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Tottenham Hotspur will be looking to avoid another shock FA Cup fifth-round exit as they head to Championship outfit Sheffield United this evening.

Exactly 12 months ago, Antonio Conte’s side were knocked out at this very stage by fellow second-tier side Middlesbrough, with Josh Coburn netting in extra time and the Lilywhites will be hoping to go one better this time, though in the absence of the Italian head coach.

Spurs assistant manager Cristian Stellini is set to take the dugout once again, having steered the Lilywhites squad to back-to-back Premier League victories, defeating Chelsea and West Ham United, both by a 2-0 margin.

He’ll be left with a tough decision to make in terms of team selection as there will be a temptation to rotate, given the fixture list that lies ahead, in which a second leg against AC Milan in the Champions League will soon be on the horizon.

With that in mind, here’s how Tottenham could look at Bramall Lane tonight…

How will Tottenham line up against Sheffield United?

There could be as many as five changes to the side that defeated the out-of-sorts Blues on Sunday, starting with backup goalkeeper Fraser Forster continuing between the sticks in the absence of injured veteran, Hugo Lloris.

In defence, Davinson Sanchez could afford Cristian Romero some rest, so the Colombian enters the back three alongside Eric Dier and Clement Lenglet, who is preferred as one of the only left-footed central defenders at the club.

There could be a pair of alterations on the flanks, with Ivan Perisic and Pedro Porro offering fresh legs over Emerson Royal and Ben Davies, whilst the latter duo have been in fine knick, it’s a great chance to see more of the January signing and the Croatian should be a cut above the opposition too.

Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg may remain in the engine room, given he was suspended for the first leg against Milan, so Oliver Skipp is dropped instead. In his place, Pape Matar Sarr – who excelled against the Rossoneri – makes another start outside of the Premier League.

Stellini has hinted that Harry Kane will feature from the off despite the upcoming schedule and he could start alongside Richarlison, who also keeps his place and another winter arrival in the form of Arnaut Danjuma, 26.

The £53k-per-week Villarreal loanee, who was once dubbed as a “game-changer” by his former boss Eddie Howe, has been restricted to only three appearances, of which none have been starts and he did score a goal in the last round against Preston North End too.

Predicted Spurs XI (3-4-3): Forster; Lenglet, Dier, Sanchez; Perisic, Hojbjerg, Sarr, Porro; Richarlison, Danjuma, Kane

Newcastle United slipped to their tenth draw of the season at home to West Ham United on Saturday evening, with Lucas Paqueta’s second-half effort cancelling out Callum Wilson’s early strike to secure a hard-earned point for the visitors.

Amid the euphoria of sealing a place at Wembley earlier this week in the Carabao Cup, Magpies boss Eddie Howe may well be concerned that his side have now been held to a stalemate in four of their last five Premier League games, albeit with their place in the top-four still somewhat secure.

The Tynesiders had initially appeared on course for victory amid what was a frantic start to proceedings at St James’ Park, with the aforementioned Wilson netting inside three minutes with a clinical left-footed finish, after Joe Willock had seen an earlier effort ruled out by VAR.

That composed strike was the Englishman’s tenth goal against the Hammers in his career to date – and his first goal in the league since returning from World Cup duty – although the 30-year-old was unable to add to that tally as the game progressed, having seen his involvement limited from then.

The former Bournemouth hotshot made just 20 touches in total on the night – fewer than teammate Nick Pope (22) in the sticks – while he was also rather ineffective physically up against the away side’s backline, having failed to win any of his eight duels.

In truth, it was teammate Dan Burn who arguably proved superior for Howe’s side against the Hammers, with the 6 foot 7 colossus having been a typically rock-solid presence at left-back up against Jarrod Bowen.

