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According to The Athletic, Tottenham can sack Nuno Espirito Santo on the cheap if they fail to finish in the top six this season.

The Lowdown: Mixed start to the season

Spurs have so far had a mixed start to the campaign. They started well, winning their first three Premier League matches 1-0, including a victory over champions Manchester City (Sky Sports).

However, they then lost three league games in a row, conceding three goals in each, before returning to winning ways on Sunday against Aston Villa.

The Latest: Levy’s backup plan

As per The Athletic, Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy has a contingency plan in case things do not go as they hope with their current manager.

The report stated: “The Athletic has learned that chairman Daniel Levy succeeded in reaching the agreement on his terms, notably including a clause that would benefit Spurs if their season does not go to plan.

“It is understood that should Nuno fail to deliver a top-six finish, Tottenham would be able to sack the 47-year-old midway through his two-year deal without having to pay any compensation.”

The Verdict: Great news

While there was little fanfare around the hiring of Nuno, it looks like Levy has pulled off an impressive deal here. It is a win-win situation for the north London outfit – should they finish in the top six, the season will be a success; if they fail, they can bring in another manager without it costing them an arm and a leg.

In Nuno’s case, they do have a manager with Premier League experience who has twice finished in the top seven with Wolves. To get such a deal for a solid manager is impressive from Levy and illustrates his ability to find value in the market.

In other news, this man turned down the chance to manager Spurs in the summer.

Southampton go in search of their first victory of the 2021/22 Premier League campaign as they host West Ham at St Mary’s this afternoon.

The Saints have picked up two points from their opening three league outings, losing to Everton and drawing with Manchester United and Newcastle.

Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side did thrash Newport County 8-0 in the Carabao Cup in between their two Premier League draws, but they are yet to taste a top-flight win to earn them three points since the campaign started.

Will Hasenhuttl make any changes to his side against West Ham? Here is our predicted XI for the match…

We are predicting that the Austrian will make three changes to his starting XI from the draw at St James’ Park, with Romain Perraud, Jan Bednarek and Nathan Redmond coming into the team.

Starting off in the heart of the defence, we are predicting Bednarek to come into the team in place of Jack Stephens after six goals conceded in three league matches. Hasenhuttl needs to do something to address the leaky backline and starting the Poland international could help. We have published an article explaining our reasoning behind this proposed switch, with the 25-year-old’s performances last season suggesting that he could have a bigger impact than Stephens.

The second change we are predicting is Perraud for Kyle Walker-Peters. The former Spurs defender had a solid game at left-back against Newcastle, but we believe that the balance of having a left-footed player at left-back will be more effective for Southampton against West Ham. It allows the build-up play to progress faster down that side, instead of Walker-Peters needing to cut back onto his right foot when he receives the ball as he is a right-back by trade.

Our final change to the XI is Redmond in for Moussa Djenepo on the left. The Mali international endured a torrid afternoon against the Magpies as he recorded a SofaScore rating of 6.1, missing a ‘big chance’ and losing seven of his 10 duels on the pitch.

He lost possession nine times from 37 touches and was tackled in three of his five dribble attempts. This shows that he had a poor performance and deserves to drop out of the side, with the £16.2m-rated Redmond coming in to have a chance to show what he can do. The wing wizard came on for Djenepo at Newcastle and created a ‘big chance’ in just 32 minutes on the pitch, offering a glimpse of the threat he can provide.

We are predicting that the rest of the team will remain the same from the draw with Steve Bruce’s side a fortnight ago.

AND in other news, “Now close”: Ralph makes claim on 21y/o maestro that’ll leave Southampton fans buzzing…

West Ham United manager David Moyes has been hailed as ‘one of the best coaches’ by his former player, Nikica Jelavic.

The Lowdown: Jelavic under Moyes

Former Everton striker Jelavic played for the Toffees 69 times, scoring 21 games between 2012 and 2014, playing under Moyes for only one season.

After the Scotsman moved to Manchester United, Jelavic went on to play for Hull City, West Ham and enjoyed a few years in China before retiring in his nation Croatia with Lokomotiva.

In the 2012/13 campaign, Jelavic scored seven goals in 37 Premier League appearances in Moyes’ final season in charge at the club.

The Latest: ‘One of the best coaches’

Speaking to Croatian newspaper Večernji [via Sport Witness], Jelavic has claimed Moyes was different to other managers in the league because he would do it ‘all by himself’, and revealed a softer side to the Scotsman.

“Along with Walter Smith, Moyes is one of my favourite and best coaches in my career.

“You know that in England club managers have their many assistants who prepare and do training, but Moyes did it all himself, he’s a coach who liked to have everything under control. He worked a lot with the players.”

The Croatian also stated that the Hammers boss had ‘very good communication with the players’, revealing how personally supportive he is during spells of bad form.

