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Tottenham Hotspur remain interested in signing Marcel Sabitzer this summer, despite the departure of Jose Mourinho last month…

What’s the word?

That’s according to Thursday’s print edition of Italian newspaper La Gazetta dello Sport (27th May, page 14), which claimed that Spurs are still a ‘dangerous competitor’ in the race to land the 27-year-old attacking midfielder.

Mourinho, who is now in charge of AS Roma, is also still keen on the RB Leipzig skipper but his former north London outfit ‘remain at the window,’ as per the report.

Meanwhile, Sport Bild believe the Bundesliga club are willing to sell their star playmaker for around €42m (£36m).

Lo Celso upgrade

Tottenham have been crying out for a goal presence and creative source from midfield all season and that is exactly what Sabitzer would provide.

This campaign alone, the Austria international has directly contributed to 16 goals in 39 appearances in all competitions, meaning he has averaged a goal or an assist once every 185 minutes, via Transfermarkt. That’s merely another impressive return from Sabitzer, who provided 16 goals and 11 assists in 2019/20.

It means he has delivered a total of 25 goals and 18 assists across the past two seasons, a stark contrast to Spurs’ options in the same role and, in particular, Giovani Lo Celso.

The Argentine was seemingly signed as a replacement for Christian Eriksen, initially joining on loan from Real Betis in the summer of 2019 before the north Londoners made the move permanent in a club record-equalling £55m deal.

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In the same timeframe as Sabitzer’s lucrative run, Lo Celso has only given Spurs seven goals and four assists in return at an average of one goal contribution every 334 minutes, as per Transfermarkt.

That’s nearly double the Leipzig star’s ratio by comparison. It’s a massive difference.

Furthermore, the 25-year-old isn’t even among Spurs’ most creative players, managing only 0.8 key passes and 0.4 dribbles per game during the 2020/21 season, whilst Sabitzer has managed 1.1 key passes and 0.6 dribbles per match in the Bundesliga this term.

He’s evidently everything that Lo Celso should’ve been for Spurs. It’s also no wonder why he’s earned many a glowing endorsement in recent times – his former boss Ralf Rangnick described him as “remarkable” and current head coach Julian Nagelsmann has previously dubbed him a “goal threat”.

Get German Football News editor-in-chief Daniel Pinder has even likened the attacking maestro to the Lilywhites’ former playmaker.

Speaking exclusively to Football FanCast, he said: “I think he’d bring a lot to Tottenham. He’s very similar to Eriksen, he’s that sort of player that Spurs have been missing in midfield.”

Even in the absence of a new manager, chairman Daniel Levy must ensure that it is Spurs who win the race for the £26m-rated dynamo this summer.

He would be a clear upgrade in a vital area of the pitch for whoever is appointed as the club’s next manager.

AND in other news, NO Kane? Skriniar SIGNED? How Spurs’ XI could look under Antonio Conte…

In what appears to be the never-ending saga of Newcastle United and their potential takeover, the Reuben Brothers, who only wanted a 10% stake in the club, would be brilliant for the Magpies, according to former defender Steve Howey.

They already own several properties in Newcastle as well as the horse racing track, so are already familiar with the area and after their wealth reportedly increased by over £5 billion in the last 12 months, fans questioned why they didn’t buy the club outright themselves?

Mike Ashley also did not fare too badly on the Sunday Times’ UK rich list which was released last week, as he saw his wealth increase by a staggering £769 million, despite most of the high street being hit very hard during the COVID pandemic.

Whoever eventually gets handed the keys from Mike Ashley will have to run the club properly and invest sufficiently. Those are the thoughts of Howey, who spoke exclusively to Football FanCast:

“If the Reuben Brothers bought the club, then brilliant, as long as they invest and look after the club. That’s the same for PIF because ultimately, they might own it on paper, but it’s not their club.

“Basically, owners are just custodians, looking after the club. Football clubs belong to the fans, even though they don’t own it. So any owners that come in, you just want them to look after the club as best as they possibly can.”

Despite being in a relegation battle for the second half of the season, Steve Bruce managed to guide the Magpies to an impressive 12th place finish, the highest they have finished since the 2017/18 season when they finished 10th.

All the talk on Tyneside is for once, not about relegation or the takeover, but more focussed on what the club do with Joe Willock in the summer with fans and Bruce eager to bring the Arsenal youngster back to Tyneside for next season after his impressive eight goals in 14 appearances.

