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Manchester City are set to register Claudio Echeverri with their senior squad in January after rejecting River Plate's loan extension request.

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• City to bring in Echeverri in January
• Rejected River Plate's loan extension request
• Signed the Argentine in January 2024

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  City signed the 18-year-old playmaker from River Plate in January and allowed the Buenos Aires-based outfit to keep him on loan until the end of the year. With his pre-agreed loan spell ending this December, the Premier League giants are now all set to register him with their first-team squad in January, according to Manchester Evening News.

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  Echeverri has been in red-hot form this season and has performed consistently in the Argentine top-flight. As a result, River Plate approached City to extend his loan agreement until next summer. However, ESPN Argentina (via AS) reports that the Cityzens have rejected the request as they want to bring the teenager, who has been dubbed 'the next Lionel Messi', to England as early as possible.

• DID YOU KNOW?

  With Echeverri's future now decided, City will focus on finding a quality defensive midfield option in January, as they are still in search of a replacement for Rodri, who is out for the season due to an ACL injury.

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  WHAT NEXT FOR MANCHESTER CITY?

  Pep Guardiola's side will be back in action after the international break this Sunday as they take on Wolves in a Premier League away fixture. Echeverri, meanwhile, could start for River Plate again when they face Velez Sarsfield on October 18.

Tottenham Hotspur took a stride forward last season but Ange Postecoglou is searching for improvements across the board as he looks to take his team further, with patchy form pulling Spurs away from the Premier League's top-four, settling for the Europa League.

Is this a cloaked blessing? Postecoglou has been adamant that the Champions League will not define success as he continues to build, but Europe's elite club competition attracts the finest players, provides the firmest footing.

A defensive midfielder is coveted but, equally, Tottenham are hoping to sign a versatile wide forward to strengthen and dynamise the existing options. The Londoners might have found a big boost in that regard.

Spurs lining up talented forward

According to Tutto Juve, Tottenham are set to tussle with Manchester United and Newcastle United for the signing of Samuel Iling-Junior, who has been transfer-listed by Juventus for €15m (£13m).

The 20-year-old left winger broke into the Serie A side's first team this season but has been deemed expendable as the Old Lady seek to strengthen this summer.

For such a cheap price, it would almost be foolish not to at least lodge an offer and enter formal discussions; Iling-Junior is highly talented and might even have the perfect skill set to partner up with another summer target.

Dream Eberechi Eze partner

Speaking of Iling-Junior's qualities, former Chelsea and Tottenham academy coach Saul Isaksson-Hurst said in 2022: “Samuel brings the full package to the party, he has got everything. He is almost like a street footballer with his skill and balance. He brings almost everything to the table. He can play seven, eleven, a 10 or even in central midfield.”

Iling-Junior featured 27 times across all competitions, scored one goal and added two assists, with his "explosive" ability – as described by analyst Ben Mattinson – making him a tailor-made prospect for an ambitious Premier League outfit, and he could be the perfect partner for fellow Spurs target Eberechi Eze, someone who would no doubt be an exciting acquisition for the Londoners.

The Juve starlet is a maverick, ranking among the top 6% of positional peers across Europe's top five leagues over the past year for shot-creating actions, the top 10% for progressive carries and the top 19% for tackles per 90, as per FBref. Pace, power, creativity, and combativeness all feature prominently in Iling-Junior's game.

The former Chelsea youth product, furthermore, has also been praised for his "high energy and work volume as well as dreamy ball skills" by journalist Antonio Mango, suggestingly that he is exactly what Postecoglou needs to add a layer to his left side.

And if Daniel Levy matches Postecoglou's ambition with incisive action and secures Eze's signature this summer, who, as per the Daily Mail, has a £60m release clause in his contract and is attracting interest from Tottenham, then a wonderful new partnership could be born.

Both players favour the left but Eze played regularly as a No. 10, attacking midfielder, last season, scoring the lion's share of his goals when central. Moreover, the Eagles phenomenon averaged 2.6 dribbles and five ball recoveries per top-flight match and thus would bring the energy needed to succeed at Spurs and bounce off the facets of Iling-Junior's game.

With Richarlison among those mooted for a departure this summer and Heung-min Son featuring prominently at centre-forward – which may maintain its regularity even if a new striker is signed – Iling-Junior could find himself earning ample opportunity to impress down the wing, with his playmaking skill leading him to be described as an "assist machine" by journalist Michele Neri.

