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Tottenham Hotspur have reportedly made a move for Mauricio Pochettino, with Daniel Levy personally calling him in order to try and get him to join.

The Lowdown: Pochettino may return

There have been plenty of rumours circling about as to whether Pochettino is coming back to Spurs to take over from interim boss Ryan Mason, as Sky Sports journalist Kaveh Solhekol reported earlier in the week that one of his sources had told him they felt that the potential deal was ‘basically done’.

Nonetheless, there should be more developments heading into Euro 2020, as the Lilywhites would ideally like to being a new manager to north London as soon as possible with the summer transfer window edging ever closer.

The Latest: Tottenham make Pochettino move

As per AS (via Sport Witness), Tottenham have ‘made a move’ for Pochettino, as Levy has personally called the former Espanyol and Southampton coach on a number of different occasions in order to try and ‘convince’ him to return.

Pochettino would return to Spurs on two conditions – if he is offered a deal worth at least four years, and if he gets to ‘enjoy full powers’ when it comes down to sporting decisions.

The Argentine is ‘going through a bad situation’ at PSG and is looking for a way out of the club, although the recently vacant manager’s job at Real Madrid, given that Zinedine Zidane has now left, may ‘alter his plans’.

The Verdict: Tottenham should avoid Pochettino

Pochettino did a lot of great things at Spurs, none more so than getting them to a Champions League final, along with achieving four successive top-four finishes in the Premier League.

However, the 49-year-old never won a trophy during his time in N17, which is exactly what the north London club need at this moment in time in order to end their 13-year drought.

There is still time for the Lilywhites to find themselves the ideal successor to Jose Mourinho, with title-winning managers such as Zidane and Antonio Conte recently leaving their posts at both Madrid and Inter Milan respectively.

Spurs need to be ruthless and therefore put aside any sentiment that they may still have for Pochettino.

In other news, find out what big Brendan Rodgers to Tottenham claim has been dropped!

Writing on Twitter, reliable club insider ExWHUemployee has shared some major West Ham team news for tonight’s clash with Brighton and Hove Albion. 

The Lowdown: West Ham injury crisis…

Over this last month, David Moyes has been forced to cope with mounting injury issues to his squad, with the likes of Declan Rice, Michail Antonio, Aaron Cresswell, Arthur Masuaku, Mark Noble and Manuel Lanzini all having been missing at some stage.

This has arguably had a major impact on West Ham’s race to do the unthinkable and qualify for a Champions League place. Indeed, the Irons have lost three of their last four games in the Premier League and Moyes will be hoping to have a near-fully fit squad at his disposal for the final hurdle.

The Latest: ExWHUemployee shares big team news

Writing on Twitter, Ex has now dropped a five-word message containing some significant team news on star midfielder Rice.

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When asked if the 22-year-old will feature at the Amex Stadium tonight, Ex revealed: “He should play against Brighton”.

Rice has been nearing a return but Moyes has always remained cryptic on the exact timeframe of injured players returning to the fold. As such, supporters have been relying on inside information from the likes of Ex, and his latest claim should excite plenty of Hammers enthusiasts.

The Verdict: Huge boost for Moyes…

Arguably the nucleus of this overachieving West Ham side, Rice has attracted plenty of attention from major clubs for his performances this season (90min). It’s not hard to see why either, with the midfield colossus proving an assured, composed figure to protect the Irons’ defence.

Out of the entire West Ham squad, he averages the most interceptions per match with two (WhoScored). Rice also completes a greater frequency of accurate passes (87.9%) than any Hammers regular with 10 or more starts in the Premier League (WhoScored).

His presence will be vital for Moyes as Europa League qualification remains a very strong possibility, so Ex’s team news update is a most welcome one.

In other news: Many West Ham fans flocked to this club announcement, find out more here.

