Tag Futebol

Tottenham Hotspur are on the lookout for a new manager to replace Antonio Conte, and they have been rejected by former boss Mauricio Pochettino, according to a report from TyC Sports.

Do Tottenham Hotspur want Mauricio Pochettino?

There have been conflicting reports regarding whether Spurs are keen to bring Pochettino back, with it recently being reported that he is among the frontrunners for the job, alongside former Bayern Munich boss Julian Nagelsmann.

Journalist Paul Brown has claimed people in the dressing room would "really love" to have the Argentine back, while reporter Ben Jacobs has previously stated chairman Daniel Levy would be "extremely open" to his return.

However, the Daily Star report that Tottenham are no longer interested in the 51-year-old taking over as manager, and a new update indicates that he is eyeing a move elsewhere, and has no intention of returning to his former club.

According to a report from TyC Sports, the former Paris Saint-Germain boss recently rejected the chance to return to Tottenham, while he is also uninterested in taking over at Chelsea, Ajax, and the Brazilian national team. This stance is due to the fact he expects to take over at Real Madrid at the end of the season, at which point Carlo Ancelotti may leave to take up the role of Brazil manager.

Everything is said to be on track for Pochettino to join Real Madrid, as he is said to be the Spanish club's first-choice candidate, ruling out a return to N17.

Who will Tottenham appoint as manager?

It will be disappointing for many Spurs fans that the Argentine is out of the running, given the "brilliant" manager's previous history with the club, however, there are still a plethora of candidates for the role.

It has now been reported that Eintracht Frankfurt boss Oliver Glasner is interested in the idea of taking over at Tottenham, and he could be a savvy appointment, given that he led the German club to Europa League success last season.

Nagelsmann is another option for the Lilywhites, however they may have missed the opportunity to bring him to north London, as Fabrizio Romano reports Chelsea are considering him to replace Graham Potter.

The quality of manager Spurs can attract is likely to come down to whether they are able to achieve a top-four finish under the stewardship of interim boss Cristian Stellini, currently sitting in fifth place, one point behind Manchester United and Newcastle.

Manchester City have made an out-of-window £10.5m proposal for Hadjuk Split centre-back Luka Vuskovic, according to a report from The Athletic.

The Lowdown: City eyeing centre-back

Man City are running the rule over a number of potential centre-back signings in the summer transfer window, despite the fact Pep Guardiola already has the likes of Ruben Dias, John Stones, Manuel Akanji and Nathan Ake to choose from.

Josko Gvardiol is believed to be a major target for the Sky Blues, with the club recently sending officials to ‘remain in the loop’ regarding the RB Leipzig defender’s availability, while 21-year-old Micky Van de Ven has also emerged as a potential signing.

GiveMeSport have recently reported that Aymeric Laporte could be allowed to exit the Etihad Stadium in the summer window, which could accelerate plans to bring in another option at the heart of defence.

The Latest: Offer made for Vuskovic

As per a report from The Athletic, City have made a proposal for Vuskovic in recent days, which is believed to be worth an initial €10m, plus an additional €2m in potential add-ons which comes to £10.5m in total.

It is not detailed exactly who is interested in the 16-year-old, but the report claims there is fierce competition for his signature, and the Sky Blues have become the first team to formalise their interest with a serious offer.

The starlet has recently teamed up with prominent agent Pina Zahavi, and is yet to be revealed whether they will push for a move, with the offer itself yet to be either accepted or rejected.

The Verdict: Get it done?

Given the Croatian youngster’s age, he is very unlikely to come in and start challenging for a starting place anytime soon, but he appears to be a top talent for the future if his performances for the Hadjuk Split youth team this season are anything to go by.

The 6 foot 3 defender has made a total of 13 league appearances at youth level this season, and he has displayed his threat in the attacking third of the pitch to great effect, scoring six goals.

These performances have led to opportunities in the first team in recent weeks, starting the last four matches for Hadjuk Split’s first team, a phenomenal achievement for such a young player.

Football scout Jacek Kulig has hailed Vuskovic, describing him as a ‘truly amazing’ youngster who is ‘destined for great things’, so he could be an excellent addition for Guardiola, no doubt capable of one day establishing himself in the first-team.

Aston Villa host Bournemouth in the Premier League this afternoon as they attempt to head into the international break off the back of a win.

