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Tom Huddlestone believes the current Tottenham side need time to start creating more and that the players are still becoming accustomed to manager Andre Villas-Boas’ system.

Spurs have had some poor results recently, with a 0-1 loss at home to Wigan and a defeat in the Capital One Cup to Norwich, which saw them booed by their fans.

However, though Huddlestone understands the fans’ pain, he says the players are still coming to terms with Villas-Boas’ organised ways.

He said: “It is hard for the fans. They’ve watched some good football over the last three or four years, maybe in a gung-ho style, but they’ve got to be patient. The manager is still getting his ideas across. The lads are still getting fully used to what he wants us to do. He’s very organised.

“A lot of his sessions are on a quite rigid team shape whereas maybe under previous regimes the initiative was given to players to express themselves. Under this manager it’s more his ideas and we have to stick to them. Every boss has his own ideas. We’re probably harder to beat now. We’re not as open.

“There have been a couple of games recently where we need to create that little bit more. But that will come with time. Defensively we are keeping our shape more than in previous years and barring the last couple of games it’s worked well this season. We’re better when teams open up and try to attack us. We find gaps when teams try to attack.”

Tottenham face Maribor in the Europa League tonight.

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Andre Villas-Boas has denied that midfielder Moussa Dembele’s injury is the reason for Spurs’ recent poor results.

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Liverpool supporters are eager to see Kalidou Koulibaly at Anfield after watching him in action for Senegal against Poland in the World Cup on Tuesday.The African side produced an excellent display to see off the much fancied European outfit, emerging as 2-1 winners, with Poland only able to manage a late consolation.Koulibaly was central to the performance and win, keeping the likes of Robert Lewandowski quiet across the 90 minutes on their way to victory.The 27-year-old plays his club football at Napoli of course, emerging as one of the best defenders in Europe’s top five leagues with imperious performances at home and in the UEFA Champions League.Linked with moves to the likes of Chelsea in recent months, Liverpool fans now want to see the Anfield club make a play for him, believing that having his international teammate Sadio Mane already at the club could give them the upper hand in negotiations.Supporters took to Twitter to share their thoughts on potentially signing him after watching him in action…

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According to reports in The Mirror, Manchester United defender Luke Shaw is set to sign a new long-term contract at Old Trafford before the end of the season after winning manager Jose Mourinho over.

What’s the word, then?

Well, the 22-year-old has struggled to make an impression under Mourinho since he took charge in the summer of 2016, with the Portuguese boss criticising the left-back on more than one occasion last season.

Shaw found himself well down the pecking order at the beginning of the current campaign too, but he has improved his fitness and worked his way back into the first team, becoming a regular in 2018 so far.

The Mirror says that his recent performances have impressed Mourinho, and even though the player still has 18 months left on his £80,000-a-week contract after the club exercised an option to extend his current deal by a further year, the Red Devils now want to tie him down for even longer on improved terms.

How has Shaw done this season?

The former Southampton man’s contract was due to run out this summer before United activated the option to extend it by another year, and with the 22-year-old finding himself behind Ashley Young, Daley Blind and Matteo Darmian in the left-back pecking order at the start of the campaign it seemed as though he would be on his way out.

The England international remained patient though and he was finally handed his first Premier League start of the season in the 1-0 win against Bournemouth at Old Trafford in December – a game in which he picked up the man of the match award.

Shaw has started five of United’s seven fixtures in 2018, and he is beginning to get back to his best by making a positive impact at both ends of the pitch.

Would it be good news for United?

It certainly would be.

While Shaw may not have always been flavour of the month with Mourinho, it is clear that once he gets back to his best following a number of injury problems he can be their first-choice left-back or left wing-back for many years to come.

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The 22-year-old is quick, good defensively and offensively, and still has plenty of time left in his career to improve and get even better.

Newcastle United’s hopes of signing Loic Remy on a permanent deal beyond the end of the season were dealt a massive blow last week.

Quoted in the Daily Mail, the French striker is claimed to have said “without being pretentious, I might be able to play for a bigger club, a top-five European club.”

With Alan Pardew’s side unlikely to overtake Everton in the league this season, Newcastle will not be able to offer the European stage that the player evidently craves.

Picking up from where he left off in Queens Park Rangers futile attempt to avoid relegation last season, Remy’s stint on Tyneside has only served to enhance his burgeoning reputation.

Free from the shackles of his rape allegation, the striker is likely to be courted in the summer by some of Europe’s finest clubs.

Pardew has recently described the striker as ‘hot property’ and already raised doubts about Newcastle’s chances of convincing him to stay beyond the end of the season. No doubt the manager will spend the rest of the season attempting to persuade his star striker of the benefits of signing permanently.

