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Tottenham Hotspur legends Graham Roberts has slammed the club for making a huge mistake on sacking Mauricio Pochettino back in 2019 amid reports they were looking to bring him back to London.

At one point it looked like Pochettino could genuinely be returning to Spurs, however a fresh twist on Sunday has seen those hopes and dreams crushed as Fabrizio Romano has confirmed that the Argentine won’t be leaving.

Pochettino was reportedly influential in getting Georginio Wijnaldum to choose PSG over Barcelona this summer, and accompany this with the fact they are splashing out on free agent Gianluigi Donnarumma and looks likely that Spurs will have to once again go back to square one in their search for Jose Mourinho’s successor.

It had been rumoured that it would cost Spurs £10 million to get Pochettino out of his PSG contract if the Parisian club were willing to let him leave and Roberts believes that sacking the former manager in the first place was a huge mistake, as he told Football FanCast exclusively:

“Would you spend £10 million on a really good right back? Yes, you would and you’d have to pay a lot more. So, to get those players on the pitch and get the best out of them you’ve got to have the best managers.

“It was a big mistake, because whatever we’ve ended up paying Pochettino, whether that be £18 million or £8 million, we had no need to do it.”

Spurs appeared to be in advanced negotiations with former Juventus manager, Antonio Conte, but those fell through after Daniel Levy and the Italian had different expectations for the club.

Levy will know that the longer the club go on without a manager, the more difficult this summer’s transfer window will be for them as no top players will want to join a team that finished seventh in the Premier League last season and currently has no boss.

West Ham United are among the leading candidates to sign Andrea Belotti this summer…

What’s the word?

That’s according to Italian publication Tuttomercatoweb, who claim the 28-year-old striker will leave Torino on a free transfer at the end of the season, though there are three other teams mooted with interest.

These are mentioned by the report as being Premier League rivals Newcastle United, Atalanta and Fiorentina.

They have also relayed comments from Torino president Urbano Cairo, who said:

“Belotti? He may have already signed up for another club. Maybe he could also tell us, but that’s okay. Let’s say that from February 1st he was free to sign, theoretically, he could even have done so … Disappointed? I no longer speak of this issue.”

Get it done!

By signing Belotti, the Irons’ head of recruitment Rob Newman could finally end one of David Moyes’ long-serving nightmares at the London Stadium.

It’s been over a year since Sebastien Haller’s exit from the club after the club-record flop joined Ajax in January 2021 and that’s a decision that left the Scottish head coach awfully light on options.

Indeed, he’s only had Michail Antonio available at his disposal and we know too well of his chequered injury past, whilst his form this campaign – particularly in 2022 – has been called into question.

But that’s hardly a surprise when you’re relying on a 31-year-old to deliver each and every week across multiple competitions without a break.

His only league goal this calendar year came on New Year’s Day, some 14 games ago, but he has no backup and no other alternative, so Moyes has to continually select him.

Belotti could be the perfect competition given his prolific goalscoring record in Italy. The Euro 2020 winner has bagged 110 goals in 247 appearances for the Turin-based side, including a season-best of 28 during the 2016/17 campaign, via Transfermarkt.

“Andrea is similar to all the great strikers, English and not. It’s hard to compare him to someone else because he’s special,” once claimed his former teammate Joe Hart to renowned journalist Gianluca Di Marzio.

“He’s Belotti and that’s it. He has [an] instinct for goals, personality and he’s a team player: he’s always focused on his team and plays hard to help it.”

High praise indeed from someone who faced the 5 foot 11 tank every day in training.

Now valued at £25.2m by Transfermarkt, the Hammers could well seal an absolute bargain in Belotti and given his talismanic-like record, he’d be a much welcome and much-needed addition to Moyes’ squad heading into next season, where they could well remain in Europe.

AND in other news, Time to go: Moyes must ruthlessly axe WHU’s £61k-p/w “monster” as big claim emerges…

Speaking exclusively to Football FanCast, former Aston Villa midfielder Lee Hendrie has urged Ollie Watkins to think twice about leaving Villa Park this summer.

