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Daniel Levy was removed as Tottenham chairman despite the club's statement saying he had 'stepped down', talkSPORT understands.

Spurs confirmed the bombshell announcement on Thursday, which came as more of a surprise to club staff than Levy himself.

Tottenham made the decision to end the 63-year-old's tenure three days after the transfer deadline, following 24 years in the role.

It came as part of a move to gain more sporting success on the pitch, despite the north Londoners winning the Europa League last season.

Levy remains a shareholder in the club's owners, ENIC, but won't have any day-to-day influence over Spurs.

His exit followed months of internal reviews, with the Englishman sensing for much of the summer that a departure was coming.

Despite this, talkSPORT understands that his farewell shocked Spurs staff, most of whom were informed via a club email that preceded the statement claiming he had stepped down.

Levy's replacement as Tottenham's new non-executive chairman, Peter Charrington, had been involved in the decision.

Spurs' chief executive officer Vinai Venkatesham, who had enjoyed a strong relationship with Levy, was equally important in the restructure.

The former Arsenal official has since taken ownership of the responsibilities as CEO, having felt the executive chairman role was old-fashioned.

However, Levy's exit is understood to have been driven by the Lewis family, headed up by Joe Lewis, whose kids, Vivienne and Charlie, played a key role.

The Lewis family owns a 70.12 per cent stake in ENIC (the 86.91 per cent controlling share of Tottenham), with the remaining 29.88 of the shares in the British investment company belonging to Levy.

Levy's exit could pave way for £3billion sale

Before his removal, Levy had been tasked with finding a minority investor, having held talks with Qatar Sports Investments.

His removal as chairman means it is more likely a full sale of Tottenham is considered, with the club valued at in excess of £3bn.

Suggestions that a Qatari investor are closing in on a full purchase of the club are denied by well-placed sources, talkSPORT can reveal.

At present, investors from the US and Saudi Arabia seem most engaged over both investment and commercial opportunities, talkSPORT understands.

Joe Lewis' children will ultimately play a major role in whether Tottenham will be put on the market, alongside Charrington.

Meanwhile, Fabio Paratici's return to oversee recruitment has not been impacted and is expected to be complete before the end of October.

Opportunity to 'transform' Spurs

Levy's Tottenham exit could provide the chance for an investor to 'transform' the club.

That is the opinion of football finance expert Kieran Maguire, should the outgoing chairman chooses to sell his shares.

On future plans, Maguire told talkSPORT: "First of all, I think we've got to look at Daniel's own investment in Spurs, 27 or 28 per cent.

"If he's not going to be involved in the day-to-day running of the club, why continue to own those shares? So he might choose to divest himself."

As for potential investment, Maguire added: "I'm fully aware that Spurs have got so many saleable points.

"It's in London. You don't have to spend money on the infrastructure because the stadiums there, the training facilities are magnificent.

"It's an incredibly attractive proposition to both American investors and Middle Eastern investors because it's easy to get to from a transport point of view.

"It's got history and heritage. There is the opportunity to transform it. It's in a relatively strong position from a PSR perspective.

"So therefore you're not constantly looking over your shoulder in terms of 'what can I buy and what can't I buy?'

"It's certainly the biggest club in town as far as potential investors are concerned, and then it comes down to the Lewis family and what their long-term objectives are."

Levy is not responsible for all of Tottenham’s problems

Former Spurs manager Harry Redknapp insists he enjoyed his time working under Levy and says the latter's exit took him by surprise.

“Absolutely out of the blue. I never saw that coming at all,” the ex-Spurs told talkSPORT

“I thought Daniel would be there forever. When someone texted me [the news], I thought, 'No, you’re having a wind-up.'”

“I never had any problem with Daniel,” Redknapp added. “I sit here and I don’t have any relationship with him or speak to him, not that I don’t want to.

“I found him very good to work for. He wasn’t at the training ground every day. He wasn’t poking his nose in as to who should and shouldn’t play.”

