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UEFA has written a letter to the UK government threatening a ban for England from its competitions if there is interference with a planned regulator.

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• UEFA warn of potential ban in letter to Culture Secretary
• Officials demand no government interference of regulator
• English teams' places in Europe under threat

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  According to , UEFA general secretary Theodore Theodoris has written to Lisa Nandy, the Culture Secretary, to stress that there should be 'no government interference in the running of football' and explicitly warned that the 'ultimate sanction for which would be excluding the federation from UEFA and teams from competition'. Theodoridis emphasised the need for independence after proposals for a new regulator were brought forward by Sir Keir Starmer’s new Labour Government in the King’s Speech.

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  The concept of an independent regulator has been suggested by both major UK political parties, with the notion initially put forward last year by the previous government. The regulator would oversee a licensing system to ensure clubs are run sustainably, take over a strengthened owners and directors test, and give fans a greater say in key decisions.

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  WHAT UEFA SAID

  An excerpt of the letter reads: "We do have concerns remaining… as normally football regulation should be managed by the national federation.

  "One particular area of concern stems from one of Uefa's fundamental requirements, which is that there should be no government interference in the running of football.

  "We have specific rules that guard against this in order to guarantee the autonomy of sport and fairness of sporting competition; the ultimate sanction for which would be excluding the federation from UEFA and teams from competition."

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  WHAT NEXT FOR ENGLAND AND UEFA?

  Nandy reportedly has yet to respond to the letter but both the government and the footballing authorities have previously insisted they will work with all parties to ensure a fair and appropriate system will be implemented. Privately, officials are said to believe there is no risk of England being banned by UEFA.

  England's national team will continue their prepping for the Euros as normal, beginning with another international break next month where Lee Carsley's side will continue their Nations League campaign.

Over the years, the Tottenham Hotspur academy has produced some exceptional players. Whilst the Lilywhite’s academy is perhaps not as renowned as the likes of Arsenal’s Hale End, Chelsea’s Cobham or Manchester United’s Carrington, they still have several notable graduates.

Of course, the most famous player Tottenham have produced is their record goalscorer, and England’s record marksman, Harry Kane. The England captain netted 280 goals and registered 61 assists for the club in 435 games during his time in north London. He now plies his trade at Bayern Munich.

Aside from Kane, another of their famous academy graduates is former captain Ledley King. The former England international was a stalwart at the back for Spurs, and played 322 times, scoring 13 goals. He won the Carling Cup in 2008, skippering his side to silverware.

The likes of Marcus Edwards, who plays for newly-crowned Portuguese champions Sporting, and Harry Winks, a Championship winner this season with Leicester City, are two current players who have come through the Spurs academy.

However, there could well be a better talent than even Kane in their academy now, who recently made his first team debut. The youngster is making waves for Ange Postecouglou’s side and England U17s.

Tottenham's most exciting academy star

The player in question here is 16-year-old attacker Mikey Moore. He earned a long-awaited first-team debut against Manchester City in the penultimate Premier League game of the season, also appearing in the season's final game against Sheffield United.

In the U18 Premier League this season, Moore has been on fire. The youngster has scored 14 goals and has registered eight assists in just 12 games for Spurs, and is averaging a goal every 70 minutes. He is the joint fifth top scorer in the competition throughout 2023/24.

He recently scored a brace for England in the U17s Euros, with his first goal an impressive back post header, and his second a dazzling run which ended with a clinical finish past the France goalkeeper.

The way he slalomed in and out of the French defenders was mesmerising, picking up the ball on the half-turn just inside the French half, before easily evading several challenges and slotting home for his second of the game.

Moore was described as a “special talent” by Football Talent Scout Jacek Kulig over on X, and it is clear to see why. Spurs have a very talented attacker for the future and maybe for the present. Lilywhites fans will be excited to see him link up with another exciting talent set to join in the summer.

Spurs’ next best prospect after Moore

Spurs confirmed the signing of exciting young Swedish midfielder Lucas Bergvall on 2nd February this year, although he will not join the club until 1st July. Despite his age, Bergvall is making waves in Sweden and already has one international cap.

