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According to a report by Corriere dello Sport (via Sport Witness), Tottenham Hotspur have actually held talks with Inter Milan boss Antonio Conte over the Lilywhites vacancy – with the outlet describing them as ‘fruitful’ and ‘interesting’.

The Lowdown: Conte enters the fray

Links with former Chelsea manager and Premier League title winner Conte are fairly new and have emerged over the last two days as Tottenham’s list of managerial candidates grows larger and larger by the day.

The 51-year-old has been added to the bible of names alongside fellow Serie A boss Gian Piero Gasperini recently (Corriere della Serra) as Levy scours the market for prestigious and affordable heirs to Jose Mourinho.

Previously, the likes of Julian Nagelsmann and Erik Ten Hag were seen as top targets for Spurs (The Telegraph), but with the former agreeing to join Bayern Munich and the latter signing a new deal at Ajax, Spurs seem to have turned to other options.

The Latest: Levy holds talks for Conte

In an arguably unexpected development, Corriere dello Sport (via Sport Witness) claim that Tottenham have held ‘positive’ and ‘interesting’ talks with the Nerazzurri coach.

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However, there is ‘nothing decided’ yet and there has been no ‘real proposal’ – with both parties agreeing to restart discussions at a later date.

Conte, while seeing Spurs as a ‘stimulating’ challenge, believes his priority is with current club Inter – at least until the end of the season when he will schedule talks with the Serie A side’s owner over his future.

The Verdict: Conte emerges as mixed bag for Spurs

It has been widely reported by the media that Spurs have two main requirements above all for the managerial position, firstly that their next boss must possess an attack-minded philosophy (The Guardian).

Secondly, as pushed by technical performance director Steve Hitchen, they must be ‘young’ and ‘dynamic’ (Daily Mail) – and it’s debatable whether Conte falls into these categories as a manager.

However, he has just clinched a Serie A title with Inter whilst ending Juventus’ decade-long dominance over the division.

Conte also possesses Premier League experience, having won the title with Chelsea in 2016/2017 and the FA Cup at Stamford Bridge a year later.

There has been no shortage of praise by certain players, either, with Inter Milan defender Alessandro Bastoni dubbing Conte ‘the Messi of coaches’ in 2019 (La Gazetta via Goal).

Emanuele Giaccherini also called the Italian a ‘perfectionist’ of his craft (La Gazzetta via Football Italia), but Levy may also have to worry about the potential cost of his appointment given his reported €20 million-per-year (£17.3m) salary. 

In other news: Tottenham make inquiry to sign this colossus, find out more here.

Everton have been linked with a move for Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Harry Winks as the club begins to make plans for the January transfer window.

What’s the story?

According to Caught Offside, the 25-year-old is wanted by Toffees manager Rafael Benitez and will push for a Spurs exit once the winter transfer window opens, with the Liverpool Echo claiming that the Merseysiders have now made an enquiry to Spurs for the player.

Winks has struggled for game-time in recent months and is now believed to be seeking a way out of north London in search of regular action.

Imagine him and Doucoure

After rising through the ranks at his boyhood club, Winks has made 178 appearances for Tottenham in all competitions and started their 2019 Champions League final defeat at the hands of Liverpool.

The technically gifted talent featured prominently during the reign of former manager Mauricio Pochettino, who lavished praised on the midfielder after a late winner against Fulham two years ago.

“He deserves the praise because the whole action is amazing,” said Pochettino. “He recovered the ball like a full-back, we started to build from the back, and then he arrived for the cross from GK, which was fantastic – we have to praise him too.

“It’s amazing, amazing, because we were talking in the last few weeks that he had to score and to have more presence in the opposition’s box because he has the quality to do it. I’m so happy.”

However, a lot of Winks’ good work goes unnoticed. The England international has only recorded nine goal contributions throughout his career, but he offers a different set of skills to the team.

As per WhoScored, no Spurs player who started a league match bettered or matched his average of 70 passes per game last season, and he also topped the charts for pass completion after achieving a 90% success rate.

