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According to a report by the Daily Mail, the process of identifying potential replacements for Tottenham manager Jose Mourinho has ‘already begun’ – with RB Leipzig boss Julian Nagelsmann viewed by many at Spurs as the ‘perfect candidate’.

Nagelsmann, who has previously been linked with Tottenham through the media, has lead Leipzig to a Bundesliga title challenge this season, with Die Roten Bullen currently just four points behind Bayern Munich as they contend for the trophy.

Tottenham identify perfect Nagelsmann behind the scenes

The 33-year-old German coach could also be appointable for a bargain salary of £6m per year, which is less than half of what Mourinho is currently earning at Tottenham according to the Daily Mail (£13m per year).

As the process of identifying potential replacements for Mourinho has seemingly already commenced, Nagelsmann is apparently viewed by many behind the scenes at Spurs as the perfect managerial successor should their current coach be shown the door.

Transfer Tavern take

The club’s financial position is reportedly emerging as a crucial factor in potentially appointing a new manager, and Spurs would attempt to put Mourinho on gardening leave rather than pay his entire compensation package in one go should he be sacked.

Whether or not chairman Daniel Levy parts with the current boss remains to be seen, but it could weigh on how strongly Tottenham finish this campaign.

With Nagelsmann turning RB Leipzig into Bundesliga title contenders and Champions League semi-finalists, Spurs could do a lot worse in terms of Mourinho’s successor.

In other news: Tottenham starlet has suffered a ‘severe’ fresh injury blow, find out more here.

Former Manchester United man Keith Gillespie has urged the club to join the bidding for Borussia Dortmund striker Erling Haaland, telling Football FanCast that he is worried about the potential ramifications of Manchester City signing the star.

Haaland has become one of the best strikers in world football during his time at Dortmund.

The Norway international has scored 33 goals in 31 games in all competitions this season and is set to be at the centre of a transfer tug of war this summer.

Reports claim that City are interested in snapping the 20-year-old up, as are Real Madrid, but Gillespie believes that United need to flex their muscles and attempt to snaffle him away from the German club.

Indeed, he believes City signing him would almost guarantee them next season’s Premier League title.

Speaking exclusively to FFC, Gillespie said: “City are so far ahead at the minute, get Haaland, he’s the hottest property probably in world football at the minute, his stats are incredible.

“I’ve seen him playing for Norway at Windsor Park against Northern Ireland and the two finishes he had were just out of this world. You would break the bank to get somebody like that because if Man City get him, you’ve absolutely no chance of competing to win the league.”

Gillespie believes that Haaland will become available – if he does not go this summer, a clause in his contract activates that means he will be available for £66.6m in 2022, per The Athletic – and that he would be perfect for either Manchester club, sending a message to Ed Woodward to act if the opportunity arises.

He added: “He’s a natural finisher, he’s young as well, and he’s going to come into that Man City team and score a lot of goals because of the players he’d have around him, so I think it’s important that United compete with Man City should he become available.

“I think he will become available with whatever clause he has in his contract but I suppose money talks and whatever’s offered, Dortmund might cash in.

“Certainly, they need to be showing that they are interested in a player like him, and obviously there’s been talk about Haaland before with Man United, that he is one that is on their radar.”

Former Sunderland striker Kevin Phillips has revealed his excitement after a recent report suggested that new Black Cats owner Kyril Louis-Dreyfus is willing to spend £60m this summer if the club earns promotion to the Championship.

Phillips loves Louis-Dreyfus news

Louis-Dreyfus recently purchased Sunderland from former owner Stewart Donald, a move which delighted many of the Wearside outfit’s fans (Roker Report).

A recent report from The Sun suggested that he was willing to part with £60m this summer if Sunderland move up a division, and this news has delighted Phillips. Speaking to Football Insider, the 47-year-old said:

“It would be massive.

“It would be one of the biggest budgets in the Championship, if not the biggest. It is huge money.

