Derek Llambias has revealed that Newcastle United will keep scanning other leagues for future signings, as buying in the Premier League can be “very expensive”.
In statements to Chronicle Live, the Magpies’ managing director admitted that the club does not avoid the local market altogether, although he states price is the main inconvenience when buying British.
“We keep an eye on the UK market too. British players are very expensive, which is a factor for us,” he confessed.
After recently signing five players from Ligue 1, the Newcastle businessman made no secret that the French league is an attractive market for the club. However, they remain open to other leagues in Europe and further afield.
“We have to explore other markets, though, which we do. We are still going to other markets,” he added.
Newcastle brought Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa, Moussa Sissoko, Yoan Gouffran, Mathieu Debuchy and Massadio Haidara in from France in the January window, but Llambias is revealed that French teams are now becoming aware of the Geordies’ liking for the market, saying: “It’s getting harder for us in France.”
FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.
By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.
Nevertheless, he also confirmed that the club’s chief scout, Graham Carr, will continue searching the French leagues with an eye on next summer’s transfer window, while exploring the hotbed of talent that is the Belgian and Dutch top flight.
Liverpool fans have been debating whether or not manager Jurgen Klopp should field a strong team against Merseyside rivals Everton later today.
The reason being that the Reds have a crucial Champions League quarter-final second leg against Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium on Tuesday evening.
At the moment, Liverpool hold a 3-0 advantage in the tie thanks to goals from Mohamed Salah, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Sadio Mane.
Despite their significant advantage, Pep Guardiola’s City team are capable of performing a comeback.
Judging by Klopp’s press conference on Friday, the German coach is prioritising the Champions League over today’s derby.
The former Borussia Dortmund boss told reporters that Danny Ings could be given the nod to start at Goodison Park.
The injury-plagued striker has made just eight appearances in all competitions this season, and every one has been an outing from the bench.
Ings have never started a match under Klopp, but it appears that today will be the day.
Liverpool fans have tweeted their reaction to the team news.
The more I watch West Ham’s Andy Carroll assert his height, brawn and firepower on Premier League defences, the more I’m left giddily confused. No, not sexually – although he is blessed with chimpish good looks. Not as a football fan either, although there is something bizarrely enjoyable about watching the Hammers kick their opponents more frequently than the ball, like a buffet of anti-Barcelona propaganda.
Rather, when the England striker leaps majestically in their air above the opposition backline, elongating his lanky limbs like an imperious gazelle, elbowing one defender in the face and a second in the luxuries, before controlling the ball with his chest, pulling off a few step-overs and slamming the ball into the top of the onion bag, as he did, albeit in a slightly less romanticised fashion, against Swansea City two weekends ago, what am I actually watching?
Am I watching, simply, an old-fashioned, dying breed of No.9 enjoying a superfluous run of form, arguably his most convincing yet in Claret and Blue? Or, is Andy Carroll something greater, something uniquely unappreciated, something more beautiful in its complexity, than your run-of-the-mill, 6 foot 4 target man?
Carroll has always been unplayable when in top form; his lurching frame too aerially dominant to effectively overcome, his ruthlessly combative Geordie spirit too physically draining for opposition defences, his flamboyant hairstyle so distracting and drawing that space develops in the box, with almost miraculous uncanniness, for veteran goal-hanger Kevin Nolan to readily exploit. Lest we forget, such performances for Newcastle convinced Liverpool to invest £35million in the pony-tailed front-man back when he was just 22 years of age.
But the same can be said for most players in the Premier League, ranging from Manchester City’s Sergio Aguero to Stoke City’s John Walters. On his day, Emile Heskey was unplayable, as was equally maligned England team-mate Darius Vassell; the infrequency of such occasions was always the predominant issue.
There’s been far more consistency about Carroll this season however, perhaps due to it being the first campaign in which Sam Allardyce hasn’t forcibly rushed the England international back to fitness following yet another long-term injury. The honeymoon form of Enner Valencia and Daifra Sakho subsequent to their summer arrivials, bagging nine goals and three assists combined before Carroll’s return in November, allowed him the time to rehabilitate and he’s now reaping the rewards.
