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A lot of noise amongst Tottenham Hotspur’s youth set-up has been about Dane Scarlett, and quite rightly too.

The 17-year-old has been touted for big things in north London and is now in line to do so after clinching his first professional contract earlier this week.

But Spurs are blessed with more than one potential star of the future in the forward position, and that’s even excluding the out-on-loan Troy Parrott.

Sitting amongst the Premier League 2’s most prolific goalscorers this season is Kion Etete, who has scored eight goals in his last 13 outings in the competition – the most for Spurs’ U23 side.

The forward was signed in 2019 following a successful trial from Notts County, where he made his senior debut aged just 16. His manager at the time, Harry Kewell, spoke glowingly after the game, he said (via the Nottingham Post):

“Kion was excellent. He held the ball up well, gave us an outlet and made life difficult for their defenders.”

Now 19, Etete is surely in line to make the step-up into Jose Mourinho’s first-team fold, especially considering that the likes of Scarlett, Alfie Devine and Marcel Lavinier have all been given a run-out this campaign.

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At 6 foot 6 inches in height, the young Spurs prodigy could offer them something vastly different – the sort of towering aerial presence they’ve not had since Peter Crouch, or perhaps Fernando Llorente.

Of course, Etete still has plenty of developing to do before he can be truly considered for a promotion to the first-team, but he’s clearly doing everything asked of him in the U23 squad right now.

Spurs fansite Superhotspur has drawn on those Crouch comparisons further, and based on watching him in matches, claims the teenage gem is ‘tall’ and ‘physical’ but also has ‘skilful’ abilities on the ball and a ‘venomous right foot.’

And just like Crouch, Etete was poached from another youth system before finally making his mark at the north London outfit.

We know that Mourinho has always loved having a target man within his ranks, and according to football.london’s Alasdair Gold, Etete has “got the potential to be a good target man with his close control, strength and a bit of pace as well.”

For all of the clamour surrounding Scarlett, Spurs cannot forget that they have another in-form powerhouse chomping at the bit in the youth set-up.

Who knows, perhaps Etete could become the Lilywhite’s next Crouch, or even make a name for himself as their next unique sensation.

AND in other news, Spurs passenger is holding Spurs back, Levy must brutally cash in this summer…

Wrexham boss Phil Parkinson heaped praise on his match-winning striker Steven Fletcher as the Red Dragons earned a precious win over Notts County.

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• Wrexham beat rivals 1-0
• Fletcher scores decisive goal
• Wrexham promotion hopes get boost

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Parkinson was full of praise for Fletcher who put Wrexham ahead after 20 minutes against their rivals Notts County. The veteran striker led the line with Paul Mullin and powered a shot into the roof of the net to put the Welsh side in the lead. Parkinson's side saw off pressure from Notts County to keep a clean sheet and put an end to a poor run of form.

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  WHAT PARKINSON SAID

  Speaking after the game to Matt Waters, Parkinson said: "There’s nobody else you want in the box other than Fletcher.

  “When it comes to him he’s such a threat. I’m pleased for him but more importantly, Fletcher and Mullin work for the team really well.

  “When you play a team that has such technical ability it’s that five yards of work and detail of when to press and both Fletcher and Mullin have the nous of how to do that."

• THE BIGGER PICTURE

  The Red Dragons' promotion push has been rekindled with victory and puts the side just three points off the top of the league. Wrexham can go second, above Mansfield, and level on points with leaders Stockport with a win in their game in hand over both sides. Wrexham's promotion traits have already been praised but they will have to kick on to prove everyone right.

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  WHAT NEXT FOR WREXHAM?

  Wrexham travel to MK Dons on Tuesday hoping to add yet another three points in their hunt for promotion. The Red Dragons are dreaming of playing League One football and avoiding any jeopardy of the play-offs will be the aim.

Lauren James admitted that Chelsea are eyeing Champions League glory to give manager Emma Hayes a perfect send-off.

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• Hayes to leave for the USWNT job in the summer
• UCL trophy missing from her impressive trophy cabinet
• James & Co. adamant about conquering Europe

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  WHAT HAPPENED?

  Hayes will conclude her remarkable 12-year tenure at Chelsea to assume the role of head coach for the United States Women’s national team at the end of the current season. During Hayes' reign, Chelsea has enjoyed unparalleled success, clinching six Women’s Super League titles, five FA Cups, and two League Cups. But she is yet to conquer Europe and the Blues forward remains determined to achieve continental glory with Hayes before she jets off to the USA.