This would prove especially beneficial in regard to his partnership with Eze, who brings a host of attributes to the table but notably thrives through his goalscoring, actually ranking among the top 6% of attacking midfielders and wingers for non-penalty goals scored and the top 5% for shots taken per 90.

To nail the point home, the aforementioned Mattinson has even predicted that Iling-Junior, England U21 international, could become a “[Bukayo] Saka rival” for England, offering the kind of snap and style in his athletic play to rival that of the Arsenal star, who scored 20 goals and supplied 14 assists in all competitions last term for Mikel Arteta's elite side.

Saka, while catching the eye with his clinical touch, solidifies his position as one of the Premier League's finest with remarkable underlying numbers, ranking among the top 9% of attacking midfielders and wingers for shot-creating actions and the top 10% for tackles per 90. It's for this reason that Spurs' transfer target could successfully imitate his countryman.

Tottenham undoubtedly lack an element of pace down the left, and when athletic full-back Destiny Udogie found himself sidelined in the later stretch of the campaign, this was accentuated and then some, with Brennan Johnson pulled away from his favoured right side to try and inject some speed, proving to be less effective however.

With the requisite natural prowess and the ever-improving ability in important moments, Iling-Junior would be a credit to Postecoglou's project and would add the depth and skill needed to impress across multiple fronts next year.

Postecoglou will demand silverware of his players and without signing the likes of Iling-Junior, the Lilywhites simply won't have the firepower to maintain the charge across these different roads of the campaign.

What Spurs' starting lineup could look like after £201m spending spree

Spurs will want to give Postecoglou everything he needs to build a successful side this summer.

By
Jack Salveson Holmes

Jun 9, 2024

Paul Pogba admits that his relationship with ex-Manchester United boss Jose Mourinho was “like boyfriend and girlfriend”, as they squabbled regularly.

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• Frenchman returned to Old Trafford in 2016
• Record-breaking deal done by Portuguese coach
• Did not always see eye-to-eye in England

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  French midfielder Pogba became the most expensive player in world football when completing an £89 million ($116m) transfer to Old Trafford in 2016. It was Mourinho, fresh from taking on the Red Devils’ managerial reins, that put that deal in place.

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• THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Pogba, who had left United as a free agent in 2012 and headed to Juventus, enjoyed a productive debut campaign on his return to England as Community Shield, League Cup and Europa League trophies were lifted. He was, however, to butt heads with fiery Portuguese coach Mourinho.

• WHAT POGBA SAID

  Mourinho was sacked in December 2018, with Pogba telling the of why his relationship with the demanding tactician was not always smooth sailing: “Our relationship was like boyfriend and girlfriend, we were breaking up and making up all the time. It started great, he was one of the reasons I went back to Manchester because I spoke to him and he convinced me to come back.

  “I don’t know why it turned into a nightmare and us fighting. Because I wasn’t fighting. I didn’t start the fight. We disagreed like managers and players do sometimes. But there’s a lot of respect from me to him. If I see him tomorrow it’s a big hug! But one day we will have to sit down together and discuss it.”

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  WHAT NEXT?

  Pogba was critical of Mourinho’s supposedly conservative tactics, with it suggested in 2021 that the former Chelsea and Real Madrid boss treats players like they “don’t exist”. World Cup winner Pogba – who is now back at Juve – has been discussing his career after seeing a four-year doping ban reduced to 18 months on appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).

It could be a long summer transfer window at Everton, who are already reportedly eyeing a move to sign a midfielder who could replace Amadou Onana, should the Belgian decide to leave Goodison Park in the coming months.

Everton transfer news

In an ideal world, Everton wouldn't need to sell players of Onana's quality, but without the completion of a takeover and concerns over even more FFP sanctions, the Belgium international is reportedly a player they are willing to sacrifice in a big-money sale with the likes of Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain interested in his signature.

Everton struck gold on "top-class" signing who's worth more than Phillips

He’s catapulted himself into a key player under Sean Dyche this season.

By
Ethan Lamb

May 29, 2024

The sale would follow Sean Dyche's earlier prediction, having admitted to The Guardian at the start of May: "If the [777] takeover doesn’t ­happen, or a takeover, then it will probably be juggling dust, not sand.

