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Tottenham Hotspur manager Antonio Conte is prioritising a move for Lautaro Martinez ahead of Paulo Dybala in the summer transfer window.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by Italian publication Tuttosport (via Sport Witness), who claim that the Spurs manager has decided the Inter Milan centre-forward is his preferred target at the end of the current campaign, with the 52-year-old said to have shelved his interest in a move for the soon to be out of contract Juventus forward as a result.

Conte can forget Dybala with Martinez

While it is true that a move for Dybala would more than likely be the cheaper option of the two signings, it is not difficult to understand why Conte would prefer to land Martinez ahead of the Juventus playmaker.

Firstly, the £63m-rated striker and the Tottenham boss already have a relationship, with the 24-year-old having scored an extremely impressive 40 goals and registered 19 assists over his 97 appearances under Conte at Inter Milan.

Secondly, 17 of these goals and ten of these assists came in the Nerazzurri’s Scudetto-winning campaign last time out, with the €125k-per-week (£105k-per-week) forward proving to be a key player in the Italian’s first-team squad.

Indeed, over the Argentina international’s 38 league outings in 2020/21, the player who Roberto Rojas dubbed an “absolute goal machine” averaged an incredibly impressive SofaScore match rating of 7.17, ranking him as the Inter’s third-best player.

Furthermore, Tottenham’s need for a new centre-forward is much greater than their need for another attacking midfielder or winger, as, should the £220k-per-week Dybala indeed go on to join Spurs, he would be fighting with the likes of Son Heung-min, Dejan Kulusevski, Lucas Moura and Steven Bergwijn for a starting spot in Conte’s side.

Lastly, considering the fact that Martinez is four years Dybala’s junior, the former is certain to have a much greater resale value further down the line.

As such, it would indeed appear wise for Tottenham to prioritise a move for the £70m Inter sensation ahead of the Juventus man who Antonio Cassano claimed is “not a champion” and “does not make the difference” this summer, as Martinez very much looks to be a much better fit for Conte’s side in almost every department.

AND in other news: Huge blow: Alasdair Gold reveals fresh Spurs development, Antonio Conte will be fuming

Manchester United may not be able to appoint Robin van Persie to Erik ten Hag’s coaching staff because of work permit concerns, ESPN’s Mark Ogden has reported.

The lowdown

Ten Hag has emerged as the number one choice to succeed Ole Gunnar Solskjaer as United’s permanent manager, with the Red Devils now ‘confident’ that a deal can be struck.

Now 38, Van Persie spent three years at Old Trafford after a £24m move from Arsenal in 2012. He scored 58 goals in 105 appearances for the club and helped them to win the 2012/13 Premier League, which remains their most recent title triumph.

Since the spring of 2021, he has been coaching the under-16 side of Eredivisie outfit Feyenoord and working with head coach Arne Slot on first-team training days. As per ESPN, he has been identified by both United and Ten Hag as a possible appointment.

The latest

Ogden tweeted on Sunday morning that a ‘work permit issue threatens Van Persie‘ in his hopes of taking up a coaching role at United.

In the corresponding article for ESPN, he explained that both the club and Ten Hag have ‘identified Van Persie as a potential appointment’. However, sources have told the publication that the Dutchman’s ‘lack of top-level coaching experience is likely to count against him’ when he applies for a Governing Body Exemption to work in the Premier League.

As a result, the Red Devils are ‘exploring alternative options’ who can form part of Ten Hag’s backroom team. Steve McClaren and Rene Meulensteen, two former assistants to Sir Alex Ferguson, could apparently return to Old Trafford.

The verdict

Is this a big blow to United, and one which could leave Ten Hag frustrated that someone he has endorsed might not join him in Manchester?

According to Ogden, One of the main reasons that they picked out Van Persie was his ‘knowledge and experience of the Premier League’. Indeed, he made 280 appearances in England’s top flight across his stints with United and Arsenal.

Fortunately, McClaren and Meulensteen more than tick those boxes. The former has 218 matches worth of managerial experience in the Premier League, having taken the reins at Middlesbrough and Newcastle United, and he was of course part of the coaching team which steered Man Utd to the treble in 1999.

Meulensteen also knows the ins and outs of Old Trafford, having worked under Ferguson between 2008 and 2013, while he too can boast English top-flight managerial experience from a subsequent spell at Fulham.

In other news, Paddy Kenny reacts to this development concerning a reported United target.

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The Everton fans are in no mood for a laugh and a joke at the moment.

Ahead of next week’s Premier League clash with Cardiff City, a tweet from Everton’s official account made a joke about Toffees goalkeeper Jordan Pickford recently becoming a father.

However, the Everton supporters were not having any of it.

The Merseyside outfit are on a rotten run of form at the moment, losing five of their last six matches in all competitions, including their last three in the league.

