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Tottenham’s Eric Dier came in for criticism from BBC pundit Noel Whelan following his performance in the 3-2 win away to Newcastle on Sunday evening.

The lowdown: Dier scored own goal but was quick to act in emergency

Spurs seemed to be cruising to victory at St James’ Park before the England international scored a rather laughable late own goal, chesting the ball into his own net in trying to defend a set piece, to leave the visitors’ nerves fraying.

However, he was thankfully quick to alert medical staff to get a defibrillator to a supporter who had required urgent medical attention towards the end of the first half, being jointly awarded Sky Sports’ Man of the Match with team-mate Sergio Reguilon, who was the first to alert referee Andre Marriner of the incident.

The latest: Whelan not impressed with Dier’s performance

Despite Dier showing proactivity in helping to ensure that the spectator in question received timely medical attention, his performance in the match itself was rather bluntly dismissed by Whelan.

The former Leeds striker told Football Insider: “That own goal was one of the worst ever and the problem with Eric Dier is he makes these mistakes too often.

“For an experienced England international, you have to question whether he is good enough for Tottenham. At times, he looks nowhere near.

“He’s a good competitor and no-one can question his commitment to Tottenham. But, you look at his performances and he is hardly a reliable centre-back at the top level.

“You compare him to Toby Alderweireld and Jan Vertonghen, Ledley King, that kind of players, and Dier is a long way from that level.”

The verdict: Stats don’t look great but Dier deserves praise

If looking purely at the statistics from Dier’s performance yesterday, it is easy to see where Whelan is coming from.

Aside from the own goal, the 27-year-old – who has started every league game for Spurs under Nuno Espirito Santo – contributed little going forward and did not win a tackle or make an interception (SofaScore). He also received his lowest WhoScored match rating of the season from the win on Tyneside and was criticised for defensive lapses last term, as Whelan highlighted.

However, the context of what happened with the stricken spectator at St James’ Park should be considered, and Dier’s alertness in immediately calling for a defibrillator to be brought to the person who needed it made any performance-related shortcomings trivial.

He came good yesterday when it was most needed, and hopefully he can turn around his performances to continue receiving Man of the Match awards for more typical reasons.

In other news: One former Premier League goalkeeper has ripped into Spurs players amid recent reports stemming from the club

Many Wolves fans have reacted to the announcement of a new partnership between the club and Warner Music UK’s Alternative Distribution Alliance (ADA).

The partnership will see Wolves become the first football club  in the UK to launch a record deal, which will be named Wolves Records.

Wolves Records will help performing artists to benefit from a global Premier League audience whilst gaining ADA marketing and distribution expertise, with track submissions from local, national and international solo acts, bands and products invited by the label.

It isn’t the first time the Black County outfit have invested in projects outside of football, with e-sports and fashion initiatives launched in recent years and US e-sports giants Evil Geniuses partnering with the club.

The record label has partnered with singer, songwriter and producer S-X, who is a Wolves fan and an ambassador to the club’s official foundation. S-X has previously worked with the likes of Lil Wayne, J. Cole and Skepta, as well as earning gold and silver-selling records.

However, with Wolves sat 16th in the Premier League after five games, four of which have ended in defeat following Saturday’s meek 0-2 home loss to Brentford, some fans have made their feelings known about the lack of transfer business done in the previous window and the poor start to the campaign.

Wolves fans react to music label news

These Wolves fans have taken to Twitter to react to the announcement of the record label:

“The Steve Bull stand and temporary stand are falling down and you invest in this”

Credit: @MylesHSG

“Who cares???”

Credit: @WolfgarRichie

“Trying putting the ball in the back of the net first lads”

Credit: @xreecexx

“SiGn sOmE pLaYeRs”

Credit: @jamesjh89

“That’s where the Botman money went”

Credit: @le_tr0llface

“Grow up”

Credit: @BVitler

In other news, Wolves fans have been left fuming after Saturday defeats confirm unwanted statistics. Find out more here.

Watford lost for the third time in four games as they were beaten 3-1 by Championship side Stoke City in the League Cup on Tuesday night.

The Hornets came into the game off the back of a 3-1 win over fellow newly-promoted side Norwich at the weekend, but had lost their previous two Premier League matches to Tottenham and Wolves without scoring.

Xisco Munoz made a host of changes to his XI from the win over the Canaries and was let down by some of the players he selected. One player, in particular, who struggled was right-back Jeremy Ngakia.