The 18-year-old midfielder is a superb technical dribbler, who, despite his tall frame, is able to keep incredibly close control of the ball. He was described as “a very good technician” by Tommy Soderstrom, who is head of youth and recruitment at Bergvall’s former club Brommapojkarna.

He has played 17 games in first-team football this season and has put in an excellent contribution during that time; Bergvall has scored four and assisted five goals, in 1,336 minutes altogether. That is an astounding record for someone so inexperienced.

He was described by one football analyst on X as a “generational” talent before the same analyst claimed Bergvall is the “best player to come out of Sweden. Even more than Zlatan Ibrahimovic”. That is high praise for him to receive.

There is every reason for Spurs fans to get excited about both Moore and Bergvall. Together, they could pave the way for a new generation in North London and potentially have plenty of success in that famous white shirt together.

Spurs looking to sign Bellingham-esque star who's better than Bergvall

The Spurs target has been thriving in the Bundesliga this season.

By
Tom Lever

Apr 11, 2024

Ollie Watkins says he wants "to be the man" to lead England's attack going forward – which would be at the expense of captain Harry Kane.

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• Watkins' Villa take on Kane's Bayern
• Former wants to "be the man" for England
• Vying with Kane for starting Three Lions role

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Ahead of Aston Villa hosting Bayern Munich in the Champions League on Wednesday night, striker Watkins spoke about his plans to become the Three Lions' first-choice striker and his relationship with former Tottenham star Kane.

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  WHAT OLLIE WATKINS SAID

  On his international aspirations, he said: "Everyone is fighting for a position on the pitch so I want to be the man to play but day in day out. Harry and I have a good relationship. When I'm in the camp I speak to him so there's no animosity. I'm doing all I can to be on the pitch and so is he. He's got the records and scored the number of goals he has for a reason. He's put in a lot of hard work over the years to get there."

• THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Kane and Watkins have been in red-hot form over the past year or so, posting some of the best goal-scoring numbers in Europe. There is a chance they will face off against one another in the Champions League at Villa Park, although Kane did suffer an ankle injury last weekend. If Watkins wants to be top dog for England, performing on nights like these may be key.

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  WHAT NEXT?

  Interim England boss Lee Carsley will name his squad for the Three Lions' upcoming Nations League games against Greece and Finland in the coming days. It remains to be seen who will start up front in those fixtures.

Manchester United are ready to sell one player who started the FA Cup final win over Manchester City for a £40m loss, according to a new report.

Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s busy first summer at Man Utd

Sir Jim Ratcliffe and INEOS have plenty of work to do at Old Trafford this summer, which could involve moving on a number of Man Utd players. The Manchester Evening News even claimed back in March that there were 21 players facing uncertain futures.

Man Utd make first move to sign "natural born goalscorer" in £51m transfer

Could he be making his way to Old Trafford this summer?

By
Ben Browning

May 28, 2024

Raphael Varane has already confirmed that he’ll be leaving the club when his contract expires, with Tom Heaton, Jonny Evans and Anthony Martial’s deals also up in the summer. Meanwhile, there have been plenty of exit rumours on midfielder Casemiro, who looks to have played his last game for the club amid interest from Saudi Arabia.

There are also a number of the squad who will be entering the final 12 months of their Old Trafford contracts, as can be seen below.

One of those, Aaron Wan-Bissaka, is no stranger to being linked with an Old Trafford exit, and there were reports that Ratcliffe could sell the full-back for £20m. Now, there has been a new update, with one club in talks over a deal and a fee being potentially less than £20m.

Man Utd ready to sell Aaron Wan-Bissaka

According to reports from Italy, Man Utd are ready to sell Wan-Bissaka this summer due to the player entering the final 12 months of his Old Trafford contract.

It is believed that Inter Milan are on the lookout for a replacement to Denzel Dumfries, who has been linked with a move to Man Utd in 2024, and are in talks with the Red Devils over a move for Wan-Bissaka.

The negotiation between the two clubs has been going on for a few days and the valuation is around €12m (£10.2m), which would be around a £40m loss on the fee £50m they paid Crystal Palace back in 2019. The 26-year-old even has a three-year deal worth €2.7m-a-year (£2.3m) on the table at Inter, so it appears as if there could be movement in the coming weeks.

