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According to a report by Football Insider, Tottenham Hotspur are now planning talks with Nuno Espirito Santo behind the scenes and it is even said that managing director Fabio Paratici is personally leading the pursuit.

The Lowdown: Spurs manager search takes twist…

After failed talks with Mauricio Pochettino, Antonio Conte, Paulo Fonseca and Gennaro Gattuso, Spurs are back to square on in their hunt for a new manager and must re-evaluate the list of candidates.

As such, links have re-emerged to the likes of Graham Potter and Nuno in recent days, with talkSPORT reporter Ian Abrahams even stating it is a two horse race between the pair for Tottenham’s hotseat.

The arrival of new managing director Paratici is also a crucial factor in Tottenham’s manager search with the Italian set to oversee their on-field sporting operations.

The Latest: Tottenham planning Nuno talks…

As per Football Insider, Tottenham are now plotting talks with Nuno behind the scenes in what they call a ‘shock twist’.

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The club’s stance on appointing the Portuguese has apparently changed due to a series of collapsed talks, with Spurs seemingly lurching from one disaster to the next.

A Spurs source has now told the outlet that Nuno is a contender to replace Jose Mourinho and negotiations are now expected with the ex-Wolves gaffer.

Paratici is also believed to be personally leading the pursuit for him after the north Londoners conducted background checks.

The Verdict: Great candidate?

Lauded as an ‘outstanding manager’ by talkSPORT pundit Simon Jordan recently, who wanted him at Spurs, it is little wonder given what he accomplished at Molineux before an emotional farewell.

Winning a Championship title with Wolves and gaining promotion back to the Premier League, Nuno went on to guide them to two consecutive seventh-placed finishes in the top flight and a run to the Europa League quarter-final stages (BBC).

Wolves also narrowly just missed out on an FA Cup final in 2019 after losing their Wembley semi to Watford, with his four years in the Midlands described as an ‘unquestioned success’ (BBC).

Spurs could certainly do far worse in their hunt for a new manager, but we believe fellow candidate Potter is a better shout due to his more open, attacking style.

In other news: ‘Tottenham have renewed their interest’…Sky Sports reporter shares news coming out of N17, find out more here.

Florian Lejeune is largely regarded as Newcastle United’s best all-round defender but Steve Bruce appears unconvinced over his fitness, and former defender Steve Howey believes that the Magpies could cash in on the Frenchman.

Lejeune has been unlucky with injuries during his time on Tyneside having suffered an ACL at the beginning of the 2018/19 season before suffering yet another serious knee injury at the end of the same campaign, but former manager Rafa Benitez always knew he was an important player for the Magpies.

The Frenchman endeared himself to the Newcastle United fans beyond his top passing ability when he netted twice in second-half added time at Goodison Park, which saw the Magpies earn an unimaginable 2-2 draw during the 2019/20 campaign, but the club could be willing to sell him this summer to generate funds.

Bruce will know that he has to move on some fringe players this summer to squeeze every last drop out of his limited transfer budget this summer if he wants to avoid yet another relegation battle, and Lejeune could be moved on this summer to do so according to Howey, who spoke exclusively to Transfer Tavern:

“I thought he was a decent player but ultimately sometimes your body just can’t cope after all those injuries so the club will be thinking they can possibly offload him and try to increase the budget.”

Last season Bruce was asked if he was considering bringing the 30-year-old back to Tyneside halfway through his loan spell when the club were hit with a defensive injury crisis which saw Isaac Hayden having to play as a centre back, but Bruce confirmed that it would not benefit him coming back.

During Newcastle’s upturn in form last season, Bruce opted for three centre backs with one of them being Paul Dummett, so if the manager sees the academy graduate as another option at centre back then Lejeune will be even further down the pecking order.

Southampton have seemingly missed out on reported target William Saliba this summer, with the Arsenal man set to join Marseille on loan for next season.

Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side were linked with a move for the 20-year-old defender recently but he will be returning to Ligue 1 on loan for the 2021/22 campaign after spending last season with OGC Nice.

The Athletic journalist David Ornstein confirmed on Twitter that the young centre-back would join Marseille, which comes as a blow to Southampton, as his performances in recent seasons suggest that he could have been a stellar addition at St Mary’s.

Saliba is yet to make an appearance for Arsenal since joining from Saint Etienne in 2019, despite their defensive problems in recent seasons and he could’ve helped to steady the ship at Southampton after Hasenhuttl’s side conceded the second-most goals in the Premier League last season, with only relegated West Brom conceding more.