The Villans have won two of their last three matches in the division but were held to a 1-1 draw by West Ham United in their game last weekend.

Unai Emery's side took the lead through Ollie Watkins' header but Leon Bailey fouled Lucas Paqueta in the box and allowed Said Benrahma to equalise from the spot.

Despite being unbeaten in the last three outings, the Spanish head coach may look to freshen his team up in their last match before the break.

How will Aston Villa line-up against Bournemouth?

We predict that Emery will make three alternations to his starting XI. Firstly, Ashley Young could be recalled to start at right-back ahead of Matty Cash.

The Poland international lost 100% of his individual duels against the Hammers and the veteran – who has the third-highest Sofascore rating (6.92) in the squad – could come in to replace him after that weak display.

In midfield, John McGinn and Douglas Luiz could continue as the central midfield pairing as Boubacar Kamara continues to recover from his injury.

There could be two changes in the attacking areas, however, as Leon Bailey and Emi Buendia could find themselves on the chopping block.

Starting on the right, Bertrand Traore could be given a big opportunity to catch the eye to replace Bailey. The Jamaica international gave away a penalty against West Ham and has one goal and zero assists in his last 14 appearances, which could tempt the manager to take him out of the firing line.

Buendia, meanwhile, has one goal and zero assists in his last eight outings in the Premier League and has recorded a Sofascore rating of 6.5 or lower in four of those games. This could open the door for Jhon Duran, 19, to come into the team alongside Ollie Watkins at the top end of the pitch.

The dynamo, who talent scout Jacek Kulig once dubbed an aerial "threat", is yet to start his first league match for the club but scored eight goals and provided three assists in 14 MLS starts in 2022 and could offer more of an attacking threat than the Argentine playmaker.

Aston Villa are in the midst of their first poor run of form in the Premier League since Spanish head coach Unai Emery arrived in the dugout earlier this season.

The Villans have lost each of their last three matches in the top flight and have conceded 11 goals in that time – losing to Leicester, Manchester City, and Arsenal.

Emery made a few changes to his starting XI in their most recent clash, against the Gunners, and one player who made a return to the side was right-back Matty Cash.

The Poland international has been an excellent performer for the club in recent seasons but has been restricted to 14 starts in the division this term, thanks to the form of Ashley Young.

In spite of his recent struggles to start on a regular basis, Cash has been a terrific signing for the club since his arrival from Nottingham Forest in the summer of 2020.

How much is Matty Cash worth?

At the time of his move to Villa Park almost three years ago, Football Transfers placed his expected transfer value at roughly £14m (€15.8m) after his spell in the Championship with Forest.

As you can see in the graphic above, Cash’s xTV has now soared up to around £40m (€45.5m) because of his performances for Villa in the Premier League over the last couple of seasons.

His value has risen by around 186%, a fact that shows Johan Lange, the club’s sporting director, played a blinder with the signing of the full-back in 2020 with the gem having produced excellent displays and becoming a valuable asset from a financial perspective.

Cash, who was once dubbed a “real threat” in attack by Alex McLeish, enjoyed a superb debut campaign in the top flight with the Villans by averaging a Sofascore rating of 6.93 across 28 starts.

He made 4.6 tackles and interceptions per game and created 0.8 chances per match for his teammates, which resulted in him picking up two assists.

The English-born full-back followed that up by averaging a Sofascore rating of 6.94 in 38 Premier League starts last season, which placed him joint-fourth in the squad. In those games, the 25-year-old plundered four goals and three assists, whilst making 3.6 tackles and interceptions per outing, for the side.

These statistics show that the dynamo delivered consistently impressive performances for Villa in his first two campaigns for the club – providing quality at both ends of the pitch.

Therefore, Lange and ex-boss Dean Smith played a blinder by signing him from Forest in the summer of 2020 as the gem has enjoyed great success on the pitch, with his xTV highlighting his continual development over the years.

Leeds United welcomed four new faces to Elland Road in January during a transfer window which seemed incredibly significant in safeguarding the future of the football club.

The Whites currently sit just one point outside the relegation places and it was clear that the squad needed bolstering in all areas, so Jesse Marsch duly added an attacker, a midfielder and two defenders to quell those issues.