“Joe would have the final say,” Redknapp added. “Whether Daniel spent the money or didn’t, he always had to speak to Joe to get the final word on everything.

“If Joe didn’t want to spend big money in the transfer market, then Daniel wasn’t able to do that.

“He took the brunt of the criticism for sure, but it wasn’t always down to Daniel.”

Paul Pogba has been selected in the Monaco squad for this season's Champions League.

The former Manchester United midfielder returned to football after a two-year absence by signing for the Ligue 1 side in the summer.

Pogba was confirmed to have failed a drugs test in October 2023 as the Frenchman tested positive for raised levels of testosterone.

He was initially given a four-year ban but after a successful appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, this was reduced to 18 months.

Pogba was at Juventus at the time and later had his contract in Italy terminated, therefore making him a free agent.

The 32-year-old joined a Monaco side that earned Champions League qualification by finishing third in Ligue 1 last season.

All 36 sides competing in the 2025/26 tournament have submitted their squads, and Pogba will be available for Monaco boss Adi Hutter.

Should he play in the tournament, which would be for the first time since 2022, the midfielder could be set for three interesting reunions.

Who could Pogba face in the Champions League?

Monaco open their league phase campaign away to Club Brugge before hosting Manchester City at their Stade Louis II stadium.

Pogba has played City nine times throughout his career at United and Juventus, with wins coming on four of those occasions.

Next to travel to Monaco will be Tottenham, another side that he has faced across nine different matches.

All of his appearances against Spurs came with United and he was on the winning side five times.

Bodo/Glimt, Pafos FC, Galatasaray and Real Madrid make up their next opponents before matchday eight of the league phase.

And it's Pogba's former club Juventus who will provide the final test.

The World Cup winner featured against the Italian giants for United in the 2018/19 Champions League groups.

Juventus won the first match at Old Trafford, whilst United were the victorious side in the second in Turin.

Given he hasn't played competitive football since September 3, 2023, it's no surprise that Pogba is yet to have featured for Monaco.

However, his club debut could come in the Champions League, which begins begins for them on September 18.

Neil Warnock insists he never doubted Djed Spence's ability but his attitude was a problem during their time together at Middlesbrough.

It hasn’t been plain sailing for the Tottenham defender since his time on Teesside, however his call-up to Thomas Tuchel’s England squad appears to have quashed any criticism regarding his overall mindset.

Spence was loaned to Nottingham Forest in 2021 off the back of the then Middlesbrough boss’ comments regarding his potential career trajectory.

“There are not many players where you can say it's all up to them personally how far they go – it's what's between the ears,” said Warnock at the time. “He could be playing at a top club in England or in non-league in five years, I don't know.”

His loan spell at Forest ended in jubilation with the Midlands club securing promotion to the Premier League after winning the Championship play-off final.

In the aftermath of Forest’s triumph, Spence hit back with a brazen tweet on X, welcoming Warnock to the social media platform with a picture of himself celebrating in the Wembley dressing room with the trophy and a cigar.

Now, speaking ahead of what could be his senior debut, Spence said: “I wouldn't say I have a list (of doubters) or anything. But I do have a mental note of people who doubted me, for sure, and it does feel good to prove them wrong.”

Warnock was handed the opportunity to respond to Spence on talkSPORT Breakfast on Thursday morning and said he never doubted the 25-year-old's talent.

“Nobody’s ever doubted his ability. His ability is fantastic, he’s got legs, he’s quick, he can go past people, he’s not bad at 1v1 defending,” Warnock said.

“I never doubted him on the field, it was off the field.”

Asked to elaborate on his claims, Warnock refused, adding: "It's not right to go into everything but his attitude wasn’t right for me.

“Some things off the field happen which I didn’t enjoy and I spoke to him about it a couple of times.

“I don’t think he was for changing. I think he thought I was probably just barking up the tree.”

Spence’s international call-up caps a monumental turnaround for him after being sent out on loan three times by Spurs shortly after his £20million arrival from Middlesbrough in 2022.

