All posts by h716a5.icu

Chelsea have endured a woeful season by their standards and that comes after spending millions across the summer and winter transfer windows over the previous year.

Following the hiring of Frank Lampard last month on an interim basis until the end of the season, Todd Boehly is now on his fourth manager of the campaign and things have to change this summer otherwise a dangerous precedent will set in, and they will become just another big club who hires and fires on a whim.

There will need to be a few players heading out of the Stamford Bridge exit door this summer due to the financial fair play regulations and the club have a few quality assets which could generate a tidy sum.

Mason Mount is one of them, with the attacking midfielder having been linked with a move away, of late as Liverpool, Manchester United and Newcastle United all show interest in the Englishman.

With just one year remaining on his contract, if Chelsea were to sell, this summer is their only chance to make a solid profit on the player, and they could hit the jackpot considering his current value.

How much is Mason Mount worth?

The 24-year-old has emerged through the Chelsea academy to become one of the finest players in the team since making his debut under Frank Lampard back in 2019.

He has gone from strength to strength at the club during those four seasons, working under Lampard, Thomas Tuchel and Graham Potter while winning the Champions League in 2021.

Mount is fast approaching 200 appearances for Chelsea, and although he perhaps hasn’t enjoyed the most lucrative time of it during this term, last season saw the midfielder at his very best under the German coach.

Across 53 matches in all competitions, Mount scored 13 goals and grabbed 16 assists as Chelsea came so close to glory in the League and FA Cup finals, being denied on both occasions by Liverpool, however, his attacking contributions turned him into a key player for club and country.

It’s no wonder then that journalist Benjamin Lynch dubbed the Englishman as “generational” late last year due to his performances and his soaring value is now a testament to just how impressive he has been.

Indeed, Football Transfers suggested the player's expected transfer value will fall around a staggering sum of €73.8m (£65m) and with plenty of potential suitors keen on the maestro, Boehly could land a major profit by selling him during the summer transfer window.

Chelsea are "closer than ever" to appointing Mauricio Pochettino as their new manager, according to an update from journalist Fabrizio Romano in the early hours of Tuesday morning.

Pochettino vs Nagelsmann for Chelsea?

The Blues are continuing to work hard on announcing a new boss in the near future, with the individual in question not expected to take charge until the summer. Frank Lampard will remain as manager until the end of the season, with these last few fixtures almost not coming quickly enough.

For a while, it looked as though Julian Nagelsmann was the strong favourite to become Chelsea's latest manager, but the former Bayern Munich man has since dropped out of the race, reportedly citing issues with the recruitment process as the reason for it.

Now, it looks as though Pochettino will take charge, in a move that may not go down too well with Tottenham supporters, following his stint there previously. A new update has emerged overnight regarding the situation – one that further suggests that this is almost a done deal.

Is Pochettino joining Chelsea?

Taking to Twitter, Romano said that a deal to bring in the Argentine has "never been closer" after a new development in talks on Monday night. As expected, he won't come in until the summer:

"Mauricio Pochettino, now closer than ever to get Chelsea manager job after new crucial round of positive talks tonight. Negotiations entering final stages — still waiting for formal contract to be sent, checked and signed. Pochettino would join in June, NOT now."

Pochettino feels like an exciting appointment for Chelsea, and while some may point at a lack of trophies during his managerial career, there is more to a manager than simply winning silverware.

Granted, his only three successes have come at Paris Saint-Germain, where there is not exactly stiff competition compared to other leagues, but he reached the 2019 Champions League final with an underfuned Spurs side and had them playing an attack-minded brand of football along the way.

Chelsea have a strong squad that can be utilised by the right manager and Pochettino's man-management skills could get the best out of struggling figures such as Raheem Sterling and Joao Felix, for example, and his time away from management may have refreshed him.

The fact that Spurs fans will dislike the appointment could be an added bonus in the eyes of some Chelsea supporters, given the rivalry between the two clubs, but most importantly, the Blues would be acquiring the services of a top manager with a point to prove.

Chelsea lost 2-1 to Brighton on Saturday as Frank Lampard’s winless run as Blues boss continued.

The former midfielder was given the job for a second time prior to the meeting with Wolves a week ago but his record since has been poor.