“Let’s hope that they get there so Lee Johnson has the chance to spend that kind of money.

“If Sunderland do get promotion, and that money is spent wisely, with a full crowd back in the Stadium of Light, you start to get a little bit excited.

“We need to get there first though. There is still a lot of work to be done on the pitch this season.

“It is really exciting to hear that though. From Lee Johnson’s point of view, hearing that those sorts of funds could be available, he will be absolutely delighted.”

Huge

As Phillips says, this would be a huge boost for all involved at the club, especially manager Lee Johnson. With such a budget, the Black Cats could put together a squad capable of not only staying in the second tier, but even trying to return to the Premier League.

Of course, Sunderland must not get ahead of themselves. After all, they are third in League One and their hopes of automatic promotion are no longer in their own hands after losing 2-1 to Charlton Athletic last weekend. However, it is very positive to hear that Louis-Dreyfus is willing put his hand into his pocket in order to return the good times to the Stadium of Light.

In other news, many Sunderland fans slam this man’s performance against the Addicks.

Steve Bruce should urge Newcastle United to launch a summer swoop to sign Celtic-owned defender Jack Hendry and add a no-nonsense titan to his ranks at St. James’ Park.

What’s the word?

According to the Mirror, the Magpies feature in a small clutch of Premier League sides monitoring Hendry’s situation ahead of the next transfer market.

Celtic are expected to recall the 25-year-old to Parkhead at the close of the current season, following a tremendous campaign on loan with Belgian Pro League side KV Oostende.

Hendry joined the Diaz Arena natives for the 2020/21 term after being shunned by previous Hoops boss Neil Lennon, who resigned last month, but he is expected to chase a second chance in Glasgow as he eyes a return to the Scotland national side.

The centre-half played just 11 minutes across all competitions during Lennon’s second tenure at Celtic, but has proven a key fixture of the Oostende line-up with starting roles in 21 of his 22 Pro League outings to date.

De Kustboys boss Alexander Blessin has been full of praise for the Glasgow-born defender, whose side have a £2m option to buy him, noting in November: “He’s a great talker in defence. He makes the people he’s playing with better. You can see them listening to him.

“He’s been a tower of experience for us. Jack’s the most important member of the team this season and he’s one of the best defenders in the league. When you get signed by a club the size of Celtic at such a young age, then you obviously must have a lot of qualities.”

Oostende could easily look to sign Hendry and flip him for profit in the summer market, with Newcastle, Burnley and Wolverhampton Wanderers said to be tracking his situation as he nears the final 12-months of his Celtic contract.

Should Newcastle sign Hendry?

With funds expected to be tight at St. James’ Park in the off-season, Bruce may have to shop around for cheaper options to plug gaps in his defence and Hendry could emerge as a worthwhile solution if his future is not with Celtic.

Newcastle are at risk of losing Fabian Schar this summer, with the Swiss international said to be considering his options, while Federico Fernandez – who is also due to be a free agent at the end of the season – is yet to be offered a new contract despite ongoing negotiations.

It would obviously remain to be seen how much Oostende or Celtic may ask for, depending on the Belgian side taking up their option to purchase Hendry, but the 25-year-old is proving to be a no-nonsense type player who is hard for Pro League attackers to beat.

The three-cap Scotland international, who has not represented his national side since 2018, is only dribbled past 0.1 times per game in the Belgian top-flight this term, per SofaScore. He also offers 4.5 clearances to keep the danger away from Guillaume Hubert’s goal.

Hendry records 1.2 successful tackles a game, too, and plays the ball out from the back with 31.1 accurate passes – 23.8 in his own half – while providing a goal threat with 1.2 shots, as Oostende mount a surprise push for Champions League qualification.

Newcastle defenders Schar (0.8/1.5) and Jamaal Lascelles (0.8/0.9) have each offered fewer successful tackles per game in the Premier League this season, while Fernandez (0.3), Ciaran Clark (0.3), Isaac Hayden (0.5) and Schar (0.7) are each dribbled past more often when fielded at centre-half, per WhoScored.