For the opening goal, Ngakia tried to hold the ball near the corner flag and was ultimately robbed by a Stoke player, who then threaded it across the six-yard box for Nick Powell to convert from close range. He also failed to get close enough to Sam Clucas to block his attempted cross, which inadvertently skewed over Rob Elliott and into the back of the net.

Per SofaScore, he also lost five of his seven ground duels and made one tackle in the 90 minutes, whilst being dribbled past once. He was too lightweight to deal with the physical challenge posed by Stoke, which was highlighted in the opening goal as he was robbed of possession far too easily.

On the ball, his display was just as worrying if not worse. Per SofaScore, he lost possession of the ball a whopping 28 times during the match, whilst completing just one of his nine attempted crosses and 76% of his passes. This shows that he did not have the quality in possession to cause Stoke any problems, handing them the ball back frequently to allow them to attack the Watford goal.

He let Munoz down with his performance as he was not able to impress with or without the ball. As a full-back, Ngakia is required to be a solid defender whilst also offering an outlet in possession down the right and the aforementioned statistics show that he was unable to meet either of those requirements.

If he wants to force his way into the starting XI in the Premier League then he will need to show serious signs of improvement in training as this display may have set him back.

The nature of his mistakes could start to sound the alarm bells in Munoz’s head, because if he makes similar errors against higher-quality players, then he will be punished even more.

It’s been an eventful summer for Manchester United, with Jadon Sancho and Raphael Varane arriving at Old Trafford, but a current member of the first-team squad continues to dominate the headlines.

What’s the story?

Paul Pogba has been heavily linked with a move to Ligue 1 giants Paris Saint-Germain throughout the current window after entering the final year of his current contract, and The Athletic’s Adam Crafton has provided an update on the World Cup-winning midfielder’s situation.

Crafton’s latest report concerning the future of Real Madrid target Kylian Mbappe and the potential domino effect his exit could have, states that PSG remain interested in signing Pogba, although they would prefer to do a deal on a free transfer in 12 months’ time.

However, it also claims that United still hope to convince Pogba to commit his long-term future to the club, meaning the 28-year-old could still put pen to paper on fresh terms at his boyhood club.

Manchester United fans will be buzzing

PSG were originally expected to make a move for Pogba this summer before the opportunity to secure Lionel Messi’s signature proved too good to turn down.

And Red Devils manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer will be delighted that he’s still able to call upon the maestro’s services after watching him break a Premier League record in the opening weeks of the new campaign.

The former Juventus ace became the quickest player to register five assists in a Premier League season after setting up four goals in United’s opening-day demolition against Leeds United, before teeing up Mason Greenwood against Southampton last time out.

After reminding everyone of his incredible ability and importance to Solskjaer’s side, the Old Trafford outfit’s supporters will surely be buzzing to learn of this latest revelation.

Pogba has often split opinion since returning to United in a then world-record £89 million deal from Juventus back in 2017, but he’s consistently shown his best form since December last year, striking up a formidable partnership with Bruno Fernandes in the engine room.

With United finally appearing capable of challenging for major honours once again, the club’s fanbase and hierarchy alike will be desperate for one of their star performers to commit his future to the ongoing revolution under Solskjaer.

And, in other news…Fabrizio Romano drops exciting Man Utd transfer update that’ll have the fans buzzing 

Eberechi Eze’s Achilles injury absolutely “rocked” Crystal Palace, says Sky Sports journalist Michael Bridge.

Eze sustained the injury in training at the end of last season and could now be out of action until 2022.

The 23-year-old attacker joined from Queens Park Rangers last year and really impressed during his debut campaign at Selhurst Park.

He came up with 10 goal contributions in total in the Premier League and managed to record an average of 1.9 dribbles per game – more than any other Palace player, including Wilfried Zaha (via WhoScored).

On Eze’s injury, Bridge told FFC:

“It really rocked Palace, it really rocked them. Just before the season finished, Eze was playing some sublime stuff.

“Palace finally found a player… no offence to them, they would agree to this I’m sure, they were a one-man team under Wilf Zaha. But no longer did they have to rely on one man. Eze was really, really impressive.

“Andros Townsend said it on the radio the other day. There was tears at the training ground when he had that injury because he’s such a popular boy.”

Patrick Vieira will be desperate to have Eze up and running again, but Palace’s attack still looks in decent shape heading into the new season.

Star man Zaha is still at the club and could soon be joined by Blackburn Rovers striker Adam Armstrong.

According to Sky Sports, Armstrong, who bagged an impressive 28 goals in the Championship last season, is a player Palace are currently trying to bring in.

Fulham have been dealt a quadruple injury blow ahead of their Championship fixture on Tuesday night.