"Because who knows then? You are having to self-generate ­everything then, I would imagine, because it’s not like there is a pile of cash anywhere so you’ve got to self-generate. And if you self-­generate, how do you get in what you are ­losing? If­ ­someone leaves, how do you get the next one in who is as good as the one leaving? There is no time for development [of young players] because this club hasn’t got time for that.”

With that said, if Everton do sell Onana, they'll still need a replacement and reports suggest that they've lined one up in the form of a former Premier League loanee. According to TuttoJuve, Everton are eyeing a move to sign Weston McKennie alongside interest from both Newcastle United and Aston Villa in a deal that would be worth between €20m and €25m (£17m and £21m) this summer.

Whether Everton will be able to afford such a fee remains to be seen, however, in what sums up their struggles once and for all ahead of a difficult few months.

"Incredible" McKennie isn't without his risks

Whatever Everton spend this summer, they must make sure that every deal makes a significant enough impact to prove worthwhile, and after McKennie's failed stint on loan at Leeds United last season, he's a risk they must weigh up. Goodison Park saw the American and the rest of his Leeds teammates fall short in a 1-0 defeat at Goodison Park in the last campaign in a crucial result in the relegation battle, but he has since bounced back at Juventus.

Whilst Onana's ability off the ball is better, McKennie's creative output and ball-carrying ability would hand Everton an added dynamic alongside the similar Abdoulaye Doucoure.

What's more, even whilst at Leeds, McKennie earned plenty of praise, including from former manager Jesse Marsch, who said via Leeds Live: "He's got incredible flexibility and can play almost any position on the pitch and I've seen that. He's aggressive, he's confident and he has quality.

"At Schalke they played a little bit similar to the things that I like to do, so now even sitting and talking to him about what we think his role will be, he's pretty clear on how to integrate himself. Training over the past week, he's been outstanding."

Harry Kane has revealed his desire to keep both Bayern and Tottenham fans happy led to his goalscoring display against Arsenal last season.

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• Bayern faced Arsenal home and away
• German club drew in London and won in Munich
• Kane scored at the Emirates

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Kane scored at the Emirates in the Champions League quarter-finals last season as Bayern beat Arsenal over two legs. The England captain netted from the penalty spot in the 2-2 draw in London, and played as Bayern won 1-0 at the Allianz Arena, thanks to Joshua Kimmich's header.

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  Now, a documentary produced by Bayern shows Kane explaining his motivation for the fixture beforehand, and he insisted he had to keep both Spurs and Bayern fans happy by putting the Gunners to the sword. Kane actually has a remarkable record against Arsenal, and has scored eight goals and laid on six assists in 21 clashes with the club.

• WHAT KANE SAID

  Speaking in Bayern's documentary, titled 'Chasing Wembley', Kane said: "Arsenal are having a really good season, they're a really good team, so it'll be a tough game. Of course, for me personally, it'll be a special game for many reasons. Of course, it puts the pressure on because it's not only Bayern Munich fans I'm trying to keep happy. I need to try and keep the Tottenham fans happy as well!"

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  WHAT NEXT?

  Bayern, who are currently unbeaten at the top of the Bundesliga, play Eintracht Frankfurt on Sunday. Kane will hope to bounce back after a dismal performance in his side's 1-0 defeat to Aston Villa in the Champions League in midweek.

Journalist Christian Falk has provided a significant update regarding Manchester United's interest in RB Leipzig striker Benjamin Sesko this summer.

Man Utd links to Sesko

Rasmus Hojlund has had an up-and-down first season in a Red Devils shirt, showing clear signs of vast potential but also still looking like a raw young player who shouldn't be leading the line every week in the Premier League.

For that reason, it could be that United target another striker once the summer transfer window opens, in order to ease the burden on the Norwegian, who has scored 15 goals in 41 appearances to date.

Sesko has emerged as a strong choice to head to the Red Devils in the coming months, being linked with a move to United and being considered one of Europe's most impressive young attackers currently.

The 20-year-old's agent has even been seen at Old Trafford recently, and the constant rumours suggest that he is a genuine target this summer.

Bundesliga journalist shares new update

Speaking to Caught Offside, Falk claimed that Manchester United are on the chase for Sesko, despite his release clause increasing, revealing it is the Red Devils and Arsenal who are "particularly interested":

"Benjamin Sesko is the hottest Bundesliga stock in England at the moment. Arsenal FC and Manchester United are particularly interested in the striker. In Leipzig they say: Sesko is physically even stronger than Erling Haaland (Manchester City). Both strikers were trained at Red Bull Salzburg. Like Haaland, Sesko also demanded an exit clause for a move to the Bundesliga.