Many expected the team to make a challenge for the top-six this season, but they have not been victorious in the league since an unconvincing 1-0 success away to struggling Huddersfield Town at the end of next month.

Pl>ymaker FC’s Matchday with Max caught up with Jamaica’s women’s team. See what happened when he met the history makers in the video below…

As a result, there is simply no downplaying the importance of Tuesday’s trip to Cardiff, which will be Everton’s first match since they lost 1-0 at Watford on February 9.

Everton’s Twitter account are doing their best to raise the spirits at the moment, but the club’s supporters are just not interested. Earlier this week, fans trolled a Twitter post showing off Lucas Digne’s skills in training and once again, the club’s account has been targeted for abuse from unhappy supporters.

A selection of the Twitter reaction can be seen below:

Liverpool owners FSG are confident that Mohamed Salah will eventually reduce his demands and sign a new contract at Anfield, according to a fresh update.

The Lowdown: Salah’s future up in the air

The future of the Reds superstar Egyptian is one of football’s biggest stories currently, with the 29-year-old not yet agreeing a new deal.

Salah’s current contract runs out at the end of next season, meaning he could leave on a free transfer at that point, in what would be an enormous financial blow for Liverpool.

It is thought that the forward’s wage demands are proving to be the main stumbling block, with the Reds not willing to pay him astronomical money.

The Latest: Salah and Abbas to lower demands

There is positive news regarding the situation, however, with Football Insider claiming a source close to Liverpool has informed them that FSG believe a “huge” new deal for Salah will be agreed.

Agent Ramy Abbas Issa was not happy with the initial offer, but the club are confident he will lower his wage demands next time around due in part to the lack of options to move elsewhere.

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The Verdict: Tense few months ahead

If true, this would be a massive boost for the Reds, with Salah arguably the world’s best player throughout this season, scoring 20 goals and registering 10 assists in the Premier League.

Losing him at the peak of his powers would be devastating, even though no player is bigger than the club, and he is unlikely to be as loved anywhere else, nor play under a better manager than Jurgen Klopp.

It could be a nervy few months of twists and turns, though, as Salah weighs up his options amid interest from other teams, including Barcelona.

In other news, Liverpool reportedly lead the race to sign one player. Find out who it is here.

Journalist Mark Guidi believes Celtic are likely already discussing a three-to-four year contract behind the scenes with manager Ange Postecoglou.

The lowdown: Deal expiring

As things stand Postecoglou is under contract with the Hoops until the end of June having joined on a rolling 12-month deal last year.

Recent speculation has suggested that clubs could be making admiring glances towards the 56-year-old following a stellar start to life in Glasgow.

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However, the Bhoys may already be making plans to secure Postecoglou’s future in the Celtic Park hot seat…

The latest: Guidi makes on-air claim

Speaking live on Go Radio, as relayed by Vital Celtic, Guidi had this to say on the boss’s future:

“I’m sure that Celtic will be sitting down with his representatives and in the near future, if that hasn’t taken place already. I think they’ll want to be ahead of the game. Those initial talks should have taken place already.

“If we go back to the way they dealt with Brendan Rodgers after year one, they very quickly got him one bumper contract which gave him a big wage rise but also protected Celtic in terms of his transfer value, which eventually got them 7-8 million when went to Leicester.

“So it works both ways. They might offer a three or four-year contract rather than a one year rolling. So I don’t see him doing anything other than what he’s doing for the next 15 months or so.

“After that? You never know. I think it would send out a great message at some point at the end of the season.”

The verdict: Huge boost

Securing the long term future of Postecoglou before the end of the season would be a massive statement of intent from the club.

Whilst there would appear to be no immediate signs of unrest, having the peace of mind that the man who has led a superb transformation since arriving at Parkhead would be in situ for the foreseeable future would be a big positive for players and supporters alike.

Furthermore, having worked wonders in the transfer market so far, the club should be backing Postecoglou to the hilt in the summer and a three-year deal would give potential targets the security that the club is in safe hands.

In other news, Celtic eyeing summer move for Bundesliga starlet. Find out more here.

Craig Hope has revealed that Glasgow Rangers are now ‘monitoring’ Joe White ahead of a potential move before the January transfer window shuts.

The Lowdown: Highly-rated

White is a highly-rated midfield prospect with Newcastle United, so much so that the newly-rich Magpies want to tie him down to a new deal.

He has been described as ‘talented’ by Toon manager Eddie Howe, while former NUFC boss Steve Bruce claimed back in August that he has ‘caught the eye’ with his ‘yard of pace’, while looking ‘bigger and stronger’ since he last saw him (The Shields Gazette).

The English starlet is six-foot-one, and at just 19 years of age, clearly has a lot of potential going by his list of plaudits.

