Arsenal have intensified their pursuit of Real Sociedad's Mikel Merino, with sporting director Edu Gaspar flying to Spain for negotiations.
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Tottenham manager Ange Postecoglou is expected to receive an injury boost as news emerges on their "unbelievable" attacking star.
Spurs are currently locked in a fierce battle with Unai Emery's Aston Villa for the last coveted Champions League qualification place.
Strong chance In-form player will now leave Tottenham for good this summer
He’s really thinking about leaving.
By
Emilio Galantini
Mar 12, 2024
Postecoglou's men also hold all the cards after a sensational 4-0 win in Villa's backyard last weekend, with goals from James Maddison, Brennan Johnson, Son Heung-min and Timo Werner rounding off one of Tottenham's most impressive displays of the season.
Spurs are now just two points behind Villa, who still occupy fourth, but the north Londoners could soon usurp them as they hold a game in hand over Emery.
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Tottenham's next league fixtures |
Date |
|---|---|
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Fulham (away) |
March 16th |
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Luton Town (home) |
March 30th |
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West Ham (away) |
April 2nd |
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Nottingham Forest (home) |
April 8th |
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Newcastle United (away) |
April 13th |
Sealing a place in next season's Champions League group stage pot will go a long way in determining the success of Postecoglou's debut campaign in the Spurs dugout, though the Australian has still proved very popular with his exciting, high-press brand of football.
"It was a big game with plenty of significance," said Postecoglou on Tottenham's win over Villa. "For us to perform like that was a big credit to everyone.
"Get excited? Why not. The supporters, if they don't get excited by a performance and result like that, in what was a significant game…you've got to enjoy that. It means we're one game closer, with just 11 games to go. Everyone was billing this as a do-or-die for us. I assume we're not dead yet."
What Spurs will desperately want to avoid, though, is injuries and absences for key players. Indeed, since the beginning of 2023/2024, Micky van de Ven, James Maddison, Manor Solomon, Ivan Perisic, Cristian Romero, Richarlison, Brennan Johnson, Giovani Lo Celso, Ashley Phillips, Ryan Sessegnon and Rodrigo Bentancur have all spent a month or more on the sidelines (Dan Kilpatrick).
Long-term injuries to van de Ven and Maddison mid-way through the season were particularly detrimental, with Postecoglou also forced to play a makeshift centre-back pairing of Emerson Royal and Ben Davies around the winter time when Romero was out as well.
The signing of Radu Dragusin has reinforced Spurs' backline, but supporters are anxiously awaiting the results of van de Ven's hamstring assessment after he was forced off against Villa. Luckily, though, there's been a positive update on star striker Richarlison.
Indeed, according to reliable journalist Matt Law of The Telegraph, Richarlison is expected to return for Spurs after the international break.
The Brazilian has bagged nine goals in his last 10 league appearances for Spurs, with Dejan Kulusevski calling Richarlison "unbelievable". His comeback from a knee injury will be an undoubted boost for the club in their race for a top four finish, especially with some tough games ahead.
Serie A side Fiorentina are determined to sign former Manchester United goalkeeper David de Gea this summer.
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Mexico boss Jaime Lozano dismissed from his post following an abysmal Copa America showing.
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Newcastle United have reportedly now agreed a transfer fee and personal terms to sign Charlie McArthur.
McArthur is a 17-year-old central defender who plays for Scottish side Kilmarnock.
He made four senior appearances for them last season, and has been a player in-demand, with Manchester City, Liverpool, West Ham United, Wolves and Brighton and Hove Albion all reportedly thought to be interested in his signature at one point.
Taking to Twitter, The Athletic’s George Caulkin revealed that the St. James’ Park outfit have now agreed a fee and personal terms for McArthur:
“One for the future but Newcastle United agree fee and personal terms for Kilmarnock’s Charlie McArthur.”
Expanding in his piece for The Athletic, Caulkin added that McArthur ‘will join’ for a fee of £350,000, and can sign a maximum three-year contract.
As Caulkin says, McArthur will be a player for the future, as the North East club look to build a talented core of youngsters for PIF’s long-term project.
Given the profile of clubs that were interested in him, notably Man City and Liverpool, for them to fend off that kind of competition is a real high point and shows the progress that the Magpies are making behind the scenes.
Nonetheless, if McArthur impresses enough, the Scotland U17 captain will hope to break into Eddie Howe’s senior squad at some point next season, perhaps furthering his development with some domestic cup outings.
In other news, find out who Keith Downie says NUFC are now ‘keen’ on signing here!
There has been an update regarding the future of Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Giovani Lo Celso, with the Argentine having spent the last six months on loan at Villarreal.
As per journalist Fabrizio Romano, the future of the 26-year-old appears somewhat uncertain, with it looking as if the playmaker is no closer to securing a return to the La Liga side.
