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Tag: fire sale

  • ‘Peace and gratitude’: US football great Megan Rapinoe to retire after World Cup

    ‘Peace and gratitude’: US football great Megan Rapinoe to retire after World Cup

    United States women’s team star Megan Rapinoe announced on social media on Saturday that she would be retiring from football at the end of this season.

    “It is with a deep sense of peace & gratitude that I have decided this will be my final season playing this beautiful game,” the 38-year-old posted.

    “I never could have imagined the ways in which soccer would shape and change my life forever,” she added.

    The two-time World Cup winner, well known for her activism, is part of the USA squad for the upcoming women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand, her fourth appearance at the tournament.

    Rapinoe plays in the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) for Seattle based OL Reign — their season concludes in November.

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    The winger currently has 199 caps over a span of 17 years playing for her country and also won an Olympic gold medal in London in 2012.

    She was awarded the Best FIFA Women’s Player in 2019 but her fame came as much for her espousal of causes and her campaigning as for her skills on the field.

    Rapinoe publicly came out as gay in July 2012 and has been a high-profile campaigner on social issues including LGBTQ+ rights, racial inequality and gender and pay equality.

    She was a leading voice in the US women’s team’s successful fight for equal pay and conditions which resulted in a law suit and eventual new collective agreement being struck in 2021.

    Rapinoe made headlines in 2016 when she took a knee during the national anthem in solidarity with NFL player Colin Kaepernick.

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    Rapinoe celebrates scoring in the 2019 World Cup final.Source: AFP

    “I’ve been able to have such an incredible career, and this game has brought me all over the world and allowed me to meet so many amazing people,” said Rapinoe.

    “I feel incredibly grateful to have played as long as I have, to be as successful as we’ve been, and to have been a part of a generation of players who undoubtedly left the game better than they found it.”

    “To be able to play one last World Cup and one last NWSL season and go out on my own terms is incredibly special,” she added.

    Last July she received the highest civilian honour in the United States when President Joe Biden awarded her the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

    Rapinoe was the first footballer to receive the award and one of just six female athletes or coaches.

    Rapinoe earned America’s highest honour for a civilian.Source: AFP

    “Beyond the World Cup title to Olympic medals, Megan is a champion for essential American truth that everyone is entitled to be treated with dignity and respect,” Biden said at the award ceremony.

    “She helped lead the change for perhaps the most important victory for anyone on our soccer team or any soccer team: equal pay for women.”

    US women’s team coach Vlatko Andonovski said Rapinoe remained an important part of the team for the World Cup which starts on July 20.

    “Megan Rapinoe is one of the most important players in women’s soccer history and a personality like no other,” he said.

    “She has produced so many memorable moments for her team and the fans on the field that will be remembered for a very long time, but her impact on people as a human being may be even more important.

    “It’s been a wonderful experience to coach her in the NWSL and for the national team and I’m looking forward to her being an important part of our team at the World Cup.”

    Rapinoe led the calls for racial justice after taking the knee in 2016.Source: AFP

    The Californian has spent most of her career playing in domestic leagues but had a brief spell in Australia with W-League team Sydney FC in 2011 and two years later played for French club Lyon, reaching the final of the Champions League.

    At the 2019 World Cup in France, she scored in the 2-0 win over the Netherlands in the final and was named Player of the Match. She won the Golden Boot as top scorer and Golden Ball for best player in the tournament.

    “Megan is a generational talent,” US women’s national team general manager and former Rapinoe teammate Kate Markgraf said.

    “When you talk about players performing on the biggest stages, she’s right up there with the best to ever do it.

    “Her contributions off the field are the epitome of someone who saw that she had a large platform and used it for good.”

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  • City lodge world-record bid for 21yo; Euro giant poised to hijack Utd’s Mount deal: Rumour Mill

    City lodge world-record bid for 21yo; Euro giant poised to hijack Utd’s Mount deal: Rumour Mill

    Manchester City are showing no signs of slowing down their spending with a world record bid lodged for a defender, while a European giant could hijack Manchester United’s pursuit of Mason Mount.