It leaves his squad in a better place than they were before the World Cup, but they were forced to say goodbye to one of those figures who earned cult hero status for their role in the return to the Premier League in 2020.

Mateusz Klich had starred for Marcelo Bielsa, and alongside Kalvin Phillips embodied everything for which the legendary Argentine stood. He was hard-working and tough-tackling but had enough finesse to contribute to the transition too.

Although his game-time had diminished, with the Poland international not making a league start this season and featuring for only 266 top-flight minutes, he still arguably yielded more influence and minutes than Adam Forshaw, who remained at the club.

The 31-year-old also used to be an important figure for the Yorkshire outfit, but a string of injuries meant that he struggled to ever recapture his past displays, in turn seeing him feature for only 157 league minutes so far this season.

Even now the Whites are struggling to comprehend exactly what his latest ailment is, as injury expert Ben Dinnery claimed: “It’s a very difficult situation for Leeds and Forshaw. The surgery that he had back in 2019 kept him on the sidelines for the best part of 18 months and it was highly disappointing.

“He’s had his fair share of injuries since that problem too and whenever he seems to be able to establish himself in that starting lineup he picks up an injury. The concern comes from not being able to identify the underlying cause – Leeds can’t address the issue if medical staff are confused about what is causing it.”

With a case which is so perplexing that it seemingly cannot be fixed, it begs the question as to why he remains and Klich’s exit was sanctioned.

Even at their best, which for Forshaw was the 2018/19 season and for his former team-mate was the following campaign , the two are incomparable.

The now-DC United maestro earned a 7.07 average rating during that year, playing a huge role in their comfortable Championship triumph as he scored six goals, set up five and recorded 1.8 key passes and 1.9 tackles per game (via Sofascore).

Meanwhile, in the campaign prior, Forshaw could only muster a 6.91 rating whilst not offering a single goal contribution. He did record 2.2 tackles per game, which is not even that much of an improvement on his Polish counterpart (via Sofascore).

To compound this further, as of last year, the former Everton academy graduate’s £20k-per-week salary far outweighed Klich’s £7.7k-per-week. 

With both players past their peaks, surely it made sense to retain the better-performing option of the two and instead ditch the injury-ridden financial burden who has little to offer nowadays.

Tottenham Hotspur have agreed a deal to bring Jude Soonsup-Bell to north London in the January transfer window.

What’s the latest?

That’s according to a report by the Evening Standard, who revealed that Fabio Paratici has now agreed a deal for the Chelsea centre-forward – who is expected to be officially announced by Spurs upon completion of a medical and the 19-year-old putting pen to paper on a contract at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

The report goes on to suggest that Manchester City were also interested in a move for the England U18 international this month, with Pep Guardiola’s side also making an offer for the striker, however, despite the interest of the reigning Premier League champions, Soonsup-Bell now appears to be on his way to Tottenham.

“Top goalscorer”

Considering just how exciting a prospect Soonsup-Bell very much looks to be, the fact that Paratici has managed to beat off City in the race to land the 19-year-old this month undoubtedly represents a fantastic coup for Antonio Conte and his side.

Indeed, the £350k-rated talent first caught the eye during his time with Chelsea’s U18 side, scoring an astonishing 23 goals and providing a further two assists over his 25 appearances for the youth outfit – averaging a direct goal involvement every 76 minutes of football played for the U18s.

The youngster has continued his fine goalscoring form while working up the Blues’ age groups, bagging one goal and registering three assists over 12 outings for the U19s, as well as netting five goals and notching two assists over 40 fixtures for the U21s.

Rather unsurprisingly, these returns have seen the teenager already earn his first-team debut for Chelsea, a fact that could see him walk into senior team training at Hotspur Way too.

The youngster has earned a considerable amount of praise for his displays, with Chelsea U18 manager Ed Brand stating of the centre-forward following his winner in the U18 Premier League Cup against Fulham last season:

“Jude is a top goalscorer. He showed great composure to get the ball out of his feet and finish well when he got his chance. He is a fantastic player at this level and he should be really proud.”

However, it has not only been at club level that Soonsup-Bell has been catching the eye, with the striker having also racked up ten goals over 18 caps for England U15s, U16s, U17s and U18s.