"This clause amounted to €50m. But due to his strong performances and many appearances, the clause has now been increased to €75m for this summer. Arsenal and United now know what they have to put on the table for Sesko. Sesko’s advisor has already appeared in the stands at a United game. That’s part of his game. He has also had his picture taken in the stands at an AC Milan game. Milan are also interested in Sesko."

Sesko should be seen as a leading option to add to United's attack in the summer window, and while he is also young like Hojlund, having both in the squad would allow them to take the pressure off each other, as well as provide healthy competition for one another.

The Slovenia international has so much potential as a player – Leipzig technical director Christopher Vivell has heaped praise on him: "Benjamin Sesko is among the game’s top young talents and has enormous potential to become a top player. He has all the qualities to do that. He’s extremely quick, has a great jump on him and is strong in the air. Benjamin is a real goalscorer, who despite his 1.95m (6'4") is mobile and technically strong. His abilities make him a special player with a special profile."

At 21 and 20 years of age respectively, Hojlund and Sesko could represent the long-term future of United's attack, and while both are still learning as players, the thought of having them both as options is a mouthwatering prospect.

Carlo Ancelotti provided a promising update on Kylian Mbappe's thigh injury ahead of Real Madrid's Champions League clash against Lille.

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• Mbappe got injured against Alaves
• Was expected to be back in late October
• Could get some minutes against Lille

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  The French forward, who suffered a thigh injury during Real's 3-2 victory over Alaves in La Liga, was initially expected to miss up to three weeks of action. However, in an encouraging turn of events, Mbappe has been included in the squad for the upcoming midweek European clash after making a rapid recovery.

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  Ancelotti confirmed that a final decision regarding Mbappe's participation would be made after assessing his performance in training. The forward completed Tuesday’s session successfully, but Ancelotti stressed that Madrid would exercise caution and not rush the player back into action unnecessarily.

• WHAT ANCELOTTI SAID

  “Mbappe has recovered well, very quickly,” Ancelotti told reporters. “Only yesterday he trained individually. He didn’t stop for long and he hasn’t lost his condition. Today (Tuesday) he will train the whole training session. We will make the most appropriate decision today, bearing in mind that we are not going to take any risks.

  “He has had an overload. They’re talking about (a) grade I (hamstring injury). In the old days, it was an overload. With the new technology, he’s fine. He’s here to play. We’re not going to take any risks. Obviously, if there is no risk, he will play from the first minute.”

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• DID YOU KNOW?

  Interestingly, Lille is also the club where his younger brother, Ethan Mbappe, plies his trade. Unfortunately, the 17-year-old Ethan is sidelined for several weeks with a muscle injury, delaying any potential opportunity for the two brothers to face off on the pitch.

Michael Olise and Harry Kane starred as Bayern Munich ran riot against Werder Bremen in the Bundesliga on Saturday.

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• Olise netted a brace
• Kane broke Sancho's record
• Bayern score win 5-0

• TELL ME MORE

  Bayern Munich were dealt a major injury setback moments before kick-off as Manuel Neuer felt some discomfort in his thigh during warm-up. Vincent Kompany immediately replaced the veteran goalkeeper with Sven Ulreich in the starting lineup.

  The visitors broke the deadlock in the 23rd minute through Olise's strike, who converted a simple tap-in from Kane's assist. Nine minutes later, the former Crystal Palace star set up Jamal Musiala after a brilliant solo effort inside the Werder Bremen penalty box. Olise cut in from the right side and then dribbled past three defenders before squaring the ball towards Musiala in front of goal and the German doubled the team's lead.

  Kane got his name on the scoresheet within 12 minutes from the start of the second half as he scored a milestone goal from Olise's assist. The forward became the highest-scoring English player in the league's history, surpassing Jadon Sancho's tally of 40 goals.

  In the next eight minutes, Olise completed his brace while Gnabry netted a fifth goal as Kompany's side registered their 20th goal across all competitions in the past seven days, taking their overall tally to 29 goals after just six matches into the 2024-25 season.

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  THE MVP

  New Bayern signing Olise stole the show with a double and a couple of assists as he spearheaded the team's dominant performance. The 22-year-old has taken German football by storm having already scored five times in six appearances across all competitions.