Last season saw the £16.2m-rated Frenchman make 20 appearances for Nice in Ligue 1, contributing one goal and averaging a solid, if unspectacular, 6.66/10 average rating from WhoScored for his performances.

Had he replicated those performances at Southampton, he would’ve been rated as the joint-10th best performer in Hasenhuttl’s squad, which suggests that he would’ve been a worthwhile addition this summer.

Although Arsenal are unlikely to want to sell the defender permanently, a loan move to Southampton would’ve suited both parties, as he could’ve established himself as a key player at St Mary’s and furthered his development by earning some valuable experience in the Premier League.

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Saliba has won a lot of plaudits for his performances in Ligue 1 in recent seasons, with French youth coach Jean-Luc Vannuchi singing his praises after he joined Arsenal, saying:

“My first impression was that this was the biggest man of his generation.

“The difference between him and the other players was massive.

“When he took the ball and ran into midfield, no one could stop him. He was like a monster compared to the others. When he played with St-Etienne it looked normal for him, even though he was so young.”

He also compared his playing style to that of Virgil van Dijk and Raphael Varane, which suggests that he could’ve been an excellent signing for the Saints, and Hasenhuttl should be disappointed that he has instead opted to join Marseille.

And, in other news… Hasenhuttl could evolve his Saints attack with swoop for gem with “such talent”

Former Manchester City defender Steve Howey has urged Pep Guardiola to spend £100million of his transfer budget on Jack Grealish.

The attacking midfielder has been grabbing the attention of a host of clubs thanks to his impressive performances for Aston Villa, with him scoring seven goals and registering 12 assists in 27 appearances last season.

Grealish has taken his club form onto the international stage as he has made a big impact during England’s run to the Euro 2020 final.

Reports suggest City are preparing a bid of £100million which will be tabled after the Three Lions’ clash with Italy on Sunday.

Villa are in a strong negotiating position as the 25-year-old still has four years remaining on his £120,000-per-week contract.

But Howey, who enjoyed a three-year spell on the current Premier League champions’ books, believes the addition of Grealish would take boss Guardiola’s attacking options to a new level.

Speaking exclusively to The Transfer Tavern, Howey said: “Fees are ridiculous now, but if you look in the current market then you would say he is worth £100million.

“He’s just signed a five-year contract with Villa and we all know the impact he’s had for England. Jack Grealish is a top player and you want top players at your club.”

Tottenham Hotspur are interested in a deal that would bring Maxence Lacroix to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium this summer.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by Sky Deutschland (via Sport Witness), who claim that Spurs are attempting to scupper RB Leipzig’s bid to land the VfL Wolfsburg centre-back this summer, with the Bundesliga side having their first offer rejected for the 21-year-old earlier in the transfer window.

The report goes on to state that the defender would be a “dream player” for Tottenham’s new director of football Fabio Paratici, who wanted to sign Lacroix for his former side Juventus.

However, despite Tottenham’s reported interest, it is then claimed that the north London side are yet to make a concrete offer for the former France U20 international, who is believed to be available for a fee of around £26m this summer.

Spurs would love him

With it being common knowledge that Spurs are in the market for additions to their backline ahead of next season, as well as the fact that Lacroix highly impressed for Wolfsburg last season, the claim that the club are believed to be considering a move for the centre-back this summer comes as hardly surprising news.

Indeed, over his 30 Bundesliga appearances for Mark van Bommel’s side last term, the £25.2m-rated man helped his side keep 12 clean sheets, as well as making an average of 2.2 interceptions, 1.6 tackles, 4.5 clearances and winning five duels per game.

The defender also chipped in for his side in an attacking capacity, scoring one goal and providing one assist for his teammates, in addition to touching the ball an average of 74 times per fixture, as well as completing an average of 49.1 passes in each game.

These metrics saw the man Oliver Glasner dubbed an “outstanding” player earn a seasonal SofaScore match rating of 7.09, ranking him as the club’s fourth-best performer in the top flight of German football, playing a key role in his side securing an impressive fourth-place finish in the league.

As such, if Paratici is successful in his attempts to lure the young Frenchman away from the Bundesliga this summer, his signing would very much appear to be one that Spurs fans and coaching staff alike would love, as, not only does Lacroix seem to be a defender capable of slipping straight into Nuno Espirito Santo’s starting XI, he very much appears to have the potential to be a star player for Spurs for a number of years in the future.

In other news: Spurs dealt big transfer blow over “very strong” Paratici target, fans will be furious

Kalvin Phillips could leave Leeds United at the end of next season, according to former West Ham and Scotland striker Frank McAvennie.