The Verdict: Perfect at Rush Green

Jelavic’s words on Moyes will be brilliant to hear for West Ham fans. With the Hammers competing in the Europa League group stages for the first time in their history, having someone in charge like Moyes is crucial for a developing squad with limited high level experience.

With a smaller squad compared to most ‘big’ teams who compete in Europe, the manager’s accessible and personable approach will be a massive help if the Irons struggle while competing on four fronts.

Having such a hands-on coach who is comfortable with his players will be vital at Rush Green if the mood is low after a tricky Thursday night, with the turnaround to Premier League action at weekends so quick.

In other news, West Ham have set a minimum price for their star man amid further rumours. Find out more here.

Manchester United would become genuine title contenders by making a late swoop for Harry Kane, according to Steve Howey.

England captain Kane has grown frustrated by a lack of trophies at Tottenham Hotspur and publicly confirmed he wants to leave his boyhood club before the transfer window slams shut next week.

While Manchester City have been the frontrunners for Kane’s signature all summer and boss Pep Guardiola has revealed his desire to sign last season’s Premier League Golden Boot winner, arch-rivals Manchester United have also been keeping tabs on the situation and club legend Gary Neville has urged the Red Devils to leap to the front of the queue.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has already completed two big-money transfers during the window, with England international Jadon Sancho making the £73million switch from Borussia Dortmund and 2018 World Cup winner Raphael Varane joining from Real Madrid.

But former Premier League defender Howey believes the acquisition of Kane would immediately bolster Manchester United’s chances of clinching the title.

He exclusively told Football FanCast: “They would automatically become title contenders by signing Kane.

“I think they look stronger defensively after signing Varane from Real Madrid. They’re looking good in midfield, with Paul Pogba starting the season really well and Bruno Fernandes scoring goals.

“Although Solskjaer has been criticised in the past, I think he is slowly and steadily building a decent team. If they get a player of Kane’s quality, that would take them to a different level.”

While anything can happen while the transfer window remains open, it does look like no club will be signing Kane this summer, with the player recently stating that he now intends to stay at the club.

A number of Manchester City fans are far from happy after it was revealed that Phil Foden is set to miss the first month of the new season with an injury picked up at Euro 2020.

The Citizens will kick off their Premier League campaign on Sunday against Tottenham. Pep Guardiola’s side did not get their new season off to their best start against Leicester City in the Community Shield as they lost 1-0 courtesy of a Kelechi Iheanacho penalty, so the boss will be hoping for better starting from next weekend.

The £72m-valued Foden (Transfermarkt) did not feature in that match, having missed England’s Euro 2020 final defeat to Italy through injury. As per The Telegraph, the 21-year-old is set to miss the first month of the new campaign.

While the Premier League champions have brought in Jack Grealish (mancity.com), they will be disappointed to lose Foden for such a spell. The youngster excelled last season, with 16 goals and 10 assists in all competitions – only Ilkay Gundogan exceeded his goal tally among Guardiola’s squad.

The news was shared on Twitter by @City_Xtra and it attracted plenty of attention from supporters. These fans took to the social media platform to share their thoughts on Foden’s continued absence.

Let’s see what these fans had to say about the Foden injury news

“Edozie it is then”

Credit: @MCFC_GS11

“That’s Tottenham, Arsenal, Leicester, Chelsea and Liverpool”

Credit: @GrealishProp_

“Annoying but least we are giving him time not rushing him back”

Credit: @Billy_Bennison

“Fuming”

Credit: @MangenaMisho

“Pain”

Credit: @Taguero_10

“Great, so misses about 3-4 games, luckily we got Grealish”

Credit: @dylanjackkwest

In other news, some Man City fans fumed over this pre-season incident.

Marcelo Bielsa is reportedly becoming frustrated with the failure to bring Lewis O’Brien to the club in time for the season opener [Football Insider].

The Lowdown: Leeds United prepare for second successive top-flight campaign

Ahead of the start of the Premier League campaign this weekend, the Argentinian will be keen to add quality to his ranks to ensure a second successful top-flight season in the English top-flight.

Adopting an approach of quality over quantity, the Whites hierarchy have sanctioned deals for Junior Firpo, Jack Harrison and Kristoffer Klaesson respectively [Transfermarkt].

However, they may have now run into difficulty regarding making a fourth summer signing.

The Latest: Bielsa growing frustrated in pursuit of O’Brien

As revealed by a recruitment source at Football Insider, Bielsa is said to be growing “exasperated” at his employers’ inability to offer a suitable financial package to the Terriers for O’Brien.

His disappointment stems from the fact he has not been able to bring in O’Brien with plenty time to bed him in during pre-season, whilst simultaneously expecting the club to make a bigger effort to get their man.

Huddersfield asked for a fee in advance of £10 million for the creative midfielder, far above Leeds’ opening offer of £2-3million.