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• WHAT JAMES SAID

  Speaking to PA news agency, James said: "I think it would be amazing, it’s something that everyone wants and dreams of. It’s something this club have been working towards for a while now. Hopefully, in Emma’s final year, we can get that far.

  “I think (the Champions League) is a good experience, the games have been a bit quicker because you’re playing against different opponents from different countries with different styles of play.”

• THE BIGGER PICTURE

  James, who joined Chelsea in 2021 at the age of 19, has flourished under Hayes' guidance. She recently earned the Barclays Player of the Month award in January after scoring five goals in two games, including a hat-trick against Manchester United. Reflecting on her collaboration with Hayes, James highlighted the mutual respect and understanding they share and added: "It’s good working with Emma, our relationship is close as everyone can probably imagine. I think highly of her and hopefully, we can achieve good things this year together. At that moment I was disappointed and it hit you, but that’s the relationship we have. It’s football and people move on, I’ll just have to focus on Chelsea."

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  WHAT NEXT?

  James' impressive goal-scoring performances have propelled Chelsea to the top of the Women’s Super League standings, where they currently lead by three points ahead of a crucial showdown against Manchester City on Friday. They will return to European action in March when they are slated to face Ajax in the last eight of the UEFA Women's Champions League.

In an exclusive interview with Football FanCast, former Newcastle United defender believes Georginio Wijnaldum will be wanting to be one of the top earners at Liverpool, hence why contract talks have dragged on for so long

Wijnaldum has been an ever-present for Liverpool since signing from Newcastle United in 2017, having made 225 appearances for the Reds, which has led the midfielder to want a new and improved contract at Anfield with Barcelona waiting to swoop in on the Dutch international.

The 30-year old’s current deal is set to expire this summer and despite being the scorer of some important goals in Liverpool’s recent history, like the one against Barcelona, both parties remain far apart in discussions with the midfielder admitting he’d be devastated to leave Anfield.

Speaking on the former Newcastle midfielder’s future on Merseyside and what he will be expecting from Liverpool’s owners, Howey exclusively told FFC:

“He’ll obviously want to be one of the top earners and rightly so because of what he’s done at the club.

“He’s helped change the fortunes of Liverpool, they’ve been Premier League, Champion League and Club World Cup champions and he’s been a big part of that with some very important goals.

“So, I can totally understand why Wijnaldum is wanting that new deal. At the moment, however, it’s just a really difficult time for Liverpool as well.”

Wijnaldum’s market value currently stands at £36 million and during a time where Liverpool have not been able to splash the cash, it could prove to be a big blow if the Dutch international walks away for free.

Liverpool are focusing on finishing in the top four this season, however after getting past RB Leipzig this week, Klopp may see winning the Champions League as the club’s best route into the competition next season.

Steve Bruce is setting Newcastle United up to fail long-term as Dwight Gayle will be forced to reconsider his future amid rumoured interest from Galatasaray.

What’s the word?

According to the Sunday Mirror (14/3, p. 68), the Super Lig giants, who signed DeAndre Yedlin on Deadline Day last month, are now keen on a move to snap up Gayle this summer.

Yedlin sealed a free transfer to the Turk Telekom Stadium having otherwise been a free agent at the end of the season, and could be reunited with Gayle who similarly is in the final months of his United contract.

Galatasaray are interested in bolstering their offence with a move for Gayle, but may face strong competition from Turkey’s other elite clubs with a host of Super Lig outfits also thought to be monitoring the 31-year-old’s situation.

Gayle also has admirers in Qatar and Saudi Arabia with his £40,000-per-week contract set to expire in June, while The Athletic claimed earlier this month that the forward is unlikely to be offered a long-term deal to remain at St. James’ Park.

Tentative talks have taken place over new terms, but Gayle’s age and record of injuries that have sidelined the striker for a third of the past two seasons combined have brought hesitancy from the Toon hierarchy.

Gayle, for his part, is open to staying on Tyneside and is aware that any new deal is likely to be his last at the club, despite attracting interest from the Middle East, Turkey, Europe and Major League Soccer franchises recently.

Championship sides are also likely to look fondly on the skill of a forward, whom Bruce lauds as a “natural finisher”, should Gayle hit the market as a free agent at the end of the season, but the £7m-rated attacker would favour a fresh start if another Premier League spell is off the table.

Should Newcastle let Gayle leave?

Gayle has often left a lot to the imagination with his performances this season and has struggled to find any real form due to Bruce rarely playing the striker and when he does, it is often not in his favoured position.

Gayle has only made five of his 13 outings in all competitions this season as an out-and-out striker and of those appearances, only two have come in the starting line-up with opening calls against Chelsea and Aston Villa in the absence of Callum Wilson through injury.