Upon landing in north London, then Spurs boss Antonio Conte was quick to banish him by referring to his acquisition as an 'investment of the club'.

Spells with Rennes, Leeds United and Genoa followed in a sequence of events that helped prepare Spence to later establish himself as a first-team regular at Tottenham.

“You can’t say Daniel Farke, myself and [Antonio] Conte were all wrong,” Warnock added.

“I said to him: ‘You need to go home and look in the mirror’. He couldn’t continue doing things off the field. He had to concentrate on the field on what he’s good at.

“He went to Forest and did well. He didn’t do so well at Tottenham, I know Conte didn’t play him much.

“I was talking with Nick Montgomery who was with Ange [Postecoglou] and he said his attitude wasn’t very good.

“But he came back last year and he was superb in training. He said he looked like a changed lad and looked like he’d matured a little bit.

“They played him when Destiny Udogie got injured and he never looked back after that.”

Warnock continued: “His ability has never been in doubt but I think you’ve got to be a little bit more humble than what he was.

“It was in the Covid time when I had him. There were one or two things in the local area that I wasn’t happy about.

“We’ve all got to learn. Now, he’s letting his ability do the talking and not his cigars!”

Spence to make England history

Meanwhile, Spence has spoken of his pride at the prospect of becoming the first Muslim to represent the England football team.

The Tottenham defender is set to make history this weekend if he is handed his Three Lions debut in Saturday’s World Cup qualifier against Andorra at Wembley.

He is fully aware of the significance of what he could soon achieve and hopes his rise to the senior squad can help inspire future generations.

“It's amazing,” Spence said. “I did see it and I was surprised, really. The first ever. It's a big thing for me, my faith. It's just amazing. I don't have the words.”

Spence regularly posts about his faith on social media and credits that connection with his ability to get through the dark moments in his career.

"I pray a lot, I give gratitude to God,” Spence added. “In the toughest moments of my life, the darkest moments, I've always believed that God has always been by my side. It's a big thing for me, my faith."

Ahead of what could be a monumental weekend for the Europa League winner, Spence, whose father is from Jamaica and mother from Kenya, says he doesn’t feel any pressure at the possibility of becoming a trailblazer.

“I just play football with a smile on my face,” he said. “Be happy, and the rest will take care of itself.

“If I can do it, you can do it. Not just Muslim kids, any child of any faith. Put your mind to something and you can do it.”

Michael Owen may have made some questionable transfers in his career, but that hasn’t stopped him going in two-footed on Harry Kane’s.

The former Liverpool and Manchester United striker was discussing his countryman when he tore into his decision to leave Tottenham Hotspur for Bayern Munich.

Speaking with former England teammate Rio Ferdinand, Owen was naming his favourite strikers, and started off very complimentary about Kane before shifting to his decision to move to Bayern - where he won his first career trophy with the Bundesliga.

“I disagreed with him going to Germany, I still think he was nuts,” Owen began.

Ferdinand asked if winning the league offset that call, with Owen brutally responding: “Mate, and?

“You're on the verge of being the all-time top Premier League goalscorer. You've got kids that are all in school. I mean, I just couldn't see it. I don't see it.

“If you go and move to Celtic and win the league, are you like, ‘I changed that’? They win every year, there's no great achievement in that.

“A great achievement would have been being the top goalscorer ever in the Premier League.

“That would have been unbelievable. And he could have won things along the way.”

Kane ranks second in the Premier League’s scoring list on 213 goals with only Alan Shearer ahead on 260.

Is a Bundesliga worth more than a Spurs trophy for Kane?

Given the former Spurs man’s rate of scoring he may well have topped the list in two seasons, and the debate over whether that feat is worth more than a Bundesliga title has long raged, with Bayern winning 12 out of the last 13.

Their only season without victory in that run was Kane’s first after his £88million move during the 2023/24 season when Xabi Alonso’s Bayer Leverkusen took their first title.

Bayern made amends the following year, but just weeks later Kane’s former side Spurs won their first trophy in 17 seasons with the Europa League.

That has prompted another debate over which would have mattered more to the England captain, and Ferdinand put the question to Owen.

“Yeah. Absolutely, yeah. Anyway, we digress,” confirming his opinion that a title with Spurs would have mattered more.

Why Owen adores Kane

Despite all of Owen’s criticisms of Kane’s one and only career transfer, the former England regular clearly loves everything else about him.

“Harry Kane is just lethal,” he said of the goalscorer.

“I think he's a brilliant finisher. I love him. I think he is lethal. He's got balls of steel under pressure.

“Penalties are a big thing now, especially a couple of years ago when any flick off a hand was a handball.

“Penalties are happening so often. You've got to have a great penalty taker. He is unbelievable. He's got a presence. I do like him. I think he's been brilliant over the years.”

Kylian Mbappe is the best player in the world

As one of the game’s great strikers and the 2001 Ballon d’Or winner, Owen’s opinions on the position fascinated Ferdinand.

Reserving special praise for Ollie Watkins who ‘could be top class’ and the ‘lethal’ Erling Haaland, Owen had little doubt about the best in the world.

“Well, is Kylian Mbappe a number nine?” he responded to Ferdinand’s question.

“To me, he's the best in the world. I think [the best player too], yeah.

“In the most pressure, he can take a game away from someone. Mbappe, he's got the ability to embarrass you.

“If he gets you out wide, he's got a bit of skill, his touch is brilliant, he's raw pace, he can finish, he can take the game away.

“Somebody that can take a game away from you through brilliance has got to be the best.”

Should penalties count towards your goal record?

The goal machines who have graced the Premier League would tell you yes - they all count.

Not that Alan Shearer would mind. He scored 260 Premier League goals during his spells at Newcastle and Blackburn.

Mohamed Salah is the only current player who is anywhere near the greatest goal scorer the league has ever seen.

The Liverpool winger has 187 strikes to his name, but is in a race against time to overtake Shearer.

Sitting in joint-fourth in the standings, Salah, who has just two years left on his deal at Anfield, needs to find the back of the net on 74 more occasions to go top.

How close is Harry Kane to Alan Shearer's goal tally?

Harry Kane, sitting second in the list, was on course to shatter Shearer's record having fired in 213 goals for Tottenham.

But he departed for Bayern Munich in 2023, where he has kept scoring and not a week goes by where he has not recorded a unique first.

There remains every chance the 32-year-old could still eclipse Shearer's tally should he seal an emotional return to north London in the future.

Should penalties count on a goal record?

That is the question talkSPORT's Drive show is asking. So who comes out on top of the goalscoring standings if penalties are removed?

Frank Lampard has the biggest drop, moving from seventh in the list to outside the top ten, with 43 of his 177 strikes coming from the spot.

Here, talkSPORT.com has taken a look at the Premier League's top ten scorers if spot kicks are removed from the history books.

The Liverpool icon scored 118 goals for the Reds during his two spells.

A fan favourite wherever he went, he was also on target for Leeds and Manchester City.

Fowler slotted home 17 Premier League penalties during his time spent in England's top-flight.

A Tottenham icon, Defoe scored 143 goals for the club across his two spells at White Hart Lane.

But he didn't have the best of luck from 12 yards out for Spurs, with just four out of his nine Premier League penalties crossing the line.

During his 12 months at Portsmouth, he banged in four out of his five attempts from the spot.

While he scored six penalties on Sunderland's books without missing a single one.

Remarkably, the 58-year-old never took a single penalty throughout his career in normal time.

As such, he has jumped from 12th in the list to eighth - replacing Lampard in the top ten.

Ferdinand struck 60 times in QPR's colours, with 41 goals coming from his 68 outings for Newcastle, while he also banged in for Spurs, West Ham, Leicester and Bolton.