Watkins is currently being linked with a move to Liverpool, with Football Insider reporting that the Merseyside club have interest in the 25-year-old as they look to bolster their forward options.

Watkins has been a revelation for Villa since joining from Brentford in the last summer transfer window. He has managed to reach double figures for goals in the Premier League and is now a full England international.

Furthermore, it comes as no surprise that a club like Liverpool are looking at Watkins. Hendrie, however, has warned the striker that he could struggle for game time at Anfield.

On Watkins potentially joining Liverpool this summer, the ex-Villa player told FFC:

“He’s been brilliant. I just don’t know whether Ollie Watkins would play as much football if he went to Liverpool. That would be my only question mark.

“I feel another season at Villa, I think it would do him a world of good because he’s just found his feet in the Premier League.”

With Liverpool already boasting some very strong forward options in Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane, Roberto Firmino and Diogo Jota, Watkins could certainly struggle for consistent starts at Anfield.

After PIF’s takeover of Newcastle United was confirmed a number of months ago, we were all expectant and excited to see the type of talent they could lure to St James’ Park.

Sadly, and rather unsurprisingly, however, they have found life difficult during the winter.

January is always a tricky time to recruit and the club’s new owners are finding that our swiftly.

What’s the word?

News broke on Wednesday that Newcastle were trying to complete a deal to bring Jesse Lingard to the club.

However, the Magpies have been rebuffed in their attempts to lands the Manchester United playmaker and it’s thought he’d prefer another move to the capital.

As a result, the Toon are considering making moves for two other players, one of which is Tottenham’s Dele Alli.

That’s according to 90min who report that the England international is an alternative to Lingard this winter.

It’s thought Spurs had set an asking price of £25m according to a separate report last year.

The new Gazza?

A few years ago Darren Anderton was incredibly effusive in his praise for Dele, hailing the creative midfielder as a “freak of a talent.”

Indeed, that talent is clearly still lurking in the 25-year-old but there is a sense that he needs a fresh start elsewhere in order to discover that.

After all, the playmaker has scored just twice in all competitions this term and has only registered one assist too.

That is a far cry from the numbers we saw him rack up in the early stages of his career. In 2015/16, Dele amassed as many as ten goals and nine assists in the top-flight, then went even better in the campaign after that, scoring 18 times with another nine assists to his name.

2017/18 was also productive for the attacking midfielder who racked up nine goals and 11 assists.

With that kind of dynamism in mind, he could well become Newcastle’s next Paul Gascoigne if he finds his form again.

Gazza was a wonderful player in his prime and scored 133 times during his career.

The duo have also been compared previously by none other than Barcelona manager, Xavi. He once said: “There are some very promising young English midfield players and there is no doubt he is very special.

“He is very talented, very technical. I can understand why the Tottenham fans are hoping he is the next Paul Gascoigne.

“For me, Gascoigne was an inspiration when I was developing, one of the best midfield players I have ever seen. It is important not to put pressure on Dele with these comparisons but I can see why fans are excited.”

Of course, his form has subsided since that comparison but there is certainly a belief that he can get back to his best with new tools and resources.

Newcastle must make that happen.

AND in other news, “From sources” – Fabrizio Romano drops big NUFC transfer update that’ll delight fans…

Alan Nixon has shared a quite cynical update on Celtic’s pursuit of Eddie Howe.

The Lowdown: Howe closing in on Hoops switch

The 43-year-old is thought to be closing in on a move to Parkhead to become Neil Lennon’s permanent successor.

Howe has been out of management since August after he left Bournemouth, and his previous employers are currently involved in the Championship playoffs.

Reports have suggested that Howe has agreed to move to Glasgow and will take some members of staff from the south coast with him, with many now wondering when a deal could be announced.

The Latest: Nixon’s comments

Nixon, who writes for The Sun, was asked by a Hoops fan on Twitter on Tuesday evening if Howe could be announced in 2-3 days time.

He replied, admitting he’s heard that timeframe ‘a few times’.

“We have heard ‘two or three days’ a few times.”

The Verdict: When could he be announced?

Not knowing when a deal will be announced may not be ideal for some supporters, but, in our view, we can’t see Howe being officially unveiled by the Bhoys until the Cherries complete their season.