Speaking exclusively to Football FanCast, former Premier League midfielder Carlton Palmer has warned Tottenham fans not to expect a Daniel Levy departure despite all of the fallout from the collapsed European Super League.

The Tottenham chairman is facing strong opposition right now from supporters, largely for the club’s involvement in the aforementioned, with many now calling for him and ENIC to pack their bags.

This comes after Football Insider reported that owner Joe Lewis is looking to sell the Premier League outfit. And after all the backlash the current regime has received following the ESL farce, some Spurs fans may be starting to think this could be it for Levy and Lewis.

Palmer, however, is not too sure. When asked by FFC whether the ESL disaster could end up forcing Levy out of the club, the ex-Sheffield Wednesday player said:

“Well, Levy’s never been popular at Tottenham, has he? He’s never been popular, so I don’t think that changes his mindset [regarding staying at the club].”

Next on the agenda for Levy is finding a new permanent manager for Spurs following Jose Mourinho’s sacking.

That new manager, however, will not be Julian Nagelsmann, who will leave RB Leipzig for Bayern Munich in the summer.

MatériaMais Notícias

O Palmeiras pode ter um desfalque importante no jogo contra o Atlético-MG, quinta-feira, às 21h (de Brasília), pela 35ª rodada do Brasileirão. O lateral esquerdo Zé Roberto sofreu uma pancada no treino de sexta-feira, sentiu dores e não participou do jogo-treino com o sub-19 do Flamengo de Guarulhos na manhã deste sábado, na Academia de Futebol.

Egídio foi o escolhido para ocupar o posto do veterano no time titular. O Verdão venceu por 7 a 0, sendo que no segundo tempo Cuca utilizou os reservas, comFabrício na lateral esquerda.

Caso Zé Roberto não se recupere a tempo, Egídio deve ser titular na partida em Belo Horizonte. O elenco alviverde terá folga no domingo e se reapresentará na segunda-feira. A viagem para a capital mineira está marcada para terça.

Além do lateral, são desfalques os zagueiros Roger Carvalho e Fabiano. O primeiro sofre de uma lesão no tornozelo, enquanto o segundo já está em fase de transição = Fabiano realizou um trabalho físico em campo separado neste sábado, enquanto o restante do elenco disputava o jogo-treino.

O atacante Rafael Marques, também em fase de transição, é dúvida na partida contra o Galo, assim como Gabriel Jesus, que está disputando as Eliminatórias da Copa com a Seleção Brasileira. O último compromisso será na madrugada de terça para quarta-feira, contra o Peru.

Já o zagueiro Yerry Mina, que estava com a seleção da Colômbia, sofreu lesão na coxa esquerda e foi liberado. Ele voltará à capital paulista neste domingo para iniciar a recuperação. Embora não esteja descartado contra o Galo, Edu Dracena ser a dupla de Vitor Hugo na zaga palmeirense.

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The Celtic boardroom must be a hive of activity right now. The Bhoys hierarchy are searching for a new manager while they also require a director of football.

It has been all change in recent months for the Hoops with both Neil Lennon and Nick Hammond departing.

Hammond’s exit has left the door open for Celtic to create a new position which has been much talked about.

A director of football would completely revolutionise the scene at Paradise and should streamline their recruitment process.

However, who could that honourable title go to? Manchester City’s Fergal Harkin appears to be the number one choice right now but if Eddie Howe becomes the new manager, it could be his companion from Bournemouth, Richard Hughes.

That said, Celtic should forget about both and consider Neil McGuinness instead. According to The Daily Record, he is one of the names in the frame to be given the job and judging by his experience, he’d be a first-class successor to Hammond.

McGuinness started his career at Celtic so knows the surroundings well, having been a scout in the club’s recruitment team.

He has since worked with Xavi at the Aspire Academy in Qatar and the 39-year-old is now the Director of Scouting at MLS side Columbus Crew.

Since he moved to America, he has built a title-winning side with Columbus Crew, winning the Eastern Conference and then the MLS Cup in 2020.

Speaking in December last year, he said: “I have been lucky enough to experience a lot of big days and nights in my career so far and been part of trophy-winning teams. You never get tired of wanting that feeling and the team winning the Eastern Conference was another experience I won’t forget quickly.”