Discussing his decision to take no penalties, Ferdinand said: "To be honest with you, the truth is if I’d have said, ‘I want to take them,' I don’t think anyone would have stopped me.

"But then I had that (thought), ‘I’m going to go through my career without taking a penalty and see how many goals I’m going to score.'

"That’s what I thought back then. But do you know what? I regret it.”

Henry spent the entirety of his Premier League career at Arsenal, spread across two spells.

The Frenchman remains the club's all-time top scorer with 228 goals in all competitions.

Widely regarded as the best player in Premier League history, Henry spearheaded the Gunners to top-flight glory in 2002 and 2004.

He scored 23 league penalties, with his most famous coming on the final day of the 2003/04 campaign.

Arsenal - already champions - went into the match needing just a draw against relegated Leicester to become the first side since Preston in 1899 to go a whole season unbeaten.

But the unthinkable happened after Paul Dickov broke the deadlock on his return to Highbury, before Henry equalised from the spot with Patrick Vieira scoring an eventual winner to seal Arsenal's place in history.

Shipped out by Chelsea after just 19 games, few would have expected Salah to reach the heights he had upon his return to England in 2017.

No other foreign player has scored more goals in the Premier League than the former Roma forward.

A penalty specialist, Salah has banged in 34 of the 40 he has taken in the division.

Only two players have scored more spot-kicks in the Premier League.

Last season, he converted nine penalties as his strikes helped the Reds claim a second league title in five years.

The Manchester City hero spent ten years at the Etihad, where he departed having scored 260 goals in 390 games in all competitions.

A five-time Premier League winner, he is the club's all-time scorer.

Meanwhile, no-one in Premier League history has fired in more hat-tricks than Aguero's 12.

He also holds the honour of being the only player to find the back of the net at least four times in a single match on three separate occasions.

And he proved to be an established penalty taker - scoring 27 out of his 33 attempts.

The England skipper missed just four of his 37 Premier League penalties.

No player in Premier League history has scored more goals for a single club than Kane.

One of the greatest penalty takers of the 21st century, only Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo and Brazilian forward Hulk have scored more than Kane.

In total, Kane has scored 90 times from 12 yards out across all competitions for club and country.

His recent miss in Bayern's DFB-Pokal first round win against Wehen Wiesbaden was the first time he wasn't successful from the spot since blazing over against France at the 2022 World Cup.

Rooney didn't have the best record from the penalty spot in the top-flight.

At Manchester United, Rooney scored 20 out of his 28 Premier League spot-kicks.

While in his second spell at Everton, he scored just three out of his six penalties during the 2017/18 campaign.

Out of the top ten players in the non-penalty goals list, Rooney boasts the lowest conversion rate at 68 per cent.

Though ironically, in each of the 13 matches in all competitions that Rooney missed a penalty in, he still found himself on the winning team.

A five-time Premier League champion with United, Cole took just two penalties during his career.

He missed his first while on Newcastle's books in the 0-0 draw against Coventry in December 1994.

Cole had to wait over ten years to finally make amends - doing so for Fulham in the Cottagers' 2-1 victory at Birmingham in January 2005.

Discussing why he chose against taking penalties in 2022, Cole said: "I wanted to score goals in open play, I genuinely said that to myself.

"If I didn't think I could do that, I don't think I'd be good enough, that was a simple way to look at it. You can say that's arrogant but I'm not arrogant.

"Football is played in open play and to have a penalty, I suppose it's that simple, if you can't score goals in open play, you're not good enough to play at the elite level. That is the way I looked at it, even more so now, and I'm proud of my record."

Once again, it is Shearer who comes out on top.

With 56 penalties, no player has scored more than the Toon legend in the Premier League.

He is also the only footballer to score at least a century of Premier League goals for two different clubs.

Shearer scored 112 times for Blackburn between 1992-1996 - helping Rovers win the title in 1995 - their first league triumph in 81 years.

A then-world-record £15million move to boyhood club Newcastle followed in 1996, where he banged in 148 goals in 303 appearances.