The former Brighton and Hove Albion man hardly put a foot wrong, albeit while having lost possession on 21 occasions, after notably racking up seven clearances in total against David Moyes’ men,

Unlike Wilson, the 30-year-old also proved himself something of a physical monster after remarkably winning ten of his 13 duels, including eight of his 11 aerial duels to help keep the east London outfit at bay, while also laying on one key pass from his 90 touches as a marker of his attacking quality.

That dominant display ensured that the Blyth-born sensation recorded a solid 7.3 match rating, as per Sofascore, with that having been far higher than that man Wilson, who received just a 6.7 match rating despite getting himself on the scoresheet.

As such, just over a year on from his return to the northeast, Burn once again proved himself something of a hero for the high-flying outfit.

Manchester City have been credited with an interest in Chelsea defender Levi Colwill and the teenage centre-back could prove to be the next John Stones at the Etihad.

According to journalist Simon Phillips, the young defender is attracting admiring glances from both Manchester City and Bayern Munich as a result of his impressive performances on loan at Brighton.

Last season saw Colwill join Huddersfield Town on loan in the Championship and he proved to be a big hit with the Terriers, featuring 31 times in the Championship and earning an impressive 6.97 average rating from WhoScored, helping the Yorkshire side to reach the playoff final.

Last summer saw the 19-year-old join Brighton and after a slow start, he has established himself as a regular under Roberto de Zerbi, earning a strong 7.28 rating in the Seagulls’ recent 3-0 win over Liverpool.

The England U21 international earned a huge amount of praise from Carlos Corberan for his performances in Huddersfield’s side last season, with the Spaniard convinced that Colwill will go to the very top.

He said:

“He’s a very young player with a lot of things he is doing fantastically, and other things he needs to continue improving.

“I think he’s going to be one of the most important centre-backs for this country in the future.”This is extremely high praise for such a young player but considering he is now starting at centre-back in one of the Premier League’s most in-form sides, it is hard to see how Colwill won’t be featuring for the Three Lions in the near future, with reports suggesting that he is already close to his first call-up to Gareth Southgate’s side.Colwill is very much a modern centre-back in the mould of Stones, as FBref suggests that he excels at passing, aerial duels and creating chances for teammates, such is his ability on the ball.Stones also established himself in the lower leagues with Barnsley before progressing to Everton and then Manchester City, so Colwill could easily follow in his footsteps should he make the move to the Etihad this year.It will be difficult to prise the teenager away from Stamford Bridge but given the lack of opportunities for young players at Chelsea, as well as the money that has been spent on centre-backs such as Kalidou Koulibaly, Wesley Fofana and Benoit Badiashile over the past 12 months, Colwill may feel that a move away could be best for his career.If City do take a chance on another young English centre-back, there seems little evidence right now to suggest that he can’t become a top Premier League defender like Stones in the future.

Former Sheffield Wednesday centre-back Michael Hector could potentially seal a return to the club this month, according to reliable journalist Joe Crann.

The Lowdown: Hector’s previous with Sheffield Wednesday

The 30-year-old spent the 2018/19 season on loan at Hillsborough, having struggled to break through at Chelsea over a number of years, despite previously being hailed as ‘absolutely top class’ by journalist Dom Howson.

Hector made 39 appearances in total for the Owls, scoring twice along the way and proving to be a ‘fan favourite’ at the heart of their defence.

The former Jamaica international is currently without a club, having left Fulham last year, and it could be that a return to Wednesday materialises this month.

The Latest: Sheffield Wednesday considering Hector move

Taking to Twitter in sharing a corresponding article for The Star, Crann claimed that Hector is being considered as an option for Sheffield Wednesday to come in and add defensive depth in January.

The journalist tweeted:

“Darren Moore has previously suggested that #SWFC weren’t really looking at free agents, but – as per @AlexMiller91 – we understand that former Owl, Michael Hector, is now being considered as an option at centre back after all.”

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The Verdict: Good centre-back option

This could be a shrewd piece of business by Wednesday, bringing in Hector on a free transfer and helping to ease their current shortage in centre-back areas following injuries to Ben Heneghan and Michael Ihiekwe.

