Harry Kane has been warned that he will be “tortured” for failing to collect silverware and could become “one of the greatest to never win a trophy”.
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The Bournemouth midfielder will miss the start of the Premier League season, and perhaps longer, it's been confirmed
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Ange Postecoglou has done well to revive a number of stars since arriving at Tottenham Hotspur, whilst also adding his own mark on the North London side. But the former Celtic boss couldn't turn every player's form around and that could lead to one particular summer departure.
Currently on course to finish outside the Premier League's top four in Postecoglou's debut season, Spurs will no doubt turn their attention back towards the summer transfer window for further additions. Daniel Levy has so far backed Postecoglou on the transfer market, welcoming the likes of Micky van de Ven and James Maddison last summer, before then signing Timo Werner – who scored his first goal for the club against Crystal Palace – and Radu Dragusin.
Now, Levy could splash the cash once again to sign Jarrad Branthwaite and Pedro Neto in big-money deals that the Lilywhites have already been linked with. First, however, the North London club may need to deal with some exit news, as one player struggling for minutes potentially prepares to leave.
According to Dan Kilpatrick, Ryan Sessengnon could be allowed to leave Spurs this summer after earning just seven minutes of first-team football so far this season, which came in the FA Cup, having suffered poorly-timed injury blows.
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Kilpatrick told The Tottenham Way Podcast: “I think Sessegnon should go and probably will go. He, as much as anyone, would benefit from a fresh start. There was a lot of interest in him in the summer, and Conte really liked him. I hope he can get fit again, but I don’t think he has a future at Spurs.”
After five years at the club, Sessegnon looks set to leave with a whimper more than anything, having failed to make an impact during a difficult spell.
There was a brief moment under Antonio Conte when Sessegnon finally began to find his feet in a Spurs shirt, but then injury struck to sum up his time in North London. What will undoubtedly frustrate the left-back the most is the fact that he may never get the chance to impress Postecoglou if he leaves this summer, leading to questions of what might have been.
|
Ryan Sessegnon's recent injury history |
Games Missed (via Transfermarkt) |
|---|---|
|
23/24 – Hamstring injury |
3 |
|
23/24 – Hamstring injury |
5 |
|
23/24 – Surgery |
21 |
|
22/23 – Hamstring injury |
22 |
|
21/22 – Hamstring injury |
7 |
Mainly struggling with hamstring injuries since 2021, Sessengnon must ensure that his issues in that area are solved once and for all, before making a fresh start elsewhere.
When he is injury-free, the former Fulham man can be as important as ever, with Conte previously highlighting his reliability during his tenure via Football365: "About Sess, we are talking about now a young player but a reliable player who I can count on for games in the Premier League or Champions League, for every game.
“You know very well I try in every game to make the right decision but in that role I am OK because I have (Ivan) Perisic and Sessegnon, two important players.
“He improved a lot and I remember very well since I arrived Sessegnon was another player. Now he is a reliable player and he has great confidence. He is strong physically and improved in his quality and technically."
Chelsea have reportedly refused to rule out a summer move for one striker who could prove to be a very cheap alternative to Ivan Toney and Victor Osimhen.
Mauricio Pochettino's side are enduring a regrettable season domestically after spending over £400 million on new signings last summer, with their head coach bearing a lot of the backlash.
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The Argentine has been jeered by supporters on more than one occasion over 2023/2024, with Chelsea looking likely to miss out on European qualification as things stand and are currently languishing in midtable.
They were also labelled the "billion-pound bottlejobs" by Gary Neville after losing the Carabao Cup final to Liverpool, and it would appear that their only shot of redemption this season is the FA Cup.
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Chelsea's last six games under Pochettino in all competitions |
|---|
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Chelsea 4-2 Leicester City (FA Cup) |
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Chelsea 3-2 Newcastle United (Premier League) |
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Brentford 2-2 Chelsea (Premier League) |
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Chelsea 3-2 Leeds United (FA Cup) |
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Chelsea 0-1 Liverpool (Carabao Cup) |
Pochettino is gearing up for an all-important FA Cup semi-final clash against Man City, which could go some way to determining the success of their campaign, but pressure currently surrounds the former Spurs boss.