The unfortunate reality of the situation though is that from the player’s perspective, there is absolutely no incentive to sign for Newcastle on a long term basis. Where is the reason to stay?

The club’s non-existent ambition has been epitomised by transfer inactivity in the last two windows and an over commitment to financial fair play. With Premier League clubs spending millions to merely stand still, Mike Ashley’s reticence to splash the cash underlines his belief that mid-table mediocrity equates to success.

Last season, European football seemed to be portrayed as a hindrance rather than a privilege and an outcome which the club would like to avoid in the future.

For ambitious players hungry to achieve personal and team success, this vision for Newcastle United is a project that even the best salesman would struggle with.

The removal of the clueless and comically inept Joe Kinnear as Director of Football delighted the fans but will not change Ashley’s model for the club. For quality players at the club such as Remy, the overtures from elite clubs that will inevitably come will understandably prove difficult to refuse.

It’s not even as if there is the prospect of a handsome financial package being offered to try and tempt the player to remain at St James’. Money is more than capable of surpassing footballing reasons as the main motivation in a move but this is not a possibility that will be considered at Newcastle.

Ashley’s Financial Fair Play in a time of ludicrous excess is admirable but not a philosophy that will prove attractive to footballers, or indeed their agents.

The January departure of Yohan Cabaye and the farcical “attempt” to acquire Clement Grenier as a replacement will have done nothing to convince Remy of the merits of a move. As if it hadn’t been abundantly clear prior, Cabaye’s exit highlighted once again the club’s crippling lack of ambition and indicated a satisfaction with mid-table mediocrity.

Although it has always been the case for teams outside of the Premier League’s elite, it has become apparent in recent times more so than ever that St James’ Park is merely a showcase for quality players to enhance their reputations and earn more lucrative moves.

While Newcastle have profited immensely from an astute transfer policy in the European market, many of the players that they have acquired will surely see the move as a “stepping stone” for bigger and better things.

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Nothing that Ashley or Pardew have done in the last few years will have convinced these players to snub any attractive offers which may come their way.

Following in Demba Ba’s footsteps, Cabaye will not be the last of the foreign legion to move on to greener pastures. Rumours over the futures of influential individuals such as Coloccini and Debuchy refuse to go away and an exodus of personnel is anticipated on Tyneside this summer.

The desire from Newcastle for Remy to make the switch permanent is great but the reasons for doing so are not.  With the goals still flowing for him on Tyneside, Remy can anticipate a number of exciting offers in the upcoming window.

Don’t expect to see the talented striker amongst the very select few populating Newcastle’s arrivals lounge this summer.

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Major League Soccer is undoubtedly growing as a product in the States, with an announcement made towards the end of last year that confirmed the league as the third most attended in the country behind the MLB and NFL.

The league has recently attracted former Premier League stars, Thierry Henry, Robbie Keane and Tim Cahill to sample life on the other side of the Atlantic; and of course the original superstar trailblazer, David Beckham is still going strong for LA Galaxy.

The set-up of the MLS is intriguing in the sense that it tries to replicate a traditional European football league; with a single-table structure, a champion and a relegation/promotion format, but incorporates the ideals of an American pro league at the same time- including play-offs and the financial need to break-even every year.

Like Major League Baseball, the National Football League, the National Basketball Association and the National Hockey League, the MLS is formed of franchises- 18 in total, compared to the 30+ in the other US sport leagues.

The MLS struggles to compete with the other major leagues due to the comparatively small talent pool at its disposal. The other leagues represent the pinnacle for any aspiring player in their respective sport, whereas the most promising “soccer” players are most likely to realise their dreams in Europe.

This means that ideas to include more franchises as part of plans to raise the league’s profile would cause the talent to be spread too thinly.

But now in its 17th season, there is a real desire to take the league to a national level and engage it with the entire population; after spending time developing stadia and infrastructure.

It seems that the only way to increase the MLS profile is through enhanced television and digital coverage, which would allow the league to connect better with its fan base in order to grow.

It has taken steps to address this issue, with shows including MLS 36; that aims to introduce prospective fans to different players within the league and provides context about the teams involved.

Although the popularity of European football, particularly the Champions League and Premier League, still takes precedence among many American “soccer” fans; and there is still some reluctance to take the MLS seriously.

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This is not helped by the erratic kick-off times, with the league still yet to create a habitual time slot for matches each week; compare this to the Premier League and fans can wake up on a Saturday morning and watch their favourite English teams play.

The MLS has certainly taken huge strides to compete with the other big US sports and move ahead of the likes of NBA in attendance figures; but the fundamental problems relating to the dominance of European football and the small talent pool of players means that the league can only expand so far before it reaches its limit.