And while he failed to win any major honours at St James' Park, he has left a lasting legacy that no player is yet to eclipse.

Antoine Semenyo couldn't help but rub Bournemouth's win over Tottenham Hotspur in Mohammed Kudus' face.

The two Premier League stars have met up with Ghana for the international break after playing each other last weekend.

Semenyo's Bournemouth beat Kudus' Spurs 1-0 at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Saturday afternoon.

The Cherries dealt Spurs their first loss of the season under new boss Thomas Frank, thanks to Evanilson's early goal.

It was an unexpected result considering Frank's side's positive start to the campaign, but it left Semenyo delighted.

And now he's in training with Kudus for Ghana, he's had the chance to make a cheeky jibe at his top-flight rival about the game.

"Hi guys, Kuku my boy, how was the game on Saturday?" he began in a handheld video posted on Ghana's official social media.

Semenyo then decided to go and find Kudus in person, who was sitting in the dugout at the side of the pitch.

After reaching him, the forward asked his national teammate: "How was the game on Saturday, bro?"

Kudus replied 'it was good' before realising what Semenyo meant, quickly adding: "We'll be back, we'll be back!"

Semenyo then burst out into chuckling laughter, cheekily running off and telling the camera: "1-0, 1-0, 1-0."

His Ghana teammates also giggled at the jibe behind the camera.

How did Bournemouth beat Spurs?

It was Evanilson's goal that was the difference as Bournemouth beat Tottenham in the Premier League last weekend.

Marcos Senesi's drilled pass found the Brazilian in the box, and he was allowed to turn and find the back of the net via a deflection.

Spurs never managed to get going despite conceding early, with them only managing five shots at goal all game.

Frank's side hit the target once throughout the 90 minutes.

Andoni Iraola's Bournemouth, on the other hand, had 20 attempts as they battered the host's goal in north London.

The result saw Spurs drop to fourth with their first loss, while the Cherries moved level on points with their opponents in seventh.

Semenyo vs Kudus

When it comes to personal stats this season, it's Semenyo that comes out on top of that match-up too.

The 25-year-old scored two against Liverpool on the opening night of the Premier League before going on to add an assist to his tally.

So, he's on three goal contributions in three appearances.

As for Kudus, he's yet to score for Tottenham having joined from West Ham in the summer transfer window.

In his three games so far, the ex-Hammer has two assists to his name.

The next clash between the pair is scheduled for January 7, 2026, when Spurs travel to the Vitality Stadium with Kudus likely to try and seek some revenge.

Dele Alli has left Como with his contract being terminated.

The 29-year-old departs the Serie A side after just eight months in Italy.

During that time, Alli only made one appearance under Cesc Fabregas last season.

However, his cameo off the bench against AC Milan in March ended after just nine minutes as he was shown a straight red card.

Despite being named on the bench multiple times during the final weeks of the campaign he failed to make another appearance.

Reports earlier in the summer claimed Alli was no longer in Fabregas' plans at Como.

They have now been confirmed as the former England international leaves the club with ten months remaining on his deal.

A joint statement from Alli and Como read: "Como 1907 and Dele Alli have agreed to a mutual termination of his contract.

"Dele is keen to secure regular playing opportunities and, as he was not part of the club’s immediate plans, both parties felt it was the right decision to part ways ahead of the transfer window closing.

"The club thanks Dele for his time at Como and wishes him the very best for the future."

Alli had penned a contract through to the end of this season with the option of a further year.

It was also claimed last month that Alli had been considering retirement after his exile from the Como first-team.

According to La Gazzetta dello Sport, he was one of a number of players following their own training schedule during pre-season.

The decision not to include Alli in his plans appeared to be a U-turn by Fabregas after previous comments about his future.

Having not played the ex-Tottenham Hotspur man since the red card against Milan, the Spaniard gave an update in May.

Speaking before a match against Parma, he revealed: "I play those who train well and earn a spot during the week.

