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This article is part of Football FanCast’s Opinion series, which provides analysis, insight and opinion on any issue within the beautiful game, from Paul Pogba’s haircuts to League Two relegation battles…

According to Experimental361’s alternative Premier League table based on expected goals, Tottenham Hotspur lie in 17th position ahead of the visit of Watford on Saturday.

It is a sign of just how poor and perhaps fortunate Spurs have been so far this term, especially considering they currently lie in ninth position before they face the division’s bottom club at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium today.

For those who don’t know, the xG table is based upon the quality of chances both created and conceded compared to a team’s actual goal tallies.

Mauricio Pochettino’s men have scored 14 goals and let in 12 in their eight top flight fixtures to date, with their defensive record particularly eye-catching given they only conceded 26 in the entire 2016/17 campaign, for example.

According to Experimental361’s calculations according to expected goals, they would have 4.2 fewer to their name, while they would have let in 2.1 more.

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If that had been the case in a non-hypothetical world, they would be lying in 17th position and only ahead of Bournemouth, Newcastle United and Norwich City, with a measly six points to their name – relegation form, indeed.

The 10 goals they have conceded in their previous two fixtures against Bayern Munich and Brighton and Hove Albion tells you all you need to know about the north London outfit’s situation and lack of confidence right now, and these latest statistics should be a cause for concern.

To put it simply, they are allowing the opposition to create far too many clear-cut chances, and aren’t doing the same themselves.

Tottenham have clearly been slightly fortunate with the finishing of some of the teams they have come up against, and they must hope that the same situation doesn’t arise against Quique Sanchez Flores’ strugglers this afternoon.

Consistent attacking personnel and ensuring there is more protection for the defence could be two of the potential answers, as Pochettino looks to turn Spurs’ fortunes around.

Understandably, three Manchester City players make the XI after their incredible win over Watford.

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However, the team is heavily based around West Ham and Leicester players too after their huge wins against Man Utd and Spurs.

Three of the back five come from those clubs, as Lukasz Fabianski, Aaron Cresswell and Caglar Soyoncu get into the team, while further up the pitch James Maddison’s winning goal earns him a spot in the midfield.

[ad_pod ]”There’s no place like home” – When you’ve been made the best-paid player in the Premier League that is.It’s the news Manchester United have been waiting to hear, as David de Gea has signed a new long-term contract at Old Trafford.While the Spanish stopper didn’t enjoy his best run of form in a United jersey last season, having conceded 54 top-flight goals, he remains one of the club’s few world-class players. So it will come as a great relief that he’s committed his future, especially with Ole Gunnar’s Solskjaer’s rebuild project well underway.Watch Manchester United Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

De Gea recently took to Twitter to broadcast the news…

You’d have thought the club would’ve learnt by now that announcing deals via dramatic videos is a very bad idea. How could anyone forget Alexis Sanchez’s perplexing little piano recital? Because that went so well.

United travel to West Ham United in the next round of Premier League fixtures. Let’s hope De Gea fares a little better than his musical Chilean friend, as another blunder like the one against Crystal Palace would be a tad embarrassing after this.

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This article is part of Football FanCast’s Pundit View series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent quotes from journalists, pundits, players and managers…

Noel Whelan believes that Tottenham Hotspur have pulled off one of the best pieces of business in the summer transfer window by keeping Christian Eriksen, per Football Insider.

What’s he said?

Eriksen outlined his desire to take on a new challenge following the Champions League final.

A number of reports suggested that he had his heart set on a potential move to either Real Madrid or Barcelona.

But no bid was forthcoming from either side and Whelan believes that his staying at the club could be the difference between Spurs challenging for major honours or merely attempting to finish in the top four.

He said: “Tottenham have done well to keep hold of Eriksen, Toby Alderweireld, Jan Vertonghen and Danny Rose, they are all massive players. But Eriksen is the most important. He’s irreplaceable.

“It’s the best business of the summer by any Premier League club. Eriksen’s that important. To get rid of him would be ludicrous. He is the one player at Tottenham who can open up a team with his passing.

“That’s why Barcelona and Real Madrid wanted him. If Eriksen leaves, I would worry about Tottenham getting a top-four place. With him, they can get top four and challenge for trophies.

“Tottenham have spent quite well this summer, but I still think they are a window behind other teams, and the squad is still quite thin.

“They needed to keep all their stars to compete in the Premier League and Champions League at the same time, and luckily they have done so.”

