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Jan Vertonghen has refused to rule out staying in the Premier League following his departure from Tottenham Hotspur, according to reports. 

According to The Sun, the Belgian defender has hinted he could stay in England after his eight-year spell with Spurs ended this week. Recent reports suggested that he would reject offers from Premier League rivals like Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City but this no longer seems to be the case.

According to Il Messaggero, as relayed by Ricky Sacks, Wolves have entered the race to sign Vertonghen this summer, amid interest from Atletico Madrid and Roma. The Italian publication claimed that his representatives have held talks with Diego Simeone’s side while Roma have registered their interest in the Belgium international.

The former Spurs star is not short of potential suitors as he is now a free agent, so it is hardly surprising that he has attracted attention from across the globe.

Clubs around the world are fighting back against the financial pressures of these unprecedented circumstances and many will have to resort to hunting for bargains, signing free agents and organising swap deals in the summer.

Vertonghen was a firm favourite of Mauricio Pochettino but fell out of favour under his successor Jose Mourinho, earning his last start for the club during the dull 0-0 draw with Bournemouth earlier this month before being dropped to the bench.

The 33-year-old arguably still has plenty left in the tank as he earned the same WhoScored rating as his former Spurs teammate Davinson Sanchez this season.

While Wolves narrowly missed out on a spot in the Europa League, as Spurs staged a remarkable comeback to usurp them for sixth place, Nuno Espirito Santos knows that he needs to sign defensive cover sooner rather than later. However, the Molineux outfit could become embroiled in a transfer battle as they face stiff competition from the European giants.

Seasoned veteran Vertonghen is a versatile player who is capable of playing in the centre or on the left flank and Daniel Levy may live to regret his decision to let him leave in the summer.

Tottenham fans, do you think Levy has made a mistake by letting Vertonghen leave? Let us know your views in the comments below!

Tiemoue Bakayoko has been attracting a lot of Premier League attention, with Newcastle and Watford named amongst the potential suitors.

According to Le10 Sport (via Sport Witness), the Chelsea castaway is being monitored by the English duo, as well as West Ham who are also keen on his services.

Newcastle and Watford have reportedly made ‘first approaches’ towards potentially signing the France international.

Bakayoko has fallen down the pecking order at Chelsea over the years and has spent the last two seasons on loan with AC Milan and Monaco respectively. In his 43 appearances for the Blues, the midfielder has scored just three goals and provided three assists (via Transfermarkt).

Frank Lampard now has the choice of N’Golo Kante, Jorginho, Mateo Kovacic, Mason Mount, Ross Barkley, Ruben Loftus-Cheek and young Billy Gilmour in the middle of the park, meaning a permanent move away for Bakayoko is all but nailed on.

The 25-year-old’s current Transfermarkt value is £22.9million, which is by no means a large sum in today’s climate. Chelsea could even name a lower asking price in order to clear him from their books.

Newcastle are arguably one of the most exciting looking Premier League teams at the moment as they look to enter an entirely new era. Takeover talks continue to swirl around the Tyneside club, which go hand-in-hand with transfer rumours.

Should the Toon swoop for Bakayoko, they could make him the focal point of their midfield and he could replace Matty Longstaff, who has been linked with a transfer to Udinese (Sky Sports).

A move for Bakayoko could be an ideal place to start before Newcastle think about spending mega cash on some of the bigger name they have been linked to. If they come knocking with a good enough offer, it’s likely Chelsea with snatch their hand off.

Do you think Bakayoko will leave the Bridge this summer? Have your say in the comments below…

It was a man they wanted back when Mauricio Pochettino was in charge, but it appears Tottenham could finally be set to land Geoffrey Kondogbia this summer.

With the current situation affecting the world taking its toll on football clubs too, Spanish giants Valencia appear to be hit harder than most. According to French publication Foot Mercato, their failure to qualify for the Champions League next season, and deepening financial problems, are set to lead to a major firesale of players.