There have been reports that Chelsea are weighing up managerial alternatives to Pochettino in the event they decide to part company, but whatever they decide, there are still glaring squad weaknesses which need to be addressed in the summer market.
One of them is at centre-forward, with the Blues arguably lacking a 25-plus goal-per-season striker who can take them to the next level. They've been linked with a few prestigious options, as the likes of Toney and Osimhen reportedly find themselves on Chelsea's target list.
Osimhen's Napoli contract includes a £113 million release clause, making him the most expensive option, while Toney is being tipped to leave Brentford for around £60 million.
Chelsea may have to be wary of PSR and potential FFP breaches, though, as clubs around them continue to get sanctioned.
According to journalist Dean Jones, writing for Sportslens, a potential "good value deal" could be Newcastle striker Callum Wilson.
While the Englishman has suffered from injury problems this season, he was a key player for Eddie Howe over 2022/2023, and he could go on the cheap with his deal expiring next year.
Chelsea would not rule out the idea of a bid for Wilson in the summer, according to Jones, and it is believed he was actually open to joining them in the January window.
"Sources have confirmed that Chelsea do admire him and would not rule out the idea of a fresh move for Wilson, if they decide to consider cheaper alternatives in attack to Victor Osimhen and Ivan Toney," wrote Jones.
"The player was said to be open to such a move in January."
Called "incredible" by Howe, the only sticking points are Wilson's worrying injury history recently and age – with the 32-year-old not exactly coming as a long-term option.
Ligue 2 side Caen are set to appoint Gerard Precheur as their new technical director as Kylian Mbappe's first move after his takeover of the club.
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Chelsea will be looking to make it two Premier League wins in as many games when they host a struggling Burnley side at Stamford Bridge today.
Mauricio Pochettino's side beat Eddie Howe's Newcastle United 3-2 in their last league outing, with the Blues earning a first top-flight win in three games.
This afternoon is a great opportunity to extend the club's winning run, facing a side second from bottom in the table and staring relegation right in the face.
Pochettino's side are currently enduring an injury crisis, with the likes of Levi Colwill, Trevoh Chalobah and Roméo Lavia all missing ahead of the encounter – with the latter ruled out for the remainder of the campaign.
Despite the recent troubles, one Chelsea player must start the clash against Vincent Kompany's side given his magnificent display against the same opposition back in October.
Pochettino's side claimed a 4-1 victory over the Clarets back in October 2023, with the likes of Raheem Sterling and Cole Palmer both on the scoresheet for the Blues.
However, another player who impressed at Turf Moor that day was midfielder Enzo Fernández, with the Argentinian producing an 8/10 display after having 'orchestrated the match from the middle of the pitch' – as GOAL's Jacob Schneider noted at the time
The 23-year-old played the whole 90 minutes of the victory, having 105 touches and completing 81 passes, at an accuracy rate of 94% – with the World Cup winner running the show in the Blues' midfield.
Chelsea's £107m man also won six of his nine ground duels, whilst making two interceptions and three tackles – as he dominated the midfield alongside fellow big-money signing Moises Caicedo.
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Enzo Fernández's stats v Burnley (Oct, 2023) |
|
|---|---|
|
Statistics |
Tally |
|
Minutes played |
90 |
|
Touches |
105 |
|
Passes completed |
81/88 (94%) |
|
Ground duels won |
6 |
|
Interceptions |
2 |
|
Tackles |
3 |
|
Stats via SofaScore |
|
The two have developed a brilliant partnership, starting at the base of the Blues' three-man midfield on at least 20 occasions this season, with the pair undoubtedly the future of the club.
After his arrival back in January 2023, Fernandez has gone on to make 57 appearances for the Blues, scoring seven times, including a brilliant strike in the FA Cup victory over Aston Villa at Villa Park.
He's rapidly become one of the best young talents in the division, with the Argentinian one of the club's star performers despite the disappointing campaign.
During the current campaign, he's featured 24 times in the league, playing for 1,878 minutes, with the 23-year-old one of Pochettino's most important talents.