The influence of added competition is clearly a positive one too. Not only is Carroll’s place in West Ham’s starting XI contested by Valencia, Sakho and Carlton Cole, but his destiny within the England set-up is now intertwined with Charlie Austin, Saido Berahino and Harry Kane’s – three home-grown products amongst the Premier League’s top eight goalscorers this term.
Carroll’s liberty from injury combined with the plethora of competition he now faces suggests a player in improved form. The subtle changes in philosophy at West Ham, effectively ending the days of him being a sole figure in the opposition half for the majority of any given 90 minutes, is also beneficial. The front-man’s receiving a higher quality of service than in prior campaigns and he’s no longer contesting entire defences single-handedly. It’s all got a bit easier, a bit less of a one-man-band ordeal, for Carroll to impress this season.
That being said, the technical side of the England international’s game is almost incomparable to last season. The afore-described goal against Swansea, in addition to a divinely guided lob against Leicester in December, wouldn’t be out of place on the wall of the Tate Gallery for their aesthetic quality and required skill, whilst Carroll’s link-up play, those deft touches into the paths of on-running midfielders, those cute flick-ons with chest, foot and head, have been equally sublime.
FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.
By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.
Combine that with easily the best aerial duels record in Europe, an incredible 9.3 headers won per match – the next best is Hannover’s Joselu with eight – and it suddenly becomes very difficult to spot a weakness in the Hammers front-man’s game. Are we finally seeing the striker Kenny Dalglish and Sam Allardyce saw fit to pay a combined £50million for? Is Carroll verging upon world-beater territory?
Well, the answer will surely lay in his form between now and May-time, and perhaps more importantly, whether or not Carroll can stay fit for so long. If the West Ham striker has always been a worldly prospect disguised in the body of a cumbersome, 6 foot 4, gypsy fashionista, its his injury record that’s prevented the exposure of such potential.
Nevertheless, at 26 years of age, perhaps it’s finally all clicking to place for a front-man verging upon his footballing peak. I’m not suggesting the spirit of Diego Maradona possessing the body of the Geordie giant, but if you’ve always been anti-Carroll snob, then watch this space between now and the end of the season. You might just be pleasantly surprised.
Tottenham Hotspur manager Andre Villas-Boas could be made to dip into the January transfer market after Emmanuel Adebayor’s Togo about-face, leaving Spurs with one out-and-out striker till mid-February.
Adebayor has decided to fulfil his international duties with Togo and will now attend the African Cup of Nations in South Africa, missing up to six games for the North London club.
The player initially voiced his concerns over team security and unpaid bonuses. His fears for team security during the competition comes after being greatly affected by the team bus attack on 8 January 2010, leaving three dead and nine injured. It was also reported that Adebayor and his teammates had recently seen bonuses, which were owed to them for international duty, unpaid.
Coincidentally, news of Adebayor’s change of heart comes on the anniversary of the gun attack that occurred in the Cabinda Province, Angola.
After speaking with the country’s President – Faure Gnassingbe – the player has changed his mind.
Head of the Togo Football Federation Ameyi Gabriel said that “Of course we’re in the Africa Nations Cup with Adebayor, we will be together in South Africa.”
“It is very important to have him there because he is our player and captain of the team,” continued Gabriel.
Although the player looks set to miss six games, Spurs are counting on his availability for their Premier League game against QPR on Saturday afternoon.
FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.
By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.
Meanwhile, Spurs have yet again been linked with a move for Brazil international and Internacional forward Leandro Damiao.
As football fans we’re always looking back on the good times; the moments that made us laugh and cry and the moments we’ll either never forget or do our best to wipe from our memories forever.
But what about the future? What do we have to look forward to? Can we get excited about what’s to come or should we continue to yearn for yesteryear?