    Meanwhile, Chelsea are on the verge of signing a forward on a staggering eight-year deal as new Blues boss Mauricio Pochettino moulds his squad.

    Catch up on the biggest transfer whispers doing the rounds in the latest edition of the Rumour Mill!

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    CITY LODGE STAGGERING WORLD RECORD BID FOR 21YO

    Manchester City are wasting little time in cementing their position as the dominating force in European football.

    Pep Guardiola’s side have made a bid for Declan Rice and seem confident of beating Arsenal to the England international’s signature, but it appears City are not done yet.

    According to the Sky Germany, City have lodged an eye-watering $146 million bid for RB Leipzig defender Josko Gvardiol.

    Guardiola is reportedly a huge admirer of the 21-year-old and is making that known with a world-record bid for a defender.

    Gvardiol has emerged as one of the best young defenders in the world and would complement a City backline brimming with talent, although it would force Spanish international Aymeric Laporte further out the exit door.

    Josko Gvardiol is reportedly the subject of a world-record bid for a defender. (Photo by Martin Rose/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images

    SLIDING DOORS MOMENT BEHIND YOUNG GUN’S IMMINENT BLUES MOVE

    Talk about a sliding doors moment.

    In the January window, Nicolas Jackson was on the verge of signing for Premier League battlers Bournemouth on a permanent deal, only for the transfer to collapse when he failed his medical.

    Fast forward six months and the Villarreal forward has now completed his medical ahead of a $57 million deal to Chelsea, per Sky Sports.

    Transfer guru Fabrizio Romano also reports Jackson’s contract with Chelsea is eight years, a staggering length rarely seen in modern football.

    The signature of Jackson will be Chelsea’s second of the summer after snapping up Leipzig forward Christopher Nkunku as the Blues refresh their attacking stocks.

    Despite his injuries in La Liga last season Jackson scored 12 league goals, five more than Chelsea’s top scorer Kai Havertz.

    However, nine of those goals were scored in the final eight games.

    Nicolas Jackson is on the verge of joining Chelsea. (Photo by Aitor Alcalde/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images

    EURO GIANTS SET TO HIJACK UNITED DEAL FOR ENGLAND STAR

    It’s an open secret Manchester United are heavily interested in Chelsea midfielder Mason Mount.

    However, three bids — with the last a $104 million offer — have not been enough to tempt the Blues to part ways with their academy product, leaving the Red Devils frustrated as the deal heads to a stalemate.

    Yet United’s inability to get a deal done could play into the hands of a European rival.

    According to The Guardian, Bayern Munich are “stepping up their interest” for Mount as they look to capitalise on United’s struggles.

    Bayern boss Thomas Tuchel knows Mount extremely well from his stint as Chelsea manager and is a big fan of what the midfielder offers.

    Given Bayern would only be in competition with Chelsea in continental football — something the Blues won’t be involved in this season due to a horror 22/23 campaign — there’s a chance the London side could even accept a lower offer from a foreign club.

    Chelsea value Mount at $123 million, a figure United are reluctant to meet given Mount has just one year left on his deal.

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  • Ex-champs plunged further into relegation trouble as Reds make it seven in a row in late CL surge

    Ex-champs plunged further into relegation trouble as Reds make it seven in a row in late CL surge

    Liverpool maintained their pursuit of Champions League football next season and pushed Leicester ever closer to the Championship as Curtis Jones scored twice in a 3-0 win at the King Power on Tuesday (AEST).

    Trent Alexander-Arnold rounded off another fine performance in his new hybrid role between right-back and midfield with a stunning strike as Liverpool closed to within one point of the top four.

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    Jurgen Klopp’s men still need a late-season collapse from Newcastle or Manchester United but a seven-game winning streak from the Reds has upped the pressure on their rivals, who both have three games remaining to Liverpool’s two.

    Seven years on from shocking the world to win the title, Leicester’s Premier League days look numbered as they remain two points from safety with two games remaining.

    The Foxes’ defensive frailties were again exposed as a bright start from the hosts was quickly forgotten when Jones struck twice in three minutes just after the half-hour mark.