As such, it would indeed appear as if the Chelsea wonderkid has an exceptionally bright future in the professional game, with Spurs’ capture of the Chippenham-born talent very much appearing to be a fantastic coup for Paratici and Tottenham, with the club’s transfer team enjoying the rare feat of beating the league champions to a new signing.

Everton were heavily linked with a move for Conor Gallagher in the summer and now a new update has emerged on the club’s pursuit of the player in the winter transfer window.

What’s the latest?

According to the Daily Mail, Everton are joined by a number of Premier League clubs to have registered their interest in the Chelsea midfielder this month.

As per the report, four other top-flight sides are chasing the England international with Crystal Palace, Newcastle United, Nottingham Forest and Southampton joining Everton.

That said, it is claimed that Gallagher would prefer to remain at Stamford Bridge to fight for his place in Graham Potter’s first team.

Imagine him & Onana

Despite Gallagher’s reluctance to leave Stamford Bridge this month, it would be a major coup for Frank Lampard in his pursuit to retain Everton’s Premier League status at the end of the season.

The Toffees have found themselves falling into another challenging relegation scrap ahead of the second half of the season with the side currently 19th in the top-flight table after collecting just 15 points and scoring just 15 goals over their first 19 outings.

As a result, the opportunity to strengthen the team and add quality could not have come soon enough for the former Chelsea boss and Gallagher would be a seismic move in the manager’s efforts to improve performances on the pitch.

The 22-year-old midfielder – who boasted a £50m price tag last summer – saw a rapid rise to fame in English football over the last 18 months after his influential loan spell at Crystal Palace earned him an opportunity to impress Gareth Southgate in the senior England team ahead of the World Cup which led to the manager selecting Gallagher in his squad at the prestigious international tournament back in November.

However, since returning to his parent club in London last summer it seems the success has stagnated with the player being given inconsistent game time this season, averaging just 39 minutes per league game, which has hindered his chances to build up some form in the team to prove his worth.

Lampard could give Gallagher – who was dubbed “Kante with goals” by Tony Cascarino – an opportunity to thrive at Goodison Park over the second half of the season by pairing him up with fellow progressive midfielder Amadou Onana in the centre of the pitch.

It’s a pairing that could just give Everton the opportunity to climb out of their perilous position.

Indeed, both players have the same number of goal contributions (2 v 2) this term and a similar pass completion rate (79.1% v 82.7%) with Onana outperforming Gallagher in a number of defensive attributes including aerial duels won (50% v 39.1%), interceptions (16 v 8) and tackles won (3o v 19).

However, the Chelsea ace makes up for what he lacks in defensive qualities outshining Onana with his attacking and progressive play including shots on target rate (44.4% v 10.5%), shot-creating actions per 90 minutes (3.32 v 1.17) and goal-creating actions (3 v 1), so combining the pair to balance out each other’s strengths and weakness could form an incredible midfield partnership.

With that being said, it would be a no-brainer for Everton to push for the signing of Gallagher this month as his creativity and attack-minded approach could significantly improve the displays at the heart of the team, ultimately saving the side from a dreaded relegation to the Championship.

Tottenham Hotspur striker Harry Kane may have a release clause or gentlemen’s agreement in his Spurs contract, claims Tony Cascarino.

The Lowdown: Kane’s situation

Kane has not committed his long-term future to Tottenham with him yet to agree an extension on his current £200k-per-week deal that expires in 2024.

The 29-year-old is in his 10th Premier League campaign since making his top-flight debut for the Lilywhites in a late cameo against Newcastle United in 2012.

He’s since gone on to score 265 goals in 412 games for the north Londoners and is one away from levelling Jimmy Greaves’ club goalscoring record.

The Latest: Cascarino’s comments

Despite him being on the verge of immortality at Spurs, Cascarino questioned on TalkSport whether there is something in Kane’s contract that could see him leave in an attempt to bag the first major trophy of his career.

He said: “With 18 months on his contract now, he has to make up in his own mind what direction he goes.

“Daniel Levy’s played a big part in keeping him at Spurs, but when the last contract was signed, were words said that ‘if I’m not achieving some of the goals I want to do with the record on my CV, can you let me go for a certain amount?’”

“Harry clearly does want to win things – who wouldn’t?

“He clearly does, he plays with the type of manner that he really does try desperately hard to be as successful as he can, but it’s just not happening with Spurs, though.”

