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Tottenham Hotspur were supposed to challenge for the Premier League title this season, but they are already an incredible 18 points behind league leaders Manchester City.

Indeed, Spurs have slipped to sixth position in the table in recent weeks after winning just one of their last six in the Premier League.

They will enter Saturday’s home game against Stoke City having failed to win in their last four in England’s top flight – suffering two defeats in the process.

Mauricio Pochettino’s side are unbeaten at Wembley in the Premier League since August, but they have drawn with Swansea City and West Bromwich Albion on home soil this season.

The London club are the favourites to overcome Stoke on Saturday afternoon, but it would be fair to say that the supporters are not convinced.

Tottenham’s official Twitter account tried to get the fans going with a video of the team’s 4-0 win over Stoke at White Hart Lane last season. However, the supporters were extremely unimpressed with the social media activity.

A selection of the best Twitter reaction can be found below:

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Stand-in Everton boss Craig Shakespeare has claimed that Ademola Lookman has the potential to be ‘an important player’ for the Toffees.

Lookman scored twice on Thursday night as Everton recorded a 3-0 win over Apollon Limassol in their final Europa League group game.

The 20-year-old was part of a youthful Toffees XI led by Shakespeare, who took charge of the Merseyside outfit due to head coach Sam Allardyce staying in England to attend a pre-arranged medical appointment.

Lookman has only scored once in the Premier League since arriving from Charlton Athletic in January, but the youngster showed his credentials in Cyprus.

Shakespeare has now backed the England Under-21 international to kick on after his European brace.

Shakespeare told reporters:

“He can be an important player but he is only young. He showed his ability.”

Lookman came through the youth system at Charlton before making the move to Everton – signing a four-and-a-half-year contract with the Toffees. It is understood that various add-ons could eventually take his transfer fee to £11m.

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Manchester United fans are crucifying Pep Guardiola, as reports suggest Manchester City could offload Oleksandr Zinchenko to Wolves this summer.

According to Sky Sports, Wolves have made a club-record £16m offer for Zinchenko, and City are willing to let the youngster leave.

Although he spent most of last season playing as a left back, the 21 year-old is best as an attacking midfielder, and the potential arrival of Riyad Mahrez could threaten his playing time.

The move for Mahrez alongside the return to fitness of Benjamin Mendy means Zinchenko could find it difficult to see the pitch in any position, and United fans are destroying Pep on Twitter.

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The Red Devils have often felt Jose Mourinho gets harshly treated by the media and rival fans, as you can’t go five minutes on social media without seeing a joke about Mourinho ruining attacking talents.

Well, Zinchenko looks like a really promising young attacking talent, and Pep’s decision to move him to left back and now potentially sell him to make room for a mega money signing is irking United fans.

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You can find some of the best Twitter reactions down below, look away now Pep…

It’s not been a great summer so far for Newcastle fans in the Transfer Tavern. 

A lot has been rumoured about who Newcastle may potentially bring in but so far, only Ki Sung-yeung and the impressive Martin Dubravka have been added to the squad. If Newcastle have any hope of climbing into the European spots, Mike Ashley needs to dip into his transfer wallet and spend some money.

Recently The Sun (h/t HITC) has linked the Magpies with a move for Aston Villa winger, Albert Adomah.

The Breakdown

A loan move for Kenedy has been rumoured, while Benitez is also keen on a move for former Newcastle man, Andros Townsend. While both deals may come through eventually, Newcastle need to sign new players and quickly. With the transfer window closing on August 9, clubs are running out of time to sign players.

Considering the financial difficulties Aston Villa are going through right now, a move for Albert Adomah might just be more plausible than first thought. The 30-year-old was outstanding for Steve Bruce last year, scoring 14 goals and five assists and could well be available for a cut-price deal which may satisfy Mike Ashley.

Newcastle are in desperate need of some help going forward. The Magpies really struggled to score last season and Adomah would certainly help that cause. While some may point to his age as a potential spanner in any potential deal, Newcastle can’t afford to be picky when it comes to signing new players. A cut-price deal for a consistent performer is a move Newcastle need to make.

Would you be happy with this Newcastle fans? 

Tottenham Hotspur’s second-striker conundrum has plagued the club in recent years as the likes of Vincent Janssen and Fernando Llorente have struggled to play the bit-part role which has been expected of them. 

There are similarities to be drawn between Janssen and Llorente: both are players who have never relied on pace to succeed in their footballing careers, but that factor has served to stagnate their development at Spurs.

