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Tottenham Hotspur fans have been reacting to the latest transfer rumour circulating north London this week as a big name has been linked with Jose Mourinho’s side.

According to Gianluca Di Marzio, Napoli centre-back Kalidou Koulibaly could be “one of their most important targets” this summer – and there is even a good feeling between his agents and Daniel Levy.

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He claims that the 28-year-old is likely to leave the Serie A club at the end of the season whilst Everton boss Carlo Ancelotti is also said to hold an interest in the colossal defender.

Di Marzio rates the chances of Koulibaly joining the Premier League as “very high” but it remains to be seen what sort of fee Napoli would command.

The French-born Senegal international is valued at £50.4m by Transfermarkt while at the start of the month, Mundo Deportivo claimed Paris Saint-Germain had won the race for him in a deal expected to be around €75m (£65.5m).

Spurs’ club-record signing is midfielder Tanguy Ndombele at £55m, so despite many wanting to see Koulibaly in north London, some have their doubts given Levy’s track record.

Here’s what has been said…

AND in other news, Loads of Spurs fans react to Alasdair Gold tweet…

A recent report from the Guardian over the prospective takeover of the club has left fans in a frenzy.

Journalist Sean Ingle claims that the Magpies’ £300m Saudi-funded takeover is in ‘serious doubt’ after the World Trade Organisation ruled that the Middle Eastern country was behind beoutQ – the illegal pirate streaming service that broadcasts sporting events including the Premier League.

And evidently it has left a sore mark on some at St James’ Park…

The WTO report won’t be published until mid-June, which means this process could very much extend into a third month of deliberation.

It is something that the Premier League, who have a lot on their plate already, have to carefully consider given the allegations surrounding the service that illegally streams their matches during a regular season.

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Their priority in recent weeks has been getting ‘Project Restart’ underway with the next phase expected to be given the go-ahead following the return to training.

However, some believe the PL are merely waiting for further evidence that will allow them to block the deal – the Saudi state have always caused controversy over their laws as well as the situation involving assassinated journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

Saudi Arabia are set to take a whopping 80% stake in the northeast sleeping giants should the takeover be given the green light with the other 20% being divided equally between PCP Partners’ Amanda Staveley and the wealthy yet usually anonymous Reuben brothers.

This process has already eaten away a good seven weeks of lockdown life for the Magpies faithful and it’s clearly starting to grate on many at the club as seen by the following reaction.

It may only get worse for them given this appears set to drag on into June.

While plenty of Magpies supporters are already giving up, it still does indeed remain to be seen whether the Premier League will approve the £300m takeover.

Only time will tell.

AND in other news, Report: Pochettino close to Newcastle job, wants £100m SUPERSTAR to join with him…

Celtic fan page Celtic1967.com have asked fans what has impressed them most about the club under Neil Lennon and a lot of the Hoops faithful have replied in praise of the manager.

The former Hoops player has completely dominated Scottish football in his two spells at manager of the club. His first spell in charge of the side was from 2010 to 2014, when he won 159 of his 227 matches, drawing 29 and losing 39, whilst he also won three league titles and a Scottish Cup, as per Transfermarkt.

Since he returned to the club in February 2019, the Hoops have played 67 games, winning 53, drawing eight and losing six (as per Transfermarkt), which highlights that he is continuing to do a great job for the club since his return. They are on course to win their ninth title in a row, as per Transfermarkt, as they currently sit 13 points clear at the top of the table, as per BBC Sport.

Lennon was managing the Hoops when they won the first of their current run of league titles and it would be an iconic moment if he is in charge for the side to win their ninth and possibly 10th in a row, which is something the club has never done before, as per Transfermarkt.

Here is what some Celtic fans had to say following the tweet:

Celtic fans, is it due to Neil Lennon that the club is currently so dominant in Scotland? Comment below with your views!

A recent article published by The Athletic’s Phil Hay has caused a stir amongst the Leeds United faithful this week.

He details the future of loan striker Jean-Kevin Augustin and how the rarely-seen forward could become quite the steal despite the finances involved in the deal.

The west Yorkshire outfit landed the RB Leipzig man during the January transfer window and have an obligation to purchase him should they gain promotion (something that is looking rather likely).

According to Hay in a previous Q&A session, Augustin is going to cost Leeds in the region of £18m.

But such a claim has divided opinion, some find it hard to believe whilst others have put unwavering faith into their manager, Marcelo Bielsa.

Here’s the word from the doubting camp…

These supporters are right to question the statement given the 22-year-old’s lack of game time since joining the club on loan.

Per Transfermarkt, Augustin has made just three substitute appearances, playing a total of 48 minutes and wasn’t even named in Marcelo Bielsa’s squad for their final three matches before lockdown was imposed, via Transfermarkt.

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Hay goes on to claim that Bielsa sees the striker as a “£30m-£40m” player and uses his statistics from the 2017/18 campaign to reinforce this view.

The Frenchman provided 12 goals and six assists in 37 appearances for Leipzig, which put him amongst some of Europe’s elite.

Which is why some can see where Bielsa’s influence could help the forward.

One fan references the transformation in Kalvin Phillips under the Argentine, but it remains to be seen if he can do the same here for Augustin.