The Latest: Rangers ‘monitoring’

As per The Daily Mail journalist Hope, the Ibrox faithful are now ‘monitoring’ his situation at St. James’ Park along with a number of other high-profile clubs, in case White’s proposed new contract does not go to plan, or perhaps with the thought of taking him on loan:

“Newcastle set to secure future of Joe White after agreeing terms on new deal.

“19-yr-old is out of contract this summer with Celtic, Rangers, Leeds & Chelsea all monitoring situation.”

In his article, the journalist added that White ‘could now go out on loan in the coming days’.

The Verdict: One for the future

White is certainly one for the future, and if the Teddy Bears cold fend off the competition for his signature, then it would prove to be a real coup.

The attacking midfielder has impressed through the youth ranks on Tyneside, scoring ten goals and making a further 13 assists in 63 games in total over all competitions across the last four seasons (Transfermarkt), and is surely a player that Giovanni van Bronckhorst would be excited to work with.

Nonetheless, White has a lot of promise, and judging by his record and what has been said about him already, he could easily become a fans favourite for the Light Blues, even if only for a temporary spell.

In other news, find out what transfer update has bene lauded by Gers here!

Former Scottish Premiership striker Noel Whelan has made a claim involving Celtic’s Giorgos Giakoumakis following an impressive start to life in Glasgow. 

The lowdown: Big miss

Currently sidelined with a hamstring issue, the 27-year-old was sorely missed by Ange Postecoglou’s side as the Hoops fell to defeat in the Scottish Cup semi-final against Rangers.

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In the Greek ace’s absence, it was left up to Daizen Maeda to spearhead the attack at Hampden Park with Kyogo Furuhashi left to watch on from the bench.

Despite the wealth of centre-forward options at Postecoglou’s disposal, none of them can match up to Giakoumakis, as Chris Sutton bemoaned the lack of a focal point up front.

The latest: Whelan rates Giakoumakis

Speaking to Football Insider, former Aberdeen man Whelan, who is now an ambassador for Premier League club Leeds United, has suggested that the ‘amazing’ Greece international is clear of the alternatives after ‘what he’s seen’ at Celtic Park.

“He’s by far the best striker Celtic have at the moment.

“He gives you the work rate, the stature, and the physicality which can really trouble teams. We saw that during the last Old Firm game. They couldn’t handle him.

“That’s what Celtic were missing on Sunday. Someone a little bit more robust, who can really work the two centre-halves into areas they don’t want to go into.

“I think with the way he’s playing, it’s hard not to miss a player like that – he gives you such a focal point and he’s not a bad goalscorer either.”

The verdict: Impressive beginnings

Since signing for the Hoops from Dutch side VVV-Venlo for a reported £2.5million (Sky Sports), Giakoumakis has scored 13 times and provided one assist in 24 outings for the club.

However, it’s not just the goal output that has made the striker stand out from the rest as the ex-AEK Athens man also boasts an impressive 72% passing accuracy and 54% aerial duel success rate (Sofascore), proving to be the focal point Sutton referred to.

As the end of the campaign looms large, Postecoglou will want his talismanic star back up and running as quickly as possible to help fire the Bhoys over the line and with it, secure UEFA Champions League football for next term.

In other news, former Celtic striker Chris Sutton worried over injury woes. Read more here.

West Ham have had to go through their latest Premier League season with only one recognised centre-forward in their squad in the shape of Michail Antonio.

This comes as a result of their deal that saw Sebastien Haller join Ajax back in the 2021 January transfer window for a fee of £20m.

With the upcoming summer transfer window in mind, it seems as though a road has emerged for the Hammers to make a swoop for another striker that will be very familiar to a lot of fans at the east London club.

What’s the news?

According to a recent report from The Sun, Everton are willing to cash in on striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin in the upcoming summer transfer window, putting West Ham and Arsenal on red alert.

However, a deal is unlikely to come cheap with the England international currently valued at £40.5m according to Transfermarkt.

West Ham can replace Haller with Calvert-Lewin

Since making his senior debut for the Toffees back in December 2016 in a 2-1 league win over the Gunners, the Englishman has gone on to make 184 senior appearances for the Merseyside club across all competitions, scoring 56 goals and providing 17 assists along the way.

With 16 goals to his name in 33 league appearances last season, only Harry Kane (47) managed to have more shots on target than the Everton striker.

Despite only making ten appearances in the league this time around, the 25-year-old has still managed to find the back of the net three times and provide one assist as well as earning himself an overall performance rating of 6.84 from WhoScored, making him Everton’s joint-highest rated player for this campaign.

Labelled as a “fabulous” player by Sky Sports pundit Graeme Souness, Calvert-Lewin could not only provide the Hammers with another strike option in their squad after Haller’s exit but also some hefty competition for Antonio as their first-choice centre-forward given his prominence in front of goal.