Glamorgan drew their three day friendly against the Boland Academy atthe Somerset West ground

Andrew Hignell07-Apr-2002Glamorgan drew their three day friendly against the Boland Academy atthe Somerset West ground. The game, interrupted by rain on thefirst day, was staged on a sluggish wicket, yet there were many encouragingperformances with both bat and ball by the Glamorgan players.Play was delayed for three hours on the first morning after heavy overnightrain, and then Steve James lost the toss and Glamorgan were inserted bythe Boland captain.Given the damp conditions and the slow wicket, Glamorgan made a commendablestart, reaching 243-7 in the 68 overs that were possible. David Hemp, who openedthe batting with Steve James, made a steady 38, but it was Robert Croft who endedthe day as Glamorgan`s top-scorer with 62.Glamorgan continued their innings on the second morning, before Steve James declared on 297-7 after some lusty blows by Darren Thomas who hit a quickfire half-century. In reply, the Boland batsmen stuttered to 213-9 with Simon Jones, fresh from his winter in Australia with the E.C.B. Academy, taking four wickets in a hostile spell. Robert Croft also bowled effectively, taking 3-29 from his 19 overs.There was a prospect of a run chase on the final day as Boland declared on theirovernight score, giving Glamorgan a first innings lead of 84. This was soon extended as Steve James (56*) and David Hemp (40) shared a brisk partnership of 76 for the first wicket.James later set the Boland youngsters a target of 260 in 54 overs, and their openers duly added 41 in even time before Frank Basson was run out backing up as Adrian Dale deflected the ball in his follow through. Darren Thomas then took two wickets in a hostile and accurate spell, and after the loss of a fourth wicket, Boland opted to play for a draw, as their fifth wicket pair opted for survival, adding just 51 runs in the final hour and a quarter.

Celtic’s 4-0 win last night was enough to provoke a slice of positivity from those at Parkhead.

It’s not often a Hoops performance has provided that in 2020/21, such is their dismal trophyless campaign.

Though, for Ryan Christie’s improvement and Scott Brown’s fond farewell, there was a negative embedded within the win at Paradise.

St Johnstone were swept aside as though they were facing the Celtic of old but Moi Elyounoussi endured a less than lively day at the office.

The Norwegian has been an inconsistent figure this term but if you look at his goals alone, it has been a promising campaign. The attacker has scored 17 times in all competitions, making it the best goal-scoring season of his career to date.

That said, only three of those strikes have come in his last 15 appearances for the Bhoys. It has been a troubling end to the campaign for a man who shouldn’t be seen in Celtic colours again.

Elyounoussi could be available for £5m this summer but if John Kennedy and the new manager have any sense, they’ll unleash Karamoko Dembele instead or hunt for a cheaper alternative in the transfer window.

His performance against St Johnstone summed up his recent efforts. The Norway international has had a habit of missing simple opportunities and that happened again at Paradise on Wednesday.

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He struggled to ever get going which given the scoreline was particularly disappointing.

Elyounoussi was hauled off after 73 minutes having registered the second-fewest touches (49) of anyone to start the game while he completed just 78% of his passes.

It was a timid afternoon from the Southampton loanee who provided a solitary key pass and failed to complete any of his crosses. He also didn’t register a single dribble; a statistic completely out of character with his style of play.

To make matters worse, the 26-year-old surrendered possession on 12 occasions; once every four touches.

Mikey Johnston replaced him and had a bigger impact in less than 20 minutes on the field. The youngster completed a key pass and also attempted two dribbles in a spritely outing.

On a rare night of positives for Celtic, Elyounoussi proved exactly why the Hoops can’t afford to invest in his signature. His performances have dropped off alarmingly and he shouldn’t play for the club again.

AND in other news, McKay must wield the axe on 5ft9 Celtic dud, Sutton dubbed him the “new Ryan Christie”…

Yorkshire Phoenix gained an easy five-wicket win with ten overs to spare in their first Norwich Union National League Division One match of the season against Somerset Sabres at Headingley

David Warner13-May-2001Yorkshire Phoenix gained an easy five-wicket win with ten overs to spare in their first Norwich Union National League Division One match of the season against Somerset Sabres at Headingley.On an awkward pitch, run scoring was difficult until Anthony McGrath joined Yorkshire captain David Byas in a hard-hitting stand of 72 in 15 overs for the second wicket which moved Yorkshire swiftly towards their modest target of 155.Both batsmen played some powerful shots, Byas twice driving spinner Keith Dutch for big sixes and McGrath produced some wonderful ground strokes that brought him seven fours in his first 32 runs.Byas fell for 48 attempting another big blow off Dutch but McGrath went smoothly on to 58 when he cut Ian Blackwell into his stumps, having faced 84 balls and cracked 11 boundaries.Yorkshire lost Darren Lehman and Gary Fellows either side of McGrath’s dismissal but young Michael Lumb won them the match with an enormous six off Blackwell.Somerset were clearly handicapped by losing opening bowler Graham Rose with a knee strain at the end of his first over and it was Rose who had earlier provided the only real threat to Yorkshire’s keen attack after Somerset had won the toss.Rose, coming in at a difficult 25 for two, played well for his half-century but when he had scored 58 off 99 balls with four boundaries he pulled spinner James Middlebrook and was caught on the mid-wicket fence by competition debutant Tom Baker.Matthew Hoggard and Paul Hutchison both did well with the new ball but it was the spin of Middlebrook and Darren Lehmann that really stopped Somerset in their tracks in the middle of the innings, each bowler picking up a couple of wickets.Yorkshire were also without Darren Gough, Craig White and Michael Vaughan while Marcus Trescothick and Andy Caddick were forced to sit it out for Somerset.

One of the main transfer targets for Leicester City in the last summer window was reportedly Barcelona’s Francisco Trincao.

Despite having never played for the Blaugrana at that point, Brendan Rodgers was apparently hugely interested, with The Guardian indicating that the East-Midlanders had offered a two-year loan deal, including a clause to make the switch permanent for £45m.

Their overtures were eventually knocked-back though, the club instead bringing in Cengiz Under from AS Roma.

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However, a move could potentially be back on with Barca now apparently more willing to sell Trincao according to Sport.

That new-found availability will certainly be a huge boost should Leicester still retain an interest in the wideman.

In signing the young Portuguese, the Foxes would be sealing one of the most exciting youngsters in Europe having notched nine goals and 13 assists in all competitions during his final season with Braga.

Whilst the £22.5m-rated winger has not displayed that kind of form at the Camp Nou having only managed to get on the scoresheet on three occasions this season, he still has his fans.

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Former Barca midfielder and fellow Portuguese international Deco labelled the 21-year-old as “quality” upon his arrival in Catalonia, while it was his performances at SC Braga last season that really stood out and earned him his high-profile move to the Spanish giants – he scored an impressive nine times and provided a whopping 13 assists in 40 games.

Leicester will certainly be needing a player of such calibre heading into the 2021/22 season considering their depleted wide options.

Demarai Gray was sold to Bayer Leverkusen in January, whilst it is looking extremely likely that Under will be allowed to return to Roma following the expiry of his loan deal.

This leaves just Marc Albrighton and Harvey Barnes as natural wingers at the club. Heading into a potential UEFA Champions League campaign, that is simply not enough.

Hearing news of Trincao’s possible availability though will be a huge boost as Leicester attempt to strengthen their squad. Rodgers could well land a perfect replacement for Gray in the starlet.

AND in more news, read more about the young starlet that could save Brendan Rodgers millions…

Daniel Pinder, the editor-in-chief of Get German Football News, has exclusively told Football FanCast that Erling Haaland would be the perfect Sergio Aguero replacement for Manchester City this summer.

The Argentine has already announced that he’ll be leaving the Etihad at the end of the season, with the Borussia Dortmund striker reportedly top of Pep Guardiola’s wish list.

Haaland has already proved himself as one of Europe’s most feared frontmen by scoring 53 times in 56 appearances for the Bundesliga giants following his move from Salzburg last January, whilst laying on 16 assists for his teammates.

City face competition from rivals Manchester United for Haaland’s signature, whilst Guardiola has previously said it’s impossible for the Premier League champions-elect to sign another striker this window due to financial difficulties.

Despite those comments, Pinder believes that should the Norwegian swap the Bundesliga for the Premier League, he’d be a great addition for City to continue their domination of English football.

He told Football FanCast:

“I think if Man City were to go after him then he would be the man to replace Sergio Aguero – leading the line, being that threat in the box.

“He’s obviously shown he can play at the highest level and Man City, they challenge on all fronts, Premier League, Champions League and all the cups, it will be a big task to replace Aguero, but I think Haaland would be that player.”

Glasgow Rangers’ Commercial and Marketing Director James Bisgrove has revealed that the Gers are closing to selling 500,000 products in association with Castore.

Bisgrove discusses Castore

Despite a few teething problems following the confirmation of their partnership last year – there were reports of kits arriving late (Rangers News) and being damaged upon reaching their destination (The Scottish Sun) – Rangers and Castore now appear to be working well together.

Bisgrove was speaking with Ross Wilson during a Rangers webinar and he revealed just how well the agreement is going. He said:

“Ten months in, it’s been a remarkable period for us and Castore as an organisation.

“The numbers in which merchandise has been bought through the official channels has been phenomenal. We’re close to half a million products being sold across strips, training wear, lifestyle, accessories and the champions collection of products.”

Boost for Rangers

The number revealed by Bisgrove is huge, especially in a season where they cannot have fans at Ibrox. Even if 500,000 purchases were made only of the cheapest product available on the club’s online store – an A5 notepad soft cover (shop.rangers.co.uk) – that would still equate to a revenue of £1.28m. Obviously, the actual figure is going to be an awful lot higher than that.

As mentioned previously, there were initial concerns when the £25m deal was signed off (The Athletic), but now helped by the success of the Gers on the pitch, it appears to be a match made in heaven. The future looks bright for the 55-time Scottish champions.

In other news, many Rangers fans love this man’s pre-Old Firm comments.

In an exclusive interview with Football FanCast, former West Brom midfielder Carlton Palmer has warned his old club that they will lose Matheus Pereira if they go down at the end of the season.

West Brom’s survival hopes are hanging by a thread in what has been a disappointing Premier League campaign for the Baggies.

However, one positive has undoubtedly been 24-year-old attacker Matheus Pereira, who starred in the stunning 5-2 victory against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge earlier this month.

Pereira managed to grab himself two goals and two assists on the day, and Palmer is certain the Brazilian is one player that West Brom will struggle to keep hold of should they get relegated.

When asked about Pereira’s future at the Hawthorns, the retired England international told FFC:

“I’m sure there’s clauses put in because they brought players, a lot of players, in in a short space of time. So I’m sure there’s clauses, release clauses, for players that they can leave or clauses that they would have to take a drop in salary if they went down.”

Palmer finished off by saying:

“Top players who are international players, they’re going to want to play in the Premier League or in a top league somewhere. They’re not going to want to play in the Championship, so the better players, I’m sure West Brom will lose.”

On top of Pereira, West Brom could be at risk of losing goalkeeper Sam Johnstone. According to ESPN, Tottenham have identified the 28-year-old as a target amid concerns surrounding their current No.1 Hugo Lloris.

Manchester United have been hit with an attacking injury crisis ahead of their FA Cup quarter-final tie with Leicester City on Sunday.

It is reported that Edinson Cavani, Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial are all major doubts for the match.

Their absences leave the Red Devils extremely low on options to lead the line at the King Power Stadium, with Mason Greenwood really the only available player who can step into the main striker role.

For United to secure a place in the last four of the FA Cup at expense of The Foxes, they really need the 19-year-old to step up after an underwhelming season thus far.

Following his breakout campaign at Old Trafford last year, a season in which he scored a fantastic 19 goals in all competitions, Greenwood hasn’t quite been as eye-catching this time around.

The £45m-rated forward has only netted on four occasions so far throughout the season, with just two of those coming against Premier League opposition.

As a matter of fact, he has not scored at all since a 3-2 win against Liverpool in the FA Cup at the end of January.

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That record is really not good enough for a player who might have aspirations of leading the line for the Red Devils for the foreseeable future.

Now with Cavani, Martial and Rashford all likely to be out at the weekend, he will be the man shouldering the responsibility of finding the net.

In fairness to Greenwood, it would be harsh to expect huge things of him at the King Power. Considering he is just 19 and the aforementioned trio account for approximately 38% of the Red Devils’ goal haul this season, it is a fair weight to bear.

However, with United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer labelling him as “top class”, it would be fair to assume that the Old Trafford hierarchy have put a lot of faith into the youngster.

He has the perfect chance to repay that trust by compensating for United’s considerable absences and turning in an exhilarating showing at the King Power Stadium – something that he is certainly capable of despite his underwhelming season.

AND in more news, take a look at which previous transfer target Manchester United need to return for…