His highly impressive figures weren’t just down to picking the safe and simple options every time, either. Winks managed 1.3 key passes per Premier League fixture in 2020/21 and pulled off 4.4 long balls – of all of Tottenham’s outfield players, only Toby Alderweireld completed more (7.3).

Therefore, Winks’s key attributes would provide the perfect balance for current Everton midfield star Abdoulaye Doucoure. The Frenchman’s power and pace cause opponents constant issues, but he also has the intelligence to play cute through balls in the final third of the pitch, making him a nightmare for defenders to handle.

It remains to be seen whether Everton follow up their interest in the £18m-rated Winks, but director of football Marcel Brands could pull off another astute piece of business by snapping up the disciplined Tottenham maestro.

In other news… Brands must sanction Everton swoop for £12.6m-rated ace, he’s an “outstanding technician” 

West Ham like the idea of signing Aston Villa winger Anwar El Ghazi this month.

That’s according to The Daily Mail, and a number of Villa supporters have been reacting to the news on social media.

El Ghazi is reportedly unhappy with his lack of game time under new Villa boss Steven Gerrard, with the Dutch forward playing just 33 minutes of Premier League action following Gerrard’s arrival.

Villa are thought to be open to permanent and loan offers for the 26-year-old this month, although they would prefer a full-time transfer.

The Daily Mail claimed on Saturday that the Hammers want a forward, with El Ghazi one of the players they would like to sign in their bid for another impressive finish in the European places.

Villa fans react

The AVFC Faithful shared the news regarding West Ham liking the idea of bringing El Ghazi to the London Stadium on Wednesday afternoon. This is what these Villa fans had to say in reply, with many keen to see him depart.

“Beg this is true”

Credit: @FloppyChicken92

“Swap deal for Bowen”

Credit: @marcw1987

“oh my god please take him”

Credit: @NoahKnowsBall

“Today is just getting better and better”

Credit: @avbiIly

“Imagine if we get rid of El Ghazi and replace him with Coutinho”

Credit: @PositiveVillan

“I’ll drop him off”

Credit: @Miller_JD

In other news: ‘Mental’ – Some Villa fans fume as Gerrard eyes club-record transfer. 

Former Liverpool player Stan Collymore has said that Jack Grealish could be part of a summer ‘overhaul’ at Anfield.

Collymore told Birmingham Live that Grealish, Erling Haaland, Ansu Fati and 20-year-old AZ Alkmaar forward Myron Boadu were all ‘on a list’ of potential signings.

He seems to be putting his links with the club to good use. Amid Liverpool’s desperate struggles in the Premier League this season, there have been calls for the team to evolve, and there may well be a changing of the guard in the Reds’ frontline.

Why Grealish is in demand

Grealish is one of the most coveted players in the country given his heroic exploits for Aston Villa. The Englishman has racked up 10 assists so far this season, putting him third in the league rankings (via Premier League). He’s level with Bruno Fernandes for 2020/21 and only one shy of Kevin de Bruyne, one of the most prolific creators in the league’s history.

Grealish has another four years left on his deal at Villa Park and is valued at £45m, so he wouldn’t come cheap (via Transfermarkt). However, that didn’t stop many Liverpool fans from begging for the club to have a go at signing him.

These Liverpool fans are desperate for Grealish

“I’d sell my soul for Grealish”

Credit: @qaisarrrr

“What I would do for us to sign Grealish. He is exactly what we need”

Credit: @lfc_futbol

“Grealish-Jota-Elliott front 3 for the future? Why not”

Credit: @Barentra

“Jack would be a wonderful signing for us. I’m down for that, Jota up top and Jack/Harvey on the wings.”

Credit: @AddybYNWA

“I’m on my knees”

Credit: @beamerrrrrr

“GET. IT. DONE.”

Credit: @CeeDeeLambTime

“I swear I would do anything, anything to get this guy at our club”

Credit: @ttmokgaotsane

In other news, Liverpool’s interest in one player is seemingly over.