The Lowdown: Phillips shines for England

England enjoyed a memorable Euro 2020 campaign, eventually losing to Italy in the final but largely doing themselves proud in the tournament.

Phillips was exceptional in the competition, standing out in the middle of the park and taking his Leeds form with him to the international stage.

The 25-year-old’s performances may have made a host of clubs sit up and take notice, meaning the Whites could struggle to keep hold of him in the years to come.

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The Latest: Pundit makes bold prediction

Speaking to Football Insider, McAvennie even claimed that a deal could be in place to allow Phillips to leave Elland Road next summer:

“He was the surprise package of the Euros. To be a starter? Wow, I didn’t see that coming. I think he’ll get another year at Leeds.

“He’ll be wanting a new contract I’d imagine, he’s a superstar now. He’s shown the world what he can do, there will be clubs interested.

“There might be some sort of agreement in place. He could go with the club’s blessing next year. He will make them a lot of money but they won’t want to lose him.

“Personally, I wouldn’t want to leave Leeds this summer but if a bid comes in you never know. I think he’ll stay for one more year, then we’ll see him move.”

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The Verdict: Does he have a point?

While this is a bold prediction, there will be understandable concern that Phillips may end up wanting a fresh challenge at a club challenging for silverware consistently.

The midfielder’s current Leeds deal doesn’t expire until 2024, however, so a huge bid would be needed to prise him away from the Whites with the club in an extremely strong negotiating position.

For now, Phillips needs to focus on helping Marcelo Bielsa’s side push for a European finish next season, with the England man arguably his team’s most important player.

Perhaps qualification for the Europa League could tempt him to stay longer than McAvennie predicts.

In other news, a pundit has dropped a verdict on one potential Leeds signing. Find out who it is here.

West Bromwich Albion fans have been reacting angrily to a post on Twitter, as the Baggies issued an update signifying that tickets for their trip to Walsall on Tuesday the 27th July are now on general sale [West Bromwich Albion FC Official].

Due to take place at Bank’s Stadium, the Baggies will face off against the Sky Bet League Two side in a 19:30 kick-off slot [West Bromwich Albion FC Official].

Of course, the West Midlands outfit have already made a flying start to pre-season, after consecutive wins away to Woking and Sheffield Wednesday.

West Brom will also take on Premier League side Watford at Vicarage Road on the 24th July.

Despite the positivity surrounding fans getting back into stadiums up and down the country, many West Bromwich Albion diehards took to Twitter to vent their frustration at the difficulties with the process of acquiring tickets.

West Brom fans react:

Replying to the official West Bromwich Albion Twitter account, here is what some supporters had to say about recent developments, as fans suffered through website crashes, payment issues and error codes…

“What a total shambles! Again! Order is cancelled due to a website crash! We seem to have gone backwards! Please can this new system be sorted out, all I want is to simply buy tickets!!!!!!”

Credit: @MattLewis82

“Farce and half!! Utter shocking! Same has happened to me twice. What happens now do we try again and probably get charged twice? And this is preseason”

Credit: @kingofchezo_WBA

“EVERYONE TRYING TO GET TICKETS! There’s a tick box next where you put your card details in, no text next to it, tick it and your order will go through! What a mess #wba“

Credit: @ethdaleaf

“I’ve bought 0 tickets, 20 tickets or anything inbetween depending on error codes. And now I’m back in the queue to try and check. What a farce”

Credit: @BenWBAJones

“I got the same error as well, kept asking for Photographic ID and even though I uploaded it, it wouldn’t save. The system is a shambles, I tried to buy tickets and eventually lost it and had to find a different area.”

Credit: @Baggie_KS

“This is ridiculous I have keep adding tickets to my basket and it errors every time you click buy then after 4 minutes of this constantly happening it then kicks up out to rejoin the queue to enter the website!! Sort it out Albion”

Credit: @haychapperz

In other news, a West Brom star has been targeted by a Premier League giant.

Many Wolves fans have been left to fume as injury news involving Willy Boly emerges.

Tim Spiers confirmed on his official Twitter page that the central defender had to come off early in the first half of their friendly game against Real Betis on Saturday evening.

The Athletic journalist claimed that it was ‘possibly’ a hamstring injury, as Max Kilman had to come on in his place.

Boly was a key player for the Midlands club in the Premier League in the 2020/21 season, ranking highly among his teammates in terms of average tackles (1.6), interceptions (1.5) and clearances (four) per game (Whoscored).