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Everton could be set to break their transfer record for Real Sociedad striker Willian Jose, and the stats show he could be the perfect project for Marco Silva.

According to Mundo Deportivo, Everton are interested in a summer swoop for Sociedad’s top scorer, but they could have pay over £50million to land the striker.

The report claims the Toffees could meet the player’s whopping €60m (£53m) release clause, so what’s all the fuss about?

Well, that fee may sound absurdly high, but it is surely better to splash out big on one or two top quality players opposed to spreading money around several signings as the Toffees did to little effect last summer.

The 6 ft 1 Jose has not had the most glistening career in European football, but his development over the last couple of seasons has been extremely impressive, and his movement, instincts and clinical finishing could make him a force to be reckoned with under Marco Silva.

After some decent loan spells in Spain, the Brazilian joined Sociedad in 2016, and his performances last season have been quite simply superb.

The 26 year-old grabbed 15 league goals last season, as well as five in the Europa League, but it is his influence off the ball that could make him a better option than Cenk Tosun for Everton.

Across 34 appearances, the striker created nearly a chance per game for his teammates according to Squawka, and also won at least one aerial duel per game.

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While his aerial presence is nothing close to the dominance Tosun offers, he is technically superior to the Turkish international, and his link up play and movement to create space for teammates was a major reason Sociedad scored 66 goals in the league last season, a total bettered only by Barcelona and Real Madrid.

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If Silva is serious about bringing fast, attacking football to Goodison, the Sociedad striker could be the perfect man to spearhead it, and having two top goalscorers available in Jose and Tosun would be huge for the Toffees.

If fans can get their heads around the big asking price, which is quite simply the going rate for a top goalscorer in Europe these days, then Jose could be the absolute perfect signing for Silva and Everton.

So, Everton fans, what do you think about the links to Willian Jose? Is he an upgrade on Tosun? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below…

The dust is starting to settle on perhaps the most accusative parting statement a Premier League club has ever produced; Watford implying Everton’s pursuit of Marco Silva eventually forced them to sack the Portuguese.

There are two sides to every story and it will be interesting to hear Silva’s after insinuations that his over-ambition saw standards slip at Vicarage Road, but if it’s true that a manager revered as the most promising in the Premier League when he left Hull City had his head turned after just 26 games in charge, the Pozzo family only really have themselves to blame.

After all, while the Pozzos’ returns on the pitch are difficult to argue with – solidifying Watford as a midtable force in the Premier League and overseeing their most consecutive campaigns in the top flight since the 1980s – they have turned the Hornets into something of a faceless stepping stone, lacking any real incentive to remain loyal excepting the weekly pay cheques.

That may seem a harsh evaluation of a club with its own proven model for success, but it’s hard to ignore facts; Watford haven’t played a single academy product in the Premier League this season while last summer saw 22 players either join or leave the club in the space of a single transfer window. There’s no identity, no continuity, no link to Watford’s history or between the players and the fans.

There are of course a few exceptions to the rule – the likes of Troy Deeney – but on the whole, Watford are less a football club and more a corporation that hires and fires employees with a particularly quick turnaround.

And that only rings truer with the managers. Javi Gracia is now the eighth manager to work under the Pozzos in five-and-a-half years, and none of those have lasted longer than Gianfranco Zola who oversaw just 66 games. Even the manager who took the Hornets to the Premier League, Slavisa Jokanovic, failed to earn a new contract with promotion and was replaced by Quique Sanchez Flores. He too would last just one year in the job, despite guiding Watford to a comfortably safe finish upon their return to the top flight.

Not that how Watford have treated previous managers justifies Silva losing focus because he was declined the chance to join Everton, if that was indeed the case. But it’s more a question of what culture that approach has created in Hertfordshire; one where the players, the coaches and the managers all know they won’t be there very long. It’s a constant revolving door, a stop-gap club that either brings about better personal opportunities or quickly moves you on if you fail to fulfil your purpose.

Even if you do, there’s a good chance you’ll be leaving anyway. Eventually, that reduces what should be the incredibly holistic experience of playing for a football club, especially one as family-oriented as Watford, to little more than a job to pay the bills. The shirt stops representing community, club and passion and becomes football’s equivalent of a McDonald’s uniform.

That has been evident during Watford’s every Premier League campaign thus far under the Pozzos; once the initial bounce of new players and a new manager begins to fade away and the target of Premier League survival comes within grabbing distance, performances and results quickly turn sour. Tellingly, Watford suffered 23 of their 37 Premier League defeats over the last two seasons after the turn of the year.