Mark McGuinness’ return to Cardiff City is a big blow, following an impressive stint for the Owls (he is their second-highest rated player this season as per WhoScored), but Hector could help to fill that void, having won 3.4 aerial duels per game in the Championship during his previous spell with the club four years ago.

There would be an element of risk behind the move in terms of his lack of playing time – he has made just 15 appearances in all competitions since August 2020, and only two since the start of 2022 – but the free agent element of the transfer alleviates that issue.

Either way, bringing in another centre-back this month could be a wise move should any approach for Hector not work out.

West Ham United are eyeing a swoop for Morocco star Sofyan Amrabat as David Moyes is keen to bolster his midfield options during the January transfer window.

What’s the news?

The Daily Mail (December 16, page 76) reported that the Hammers were keeping tabs on the 26-year-old after his excellent performances for Morocco at the World Cup, with the midfielder playing a key role in helping the Atlas Lions to create history by becoming the first African side to reach the World Cup semi-finals.

The Mirror (December 23, page 53, via West Ham Zone) have since claimed that Moyes has the Fiorentina player on his wish list, with the Serie A club valuing the player at £35m.

Dream Declan Rice heir

This certainly looks like it could be Rice’s last season at the London Stadium, having outlined his ambitions to play Champions League football; and with the 23-year-old’s contract expiring in 2024, Moyes might cash in on him during the summer.

The Englishman has been an integral part of West Ham’s recent success, helping them to consecutive top-half Premier League finishes and reaching last season’s Europa League semi-finals, and whoever replaces him will have big shoes to fill.

Amrabat might be the ideal heir, especially after his wonderful displays in Qatar. The 26-year-old averaged a solid Sofascore rating of 6.83/10 across his seven matches in the World Cup.

Mainly deployed in the heart of the Morocco midfield, Amrabat showcased his impressive defensive abilities, averaging 2.3 tackles, 1.4 clearances and 0.9 interceptions per game as he was part of a team which conceded just five goals during the entire tournament, and only one before the semi-finals.

Despite his success in Qatar clearly prompting interest, it is perhaps no surprise that he dazzled in the Middle East considering his form for Fiorentina this season. The midfielder has taken 53.5 touches and made 0.5 key passes per game in Serie A while holding an impressive 91% pass success rate.

Journalist Lorenz Kohler dubbed the player “different class”, and there is no doubt that he could ease into Premier League life if he makes the move to east London.

Moyes faces an interesting January transfer window given the Irons’ lowly league placing, and the West Ham faithful could hopefully be set to welcome a man who could go on to become Rice’s long-term heir at the London Stadium.

Julen Lopetegui has not been Wolves manager for long, taking a job only a month ago, but it seems as if the Spaniard is set to repeat a regular mistake made by Bruno Lage during his spell at Molineux.

According to the Daily Record, the Old Gold are set to send Connor Ronan out on loan in the January transfer window, with Aberdeen and Hibernian amongst those interested in the attacking midfielder.

They also claim that Championship clubs could be interested in the 24-year-old, who has managed just two appearances in all competitions so far this term, as it seems unlikely that he will be able to force his way into Lopetegui’s first-team plans when the Premier League resumes after the World Cup break.

Since joining Wolves from Rochdale as a teenager, Ronan has endured a wide range of loan spells with the likes of Grasshopper Zurich, DAC Dunajska Streda and Portsmouth.

During another loan spell with Blackpool in early 2020, the young midfielder earned the praise of caretaker manager David Dunn.

He said after the Irishman’s first goal at Bloomfield Road: “I thought he caught it extremely well, so I’m pleased for the kid he’s got his first goal for the club and hopefully there’s more to come. I thought he was excellent last week at AFC Wimbledon as well, he’s got such a good touch. He makes things happen for us.”