Graham Potter is now long gone but the football isn’t improving and the team selections are only getting stranger.

The Londoners have now lost three games in a row under Lampard’s stewardship, having scored just once in that time frame.

A woeful record of 30 goals in 31 games shows exactly where they need to improve the most next term, which makes previous business in the transfer window all the more perplexing.

Romelu Lukaku is currently on loan at Inter Milan, Tammy Abraham has already been sold to Roma, and the divisive Timo Werner is now thriving back in Germany.

How has Werner played since leaving Chelsea?

The striker has been hugely impressive after moving back to Leipzig where he recently took his Bundesliga tally to 100 strikes this weekend.

Typically, on a day where Chelsea were lacking cutting edge and finesse, the German came up with a goal-of-the-season contender against Augsburg, having scored twice in the same game.

Kevin Kampl sent a looping ball forward into the path of the 27-year-old who took one touch to set himself 20 yards or so from goal before unleashing a thunderous volley into the back of the net.

It was the type of ruthlessness that Chelsea fans have simply been crying out for of late, with Werner sending a timely reminder of his qualities.

That took the £171k-per-week forward’s tally for the campaign to 16, seven more than the Stamford Bridge outfit’s top scorer in Kai Havertz.

The reaction to the goal was one of disdain from most Chelsea supporters. You can check out some of the best from social media below…

Some supporters seemed to think they should have cashed in on Havertz instead…

While another aimed the blame at fellow German, Thomas Tuchel, for even offloading him in the first place…

Leeds United's survival hopes were dealt a significant blow this afternoon at home to fellow strugglers, Crystal Palace, with the visitors running out 5-1 winners following a remarkable second-half display at Elland Road.

It had initially been a scintillating start for the Whites as they took a deserved lead through Patrick Bamford's guided header, only for compatriot Marc Guehi to convert at the other end on the stroke of half-time to drag the away side level.

That sucker punch just before the break appeared to knock the stuffing out of Javi Gracia's men as they simply capitulated in the second period, with Jordan Ayew bagging a brace, while both Odsonne Edouard and Eberechi Eze also got in on the act to rub further salt in the wounds.

Such a Jekyll and Hyde performance from the Yorkshire side will no doubt have Gracia tearing his hair out, with the performance of captain Luke Ayling likely to be of particular concern, with the Englishman having been simply woeful in that stunning collapse.

The former Bristol City man was particularly erratic on the ball as he lost possession on 31 occasions, while also proving culpable in the Eagles' second of the day, having merely allowed the aforementioned Ayew to head home.

Unsurprisingly, the 31-year-old's grim outing – in which he won just six of his 21 duels and was dribbled past on six occasions – saw him record the worst match rating of the lot, according to Sofascore, having been awarded a dismal 5.4/10.

The struggling full-back was not alone in having stunk the place out at Elland Road, however, with fellow defender Pascal Struijk having also endured a grim afternoon against Roy Hodgson's men.

How did Struijk perform against Palace?

The 23-year-old centre-back was at the 'eye of that second-half storm', according to Leeds Live's Beren Cross, as he was among those who simply could not live with the fluid nature of Palace's relentless forward line.

As 90min's Jack Gallagher noted, the former Netherlands youth international notably 'struggled to deal with Edouard's movement', with the home side likely ruing the absence of the stricken Max Wober in that left-sided berth.

The 54-touch dud, like Ayling, was also far too easily beaten as he was dribbled past four times in total, having also been rather lightweight at the heart of the backline after losing eight of his 12 total duels, including winning just one of his four aerial duels.

That is a worrying record indeed for the 6 foot 3 asset, with Yorkshire Evening Post writer Graham Smyth correctly summating that Stuijk looked like a 'rabbit in headlights at times' in that latter 45 minutes.

Those woes are laid bare by the fact that the £50k-per-week brute was also awarded a meagre 5.5 match rating, as per Sofascore, with that the second-worst rating of any player on the day, just marginally ahead of Ayling.

There is no doubt that Stuijk and his teammates will be hoping to forget this Easter horror show as soon as possible.

Tottenham Hotspur chairman Daniel Levy is struggling behind the scenes as a result of recent changes to key figures in the club's board over the last two years.