Big talent

Eriksen has proved already this season that he is a genuinely brilliant playmaker.

He was left out of the squad for the game against Aston Villa but came off the bench to completely change the game; he was also superb in the north London derby, scoring his side’s first goal as they drew 2-2 with Arsenal at The Emirates.

It would’ve been a major blow to lose him, particularly if they were unable to bring in an adequate replacement.

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After the Paulo Dybala deal broke down on transfer deadline day, it made all the sense in the world to keep the Denmark international around.

Now it’s crunch time and he must prove his worth if he is to earn that move that he has so craved; that can only help Tottenham.

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Arsenal face the first true test of their credentials this season against Liverpool on Saturday.

The Gunners will travel to Anfield this weekend, and Unai Emery may have some big decisions to make in regards to his line-up for the match.

He has at least received some good news in the build-up to the game, as it has been confirmed that Mesut Ozil, along with Granit Xhaka, has returned to full training.

Is the Arsenal player in the video below the man Liverpool should fear most on Saturday?…

The former Germany international has not played since the Europa League final in June, and is not a popular figure at the Emirates Stadium. He has often received criticism from fans in the past for his performances.

However, not all of the north London outfit’s fans are against him. There are still some who believe he can do a job, and there are several supporters who have called for him to start against Liverpool this weekend.

They have been vocal on Twitter, and you can check out some of the best comments below.

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According to Goal, Real Madrid have opened talks to sign Sporting Lisbon’s Bruno Fernandes.

What’s the word, then?

Despite having a really powerful entrance to the 2019 summer transfer window, Real Madrid have suddenly gone quiet and apart from the big Galactico signing of Eden Hazard, there hasn’t been much going on to properly excite the fans.

But it appears there could be a late addition in the Spanish capital in the form of Sporting’s Fernandes, with Goal reporting that Real Madrid have opened talks for his services having seemingly failed to prize Paul Pogba from Old Trafford.

Sporting want €80m (£72.5m) for the attacking midfielder and it looks as though Real Madrid have definitely chosen the right man to target.

Two birds, one stone

It’s safe to say that Fernandes has warranted their interest with his performances as of late. The 24-year-old attacking midfielder has been extremely proficient in both setting up the goals and finishing them off by himself. The stats and his key attributes really do attest to that.

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In his 113 games played for the Portuguese side, he has managed to score 49 goals and also assist an impressive 42 in the process. This could, as it turns out, potentially solve Real Madrid’s glaring goal-scoring problems. Last season, Los Blancos only tallied 63 goals as opposed to 94 scored the season before.

This serves as proof enough that they have been lacking a real goal-scorer as well as a real creator in the team for quite some time now – nobody managed more than a mere six assists for them in La Liga last season.

Fernandes can offer them both in one as he is more than capable of taking up those very responsibilities. Finding players that can offer those kinds of services is a tall task nowadays but the Portuguese looks like the real deal.

This starts making even more sense when we consider the state of the modern market, and the sum of around £72.5m looks like a true bargain for Zinedine Zidane and co.

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

Rangers have sold Daniel Candeias to Genclerbirligi. He is the fifth player Steven Gerrard has permanently gotten rid of so far this summer.

What’s the story?

In moving to Turkey, the 31-year-old joins Gareth MacAuley, Lee Wallace, Ryan Hardie and Lee Hodson in finding pastures new away from Ibrox. Youngsters Ross McCrorie and Jordan Rossiter have also been loaned out as Gerrard reshapes his squad.

In the £250,000 deal, the winger has ended his spell at the Gers after just two years and nearly 100 games, stopping just shy of the landmark on 97 games.

At 31, there was no guarantee that Candeias could continue to average roughly 50 games anymore. As well as getting older, the added competition from new arrivals Jake Hastie, Sheyi Ojo, Greg Stewart and Jordan Jones might’ve been a contributing factor to the Portuguese ace moving on.

A new dawn at Ibrox?

As well as the four wingers brought to Ibrox this summer, Gerrard has added Filip Helander, Steve Davis, Joe Aribo and George Edmundson. The eight new arrivals have an average age of just 24.8-years-old, a stark contrast to the outgoings.

The five players to leave the Light Blues for good this summer have a mean age of a whopping 30, considerably higher than the pups coming in this summer.

With Kyle Lafferty, Jason Holt, Eros Grezda and Graham Dorrans all set to go, according to Football Insider, it looks like a deliberate ploy from Gerrard and Director of Football Mark Allen.