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Relaying comments from Villarreal CEO Roig Negueroles, the transfer insider wrote on Twitter that: “Villarreal CEO Roig Negueroles: “Lo Celso is a player who has been happy here and has made us happy, so we would like to continue together”, tells @EsportsVila.
“He’s a Tottenham player and it is a very complicated operation as of now – we’re not even in talks”.”
The former Paris Saint-Germain man had joined the Spanish side back in January after failing to establish himself under manager Antonio Conte, with the deal reportedly including an option to buy.
That news will no doubt come as a source of annoyance to Spurs supporters, with the player having appeared to be an asset that the club could cash in on this summer, in order to generate funds for prospective targets.
Although a £150m injection has provided the Italian with a significant transfer kitty for the current window, gaining additional cash from player sales could also prove vital, with the former Chelsea boss plotting a squad revamp ahead of next season.
Reports have suggested that as many as eight first-team players – including Lo Celso – could be set for the axe this summer, with sporting director Fabio Paratici keen to ensure his compatriot has a squad capable of challenging in the 2022/23 season.
Having been signed from Real Betis three years ago, initially on loan, the 39-cap international has struggled to ever really nail down a regular starting role in north London, making just 26 league starts across the last three seasons combined, including just two in the most campaign season prior to his loan departure.
In total, the 5 foot 10 ace has scored just eight goals and provided a further six assists in 84 games in all competitions for the Lilywhites, failing to really justify the reported £27.2m transfer fee that was paid to make his temporary switch a permanent one in January 2020.
Not only will there be a great deal of frustration that the move has thus far failed to work out, but supporters will also undoubtedly be angered by the club’s current inability to part ways with a player who simply appears surplus to requirements.
In truth, Lo Celso is a reminder of the muddled transfer mess of the last few seasons, with the club needing to move on from him this summer.
A reliable journalist has provided an exciting transfer update despite Tottenham Hotspur suffering a blow in their pursuit of Alessandro Bastoni this week…
After the defender’s straight-talking agent Tullio Tinti met with the Inter Milan hierarchy on Wednesday, a clear message was relayed that the 23-year-old would not be leaving the San Siro in the summer transfer window.
“Bastoni is definitely staying at Inter,” he said. “He’s an Inter player. He’s happy to play for Inter.” That was then endorsed by the player himself with his reaction of blue and black heart emojis soon after.
However, not all hope is lost, as The Athletic’s Jack Pitt-Brooke has revealed that the north London outfit will spend big on a centre-back this off-season.
“They are willing to spend ‘Romero money’ on a new defender and have other options,” he claimed in a recent column for the website, in which he also suggests that a move for Bastoni isn’t completely off the table, with the Serie A club needing to raise funds.
Those 15 words should certainly provide many around N17 with encouragement that the Lilywhites hierarchy is prepared to back manager Antonio Conte to the wall.
The 52-year-old may not get the Italy international but there are plenty of interesting alternatives indeed, including Torino’s Bremer, Bastoni’s team-mate Milan Skriniar, RB Leipzig gem Josko Gvardiol, Crystal Palace colossus Marc Guehi and Villarreal star Pau Torres.
Ideally, this player needs to be a left-footed option, as it’s been full-back Ben Davies playing alongside Eric Dier and Cristian Romero, who is going to cost sporting director Fabio Paratici and chairman Daniel Levy around £40m to sign permanently.
That is a sizeable investment in the Argentina international and goes to show just how willing they are to seal another central defensive animal before the start of the 2022/23 campaign, where Spurs will be back in the Champions League.
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Many supporters will be gutted to have potentially missed out on Bastoni but they should be relieved, if not excited by Pitt-Brooke’s latest update, especially as they have many viable alternatives to the Italian, who has never played outside of his home country anyway.
The transfer window has only just reopened for business and there’s a long way to go before a ball is kicked again, so those around the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium should have faith in the club, given this promising update.
AND in other news, Spurs eyeing £27m-rated “tank” who’s like Van Dijk, he’s way better than Bastoni…
Everton have already been linked with a number of players this summer as Frank Lampard sets out to improve the squad following a disappointing Premier League season, and now a reliable source has revealed a new potential transfer target.
According to transfer insider Fabrizio Romano, the Toffees have joined the race to sign Montpellier winger Stephy Mavididi.
The Italian journalist tweeted: “Stephy Mavididi could leave Montpellier this summer. Many clubs have approached his agents including West Ham, Brighton, Southampton, Everton and OM. Deal still at early stages but there are good chances for Mavididi to make his move in the coming weeks.”
Everton are in desperate need of improvement after they narrowly avoided their first-ever Premier League relegation with a win in the penultimate game of the season, so supporters will be excited that the club is working to identify players who can add depth and quality to the squad.