Wan-Bissaka won his second trophy with the Red Devils on Saturday, playing the entirety of the 2-1 win over Manchester City. The appearance was his 30th of the 2023/24 campaign and his 190th in total for United, but it may have been his last going off this update.

Hailed as a “tackling machine” by commentator Jim Beglin, Wan-Bissaka could be one of many that United look to cash in on ahead of the new season, which could then allow Diogo Dalot to move back over to right-back and become first choice next season.

The Brazilian midfielder brought flair and excitement to the Premier League during a dazzling three-year spell

'The Barclays'. While the Premier League was technically sponsored by the aforementioned bank between 2001-16, the period which is so wistfully looked back upon by fans of a certain vintage is the first decade of the 2000s.

After its initial emergence in 1992, the English top-flight enjoyed a secondary boom in popularity following the turn of the millennium, as overseas television deals and a secondary influx of foreign stars gave the league a truly global appeal. It played host to a number of the games modern icons, too, with Cristiano Ronaldo, Thierry Henry and Didier Drogba among those who lit up the Premier League on a weekly basis.

When fans refer to 'The Barclays', though, it is not those household names they are referring to. Instead, it is the players who were largely in the background when it came to being headline-grabbing, but were seen as key cogs in the Premier League machine by die-hard fans, while still able to produce moments of magic.

These players have come to be known as the 'Barclaysmen', but what made them so beloved, and what became of them once their Barclays life was over? Here at GOAL, we will endeavour to find out with our latest series, 'Ultimate Barclaysmen'.

As the Barclaysmen trend swept social media recently, Hull City joined in by paying tribute to a Brazilian icon whose flair, unpredictability and collection of unforgettable goals left a lasting impression, despite his brief stay in England. To celebrate the one and only Geovanni, the Tigers chose Razorlight's 2004 hit single 'Golden Touch' to accompany a collection of his finest moments in east Yorkshire – a fitting anthem for a true Barclaysman.

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  Where he came from

  Geovanni is the rare Barclaysman who didn't arrive in the Premier League as a complete unknown. By the time Barcelona brought him to Catalonia at the age of 21, he was already a full Brazil international and commanded a £17.6 million ($23m) fee to convince Cruzeiro to let him leave.

  The bright lights of the Camp Nou were impossible to resist, but Geovanni struggled to break into a team that featured Ballon d'Or winner Rivaldo, and he left the club after just two years.

  Benfica offered him an environment to continue refining his skills away from the spotlight, and he delivered several standout moments during his time in Portugal. In 2006, Geovanni returned to Cruzeiro to be closer to family and friends, but it was only a matter of time before European football called again.

  That call came in 2007, when Manchester City made him a Premier League player. City were entering a new era under Thaksin Shinawatra's ownership, and Geovanni became the third signing in a summer that also saw the arrivals of compatriot Elano, Martin Petrov, Rolando Bianchi and Benjani. City nearly missed out on him – Portsmouth invited him for a trial but didn't offer him a contract – and within weeks of arriving, Geovanni was showing off his talent with goals against West Ham and a memorable winner against Manchester United. He was up and running.

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• Barclays highlights

  Scoring the winner in a Manchester derby will ensure Geovanni will never have to buy a pint in the east side of the city again. It was his first start in City blue, and he marked it by beating Edwin van der Sar from nearly 30 yards out in a 1-0 win. That was as good as it got for him, though – he didn't start another game for the club after December and was released at the end of the season.

  Despite Geovanni's limited action at Man City, Hull City had seen enough to sign him as Phil Brown and his superiors attempted to put together a team that could survive in the Premier League. The 2008-09 season was the Tigers' first in the top flight of English football in their entire history, and they needed some magic in order to stay up. Cue Geovanni.

  Twenty-two minutes into his debut was all it took for him to write his name into Hull history. He scored the club's first ever goal in the highest division by curling a beautiful effort beyond Mark Schwarzer, and Hull would go on to win the match 2-1.

