rourke’s recent update, a move for David now looks extremely unlikely to be on the cards this month – something that will certainly come as gutting news to both Moyes and fans of the club alike.

In other news: Moyes could finally replace Arnautovic as WHU make contact with £105k-p/w “goalscorer”