Bruce’s decision to start Gayle on the left-wing before a move into a false nine role for the second half against Aston Villa last Friday particularly backfired, as the London-born forward cut an invisible and frustrated figure often too far out to pose any attacking threat.

The Toon boss argued following the 1-1 draw that the decision to play Gayle out of position was so Newcastle could continue with the system developed around Allan Saint-Maximin, Wilson and Miguel Almiron. And showed no signs that he intends to change that.

“We’ve played a certain way now for the past six, seven weeks. I spoke briefly on it last week, of not trying to change the shape of us, the way we’ve gone about how we’re trying to play,” Bruce said, via quotes by Chronicle Live.

“I’ll be a bit more technical and say we’re playing with split strikers if you like, but that’s the way we’ve gone about our work and I changed him and Ryan just after half-time. That’s the way we’ve set up and that’s the way we’re going to continue.”

But sticking with square pegs for round holes is not working for Newcastle, and Gayle will surely start to reconsider his willingness to stay at a club where chances to feature are slim if Bruce is not open to playing the man who Noel Whelan calls a “weapon” where he performs best.

Bruce allowing Gayle – who has more goals over the past two Premier League seasons (5) than Andy Carroll (1) and Joelinton (3) combined – to leave will also set Newcastle up to fail long-term, as the club are expected to be light on funds to sign replacements and have plenty of other starts set to be out of contract in the off-season.

AND in other news, Steve Bruce must unleash a “fantastic” Newcastle gem who delivered a statement performance vs Aston Villa…

Kylian Mbappe says he has far to go after reaching a "hilarious" 300-goal career milestone, thanks to a hat-trick in France’s 14-0 win over Gibraltar.

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• Mbappe starred in France's win over Gibraltar
• Scored a hat-trick to reach 300 career goals
• Vowed to keep improving for club and country

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  The 24-year-old striker led from the front with a fine hat-trick as France scored over a dozen past Gibraltar on Saturday night. He started the scoring on the night from the spot on the half-hour mark and went on to add two more in the second half which helped him reach the 300-goal mark. Mbappe naturally found reasons to celebrate as he is gunning to be the best of all time – therefore meaning he harbours lofty ambitions.

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  WHAT MBAPPE SAID

  Speaking after the match to , Mbappe said: "It’s just part of the process, there are some players who scored 800 or 850 goals in their career. 300 is just hilarious! I have to keep going and improve for both club and national team."

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Earlier in September, Cristiano Ronaldo became the first player to score 850 career goals when he struck against Al-Hazm in a Saudi Pro League fixture. Whereas, Lionel Messi is not far behind as the Argentine boasts 821 goals in 1044 career appearances.

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• WHAT NEXT FOR MBAPPE?

  Mbappe still has a long way to go to match the goalscoring numbers of the two legends of the game. However, with time on his side, nothing is impossible for the prolific PSG striker.

Despite not bringing in a striker during the January transfer window, Jesse Lingard fired West Ham United to a European spot but Dean Windass can’t see him returning.

West Ham ran out of steam in the race for a Champions League spot but considering they were fighting against relegation last season, it is a monumental turnaround that David Moyes has masterminded at the London Stadium.

There have been reports that Lingard is wanting to earn £100,000 per week if he is to sign for West Ham this summer on a permanent basis, which could prove to be a stumbling block if Moyes wants to spread his transfer budget out.

It would be a huge blow for the Hammers if they couldn’t afford to bring the current £75,000 per week midfielder back to the club this summer, and that could be the unfortunate reality according to Windass who spoke exclusively to Football FanCast:

“I can’t see him back at West Ham because listen, we all want £100,000 per week and a four-year contract. So yeah, I can see him back at Man United.

“I can’t see West Ham paying that sort of money because he might be a flash in the pan and if they give him £100,000 a week and a four-year deal but then end up in a relegation battle next year, that could ruin the club.”

It will be a huge summer for West Ham as they will undoubtedly have to bat away a lot of interest in Declan Rice, especially if he performs well at the Euros for England.

Moyes will know that he must add to his squad this summer as injuries almost derailed their season this year and with the added fixtures because of the Europa League their squad will have to increase in size.

Yan Valery’s season has certainly not gone to plan, with the young right-back shipped out on loan to Birmingham City in the January transfer window, where he has struggled to impress.

The defender lost his regular spot in Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side when Kyle Walker-Peters first arrived on loan from Tottenham Hotspur in January 2020 and once his transfer to St Mary’s was made permanent, it was always going to be a struggle for Valery to get regular game time at Southampton.