  That goal will never be forgotten by Hull supporters, but a wider audience will recall his stunning effort in that extraordinary win over Arsenal at Emirates Stadium. Only a few players would have dared to even think of shooting from Geovanni's position, but not everyone possesses the same ability to conjure moments of sheer brilliance. "The goal of a lifetime," Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger called it, and he followed it up by scoring a free-kick in a 1-0 win at Tottenham a week later. Hull had a new star.

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  'He is a sunshine boy'

  Hull weren't entirely sure what to expect when they signed Geovanni. He hadn't lasted long at Barcelona or Man City, and Benfica terminated his contract just six months after he'd scored a goal that knocked Manchester United out of the Champions League. This caused then-manager Brown some concern, even after his inspired start to life at the club.

  "With the sun on his back, he is a very good player," Brown said after the Spurs win. "It is only when it's blowing a gale, when we are at the worst ground in the Premier League, and it is wet, that I can answer that question. When the weather changes and the clever, beautiful game has become a harder working environment, then, hopefully, I will have the same answer."

  By the end of that 2008-09 season, Brown could have no complaints. Geovanni top-scored with eight Premier League goals as Hull stayed in the top flight by the slimmest of margins. Those same heroics couldn't be repeated the following year as Hull were relegated back to the Championship, but Brown was left with fond memories of his time with the Brazilian.

  "He was an inspired signing," Brown told The Athletic in 2023. "When I found out we were getting him, I nearly jumped out of my skin with excitement. His individual brilliance helped us break down defences."

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  Moving on

  Hull and Geovanni's Premier League fairytale came to an end in 2009-10 as they finished 19th, winning just one of their final 13 games. The inconsistency that plagued Geovanni's performances at Benfica began to creep in – his sending off against fellow survival hopefuls Burnley in October 2009 wasn't the sort of output Brown needed from his talisman, who didn't score a league goal from November onwards. But Geovanni had already left a lasting impact at Hull, and the club had left its mark on him. "Just speaking about the club makes me emotional," he said in an interview with . "It was a dream for me. Those may have been the best days of my life as a footballer."

  Relegation forced the Tigers into selling their highest earners in order to balance the books, and Geovanni saw his contract terminated a year ahead of its expiration. He said he would "love" to go back one day, and there's no doubt he would be welcome with open arms. "I felt the love the fans had for me," he added. "They chanted my name non-stop. It was a special time."

Who's hot, and who's not? Who's flourishing, and who's in freefall? GOAL ranks all 29 teams across Major League Soccer.

Well? It's nearly here. One Matchday left in the 2024 MLS regular season.

One last chance to secure playoff berth for a select few, and for those who have already secured a postseason spot, one last chance to fight for a higher seed.

Only two matches were played on Matchday 38 over the weekend, with the Columbus Crew battering the New England Revolution, and LAFC narrowly defeating the Vancouver Whitecaps to keep their Western Conference title dreams alive.

Now, it's time to shift gears for Decision Day 2024.

The Western Conference playoff teams are already confirmed, but seeding is still up for grabs on the final day of the season. In the East, meanwhile, four teams are fighting for two spots in the wildcard play-in game for Seeds No. 8 and 9, while the top seeds are yet to be confirmed.

As the season is racing towards its conclusion, which club leads the pack, and who is falling short of expectations? GOAL presents the penultimate MLS Power Rankings of 2024.

Get the MLS Season Pass today!Stream games now

• 29San Jose Earthquakes ↔️

  The Wooden Spoon is theirs. That's something, right?

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• 28Sporting Kansas City ↔️

  Sporting's campaign has been, well, bad. Peter Vermes couldn't perform his late-season magic this time around, and now, they're looking ahead to 2025. It remains to be seen if their manager comes with them, though.

• 27New England Revolution ⬇️

  Was battered by the Crew 4-0 Saturday evening. There is so much change is needed, from physical personnel to the mentality of everyone in the club.

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• 26Chicago Fire ⬆️

  They appointed ex-USMNT boss Gregg Berhalter as their new manager last week, with his tenure beginning after the completion of the 2024 season. It's an exciting time for Chicago. Excellent hire.