Only summer free-agent Fernandez (5.6) and captain Lascelles (4.6) offer more clearances and more shots (1.3, 1.4 respectively) per game than Hendry, while no current natural Toon centre-back plays a higher number of accurate passes, per SofaScore.

Much is still to be decided with Hendry’s future, much like with Fernandez and Schar at Newcastle, however, the 6 ft 3 Hoops-owned enforcer should be a target for Bruce if United do look to add another member to his backline this summer.

AND in other news, some Newcastle players want a “very good organiser” lauded by those he’s worked with to replace Steve Bruce…

Manchester City stormed to the top of the Premier League table on Tuesday night with an emphatic 5-0 win against West Bromwich Albion.

Whilst there were no poor performers for the Citizens after a superb display against Sam Allardyce’s side, it was perhaps the performance of Ilkay Gundogan that stood out the most.

The German midfielder scored a first-half brace to continue his recent excellent goalscoring form but was also superb in all other aspects from his game, and he arguably outshone Joao Cancelo, who contributed a goal, an assist and a clean sheet from right-back.

As per SofaScore, the former Borussia Dortmund man would earn a 9.0 match rating for his performance, which was only bettered by his Portuguese teammate, who earned a 9.4.

Despite only being on the pitch for 52 minutes, Gundogan would have 47 touches and contribute 32 passes, which was more than West Brom midfielder Romaine Sawyers, despite him playing the full match.

The 30-year-old opened the scoring after brilliantly bringing down a pass from Cancelo and curling past Sam Johnstone from the edge of the area, before robbing Sawyers and finishing confidently for his second, and City’s third.

Impressively, the experienced midfielder would complete all three of his dribble attempts during the game despite having averaged just 1.3 dribbles per game in the Premier League so far this season.

He also won all five of his duels during the game, resulting in a 100% success rate, whereas in his last Premier League appearance against Aston Villa, he would win just 2/6, emphasising that it really was a near-perfect performance from Gundogan at the Hawthorns.

Therefore, it seems clear now that the £36 million-rated midfielder is enjoying one of his best seasons in a Manchester City shirt, as this is now his best ever goalscoring campaign in the Premier League and he has stepped up superbly in the absence of Kevin De Bruyne.

And, in other news… Manchester City can sign their next Kyle Walker in £18m-rated PL speed-demon

The Leeds United camp and fanbase will be united in their delight over their most recent Premier League result. The Whites were victorious over a bamboozled Southampton side who shipped three goals at Elland Road last time out. Despite their range of injury problems, the Whites are managing to keep the ship afloat and currently sit in a very respectable 10th place.

Jamie Shackleton and Mateusz Klich were the latest to suffer setbacks, but Phil Hay has provided a bit of good news for those worrying about Leeds’ squad depth.

The Athletic reporter has confirmed that summer signing Robin Koch is due back in training next week. The German will return after a length spell on the sidelines – a knee problem that has seen him miss a total of 16 matches so far, as per Transfermarkt.

Injury news on Robin Koch

Leeds signed the centre-back for a reported £13million last summer, beating the likes of Tottenham Hotspur to his signature. Upon arrival, he immediately became part of Marcelo Bielsa’s set-up and played every single minute of Premier League action until his knee injury forced him off the pitch against Chelsea back in December. In that time, he kept four clean sheets and established himself as a strong partner to captain Liam Cooper.

Koch’s defensive influence has been noticed by many, both domestically and internationally. His former teammate Vincenzo Grifo lauded his abilities and described him as a “monster” centre-back who has what it takes to become a “world class” player.

He is widely regarded and has a clear influence on the pitch. Compared to fellow centre-back Pascal Struijk, Koch averages more accurate per match and wins more aerial duels, highlighting his danger in the air, according to WhoScored.