If it is a hamstring injury, then the Frenchman faces a race to be fit for the start of the top-flight campaign, and Bruno Lage will be hoping that it is not serious at all.

Wolves fans on Boly injury

These WWFC supporters fumed as Spiers confirmed the injury to Boly on Twitter, with one even going as far as to claim that it was ‘typical’:

“Oh God”

Credit: @webster_scott

“Made of glass Boly is now man, need two new centre backs ASAP”

Credit: @powellywolves

“Didn’t think it should’ve been a corner that led to it, typical”

Credit: @jaylittle84

“A new CB has to be a priority especially if Boly is made of glass nowadays.”

Credit: @Matthew_Ashmore

“Hasn’t he done that recently before today? Bit of a concern if it keeps going”

Credit: @MrShot7

“Christ me”

Credit: @OhAnotherWolf

In other news, find out what transfer update has Wanderers buzzing here!

Stoke City are increasingly confident of winning the race to sign Manchester City Under-23’s striker Liam Delap on loan, as reported by Football League World.

Enjoying a fantastic season for Manchester City and the Manchester City Under-23’s side, the 18-year-old registered 36 goal contributions in 27 fixtures; 30 goals and six assists [Transfermarkt].

Of course, the youngster scored in his senior debut for the Citizens in a 2-1 win over Bournemouth in the Carabao Cup third round last September [BBC].

Now, those behind the scenes at the Britannia Stadium believe that Stoke City are in pole position to land Delap on a loan deal [Football League World].

In light of this news, loads of Manchester City diehards took to Twitter to discuss the latest developments.

Manchester City FC fans react:

Replying to popular Manchester City fan outlet City Xtra, here is what some fans had to say about the proposed loan deal:

“I can’t see how a loan to Stoke is a good move”

Credit: @JoshThomasMcfc

“Should loan him out to a premier league club instead of bloody Stoke”

Credit: @ChrisTomz123

“You can’t loan Liam, let’s get serious.”

Credit: @StevePanyako

“No chance”

Credit: @DaveBarrieNash

“Nooooooooooooo”

Credit: @adl0133

“NOOOOOOOO”

Credit: @sankul_pandey

In other news, a former Manchester City player has endorsed a move for a lethal poacher.

An update has emerged regarding the transfer status of Everton midfielder Andre Gomes.

What’s the talk?

According to the Liverpool Echo, the Toffees could cash in on the 28-year-old as one of numerous fringe players being placed on the chopping block to raise funds for Rafa Benitez.

The report claims that the Spaniard wants to make more additions to his squad before the end of the transfer window, with the Portuguese midfielder potentially being sold to make way for new arrivals.

Time to go

Marcel Brands must ruthlessly axe Gomes from the squad as quickly as possible this summer. It is time for him to go after a string of poor performances for the Toffees last season and the Everton chief must work hard to find him a new club for next season.

The Portuguese international averaged a lowly WhoScored rating of 6.46 in the Premier League in the 2020/21 campaign. In 28 appearances, he managed just one assist and zero goals, whilst he averaged 0.4 interceptions and was dribbled past 1.5 times per game.

This shows that his overall displays were lacking in quality and he was not able to make up for that with his defensive or offensive work on the pitch. Therefore, he has not done enough to warrant a spot in the starting XI and should be sold in order to make way for a fresh addition.

Everton journalist Chris Beesley criticised Gomes last year and pointed out that he is not adept at running about the pitch. He said: “Andre Gomes, he’s your deep-lying midfielder and running is not his forte.

“When he is on form – and he hasn’t, unfortunately, been in recent weeks – you want him to pick a pass and open up the defence – take possession from deep and get things moving.

“He’s not that sort of player who’s going to dribble at the opposition. So, yeah, I thought it was strange [to have] almost like five central midfielders on the pitch at one time.”

ESPN reported earlier this year that Carlo Ancelotti was eyeing up replacements for the £112k-per-week flop as he wanted to bring in an upgrade on the midfielder this summer. He had hoped to bring in Juventus beast Adrien Rabiot to take the former Barcelona man’s place in the team, although there has been no update on that particular pursuit recently.

The Italian ultimately left to join Real Madrid, but Benitez could now follow through on Ancelotti’s plans by axing Gomes from the squad. Ancelotti clearly did not see enough from the Portugal midfielder and the time is right to cash in on him before signing a replacement.

AND in other news, Brands must “raise the bar” by landing “phenomenal” £195k-p/w colossus for Everton…