The report claims that Kondogbia is one of the names who is likely to be shown the exit door, and Foot Mercato claim both Spurs and Premier League rivals Manchester United have a keen eye on the midfielder.

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It was suggested back in the summer of 2018, that the Lilywhites were interested in Kondogbia, but a deal failed to materialise. But now, two years later, Daniel Levy has the perfect chance to sign the 6 foot 2 man, at a likely lower cost than it would have taken before.

And when you look at the kind of player Spurs would be getting, it seems like it could be one of the smartest signings of the window. Strong and physical, Kondogbia also has very impressive technical ability too, almost in the mould of former Lilywhites favourite Mousa Dembele.

Both are left-footed, and have this natural gift at gliding past players with ease when in their stride. Kondogbia has a career average of 1.4 dribbles per game, whilst Dembele is at 2.4. The duo are also equally capable of getting off a shot on goal, with the former averaging one per match, and the latter 0.8.

With his physicality and height, Kondogbia does seem like the archetypal midfielder Mourinho loves to sign – you only have to look at how he brought Nemanja Matic to Chelsea, and then to Manchester United in his time in charge of both clubs.

And now both Levy and Mourinho could be set to profit thanks to Valencia’s problems.

Plenty of Everton fans have been reacting to the latest transfer link to Adrien Rabiot as Spanish outlet Sport have reported that he has been pressing in recent days to force his departure from Juventus and it is clear that his destiny is none other than the Merseyside club, now headed by  Carlo Ancelotti .

One EFC supporter in particular cited ‘Ancelotti’s pulling power’ on Twitter, and this is highlighted by the number of quality players he has been able to attract to the various big clubs he has managed.

As per the publication, Rabiot was admired by Barcelona when he was at PSG, so he must have shown some quality at least whilst he was in France to be involved with household European giants.

However, he has perhaps not adapted to Serie A or to the methods of Maurizio Sarri , who has apparently not trusted him and has spent much of the season on the bench as a substitute and without any role in the team.

Indeed, the 25-year old has only lasted 90 minutes in eight out of the 17 games he’s featured in Italy’s top division so far in the 2019/2020 campaign, according to Transfermarkt.

Another Toffee described the French international as ‘Schneiderlin 2.0’, who was arguably another central midfield player who has been used relatively sparingly during his time at Goodison Park, as per the website.

These Blues reacted to the link, with some rather mixed responses:

Evertonians, what are your thoughts on Rabiot? Comment below!

Sheffield Wednesday’s Massimo Luongo has opened up about his unfortunate run-in with injuries this calendar year. 

The 27-year-old’s maiden season with his new side has been more of a very faint whistle than a bang. After joining the Owls last summer from Championship rivals Queens Park Rangers, Luongo looked set to make waves with the Sheffield outfit.

His 27-goal and 32-assist career record suggested that he would be a promising asset to Garry Monk’s side but the midfielder has had a painfully unfortunate run in Wednesday colours so far.

Speaking to Dom Howson for Yorkshire Live, Luongo has said this past year has been ‘the most frustrating’ in his entire career. The Australian international hasn’t featured for the Owls since January, after a red card – which was later rescinded – left him out of the squad as he served his ban, followed up by an abductor injury.

“Literally, the day my red card got rescinded was when I got my scan results and it showed I had a grade two tear in my abductor,” Luongo said. “The funny thing is I don’t know how long I had that for but I had a few weeks of rehab on it.”

After recovering from the injury, the 27-year-old faced another setback through his calf, which has seen him miss out on almost all of 2020’s matches.

“It has been the most frustrating year in my career,” Luongo reflected. “I have not been able to play every week. I had to wait for my chance to break into the team and then I got injured.”

Despite his setbacks, the midfielder is confident he will return to action and make an impact on the team, saying: “If I am fit, I am confident I am going to play in the majority of those games.”