  They wrap up their regular season when they host Nashville on Decision Day.

Despite Manchester United’s 2023/24 campaign being completely underwhelming, it’s impossible to deny the quality within the squad.

Two of the most influential players in the squad are without doubt Marcus Rashford and Bruno Fernandes, who often serve as the biggest threats.

Even if the former did have a difficult season – scoring just eight goals – he’s still extremely valuable, while the Portuguese ace would be described as priceless.

That said, there’s a current United academy graduate who’s worth even more than the brilliant aforementioned duo.

Alejandro Garnacho’s rise to success

Although Erik ten Hag has received plenty of backlash this season, one thing that the United faithful can’t fault him for is his management of the youth.

One of the players that he’s turned into a “superstar,” as dubbed by football creator Liam Canning, is Alejandro Garnacho – the former Atletico Madrid starlet rising to prominence in recent years after originally joining under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's watch back in 2020.

The Argentine fully announced himself during his second senior start for the Red Devils, scoring the only goal in a 1-0 win away to Real Sociedad in the Europa League.

Throughout the 2022/23 campaign, the winger went on to feature 19 times in the Premier League, with five of those being starts, boasting a return of three goals and two assists.

From that point on, he’s only gone from strength to strength, but what exactly is he worth?

Alejandro Garnacho’s market value in 2024

Last season, the 19-year-old truly cemented himself as one of the best up-and-coming talents in not just England, but the world.

As each game went by, Garnacho’s importance to the side increased, becoming a vital player by the last game against Manchester City in the FA Cup final.

The Argentine opened the scoring with a goal that epitomises his mentality and approach: a never-give-up attitude and a relentless drive.

Garnacho ended the season with ten goals and five assists across all competitions, which is a relatively impressive return from 50 appearances.

Nonetheless, as you can see, Garnacho is currently worth £85m, which makes him the joint-most valuable player at Old Trafford alongside Rasmus Hojlund.

This obviously means that he’s worth more than Rashford and Fernandes, who are both valued at £80m and £43m, respectively.

On top of that, the Golden Boy nominee is the most valuable teenager in the entire Premier League, beating the likes of Evan Ferguson and Rico Lewis.

The reason why Garnacho is worth so much is mainly down to his age, potential, output, and how valuable he is to Man United.

If he continues to progress on the same trajectory that he's already shown, then there's nothing stopping him from becoming a world-class player, and his value is only going to go in one direction if that's the case.

It’s no surprise to see that the versatile winger will be one of the key names that Sir Jim Ratcliffe will look to rebuild the Red Devils around, and it’s absolutely clear that United hit the jackpot on Garnacho.

Ratcliffe must instantly ditch Man Utd dud who earns 10x more than Mainoo

The Man United ace is one of the club’s highest earners.

By
Tom Lever

Jun 6, 2024

Manchester City head coach Pep Guardiola may look back on the 2023/24 campaign as a failure after his side only collected one major trophy.

The Sky Blues lifted the Premier League title for a fourth consecutive season but that was their only piece of silverware, as they fell short in the domestic cups and the Champions League.

They were beaten by Manchester United in the final of the FA Cup and lost to Real Madrid, the eventual champions at Wembley, on penalties in Europe.

Guardiola, therefore, may look to utilise the summer transfer window, which officially opened for business earlier this month, to bolster his playing squad before the end of August.

The Cityzens have already been linked with moves for Barcelona's Frenkie De Jong, Bologna centre-back Riccardo Calafiori, and Bayern Munich sensation Jamal Musiala, who was formerly on the books at Chelsea.

City are also reportedly in the market to land Musiala's teammate at international and club level ahead of a possible exit from the Bavarian giants this summer…

Man City in contention to sign Germany star

According to Sky Sports reporter Florian Plettenberg, the Premier League champions are one of a number of clubs in contention to sign Joshua Kimmich.

The journalist names Manchester City, Barcelona, Real Madrid, Arsenal, and Liverpool as the five 'top' sides who are viable suitors for the Germany international.

Interestingly, he adds that the versatile midfielder does not currently have an active agent representing him, which means that any team who wants to sign him this summer will need to contact him directly to negotiate terms ahead of any potential transfer.