"Dele Alli needs to keep working. He had his chance in Milan, but was sent off and then got injured. When the right time comes, it just comes."

Prior to Alli's Como debut, he had not made a competitive appearance for more than two years.

His loan spell at Turkish club Besiktas during the 2022/23 season was ended abruptly by a muscle injury.

Despite undergoing treatment on the issue after returning to Everton and training with the Toffees, he was unable to regain full fitness.

As a result, Alli departed the Merseyside club as a free agent when his contract expired at the end of June 2024.

The two-time PFA Young Player of the Year has 194 Premier League appearances to his name for Spurs and Everton, scoring 51 goals and providing 35 assists.

He has also scored three goals in 37 caps for the Three Lions since making his debut aged 19 in 2015.

Tottenham have completed the loan signing of Randal Kolo Muani from Paris Saint-Germain.

The French forward joins Spurs on a deal until the end of the season with no option or obligation to buy. Kolo Muani will wear the no.39 shirt.

He becomes Thomas Frank's eighth signing of the transfer window and his second on loan after Joao Palhinha.

Spurs took their spending past the £180million mark with the arrival of Xavi Simons from RB Leipzig on Friday.

Meanwhile, Kolo Muani has joined the club amid fresh injury fears surrounding Dominic Solanke.

The striker missed last weekend's defeat to Bournemouth due to an ankle issue.

Frank confirmed it is a re-occurrence of the injury which hampered Solanke's pre-season campaign.

He is currently being assessed by the club's medical team but could return against West Ham after the international break.

As for Kolo Muani, the 26-year-old has nine goals in 31 caps for France.

His arrival in north London follows a loan spell at Juventus during the second half of last season.

Across his time in Italy, he scored ten goals in 22 appearances for the Serie A side.

Kolo Muani also received a Champions League winners medal after featuring four times in the competition for PSG before his January loan switch.

That trophy joins a pair of league titles and a French Cup triumph during his time with the club.

Where is Kolo Muani's best position?

The former Frankfurt star is capable of playing across the front three, but is most effective as a striker according to Crystal Palace boss Oliver Glasner.

They previously worked together at the German club, with Kolo Muani scoring 23 goals and adding 20 assists in 46 matches under the Austrian coach.

Following his move to PSG in 2023, Glasner spoke to L'Equipe and said: "For me, he isn’t a wide player. The conventional winger is Ousmane Dembele.

"I needed to see a Kolo Muani who scored goals, and out wide, he made lots of assists, but he scored very little.

"So he needed to be in the middle. But you can’t ask him to be static. I don’t think he’s at his best like that.

"He isn’t a physical striker like Olivier Giroud for example, he needs to use his pace. He is very intelligent with his movement, he also improved a lot with his left foot last season."

Glasner had previously hailed Kolo Muani's attitude just six months into his time at Frankfurt.

He explained: "We [signed] him because we saw great potential in him. We saw instantly that he was really quick.

"He listens and tries things on the pitch, plus he’s a great boy. He’s not 17 anymore, he’s 23 so he’s at a good footballing age.

"It’s not that surprising that he is so able. That he's playing such a crucial, formative role, on the other hand, perhaps is [surprising] but he deserves that due to his performances."

Lucas Paqueta could sit out of West Ham's trip to Nottingham Forest on Sunday amid speculation over his future, talkSPORT understands.

Aston Villa entered the race to sign Paqueta earlier on Saturday.

West Ham do not ideally want to sell Paqueta but they would listen to offers of £60million or above.

The Brazilian has played every minute of the season so far for the Hammers, scoring two goals in three games.

He is a key part of his side's line-up and manager Graham Potter is reluctant to lose one of his star men.

But Villa could potentially make a move for Paqueta as they look to add some more creativity to their squad.

Unai Emery's side have not scored in their opening two Premier League outings, of which they have lost one and drawn one.

They also said goodbye to Jacob Ramsey as their academy product joined Newcastle, leaving them with one less midfield option.