Luongo’s first year at Hillsborough may not have gone to plan but hopefully he can come out the right side of his injury torment and show the type of form which convinced Sheffield Wednesday to sign him.

Do you think Massimo Luongo will return with a bang, Owls fans? Join the conversation in the comments below!

Jose Mourinho’s Tottenham Hotspur have been linked with many players this summer, particularly in defence, and this week one fresh report has angered many supporters in north London.

According to La Voix du Nord, via Sport Witness, Lille goalkeeper Mike Maignan could arrive at Spurs and team up with his old goalkeeping coach Nuno Santos.

They also claim that the Ligue 1 outfit have already prepared for the 24-year-old’s departure by signing Brazilian shot-stopper Leo Jardim last year.

Maignan, who is valued at £15.75m, has kept 13 clean sheets in 37 appearances this term, via Transfermarkt, but failed to keep the ball out of the net in all six of their Champions League group games.

Money talks: How much did Levy pay for each of these Spurs stars?

Spurs’ current first-choice Hugo Lloris has endured an indifferent campaign, suffering from a string of injuries and blunders, which has restricted the skipper to only 18 appearances and a ton of flak from the north London fanbase.

Though it appears as if the fellow French goalkeeper isn’t the man that supporters want between the sticks next season.

Here’s what has been said in response to the report…

AND in other news, Alasdair Gold believes Spurs will regret selling 22 y/o this summer…

In a season that has had its fair share of ups and downs at Manchester United, one moment that will live long in the memory of Red Devils fans is the club’s 2-1 victory over noisy neighbours Manchester City back in December 2019.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side had up until that point only beaten newly-promoted Norwich away from home, and so stepping into the Premier League champions’ own backyard was no doubt an intimidating prospect.

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But a breathless attacking performance – particularly in the first-half – saw United race to a two-goal lead thanks to a penalty from Marcus Rashford and a fine strike from Anthony Martial.

A Nicolas Otamendi goal five minutes before the end only proved to be a consolation, as United claimed all three points.

And despite it being a few months since that game, fans of the Manchester side have taken to Twitter to reminisce about that night on Twitter.

One United fan in particular questioned how fellow supporters could still want Solskjaer out, and insisted “these are exciting times”.

The Red Devils have enjoyed some impressive performances and results against some of the Premier League’s ‘big six’ under Solskjaer – their 4-0 victory over Chelsea on the opening day of this season certainly set the tone for it.

And this triumph over City gave the current United boss some added respect and credentials.

Meanwhile, Man Utd fans discuss this key aspect about Jadon Sancho’s potential arrival.

This article is part of Football FanCast’s Opinion series, which provides analysis, insight and opinion on any issue within the beautiful game, from Paul Pogba’s haircuts to League Two relegation battles…

Real Madrid have been on fire recently.

Following a rocky start to the 2019/20 season, Los Blancos have successfully turned their fortunes around and have now tallied 18 goals in the last five games, conceding just one goal in the process.

By all standards, Zinedine Zidane has definitely made some good changes that benefited the team and they are still reaping their rewards with some important games coming up in the near future.

And one big part of that success has been the emergence of their young players like Federico Valverde and Rodrygo.

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Both players have been extremely efficient and have given some much-needed wind to the Galacticos’ sails. Of course, we shouldn’t forget Vinicius Junior, who is another young, up and coming player with enough talent to become a star of the future.

The best part of that, however, seems to be in Zidane and Florentino Perez’s stance on their young players.

Just recently, Defensa Central came out with a story stating Real Madrid have been offered Willian from Chelsea as the Brazilian is looking to leave London in the not too distant future.

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Interestingly enough, the now 31-year-old winger will be out of contract next summer and even though there is certainly quality still in his legs, Real reportedly decided to turn this offer down.

To put it simply – they have no need for Willian and despite his availability, it seems that Real Madrid will put some faith into their current wingers, especially the young ones in the form of Rodrygo and Vinicius.

This update is definitely great news for the duo as it seems that Zidane trusts them and will keep them in his plans.