They defeated Brentford 1-0 in the first leg of their semi-final on Monday and will look to book a spot in the final on the weekend.

Should they get to Wembley, that could keep some members of staff Howe wants busy until the end of the month.

It’s not ideal, but it seems as if Howe is the man Celtic want, so they may have to wait a little longer until they can show off their new boss.

In other news: Frank McAennie reacts to Conor McGregor claim, find out more here. 

Almost every club in the Premier League would jump at the chance to sign Ivan Toney if he became available at Brentford, but Barry Fry, the Director of Football who brought Toney to Peterborough from Newcastle United, has claimed that the striker would fit straight in at West Ham.

The Hammers are one of several clubs to have been credited with an interest in the striker who fired in 33 goals in the regular Championship season as well as a penalty in their play-off final victory against Swansea City.

The latest reports have credited usual big spenders Everton and Chelsea with an interest in the former Newcastle striker and the Hammers will be hoping nothing comes to fruition there if they are to stand a chance of bringing him in to challenge Michail Antonio next season.

David Moyes will be looking to add multiple additions to his squad next season who will be capable of slotting in immediately given that their Europa League campaign starts before their domestic one and Toney would be a signing that could do that, according to Fry who spoke exclusively to Football FanCast:

“At West Ham they’ve got some of the best delivery from corners and free-kicks, which helps as they’ve got two or three players that can really attack the ball and Ivan Toney would only add to that.

“He’s brilliant in the air, both offensively and defensively, so I can see Ivan fitting into West Ham’s style of play.”

Brentford fans would be disappointed to see their 25-year-old star man depart before their debut Premier League campaign as they have something that other promoted teams rarely have and that’s a goal scorer and one that is being chased by several top clubs in England.

It would make sense if Moyes was looking at Toney considering that he is still yet to replace club-record signing Sebastien Haller who was allowed to leave for Ajax without a replacement being lined up, and that may have cost the Hammers a place in the top four as they didn’t have a back up for Antonio when he was injured.

Express & Star journalist Luke Hatfield has described Ruben Neves’ situation at Wolves as a “shaky one”.

The 24-year-old was being heavily linked with a move to Arsenal, with The Athletic reporting last month that the north London club were interested in doing a deal.

However, talk has since cooled down, though that may be down to Neves’ participation at the Euros.

Ultimately, it is all a bit up in the air right now. And while there is still plenty of time left in the transfer window for Wolves to sell Neves, Hatfield has suggested that he could still have a future at Molineux depending on Bruno Lage’s plans.

“It’s interesting with Ruben Neves,” the football reporter said to TT. “Obviously he was linked with Arsenal before for a big-money move. Whether I expect him to leave now, it’s a bit of a shaky one.

“As a player, I think he obviously has enjoyed his time at Wolves. He obviously helped the club get promoted, but with Nuno leaving, does he maybe see his future elsewhere?

“He’ll probably want to have a word with him, see what he sees for his future at the club. Does Lage rate him? Does he want to play him? Will he suit the system? Those are all questions that he’ll be keen to ask.”

While things have gone a bit quiet, it would not be a surprise if Neves did indeed end up at the Emirates.

They look close to selling Granit Xhaka to AS Roma so will probably need a replacement for the Switzerland international.

Following a difficult start to the Premier League this season, Leeds United manager Marcelo Bielsa will have some ruthless calls to make over some of his under-performing players.

Rodrigo has arguably been the biggest disappointment of the lot given his considerable price tag and the extensive experience he brings to the table with his time in Spain playing European football year-in, year-out.

The Spaniard has yet to score or assist in nine games in all competitions this term, and what has been particularly disappointing is that he has been given a runout as the sole centre-forward in Patrick Bamford’s absence.

If the criticism was that his below-par displays might have been because he was asked to play in a more withdrawn role when Bamford was in the side, then there cannot be any excuses for how he’s been performing in recent weeks.

It was no surprise that numerous Leeds fans slammed the Spain international for his performance against Manchester United in the opening game of the season, while he was equally ineffective against Liverpool too.