That claim came after Plettenberg had reported that it is 'increasingly likely' that Kimmich will secure a move away from Bayern Munich ahead of the 2024/25 campaign.

His current contract with the Bundesliga side is due to expire in the summer of 2025 and the 29-year-old star is 'unlikely' to put pen to paper on an extension.

This has left Bayern in a difficult position, as they would not want to lose him on a free transfer next year, and they are now prepared to listen to offers for him this summer.

The reporter adds that 'concrete' talks will take place after the 2024 European Championship, in which Germany have made it to the round of 16, to sort out his future ahead of next season.

If City do end up winning the race for the midfielder, who appears set to leave Bayern, then they could land a phenomenal partner for Rodri in the middle of the park.

Rodri's midfield excellence for City

Once again, Rodri was a colossus in midfield for the Cityzens during their 2023/24 Premier League title success as he bossed teams week-in-week-out.

The Spain international, who was off the back of being named in the PFA Team of the Year for the 2022/23 campaign, was a dominant force for Guardiola to help his side to yet another league title.

His ability in possession of the ball allowed him, and City, to dictate and control matches, which then allowed the attackers to weave their magic in the final third to secure the points needed to finish top of the division.

As you can see in the table above, Rodri ranked incredibly highly among his positional peers in a host of key passing metrics, with his progressive passing being a particular standout.

The average midfielder in the Premier League completed 4.84 progressive passes per 90, less than half as many as the Spaniard managed, and this illustrates just how forward-thinking and incisive the star was with his passes.

His work out of possession was also impressive as the 28-year-old metronome won 71% of his aerial duels and 56% of his ground duels in the Premier League, which shows that he was dominant in physical battles to win possession back and stop opposition attacks.

City could now land a dream partner for Rodri, who won 2.9 tackles and interceptions in the top-flight last term, by securing a deal to sign Kimmich this summer.

Why Man City should sign Joshua Kimmich

The 29-year-old defensive midfielder, who can also play at right-back, is a phenomenal talent who could form an extraordinary partnership with the Spanish star in the middle of the park.

Like Rodri, Kimmich is perfectly suited to playing in a ball-dominant team and has the quality in possession to be a creative and progressive passer.

He ranked within the top 3% of Bundesliga midfielders for passes attempted per 90 (93.76) and the top 3% for progressive passes per 90 (9.47), which speaks to his desire to get on the ball and play forward to find his teammates in dangerous areas.

The £316k-per-week star also ranked within the top 7% for shot-creating actions per 90 (5.29), the top 6% for Expected Assisted Goals per 90 (0.29), and the top 13% for assists per 90 (0.25).

This shows that Kimmich, who was dubbed a "mentality monster" by ex-boss Hansi Flick, also has the ability to create chances at an impressive rate from a midfield berth.

As you can see in the table above, both players were fairly evenly matched in their respective divisions last season when it came to their work in and out of possession.

Kimmich, however, created more 'big chances' and ended the campaign with a higher xA, despite playing six fewer games, and this suggests that he could offer more creativity than Rodri for City.

The German ace did lose a whopping 70% of his aerial duels but these constrasting statistics perfectly illustrate why they could form a terrific pairing.

Man City could sign their next Stones in £34m "bulldozer"

Manchester City could look to bolster their defensive options

By
Connor Holden

Jun 23, 2024

Rodri can be the strong defensive force, who can dominate opponents in the air, and Kimmich can take the creative reins to consistently break down opposition defences next season.

Tottenham fans tag Ange Postecoglou the worst manager they have had as they want the Australian coach to be sacked after Palace loss.

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• Spurs fans want Ange to be sacked
• Tottenham lost to Crystal Palace
• North London side currently eighth in the Premier League

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Spurs suffered their fourth loss in just nine Premier League outings on Sunday, losing 1-0 to Crystal Palace. After the defeat they currently find themselves eighth in the league, 10 points behind leaders Manchester City. The disappointing result did not go down well with the fans who now want the Australian coach to be removed immediately.