Although that might be one of the finest moments of his career, it was unearthing a certain Virgil van Dijk that McGuinness has become famous for.

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He was part of the scouting network that brought the Dutchman to Paradise and since then, he’s moved to England and become one of the best players in the world with Liverpool.

With that in mind, bringing him back to Celtic as the head of an entire department could see similar levels of success achieved.

Of course, Van Dijk is an anomaly; there are few better than him on the planet, but Celtic’s recruitment would surely improve significantly.

After all, McGuinness is about as passionate as they come when it comes to data analysis and watching football.

In an interview with the BBC, he explained: “I’d been doing freelance scouting since I was 13, 14; creating custom databases, watching a lot of football from all over the world.”

Despite a huge preference put on data scouting in the modern game, McGuinness reckons there is no substitute for watching a player live and in the flesh.

“Even before you watch a player you can look back on every game he’s played and use the video analysis software to make a custom video report. But there is still a huge need for watching the player live, having your own opinion and speaking to people within the game about him,” he commented.

“There have been times when I’ve watched a player on video, spoken to the management staff, they’ve watched the video, everyone’s been happy, then seen him live and within five minutes know that he will never play for us,” McGuinness added.

Crucially, however, the scout recognises that a manager always has to be in place before recruitment happens.

Coincidentally, he spoke in the wake of Ronny Deila’s departure in 2016, saying: “The recent recruitment of guys like Carlton Cole, Nadir Ciftci, Colin Kazim-Richards – not including some of the loan players who have come to the club – have just not been good enough and the overall talent pool within the squad has dropped because of it.”

McGuinness continued: “This in turn has made the supporters start to ask questions, so the pressure is on to make sure that the players being identified and monitored are of the level that Celtic should aspire to, in advance of the new manager being installed.”

Celtic now find themselves in a similar boat with the additions of Vasilis Barkas, Albian Ajeti and co. worsening the talent pool available to them.

The former Bhoys figure clearly knows what he’s talking about and would be a perfect addition at such a crucial moment in Celtic’s history.

Dermot Desmond simply has to consider him.

AND in other news, Worse than Kenny: Celtic star who made just 15 passes should be finished at Paradise…

MatériaMais Notícias

O São Paulo tem se movimentado no mercado em busca de opções de reforços para 2017. Depois de Nilmar, do Al Nasr (EAU), a diretoria consultou a situação de dois jogadores que atuam na Ucrânia: os atacantes Bernard e Wellington Nem, do Shakhtar Donetsk. No caso dos dois jogadores de 24 anos, no entanto, a possibilidade de acerto é difícil.

Tanto Bernard quanto Wellington possuem mais um ano e meio de contrato com o clube ucraniano, que costuma dificultar a saída de seus jogadores. Nos dois casos, a possibilidade que se abre para o Tricolor é por empréstimo, já que o Shakhtar tem recusado propostas milionárias por seus atletas nos últimos anos. Na última janela de transferências internacionais, recusou 25 milhões de euros (cerca de R$ 100 milhões) do Porto por Bernard, por exemplo.

Os contatos do São Paulo são com os representantes dos jogadores. Existe a possibilidade de Alexandre Pássaro, advogado do clube, viajar para a Ucrânia nos próximos dias para saber se os ucranianos têm interesse em ceder seus atletas. Adriano Spadoto, empresário de Bernard, pode ir junto para auxiliar nos contatos sobre o ex-jogador do Atlético-MG que disputou a última Copa do Mundo sob o comando de Luiz Felipe Scolari.

A ideia do São Paulo é mapear o máximo possível de jogadores com potencial. A diretoria está focada em garantir a permanência na Série A do Campeonato Brasileiro, mas terá de se movimentar para montar um time forte para 2017. Em abril, acontece a eleição para presidente e Carlos Augusto de Barros e Silva, o atual, sabe que a atuação na próxima janela de transferências será um ponto importante para vencer o pleito..

A diretoria tem previsão de maiores investimentos para o ano que vem, já que os gastos com contratações em 2016 foram reduzidos (exceção à aquisição de Maicon, cujos R$ 22 milhões pagos ao Porto foram parcelados). No entanto, terá disputas acirradas no mercado caso invista mais forte nas contratações desses atletas. Wellington Nem e Bernard sempre despertam o interesse de grandes clubes brasileiros a cada janela de transferências e dessa vez não será diferente. Palmeiras e Flamengo, que brigam pelo título do Campeonato Brasileiro, são considerados os de maiores potenciais de investimento pela situação financeira confortável que passam.

