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According to a report by Dean Jones, writing for Eurosport, Tottenham and chairman Daniel Levy could turn to England national team coach Gareth Southgate as a genuine target if they do not land prime managerial target Julian Nagelsmann.

Southgate, who guided England to the 2018 World Cup semi-finals in what was a memorable summer, has now emerged as a possible candidate for the Lilywhites as the list of possible appointments grows larger.

Spurs could turn to Southgate

The likes of Nagelsmann, Brendan Rodgers and Erik ten Hag are also viewed within Spurs as potential contenders for the job (Eurosport), but Jones believes that Southgate is likely to be targeted if a move for Nagelsmann fails.

Indeed, the factor motivating Spurs’ relatively new interest in the England boss is apparently the 50-year-old’s relationship with superstar striker Harry Kane. It is understood that the pair get on very well, which could benefit Tottenham during a time where they want to convince the striker to stay in north London.

Transfer Tavern take

Described as a manager possessing a ‘ruthless’ streak by defender John Stones (Evening Standard), Southgate has also earned praise from Spurs legend Paul Gascoigne, who spoke of his pride in the Three Lions boss back in 2018 (Sky Sports).

Gazza also lauded him for getting England to play football ‘the way it should be played’ – and we believe he is another credible dark horse among many.

Both him and Brighton manager Graham Potter have emerged recently as potentially eyebrow-raising names linked with the Tottenham gig, but both men should be considered as Nagelsmann alternatives given their achievements over the last few seasons.

In other news: What Mourinho told Tottenham players after sacking at Hotspur Way, find out more here.

Barry Fry has exclusively told Football FanCast that he doesn’t believe Daniel Levy will regret appointing Jose Mourinho if Tottenham fail to win a trophy this season.

The Spurs chairman made the decision to sack the popular Mauricio Pochettino back in November 2019, before replacing him with the former Chelsea, Real Madrid and Manchester United manager in a bid to break Tottenham’s long wait for a trophy.

However, the north London crashed out of the Europa League in embarrassing fashion on Thursday evening, losing 3-0 to Croatian outfit Dinamo Zagreb, less than two months after exiting the FA Cup, meaning their only chance of silverware this season is in next month’s Carabao Cup final against Manchester City.

Tottenham are also six points off the top-four, and are in serious danger of not only missing out on the Champions League places, but European football altogether.

Despite their poor form under Mourinho, Peterborough’s director of football doesn’t think that Levy will see his decision to hire Mourinho as a bad one.

He told Football FanCast:

“Knowing Daniel, I don’t think that he ever thinks he makes a bad decision. Everybody was surprised when he made that appointment.

“But Daniel has built one of, if not the best stadium in the world at Tottenham now, it’s unbelievable. I’ve been a few times, and I’m always ‘wow, wow, wow’. So Daniel has done absolutely brilliant, because that was his brainwave, and everybody is grateful for that.

“But Tottenham fans also want to see an entertaining team on the pitch and they want to see a trophy. But they’ve got a chance of a trophy, so if they get a trophy then he will be god again.”

Tottenham return to Premier League action in desperate need of three points against Aston Villa at Villa Park on Sunday evening.

Ahead of what could be a very exciting summer transfer window for Leeds United, talks swirl around potential incomings and looming outgoings. Victor Orta enjoyed bringing in talent like Robin Koch and Raphinha to Elland Road last year, but with their Premier League spot firmly in place, he could be looking to flex his muscles even more.

Of course, sometimes ruthless decisions must be made and this looked to be the case for the Whites. Helder Costa, who signed for Leeds last summer following a successful loan stint, has been a conundrum to say the least.

Despite missing just three matches in their Championship-winning season, in which he bagged four goals and six assists, he has slipped down the pecking order this term. As per Transfermarkt, Costa has started just eight Premier League matches due to being muscled out of the prime spot by Raphinha.

Naturally, competition builds when there’s more than one capable player in the same position. However, there was an occasion in which Bielsa dropped the £32,500-a-week dynamo from the squad completely. Costa was absent from the clash against Newcastle in December – a situation in which the manager didn’t really offer up an explanation for, as per Leeds Live.

With Ian Poveda also pushing for a spot in the starting lineup, competition is heavy. Speaking to Football Insider, Kevin Phillips recently tipped Bielsa to wield the axe on Costa and cut his losses on the Portuguese winger. However, recent performances from the 27-year-old beg that the manager waits a little longer before making a decision.

According to Sofascore, Costa has contributed to two goals in his last three substitute appearances. He grabbed himself a goal against Arsenal in what looked to be a stunning Leeds comeback, but ultimately ended in a 4-2 defeat. However, his guts to pull a goal back despite such a big deficit shows he can hold his nerve and show up in important moments.