    All of the Leicester back four played their part in conceding the crucial opening goal.

    Luis Diaz was allowed to race onto a long ball forward from Alisson Becker before it broke for Mohamed Salah to cross for the unmarked Jones to tap in at the far post.

    Salah was the provider again moments later as Jones produced a magnificent touch to control and finish past the helpless Daniel Iversen.

    Curtis Jones scored a double for Liverpool. (Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images

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    The home crowd quickly turned on their own side and there were boos when Cody Gakpo fired straight at Iversen with a glorious chance to make it 3-0.

    Scoring goals has not been Leicester’s problem this season, but they even looked blunt in attack as belief drained from Dean Smith’s men.

    They face another daunting task when they travel to Newcastle next Monday in a match that could seal their fate should Everton or Leeds win over the weekend.

    Liverpool’s upturn in form after a difficult season has coincided with Alexander-Arnold’s new role as a deep-lying playmaker in midfield when in possession.

    The England international displayed his quality on the ball with a sumptuous strike into the top corner 19 minutes from time after Salah tapped a free-kick into his path.

    The Egyptian should have had his customary goal to add to a hat-trick of assists.

    Salah was sent clean through on goal by Gakpo, but slotted wide with just Iversen to beat to the astonishment of most inside the stadium.

    That miss could yet prove important with Liverpool four goals behind Newcastle on goal difference.

    But the visitors got the main job done with another three points ensuring they will at least play Europa League football next season.

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  • Chelsea’s 15-man fire sale in major strategy change; star duo cop $260m price tag: Rumour Mill

    Chelsea’s 15-man fire sale in major strategy change; star duo cop $260m price tag: Rumour Mill

    Chelsea’s new owners spent a stunning amount of money for their first season in the Premier League, but now the cashed-up American hierarchy is set to implement a major change in their transfer policy.

    Meanwhile, there’s been a major admission over the future of England international Declan Rice, as well as a pair of Brighton superstars.

    All that and more in today’s Premier League Rumour Mill!

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    Chelsea defender Abdul Baba Rahman (R) in action back in 2015. He’s the perfect example of a long-running Chelsea strategy that is set to end.Source: AFP

    CHELSEA SET FOR 15-PLAYER CLEANOUT

    Chelsea’s renowned loan farming is set to finally come to an end.

    Under former owner Roman Abramovich, Chelsea had dozens of players on their books, sending them out on loans around the world – despite many having no real prospect of ever making the first team.

    In 2019, a whopping 41 players were out on loan from Stamford Bridge.

    This season, the number is 21.

    But new FIFA regulations from next season will limit teams to sending out just seven players on overseas loans. That excludes players under 21 and academy products.

    According to the Evening Standard, Chelsea will look to sell any players who aren’t developing from their loans or have little chance of becoming a genuine first-team player.

    Up to 15 players could be sold this off-season. The report states Malang Sarr, Ethan Ampadu and Henry Lawrence are set to leave, while Dujon Sterling will join Rangers and Xavier Simons has locked in a move to Hull.

    Romelu Lukaku and Callum Hudson-Odoi are two more possible departures, while the club is happy to let defender Thiago Silva make an emotional return to Fluminense if he so chooses.

    Chelsea faced plenty of criticism over the years for their loan system, particularly when players were sent out on loan after loan for years at a time.

    That includes the likes of 28-year-old Baba Rahman, who has just finished a seventh loan after his arrival in 2015. He played just 23 games for Chelsea in all competitions before being sent out on the series of loans to Germany, France, Spain, Greece, and most recently England’s Championship.

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    BRIGHTON PUT $131M-PLUS TAGS ON TWO STARS

    Brighton appears resigned to losing some of their superstar players after another sensational season. The south-coast club currently sit sixth, four points off fifth-placed Liverpool but with a game in hand.

    New manager Roberto de Zerbi has taken the team to new heights after replacing Graham Potter, who went to Chelsea early in the season.