The Verdict: Blow for Leeds

Looking to strengthen for the challenges that lie ahead, this news will come as a bitter disappointment to the Whites support.

In 2020/21, the 22-year-old ace registered six goal contributions in 42 games for his current employers; three goals and three assists [Transfermarkt].

He has continued this form into 2021/22, putting in a man of the match performance in Huddersfield’s penalty victory after a 0-0 draw vs Sheffield Wednesday in the EFL Cup first round [BBC].

Once labelled as ‘incredible’ by Yorkshire Live writer Steven Chicken, Leeds United should look to close out a deal as soon as possible for his signature [Lancashire Live].

In other news, a Leeds United ace has been tipped to recapture his best form in 2021/22.

Tottenham Hotspur could move on from Tanguy Ndombele before next week’s transfer deadline…

What’s the word?

According to Monday’s print edition of Italian publication Tuttosport (via Sport Witness), Spurs are among the clubs interested in Juventus midfielder Weston McKennie.

They go as far as suggesting that the wantaway Frenchman could be offered as a makeweight in any potential deal, with sporting director Fabio Paratici a huge advantage to their pursuit, having been the man to originally sign him for the Serie A giants.

It is thought that Juventus have set an asking price in the region of €30m (£26m) but the Lilywhites appear to be facing competition from Bayern Munich, who have also reportedly shown interest in Ndombele.

Bye-bye Ndombele?

Whether or not the 24-year-old club-record signing is included in any deal, a move for McKennie would almost certainly spell the end for his time in north London.

Recently, Ndombele told Spurs that he wants to leave the club, as per the Telegraph, and his continued absence from Nuno Santo’s squad certainly leaves little to the imagination over whether or not such reports are true.

He did not feature in any of their pre-season friendlies, despite not being away on international duty at all this summer, whilst he is yet to be involved since the return of the Premier League over a week ago. It’s rather damning.

But would the Juventus midfielder be a good replacement? The evidence would suggest so.

McKennie struggled for minutes on the pitch last season, starting only 18 of his 34 league appearances, but he still managed to find the net on five occasions. Throughout his career, he has displayed some impressive box-to-box qualities which merely reinforce former Schalke boss David Wagner’s glowing endorsement of him.

“He’s an outstanding talent. In the No.6 or No.8 position he has the mentality, a real working mentality that you need,” he said, via Bundesliga.com. “And he’s brave on the ball as well. He can be one of the best midfielders in the Bundesliga.”

Indeed, the 24-time USA international has averaged 1.9 tackles, 1.8 interceptions, 1.5 dribbles and one key pass every 90 minutes since the 2016/17 season, via WhoScored.

That only goes to show his ability in the engine room and perhaps gives some likeness to former Spurs beast Mousa Dembele, who was often the key cog in joining the defence to the attack. His powerful runs forward were often the difference and that’s something with which Ndombele has struggled immensely, managing only two assists in the top-flight last term.

Also lauded as a “unique individual” and “versatile” by USA coach Gregg Berhalter, the £22.5m-rated midfield dynamo would be a fantastic successor should Spurs be able to offload their £55m man.

Paratici must look to re-sign his former player, with the transfer window entering its final week.

AND in other news, Nuno dealt gutting Spurs transfer blow amid Fabrizio Romano claim, fans will be fuming…

Fabrizio Romano has dropped an exciting transfer claim about Arsenal’s pursuit of Real Madrid star Martin Odegaard this summer.

What’s the story?

Reports in recent days have suggested that Mikel Arteta’s side haven’t given up hope of signing the Norway international, who of course joined the Gunners on a loan deal back in the January transfer window.

Now, Romano has delivered an update on the situation, and it makes for exciting news for Arsenal fans.

Writing on Twitter, he said: “Arsenal always had clear position regarding Martin Ødegaard. He’s always been considered the main target as number 10 – also if ‘complicated’. #AFC …but if Real Madrid decide to let Ødegaard leave, Arsenal will be ready to make a proposal to sign Martin on permanent deal.”

And then, in response to a fan who asked whether Odegaard would want to come to the Emirates if Madrid didn’t want him, Romano simply replied with a “yes”.

Fans will be buzzing

While Odegaard may not have exploded onto the scene at the Emirates, he did show flashes of brilliance –  both with his creativity and off-the-ball work – to suggest that he could become a real star over a longer period for the Gunners.

As per WhoScored, the Norwegian averaged 1.4 key passes per game in the top-flight, which was the joint-highest of any Arsenal player last season along with Emile Smith Rowe.

Add to that, his 0.9 dribbles per match put him in the top five, while his impressive 90.9% pass accuracy was good enough to place him second in the Gunners’ entire squad.

Crucially, Arteta himself hailed the kind of quality Odegaard brought to the table, saying: “Well, he’s showing that I think from week one. The way he steps on the pitch, he always wants the ball, the way he commands the pressing. He’s been really influential.

