Dele Alli and Harry Kane scored the goals as Tottenham Hotspur recorded a 2-0 win over Watford in Monday night’s Premier League clash at Wembley.

It was important for Spurs to bounce back following their FA Cup semi-final loss to Manchester United last time out, and it proved to be a comfortable night for the London club.

Moussa Sissoko has struggled for starts this season, and the French midfielder was again named on the bench against the Hornets on Monday night.

The 28-year-old did come on for the final 15 minutes, however, and had a really good chance to score a third for Tottenham in the latter stages.

Sissoko missed the crossbar with his attempt, which led to a host of criticism from the Tottenham fans on social media, and not for the first time this season.

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Spurs paid Newcastle United the best part of £30m to sign Sissoko in the summer of 2016, but the 53-time France international has struggled to make his mark with Mauricio Pochettino’s side.

A selection of the Twitter reaction from the Spurs supporters can be seen below:

Former Reading midfielder Steve Sidwell has suggested that the agent of Tottenham Hotspur manager Mauricio Pochettino has played a hand in rumours linking the coach to Chelsea.

A recent report by Sky Sports has claimed that the Blues are keeping tabs on the Argentine, with the aim of potentially replacing Antonio Conte this summer.

The Italian coach had a stellar first season at Stamford Bridge as he guided the team to the Premier league title, but the 2017-18 campaign was a different story.

In the end, Chelsea finished fifth in the table, five points behind fourth-placed Liverpool.

There has been no official word from Chelsea with regards to Conte’s future but according to Sky Sports, the former Juventus boss is likely to leave after the FA Cup final against Manchester United.

Pochettino is yet to win silverware as Tottenham manager, but he has secured Champions League football for the club in the past three seasons.

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Chelsea fans have had their say on the reports and now one of their former midfielders has given his take on the situation.

While speaking to TalkSPORT, Sidwell suggested that Pochettino’s agent may have leaked the story to convince Tottenham to up theiR negotiations over a new deal.

“There’s no smoke without fire so there’s probably an element of truth in there, and you look at it the other way where he [Pochettino] is looking for contract renewals – or maybe his agent has put the idea in there – to buck Spurs’ ideas up.”

Only two officials have refereed more Premier League games than Martin Atkinson this season, which tells all about the high esteem he’s held in by the PGMOB – who appoint the referees for every Premier League game.

There’s no questioning Atkinson’s experience, having worked in the English top flight for some 13 years now, but if there’s one flaw to what the Yorkshireman brings to his trade, it’s the bizarre contradiction between what happens inside and outside the box during his matches.

Indeed, while Atkinson ranks eighth for fouls per game and third for yellow cards per game throughout the 20 referees to work in the top flight this season, his ranking for penalties is comparatively much lower – with just three referees averaging less penalties per match this term.

And there are two ways of looking at that return. One is that Atkinson doesn’t ruin games by giving away needless spot kicks; the other is that he’s reluctant to make big decisions, even when they’re the right ones. Perhaps the biggest example of that was in the last Manchester derby, when Atkinson didn’t award a penalty despite Ashley Young obviously fouling Sergio Aguero with a lunge inside the box.

With Atkinson taking charge of Chelsea’s visit to Newcastle this weekend, that could prove to be a real point of frustration for the Blues. They desperately need a win to stand any chance of qualifying for the Champions League and only three players throughout the entire of the top flight have won more fouls than Eden Hazard this term, but it appears they’ll need a stonewall penalty for Atkinson to award one in the box this weekend.

Perhaps more worryingly for the Blues, both of their games with Atkinson officiating this season have ended in defeat, but the 47-year-old does provide one huge Chelsea boost heading into the visit to Tyneside; 41% of the Premier League games Atkinson has officiated this season have ended in away wins, which is actually the second-highest bias of any referee to oversee more than one top flight game in 2017/18.

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At a ground where Chelsea haven’t won in the Premier League during their last four attempts, Atkinson’s away win bias might just balance out their bad luck.

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Rafael Benitez and Newcastle are absolutely desperate for a new number nine this summer, so should they take a punt on Salomon Rondon?