However, Ronan’s best loan spell came last season with St Mirren, as he registered eight goals and five assists in 30 appearances for the Scottish Premiership side, earning their player of the season award.

It had seemed likely that he could force his way into Lage’s plans after such an impressive campaign north of the border, but instead he has been wasting away at Molineux, forced to largely play academy football once again and not featuring once under Lopetegui’s predecessor.

Ronan’s contract at Molineux is set to expire at the end of next season and it makes little sense to loan him out yet again, as it seems clear now that he is never going to make it as a regular in the Premier League.

Lopetegui should avoid making the same mistakes as Lage and simply offload Ronan on a permanent basis, rather than continuing to pay his wages as a fringe player until June 2024.

Tottenham Hotspur have apparently been told how much it could cost them to sign reported transfer target Manuel Ugarte from Sporting Lisbon. 

The Lowdown: Spurs linked with Ugarte

Earlier this year, it was reported that Spurs are interested in signing the midfielder, along with the likes of Leicester City, Atletico Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain.

Despite being included in Uruguay’s squad for the World Cup, the 21-year-old has been an unused substitute for both of their group games so far against South Korea and Portugal.

In terms of a potential move away from Lisbon, it appears as though some behind-the-scenes details have emerged regarding how much it could take for Spurs to sign Ugarte.

The Latest: Tottenham learn Ugarte price tag

According to a recent report from Correio da Manha (via Sport Witness), Ugarte has a release clause in his contract worth €60m (£51m), and Sporting would only consider selling him for over €40m (£34m).

Another report from Jornal de Noticias (via Sport Witness) claims that Sporting are eager to keep hold of the midfielder and have even offered him a new deal with improved pay.

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The Verdict: Worth a shot

Across his 11 league games this season, the Uruguayan has racked up one of the highest passing accuracy percentages (91.7%) at Sporting.

In addition, Ugarte has the highest combined total of tackles and interceptions (57) at the club, while also making more blocks (16) than any of his team-mates.

Bearing in mind how Antonio Conte’s side have only kept four clean sheets in the Premier League this season, it could be said that signing someone with Ugarte’s evident defensive talents could be just what Tottenham require.

Taking all that into account, we feel that it would definitely be worth Spurs negotiating with Sporting to see if they would be willing to sell their midfielder in a deal which would be suitable for all parties.

Glasgow Rangers manager Giovanni van Bronckhorst has proven that he is not afraid to hand opportunities to players from the Ibrox academy this season.

The Dutch head coach has made Leon King a regular in the first team and the likes of Alex Lowry, Adam Devine, and Charlie McCann have been given game time throughout 2022.

They will all be hoping to follow in the footsteps of other successful academy graduates, including players like Billy Gilmour and Nathan Patterson, who are both playing in the Premier League at this moment in time.

One academy graduate who went on to bigger things after leaving the club was Scottish central midfielder Charlie Adam, who retired at the end of last season.

He made his debut for the Light Blues as a youngster in the 2003/04 campaign and eventually became a regular in the first-team in 2006/07 as he racked up 28 Premiership outings and chipped in with eight goals and four assists from midfield.

However, the youngster then fell out of favour as he only featured in 25 Scottish top-flight matches in the following two seasons combined and this led to him going out on loan to English side Blackpool for the second half of the 2008/09 campaign.

Adam scored two goals in 13 Championship outings before he reportedly returned to Glasgow for talks with the club to decide whether or not the then-23-year-old still had a future at Ibrox. They seemingly decided that he did not as he then sealed a permanent switch to Blackpool for a fee of £500k in the summer of 2009.

In his first full season down in England, the midfielder scored 18 goals and provided nine assists in 46 Championship matches as he helped his side to win promotion to the Premier League via the play-offs.

The “wonderful” maestro – as dubbed by Glenn Hoddle, then caught the eye in the English top flight as he enjoyed a stellar campaign with Blackpool. He scored 12 goals and assisted eight and this caught the attention of Premier League giants Liverpool.