Whilst playing the role of Harry Kane’s understudy, both of the aforementioned players have failed miserably to step into his shoes when called upon, despite their relative success prior to joining the club.

The main problem for both players relates to Harry Kane’s brilliance; Tottenham are a team who thrive with Kane at the spearhead of the attack, so Pochettino has been reluctant to introduce either Janssen or Llorente when his first-choice centre-forward has been fit and ready to play.

There is only one obvious solution to the problem: to sign a versatile attacker who can play in multiple roles within Pochettino’s free-flowing system.

Indeed, there are plenty of players in European football who are able to play at centre-forward and within other positions across an attacking midfield-three.

Son Heung-min, for example, adapted excellently to a centre-forward role last season when Kane suffered an injury, proving that the presence of a natural centre-forward is far from necessary within Tottenham’s squad.

Although Daniel Levy will be eager to hold off on securing the signings of any new players until Toby Alderweireld and Mousa Dembele provide some clarity with regards to their futures, he should be willing to finance the acquisition of a new attacking player to solve a major club problem this summer.

With that in mind, here are two players who Tottenham should target to support Kane in his centre-forward duties next season…

Marko Arnautovic has spent the vast majority of his career cutting inside from the left-wing, but he practically saved West Ham from relegation all by himself last season at the spearhead of their attack.

Combining brute power with flair and determination, Arnautovic was a menace for the Hammers in the final-third and he finished the season with 11 goals and 6 assists to show for his efforts from just 31 appearances in the top-flight.

Following a summer spending spree which has seen 7 players arrive at the London Stadium, talkSPORT believe that West Ham are open to offers for the Austrian this summer, so the opportunity is certainly there for Tottenham to sign him up this summer.

Arnautovic thoroughly justified his price-tag last season with his commendable performances in a lone-striker role and, considering he possesses ability to play out-wide or in a number ten role, he could be the perfect solution to Tottenham’s attacking problem.

Like Arnautovic, Mertens made his name in European football for his blistering speed in an inside-left position, but in recent seasons he has successfully adapted to a centre-forward position.

Under Maurizio Sarri’s leadership Mertens bagged 22 goals and provided 12 assists from 49 appearances last season, but his manager’s decision to join Chelsea could encourage him to make a move to the Premier League.

At 31-years-of-age Mertens will not represent the best value for money, but on the evidence of his performances for both Napoli and the Belgium national side in a variety of attacking positions, he would be well worth forking out for this summer.

Having been linked with many already this summer, it’s obvious that a striker is at the top of Leeds United’s summer shopping list.

Abel Hernandez, Jordan Hugill, Matej Vydra and Felipe Caicedo have all been mentioned in connection with a potential switch to Elland Road by various sources. So far though, no arrivals appear close to being confirmed. 

Bielsa’s hunt for a new frontman is clearly continuing, and the new Leeds boss may want to turn to the French market in order to consider a move for Lille’s Yassine Benzia.

The Breakdown

For all of the hype and promise of his youth, Benzia’s career has stalled somewhat in recent years. 

As a 17-year-old, Benzia was dubbed the new Karim Benzema by Le 10 Sport, and was prolific in the France youth international set up before later switching his allegiance to Algeria. Following his move to Lille in 2015 though, Benzia has failed to develop as expected.

As a Lille player, he went over a year without a goal, and even since breaking that duck he has been far from prolific.

The best thing for Benzia, to get his career back on track, could well be a move. Leeds United should roll the dice on the 23-year-old as he is a very talented attacker who still has all the attributes to become a top striker. 

The slight step down in level that would come with a switch to the Championship could be what it takes to get Benzia firing again.

Bielsa is capable of getting the best out of struggling players, and if he could repeat that trick with this young forward then he’d have one of the most technically gifted and naturally talented strikers in the second tier on his hands. 

According to The Sun, Leeds United are keen on signing West Ham’s Jordan Hugill this summer.

Jordan Hugill only joined the Hammers in January, but despite having cost the London club a fee of around £10 million, the striker hasn’t come close to establishing himself in the first team.

Now, it looks as though the 26-year-old could be set to move on again already. Marcelo Bielsa’s Leeds are apparently keen on bringing him to Elland Road.

Hugill boasts a decent goalscoring record from his time in the Championship, having notched 12 goals for Preston North End in his last full season in the second tier. He has proved so far unable to make any impact at Premier League level though, and needs to get back to playing regular football soon for the sake of his career progression.