If fit, the loanee has nine games to prove his worth to some of the Elland Road faithful – and with promotion looking like a mere formality, it’s arguably firmly in their control, then these supporters will have to get used to seeing the 22-year-old more.

AND in other news, Leeds swoop for this striker could solve their Bamford misery…

As per the CIES Football Observatory, Glasgow Rangers have had more penalties than any other side in the Scottish Premiership during the last three seasons.

The study covered a number of Europe’s top-tier divisions, with complete stats provided for the entirety of the Premiership. The study revealed that the ‘Gers have had 23 penalties during the past three campaigns, which is three more than the next most rewarded club Hamilton Academical, whilst it is nine more than their fierce Glasgow rivals Celtic.

They don’t quite lead the way in terms of success rate, though, with Aberdeen having netted 88.9% of their spot-kicks compared to the Light Blues’ 87%, but that is still a strong completion rate.

Of course, given that Celtic have won the last nine league titles, this clearly doesn’t have too much of an effect on proceedings north of the border, but there is certainly some solace that Steven Gerrard can take. The large number of penalties at least shows that the ‘Gers are taking the game to their opponents and are putting sides under pressure in the final third.

As Gerrard looks to finally wrestle the Premiership title away from the Bhoys, this is a stat he can certainly build upon next season.

‘Gers fans, were you surprised to learn that the Light Blues have won more penalties than any other Premiership club since 2017? Let us know what you think in the comments section below!

Tottenham boss Jose Mourinho is keen to sign Roma star Nicolo Zaniolo this summer. 

Spurs had been interested in Zaniolo long before Mourinho took over from Mauricio Pochettino but it now seems they are one step closer to completing a deal for the attacking midfielder.

According to La Repubblica, as cited by Sport Witness and relayed by Ricky Sacks, the Spurs boss is very keen on signing Zaniolo in the summer.

Zaniolo has been described as one of the best players of his generation after breaking through the ranks at AS Roma and becoming one of their key players in the process. La Repubblica claimed that he has fallen out with his club following a public spat with Paulo Fonseca.

He was criticised by the Roma manager for his performance against Verona and that hasn’t gone down well with the 21-year-old.

Recent reports suggested that Spurs are leading the race to sign Zaniolo in the summer, alongside Juventus and Inter Milan, although he wants to stay in Serie A for one more season.

Roma could be forced to sell players as they are struggling to cope with the financial pressures of these unprecedented circumstances and they fear they could lose him for a cheap price.

Zaniolo, who left Inter Milan for Roma for £4m in 2018, has emerged as one of Europe’s hottest prospects and the Giallorossi believe that he could become Francisco Totti’s heir. However, Roma don’t want to sell him unless there is no other option, and they have slapped a hefty price tag of £50m on his head.

His representatives will hold tentative talks with the Italian giants but they face an uphill struggle to convince him to stay at the Stadio Olimpico. Roma have insisted they have no intention of selling him this summer and believe nobody has the cash to buy him at the moment.

Daniel Levy has made it clear that he will not be spending “rivers of money” in the transfer window and Zaniolo is surely outside of Mourinho’s price range.

Spurs struggled to score goals during Harry Kane’s absence, while they have largely failed to fill the void since Christian Eriksen left for Inter Milan, although Mourinho has used Giovani Lo Celso and Harry Winks together recently.

Nevertheless, the manager still wants to sign a new playmaker, but it is likely he will have to look for a cheaper alternative to Zaniolo elsewhere.

Tottenham fans, do you think Daniel Levy should sign Zaniolo? Let us know in the comments below!

As Carlo Ancelotti heads into his first summer in charge of Everton, all eyes will be on who the Toffees can bring in to help reinforce the squad.

And with Watford’s relegation to the Championship, The Daily Mirror claim that Ancelotti’s side may be looking to exploit that this summer.

They claim that the Toffees are keen on making a renewed attempt to sign Watford midfielder Abdoulaye Doucoure – they saw a couple of bids for the Frenchman rejected by the Hornets last year.

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However, the report suggests Everton won’t be the only side to show an interest in Doucoure, with recently crowned FA Cup winners Arsenal also mentioned as being admirers.

And after hearing about their links to the midfield ace, Everton fans took to Twitter to share their reactions.

A couple of fans talked up the prospect of seeing both Doucoure and fellow reported transfer target Allan forming part of Everton’s midfield.

He may not have been able to save Watford from relegation, but there’s no question that Doucoure has proven that he is a Premier League-quality midfielder.

The £18m-rated ace scored four goals and provided two assists this season, including setting up one of the goals in Watford’s 3-0 triumph over Liverpool.

Having missed out on him last summer, this feels like the perfect opportunity for Everton to finally get their man.

Leeds United are back in the promised land of the Premier League and the club is already being linked with superstars from across Europe, including Edinson Cavani and Zlatan Ibrahimovic – yes really.

Although the latest name should have the Elland Road faithful brimming with excitement…

What’s the word?

According to Italian news outlet Tuttomercatoweb, the Yorkshire giants are rivalling AC Milan for the signature of Benfica wonderkid Florentino Luis.