Against Jurgen Klopp’s side last month, he had no successful dribbles, just one shot on goal with which he really should have done better, completed only ten passes and and lost the ball on seven occasions before he was taken off at the break.

Last time out against Southampton, he arguably delivered his worst performance in a Leeds shirt. Writing in his post-match player ratings for the Yorkshire Evening Post, Graham Smyth gave him a measly two, saying: “Completely ineffective. Offered next to nothing, took heavy touches or picked wrong options. No focal point for Leeds’ attack.”

Today’s game against Wolves marks a crucial opportunity for Bielsa’s side to get things right and finally get a bit of momentum into their sails.

Dropping the £100k-a-week earning Rodrigo would be the kind of ruthless move which could reignite the team.

Meanwhile, Leeds could sign a huge Dan James upgrade in this star…

Rangers kicked off their Scottish Premiership title defence in ideal fashion as they beat Livingston 3-0 at Ibrox on Saturday, with Steven Gerrard’s side comfortable despite missing the likes of Alfredo Morelos and Borna Barisic.

Ianis Hagi gave the Gers an early lead against David Martindale’s side as he fired home from Tavernier’s set-piece, before Scott Wright superbly found the corner with a volley to make the points safe.

Fellow substitute Kemar Roofe came off the bench to score a third late on, capitalising on some less than impressive defending by David Martindale’s side to pick up where he left off at the end of last season.

While he didn’t get on the scoresheet on Saturday, the game’s outstanding player was arguably Tavernier, as he played a huge part in the first two goals and was a constant threat going forward.

As per SofaScore, the former Wigan Athletic man earned a superb 8.8 match rating for his performance, which was comfortably the best of any player to feature for either side. Only Steven Davis (101) had more touches than Tavernier (98) at Ibrox, which emphasises just how involved he was in Rangers’ build-up play despite featuring at right-back.

He was also solid from a defensive perspective, as no Livingston player dribbled past him during the game. The visitors’ left-hand side, consisting of James Penrice and Adam Lewis, managed just six passes each during the game, which suggests that Tavernier clearly had the better of them.

Whilst the Rangers captain lost possession 31 times on the day, the most of any player on the pitch, this shows that he is willing to attempt the difficult passes and crosses. When they come off they often lead to a goal, evidenced by his superb goals and assists record during his time at Rangers thus far.

[freshpress-quiz id=“593776”]

After missing a portion of last season, which led to Nathan Patterson breaking into the first team, there were some who felt the Scottish youngster could challenge Tavernier for the starting spot during 2021/22. However, based on the 29-year-old’s performance today, there won’t be many occasions where Gerrard feels the need to drop his “incredible” captain – in the words of Kenny Dalglish – over the coming months.

In other news… Too slow, Wilson: Rangers miss out on “outstanding” winger loved by Gerrard

Aston Villa youngster Aaron Ramsey has been nominated for the Premier League 2 player of the month award for August after a stellar start to the campaign, as per the club’s official website.

In two appearances for the Villans’ under-23 side last month, the 18-year-old registered four goal contributions, with two goals and two assists [Transfermarkt], and he has won recognition for his fine displays.

He has been selected as a nominee for the Premier League 2 award and will be up against Omari Giraud-Hutchinson, Evan Ferguson, Harvey Vale, James McAtee, Dylan Stephenson, Jonathan Tomkinson and Dilan Markanday for the honour [avfc.co.uk].

In light of this news, plenty of Aston Villa supporters took to social media to celebrate Ramsey’s award nomination.

Aston Villa fans react

Replying to the club’s official Twitter account, here is what some fans had to say about the nomination, with some describing the teenage prospect as a “baller”:

“* 2 goals and 2 assists.”

Credit: @Flatsy1″Such a baller, massive potential”Credit: @thawkk__”Baller”Credit: @calsteedd

“Aaron Ramsey is bigger than your club”

Credit: @josephavfc

“Standard”

Credit: @DOUGLASLUlZ

 “This man’s having a sublime few weeks”

Credit: @ViIlaI_In other news, many Aston Villa fans react to events from the international break. Find out more here.