Celtic can sit back this weekend and breathe a huge sigh of relief that they don’t have a game to play. After all, they will need all the preparation time they can get ahead of the Old Firm in seven days time.

The SPFL title is gone, however, and no longer are they the dominant force in Scottish football.

On the chalkboard

This already feels like the beginning of a new era for the Hoops. Neil Lennon has resigned and Peter Lawwell is set to retire in a few months time.

They is also the risk of a mass exodus of the playing staff. Kristoffer Ajer and Odsonne Edouard continue to be linked with exits, while some others will be out of contract.

One such player is midfield stalwart Scott Brown. The skipper has made countless appearances for the Bhoys but this could be his final season as a player.

The 35-year-old has put in some tired displays this term and has been linked with coaching vacancies across the country; namely at Aberdeen.

Ismaila Soro might well be the natural heir to his Celtic throne, certainly from an internal point of view. Though, the Glaswegians would be wise to bring another face to Paradise to replace Brown.

Brown’s successor

Celtic have been linked with a few midfielders in recent times. During the January transfer window, it was thought that they may make a move for former Stoke general Giannelli Imbula.

However, another name that’s been consistently linked with a move to Parkhead is Crystal Palace’s James McCarthy.

He was first touted with a switch to Glasgow last summer but rumours re-emerged back in January. The Irishman is out of contract in a few months time and thus, would represent a cut-price way of replacing Brown.

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James McFadden recently discussed that fact, saying: “To come in, with the experience he has got, I think he’d be a really good signing for Celtic. You have to get that balance. Bringing in young players to the team to add value to them is great, but you need the experienced ones in there to help them as well.”

The former Scotland international also discussed how McCarthy could come in and replace Brown.

Indeed, by looking at their positions on the pitch and their statistics, it’s hard to argue against that claim.

The Palace midfielder may lack a bit of the bite and aggression that Brown possesses but he’s assured in possession of the ball and can do the dirty work astutely.

In the Premier League last season, McCarthy made a colossal 2.5 successful tackles per game on the way to earning himself nine yellow cards. For context, Celtic’s captain has managed just 1.4 challenges a match in 2020/21.

If you consider the £50k-per-week midfielder is only 30, and the fact he’s stronger in the tackle, Celtic may well land themselves an upgrade here.

That can only be good news in their quest to rediscover their dominance of Scottish football.

AND in other news, Forget Klimala: Celtic must unleash rarely-seen 19 y/o Rodgers dubbed “very talented”…

Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg is attracting increasing interest ahead of the summer transfer window.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by The Mirror, who claim that Newcastle United are now plotting a £30m bid for the 26-year-old at the end of the season, with the Denmark international said to be high on Eddie Howe’s list of transfer targets this summer.

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The report goes on to state that AS Roma manager Jose Mourinho is also interested in a move for the midfielder in the off-season, with the Serie A side having already failed in a bid to bring Hojbjerg to the Stadio Olimpico last summer.

Disaster

Considering how important a part of Antonio Conte’s Tottenham side Hojbjerg quite clearly is, the argument that Fabio Paratici cashing in on the midfielder this summer would be something of a disaster is an easy one to make.

Indeed, over his 31 Premier League appearances so far this season, the £59m-rated Dane has been imperious in the heart of the Spurs midfield, scoring two goals, registering two assists and creating three big chances for his teammates, as well as taking an average of 0.9 shots and making 0.6 key passes per game.

However, it is his defensive metrics that are particularly impressive, with the £102k-per-week dynamo making an average of 1.3 interceptions, 2.3 tackles, 1.3 clearances and winning 5.3 duels – at a success rate of 58% – per fixture.

These returns have seen the player who Rob Davies dubbed a “one-man wrecking machine” average a quite sensational SofaScore match rating of 7.16, ranking him as Conte’s second-best performing midfielder – behind only Dejan Kulusevski – in the top flight.

As such, considering his status in the Tottenham squad, his incredibly impressive level of performance on the pitch and the fact that Newcastle’s proposed offer is roughly half of the 26-year-old’s current market valuation, it is clear to see that selling Hojbjerg for £30m this summer would be something of a catastrophic error by Paratici – especially to a team who could well be a top-four contender next time out.