    Speaking to Sky Sports after Brighton’s stunning 3-0 win over Arsenal, De Zerbi said: “For sure, we will lose some players.

    “Maybe Caicedo, maybe Mac Allister. We have to be ready to bring in other good players.

    “For the likes of Kaoru Mitoma and Pervis Estupinan, I think for them the best solution is to stay with us. I don’t know if they are ready to play in the big teams yet. We can offer them the opportunity to progress and improve.”

    Brighton’s Argentinian midfielder Alexis Mac Allister (R) with Brighton’s Ecuadorean midfielder Moises Caicedo (L).Source: AFP

    Moises Caicedo, the Ecuador international, had a £70m offer from Arsenal rejected late in January, when there was also strong interest from Chelsea.

    Both of those teams look set to revive their pursuit of the star midfielder, with Manchester United and Liverpool also interested.

    World Cup winner Alexis Mac Allister is also on a long contract with the Seagulls, who have set a similar over-£70m price tag on the Argentina gun. Liverpool is keenly interested as they eye a major midfield overhaul.

    James Milner is set to go the other way as a free agent, while Brighton have already sealed a club-record transfer for Watford’s Joao Pedro.

    Meanwhile, Brighton is also reportedly close to a deal to land Borussia Dortmund midfielder Mahmoud Dahoud on a free transfer.

    Sky Sports reports the German international is in advanced talks for his Premier League move.

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    MOYES ADMITS RICE COULD GO

    West Ham manager David Moyes has publicly said for the first time that the club could lose superstar midfielder Declan Rice.

    The 24-year-old turned down a £200,000-a-week contract offer 18 months ago, and is set on fulfilling his Champions League dream after six seasons with the Hammers’ senior side.

    Arsenal is the most likely landing place, but Chelsea, Liverpool, and Manchester United are also interested.

    The Hammers are hoping for £120m ($A225m), or £100m plus a player, but much depends on whether they avoid relegation or not. Were they to be relegated, his price tag would diminish greatly.

    “We honestly hope he stays,” said Moyes. “We’d love for him to be a West Ham player but we are aware that might not be the case at the end of the season.

    “So that’s one of the scenarios around planning. There are plans that we have Dec here but we’re also fully aware there is a good chance we won’t have him.”

    The Hammers have been linked to a move for former Arsenal midfielder Matteo Guendouzi, who has admitted he is struggling after falling out of Marseille’s starting side.

    West Ham United’s English midfielder Declan Rice could be headed to a Champions League club.Source: AFP

    MAN UTD BACK IN FOR JUVE STAR

    Before this season, Manchester United were close to signing Juventus midfielder Adrien Rabiot.

    But the deal fell through after the English club and the French midfielder failed to agree on personal terms.

    Now, the 28-year-old’s contract is about to expire, with Juventus seemingly unwilling to offer him a fresh deal.

    French outlet L’Equipe reports United boss Erik ten Hag is ready to try again, this time with the added benefit of the deal being a free transfer.

    But they’ll reportedly have to battle Newcastle for his services.

    Rabiot, who previously played for Paris Saint Germain, scored France’s first goal of the 2022 World Cup against Australia, but we won’t hold that against him.

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    REAL MADRID STAR UP FOR GRABS AS GUNNERS LOOM

    Real Madrid has reportedly told Ferland Mendy he can leave the club at season’s end, per the Sunday Mirror.

    The 27-year-old is contracted until 2025, but Madrid is hoping to offload a number of players to free up squad (and salary) space.

    Arsenal have Oleksandr Zinchenko and Kieran Tierney on their books at left back, but the latter is unsettled over a lack of game time and could depart.

    The report states a likely price tag around £17.5m, with Spurs also named as a potential destination.

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  • Chelsea plunged themselves into $636m black hole. They could lose their prized asset to escape it

    Chelsea plunged themselves into $636m black hole. They could lose their prized asset to escape it

    As Chelsea prepared to take on Tottenham Hotspur at Stamford Bridge in the first game of the Premier League season, fans would have taken note of what owner Todd Boehly had to say in the matchday programme.