As part of our Premier League 25 years celebration this season, we’ve decided to boot up our copy of Football Manager 2018 and simulate 25 years into the future to see what exactly we’ve got to look forward to. And without wanting to wish our lives away, we’re in for a real treat if this is what the future holds.
With one season per article, we’re looking 25 years in to the future. Below we take a look at the 2023/24 campaign…
Man United’s attempts to continue their world domination see them spend £199m on four players across both transfer windows as Marco Asensio (£73m), Raheem Sterling (£55m), 22-year-old right-back Cesar Catrileo (£36m) and Monaco’s Djibril Sidibe (£34.5m) all join the Mourinho revolution.
The capture of Sterling sees the 29-year-old earn Bournemouth a bumper payday after he joined the Cherries on a free transfer just four seasons earlier.
Amazingly, Man United ended the season with just a £3m net spend, helped mostly by the £123m sale of Franck Kessie to PSG. Simone Zaza makes his AC Milan loan a permanent deal for £26.6m and Leicester spend £15m on Axel Tuanzebe.
Last year’s runners-up, Chelsea, attempt to spend their way to glory once again with a £143m outlay, the pick of the bunch being the £91m capture of PSG’s attacking wonderkid Hector Navalon.
Despite not managing to win the Premier League since replacing Pep Guardiola at the Etihad Stadium in 2018, Massimiliano Allegri remains in charge at City. However, his decision to spend just £73m on reinforcements is criticised heavily in the media.
Allegri’s marquee signing came midway through July, signing Everton’s Jordan Pickford for £32m.
At Arsenal, Pep Guardiola throws £110m on 10 players. Inter Milan’s 21-year-old goal machine Lukasz Gawlik is his most expensive capture as the Poland international arrives for £40m. The only big name departure at the Emirates is Mesut Ozil, who decides not to renew his contract and leaves for Augsberg on a free transfer.
On the other side of North London, Spurs boss Carlo Ancelotti spends £75m on six players – none of which get anyone excited about the club’s immediate prospects. They are all in keeping with Spurs’ recent transfer policy, though – under the age of 24 with one eye on the future.
The Tottenham faithful do have to say farewell to club legend Hugo Lloris, though. The Frenchman leaves for Roma after 11 seasons and 387 Premier League appearances for Spurs. Daniel Levy does continue with his famous shrewd business deals as well – last season’s free signings, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Luke Shaw, are sold for a combined £23.5m to Stoke and Watford respectively. Shaw then leaves Watford for Wolves in January in a £8.25m deal.
Liverpool, fresh off the back of their Europa League triumph, only spend £41m on new faces. Timothy Fosu-Mensah returns to the Premier League after three-and-a-half years away in a £12m deal from CSKA Moscow.
Elsewhere in the Premier League, Bournemouth raid Man City for Angel Correa (£21m) and Brahim Diaz (£12.5m) and then use the money they got for Sterling on Liverpool’s Rhian Brewster (£5.25) in January.
Newly promoted Burnley bring Jadon Sancho back to England from Frankfurt and Crystal Palace sign Juanmi from Real Sociedad for £16m, as well as convincing Daley Blind to sign on loan from Man United.
Everton look to mount a top four challenge with a £67m transfer spend on new faces, the standout name being Dennis Bonaventure from Club Brugge in a £10.25m deal.
Free agent Danny Welbeck pops up at newly promoted Middlesbrough, Alvaro Morata decides he can do it on a wet Tuesday night in Stoke after being released by Barcelona and 34-year-old Andre Ayew is one of 12 players to sign for Blackburn.
Around Europe, exciting young striker Frederico Caramelo lasts just one season at Real Madrid after his much-talked about £34.5m move from Benfica. He nets once in his one solitary La Liga appearance before being shipped out to Monaco for £51m, where he hits the ground running with 24 Ligue 1 goals in 34 outings.
Diogo Jota, the former Wolves star, and former Spurs midfielder Nabil Bentaleb are two of eight players to sign for Real Madrid.
The League Campaign
Manchester United’s five year dominance comes to an end as Arsenal defy all odds by lifting their first Premier League crown in 20 years.