Adam, whose left foot was once dubbed a “strong weapon” by Christian Poulsen, sealed a £7.5m transfer to Anfield in the summer of 2011, just two years after leaving Rangers for £500k.

This shows that he thrived after leaving Ibrox and was sold at the wrong time by the Scottish giants as he could have fulfilled his potential in Glasgow if he was given the opportunity to play more often.

Blackpool were willing to give him regular game time and benefitted from that by making a gigantic profit on the central midfielder, whilst also getting two years of fantastic service out of him.

Therefore, Rangers had a nightmare by selling the now 36-year-old for £500k as his career after departing the club suggests that it was a huge mistake to allow him to depart.

Nottingham Forest are set to reignite their interest in Atalanta midfielder Ruslan Malinovskyi in January, according to a new transfer update.

The Lowdown: Forest linked with summer move

The Reds famously made over 20 signings during the summer transfer window, with the squad completely rebuilt after returning to the Premier League.

One player who was linked with a move to Forest but didn’t make the move was Malinovskyi, who is considered a real star quality target who could strengthen the midfield significantly.

The 29-year-old has tons of pedigree in the Italian top flight and on European and international stages, but stayed put at Atalanta in the summer, making 11 appearances in the Serie A so far this season.

The Latest: Forest ‘ready’

According to Calciomercato [via Sport Witness], Evangelos Marinakis is ‘ready to return’ for the signing of Malinovskyi in January, with West Ham also similarly interested.

The Ukrainian’s current Atalanta deal expires at the end of this season, meaning the next window will be the last chance to receive a fee for him.

The Verdict: Bargain?

This could be an ideal transfer for Forest midway through the campaign, injecting extra quality in the midfield and potentially getting Malinovskyi on the cheap due to his contract situation.

At 29, he has a huge amount of experience in the game that could be invaluable in a possible relegation battle, having won 51 caps for Ukraine and made 111 Serie A appearances – he has also been hailed as ‘extraordinary’ by current manager Gian Piero Gasperini.

Malinovskyi could come straight in as a key starter for Steve Cooper but also allow the manager to rotate even more, keeping legs fresh before the business end of the season.

West Ham United will be without winger Maxwel Cornet alongside the recovering Nayef Aguerd after some pre-Anderlecht injury news.

The Lowdown: Cornet worries…

Following on from the Hammers’ much-needed 2-0 victory at home to Wolves in the Premier League, there were fears surrounding Cornet after he was taken off just past the half hour mark.

The Ivorian had suffered a suspected calf injury with doubts then surrounding over whether he could in fact shake it off and feature tonight for West Ham.

There has been little confirmation over the severity of Cornet’s problem but manager David Moyes has now provided an update on the situation pre-Anderlecht.

The Latest: Moyes shares injury update…

Speaking to the media, West Ham’s head coach says the former Burnley star has not travelled for their UEFA Conference League clash this evening.

As a result, he will miss the match alongside fellow summer singing Nayef Aguerd, who is still recovering from his own pre-season injury.

Moyes explained in the last 48 hours (via whufc.com):

“It was difficult because we want to get Maxi (Cornet) up to speed. He didn’t have many pre-season games and he’s contributed in quite a few of the games recently.. but he’s not with us over here.”

The Verdict: Setback for Cornet…

The 26-year-old has actually impressed for West Ham when available and selected.

Indeed, as explained by BBC pundit Ian Wright, Cornet looks ‘pretty dangerous’ when introduced and he was very unlucky to have an equalising goal away to Chelsea ruled out earlier in the campaign.

The winger starred for a relegated Burnley side last season, finishing 2021/2022 as the Clarets’ top goalscorer whilst attempting their joint-highest rate of shots at goal per 90 (WhoScored).

Called a ‘cheat code’ by Islington Gazette journalist Josh Bunting, West Ham supporters and Moyes will be hoping he can fight his way back to contention soon at the London Stadium.