    “There is a simple mantra that guides us every day: we want to win together, and make you proud,” Boehly wrote.

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    “As one of the world’s elite football clubs, Chelsea sits at the pinnacle of the game.”

    Fast forward to now and it’s hard to agree with what the American had to say before the season.

    Thomas Tuchel lasted just one month into the season before he was ruthlessly axed as Chelsea trigged Graham Potter’s $AUD27.9m release clause to snatch him from Brighton.

    But the Birmingham native’s time in the Stamford Bridge dugout crashed and burned as he was sacked after almost seven months in the role.

    Club legend Frank Lampard has since been brought in as interim manager to steer the ship until the end of the season.

    It’s been a colossal disaster of a campaign for Chelsea who now sit on the brink of a Champions League exit and the very real prospect of no European football next season given their mid-table position.

    Add in departures from the English domestic cup competitions at the first hurdle and it makes for grim reading.

    What makes Chelsea’s fall from grace this season is the staggering expenditure on display this season.

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    Across the summer and winter windows, Chelsea have spent an estimated $1b, with $540m accounting for the eight players who joined in January.

    However, such extravagant spending coupled with Chelsea’s troubling league position could mean the Blues must brace for a fire sale in the summer.

    With a significant lack of prize money headed their way at the conclusion of the campaign, it means Chelsea will be in a precarious spot when it comes to Financial Fair Play (FFP).

    Per FFP rules, clubs are permitted maximum losses of $196 million over a rolling three-year period.

    Over the past four seasons, Chelsea recorded a staggering $636m in losses, but the reason they don’t fall foul on FFP guidelines is the fact they recorded a $67m profit during the Covid-interrupted 2019/20 season.

    The significant losses led to UEFA placing the club on a watchlist last September for teams that will be “monitored closely in the upcoming period.”

    With the absurd transfer outlay and rising probability of no prize money from European football, renowned football finance author Kieran Maguire believes Chelsea will be “dancing on the head of a pin” to steer clear of any FFP breaches.

    So, how do the Blues avoid falling foul?

    Well, they’re going to have to sell players.

    More specifically, homegrown players.

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    For those who come through Chelsea’s academy, they earn homegrown status which means the club can immediately record the transfer fee into the books as a profit.

    N’Golo Kante is the main senior player coming off contract at the end of the season, while seven players will be free agents as of July 1 2024.

    Two players who will shortly have one year left on their deal are Mason Mount and Ruben Loftus-Cheek, who both came through the academy at Cobham.

    Loftus-Cheek hasn’t quite nailed down a spot in Chelsea’s first team, often playing a bit-part role when required.

    However, Mount has become an integral member of the Blues since bursting onto the scene in the 2019/20 season after a successful loan at Derby County.

    Premier League heavyweights Liverpool have been linked with a move for Mount, who is valued by Chelsea at $130m, per The Athletic.

    Selling Mount would provide a significant boost in Chelsea’s efforts to stay within the FFP rules.

    Chelsea may also part with some of Mount’s fellow academy graduates and English internationals like Callum Hudson-Odoi or Conor Gallagher.

    Aside from academy graduates, there’s also a handful of players coming off contract in 2024.

    Christian Pulisic and Mateo Kovacic are in that group, and at 24 and 28 years of age respectively, could net the Blues a tidy transfer fee.

    Cesar Azpilicueta, Pierre Emerick-Aubameyang and Thiago Silva are also off contract in July 2024, so Chelsea could look to cash in on them in the summer.

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    With such a bloated squad, there’s also several fringe players who could net the Blues some needed coin.

    One such name is Hakim Ziyech, who has never quite found his feet since arriving from Ajax.

    The Moroccan winger came extremely close to a move to Paris Saint-German in the January window, but the deal collapsed at the last minute and has been forced to sit on the sidelines since.

    Of course, all of this will hinge on what Chelsea’s new manager will want to do.

    Lampard’s deal is only until the end of the season and won’t be given the gig for a second time.

    Former Barcelona and Spain boss Luis Enrique is a strong contender for the role, as is Julian Nagelsmann who was recently sacked by German giants Bayern Munich.