Arsenal’s triumph was fully deserved but it was United’s fall to third in the table that dominated the headlines, as well as their defeats in the Super Cup, Carabao Cup and Champions League finals.
Mourinho’s side finish ten points off Arsenal and nine points adrift of runners-up Man City as an inquest into to how the club’s dominance could come to such an abrupt end begins, despite him still winning the Community Shield, Club World Cup and the FA Cup.
Chelsea finish in fourth, three points ahead of Spurs, while Liverpool and Bournemouth both secure Europa League spots.
Bournemouth’s progression is the most impressive having spent much of the last few years safely in the top ten of the Premier League and threatening with every passing season to get in to Europe.
West Brom, Burnley and Blackburn are the three relegated to the Championship.
Arsenal’s title winning season came very much down to two very long unbeaten runs that had them pulling away from the chasing pack. The first came in at the end of September when Guardiola’s men reacted to a 2-1 defeat to Man City at the Etihad with a 13-game unbeaten run in which they only conceded six goals. The second streak came after a shock home loss to Newcastle, reacting with another 13-game unbeaten run.
Incredibly they failed to win any of their four meetings with the two Manchester giants, taking just just two points from a possible 12. It meant that United and City’s struggles at different stages of the season still allowed Arsenal to lift the trophy.
City started and ended the season strongly, but dropped points in between cost them dearly. Allegri’s side dropped just two points in their opening eight league games but then suffered a shock defeat away to Middlesbrough before failing to beat Man United, Chelsea, Tottenham and Everton.
A run of three games without a win in January, losing to Bournemouth and drawing with Watford and Newcastle, gave them a mountain to climb for the remainder of the campaign – not even a 17-game unbeaten run and eight consecutive victories was enough.
United only lost three games all season but their downfall undoubtedly goes down to the fact they drew too many of them – 13 in all, including two against rivals City.
Elsewhere, West Ham redefine the term ‘mid-table mediocrity’ with a third successive 10th place finish – they’re fourth in five seasons.
West Brom, despite winning their final game of the season were unable to survive the drop, mostly thanks to their awful run of one win in 14 games between January and April. Blackburn fully deserved to be bottom of the pack, though, as they only managed to score one goal in their final six games.
Here’s how the season looked as far as team records are concerned…
End of Season Awards
It’s another low scoring race for the Golden Boot, but it’s Gabriel Jesus who manages to win it with 19 goals from 27 league appearances. He beats Dele Alli to the award by a single goal, while Harry Kane only manages to net 15 in 30 to take him to 197 career Premier League goals. Only 63 to go but time is running out for the 30-year-old.
Dele Alli, Anthony Martial and Paulo Dybala all join the 100 club during the campaign.
The Golden Glove goes to Man United’s David De Gea for the fourth time in six seasons after keeping 17 clean sheets and conceding just 28 goals.
Tottenham’s £15.75m summer signing Huseyin Bayraktar tops the assist charts with 14, one ahead of Arsenal’s Naby Keita and Chelsea’s Hazard.
The Player of the Year is awarded to Man City’s Bernardo Silva, who registered 13 goals and 10 assists in 38 appearances, while the Young Player of the Year is Arsenal’s 22-year-old attacking midfielder Marco Alfieri – he signed in the summer from Atalanta for £33.5m and returned five goals and six assists in his debut Premier League season.
Manager of the Year goes to Pep Guardiola for defying all the odds and finally bringing the Premier League title back to North London while ending Jose Mourinho’s dominance with United.
The Team of the Year is more of a mixed bag but still includes some familiar faces in the likes of of Paulo Dybala, Eden Hazard and David De Gea.
And finally, a quick update on the battle between Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi in Spain.
Ronaldo, at 39 years old, scored his 500th career league goal for Real Madrid and took his La Liga record to an incredible 419 goals in 483 appearances – he hits double figures for goals in the league for the 18th season running with 10.