As for Willian – he has managed to bag three goals and three assists in a total of 16 games across all competitions, but that doesn’t seem to be enough to convince Los Blancos.

Given the expiry date of his contract and Frank Lampard’s young squad, separation does seem more than just a distant thought at this point in time.

Seeing how the Blues are currently fourth in the table and on track to fight for the top spots in the Premier League, maybe the Blues could use Willian’s experience and pedigree to their advantage.

Keeping him until the summer, for that reason, could also be a decent idea for the London team.

In other news, there has been an intriguing revelation connecting Real Madrid with new Spurs boss Jose Mourinho.

This article is part of Football FanCast’s Opinion series, which provides analysis, insight and opinion on any issue within the beautiful game, from Paul Pogba’s haircuts to League Two relegation battles…

Ajax are a team with great history.

Currently, they are definitely not on a level they used to be back in the day when they dominated the European stages but their wide pool of talent is still very much present and practically engraved in their DNA.

But in modern times, many of their best players are only groomed and perfected at Ajax and then shipped away to “bigger” destinations so they can chase their dreams.

We have seen the same thing happen to Frenkie de Jong with his move to Barcelona, or Matthijs de Ligt and his transfer to Juventus.

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They were young stars who have simply outgrown their parent club; a club that has given them a platform to develop on. And the same thing might be happening to Hakim Ziyech, one of the biggest stars currently at Ajax.

The 26-year-old winger has been heavily linked with a move away from Eredivisie and Calciomercato claim Tottenham Hotspur are actually the most serious suitor out there who’s looking to seal a deal.

Of course, Spurs are going through a rebuild themselves with Mauricio Pochettino sacked and Jose Mourinho taking his spot, and it wouldn’t be a stretch to say the Portuguese manager insists on reinforcements in order to lift the club to a new level.

Currently, they are sitting in 14th in the Premier League table and Ziyech just might bring that spark back to them, especially in the attacking third where you can never have enough firepower.

With 18 goals in 12 games, their scoring record is not the worst you’ve ever seen as they are actually fifth in the league in that regard, but the results are rarely going their way and an additional threat in the box could be most welcome.

Ziyech’s potential departure, however, although painful, would not be completely unexpected seeing how this pattern of players developing at Ajax and then leaving the nest is something the upper management is fully aware of.

Just recently, Edwin van der Sar admitted they are bound to lose more players come next year when speaking to De Telegraaf, as quoted by Football London:

“Next year Ajax will undoubtedly also lose players again.”

Ziyech is a huge part of the squad – seeing how he has already managed to net six goals and 15 assists in a total of 21 games played across all competitions – and losing him definitely won’t be easy.

But if he does end up leaving, he will just be another Ajax star in line who’s ready to fly out of the nest and seek his destiny elsewhere.

Maybe the Dutch giants should start preparing for another student outgrowing his home in the near future.

Wolverhampton Wanderers moved up into eighth position in the Premier League with a 2-1 victory over local rivals Aston Villa at Molineux, and a star may have been reborn in a new role if fans’ reaction is anything to go off.

Nuno Santo’s side picked up three points courtesy of goals from Ruben Neves, who bagged a trademark long-range effort, and Raul Jimenez, who netted his 13th of the season.

The Portuguese manager continued to tinker with his defensive line in the absence of Willy Boly with Leander Dendoncker once again playing at centre-back rather than his natural defensive midfield position.

And it is something that some members of the old gold faithful want to continue to see going forward as he played a massive role in the win.

One supporter said that he didn’t want to see the 24-year-old ever play in midfield again as he’s ‘unbelievable’ in defence and could have been the Man of the Match while another told the club to save their money in January as the Belgian was the right-sided centre-back they have long been looking for.

‘Flawless’ and ‘world class’ were just two of the other words used to describe Dendoncker while one further fan believed that he was an absolute bargain at £12m.

Here’s the best of the reaction: