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Tottenham reportedly have Sporting CP defender Ousmane Diomande ‘very high’ on their shortlist for the summer, while the defender is said to be ‘set to leave’ his current club for £17million lower than his release clause.

Spurs’ best centre-back pairing of Micky van de Ven and Cristian Romero is a good one. The pair have played 39 times together for the north London outfit, winning 1.77 points per game.

However, this season, they have played alongside each other just 11 times, owing to injuries. The pairing could be split up for good, too, with a recent report starting Romero is ‘willing to do everything’ to leave in the summer.

Atletico Madrid are said to be chasing him, and Tottenham could receive a big fee from the transfer.

They will want to replace Romero with a top-quality defender, and reportedly have Sporting’s Diomande in their sights. Indeed, TBRFootball reports the centre-back is ‘set to leave’ his current club this summer, and Tottenham have been watching him all season.

Despite manager Ruben Amorim’s exit in November, Sporting have maintained form and are still top of Liga Portugal, with 21-year-old Diomande playing almost every game.

While ‘several Premier League clubs’ are said to like the centre-back, Tottenham are reportedly ‘very much in the conversation’ for him. They have closely followed him this season and could make a move for him in the summer.

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Diomande has a £67million release clause, though as per the report, it’s believed his price could be dropped down to £50million.

That is less than it’s suggested Tottenham will demand for Romero, so they could certainly have a chance of landing the Sporting man if they are to lose their own centre-back.

Manchester United have previously been linked with Diomande, given his former boss Amorim coaches the Red Devils, while their rivals Manchester City are mentioned, as are Chelsea, Liverpool and Newcastle.

But Spurs are said to be in the mix, so could see their defence improve from the struggles of this season, when they have shipped 43 Premier League goals in 29 games so far.

Tottenham Hotspur will reportedly make Bournemouth boss Andoni Iraola their ‘top target’ to replace Ange Postecoglou should they sack the Australian.

Iraola has done a fantastic job the south coast and is widely regarded as one of the most promising managers in Europe.

His start at Bournemouth was far from ideal though, winning his first Premier League match at the tenth attempt.

The Cherries drew three and lost six – five of which were by two or more goals – of their first nine league matches with Iraola in charge, but the club’s hierarchy did not make a kneejerk decision.

Iraola was nominated for the Premier League Manager of the Season award and is again in contention in 2024/25. He was the only manager from a club outside the top four to be nominated last year.

Bournemouth’s form has dipped in recent weeks but they are in the race for Champions League qualification, sitting four points behind Manchester City in fifth, which should be enough to qualify for Europe’s premier competition.

His work has not gone unnoticed, with a move to a bigger club on the cards.

Tottenham Hotspur head coach Postecoglou is under pressure to deliver the Europa League with his side lingering in the bottom half of the Premier League and out of the FA Cup.

The former Celtic boss pretty much assured the club’s supporters that he would deliver a trophy in his second season and ending the campaign trophyless and in the bottom half of the Premier League will surely see him relieved of his duties.

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Iraola has been tipped by many to succeed Postecoglou if he gets sacked and a report from The Athletic says Spurs will target the 42-year-old if they get rid of the Australian.

Indeed, Iraola will be the London club’s ‘top target’ should they part ways with Postecoglou.

With Postecoglou’s position ‘under increased scrutiny’, there is a good chance Spurs will be searching for a new manager this summer, though their current focus is ‘finishing the season strongly’.

Even with a Europa League quarter-final against Eintracht Frankfurt around the corner, ‘there are question marks over his long-term future’, which is in ‘serious doubt beyond this season’.

Iraola only has one year left on his Bournemouth contract but Spurs would have to pay a £10million release clause should they wish to appoint him.

This is ‘unlikely to be a barrier’, though it all comes down to Iraola, who could be courted by other clubs in the summer, namely Real Madrid.

Also ‘under consideration’ at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium are Brentford boss Thomas Frank and Fulham’s Marco Silva, the report adds.

Silva was considered in the summer of 2023 and ‘reached the final three’ candidates, meaning he is ‘the second likeliest for the role behind Iraola’.

Tottenham star Cristian Romero is being linked with a high-profile exit this summer, with Atletico Madrid leading the charge.

Romero, 26, is a World Cup winner and the starting centre-back for the world champions and has played 115 games for Spurs since joining in 2022.

Alongside Micky van den Ven, the duo have formed a strong partnership that, when fit, has been fundamental to the club’s form. However, regular injuries have derailed that and resulted in the type of form we are currently seeing this year.

Sky Sports claim that the Spanish giants are all in on a potential move, and all signs point towards an exit for the ex-Atalanta defender who has two years left on his current deal.

Journalist Matteo Moretto claims that the Argentine is ‘willing to do everything’ to leave the club this summer, who is likely frustrated by the club’s regression this season after losing 15 league games.

FourFourTwo understands that Spurs could start the bidding at a whopping €95m, which would constitute a strong profit on the £42.5million spent to acquire him.

With both Axel Witsel and Cesar Azpilicueta in the twilight of their careers at 36 and 35 respectively, a new defender in his prime would galvanise this strong Atletico side under Diego Simeone that are currently challenging for the title.

Clement Lenglet is also on loan and will likely return to Barcelona in the summer and Robin Le Normand and Jose Gimenez could be improved on with the addition of Romero.

If he did opt to join then there would be no better manager to link up than the fiery and passionate Simeone who would champion his aggressive style.

However, he would have to manage his aggression, given he has been sent off seven times in his career, with five coming by way of a second yellow card and two being straight red offences. Nevertheless, it would be incredible fun to watch.

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Replacing Romero with Premier League quality

Given that Romero is a high-value asset with his age, international status and quality, they could easily reinvest that into their defence with Premier League quality. Namely, Marc Guehi at Crystal Palace, whose deal expires next summer.

However, they are set to face stiff competition from the likes of Liverpool, Chelsea, Newcastle United and others, given his experience and clear improvements at the top level over recent seasons.

Ange Postecoglou has been warned that unless the team go on a run from now until the end of the season, he will be sacked by the club.

That is the prediction made by former scout Mick Brown who believes the Australian could be for the chop should results not improve.

Spurs occupy 14th spot with just nine games to go in the season and a Europa League win is the only chance of some success for Postecoglou’s side.

Despite an injury-hit season, Postecoglou is still under pressure, having failed to address a slump that began midway through his first year in North London.

With that form in mind, which has seen Spurs win just 10 games this year, former scout Brown believes the 59-year-old Australian could be shown the door in the summer unless his side goes on a run of form.

“Tottenham, unless they put a run together from now to the end of the season, you would think that things might happen [to Postecoglou] there in terms of the sack for the manager”, Brown told Football Insider.

As for who should replace Postecoglou, Brown reckons another manager currently working in London fits the bill.

“Marco Silva would certainly be top of the pops in terms of competition for that [managerial] spot, that’s what I’m hearing from my sources there.”

Silva signed a new deal until the end of the 2025-26 season at Fulham in 2023, having turned down interest from Saudi Arabia.

Postecoglou has reportedly been told by chairman Daniel Levy that the club must qualify for Europe next season should he wish to remain in charge.

Even if England is awarded more European spots, it is unlikely that Tottenham, who are 13 points off sixth-placed Newcastle, would qualify through their league position.

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That means the Europa League is Postecoglou’s best chance of saving his job with the London side facing Eintracht Frankfurt in the quarter-finals.

Success in that tournament is no given, though with the likes of Athletic Bilbao, Lazio, Rangers, Lyon and Manchester United still in the hat.

Away from Silva, Bournemouth manager Andoni Iraola has been linked to the Spurs role as has Brentford boss Thomas Frank.

There is reaction to an England ladder which placed Jude Bellingham above Arsenal midfielder Declan Rice, and Dominic Solanke higher than Liam Delap.

Send your thoughts to theeditor@football365.com.

England ladder ahoy

Just a few comments:

Mike

Poor Jarrod?

I was confused by Tom G feeling sorry for Jarrod Bowen, who got his chance to impress but didn’t really take it against Latvia. Tom compares the situation to when Andy Johnson was called up and played out of position, but the comparison is frankly a bit odd.

Jarrod Bowen is 28 and has played the vast majority of his career as a right winger, I hardly think he has forgotten how to do so just because he’s been covering for Antonio for a few months. And besides, what is the alternative? Bowen isn’t going to be picked as a 9 for England, because that would be absolutely mental.

To get a chance in his most natural position is the best and only chance he was ever going to get.

Phil, London

The law is an asterisk

I read the mail from Mannix (Boro Fans) and he made interesting and valid points.

However, he fell into the trap that many seem to, and stated ‘City fans will never forget those moments, acquired unlawfully or not’

Unlawfully implies criminality, and City, and their employees, are not subject to anything like criminal proceedings.

Rules may have been broken. It’s very different to laws being broken, and this should be clear in the way it is written about.

A, LFC, Montreal

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Tone it down

While not strictly related, Keith in the mailbox did touch on an ongoing issue with this site of late. Specifically, now that we’re all being forced to pay to view this website (either with money or our personal data), do you think you could tone down the hyperbolic, tribalist clickbait nonsense? It’s exactly the sort of thing that I (and many others, I’m sure) have historically come to this website to avoid, but the descent over the last couple of years into the sort of childish mocking and ridicule that genuine football fans despise has been so, so disappointing.

Even as an Arsenal fan, I’ve found myself feeling sorry for Spurs fans this season due to the repeated and unwarranted kickings their team has received in some of your articles. Yes it’s fun to see them struggle, and yes I’m sure the thought of Arsenal failing to win the league is ROFLMAO, but when your writers start sounding like the perpetually antagonistic pub d*ckhead, then honestly I might as well just start hanging out with Jason Cundy.

Matt, AFC (at least the Mailbox still has some well written and insightful pieces)

Less crust, more trust

Nicholson, you miserable crusty old sod.

Your latest article reads like it was written by a bloke who peaked in ’66 and hasn’t seen a decent game since. Lay off the bloody negativity for five minutes, will you?

You bang on about Tuchel being an “elite” manager like it’s a bad thing. Newsflash: We hired him to win, not to give everyone a cuddle and sing Kumbaya.

And while we’re at it, let’s address this sh*te about club management being harder than international management. Picking a squad from dozens of different clubs, each with their own style, and trying to get them playing as a team in ten training sessions is arguably much harder than handling a settled club side. An elite manager working for an elite team has an elite recruitment team, so it’s not as if recruitment is something to beat Tuchel with.

Your bit about the “hipster’s choice” and “footballing ark of the covenant” – that’s rich. Especially from someone with pre-historic football rose-tinted glasses. A bit of jealousy, methinks, from someone who rates themselves as a hipster.

So, instead of wallowing in your nostalgic misery, how about we give Tuchel a chance to prove himself? He might fail, sure. But at least he’s got a plan. He saw what went wrong in the tournament finals and is figuring out how to address that during the qualifying stages – something Southgate (whom I liked) only appeared to do after the qualifiers.

Your nostalgia for Southgate’s “beta male culture” is touching, really. But last I checked, we’re not here for group therapy sessions. We’re here to win something. Anything. It’s been 58 years, in case you’ve forgotten. Southgate’s initial very defensive approach worked until it didn’t. England couldn’t turn it on when needed – as against Italy in the final. The best chance since 1066 – I mean 1966 – to win something. We saw that over and over again. Enough to get through the early rounds but not enough to get past that final hurdle.

Tuchel will get some things right and some things wrong in the early stages, but as long as we qualify and he learns enough to make England more competitive in the finals…. Look at how we crucified Carsley for one bad game and then lauded him later—after he learned and adjusted.

Johnny, have a cup of tea and a lie down. I am sure there are some replays of First Division games from the 1970’s you can use to settle your nerves.

Paul McDevitt

Tottenham reportedly want to sign Noni Madueke from Chelsea, and the club are becoming ‘frustrated’ with him and will therefore allow him to move on.

Madueke has shown promise in just over two years at Stamford Bridge. In the Premier League, he has never had a better return in front of goal than he has this season.

He has seven goals – the third most in the Chelsea side – and three assists. Madueke scored a hat-trick in his first game of the season, but has twice had runs of six games without a goal this campaign.