A 36-year-old Messi is still going strong, too. He nets 25 La Liga goals in 37 appearances to take his career league tally for Barcelona to 466 in 604 appearances.
It seems we’ve still got seven or eight years left of these two before they bow out.
Manager Movements
Only five teams changed managers during the season, but before we get onto that it’s worth noting that there are a number of retired players currently trying their luck at management by now and a couple were sacked midway through the campaign.
Ryan Giggs got his first managerial break at Derby County in 2017 but only managed to last a season there before getting the job at Aston Villa. Two seasons later he left for Sunderland before the Black Cats sacked him during this season, and he eventually took the Brentford job.
Wayne Rooney is also struggling to make a go of management – his first job came with Shrewsbury in 2021 but a year later he was sacked. Plymouth gave him a chance at the beginning of this season but by mid-December he’d been sacked again.
Steve Sidwell is currently Coventry manager, Gary Neville is at Reading after caretaker roles at Swansea and Villa, Graziano Pelle is in charge of Huddersfield and Craig Bellamy was sacked by Crawley earlier this season.
Back to the Premier League and it was West Ham who decided to pull the trigger first as Nuno Espirito Santo is sacked after the Hammers manage just two wins from their opening 12 games of the campaign. His replacement, Paul Heckingbottom, wins his first game charge at home to London rivals Tottenham.
Heckinbottom left Watford to take the West Ham job and it took the Hornets two weeks to find a replacement in Marcin Wasilewski.
Everton were next up and they sacked Nigel Pearson after he lost the dressing room just before Christmas and the Toffees replaced him with Burnley’s Jorge Sampaoli. Burnley replace him with Nuno Santo.
Nigel Pearson is offered a rapid return to management, though, as Wolves decided to bring him in to replace departed Vedran Corluka – Pearson keeps them up.
What to expect next season?
Can Man United bounce back? Mourinho has a job on his hands and anything less than another Premier League crown will be seen as a huge failure by the Glazers.
FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.
By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.
Arsenal’s primary aim will be to retain the title but it’ll be harder than ever as Man City and Chelsea continue to look very strong in that top four.
Liverpool will continue in their attempts to return to the top four, as will Spurs, while Marco Silva’s Bournemouth will enjoy their first ever taste of European football.
Is Heckingbottom really the right man to take West Ham forward? Can Pearson progress with Wolves? It’s going to be an interesting season.
2023/2024 Overview
Premier League Champions: Arsenal
Champions League qualification: Arsenal, Man City, Man United and Chelsea
Europa League qualification: Tottenham, Liverpool and Bournemouth
Relegated to Championship: West Brom, Burnley and Blackburn Rovers
Promoted to Premier League: Leeds, Ipswich and Sunderland
Community Shield Winners: Man United
FA Cup Winners: Man United
Carabao Cup Winners: Man City
UEFA Super Cup Winners: Liverpool
Club World Championship: Man United
Champions League Winners: Arsenal
Europa League Winners: PSG
A season to forget for Man United (even though Mourinho added another three trophies to their cabinet) culminated in them losing on penalties to Arsenal in the Champions League final at the San Siro, while Spurs lost their second consecutive Europa League final, this time to PSG at Wembley.
Arsenal’s season ended in an unlikely double for Pep Guardiola’s side but all eyes will be on whether he can continue such dominance.
<< Click here for the 22/23 season | 24/25 season coming soon!
Carlos Tevez has been in excellent form for Juventus this season. The Turin club are currently top of the table courtesy of Tevez’s 10 goals so far, the best scoring figures in Serie A at the moment.
He has also notched up five assists, suggesting that Tevez has not lost the form which turned him into one of the most threatening strikers in the Premier League.
Despite his current spell at Juventus going incredibly well, he recently announced that he would not be extending his current contract, a deal which expires in 2016.
“I said I wanted to fulfil my contract and that’s my idea, I’m not thinking of signing an extension because that’s not how I feel at the moment,” Tevez admitted.
“As I always said, my idea is to complete my contract. Everyone knows I said so from the moment I arrived at Juve.”