Given his importance to this Chelsea side and his prior display against today's opponents, Fernandez needs to start to continue his run of starting each of the last seven Premier League outings – giving the Blues the best possible chance of extending their unbeaten run and winning back to back league games for the first time since the end of December.
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Manchester City midfielder Mateo Kovacic is studying videos to help improve his defensive positioning under Pep Guardiola.
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Manchester United legend Dimitar Berbatov has advised Rasmus Hojlund that he must improve his goal ratio at Old Trafford.
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Tottenham manager Ange Postecoglou has apparently told an 18-year-old he'll be given a chance to prove himself at Spurs, on one condition.
The Lilywhites head coach has spoken about the importance of N17's production line, and how he wants the academy to greatly improve.
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Tottenham have produced some standout talents over the years, not least the likes of Harry Kane, who went on to become the club's all-time record goalscorer before he departed for Bayern Munich last year.
More recently, Alfie Dorrington, Jamie Donley and Mikey Moore have all been tipped for potentially big futures, but Postecoglou has been adamant that Spurs have a lot of work to do when it comes to nurturing young stars for the future.
"I think we've got a lot of work to do in our academy and Simon Davies is certainly one that is putting a lot of emphasis and priority there," said Postecoglou on Tottenham's production line.
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Tottenham's next league fixtures |
Date |
|---|---|
|
Newcastle (away) |
April 13th |
|
Arsenal (home) |
April 28th |
|
Chelsea (away) |
May 2nd |
|
Liverpool (away) |
May 5th |
|
Burnley (home) |
May 11th |
"I don't think we have the production line other top clubs have, certainly not. Even currently that’s why we’re investing in some younger players, even for the first team. For us as a football club that's definitely the way forward.
"My brief at the moment is still very much around the first team and building a first team and you can do that while giving opportunities to young players. If anything I think for sustainable success it's the best way to go because the team grows together when it's guys of similar ages as long as you've got good experience around them."
Postecoglou also wants Tottenham to become a hot spot for young talent, and they've made real headway in that regard recently. Spurs beat Barcelona in the race to sign Swedish sensation Lucas Bergvall in January, and the 18-year-old will link up with them this summer after a loan spell at Djurgardens IF.
Now, Djurgardens official Peter Kisfaludy has shared some details as to why Bergvall chose north London over the Camp Nou.
He refutes claims that it was down to money and interestingly lifts the lid on a conversation between Postecoglou and the teenager. Indeed, Kisfaludy says Postecoglou has promised Bergvall game time at Spurs, on the condition he works hard.
“He has taken everything very well," said Kisfaludy to Aftonbladet (via Sport Witness).
"There has been so much rubbish on social media that he would have chosen Tottenham for the money. The contracts with Barcelona and Tottenham were fully negotiated. Both for his own part and between the clubs, so that he could choose.”
“He got a better feeling and that is not so strange. When the coach Ange Postecoglou sits down with him and says that he loves young players and that he will get the chance there if he works hard. Compare that to Barcelona, where you didn’t even know who was going to coach the team.”
Glasgow Rangers ended a three-game winless run by securing their place in the 2024 Scottish Cup final after a solid display from the Ibrox side at Hampden on Sunday.
Hearts were swept aside 2-0 as the Light Blues looked comfortable through large spells of the game. It was a far better performance than the previous two matches in the Premiership, which now sees the club trailing Celtic by three points.
Cyriel Dessers was the hero at the national stadium, scoring two well-taken goals, sending Rangers through to a first Scottish Cup final showdown against Celtic since 2002. That time, the blue side of Glasgow won 3-2 courtesy of a last-gasp Peter Lovenkrands winner.
While the performance was good and several under-fire players stepped up to the occasion, it proved to be a disappointing one for Abdallah Sima, who was forced off after just 15 minutes with what looked like a hamstring injury.
Philippe Clement will be hoping Sima isn’t sidelined for too long, especially considering his record in front of goal this term.
Michael Beale was the manager to bring Sima to Glasgow last summer, securing his services on a season-long loan deal from Brighton & Hove Albion.