Newcastle made three loan moves in January to save their season, and two of the three deals had a massive impact on not just keeping the Magpies up, but moving them into the top ten.

Kenedy and Martin Dubravka are both wanted back permanently on Tyneside, but the same cannot be said for Islam Slimani, who was already injured when he joined on loan from Leicester.

The Algerian striker is clearly not the answer to the Magpies’ goalscoring woes, but could it be worth taking a punt on another striker of that mould?

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Rondon was relegated with West Brom, but found his form under new manager Darren Moore, grabbing three goals and two assists in a run of six games near the end of the season.

The Venezuelan international had a lengthy goal drought before finding his form again, but his pace and power could certainly aid the Magpies’ attack.

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Rondon is far from the world class goalscorer fans are crying out for, but he could be a much cheaper and more realistic option.

So, Newcastle fans, would you be happy with a bargain move for Salomon Rondon? Let us know your thoughts by voting in the poll below…

Arsenal fans have been busy discussing who their club could sign this summer following the appointment of Unai Emery as Arsene Wenger’s successor last month, and they were quick to deliver their verdict via social media when the @ArsenalFanTV Twitter account suggested Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Marco Verratti, rated at £63m by Transfermarkt, as a potential target.

It seems likely that the new Gunners manager will look to bring in a new midfielder following the departure of Santi Cazorla, with the club being heavily linked with Nice’s Jean Michael Seri and AS Roma’s Lorezno Pellegrini, and Verratti could be another option.

It will certainly be difficult for the north London outfit to prise the Italy international away from the Ligue 1 giants seeing as he is a key first-team player for them, as well as the fact he still has three years remaining on his contract at the Parc des Princes.

We asked Arsenal supporters to vote on our poll to see whether their club should try and sign Verratti or not this summer, and a whopping 90% of them said the Gunners should attempt to bring the 25-year-old to the English capital.

With Aaron Ramsey and Jack Wilshere both offered new deals and with Granit Xhaka and Mohamed Elneny – as well as number of youngsters – already to choose from in the middle of the park, Emery certainly has a lot to consider before he brings a new midfielder to the Emirates.

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According to Sky Sports, Manchester City are lining up a move for Southampton midfielder Mario Lemina, rated at £13.5m by Transfermarkt, if they miss out on Napoli’s Jorginho, and their arch-rivals Manchester United, whose fans don’t want Jose Mourinho to complete a big £40m deal this summer, should be watching developments closely.

What’s the word, then?

Well, Sky Sports says that City manager Pep Guardiola has lined up alternative targets for the Italy international even though the Premier League champions remain in advanced talks to bring the 26-year-old to the Etihad Stadium.

Lemina and Real Madrid midfielder Mateo Kovacic are both on the Spaniard’s shortlist, although any interest will depend on the Citizens giving up on a player who was their top summer transfer target, as per Sky Sports.

Should they fail to get Jorginho and they do prise Lemina away from Saints, the Gabon international would be fighting the likes of Kevin De Bruyne, David Silva, Fernandinho and Ilkay Gundogan for a midfield spot.

Why should Man United be monitoring the situation?

Well, Jose Mourinho may have already strengthened his midfield with the addition of Fred from Shakhtar Donetsk, but further links to a move for £100m-rated Paris Saint-Germain star Marco Verratti suggest he isn’t yet satisfied with his options in the centre of the park.

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With Michael Carrick retiring and Marouane Fellaini seemingly leaving when his contract expires at the end of the month, the Portuguese boss may well want another body in there – especially with club-record signing Paul Pogba still often flattering to deceive.

While Lemina was involved in a relegation battle with Southampton during the 2017/18 campaign, he often showed the ability that he has in his locker in terms of keeping possession, bringing the ball forward and taking on opponents – he also enhanced his reputation of being a dribbling king by successfully completing 55 of the 62 dribbles he attempted in 25 Premier League appearances, as per WhoScored.com.

In terms of strengthening, Liverpool’s attack is not an area that is in desperate need of attention.