Having Koch back in training is a huge boost for Leeds, as they aren’t far away now from reuniting him with with the skipper in the heart of the defence.

In other news, Phil Hay update hints at a new Leeds contract for Bielsa…

Kevin Phillips has exclusively told Football FanCast that he believes Sunderland are “capable” of finishing in the automatic promotion places this season.

Lee Johnson’s team have won six of their previous seven League One matches to move into top-two contention, and have already enjoyed success in the Papa John’s Trophy following Sunday’s victory over Tranmere courtesy of Lynden Gooch’s second-half strike at Wembley.

Sunderland’s impressive recent form has seen them climb to fourth in the third-tier standings, just two points behind second-placed Peterborough United, who currently occupy the second automatic promotion place.Much of Sunderland’s good results have been down to the goals of Charlie Wyke, whose the League One top scorer with 21, and Phillips reckons that their automatic hopes could rely on the fitness and form of the former Bradford City striker.He told Football FanCast: “I think they’re hitting form at the right time. My only concern is if they were to lose Charlie [Wyke] or if he was to go off the boil, or if they were to lose [Aiden] McGeady, the two players that have been so influential in this run.“I think defensively they’re looking fairly solid, Dion Sanderson, whose come in, has looked really strong. From what I’ve seen, they’re capable of finishing in the top-two.”Sunderland travel to Accrington Stanley on Wednesday evening knowing another three more points could send them into the top-two for the first time since April 2019.

Carlo Ancelotti may have dealt the final blow to Cenk Tosun’s hopes of having a longer career at Goodison Park by overlooking the Everton striker in Tuesday night’s 2-1 win at Wolverhampton Wanderers.

Tosun was only awarded a seat on the bench for the Blues’ trip to Molineux despite seeing Dominic Calvert-Lewin create space for him to shine, with the England international unable to feature with a hamstring injury.

Ancelotti had been expected to favour Tosun in Calvert-Lewin’s absence to see if the Turkey ace could build any momentum into his game, after seeing the striker score his first goal of the season during Everton’s FA Cup third round win over Rotherham on Saturday.

Yet, the Italian tactician decided to throw a surprise into the works by utilising midfielders James Rodriguez and Gylfi Sigurdsson as two false nines, which would surely have left Tosun puzzled as to why he was not chosen to lead the line.

Ancelotti has frequently voiced support of Tosun’s abilities this season, with the former Chelsea boss claiming “I like his quality”, while hinting at a greater role over the festive period after the 29-year-old returned from a lengthy spell out following cruciate ligament surgery.

“From him, I expect what he is able to do, goals. I think he is really good in the box, really efficient in the box,” Ancelotti said, via quotes by the Liverpool Echo.

Tosun sustained the blow while away on loan with Crystal Palace last season but always envisaged returning to Goodison Park, despite Everton’s deal with the Eagles featuring a £20m option for south London side to purchase him.

“I feel like a new transfer for Everton. All the things I have done wrong, I will not do them again,” Tosun said back in November. “I am different now. I train and prepare better to help the team more.

“I have to be fit and, when I get the chance, I have to use that chance, to be there to score and help the team.”

Tosun must now be questioning what more he has to do to earn Ancelotti’s trust, with Tuesday night’s omission the sixth occasion the Blues’ £27m signing has been left an unused substitute, as the now £6.5m-rated forward waits to build on his mere 43 minutes of Premier League football for the season.

Yet he may never get that chance with West Bromwich Albion thought to have held talks over a deal that will see Tosun reunite with Sam Allardyce, who lauded the attacker as “the best in Europe” for the price he agreed to pay Besiktas in January 2018.

Ancelotti’s decision to overlook Tosun was surely a sign that he is willing to move on from the £60,000-per-week striker, and that Everton must look to get rid. It just remains to be seen who, if anyone, agrees to match whatever the Toffees demand.