The 22-year-old, who was labelled a “weak link” by Athletic journalist Dan Sheldon, made just one start in the Premier League for the Saints, which came in a 3-1 defeat against Arsenal where he was regularly exposed, so it was perhaps no surprise to see him turfed out on loan, despite the lack of back-up to Walker-Peters at the South Coast club.

When the former Spurs man was injured, we saw the likes of Moussa Djenepo, James Ward-Prowse and Jan Bednarek all feature at right-back, which certainly suggests that Valery wasn’t held particularly high regard by Hasenhuttl.

During his time with Birmingham City, who until recently looked in real danger of relegation this season, Valery has made just seven appearances in the Championship, of which just two have been starts, which again, doesn’t bode particularly well for his future at Southampton.

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Hasenhuttl spoke recently about the development of some of the players out on loan, saying:

“Some have done well, a lot of them did not even play in the Championship or League One, so you can see how difficult it is for them that they don’t even there perform well,” Hasenhuttl has openly admitted.

“We have a few loan players that are coming back. The way back is not easy for them. That means we have to look for new options.”

The Austrian certainly seems to be hinting that it is going to be difficult for Valery to re-establish himself in his side in the future after a disappointing couple of seasons, so perhaps we will see him depart St Mary’s on a permanent deal this summer.

Certainly, if Southampton bring in the full-backs they are seemingly in the market for ahead of next season, there will be little room left for Valery in Hasenhuttl’s side in the future.

And, in other news… Just 9 passes: £5.4m-rated Saints dud was awful again vs LFC, Ralph surely fuming

Marcus Bent has exclusively told Football FanCast that Crystal Palace would be a promising move for Brentford’s Ivan Toney.

Toney’s outstanding form in the Championship this season has caught the eye of a number of Premier League sides, including West Ham, Chelsea, Everton and Leicester.

His strike at Bristol City on Saturday was his 31st in the league, which saw him break the record for the most goals ever in a single Championship campaign since the competition was renamed 17 years ago.

Toney’s 31 goals saw Brentford qualify for the play-offs, meaning the striker is just three games away from becoming a Premier League player.

But Bent believes that Selhurst Park would perhaps be Toney’s most suited destination. Asked whether he could see the 25-year-old moving across London, he told Football FanCast:

“Yeah, definitely – just a move across the city. And to play alongside some good, experienced players, good fans, good manager. That would be promising for me.”

However, with both Christian Benteke and Michy Batshuayi out of contract this summer, Palace are likely to be looking at bringing in more than just the one striker.

And Bent warned Toney to consider his options before deciding on his next move.

He added:

“It depends on how that manager sees you, whether you’re going to be a starting player, whether they are going to bring in two or three strikers. You always want to fight for your place, but you never want to end up down the pecking order.”

According to a teasing update by reliable Tottenham Hotspur correspondent Alasdair Gold, the Lilywhites have now begun to filter out the long list of managerial candidates and are about to ‘formally’ approach more targets in the coming weeks – with the hunt for a boss now seemingly heating up.

Gold drops teasing managerial update

Indeed, Tottenham are allegedly well underway in the search for Jose Mourinho’s successor to take over after interim boss Ryan Mason sees out the 2020/2021 campaign.

As well as chairman Daniel Levy narrowing down his options and prioritising certain targets to be formally approached, Spurs are also believed to have definitely begun the managerial search process according to Gold.

football.london and the reporter’s information is that Tottenham Hotspur hope to announce their next boss before the end of this season – but that factor could make it difficult to speak to managers already in work.

It is unclear who has now entered the favourites position to be appointed with recent top target Erik Ten Hag having signed a new deal at Eredivisie giants Ajax.

Ralf Rangnick, Roberto Martinez, Graham Potter and Massimiliano Allegri are still mentioned by Gold in this report as gaffers who have admirers within the club.

Transfer Tavern take

The Ten Hag blow, coming after fellow former target Julian Nagelsmann opted for Bayern Munich, is particularly concerning given the shrinking list of alternatives.

We are surprised that Champions League-winning and free agent boss Rafael Benitez hasn’t been mentioned more given he is without a club and has vast experience at the top level.

However, of the men seriously linked, Rangnick certainly presents himself as Tottenham’s next best target.

He is the dubbed father of gegenpressing and a ‘perfectionist’ in his craft according to RB Leipzig striker Yussuf Poulsen – as well as being a potentially cheaper appointment for Levy than previous targets like Nagelsmann.

While the search grows more complicated, Gold’s update that Spurs are preparing to ‘formally’ approach candidates comes as a teasing one holding encouragement.

In other news: Tottenham are reportedly set for a significant end of season decision, find out more here.