His time at Wolves saw him rack up a total of 19 goals and 19 assists, as per Transfermarkt. He was hugely admired by Nuno Espirito Santo, who described him as “immense” during his time in orange. Costa’s ability is starting to show once more and he has surely given Bielsa a huge headache over who should be his go-to choice on the right-hand side.

In other news, Leeds must move for Phillips 2.0 in Boubakary Soumare…

Manchester City made the decision to sell young centre-back Tosin Adarabioyo to Fulham in a deal that will see the Citizens receive up to £2 million and considering his recent performances for Scott Parker’s side, it looks as if they may have let him go far too easily.

The 23-year-old has made 24 appearances for Fulham in the Premier League this season, averaging an impressive 6.92 rating for his performances.

Although the West London side endured a difficult start to the campaign, they have given themselves a real chance of staying up after losing just twice in their last 10 games, which the defeats coming at home against top four-hopefuls in Leicester City and Tottenham.

Adarabioyo has been a big part of this improvement in form, as Fulham have managed six clean sheets in those 10 games, including shutouts in impressive away wins against both Everton and Liverpool.

The 6 foot 5 centre-back has already seen his value increase to £4.5 million on Transfermarkt, and you imagine that it will only increase further if Fulham stay up this season, and he continues to impress in Parker’s side.

Considering City have persisted with Eric Garcia at times this season, despite him refusing a new contract and agreeing to join Barcelona at the end of the season, it seems strange that they were willing to keep him in the squad whilst getting rid of Adarabioyo for such a small fee.

The former England U19 international was touted for big things at City and would go on to make just eight appearances for the Citizens’ first team, as well as enjoying loan spells at West Brom and Blackburn Rovers in the Championship.

It seems baffling, therefore, that City’s sporting director Txiki Begiristain was willing to let him go for so cheap in the summer, as he is still just 23 and if he continues to star in the Premier League, you would imagine he would be worth a lot more in the future.

And, in other news… 100% duels lost: “Remarkable” Man City beast let Pep and KDB down with awful display vs MUFC

Darren Bent has says he would resign ‘for health reasons’ if he were in Steve Bruce’s position at Newcastle. 

According to a poll conducted by the Shields Gazette at the beginning of March, a whopping 97.5% of fans ‘strongly disagree’ with the notion that Bruce is the right man to lead Newcastle forward – and that was before they went down 3-0 at Brighton, leaving the mood at the club the ‘lowest it’s been’, according to Ryan Fraser (via ESPN).

There are, of course, no fans in attendance at St James’ Park these days to offer a hostile reception, and Bruce said back in October that he doesn’t read online criticism.

Nevertheless, Bent – capped 12 times by England – reckons the atmosphere around the club will still be taking its toll.

“For Steve himself, what he’s had to endure in terms of the people hammering him from outside, if it was me, I’d have to resign just for health reasons,” he said on talkSPORT on Tuesday morning.

“The fact he’s taken so much stick – it’s difficult. For me, he’s done an okay job.”

Transfer Tavern verdict

The pain Newcastle fans feel at their club’s fortunes is entirely understandable, but while there are long-term fundamental issues clearly at play, Bruce is still partially culpable for their slide toward potential relegation. Based on their lifeless display in their six-pointer against Brighton, he has lost the dressing room.

What’s important, however – and the vast majority of Newcastle fans will likely recognise this – is that the criticism stays focused on Bruce’s sporting decisions, and does not become unduly personal.

In other news, journalists explain why Bruce retains the backing of Mike Ashley.

As per The Daily Record, Glasgow Rangers will need to pay a seven-figure legal bill in a case to determine how much compensation they need to pay to former shareholder Mike Ashley.

Ashley haunts Ibrox again

Ashley is far from a popular figure amongst the Ibrox supporters (The Scottish Sun) after deals he struck with the Gers saw their commercial revenue limited.

The 54-time Scottish champions previously signed a deal with Hummel and Elite over the manufacturing and selling of their kits, but it has been ruled that Ashley should have been given the chance to match their offer. Now, a case is imminent to determine how much compensation the tycoon should receive, and that could cost the Gers over £1m in legal fees.

The Daily Record detail costs of £450k for trial preparation, £300k on expert reports and £319,750 spent on the actual trial itself, coming in at £1,069,750.

Nemesis

Ashley continues to be a problem for the Gers. There were great efforts to remove him from the club’s dealings during the summer, while there were also concerns when it was revealed Castore, the Gers’ new kit manufacturer, will supply kits to Newcastle United, the club Ashley owns, next season.