What’s the latest?

According to a report by West London Sport, the Cottagers will be without the quartet of Harrison Reed, Anthony Knockaert, Terence Kongolo and Tom Cairney for their trip to Millwall on Tuesday, with all four players being ruled out due to injury.

The report added that Marco Silva will also have to make do without the suspended Harry Wilson, who will serve the first of his three-match ban against the Lions after being sent off for violent conduct in Fulham’s 5-1 victory over Huddersfield Town on Saturday.

Silva will be fuming

While Cairney always appeared a doubt for the Millwall clash due to his ongoing knee problems, the fact that none of Reed, Knockaert or Kongolo have been deemed fit enough to take part in the fixture is sure to have left Silva fuming.

Reed has not featured for the Cottagers since their 1-1 draw with Manchester United in the penultimate game of last season due to a recurring knee injury, while Knockaert has not seen a minute of Fulham action following his return to the club after a loan spell at Nottingham Forest last term.

It is a similar situation for Kongolo, who only made one Premier League appearance last season as a result of an ankle injury, an Achilles tendon injury and undergoing knee surgery.

All of these injuries will come as a huge blow to Silva, who stated only yesterday: “Harrison has started training with us, we’ll decide if he’ll be involved. TC and Knocks are still in the same situation.”

However, it now appears as if the Fulham boss will have to once again make do without all four of the stricken players in what is sure to be a feisty affair at The Den, while Wilson’s suspension doesn’t help either.

In other news: Silva drops major claim on £70k-p/w “machine” which will leave Fulham fans buzzing

Celtic are interested in signing Tottenham defender Cameron Carter-Vickers on deadline day, according to Sky Sports’ Paul Gilmour.

The Lowdown: Carter-Vickers links

Links to the Spurs defender emerged back in June, with Celtic in talks over a deal for the USA international.

As we know, Celtic have added to their defensive ranks with Carl Starfelt, Liam Scales and Osaze Urhoghide.

Carter-Vickers was keen on a move to Parkhead earlier in the summer, and it seems as if a move to Scotland could be on the cards late on deadline day.

The Latest: Sky Sports claim

Gilmour, reporting from Tottenham’s training ground, shared Celtic’s late interest in Carter-Vickers on-air.

Cited by Football Daily, Gilmour said:

‘We’re being told Celtic loan interest in him, but a difficult deal to do’.

The Verdict: McKay set for a late-night?

With Sky Sports sharing links to Carter-Vickers this afternoon, Dominic McKay could be in for a late-night at Parkhead.

Expected deals for Georgios Giakoumakis and Filipe Jota are yet to be announced, so you’d expect those would be a priority before Carter-Vickers with Odsonne Edouard and Ryan Christie heavily linked with exits.

If they are finalised, McKay could then put all his efforts into signing Carter-Vickers, but it looks like it could go down to the wire given all the business left to sort out in Glasgow.

In other news: ‘Race against time’ – Sky Sports reporter’s ‘huge’ deadline day transfer news involving Celtic. 

Fulham are interested in a deal to bring Siriki Dembele to Craven Cottage this summer.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by The Sun, who claimed that the Cottagers, as well as fellow Championship clubs Bournemouth and Stoke City, are considering a move for the Peterborough United centre-forward in the summer transfer window, with Posh believed to be demanding a fee of around £4m to part with the striker.

However, the report added that the three interested clubs are only willing to pay around £2.5m for the 24-year-old, something which could well prove a big stumbling block in a potential move for the forward.

Imagine him and Muniz

With Tony Khan seemingly close to landing the highly-rated Rodrigo Muniz this summer, having already sealed the signing of Harry Wilson, Fulham’s attacking lineup next season would certainly appear to be a mouthwatering one should the director of football operations subsequently secure a further deal for Dembele

Indeed, while Jonson Clarke-Harris’ 31 League One goals stole the headlines for Peterborough last season, Dembele was arguably even more influential in the club’s promotion-winning campaign.

Over his 42 league appearances, the £1.08m-rated man scored 11 goals, registered 10 assists and created a whopping 17 big chances for his teammates, taking 1.8 shots and making 1.5 key passes per game.

These metrics saw the player who Barry Fry called a “dazzling” talent earn a seasonal Sofascore match rating of 7.06, ranking him as the club’s joint seventh-best performer in the league in 2020/21.

As such, with the 24-year-old possessing a clear eye for goal, in addition to being incredibly creative, a front three consisting of Dembele, Wilson and Muniz or Aleksandar Mitrovic would undoubtedly strike fear into a great many Championship defences next term. We believe that Khan should do all he can to get a deal over the line for the Posh forward this summer.