It’s claimed that United’s chances of clinching the 20-year-old have increased following promotion after talks first emerged back in February, albeit before the pandemic.

Luis does have a whopping €120m (£108m) release clause but the Portuguese outfit’s valuation of the defensive midfielder has decreased substantially to between €20m (£18m) and €30m (£27m).

KP successor

The report makes it sound very much like Leeds are genuine contenders to land one of the best talents breaking through in Europe this summer, and he’d be an amazing fit for Marcelo Bielsa’s system.

Luis has been capped over 70 times from Portugual U15s to more recently the U21s and as a lynchpin-type, he could be the long-term heir to Kalvin Phillips, who is sure to garner even more interest now he’ll be competing in the top-flight.

The young prospect has displayed enforcer-like attributes across the previous two seasons, averaging an impressive 3.8 tackles, 2.9 interceptions and 1.3 long balls per game, via WhoScored. This includes a whopping nine tackles in the Champions League against Lyon this term.

He’s such a massive talent that he’s been tipped to have a higher ceiling than Joao Felix and has even been likened to Real Madrid enforcer Casemiro as well as Man Utd superstar Paul Pogba.

Former Benfica youth coach Joao Tralhao claims Luis is “an exceptional talent and [has] physical qualities totally in line with his footballing qualities.”

United don’t really need another defensive midfielder, but passing up on the chance to sign a potential generational star would be a massive mistake to make.

The Portuguese destroyer would be right at home at Elland Road and one day could be the man to take the reins from the popular Phillips.

AND in other news, Orta can land LUFC a bargain in £5m Championship star…

Even though their season wasn’t crowned with any silverware in the end, Inter Milan were still quite successful overall. Alongside the surging Atalanta, they pushed Juventus to the final days of Serie A and were a genuine threat to their domestic dominance.

But Antonio Conte might still have to revamp the squad if they are to move forward and according to Sport Mediaset (via Sempre Inter), the Nerazzurri are willing to sell their prized asset, Milan Skriniar, and Tottenham Hotspur are among the teams who have taken a liking to the defender.

The Slovakian star has seemingly slipped down the pecking order over in Italy and that could make him available in the ongoing summer transfer window. Alongside Spurs, teams like Real Madrid, Manchester City and Manchester United were mentioned, meaning Jose Mourinho could face stern competition for the centre-back’s signature.

For that reason, he’s willing to sweeten the deal by potentially including Tanguy Ndombele in the negotiations, as the same source claims, in an attempt to maybe lower the Italian’s asking price of €50m (£45.2m).

Still, the papers don’t exactly say whether this is a deal that Inter would indeed accept but it is a way for Mourinho to make it a bit more attractive if nothing else.

It would be quite difficult for Spurs to compete with the likes of Real, City and United financially so this could be the way to go for the Special One and his crew.

Only time will tell how successful they’ll be in that.

Verdict

He may have fallen down the pecking order just a bit but Skriniar is still very much a top-quality defender who would undoubtedly boost Spurs’ backline. After all, they are in need of reinforcements and this signing could be a big statement for the Premier League side.

But first, however, they will have to fend off other European giants and convince Inter they are the club to do business with.

According to emerging reports this week, Celtic are starting to have doubts over the future of their captain Scott Brown.

The 35-year-old has started every single Scottish Premiership game so far this season but has been left exposed at times due to his lack of mobility and pace, perhaps resulting in this reported pursuit of an alternative – or some would say, a successor.

90min claim that Neil Lennon is keen to secure a replacement for the veteran this summer and Crystal Palace regular James McCarthy is top of his shortlist.

This campaign has the potential to be hugely historic as the Bhoys aim for a tenth title in a row, and of course they’d like their long-serving skipper to be part of the journey, but it has been evident that a long and tiresome season may be too much for him.

However, they should forget about splashing the cash to do that and instead, opt to promote someone from within and maybe they already have the perfect heir in waiting.

Celtic signed teenage sensation Luca Connell from Bolton Wanderers last summer for £350k and Neil Lennon is thought to be a huge fan of his, resulting in a fast-track into the first-team setup.

The 19-year-old has already been called up to his national side, where Mick McCarthy labelled him a “breath of fresh air,” so it’s time he’s given an opportunity.

“He’s left-footed and he can certainly find a pass. He hits it with a bit of authority and lets people have the ball. He doesn’t mind putting his foot in either so he’s fitted in pretty well.”

Mick McCarthy on Connell.

Whilst former Wanderers teammate Remi Matthews believes he has a very, very bright future and tipped him for huge success at Parkhead.

“From day one, he has been sensational,” he said before adding: “He took to it like a duck to water and he was a standout straight away. He’s a top player. He is so talented. He’s not flashy in the sense that he won’t go and beat a man, but he has a phenomenal range of passing, and there is no doubt at all in my mind that if he was to go to Celtic, he would be their leading assist provider by the end of the season. That’s how good he is.”

It seems a no-brainer for Lennon to promote Connell into the first-team and have Brown mentor him for the next eight months in the hope that he could take the reins following that tenth title.

AND in other news, Celtic set for huge mistake as transfer target moves elsewhere…