Is it time for ENIC to sell?

Spurs are certainly enduring some major struggles both on and off the field in north London with their hopes of Champions League football taking a significant hit over recent weeks.

Adding to their issues has been the recent parting of ways with Antonio Conte and more recently the stepping down of their director of football, Fabio Paratici.

Frustrations among sections of the Spurs fanbase are seemingly growing with their chairman as some chant for him to leave the club along with Joe Lewis.

And speaking on Matt Hayes' YouTube channel, journalist Matt Law has suggested he's heard Levy is stretched across different issues behind the scenes with less experienced figures now in high-ranking positions:

(14:00) "Look, in terms of him isolating himself. There's been a massive change of heads of department over the last two years and going back from that, and it feels like he has less and less experienced people to lean on in these situations and to take charge of different departments and things.

"And I've had it said to me, that his he's stretched all over the place because of this and he's listening to so many different voices and the decision-making has become muddled. Now that's just what's been said to me."

Where do Spurs go from here?

There have been reports suggesting ENIC could look to sell with a number of potential investors – including one from Qatar – believed to have shown an interest in recent months.

However, there have also been claims that if a potential takeover was to happen, Levy could look to remain involved with the club.

And it seems the uncertainty has trickled through the club with Tottenham currently having no permanent manager in charge of the men's nor the women's team.

The club are also now without a director of football after Paratici stepped down on the back of his upgrade worldwide ban from football.

And now four years on from being opened to the Spurs faithful, the club have not been able to secure a sponsorship deal for the naming right of their state-of-the-art stadium.

Their issues do not end there with the future of their all-time record goalscorer, Harry Kane, also in doubt going into the summer transfer window.

Perhaps what is also an issue for Spurs fans is their chairman is very rarely heard from apart from the occasional written club statements.

And at a time when the club is facing many uncertainties, perhaps it could settle some concerns if the chairman was to speak about the steps he is putting in place to rectify the issues.

There is a big game at Goodison Park for Spurs on Monday night and there is certainly potential for the travelling Spurs fans to voice their frustrations with the current issues at the club.

Journalist Tom Roddy has questioned whether the prospect of managing Tottenham Hotspur right now would be appealing to Julian Nagelsmann.

What's going on at Spurs?

Mauricio Pochettino has been linked with a return to the club, whilst recently sacked Bayern Munich manager Nagelsmann could be an attractive target. Tottenham wants to open talks with him over their vacant job.

The German's availability could provide the perfect opportunity for Spurs to hire a successor to Conte, but it remains to be seen whether he will want to join the club so soon after losing his job at Bayern.

Speaking on TalkSPORT (1.40), Roddy claimed that the situation at Spurs makes the job less appealing for Nagelsmann, and convincing him to join will be a tough ask.

"I think it is Spurs suddenly sensing an opportunity that didn't exist a week ago," he stated.

"They wanted him before in 2019, they wanted him to be Pochettino's replacement. He didn't want to do it then, now it's clear why, because he had the Bayern Munich job lined up, so he didn't want to do it at that point which makes total sense now.

"Would he want to go from Bayern, sacked and stunned by getting sacked, and go straight into another league, midseason, to a club in quite a lot of turmoil?

"There's a real uncomfortable atmosphere between fans and the hierarchy at that club at the moment, does he want to take that on?"

Should Nagelsmann join Spurs now?

Spurs are currently out of the running for a trophy this season, but face a battle to finish in the top four and qualify for next season's Champions League.

Given that their place in the competition could determine what manager they could attract, it may be worth Spurs hiring their ideal candidate, if available now, to finish the season strongly and set them up for the next campaign.

If they can convince Nagelsmann to join now, rather than waiting until the end of the season, it could provide a boost to their top four hopes, and therefore be of huge benefit.

However, Nagelsmann himself may be better off waiting until the end of the season. With Graham Potter under pressure at Chelsea, and Carlo Ancelotti considering his Real Madrid future, other top jobs may become available to him, and if he commits to Spurs now, he could miss out on other clubs who may be interested in hiring him.

When Wolverhampton Wanderers broke their transfer record to sign precocious 18-year-old Fabio Silva for £35.6m in 2020, optimism was rife that the club had clinched the services of a possible prodigy.