The lowering of the average age of the squad by Allen and the manager could be a direct consequence of the amount of football they’ll expect to play this season.

A repeat of the last year’s Europa League group stage qualification would mean at least 14 continental matches (qualifiers and the six group games). The league of course brings 38 guaranteed games and with the thirst for silverware desperately needing to be quenched, deep runs in both domestic cups could make for a hectic schedule at Ibrox this season.

With the potential for a 60-game season certainly on the cards, it is perhaps no surprise to see the gaffer make a conscious effort to freshen up his squad with younger, fitter players.

This change in approach should hold the Gers in good stead come the turn of the year, when the chaos of competing on multiple fronts can really take its toll.

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According to France Football, via Get French Football News, Watford are in pole position to sign reported Crystal Palace target Allan Saint-Maximin, and Eagles fans on Twitter are understandably not impressed.

The Daily Mail reported last month that the south London outfit are interested in the attacker, who could cost £25m, with the Frenchman being viewed as not only providing competition for Wilfried Zaha at Selhurst Park, but potentially even replacing him in the long term.

However, while France Football, via GFFN, have acknowledged the interest from Palace in their latest report, they believe that their Premier League rivals are in direct contact with Maximin’s entourage about a potential move to Vicarage Road.

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The 22-year-old certainly enjoyed an impressive 2018/19 campaign with Nice, scoring six goals and providing a further five assists in 34 Ligue 1 appearances.

Crystal Palace supporters have been quick to have their say on the latest twist on social media, and they are clearly far from happy.

Are Crystal Palace right to slap a £100m valuation on Wilfried Zaha’s head? Check out the video below to see why they are…

While one fan said “I really hate how Parish deals with transfers”, another individual simply asked “what are Palace doing?”

Here is just a selection of the Twitter reaction…

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Leeds United fans on Twitter have been reacting as the Whites have signed yet another player from Barcelona.

Guille Amor joins Kun Temenuzhkov and another recent addition in Rafa Mujica as the third player on the Whites’ books who was once a part of Barca’s famed La Masia academy.

This trend of buying players from La Blaugrana has unsurprisingly had a number of supporters on social media talking.

Many joked that Barcelona are now the Whites’ feeder club, while another quipped that the La Liga champions are now Leeds’ ‘little brother”, in reference to an article from Le Parisien last week stating that the Yorkshire club could become PSG’s ‘little brother’ if QSI bought stakes in the club.

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It certainly is interesting to see Marcelo Bielsa’s side doing this type of business, and it could be a sign of Victor Orta’s Spanish influence on the squad both now and in the future.

Here’s what the Elland Road faithful have been saying on Twitter…

Wow, now this could really be one of the transfer stories of the summer.

Despite Tottenham long being credited with an interest in Fulham’s Ryan Sessegnon, according to Love Sport Radio, Crystal Palace have made the first real move as they look to land the 19-year-old.

A lot (literally a lot) needs to happen before a deal starts to materialise. But if they can pull it off — and that is a big if — Sessegnon would be a tremendous signing for them.

After a very impressive 2017/18 season in the Championship at such a young age, perhaps he did not quite live up to expectations once making his Premier League bow.

However, Sessegnon is still a talented individual and would represent quite the upgrade on Jeffrey Schlupp.

Like the 26-year-old, Sessegnon is a very versatile individual, with both players able to play on multiple positions on the left flank, according to Transfermarkt. Considering that, it would not be a surprise if we learned that Roy Hodgson has identified the Fulham teenager as a potential replacement.

But looking at his stats, offensively, Sessegnon would be more than that. Simply put, everything points to him being an upgrade.

For example, last season, he was able to provide six assists, average 0.9 key passes per game, make 0.9 dribbles and put in 0.4 crosses. And at just 19 years of age, you would expect those numbers to get even better.

Schlupp, in contrast, created just the sole goal, averaged 0.5 key passes per game, made 0.7 dribbles and put in 0.1 crosses.

When it comes to winning the ball back, Sessegnon has some work to do before he is on Schlupp’s level. His 0.6 tackles per game fall short of Schlupp’s 1.4 (all stats via WhoScored Player Comparison).

But if Hodgson is looking for more of an attacking threat down that left-hand side, then Sessegnon could be his man.

Crystal Palace fans, do you think Sessegnon would be an upgrade on Schlupp? Let us know your thoughts in the comment section below!