    They’ll no doubt want to see what the entire squad can do before giving the green light on who will go and who might stay.

    But, given Chelsea’s worrying financial position, the new man in the Stamford Bridge dugout might not even get a say as they look to balance the books.

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  • 29 clubs to launch bizarre joint Messi bid; Blues face mass exodus amid $223m danger: Rumour Mill

    29 clubs to launch bizarre joint Messi bid; Blues face mass exodus amid $223m danger: Rumour Mill

    A Premier League heavyweight could face a mass exodus in the summer to comply with Financial Fair Play (FFP), while Spurs have reportedly settled on their top choice to replace Antonio Conte.

    Meanwhile, every club in a single league may be forced to chip in to help bring Lionel Messi to their competition.

    Catch up on the biggest whispers doing the rounds in the latest edition of the Rumour Mill!

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    CHELSEA FIRE SALE IMMINENT AMID PRECARIOUS FFP SITUATION

    Since Todd Boehly walked through the door at Stamford Bridge, Chelsea have not been afraid to splash the cash.

    However, the Blues may now be forced to tighten the pursestrings in a bid to comply with FFP after posting losses of $AUD223m last season.

    Barring a miracle by winning the entire thing, Chelsea look set to miss out on Champions League football next season and the lucrative money that comes with the showpiece tournament.

    According to The Times,it leaves the Premier League heavyweights in a financially precarious position and could lead to a fire sale of some of their stars.

    So dire is the impending financial situation, football finance author Kieran Maguire believed the Blues will be “dancing on the head of a pin” to avoid breaking the FFP rules.

    Players mentioned by Maguire in The Times’ report that could be forced out include England internationals Mason Mount and Conor Gallagher.

    But Maguire also noted the large size of Chelsea’s squad and how that may ultimately prove to be a saving grace for the team when it comes to selling.

    Mason Mount could be forced out the exit door at Chelsea as the Blues face an FFP squeeze. (Photo by Joe Klamar / AFP)Source: AFP

    THE BIZARRE 29-CLUB PLAN TO BRING MESSI TO MLS

    Lionel Messi’s contract with Paris Saint-Germain expires at the end of the season and his signature could soon become the hottest property in the summer.

    A return to the French capital looms as the likeliest option for the World Cup winner given he has an option to extend his contract by a year, while his former club Barcelona remain desperately keen on a reunion.

    However, those over in Major League Soccer (MLS) aren’t willing to give up on bringing the superstar to the United States without a fight.

    In fact, a report from Spanish outlet Sport claims 29 MLS teams — yes, 29 — will chip in for his wages in an attempt to get Messi to the competition.

    The idea was reportedly floated in a meeting between the club executives in February earlier this year, with the expectation being all clubs would benefit from the absurd commercial advantages Messi would bring to the MLS.

    Given several clubs would be paying Messi’s wages, which are reportedly over a staggering $1.6m-a-week, there would no doubt be plenty of controversy as to how the payments take place.

    29 MLS clubs could all pitch in to help bring Lionel Messi to the league. (Photo by JUAN MABROMATA / AFP)Source: AFP

    MANAGERIAL PRODIGY TOPS SPURS’ WISH LIST

    Tottenham Hotspur chairman Daniel Levy has reportedly got his top choice in mind for Antonio Conte’s successor.

    Levy is under enormous pressure to get the next appointment right given the Jose Mourinho, Nuno Espirito Santo and Conte experiments all proved to be expensive failures.

    He also must ensure the appointment stands a chance of convincing Harry Kane to sign an extension at the club given the talismanic striker will have just 12 months left on his deal at the end of the season.

    The Telegraph reports Julian Nagelsmann, who recently became a free agent after being sacked by Bayern Munich, is at the top of the shortlist.

    Also on the shortlist is Brighton boss Roberto De Zerbi as well as former Spain manager Luis Enrique.

    The report claims Nagelsmann has his admirers over at Real Madrid, meaning Spurs will almost certainly face a massive fight to secure his services.

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