Speaking of the deal, chairman Jeff Shi said: "Fabio is a young player who shows not only incredible technical ability, but also his game intelligence for a player of his age is top class."

The Old Gold did not meld with the Portuguese teenager as anticipated, and Silva only managed to clinch four goals from 62 appearances before being shipped out on loan last summer to Belgian outfit Anderlecht, where he was recalled and pushed out to PSV Eindhoven in January.

The Premier League outfit will remain positive that Silva can hit the rich vein of form desired in the midlands, especially after the forward has enjoyed some fruitful fortunes this season.

How has Fabio Silva played this season?

Silva's quality has never been in question, rather, his physical presence and authority in the thick of the robustness of the Premier League, but at such a young age there is still plenty of time to make the increments to his physicality to partner the innate goal-scoring threat.

He is improving quickly, though, and has scored 15 goals and served five assists from 33 starts across his two temporary outfits this term.

What's been said about Fabio Silva?

Prior to his sojourns in Belgium and the Netherlands, The Mail's Ollie Lewis even hailed his "enormous potential" in August and said he "led the line superbly with his energy and physicality."

Former Old Gold captain Conor Coady also waxed lyrical over the rising star last year, praising the now 20-year-old for his impact on the squad, belying his youthful years and inexperience.

He said: "He’s been fantastic since he came in. He works so, so hard to improve and get better, and you see that now. We know when he comes into the team, he’ll do a job, and that’s what he’s doing at the minute."

Who could Silva replace at Wolves?

With Silva's development perhaps leaving him in good stead to forge a second surge for a place as the undisputed talisman at Molineux, Lopetegui must consider axing Diego Costa, with the 34-year-old striker failing to find the back of the net since his summer arrival as a free transfer.

Indeed, Costa has played 16 matches this season and failed to record even one direct contribution, and it is hard to envisage that his one-year deal will be extended.

As per Sofascore, the Spaniard has recorded an average league rating of only 6.56, taking 1.5 shots per match but unable to strike the back of the net; Costa's 0.4 key passes per match are below par too, his verve and efficiency waning after his past feats on English soil, starring for Chelsea and scoring 52 goals from 89 outings en-route to winning two Premier League titles.

With Silva in the maiden phase of his career and already boasting, as per WhoScored, 1.4 shots and 0.4 key passes per match – almost identical numbers to his senior peer – the ace could unleash the "monster" inside – as hailed by Jack Collins – and devastate Premier League defences with a shot at prominence at Molineux once again next term.

Everton are reportedly likely to terminate Dele Alli’s contract at the end of the season, as his loan move at Besiktas will not be made permanent.

The Lowdown: Struggling at Besiktas

Alli has been struggling so much at Besiktas to the extent that he has recently been banished from their first-team squad.

He has not played any part in their last two league games, and in 15 matches in total over all competitions so far this season, he has only managed to score three goals and make no assists (Transfermarkt).

Nonetheless, Everton now have a big decision to make over whether to welcome him back into the squad for next term, or look to get rid of him again.

The Latest: Contract likely to be terminated

As per Football Insider, Alli’s loan move at Besiktas will not be made into a permanent one this summer, and could be set for what the report describes as a ‘double blow’, with the Goodison Park outfit also ‘likely’ to terminate his contract and pay him out, rather than keep him in the squad for another season.

Besiktas have the option to exercise the £6.9m buy-out clause in Alli’s loan agreement at the end of the campaign, but they do not plan to do so.

Besiktas coach Senol Gunes has already hinted that Alli will not be staying, and criticised a recent performance of his in their 0-0 draw with Antalyaspor:

“Alli did not add the efficiency we thought of as a game. We work physically and tactically.

“Alli played in two friendly matches. He did positive things. He runs a lot, but he has problems in assisting and scoring goals.

“He also ran today, but he did not contribute. He is a player with a high probability of leaving at the end of the year, whether he plays well or badly.”

The Verdict: Just get rid

Unfortunately for Alli, it is just not worked out on Merseyside, having made a mere Premier League, scoring no goals and making no assists.

The Toffees may find it difficult to shift him though, as he earns no less than £100,000-per-week, while talkSPORT pundit Darren Bent has recently claimed that no Premier League club would buy him.