Given the Gers’ financial problems in recent years – they went into administration less than 10 years ago (BBC) – both the board and the fans are undoubtedly wary of every single person involved in their side’s finances. Hopefully, these fees are cleared, they will have nothing more to do with the Tyneside boss.

In other news, Rangers fans are delighted by this new contract news.

Crystal Palace crushed Premier League stragglers West Bromwich Albion in a comfortable win at the Hawthorns last weekend to claim their first points in three games.

The Eagles are now getting ready to face Jose Mourinho’s high-flying Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday afternoon as they seek to build on their new-found momentum.

But ahead of the upcoming clash with Tottenham at the weekend, Roy Hodgson delivered some worrying news as he confirmed that summer signing Nathan Ferguson has suffered another setback in his bid to get match fit for the first time since he arrived at Selhurst Park.

Speaking in his pre-match press conference, the manager said: “It is quite sad news.

“He was and is getting on very well and actually joined in with us this week and has just become a bona fide member of the squad without us having to moderate what he can and can’t do.

“But unfortunately as sometimes happens in these situations, especially as he is young and enthusiastic, it has led to him picking up a slight thigh strain. At the moment I am waiting on the results of that thigh strain from the MRI. It is very unfortunate.”

With the new signing ruled out due to injury, Hodgson will be without Ferguson for at least their next Premier League game against Spurs. Joel Ward has recently recovered from injury but as one of only two right-backs available, Hodgson finds himself short of options as Palace enter a busy schedule in the build-up to Christmas.

Unless he drastically changes his mind, the 73-year-old will have to start Cheikou Kouyate alongside short-term injury cover Nathaniel Clyne, who has been in-and-out of the starting line-up in recent weeks.

According to The Athletic’s Matt Woosnam, Clyne only signed a temporary contract until January as he arrived at the club as a free agent after being released by Liverpool in the summer.

However, with Ferguson once again sidelined for the foreseeable future, this could present the former Liverpool defender with the golden opportunity to salvage his Palace career.

Palace are currently twelfth in the top flight, level on points with Aston Villa, but Newcastle and Leeds United are breathing down their necks. With Spurs at the top of the table, Mourinho’s side will be viewed as clear favourites. But Clyne could keep the free-scoring Harry Kane and Son Heung-min at bay in an attempt to persuade the board to give him a contract extension.

His former boss Jurgen Klopp thought highly of the 29-year-old as he called him a “machine” during his time at Anfield. Valued at £7.2m via Transfermarkt, it would be a shame to see the Eagles to let him go for free when the winter transfer market opens in January.

AND in other news, Crystal Palace can’t afford to lose Christian Benteke amid interest from Club Brugge…

When Wolves announced their side to face Manchester United on Tuesday evening, there were shades of Mick McCarthy. It wasn’t quite a completely different line-up, but there were some surprises.Max Kilman started at the back but there were very rare appearances for both Vitinha and summer signing Ki-Jana Hoever.Considering Nuno Santo’s side were playing at Old Trafford, it was an immense gamble to go with youth over experience. That being said, it very nearly paid off.Wolves held United until the 93rd minute when Marcus Rashford’s deflected effort crept passed a helpless Rui Patricio.It was harsh on the Old Gold, a team who had defended valiantly all game. With Rayan Ait-Nouri also playing alongside the likes of Hoever and Kilman, it was even more impressive that they managed to starve such a world-class attack.Though, we’d like to focus on Hoever here, someone who only joined a matter of months ago from Liverpool. The right-back has unquestionable talent and on Tuesday night, we saw why his ceiling is so high.The 18-year-old was making his first Premier League start and was coached admirably by club captain Conor Coady, the man he was playing beside. The skipper regularly shouted instructions at Hoever and it clearly worked a treat.

Birmingham Live reporter Alex Dicken claimed he “didn’t put a foot wrong†and it’s hard to argue with that claim. Hoever was as good going forward as he was defensively, producing three tackles and supplying one key pass.

Romain Saiss hit the woodwork and was also competent in defence but it was the full-back who should take most of the plaudits. At the age of 18 and playing inside one of the most historic grounds in world football, he didn’t look out of place.

The young Dutchman won six duels throughout the contest and also completed 80% of his passes. It wasn’t a perfect display – losing 60% of his duels – but he was still a monster in most facets of his play. The very fact it look United so long to break Wolves down supplements that theory.

With Nelson Semedo ahead of him in the pecking order, it’s unlikely Hoever will see too much action, but it’ll come as a huge relief to Nuno knowing he can rely on someone else in that position.

Wolves have a huge talent on their hands.

AND in other news, Wolves must swoop for “magical” £166k-p/w gem with “outstanding timing”…

After grabbing all three points in a controversial Premier League encounter with Southampton, Aston Villa will be looking to make it two wins on the bounce when they host West Ham United this Wednesday.