Silva’s apparent hopes of leaving Watford for Everton in November, despite joining the club just a matter of months prior, is a symptomatic reaction to that culture. Why shouldn’t he look to join a club offering a better salary, a greater challenge and bigger transfer budgets when his current employers have discarded their managers indiscriminate of success or failure? Why should there be any loyalty on Silva’s part to a club that churns through managers and players at will? Why did he owe it to Watford to rebuff the Toffees’ interest and stay at Vicarage Road? If anything, the quick management turnaround while pocketing Watford £8.5million seemed to fit perfectly into the club’s ruthless model.

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Perhaps that’s why Watford eventually took such a tough line with Silva; in addition to leaving the Hornets just four points above the relegation zone after a blistering start and amid a run of eight defeats in eleven games, they needed to do something to stop the idea of the club being little more than a stepping stone, an intermission in the careers of players and coaches. Sacking Silva did, at the very least, give them some sense of control of the situation.

And yet, it remains a case of being treated by others how you treat them. As long as Watford remain a revolving door, ambitious managers like Silva will always feel justified in walking out either side of it. For all the success the Pozzos have brought to Vicarage Road, they’ve also made Watford something of an empty vessel. Managers and players fill it for a time, but never long enough to become truly connected with the club.

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Liverpool owner John W Henry has confirmed that Luis Suarez did have a £40million buy-out-clause in his last contract, according to Sky Sports.

The club managed to hold onto their star striker, despite Arsenal attempting to sign the Uruguayan for £40m and £1 last summer.

Suarez made it clear he wanted to leave Anfield in the summer, but Henry sees the 27-year-old as a major part of the club’s future along with Daniel Sturridge and Raheem Sterling.

Suarez was on target once again at the weekend in the 3-0 win over Southampton at St Mary’s, taking his tally for the season to 24.

“Luis Suarez is the top scorer in the English Premier League which is arguably the top soccer league in the world,” Henry said.

“And he had a buy-out clause – I don’t know what degree I should go into this – but he had a buy-out clause of £40m. So Arsenal, one of our prime rivals this year, they offered £40m and one pound for him and triggered his buy-out clause.

“But what we’ve found over the years is that contracts don’t seem to mean a lot in England – actually not in England, in world football. It doesn’t matter how long a player’s contract is, he can decide he’s leaving.

“We sold Fernando Torres for £50m. We didn’t want to sell but we were forced to. For the first time (with Suarez) we took the position that we weren’t selling.

“Since apparently these contracts don’t seem to hold, we took the position we’re just not selling and it’s been great for Luis, it’s been great for us, and what will happen at the end of year, I think we’re going to make Champions League and we have a small chance of winning the Premier League this year.

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“We have three gentlemen up front: Suarez, Sterling and Sturridge. Those three are young, and I think Luis and those three could be together for a long time.”

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Tony Pulis has slammed Liverpool striker Luis Suarez for committing what appeared to be a blatant dive against the Potters, in the 0-0 draw at Anfield yesterday.

The Stoke City boss has been regularly making the point that the FA should be clamping down on simulation, as similar scenarios occurred with both Ivanovic and Oscar when his side travelled to Stamford Bridge earlier this season.

Pulis was not shy to comment that he was baffled by the decision from the referee not to book Suarez.

“The FA should be looking at this. Give him three games (banned) and he will stop falling over,” he told Sky Sports.

The Stoke manager was however, happy to praise Glen Johnson for his reaction to a full blooded challenge from Jon Walters earlier in the game, saying his “behaviour was fabulous”.

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Stoke face a trip to Old Trafford to take on the last season’s Premier League runners up on 20th October.

Liverpool fans are enjoying themselves ahead of Saturday’s Champions League finale, and they can’t believe the Spanish reports on how Madrid will stop Mohamed Salah.

According to a report in the Spanish press this week, Real Madrid will stop Mohamed Salah with a “triangular cage”, consisting of Marcelo, Sergio Ramos and Casemiro.

There has been plenty of talk this week about Marcelo, with many fans feeling the marauding left back will leave plenty of space for Salah to exploit.

Real Madrid will of course be conscious of this, and the press suspect it will be a joint effort between the three Galácticos to stop the Egyptian.

Liverpool fans have already been bashing Ramos today after he took a dig at the comparisons between Salah and Cristiano Ronaldo, and they feel Madrid’s master plan will only make them more vulnerable.

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The Reds’ three pronged attack has demolished every team in their path in Europe this season, and too much focus on Salah could certainly leave the ever improving Roberto Firmino and the electric Sadio Mane plenty of space to strut their stuff.

Whether the report is just paper talk or a genuine insight to Zinedine Zidane’s tactic is yet to be seen, but the Reds are extremely confident their attack can best the Madrid men, and some of the best Twitter reactions can be found down below…