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• WHAT THE FANS ARE SAYING

  An handle named ThfcFtbl wrote, "I’ll repeat myself over and over until I get an actual answer. Why on earth does Ange get such large amounts of backing from our fanbase when he is the worst manager we’ve had in the last 15 years? It makes absolutely no sense."

  Brucey called the former Celtic coach an overrated manager as he wrote, "Ange Postecoglou is one of the most overrated managers out there One Trick Pony Your called Overreactive Spurs fan if we lose cause he cannot win an away game We are stuck with Ange cause Levy is the idiot that sacked José Mourinho & Conte."

  Sam wrote, "He deserves to be sacked based on so many things, including that performance alone. Only positive from today is that we’re a game closer to never seeing Ange Postecoglu ever again. Every cloud."

  A fan named Lewis McCullagh made it clear he does not like Postecoglou as the club's manager as he wrote, "I’m done with it Ange needs to go."

  Charles was enraged with his team's disappointing show as he wrote, "Embarrassing performance, Ange needs to f*ck off, I'm bored to f*ck with him now."

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  The 59-year-old moved to north London last year after winning back-to-back Scottish Premierships with Celtic. His maiden campaign in England did not go as per plan, as the Lilywhites narrowly missed out on securing a Champions League slot and were ousted from the FA Cup and the Carabao Cup in the initial stages. While the fans are infuriated by the team's dismal form, Postecoglou, too, is aware of his squad's shortcomings and recently warned his players that he is ready to give them an earful for the team's poor start.

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  WHAT NEXT FOR TOTTENHAM?

  Tottenham will be back in action in midweek when they take on reigning English champions City at home in an EFL Cup round of 16 clash.

As Southampton prepare for life back in the Premier League, the Saints are also looking towards the future as they throw their hat into the ring to sign a sought-after young talent.

Southampton assemble side ready for topflight return

Whilst the Saints are a side always on the lookout for the next young star, Russell Martin is also building a squad that he hopes can stave off relegation next season.

Southampton confident they will sign "terrific" defender who Martin wants

Russell Martin is personally involved in the move.

By
Josh Barker

Jun 17, 2024

Fulham's Bobby Decordova-Reid has been linked with a move to the South Coast with the Jamaica international set to reject a new deal at his current club. Decordova-Reid is a versatile player that can operate on the right-hand side as well as in attacking and central midfield.

Joining the Fulham man on the Saints' wishlist is Danny Ings. The current West Ham player has plenty of history with Southampton having played 100 games for the Saints, scoring 46 goals in the process. With former player Adam Lallana returning to the club earlier this month, Southampton could once again be looking at their alumnus for new signings.

nother name Martin is desperate to bring back to St Mary's is Flynn Downes. The midfielder spent last season on loan with Southampton and the Saints' boss is reportedly eager to get a deal done before pre-season begins next month.

Whilst one eye in the Saints' recruitment department remains fixed on getting in Premier League-ready players, some of the attention is eyeing up the next generation of talents as they hold talks for an England youth international.

Saints hold discussions for young striker

As first reported on The Secret Scout X account, Southampton are just one of a number of clubs who have held talks over a move for 18-year-old striker Ajay Matthews.

Matthews is currently on the books at Middlesbrough but will be departing The Riverside at the end of the season. Whilst the account lists the Saints as one of the interested parties, they will face competition from Celtic, Rangers, Southampton, Brighton & Hove Albion, Brentford and Newcastle United for Matthews' signature.

The report states that the teenager has 16 goals in 17 starts this season for Boro's youth team last season, perhaps suggesting why a queue has formed for his services. Matthews also managed to break into the first team at Middlesbrough this season appearing off the bench in the latter stages of games against Leeds United and Cardiff City back in April.

The striker also made his debut in England's youth set up towards the back end of last season. Matthews made three appearances for the Three Lions' under 17s, grabbing an assist in a 4-2 victory over Northern Ireland in May.

Despite having yet to make an impact on the professional stage, there is no doubt that Matthews could be one to watch for the future. With Southampton's record of developing young talent well known, St Mary's could be viewed as one of the best environments for the 18-year-old to grow and hopefully soon get his first senior start in the Premier League.