Atualmente, o São Paulo conta com três atacantes de beirada de campo no elenco: Kelvin, que está emprestado pelo Porto até o fim do ano e não deve permanecer, Robson, recém-chegado do Paraná, Luiz Araújo e David Neres, recém-promovidos do time Sub-20.

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تلقى ليفربول دفعة كبيرة مع عودة تياجو ألكانتارا إلى التدريبات الكاملة قبل مباراة يوم الأحد في كأس الاتحاد الإنجليزي مع كارديف سيتي في الأنفيلد.

عاد لاعب خط الوسط الإسباني إلى فريق يورجن كلوب بعد سبعة أسابيع من الخروج بسبب التواء في الفخذ.

لم يشارك تياجو منذ فوز ليفربول على نيوكاسل يونايتد في الدوري الإنجليزي في 16 ديسمبر الماضي.

اقرأ أيضًَا.. منافس ليفربول | قائمة إنتر ميلان لـ دوري أبطال أوروبا.. ضم الصفقتين الجديدتين

وظهرت شائعات تفيد بأن ليفربول سيفتقد خدمات تياجو ألكانتارا حتى نهاية الموسم الحالي، ولكن يورجن كلوب نفى ذلك على الفور.

وذكرت شبكة “ذا أثلتيك” الإنجليزية، أن تياجو ألكانتارا حريص على تعويض الوقت الضائع حيث يتطلع إلى استعادة مستواه من جديد.

واقتصرت مشاركات تياجو في الموسم الحالي على 8 مباريات فقط في الدوري الإنجليزي، بسبب إصابة ربلة الساق ثم كورونا، وأخيرًا إصابة الفخذ.

وأوضحت أن تياجو عاد إلى كامل لياقته البدنية في الوقت المناسب قبل فترة محمومة بدايتها مباراة ليفربول وكارديف يوم الأحد المقبل، في دور الـ32 من كأس الاتحاد الإنجليزي.

ويلي ذلك مباراتين في الدوري الإنجليزي ضد ليستر سيتي وبيرنلي، قبل مواجهة إنتر ميلان في ذهاب دور الـ16 من دوري أبطال أوروبا على ملعب سان سيرو.

وبعد ذلك، هناك مواجهة لـ نورويتش سيتي في الدوري الإنجليزي، قبل الصدام بـ تشيلسي في نهائي كأس كاراباو في ويمبلي.

Away from the usual candidates of Jamie Vardy, Harvey Barnes and James Maddison, Youri Tielemans has been just as vital for Leicester City this season.

The Belgian midfielder has been one of the most consistent performers throughout 2020/21 as the Foxes attempt to secure a Champions League place.

Amid rumours suggesting that Manchester United have been scouting Tielemans, the former Monaco man has said that he is “really having fun” at the King Power Stadium, a statement which will satisfy Leicester of his loyalty – and fantastic news for the club.

Since joining Leicester, initially on loan from Ligue 1 side AS Monaco before making the move permanently, the 23-year-old has made 96 appearances for the club scoring 15 goals and providing a further 18.

He is currently in the midst of one of his most productive seasons at the King Power Stadium, having netted seven goals and notched five assists in all competitions.

It’s not just his statistics which display where he has excelled, though.

Having missed just two matches in all competitions – a 1-0 Europa League defeat to Zorya Luhansk and a 2-0 reverse at the hands of Arsenal in the Carabao Cup – it indicates how much Brendan Rodgers relies on him.

Their midfield would be utterly devastated to lose a player of such quality should another club move for his signature.

However, rated at £49.5m by Transfermarkt and with two years left to run on his current contract, it appears that it would take a considerable fee to prise the Belgian out of the King Power Stadium, even more so considering that Leicester boss Rodgers is “very keen” for the midfielder to pen a new deal.

With Tielemans seeming settled, it appears that his “fun” is set to continue both on and off the pitch with Leicester City alongside the club’s somewhat more celebrated stars.

AND in more news, have a look at which Leicester flop could be deserving of a second chance at the King Power Stadium…

Steve Madeley has revealed that questions have been raised at West Bromwich Albion over Sam Allardyce’s suitability to lead the team in the Championship.