Tevez’s recent comments suggest that he feels his time at Juventus is nearing an end and his reluctance to sign a new deal could mean that he will leave the Italian club in the summer. One of his most likely destinations would be a return to his homeland, playing for Boca Juniors. However, he has also been linked with a shock return to West Ham United, a place where he is idolised after his excellent form for the club guided them to Premier League safety in the 2006/07 season.
Although it would be a tough ask for David Gold and David Sullivan to bring in a player of Carlos Tevez’s magnitude, stranger things have happened. If the striker does decide that he wants to leave in the summer, a return to the Premier League could be an exciting prospect for him, but a lot depends on how much West Ham can achieve this season.
If the East London club find themselves playing European football next season, the likelihood of attracting a name like Tevez to the club automatically becomes more likely.
The other advantage for Tevez is his love for West Ham. The Argentinian has always expressed his appreciation for the club that first introduced him to European football. Upon a recent return to Upton Park in an international friendly for Argentina, Tevez told whufc.com what the club means to him: “I’m very, very thankful for everything, I’m No.1 West Ham fan for ever, because of the way they welcomed me, the love they showed me and everything, it was my first time in Europe and they made me who I am today.
“I will always be very thankful to West Ham fans and I’ll be West Ham’s No.1 fan.”
The Argentinian forward is only 30-years-old so he will still be able to produce consistently at the top level for a few years yet. The problem for West Ham is trying to lure him back to east London instead of returning to Buenos Aires. The owners will be looking to make a marquee signing ahead of the final season at Upton Park before the switch to the Olympic Stadium in Stratford.
FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.
By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.
Therefore, Tevez may be attracted by the idea of becoming the face of West Ham’s bid to reach the next level in club football, returning to a club he knows well and is very fond of.
Although a deal at this moment in time looks unlikely, Carlos Tevez is no stranger to a surprise transfer. Juventus will be desperate to keep hold of him but his reluctance to sign a new deal suggests he has already made up his mind. If West Ham can cough up the wages for their former striker, a transfer fee will not be astronomical due to the striker entering the last few months of his contract.
If an attractive offer is made for Carlos Tevez, it could lead to a sensational return to the Boleyn Ground, causing Tevez to reunite with the Hammers faithful who have never forgotten what he did for the club back in 2007.
It has been announced today by Home Secretary Theresa May that a new investigation into the Hillsborough disaster will be launched following the findings of the Hillsborough independent panel, and will be lead by former Chief Constable for Durham Jon Stoddard.
The disaster, which took the lives of 96 Liverpool fans during an FA Cup semi-final at Sheffield Wednesday’s home ground in 1989, will be re-investigated after the independent panel proved that there had been a cover-up that placed the blame onto the victims of the tragedy.
Families of the victims, who have formed a pressure group and are releasing a star-studded charity single for Christmas, have long been asking for further inquiries into the match-day Policing and poorly organised crowd control measures, which will be the focal point of the new investigation, as well as Sheffield Wednesday Football Club, Sheffield City Council and The Football Association.
Theresa May announced to reporters earlier today: “I am determined to see a swift and thorough response to the findings of the Hillsborough panel to deliver justice for the 96 football fans who died and the families who have fought so hard on their behalf.
“The findings of the Hillsborough independent panel were truly shocking, but while the families have now been given the truth, they have not yet received justice,” she added.
FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.
By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.
A reunion between Tottenham Hotspur and Gareth Bale has been suggested in the media a handful of times over the last few seasons.
Not long after the Wales international left White Hart Lane to move to Real Madrid in 2013, reports did the rounds that he could return to the Premier League.
None of that speculation has become reality as yet, but that does not stop the rumour mill from churning.
According to Diario Gol, Bale is expected to leave the Spanish giants at the end of the season having dropped down the pecking order in Zinedine Zidane’s team due to injuries.
The Spanish publication states that Manchester United have been the front-runners for his signature, but the uncertainty over Jose Mourinho’s future at Old Trafford has forced the attacker into reassessing his options.