As a result, TBRFootball states the Blues are getting ‘frustrated’ with him. And with that being said, it’s believed he’s one of a few Chelsea players who will be allowed to leave in the summer.

Tottenham could be on hand to take advantage of that position, as the London rivals are reportedly interested in him as they assess their wide options.

They have appreciated him since before he moved to Chelsea, so the signing would be a long time coming if it’s one they are able to make.

That said, they do have competition in their way. Newcastle’s interest reportedly remains after they made an attempt to sign Madueke previously, while Aston Villa are also in the race.

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It’s not clear what price Chelsea would accept for Madueke, but with a few Premier League rivals on the offensive for him, his value could be driven up.

Madueke is only two goals behind Spurs’ top scorers Brennan Johnson and James Maddison in the Premier League this season, while he is on the same amount as Son Heung-Min, Dejan Kulusevski and Dominic Solanke.

As such, while he might not be a massive upgrade on the players already available to Ange Postecoglou at Tottenham, he would certainly be a useful member of the attacking group if they could get him.

But doing so will depend on if they can beat Newcastle, Villa and any other interested sides to the transfer.

Tottenham Hotspur head coach Ange Postecoglou has been tipped to “lose his job” on one condition with two possible replacements mooted.

Postecoglou is under huge pressure as Spurs have massively declined after they narrowly missed out on Champions League qualification ahead of this season.

Injuries have heavily impacted Spurs this season, but their performances have not been good enough as they have spent most of this campaign in the bottom half of the Premier League.

Postecoglou remains one of the favourites to be the next Premier League manager sacked following Tottenham’s disappointing 2-0 loss to Fulham before the international break.

Spurs also failed in the FA Cup and Carabao Cup, so all of their focus is on the Europa League ahead of their quarter-final against Eintracht Frankfurt.

READ: How much total prize money each Premier League team will make through all competitions in 2024/25

Ahead of this tie, former Spurs goalkeeper Paul Robinson claimed Postecoglou will “lose his job” if they “don’t win the Europa League”

“No, I don’t see the point in getting rid of him now because there’s dead space between now and the end of the season. The only thing that saves Ange Postecoglou now is the Europa League,” Robinson said.

“It could either be a disastrous season for Tottenham or in six weeks, we could be talking about them playing in the Champions League next season. His and his team’s future hangs on the Europa League. They’ve got massive games against Frankfurt home and away.

He added: “There’ve been some great nights under his stewardship, but results just haven’t been good enough. For me, if they don’t win the Europa League, then the manager loses his job.”

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Robinson has also explained why he reckons AFC Bournemouth’s Andoni Iraola and Fulham’s Marco Silva are “achievable targets” for Spurs.

“No disrespect to Bournemouth or Fulham, but Tottenham’s a bigger club. Every week we talk about their fantastic stadium and training ground, so they’ve got everything in place except what’s happening on the pitch,” Robinson added.

“Any manager would know that they can’t take this club backwards because they haven’t won a trophy since 2008, so they’ve only got two options, be successful or do the same as any other manager at this club. Tottenham Hotspur would be a massive draw for any manager.

“Andoni Iraola’s done a fantastic job at Bournemouth. They’re defensively sound, whilst at the same time, they play a really good brand of football.

“Marco Silva doesn’t normally get linked with top jobs because of things that happened earlier on in his managerial career, such as his time at Hull and Everton, but Fulham have become an extremely well-established side, so I wouldn’t be disappointed if either of them were at Tottenham next season and I think both of them are achievable targets for Spurs.”

Tottenham would reportedly need to pay £40million for Wolves defender Rayan Ait-Nouri, after it was stated they had become frontrunners with a first bid.

Defensive stability has been a problem for Spurs this season. After 29 games in the Premier League, they have conceded 43 goals.

It follows a campaign in which they shipped 61 goals. But then, Tottenham finished fifth in the league, and they’d be lucky to come in the top half this season, given they’re currently 14th and 10 points off 10th.

They have their eyes on defensive reinforcements, with a number of reports suggesting Wolves man Ait-Nouri is one of their priorities. He’d likely replace Destiny Udogie as the first-choice left-back, who’s already lost his place to right-back Djed Spence at times this season.