In other news: Mackintosh set to seal Fulham transfer masterclass, Marco Silva will be buzzing

West Bromwich Albion have confirmed the signing of central midfielder Quevin Moises Castro.

What’s the latest?

In a short statement posted on the West Brom website, the club confirmed that they have secured the services of the highly-rated 19-year-old on a two-year deal, with the Baggies holding an option to extend his stay for a further season, after the Portuguese youngster impressed while on trial at Palm Training Ground.

The club went on to state that Quevin is an “energetic and powerful” player, before welcoming the midfielder to Valerien Ismael’s side.

Fans surely buzzing

Having spent time with both Arsenal and Chelsea over the course of last season, with the former reported to have been at the “front of the queue” to land the 19-year-old this summer, it is obvious that the youngster is a player with a tremendous amount of potential.

Indeed, the midfielder’s signing kicks off the Valerien Ismael era at West Brom, with the Frenchman being known to favour young, exciting and talented players when putting together his teams, as can be clearly seen from his transfer business while in charge of Barnsley.

Furthermore, with the 45-year-old being left rather short in options in the middle of the park ahead of next season, it would not be a surprising turn of events to see Quevin integrated into the West Brom first team next season, with Ismael once again known for placing his trust in a club’s younger stars.

And, if the youngster’s signing is anything to go by, it would indeed appear to be a fantastic sign of things to come for Baggies fans up and down the country, with fans undoubtedly left buzzing by the prospect of what the future could hold under such a promising young manager who makes ambitious and “exciting” – in the words of Kevin Campbell – signings such as Quevin.

In other news: Masi drops West Brom transfer update on “complete” £12k-p/w beast, Ismael surely livid

Fulham are reportedly among the clubs eyeing a move for Manchester City youngster Tommy Doyle, according to Football League World. 

What’s the story?

Doyle has been with Manchester City since 2009 and has progressed his way through the club’s academy system over the years. His impressive showings for their under-23 side has seen him feature in the senior squad on a handful of occasions.

The 19-year-old has made seven senior appearances to date for Pep Guardiola’s first team, but it doesn’t seem as though he’ll feature on a regular basis for the Premier League champions any time soon.

Manchester City are reportedly keen to find him regular minutes in senior football away from the Etihad Stadium on a temporary basis, and it seems as though he won’t be short of offers.

West Brom, Sheffield United, QPR, Blackburn Rovers, Middlesbrough, Swansea City, Bournemouth, Cardiff City and Coventry City are also believed to be keen on signing Doyle this summer, so Fulham won’t have it all their way when it comes to trying to finalise an agreement for the midfielder.

Strength in depth could be key

Marco Silva’s side will be aiming to win promotion back into the Premier League at the first time of asking this season, and additional strength in depth wouldn’t do any harm.

We’ve already seen the likes of Harrison Reed linked with a move to Leeds this summer, and even though a formal bid is yet to be made, it’s good to see Fulham looking at other options heading towards the 2021/22 campaign.

Doyle could be an ideal signing for the Cottagers, with the youngster looking to make a name for himself in senior football having not been presented with much of an opportunity by Manchester City just yet.

Players who are hungry to prove themselves in senior football could provide the ideal competition for places in a team aiming to be challenging for promotion into the Premier League, and Silva would be hoping that Doyle could make a positive impact at Craven Cottage this term.

He has done that at under-23 level for City, with nine goals and 15 appearances in 50 appearances hinting at his game-changing ability – a trait which was lacking at Fulham last season. Even accounting for them playing at Premier League level, no player managed more than four assists in 2020/21 for Scott Parker’s team, while only Bobby Decordova-Reid scored more than four times [Transfermarkt].

Former Manchester City scout Greg Walsh labelled Doyle as “phenomenal” and “one of the best of his age in Europe” in an interview with HITC back in 2020, and it’s hard not to agree with that statement, especially when Manchester City have already given him seven appearances in their first-team squad so early into his career.

Fulham will know that they face a battle to land his signature this summer, but competition for the likes of Harrison Reed, Tom Cairney and André-Frank Zambo Anguissa is likely to be welcome for Silva ahead of the 2021/22 campaign.

If the newly-appointed Fulham manager can fend off numerous other suitors for the Manchester City starlet, it would be an enormous feather in his cap ahead of his first season in the Craven Cottage dugout. Shahid Khan must do all he can to try and ensure that Fulham win the transfer scramble for the 19-year-old.

In other news, Fulham in the hunt for “excellent” midfielder who fans could love