Mavididi has been a consistent attacking threat for Montpellier in Ligue 1 this season, scoring eight goals, delivering three assists and creating four big chances for his team over his 30 league appearances.
For comparison, only Richarlison hit more than five league goals for Everton in 2021/22, so Mavididi could give Lampard’s side much greater potency judging by his goal return in the French top flight.
The former Arsenal loanee has received high praise from his idol Thierry Henry in recent months, with the Gunners legend saying of the 24-year-old on commentary for Amazon (via The Score): “What I’ve always liked about Stephy Mavididi is that he’s a hard-working player who closes (opponents) down.
“He’s always in the right place. What was missing was finishing — whether to give the ball or to score — but now he’s brought that to his game.”
With that in mind, the £20m-valued ace could be a great prospective addition to the squad at Goodison Park. As above, he is renowned as a hard-working forward who is capable of delivering plenty of goalscoring opportunities from centre-forward or out wide.
However, Farhad Moshiri will need to act fast if he does want to secure Mavididi’s signature this summer, as the 24-year-old has a number of clubs interested in making a move for him. If the Everton chief can pull it off, it has the makings of a real coup for the Toffees.
AND in other news – No-brainer: Moshiri must seal bargain Everton swoop for “very strong” £73k-p/w leader
Manchester United are once again being linked with a sensational move for Inter Milan defender Alessandro Bastoni, according to Gazzetta dello Sport (via Sport Witness).
A product of the youth system at Serie A club Atalanta, Bastoni is a rising star of Italian football and has already amassed 120 top-flight outings despite his tender years.
Recently, an initial report from FC Inter 1908 claimed that the Red Devils are keen on the 23-year-old Italy international, who is under contract in Milan until 2024 (Transfermarkt).
It now seems as though that interest could be growing, as a reputable Italian newspaper provides a fresh update…
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As per Gazzetta dello Sport, translated by Sport Witness, United are in the mix to sign Bastoni as Inter try to avoid selling Lautaro Martinez.
It is claimed that Erik ten Hag likes the 11-cap Italy defender ‘a lot’ and that the Red Devils present the ‘most credible’ interest in making the move happen.
The report added that it would take a fee of ‘at least’ €60m (£51.1m) in order to make the deal to bring the youngster a reality.
As Ten Hag gets to grips with the task at hand at Old Trafford, signing a player of Bastoni’s calibre would be a remarkable start to his reign in Manchester.
Despite adding Raphael Varane to a defence containing Harry Maguire, Victor Lindelof and Eric Bailly, United continued to leak goals at an alarming rate, posting the worst concession rate among the top seven finishers in the Premier League.
During the 2021/22 campaign, the 6 foot 3 giant earned an outstanding 7.10 Sofascore rating whilst winning 4.1 duels and making 1.8 clearances and 1.4 tackles on average per game. He has also been hailed as ‘world class’ by journalist Kaustubh Pandey.
That form, combined with the scope in which the 23-year-old has to develop even further, makes the £54m-valued Bastoni a worthy target for bolster United’s defensive ranks.
In other news: Man Utd and Ten Hag launch ‘important offer’ to sign ‘the future’ of football along with De Jong
Manchester United have reportedly made contact with Valencia goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili ahead of a potential move.
Mamardashvili stands at 6 foot 4 and only made a permanent move to Valencia back in January. He signed from Georgian side Dinamo Tbilisi in a deal worth just £765,000.
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Since then, the 21-year-old has gone on to make 21 appearances for the Spanish side, keeping nine clean sheets and conceding 22 times.
The Georgia international only penned a deal through to 2024 with Valencia and reportedly has a release clause set at €20m (£17m).
Sports Witness relayed an update from Spanish outlet AS regarding Mamardashvili on Wednesday.
They claimed that Valencia are already working on extending the goalkeeper’s contract which would raise his release clause from €20m (£17m) to €30m (£25.5m).
The report name-checks United with an interest in Mamardashvili, who has now ‘received a call’ from the Red Devils, presumably chief executive Richard Arnold, over a possible move.
It looks as if Dean Henderson could be on his way out of Old Trafford, with a move to Newcastle thought to be close.
Therefore, should the 25-year-old leave this summer, Erik ten Hag could be left with just Tom Heaton as back up to David de Gea.
On that basis, activating Mamardashvili’s £17m release clause could be an extremely smart move to provide competition to De Gea and in the long run.
The Spaniard will turn 32 in November, so United may soon have to think about his long-term replacement, and that could be Mamardashvili, providing he is willing to play second choice to begin with under Ten Hag.
In other news: Fabrizio Romano reveals Man Utd & Ten Hag eyeing another Dutch gem along with De Jong and Timber.