The report adds that Bale, who has previously been linked to Chelsea, is considering a return to Tottenham as he feels that they are becoming a team that can challenge for top honours.
FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.
By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.
There is a case of ‘we have heard this all before’, but Spurs fans remain split on the idea of Bale coming back to the club, where he spent six years of his career.
At this point in the season last year, Tottenham Hotspur had 6 more points and were sitting 5 places higher up in the Premier League table. They also had a positive goal difference, whereas of right now it’s negative.
In charge for that (so far) superior season was Tim Sherwood. A man never really given a particularly fair crack of the whip, and who wasn’t well liked among the Spurs fans.
Those same supporters were considerably happier to have Mauricio Pochettino on board after he excelled in his previous position. Pochettino proved excellent at Southampton in the 18 months that he was there.
In his only full season with the club he managed to get them to the lofty heights of 8th place. A superb season that is now only marred by the increased success since his departure – The Saints currently sit in 2nd place and they don’t show signs of stopping.
Meanwhile Pochettino’s Tottenham are struggling to find form and find themselves in the bottom half of the table. Given the contrasting fortunes of the two clubs, it’s not hard not to question the job that Pochettino is doing.
Is the issue at Spurs deeper than the management staff? The current squad has plenty of talent, and they’ve added to that consistently in recent windows. There’s been plenty of money available to recent managers at White Hart Lane, but they’re not succeeding.
The resources and current talent are there for the Argentine but he hasn’t of yet produced the results. He is now approaching the amount of games that Sherwood was in charge for, and he has so far only managed to get marginally better results.
So how much longer will the powers that be at Tottenham give him to improve the situation? After all, he’s not been as effective as Andre Villas-Boas was, and he didn’t last long either.
The effect of performing below expectations in the league isn’t a as big deal for Spurs as it may be at some other clubs. Tottenham are under little financial pressure, so as long as they’re not in a relegation battle (which is certainly not going to happen) they can afford to give Pochettino more time.
FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.
By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.
A few quid will be lost with a lower finish, and a little pride, but they might welcome the lack of European competition in the following season.
Perhaps it’s time to stick with a manager for the long-term, regardless of whether their initial performances are optimal. Daniel Levy in particular has most certainly been gun-ho with his managers in the past with Spurs’ managers rarely getting more than a couple of years in charge under his damning eye.
Pochettino doesn’t seem like the ideal appointment currently, but it’s crucial that he’s given enough time to build the foundations. There’s no question that he should be doing better with the talent available but a few lesser seasons may lead to a brighter future, it’s up to Tottenham to decide if Pochettino is the man to guide them through those times.
Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson has ruled out the Red Devils making any big signings in the January transfer window, as reported by Sky Sports.
Ferguson has been linked with a variety of players in the new year including Wesley Sneijder, Cristiano Ronaldo and Robert Lewandowski but the United boss has rubbished those reports.
The long term United manger has told supporters that he doesn’t expect to make any significant moves in the upcoming transfer window but that is not the first time fans have been told that.
Ferguson is not a fan of the January transfer window but he does expect clubs to be panic buying once again after seeing their teams underperform in the first half of the season.
Some say that the table toppers will need to acquire some more talent next month but Ferguson disagrees while writing his weekly column for the official United programme.
“Don’t hold your breath waiting for Manchester United to jump through the transfer window when it opens next week,” Ferguson stated in his programme notes.
“It’s been open season to link us with a stack of players, admittedly some very good ones, but it just isn’t going to happen.
“You can never say never in football because you don’t know who might become available but, speaking generally, I am not looking to do any serious transfer business in January. I don’t have to because I am more than satisfied with the players I have in my squad, a group as good as any I have had in my time at Old Trafford.
“We won’t be dashing around in a panic.
FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.
By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.
“Of course, as always, we will be on the lookout for young players of potential who we can develop.
“We have always done that and it’s the main reason why we never have to buy out of desperation. We always work for the future as well as trying our best to produce winning teams for the present.”