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  THE BIG LOSER

  Bremen's defenders had a forgetful outing on Saturday as they were unable to contain the lethal Bayern attackers who have now scored 20 goals in the last seven days. The backline looked clueless, especially in the second half where they got toyed by the Kane-led attack.

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  WHAT COMES NEXT?

  With four consecutive wins in the Bundesliga, Kompany's men will be next seen in action against reigning champions Bayer Leverkusen in a league clash on September 28.

Tottenham Hotspur have made contact to sign a £56 million star this summer, coming after claims that manager Ange Postecoglou thinks he'd fit in "seamlessly" at Spurs.

Attackers eyed with Spurs ready to back Postecoglou this summer

A report by The Times this week claimed Postecoglou is set to be backed by Tottenham in the transfer market this summer, with the same source also stating that they want to bring in a new forward, centre-back and midfielder.

Reply received as Tottenham make offer for "special" £47,000-per-week ace

The Lilywhites have moved quickly.

By
Emilio Galantini

May 9, 2024

This comes after the Lilywhites head coach admitted that his club need to implement serious change, as he hints that many players could also be moved on and the journey is "not for everyone".

"We need change. Change has to happen," Postecoglou said on the future at Spurs.

"You can’t want to alter your course and expect the same people are going to be on that. It’s just not going to happen. We’ve had two windows and we’ve had some development of players, for sure, but when I say we’ve still got a long way to go, that’s what I’m talking about.

"It’s impossible to say you’re going to have drastic change and yet expect everyone to be on that journey. It’s not for the want of trying. It’s just that we’re going to play a certain way, we’re going to train a certain way and we’re going to have a certain mindset. And that’s not for everyone."

Postecoglou also makes a Spurs comparison to Arsenal and Liverpool, who both looked almost unrecognisable from the teams they were when they started to have success in the Premier League.

Going by Tottenham's disappointing end to 2023/2024, despite such a promising start, it's evident that they need to reinforce key areas. Technical director Johan Lange is believed to have his eyes on new attackers for Spurs, and one interesting player they've been linked with is RB Leipzig star Dani Olmo.

The Spaniard, who's racked up four goals and five assists in 21 Bundesliga appearances this term, has a glowing reputation and pundit Paul Robinson has praised Spurs for targeting Olmo.

“I think he’s a good player and has attracted a lot of Premier League interest," said Robinson to Tottenham News.

"If Tottenham are in for players like that, that can only be a good thing. You can’t question the Spurs recruitment."

Tottenham make contact to sign Olmo who Ange thinks is perfect

According to a report by Sport Bild, as relayed by Sport Witness this week, Tottenham are one of the clubs who've already been in contact over signing Olmo – who is thought of as a potential bargain despite being valued at around £56 million.

Interestingly, Postecoglou is also a huge fan of Olmo, and believes he'd fit "seamlessly" into his Spurs system – as per GiveMeSport.

Al-Hilal coach Jorge Jesus wants to delay Neymar's return from injury until January so he can register all of his foreign players in the squad.

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• Neymar dealing with long-term knee injury
• Recently suffered setback
• Al-Hilal keen to delay return until January

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Neymar's ACL injury has meant very few Saudi Pro League fans have been able to see him play since the Brazilian joined Al-Hilal just over a year ago. Now, the 32-year-old may be sidelined until January with head coach Jorge Jesus keen to register all of his foreign players, which according to , he can just about do if he does not include Neymar.

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  The SPL allow each team to have eight foreign player slots, but Al-Hilal have nine including the former Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain star. But with Neymar not expected to return to training until November, he is only likely going to be able to play two or three games before the winter break in Saudi Arabia. Therefore, Jesus would prefer to register summer signing Renan Lodi instead, and revisit the issue in January when his star forward is fully back up to speed.

• DID YOU KNOW?

  Neymar has missed over 50 games for Al-Hilal since signing a mega deal with the club. The 128-cap Brazil international made just three SPL appearances in 2023-24 before picking up the catastrophic knee injury.

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  WHAT NEXT FOR NEYMAR AND AL-HILAL?

  Al-Hilal comfortably claimed the league title last term, beating Cristiano Ronaldo's Al-Nassr by 14 points. They have started the new campaign well too, picking up six points from six. Even without Neymar, they remain the team to beat in Saudi Arabia.