“I think we’ve all been a bit surprised because he looks really shy and humble, but when he steps on that pitch he’s a real character and he loves to play football.”

With Arsenal having no Champions League or European football to offer whatsoever, news that Odegaard would be interested in making his return to the Emirates, and that the Gunners would look to sign him on a permanent deal however much money that costs, is news that’ll have fans buzzing.

Meanwhile, Arsenal have made an approach for this South American star…

Reliable reporter Alan Nixon has revealed just how much Aston Villa offered Leeds United for Kalvin Phillips back in 2019.

The Lowdown: 2019 links

Villa were heavily linked with a move for the midfielder after they won promotion to the Premier League two years ago. The Whites had to wait another season for their top-flight return, and Villa tried their best to land the holding midfielder the previous summer.

Dean Smith eventually brought in Douglas Luiz and Marvelous Nakamba to bolster his holding midfield ranks, with reports suggesting that Villa bid £25m for the now England international.

However, Nixon revealed on Thursday that this was not the case.

The Latest: Nixon’s claim

Nixon, who writes for The Sun, was talking about Burnley’s interest in Phillips two years ago. He claimed that the Clarets offered £17m for the midfielder, whereas Villa’s bid was worth £15m.

As we know, Phillips stayed at Elland Road and signed a new long-term deal a few months after the links, with Leeds wanting £30m that summer.

The Verdict: If only Villa paid double…

It’s easy to say now in hindsight, but you’d expect that Villa will be kicking themselves by not signing Phillips two years ago.

He has gone on to star under Marcelo Bielsa in the Premier League and is currently impressing at Euro 2020 under Gareth Southgate, playing more minutes than almost every other England outfield player.

Yes, he would’ve been a club-record signing at the time for a player who then had no top-flight or international experience, but as we now know, it would’ve probably been a deal worthy of the fee in the long run.

In other news: ‘We making moves’ – Many AVFC fans buzzing as ‘great news’ is confirmed, find out more here. 

Leeds United had a wild season in the Premier League, ending up in the 9th spot. It also means they secured their place in the best football league for yet another year. The entire team worked hard the whole year, so it is no wonder that some of the players were invited to represent their native countries in Euro 2020.

The Old Continent (and the rest of the world) is all about football this summer. We are wearing football jerseys, watching games, and even playing football on a gaming console in our free time. But, being online also includes various cyber threats. Staying safe is a must, especially if you are streaming live games to your TV.

One of the best ways to protect your personal information is by using a VPN for PS4 or TV while online. The app is easy to install, and it will encrypt the data you send or receive while enjoying your favourite sport. So let’s meet 5 Leeds United players who are making an appearance in Euro 2020!

1.   Liam Cooper

Liam Cooper, the Leeds United captain, is in great form and could be an important defensive player for Scotland in the future. He made only five appearances for his national team before Euro 2020. Regardless of this, Cooper was a starter in the first game against the Chech Republic. He had a solid season in the Premier League, and Cooper likely will continue to be on Scotland’s list for upcoming tournaments.

2.   Kalvin Phillips

Even though Kalvin Phillips is an extraordinary defensive midfielder, Gareth Southgate usually prefers Rice or Henderson in this position. However, Southgate gave Phillips a chance in Euro 2020, and he didn’t regret it for a single moment. The youngster was a starter in six games so far, showing incredible talent. This player is a hard worker willing to do everything for his team. Phillips will undoubtedly be valuable for the next generation of English players and is very exciting to watch.

3.   Mateusz Klich

The Polish midfielder has been a regular in his team’s lineup for quite some time now. So it is not surprising to find him on Poland’s national team roster for Euro 2020 too. Lewandowski is their main striker and needs someone to help him out. Klich had a pretty good season in Leeds United, so he is the perfect choice for that job. These two are capable of creating excellent opportunities when paired together. Poland did prove they are a solid team but didn’t manage to get to the Round of 16 in Euro 2020.

4.   Tyler Roberts

Tyler Roberts is only 22 years old, but it is clear that he is a talented forward. Even though he is pretty young, Roberts made 15 appearances for Wales. He was included in Wales’ opening game in Euro 2020. Unfortunately, Wales was eliminated in the Round of 16, but Roberts did manage to showcase his skills in the tournament. Roberts is still a bit green, but Wales will have an incredible striker in a couple of years.

5.   Ezgjan Alioski

North Macedonia is one of the biggest surprises of Euro 2020. They have been named the biggest underdogs even before the tournament started. Indeed, this team doesn’t have many well-known names on its roster, but you have probably heard about Ezgjan Alioski. The midfielder had a good season in Leeds United and is in excellent shape right now. He made three appearances in group stages, scoring one goal for North Macedonia.