AND in other news: Huge blow: Spurs dealt yet another major injury setback, Antonio Conte will be fuming

When Leeds travelled to League Two Crawley Town on Sunday afternoon, they did so with plenty of confidence.

The Whites have played some swashbuckling football in the Premier League this season and after Marcelo Bielsa chose to field £30m summer signing Rodrigo up top, there really should have only been one winner.

However, the hosts defied the odds to win 3-0. It was one of the biggest upsets we’ve seen in the competition over the last few years with 64 places separating the two sides in the football pyramid.

Leeds were abject but Crawley were superb, playing wonderful counter-attacking football that put Bielsa’s side to the sword.

Kiko Casilla started ahead of Illan Meslier in goal but he failed to cover himself in much glory, putting in a pathetic performance between the sticks – one that rather sums up how his spell at Elland Road has played out.

The Spaniard let the ball through his hands for the first goal and then somehow allowed it to slip between his legs for the second.

However, if we’re looking at outfield players who disappointed, then Kalvin Phillips has to take the blame. The England international was picked at centre-half and clearly wasn’t very comfortable playing in that position.

Alongside Casilla, he was also at fault for the first goal. Nick Tsaroulla dashed past two Leeds players, including Phillips, who didn’t get tight enough to his man and allowed the shot on goal. Had the 25-year-old been more mobile, then he could have blocked the effort or at least made it harder for the player to go beyond him.

That wasn’t the peak of his problems though. Clearly lacking the competency to play at centre-back, he lost possession a mammoth 24 times and completed just 78% of his passes.

For someone like Phillips, a player usually so reliable in possession, this was incredibly surprising to see. The midfielder is normally a robust individual but he also struggled with the physical side of things.

The academy graduate won only six of the 15 duels he contested and was also given a yellow card for his troubles.

Phillips is traditionally one of Leeds’ most reliable players but on this occasion, he let Bielsa down. For someone with ambitions of playing more regularly for England, this display will have done himself no favours.

AND in other news, Fabrizio Romano hints at possible “opportunity” for Leeds, it would usurp Rodrigo deal…

Former Aston Villa midfielder and Sky Sports pundit Lee Hendrie has told Football FanCast in an exclusive interview that he would not swap Jack Grealish for Paul Pogba.

Speaking on the day of Manchester United’s postponed Premier League clash against Liverpool, Roy Keane claimed that he would swap Pogba for Grealish “tomorrow” if he had the opportunity to.

From a Villa perspective, though, Hendrie has made it clear that the above is not an idea that he would ever entertain.

Grealish had been in stunning form before his injury, picking up six goals and 10 assists in 22 Premier League appearances.

Responding to Keane’s comments on Grealish and £290,000-a-week man Pogba, Hendrie told FFC:

“Even if he was on £50,000-a-week, I wouldn’t choose to have Paul Pogba at Villa.

“He can be unplayable; there’s no doubt about that. [But] I think I’d rather have Grealish over Pogba at Villa, all day long. The two in comparison… Jack, certainly for me.”

If Grealish does decide he wants to try something new, then Manchester United’s rivals Manchester City look like a more likely destination right now.

Multiple reports, including from Football Insider, claim that this year’s Champions League finalists could look to make a serious push for the England international once the transfer window opens in the summer.

Tottenham Hotspur need a clear-out, whoever is in charge next season.

The Lilywhites have regressed drastically since making the Champions League final in 2019 and a lot of the same players that let Mauricio Pochettino down in his final six months in charge are still at the club today.

Spurs chairman Daniel Levy must help his next manager by offloading deadwood. By doing this, he could well raise some extra funds for a much-needed freshen-up to the squad.

One name who appears to be most at risk is Erik Lamela.

A lot has been made about his future but most recently, respected Italian journalist Alfredo Pedulla hinted that a return to the Serie A could be on the cards.