The Verdict: Career-defining decision

With Kane turning 30 before the start of next season, the end of his current contract sets up a huge dilemma that will define his career, with guaranteed legendary status at Spurs on the cards or a greater chance of winning silverware elsewhere.

England’s joint all-time goalscorer is yet to lift a single major trophy in his incredible playing career, with Spurs previously league runners-up, twice beaten finalists and four-time beaten semi-finalists in Kane’s time.

Antonio Conte is a serial winner but with his future also uncertain and no obvious winning remedy at the club, silverware doesn’t look to be on the cards at present, so it’s a huge decision that looms for the Englishman as early as the summer.

Liverpool are eyeing a January move for France international and World Cup finalist Adrien Rabiot, according to reports.

The Lowdown: Reds target stars of Qatar…

The Reds have been targeting some of the World Cup’s most stunning performers with both Sofyan Amrabat of Morocco and Argentina sensation Enzo Fernandez heavily linked.

Jurgen Klopp and club owners Fenway Sports Group, going by recent claims, have used the tournament in Qatar as a potential talent pool as the Anfield side look to fight their way back to the Premier League summit.

Some way off league frontrunners Arsenal, they are also chasing a deal for Borussia Dortmund superstar Jude Bellingham, yet it appears another international has entered their sights also.

The Latest: Liverpool eye Rabiot move…

According to Corriere dello Sport (via Sport Witness), Juventus midfielder Rabiot is a target for Liverpool as the £149,000-per-week midfielder attracts real interest.

The 27-year-old played six games under Didier Deschamps and ranked highly among the best-performing players in their squad, potentially resulting in Liverpool’s intrigue (WhoScored).

As well as Klopp’s side, it is believed that Spurs and Chelsea are also looking at Rabiot for next month – with the former currently out in front.

The Verdict: Good alternative?

The demand for both Amrabat and Fernandez after their stellar international campaigns in the Middle East could make them very tough to get, but Rabiot is a different story.

His contract at Juve expires in 2023, putting pressure on the Serie A side to either sell for a quick fee mid-season or risk losing him for nothing later in the year.

Corriere believe a bid of ‘€10-15m (£8.7m-£13m)’ would be considered and that is certainly a fair price to pay for Rabiot – who has also been called a ‘superb professional’.

Celtic-bound Alistair Johnston has been backed to cope with the heights of signing for the Premiership giants by former Scotland international Alan Hutton.

The Lowdown: World Cup impact

It has taken just a single season at Montreal and two World Cup games for Johnston’s name to be fixed on the radar of Ange Postecoglou’s side, with his impressive performances for Canada in Qatar seeing him thrive in a back-three system under John Herdman. 

The Hoops are reported to have agreed a £3m deal with the 24-year-old, with a January move likely due to the absence of work permit complications owing to a UK passport through his mother (Daily Record).

The Latest: Hutton’s backing for Johnston

According to Hutton, Johnston will not be fazed by the switch from the MLS to the Scottish Premiership. 

Asked by Football Insider if the Canada defender would struggle to adapt at Celtic, the BBC pundit said: “I do not think so. I think the biggest change for him will be a culture thing and moving country. That will be the biggest thing for him.

“Could you say that it is slightly higher standard? Possibly.

“I think when you come in to Celtic and Rangers it is the pressure you are under to constantly win, to try and pick up trophies, European games, so that is something that he will have to get used to.

“He is a young player, I have watched him and he plays with no fear. I do not see why it would be a real problem for him.“

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/key-latest-celtic-updates-9/” title=”Key latest Celtic updates!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=“none”]

The Verdict: A great coup

Hutton is correct. It would be a surprise to see Johnston struggle to adapt to the Premiership, with the defender accustomed to pressure, having performed commendably on the world stage in Qatar. 

In fairness to Johnston, he is experienced at international level, having made 32 appearances for Canada; and despite not bursting into the higher ranks of the professional football scene until his MLS debut in 2020, he has transitioned well. 

His efforts on the pitch reflect his defensive attributes, winning four tackles in his two World Cup appearances, with his versatility at the back sure to come as a big boost to Postecoglou. 

Assuming there are no late hitches, this is an exciting move for both parties; and based on his performances at the World Cup, Johnston seems as though he would settle in nicely at Parkhead.