Mohamed Salah, Roberto Firmino and Sadio Mane set the Premier League alight last season by terrorising defences with their pace and clinical touch.

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However, if the Reds want to take that next step and become consistent title and trophy challengers, then they need strength in depth in all sections of the pitch.

Fatigue and injuries are a major reason why a squad needs bodies to bring in if needed.

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RB Leipzig striker Timo Werner had an impressive season in the 2017-18 campaign, scoring 21 goals and creating nine assists in all competitions.

Despite being just 22 years of age, the forward has been selected to lead the line for Germany at the World Cup in Russia.

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His first outing was on Sunday in the reigning world champions’ Group F opener against Mexico, but it was a disappointing afternoon as Joachim Low’s team were beaten 1-0.

If Werner thrives during the tournament, plenty of suitors will probably have their eye on the forward, so we asked you if Liverpool should make a move, and the overwhelming majority are keen on the idea.

West Ham are reportedly close to completing a deal for 21 year-old defender Issa Diop, and fans are absolutely loving the news.

According to Sky Sports, the Hammers are closing in on a £22m deal for Diop, who captains the France U23 side.

The towering defender has been pursued by Monaco, Marseille, Red Bull Leipzig and Sevilla, but the Sky report claims the race is all but over, as the Hammers have “agreed a deal in principle” with his club Toulouse.

Diop is only 21, but made 37 appearances for the French club last season, and is one of the most highly sought after young defenders in Europe.

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He scored three times last season, and boasts some impressive defensive statistics, averaging over two interceptions and nearly four clearances per game.

The 6 ft 3 youngster is good with the ball for such a colossal defender, and should help Manuel Pellegrini bring a new brand of football to the London Stadium.

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Alfie Mawson is another name that’s been linked with the Hammers, and fans are loving the prospect of also adding the Swansea man to make a young, powerful duo.

You can find some of the best Twitter reactions down below…

As reported by MailOnline, Stoke City have matched Middlesborough’s £5m bid for Sunderland utility player Paddy McNair.

Newly-appointed Stoke manager Gary Rowett has set about revamping the Potters side, securing the signing of Benik Afobe from Wolves as well as Peter Etebo from Portuguese side Feirense.

Stoke fans have been impressed with the speed in which Rowett is overhauling his playing squad, the latest addition set to be Northern Ireland international Paddy McNair.

McNair was a bright spark in a season which saw Sunderland relegated to League One, scoring four goals in the last five games of the season, and emerged from a campaign to forget with his reputation largely unscathed.

McNair can play in both defence and midfield, and would represent an astute signing. But many Stoke fans are not convinced by the player, yet others seem to be cautiously optimistic about the player.

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Fans took to Twitter to share their thoughts on the reports…

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Another rainy day in Sydney has reduced the match to a battle for first-innings points after only 47 overs were bowled on the third day

Cricinfo staff05-Nov-2009New South Wales 2 for 151 (Katich 48*) trail Western Australia 8 for 499 by 348 runs

Scorecard
Phil Jaques is trying to get his career back on track after back surgery and he scored 40•Getty Images

Another rainy day in Sydney has reduced the match to a battle for first-innings points after only 47 overs were bowled on the third day. New South Wales were on 2 for 151 with Simon Katich on 48 and Usman Khawaja on 25, and they needed a further 349 to overtake Western Australia’s 8 for 499.The second day had also been severely curtailed by the wet weather and the Warriors declared on their overnight total when the start of play was delayed until 2.15pm. There was plenty of interest in how the Blues’ opening pair of Phil Jaques and Phillip Hughes would fare and while both men made starts, neither made full use of the opportunity.Both have opened the batting for Australia in Tests in the past 18 months but find themselves on the outer leading into the home summer. Hughes posted 32 from 65 balls, including four fours, before he was caught driving Ashley Noffke.Jaques, who is trying to give his prospects a kickstart after surgery on his back, scored 40 before he was caught off the bowling of the legspinner Josh Mangan. Katich and Khawaja then began their stand, which had reached 54 at stumps, and they will need a productive final day free of rain to overhaul the Warriors’ first-innings total.