AND in other news, Carlo Ancelotti must cash-in on a £6.5m-rated outcast unfit for Everton…

Tottenham Hotspur will move into their next Premier League fixture off the back of a stunning 4-0 win over Ludogorets. Jose Mourinho’s side showed their relentless nature with a solid team performance in the Europa League. Now, Stamford Bridge beckons as the two London sides prepare to battle it out to continue their fiery form.

Both Mourinho and Frank Lampard are in strong positions in the league so far, with Spurs currently topping the table and Chelsea in third with just two points between them. Putting daylight between them will be a top priority for the Lilywhites.

Mourinho must start Rodon vs Chelsea

In his latest press conference, Mourinho discussed the fitness of several key players. Matt Doherty made a surprise return against Ludogorets but Toby Alderweireld is out with a muscular injury.

Summer signing Joe Rodon was ineligible to play against the Bulgarians on Thursday, but will be available for selection on Sunday. The Welshman must be considered to start against Eric Dier in order to kick-start his Spurs career.

Despite having made mere cameo appearances so far, Mourinho has faith in the 23-year-old.

“Yes I think he is ready to play,” the manager said before justifying his decision by applauding Rodon’s regular playing time in the Championship with Swansea.

With the Portugal native’s backing, the £9,000 per week summer recruit has all but the green light to step up to the plate in the absence of Alderweireld. If he is selected, he will be working closely with Dier, who recently praised the Wales international for his “humble” nature and went on to discuss Gareth Bale’s admiration for him.

According to Sofascore, Rodon averaged an impressive 5.4 clearances and 1.6 interceptions per match for the Swans last season. He also kept his discipline tight and picked up just two yellow cards for the Championship season. Starting him against Chelsea could be throwing him in at the deep end but it could be the huge first start he needs to make his mark at Spurs.

In other news, Eric Dier performance against Chelsea has a lot riding on it…

Manchester United moved one step closer to the top of the Premier League table after thrashing newly-promoted Leeds United at Old Trafford.

Scott McTominay opened the scoring from long-range and the hosts doubled their advantage inside three minutes after Anthony Martial picked out the midfielder, who scored his second goal of the game with a lovely left-footed finish.

Bruno Fernandes added the third and Victor Lindelof made it four from close range before Liam Cooper pulled one back shortly before the stroke of half-time.

But Daniel James nutmegged helpless Leeds goalkeeper Illan Meslier before Fernandes scored from the penalty spot yet again to complete a comprehensive victory, though there was still time for Stuart Dallas to score a sensational screamer from 20 yards out.

It always looked like it would be a long night for Leeds but they still had their moments as Luke Shaw struggled to deal with Dallas and Raphinha on the left wing.

Shaw, who earns £150k-a-week at Old Trafford came into the starting line-up at the expense of new summer recruit Alex Telles, who had to settle for a place on the bench.

It’s hard to pick many holes in Solskjaer’s side, but if there’s one area he urgently needs to improve before the EFL Cup clash with Everton, it’s the left-hand side of the back four.

SofaScore graded the 25-year-old as one of the worst United players on the pitch with a low 6.8 rating – second only to David de Gea who he had fewer touches than. Shaw also lost possession 13 times, failed to block a single shot or record a single interception, while he made one error leading to a shot and conceded one foul.

The Manchester Evening News gave Shaw a 6/10 and claimed he looked ‘lackadaisical at times and lightning at others’, which rather sums up his inconsistent performance.

Not only did he look lightweight, but he was also largely anonymous as well with even his teammate and club captain Harry Maguire taking more touches of the ball.

It’s no surprise he was pulled on the 60th minute and he ought be wary with Telles breathing down his neck and Brandon Williams chomping at the bit, so his place in the starting line-up is by no means guaranteed.

With the Toffees and Leicester on the horizon, Shaw’s 13th start of the season could be his last for some time after that showing, as Solskjaer will surely have to consider other options.

AND in other news, Ed Woodward must look to cash in on Manchester United outcast Jesse Lingard in January…