It would certainly be a shame for the Englishman, but at 26 years of age now, he needs to try and find a new home away from the Blues.

Manchester United are thought to be plotting a new move for long-term target Denzel Dumfries, according to Football Insider.

The Lowdown: Transfer priorities

Erik ten Hag has enjoyed a solid first season at Old Trafford, already lifting silverware in the Carabao Cup last month.

However, he and Old Trafford chiefs already appear to have one eye on the summer transfer window, with a new striker and midfielder reportedly the club’s main priority.

Alongside those two positions, bringing in a new goalkeeper to rival David de Gea has also been rumoured, with Brentford’s David Raya a potential player of interest.

And now, it looks as if United could also look at signing Dumfries after first being linked with a move for the Inter Milan right-back last summer.

The Latest: Dumfries update

Football Insider reporter Pete O’Rourke shared a story in the last 48 hours regarding United and Dumfries. He said that Ten Hag is still a ‘huge fan’ of the player and that the Red Devils could go back in for the defender after considering a move in January.

The report adds that a bid of between £40-50million could be enough to prise Dumfries away from the Serie A giants due to their financial troubles.

The Verdict: One to watch?

Dumfries is 26 years of age and appears to be in his prime with a career-high €28m Transfermarkt valuation. He could bring a real attacking threat from right-back to Ten Hag’s side, as he has contributed to 56 goals from 229 appearances from that position compared to Aaron Wan-Bissaka’s 16 in 1823 games.

Wan-Bissaka’s future has also been up in the air this season but stayed beyond the winter window after impressing Ten Hag. However, should the club look at bringing in Dumfries once again over the coming months, the Englishman could be the one to make way, with former side Crystal Palace still interested in signing the United man.

Dumfries has been hailed as a ‘monster’ by freelance journalist Alan Rzepa and a ‘very exciting’ and ‘effective’ full-back by members of the Italian media, so could prove to be a shrewd addition at Old Trafford to rival first-choice full-back Diogo Dalot.

Therefore, this could well be a deal to keep an eye on over the coming months, and it looks as if it may prove to be a really busy year off the pitch in Manchester alongside a number of potential incoming, with a takeover still possibly on the cards in 2023.

Tottenham Hotspur players are said to have enjoyed the break away from Antonio Conte when the Italian returned home to recover from his recent surgery.

Will Spurs part ways with Antonio Conte?

Spurs were sent packing in the Champions League on Wednesday night and now face another season without getting their hands on any silverware.

And in turn, their recent form has cast a dark shadow over N17 with the future of the Italian manager now in question ahead of the summer.

However, over recent weeks, the Spurs manager had missed a number of the club’s games as a result of his recovery in which Cristian Stellini led them on a positive run.

Speaking on his YouTube channel, journalist Alasdair Gold has suggested the mood around Hotspur Way was much more positive with Conte back home in Italy:

“I know, because I speak to a lot of people around the club; I also speak to people around the players. And the one thing I keep hearing was that while he was away, Conte, Hotspur Way was just kind of a more relaxed place.”

Should Tottenham sack Antonio Conte?

No silverware is on the table for the Lilywhites this season, however, the prospect of Champions League football for next season is still there to be clinched.

Some fans may be wondering what the point of the top four is when the club put out performances as they did in the last 16 against AC Milan, however, ahead of the summer, it provides the club more room to spend.

Again, some fans may scoff at the notion of the owners investing in new players, however, the reality is the club have spent fairly significantly over the last few windows.

Whether that has been on the right players or not is another question but, ultimately, that does not necessarily land solely at the feet of Daniel Levy.

But what the chairman now has to decide is whether Conte is the right man to guide this struggling side over the line and into the Champions League for next season – even if he is not going to be there.

Looking ahead, Spurs have a favourable run of games ahead of them which include trips to Newcastle United and Liverpool – their main top-four rivals – which means they do have the say in their own destiny.

But with Conte seemingly not wanting to be at the club any longer, you have to question whether he is motivated to get the best out of this side when he, seemingly, is not going to be there next season.

Spurs have two games against Nottingham Forest and Southampton coming up before the international break and it does feel like that could be the opportunity for Spurs to potentially make their move.