According to Football Insider, Spurs would have to pay £40million to land Ait-Nouri. Amid competition from the likes of Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester United, that could see them safely land the left-back.

It seems Spurs will have to raise what they think is a decent offer if they are to get Ait-Nouri, then.

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Indeed, it was reported of late that they were planning a bid in the region of £29.5million, and a few days later, news of a £30million offer was revealed by just one outlet, which may suggest it was not a legitimate report.

In any case, it stated Tottenham were ‘the most likely candidates’ to sign Ait-Nouri. If that is the case, amid interest from other Premier League and European clubs, it would seem they would have to lodge an offer which Wolves are happier with.

Indeed, there is the chance that the door could be opened for one of their rival clubs if they decide against matching the £40million, given somebody else could decide to pay it.

Contact between Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy and former boss Mauricio Pochettino has reportedly ‘never really stopped’ and even Ange Postecoglou winning the Europa League might not help him from being sacked.

Spurs are in a poor spot in the Premier League. After a fifth-placed finish last season – Postecoglou’s first – and the manager stating he “always wins” something in his second season, there was optimism.

But Tottenham have slumped massively, currently finding themselves 14th in the Premier League. Postecoglou’s suggestion about second-season triumphs will be dead it he doesn’t win the Europa League, as might his job.

In fact, according to GIVEMESPORT, that might not be safe even if he does engineer triumph in that competition. Indeed, it’s stated there is a ‘growing feeling’ that even winning the European title might not be enough.

It’s believed among talk of Andoni Iraola and Marco Silva being lined up as candidates to replace Postecoglou, that the idea of former boss Pochettino‘s return has ‘lingered ever since he left’.

Indeed, it’s believed he remains ‘friendly’ with chairman Levy, and their contact has ‘never really stopped’. Though Pochettino is coaching the USA, performances have not been fantastic, so it’s not as if he could not be convinced away.

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It’s believed speculation about his return to north London could grow. It seems likely that if Spurs are dumped out of the Europa League, calls for Postecoglou’s head will get louder.

That could lend itself to calls for Pochettino’s return to also grow. Speculation has been particularly rife this week, after a photo of Levy and Pochettino sitting together was posted on social media.

There’s no way to prove when the photo was from, but the timing of its release, amid the pressure Postecoglou finds himself under, certainly adds fuel to the fire that the Argentine could replace him.

Tottenham are reportedly planning a ‘significant investment’ on Viktor Gyokeres, who is said to be ‘intrigued’ by Nottingham Forest, who have initiated contact for the striker.

Gyokeres is one of the deadliest strikers in Europe at the moment. He bagged 43 goals in all competitions for Sporting CP last season, and has 40 so far this term.

Amid that period of form, the likes of Manchester United, Chelsea and Barcelona have been linked with his signing. As have Tottenham, who reports in Spain suggest are willing to make a ‘significant investment’ on the striker.

Indeed, Gyokeres is said to be one of the most attractive options to bolster their attack next season.

Sporting will reportedly ‘remain firm’ in their demands for Gyokeres, which are currently said to be €65m-€75m (£54.5m-£62.9m), rather than his €100m (£83.7m) release clause.

But Tottenham face danger from yet another Premier League side, as Football Transfers reports Nottingham Forest have ‘initiated contact’ with the striker.

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He is said to be viewed as the long-term successor to Chris Wood, who at 33 years old, has 18 Premier League goals this season.

The report states Gyokeres is ‘intrigued by the prospect’ of heading to the City Ground. The potential of Champions League football in an ambitious project is said to be attractive for the striker.

Forest are aiming to re-establish themselves among the elite of English football, and the signing of one of the deadliest strikers in the world matches up with that.

Gyokeres has just one season of Champions League football under his belt, playing eight games and scoring six goals this season – including a hat-trick against Manchester City – and with Forest third in the Premier League, another campaign there could beckon for Gyokeres.

Tottenham’s only way of landing a spot in the elite European competition is by winning the Europa League, so the City Ground outfit have a much better shot at the moment.