If Everton are willing to negotiate a deal for their star striker in the summer, then GSB must jump into action and try their hardest at getting the Englishman to swap Goodison Park for the London Stadium.

With the east London club chasing European football once again this season, the prospect of playing in continental competition for a London club could be a very tempting proposition for the striker.

In other news: West Ham must swoop for £75k-p/w monster who Moyes will love, he’s “the new Vidic”

Since their promotion to the Premier League, Wolverhampton Wanderers have spent some hefty transfer fees on players, with the likes of Raul Jimenez (£30m), Fabio Silva (£35.6m) and Nelson Semedo (£37m) joining for mouth-watering sums.

Of course, if Wolves are to become European regulars, more deals of this magnitude will have to be made. However, it must be remembered that the West Midlands club have been able to strike bargain deals with Conor Coady arguably the best example in recent seasons.

The then-Championship club signed the then-midfielder for £2m from Huddersfield Town in July 2015 after the Englishman had spent a season with the Yorkshire club following his release from Liverpool where he’d played as a schoolboy.

Fast forward six-and-a-half years and Coady is now 28, an England regular and Wolves’ captain.

In his first campaign at Molineux, the 28-year-old made 37 Championship appearances as Wolves finished 14th in the second-tier, whilst his market value dipped slightly, going from £1.8m to £1.58m and wouldn’t increase again until September 2017.

September 2017 marked the early stages of what would go on to be Wolves’ title-winning campaign that saw them promoted to the Premier League, with Coady playing 45 out of their 46 league matches. It was also the first season where the defender had spells as captain.

Whilst being a Premier League regular for a side that has finished seventh twice and 13th, the Wolves captain’s value has steadily increased with the steepest increase in market value coming between July and October 2020 where the Englishman went from £16.2m to £22.5m, his current value.

That period of time also saw Coady make his senior England debut, hence the value increase as he went on to be described as “phenomenal” by Dave Edwards.

Having been bought for £2m, the Wolves defender is now worth over ten times that figure, with this campaign arguably being his best for the Golden Boys so far.

With Bruno Lage’s men the Premier League’s second-best defence, Coady has been instrumental in helping contribute to that feat. The skipper has missed just three minutes of top-flight football this term and there is little indication that that run will end any time soon.

Moreover, it is well documented that his value as a player doesn’t just help the football club but his value as a human being too, with the captain heavily influential with the football club and the work it does in the community of Wolverhampton.

Now a key member in the current England group, the defender is playing his best football at 28 and will surely go on to become a legend in this part of the West Midlands.

In other news: £37k-p/w waster may have cost Wolves a shot at silverware

Celtic could hold a crucial advantage this summer over defender Cameron Carter-Vickers…

What’s the story?

Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, journalist Pete O’Rourke claimed: “I think Nicholson will be thinking, ‘come here for regular first team football, you know the club and there is a chance to play in the Champions League next season, which would be attractive to all players’.

“I think if he went to Celtic, maybe Celtic will be thinking we can keep him here for a couple of years at least and if he continues to shine and grow then, after that, maybe a move back down to the Premier League might be in the offing for Carter-Vickers.

“He is still quite young and been out on loan a few times from Spurs, so finding a permanent home where he’s happy, when seemingly it has worked out for him at Celtic so far this season, might be his best thing to do.”

Postecoglou will be buzzing

Given the fact he’s only on loan, it’s only natural that Celtic may be worried about the prospect of seeing the USA international fail to return to Parkhead next season.

Speaking back in January, Postecoglou himself said: “I’m prepared to be patient with all of them. There is no rush with these things. It’s got to be good for the player and good for the club.

“If everybody is happy then those types of things take care of themselves. There is no need to be anxious about it. Jota’s situation is the same with Cameron Carter Vickers.”

However, last month, the Celtic boss admitted that Carter-Vickers could be tempted by the prospect of earning more with a move to the Premier League, saying: “I’m sure Champions League football will help us keep them. But I’m also sure that it will be an attraction for others to come to our football club. This is a two-way thing. The player has to want to be here and we have to want them here.

“I love having them as part of his football club. But if they can get more money down south, that’s fine. I’d never deny them that. We could get offers for some of our other players, depending on how we finish the season. That will be the choices they make. If that’s what they desire for their next move, I’ll have no issue with them.”

But O’Rourke’s claim that Carter-Vickers’ time at Celtic, and the fact he knows he’s in a place where he’s getting regular first-team football, and has Champions League action on the horizon too, may just sway things in the Hoops’ favour.

Postecoglou will be buzzing if the Bhoys can strike a deal.

AND in other news – Sold for £12m, now failing in MLS: Celtic played a blinder with shocking 6 ft disaster