That being said, Leeds would do well to look beyond Hugill as they require a striker of greater calibre to make them the genuine promotion contenders they hope to be.

The Breakdown

Whilst Hugill’s Championship record is good, and his arrival would certainly mean an upgrade on Leeds’ current striker Caleb Ekuban, the Yorkshire outfit can still do better in this market.

Considering that Transfermarkt value Hugill at £7.2 million, and West Ham won’t want to lose out on too much of the hefty figure they dealt out for him in the first place, it’ll take some significant spending on Leeds’ part to land the Englishman.

The likes of Peterborough’s Jack Marriott or free agent Abel Hernandez are all realistic targets, who Leeds would have to battle for, but would be more exciting arrivals at Elland Road.

Hugill would be fine, but probably not much more than that. If Leeds are serious about building a team which can compete for the prize of Premier League football, then they need to be aiming higher than Hugill.

According to The Sun, Newcastle will battle German side RB Leipzig for the signature of Bristol City left-back Joe Bryan, but there is also interest from Bournemouth, Wolves, Leeds, Middlesbrough, Augsburg and Mainz.

What’s the story?

Valued at £4.5m by Transfermarkt, Bryan scored seven goals and provided three assists from left-back for City last season and his performances have caught the eye of a number of Premier League, Championship and Bundesliga clubs.

The 24-year-old, who can also play as a left wing-back and left winger, also scored a stunning goal in The Robins’ 2-1 league cup triumph over Manchester United last season.

Having come through the academy at City and with just one year left on his contract, Bristol may look to sell the star defender this summer to avoid losing him on a free next year, as the German clubs could secure a pre-contract agreement in January.

Moore interest

One club who should also join the race are West Brom. Boss Darren Moore currently has Kieran Gibbs as the only left-back in his squad following the Baggies relegation from the Premier League.

The Hawthorns could be the perfect place for Bryan to continue his development as he could play ahead of the former Arsenal man and be involved in a potential push for promotion back to the top tier of English football.

With Gibbs and Bryan on the left, the west Midlands outfit would have the best left flank in the whole Championship.

Toby Alderweireld is prepared to run down his contract at Tottenham Hotspur in order to force a move to Manchester United, according to The Mirror.

What’s the story?

The 29-year-old defender has been linked with a move to Manchester United all summer as Jose Mourinho looks to strengthen his defence.

The Belgium international has been at Tottenham since 2015 and has become a rock at the heart of their defence under Mauricio Pochettino.

However, with Spurs keen to keep hold of their talent and demanding £75million for his sale, it now appears that Alderweireld is prepared to force a move to Old Trafford by any means possible.

According to the report, he has one year left on his current deal, but Tottenham have the option to extend it by a year, but enacting this will activate a release clause of £25million.

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Dilemma

Tottenham are stuck between a rock and a hard place here, not knowing whether to sell their star defender now for big money or try and keep hold of him only to sell him on the cheap next summer.

If Alderweireld is dead set on the move then perhaps it is worth cashing in now, because his mood might affect the rest of the camp if he is forced to stay on for an extra year.

If they conclude the business quickly, Spurs will still have time to bring in a replacement but it’s a risky game for Pochettino and he’ll have to decide whether to stick or twist.

Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Victor Wanyama is a transfer target for AS Roma according to Italian news outlet La Repubblica, as cited in The Mirror.

What’s the story?

The 27-year-old joined Spurs from Southampton two years ago with Mauricio Pochettino signing him for the second time after bringing him to St Mary’s from Celtic back in 2013.

The midfielder has gone on to make 54 league appearances for Tottenham, although last season he only made eight starts in the top-flight after suffering a serious injury at the start of the campaign.

Wanyama still has three years left on his current deal at Spurs, but according to the report, Roma are interested in signing the Kenyan international after failing to convince Sevilla midfielder Steven N’Zonzi to head to Italy this summer.

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Not the time to sell

As we enter the final days of the transfer window Tottenham are in a precarious position ahead of the new season.

Pochettino is yet to make any signings this summer, and while there have been no big-name departures yet either, it would send quite the message if Spurs start selling first-team stars.

Wanyama may not be the best midfielder on Tottenham’s books but he is a reliable enforcer that does the job when needed, and is an adequate deputy for Mousa Dembele.

Even though he is valued at £27million on Transfermarkt, now is the time for Daniel Levy to invest and continue Tottenham’s upward trajectory instead of returning to their reputation as a selling club.