The move has certainly been a shrewd one. In 38 games for the Light Blues, the 22-year-old winger has scored 16 goals while chipping in with two assists, all while missing 14 matches after sustaining an injury whilst on international duty with Senegal in January.
|
Abdallah Sima's Rangers stats – 2023/24 |
||
|---|---|---|
|
Metric |
Europa League |
Premiership |
|
Goals |
3 |
11 |
|
Assists |
0 |
2 |
|
Key passes per game |
1 |
0.9 |
|
Successful dribbles per game |
1.8 |
1.3 |
|
Big chances created |
0 |
2 |
|
Via Sofascore |
||
There is no doubt he would have already broken through the 20 goal barrier by now had he remained fit. His influence came to the fore during the recent clash against Celtic where he netted a second-half equaliser after coming on as a substitute, and it is crucial he is fit for the title run-in.
He will return to Brighton this summer, yet could Clement perhaps try and wrangle a permanent deal for the youngster due to his impact at the club this season?
The Senegalese winger is rated at £6.6m as per Football Transfers' xTV model (expected transfer value) and if he does recover in time to play a part in the final six games of the campaign, this could potentially rise between now and the start of the summer transfer window.
Clement may not have many funds to work with during the summer unless he ships out a few players, but if Sima were to be available for a realistic fee, he could be a worthy addition to the squad.
His current valuation may indicate Rangers will have to splash out £6m or more to sign him, which could be slightly outside their budget.
it is a reasonable market value considering his displays, but Rangers actually sold a player back in 1998 who was worth more than double Sima if adjusted for 2024 money; Gennaro Guttuso.
The late, great Walter Smith had led Rangers to nine league championships in a row during the 1996/97 campaign and was looking to bolster his squad that summer to do what no team in Scotland had done before, win ten titles in succession.
There were plenty of incomings that summer as Smith splashed the cash to sign Lorenzo Amoruso, Marco Negri and Sergio Porrini in a bid to make history.
Gattuso was also signed, brought in for nothing having previously spent time at Perugia, and it looked like the diminutive Italian could be a big part of the club’s future, such was his vast talent.
In his only full season at Ibrox, the youngster made 37 appearances, scoring four goals in the process, but it was to no avail as they ended the campaign without a trophy for the first time since the 1980s.
Despite playing 11 matches at the start of the following season, it was evident he wasn’t in Dick Advocaat’s plans for the future and was sold for nearly £4.2m to Salernitana back in his homeland.
This fee represented a decent piece of transfer business for someone who was clearly going to be pushed aside for Advocaat’s own signings, and it turned out that the Gers hit the jackpot on the 5 foot 9 brute.
In 2024 – with Totally Money adjusted for inflation over the years – that transfer fee would now be worth a staggering £18.2m, proving how impressive a sale it really was for the Dutchman.
A few years later, however, many of the Ibrox faithful must have wondered what would have happened if the Gers kept the Italian midfielder as he began to shine for AC Milan.
He joined Milan in 1999 and spent the next 13 seasons winning everything that was available to him, which included two Champions League titles and two Serie A crowns, making 468 appearances for the club in the process.
Of course, he was also part of the Italy squad which won the World Cup in Germany back in 2006, playing six of their seven games as they became champions of the world for the fourth time.
It was a career full of highlights, with the player emerging as a tough tackler and someone who was not to be messed with.
Journalist Jerry Mancini lauded Gattuso for his abilities on the pitch, saying: “He was a tenacious tackler and great at winning the ball back. A great leader and fought for every inch on the pitch.”
It would be interesting to see just what he would have achieved had Gattuso remained in Glasgow for another few years, but Advocaat’s decision to move him on certainly brought the club a decent financial windfall at the time.
It shows how good he was that his value was more than every single Rangers player currently since he moved back to Italy in 1998, and he certainly fulfilled his potential for both Milan and Italy over the next 15 years.
Market Movers
Football FanCast's Market Movers series explores the changing landscape of the modern transfer market. How much is your club's star player or biggest flop worth today?