Dean Smith’s side are still hoping to nab a European place come the end of this campaign, but the Hammers have aspirations of their own after a surprise season. David Moyes’ side were beaten by Liverpool last time out, but they had racked up an incredible six wins in all competitions prior to that result.

Smith is not expected to make major changes for the clash with the Irons, but we expect a couple of tweaks, and below is a look at how Villa might line up.

In goal, Emiliano Martinez will be hoping for yet another clean sheet after sealing his tenth of the season with a superb performance against Southampton, as the Argentina international continues to cement himself as one of the top flight’s finest shot-stoppers.

Matt Targett has been superb recently and should not lose his place, so we don’t forsee any changes in the back four. The Villa boss confirmed an injury issue for Kourtney Hause in the build-up to this match, so keeping Tyrone Mings and Ezri Konsa fit over these coming weeks will now be essential.

In midfield, Morgan Sanson is pushing for his full debut after joining from Ligue 1 giants Marseille, and although he hasn’t exactly set the world alight so far, Smith seemed to hint that the Frenchman is in his plans to get his first start against Moyes’ men tonight.

The 26-year-old’s availability gives Smith somewhat of a selection headache, but if he does start, Douglas Luiz looks to be the likely partner given the defensive balance he can bring, meaning popular Scotland star John McGinn would be the one to miss out.

Further forward, £40,000-a-week winger Anwar El Ghazi is surely due a chance to break back into the side after losing his place to Bertrand Traore – the Burkina Faso forward hasn’t exactly made the spot his own despite some flashes of good form.

All in all, after the win against Southampton Smith is unlikely to completely overhaul his XI, but we think these couple of tweaks could make all the difference to give Moyes a headache of his own.

Predicted XI: Martinez; Cash, Konsa, Mings, Targett; Luiz, Sanson; El Ghazi, Barkley, Grealish; Watkins.

Chelsea have been handed another injury boost ahead of their trip to West Ham United this Saturday, with another star returning to training after his recovery from a hamstring problem.

Bournemouth 0-1 Chelsea as Maresca continues promising start

It’s been a promising start to the Premier League season for new manager Enzo Maresca, who has guided his side to two wins, one draw and a single defeat to English champions Man City so far this term.

Chelsea now planning to accept permanent offer to sell £100k-a-week player

His time at Stamford Bridge could rapidly be coming to a close.

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A defeat to Pep Guardiola’s imperious title-winners aside, Chelsea have performed in brilliant fashion over their trio of other clashes, and were very unlucky not to come away from their 1-1 draw at home to Crystal Palace with all three points.

After sharing the spoils with their London rivals at Stamford Bridge over a fortnight ago, Maresca’s side got back to winning ways in their first game back after the international break – clinching a 1-0 victory away to Bournemouth on Saturday.

Chelsea dominated possession at the Vitality Stadium, but Andoni Iraola’s Cherries gave them a lot of trouble. The Blues were under the cosh for a good portion of the 90 minutes, with goalkeeper Robert Sanchez even saving a penalty. However, Chelsea battled hard for all three points, with Christopher Nkunku sealing all three points through his smash-and-grab winner just before added time.

While Axel Disasi and Pedro Neto were criticised for their Chelsea performances against Bournemouth, with the former playing out of position before he was hauled off just past the hour mark, summer signing Jadon Sancho enjoyed a lively debut and provided the assist for Nkunku’s late winner.

Stat

Neto

Sancho

Minutes played

45

45

Touches

23

37

Accurate passes

10/15 (67%)

24/26 (92%)

Key passes

1

2

Dribbles completed

0/1

2/4

Duels won

0/3

2/4

Possession lost

9x

7x

It was a crucial, hard-earned victory for Maresca’s men – who now prepare for a tough to trip to the London Stadium this weekend to face West Ham next.

Chelsea given West Ham injury boost as Romeo Lavia trains at Cobham

A quartet of players missed the game on Saturday, with Malo Gusto out alongside Reece James to leave Maresca’s desperately short of right-backs over the weekend.

Luckily for the Italian, it appears Gusto has returned to training in a real boost for Chelsea, and he isn’t the only one. Midfielder Romeo Lavia missed their trip to Bournemouth with a hamstring injury, but the Belgian is now also back in contention.

As per Standard Sport, Lavia returned to Cobham training as well on Monday, following his recovery from a hamstring problem. He could therefore be available to play West Ham alongside Gusto, but defender Reece James remains sidelined.

Having the 20-year-old back will be a welcome boost for Maresca, despite Moises Caicedo’s excellent performances lately, and supporters will be hoping that Lavia can eventually become the “shining star” he was at Southampton (Sam Tighe).