Speaking to Arena Napoli last month, he said:

“Lamela and his wife have the same desire: to return to Italy. Lamela, in all likelihood, at the end of the current football season, will leave Tottenham to try a new experience. He wants to join an important club.”

Whilst back in March, the Evening Standard reported that Bologna were hot on his case and would look to sign him in the summer.

The 29-year-old winger will enter the final year of his deal and it’s hard to envisage him getting an extension, nor does he deserve or warrant one.

It’s rather hilarious that he was signed as Gareth Bale’s replacement for €30m (£26m) back in 2013, yet the Welshman has since come back and done more than he ever has for the club.

Bale has bagged 14 goals and three assists despite largely playing a bit-part role – in fact, he’s directly contributed towards one goal every 90.4 minutes, as per Transfermarkt.

In 177 appearances, Lamela has only scored 17 times for Spurs and has never delivered more than five assists in any Premier League campaign. He has probably spent more time on the treatment table than on the pitch, too.

As of last month, the Argentine was said to have missed 135 matches through injury, including a hip problem that kept him out for 13 months.

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Considering he’s earning around £85k-per-week, you could argue that he’s stolen a living from the North London outfit for the majority of his career here.

To put it into context, Bale has returned for one season and is only three goals off Lamela’s total tally for Spurs. He has also spent 43% of his time out injured.

Check out the latest transfer news on Lamela via the GMS Live football Transfer hub

We’ve seen moments of sheer brilliance from him, bagging that sensational rabona goal against Arsenal but also moments of absolute stupidity. He again tried the trick but this time it was with his team 3-1 down against Leeds, leading to BT Sport pundit Rio Ferdinand slamming him (via football.london).

“The goal against Arsenal was fabulous and we were all drooling over it. But you’re 3-1 down at this moment, he tries this pass,” he said. “But the more important thing was the reaction from all the players in Spurs shirts. I was looking for somebody to get onto him, to say: ‘What the hell are you doing? We’re 3-1 down. Play normal’, that tells me a lot.”

It’s not the first time Lamela has been blasted for his actions either.

Earlier this season, Graeme Souness labelled him “pathetic” live on Sky Sports for his role in getting Antony Martial sent off during Spurs 6-1 whitewash at Old Trafford.

Now valued just shy of £14.5m by Transfermarkt, this could well – and should be – the final few games that we witness Lamela in a Tottenham shirt.

Whatever Levy can get this summer, he should take it and run.

AND in other news, Forget Parker: Levy could win back Spurs fans by hiring 53y/o dubbed a “master” by Pep…

Many Everton fans have been reacting to an injury update on Jean-Phillipe Gbamin as Patrick Boyland relayed news from Carlo Ancelotti ahead of Fulham.

As per a tweet from the football journalist, Ancelotti has said that Gbamin is still ‘a month away’ from being ready to play for the Goodison Park faithful again.

The Ivory Coast international has had such a torrid time with injuries ever since his move to the Merseyside club from German club Mainz a couple of years ago, as he’s only played in just two senior games over all competitions for the Toffees, with his last match coming all the way back in August 2019.

It is not a surprise that several Blues are becoming increasingly frustrated with his situation, as they wonder whether he will actually be able to play for them ever again. This is when you consider his injury record and the fact that they have already brought in Allan and Abdoulaye Doucoure in his position since.

Everton fan reaction to Gbamin update

These EFC supporters did not seem best pleased with the Gbamin update on Twitter, with one fan even going as far as to claim that he is ‘cursed’:

“As harsh as it sounds I would be tempted to get rid as soon as he’s fit. Feel for the bloke but it’s as if he’s cursed.”Credit: @NiallDWilliams”A month?? That’s like 8 years in total now”Credit: @p_black83″@mikey664 doubt it”Credit: @Steve23000″Really? No chance”Credit: @lynnepark_lynne”Shut up man he doesn’t exist”Credit: @lilduckcity”Release him”Credit: @johngale_In other news, find out what Fabrizio Romano update has been lauded by Everton fans here!