Allardyce future questioned

As it stands, the Baggies look as though they will playing in the second tier next term. With just 10 games left to play, they are eight points adrift from safety (Sky Sports).

Writing for The Athletic, Madeley has revealed there have been “privately raised questions” at The Hawthorns as some people are not sure whether Allardyce can do the job required in the Championship.

Backwards

Allardyce does have a track record of getting promoted to the top tier – he achieved the feat with both Bolton Wanderers and West Ham United. However, both of those successes came a considerable while ago – they now seem to be nothing but a distant memory.

The Championship has changed in recent times. Leeds United have played fantastic football this term after earning promotion last year, while Scott Parker’s Fulham have given themselves a shot at survival thanks to an attractive style. With all due respect to Allardyce, his pragmatic philosophy is somewhat outdated, and at 66 he is unlikely to change now. There are likely better options for the Baggies to pursue if they want to return to the elite as quickly as possible.

In other news, some West Brom fans slammed this man against Newcastle.

Carlo Ancelotti can overlook Tariq Lamptey’s height being a potential flaw preventing the Brighton and Hove Albion defender from joining Everton this summer.

What’s the word?

According to the Liverpool Echo, Lamptey is one of several right-backs that the Blues are assessing ahead of a potential investment in the position during the next off-season.

The Toffees are keen to secure the services of a long-term successor to Seamus Coleman, but feel there is a lack of available targets who fit the desired criteria set out by Ancelotti.

Height is one factor the Italian tactician has placed a great emphasis on, with the former Chelsea and Real Madrid boss keen to sign a tall option having named a back four of 6 ft plus quartet Mason Holgate, Michael Keane, Yerry Mina and Ben Godfrey at times this season.

Everton consider Lamptey to be a ‘great talent’ but his 5 ft 5 stature could prove to be a stumbling block, while versatility is another aspect important to Ancelotti.

Max Aarons is another option but Ancelotti is yet to cast his final judgment over the Norwich City star, who Bayern Munich are no longer thought to be pursuing after the Canaries slapped a £30-35m asking price on the England U21 international.

Zeki Celik is no longer seen to be a target of the Goodison Park outfit despite talks over a move taking place during the recent winter market, while Jonjoe Kenny is expected to be sold at the end of the season.

Should Everton sign Lamptey?

Like a pursuit of Aarons from Norwich, Lamptey would set Everton back a large sum with the Liverpool Echo adding that Brighton are likely to demand in the region of £30m for the Chelsea flop they signed for only £4m in January 2020 that could rise to just £6m.

Ancelotti’s preference to sign a taller option will no doubt cause problems for Lamptey, too, but the Italian can overlook that factor and still consider a deal for the £40,000-per-week 20-year-old.

Brighton boss Graham Potter finds it “exciting” how Lamptey has settled at the Amex Stadium after failing to make the grade at Stamford Bridge, and now having the chance to watch as the London-born full-back continues his development in the Seagulls first-team.

“If you speak to Tariq, I think he will say he has every area of his game he can improve. And that’s not to say he’s not doing really, really well,” Potter said, via quotes by Sky Sports. “I think he has got that mentality that he wants to improve, he wants to get better. He has got that ambition.”

Lamptey also has “unbelievably quick” speed and the ability to influence games, with an average of 0.5 shots and 0.9 key passes per game in the Premier League this season, per WhoScored, before being sidelined for the past two months with a hamstring injury.

Coleman averages 0.5 key balls a game when fielded at right-back to Holgate’s 0.3 in the position, while the pair also record a respective 0.5 and 0.3 shots.

Potter believes Lamptey is close to a return, at which point he can further prove Ancelotti’s concerns over his height are nothing to worry about.

While a diminutive figure at 5 ft 5, Lamptey contests 1.5 aerial duels a game and wins 33% of his challenges, comparable to both Coleman – who wins 0.7 of 1.4 (50%) – and Holgate – who wins 0.8 of 2.1 (38%).

If Lamptey were to increase his involvement in aerial challenges upon his return, he would likely only further show Ancelotti that his concerns are misplaced and justify Everton splashing out to land his services this summer.

AND in other news, Everton are likely to sell a £6.5m-rated dud this summer after pricing him out of a January move…