Villa look to be eyeing a move for Paqueta after Tottenham's interest in the 28-year-old Brazil international.

As reported exclusively in talkSPORT's transfer notebook, Spurs are also admirers of Paqueta.

talkSPORT understands that he has been a player of interest for last season's Europa League winners.

But Thomas Frank may be less interested now after signing his new No.10 in Xavi Simons following Arsenal's Eberechi Eze hijack.

Despite the interest though, Paqueta is understood not to be actively pushing for a move away from West Ham, as the club stuck with him whilst he was being investigated for spot fixing.

Hammers' nightmare to continue?

Losing Paqueta before Monday's deadline would make West Ham's nightmare start to the season even worse.

Potter's side have been beaten in all three of their outings this season so far, losing their first two league games.

Newly-promoted Sunderland claimed a 3-0 win on the opening weekend, while Chelsea thrashed then them 5-1.

West Ham were knocked out of the Carabao Cup in midweek too, losing 3-2 against top-flight rivals Wolves.

And it was after that defeat that club captain Jarrod Bowen had to be held back from confronting a Hammers fan at Molineux.

It means that West Ham have conceded 11 goals in just those three games, with things going wrong on and off the pitch.

On top of that, they have already lost one of their stars this summer, with Mohammed Kudus joining Spurs.

Kudus, Bowen and Paqueta have been key for the Hammers, but they could potentially now lose two of that star trio.

The transfer deadline is set for 7pm on Monday night.

West Ham have already made seven signings in the window, including their newest arrivals Mateus Fernandes and Soungoutou Magassa.

Meanwhile, Aston Villa have only added three new faces to their side - Evan Guessand, Yasin Ozcan and Marco Bizot.

Villa will hope to make that four should they make a move for Paqueta and meet West Ham's valuation.

Manchester City centre-back Manuel Akanji is a transfer target for Tottenham, talkSPORT understands.

Spurs are looking to add another defender to their ranks and Man City are open to letting Akanji leave the club.

The Swiss international has two years remaining on his contract at the Etihad Stadium.

But he has not played a minute so far in the Premier League this season for Pep Guardiola's side.

And it appears that he could be set for an exit ahead of the transfer deadline on Monday night.

Akanji joined Man City from Borussia Dortmund in 2022 and he has gone on to make 158 appearances in all competitions.

However, with Tottenham now interested, the two-time Premier League champion could make a move.

Thomas Frank is eyeing another centre-back to add some extra quality to his already large collection of defenders.

Akanji would join club captain Cristian Romero, Micky van de Ven, Kevin Danso and Radu Dragusin as options in the centre of defence.

Dragusin is currently working back to fitness following an ACL injury though, while Ben Davies has not featured his season.

Frank experimented with a back five in the UEFA Super Cup and that could be in his thinking for the future, with Akanji a target.

However, it may not be a straightforward deal to get done...

Battle begins

Tottenham are not the only Premier League side looking at signing Akanji before the deadline.

talkSPORT understands Crystal Palace are also interested.

Palace have identified the 30-year-old as a potential replacement for Marc Guehi should he depart Selhurst Park.

Liverpool remain interested in Guehi, who is now into his final year of his deal with the Eagles.

Manager Oliver Glasner has been reluctant to let his centre-back go after selling star man Eberechi Eze to Arsenal.

But it appears Palace are looking at options to replace him should he leave, with Spurs now providing some competition.

Simons to sign

Should Akanji join Tottenham, he would become their second late signing in this summer transfer window.

talkSPORT understands that Spurs are set to sign Xavi Simons.

RB Leipzig's Simons is on the brink of heading to the Premier League in a deal worth £51.8million.

The Dutchman has completed his medical in north London after arriving from Germany on Thursday.

His move comes following heavy interest from Chelsea, who had agreed personal terms with the 22-year-old.

A club-to-club agreement couldn't be reached though, meaning Spurs have been able to swoop in and make the approach.