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Tottenham have not had a bid rejected for Nico Paz, according to Como's president.

The midfielder has emerged as a reported transfer target in recent days as Thomas Frank looks to bolster his squad.

However, the Italian club's chief Mirwan Suwarso has poured water on the links between Spurs and Paz.

It had been claimed the Premier League side had seen a £50million bid rejected by Como.

Their interest followed a stunning start to the new Serie A season for Paz on Sunday.

The 20-year-old scored and provided an assist in a 2-0 win over Lazio.

Following the victory, Suwarso has responded to the speculation surrounding the Argentine international.

He told Corriere della Sera: "I'm not in a position to say he could win the Ballon d'Or in the future.

"The transfer rumors about Tottenham? It's not true that we rejected the offer.

"No one formalizes offers knowing that we'd then have to send them to Real Madrid, who have the right to match them.

"There was a moment when we feared Nico might return to Madrid.

"He grew up in Real Madrid's youth academy and dreams of playing at the Bernabeu one day. Luckily, he stayed."

Como signed Paz from Real Madrid last summer on a four-year deal through to the summer of 2028.

The move includes an option for the Spanish giants to match any offers for their academy graduate.

Since completing his switch to Como, Paz has scored seven goals and provided 10 assists in 37 appearances across all competitions.

Meanwhile, Spurs face missing out on yet another transfer target this summer.

Their move for Eberechi Eze collapsed last week after a successful hijack by north London rivals Arsenal.

The Gunners are also set to beat Spurs to the signing of Bayer Leverkusen defender Piero Hincapie this week.

Frank has been able to add six players to his squad this summer after succeeding Ange Postecoglou in the dugout.

His transfer spend of more than £125million includes former loanees Mathys Tel and Kevin Danso joining the club permanently.

Meanwhile, Joao Palhinha has completed a season-long loan switch from Bayern Munich.

Despite their transfer frustrations, Spurs have made a perfect start to the new season with two wins from two matches without conceding.

They followed up their opening weekend win over Burnley by beating Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday.

Frank will look to continue his impressive start at home to Bournemouth this weekend.

Tottenham are considering raiding London rivals West Ham for the second time this summer.

Spurs have already angered Hammers fans by snaring Mohammed Kudus for £55million.

talkSPORT understands Kudus’ former teammate Lucas Paqueta is a player of interest to last season's Europa League winners.

Spurs have made a new No.10 a priority position following James Maddison's knee injury and after missing out on both Eberechi Eze and Morgan Gibbs-White.

West Ham boss Graham Potter would be reluctant to lose Paqueta, but it is believed the Hammers would consider offers in excess of £60m.

Paqueta is not actively pushing for a move from the London Stadium after West Ham stood by him during allegations of spot fixing, of which he was subsequently cleared.

Eagles eye quality after Eze exit

Crystal Palace have added Bournemouth winger David Brooks to their list of targets.

Brooks has started each of Bournemouth's first two games of the season, and was particularly impressive in last weekend's 1-0 win at home to Wolves.

However, the Wales international is into the final year of his contract and Bournemouth must decide whether to offer an extension or potentially cash in.

Palace's incoming director of football Matt Hobbs is a big admirer of Brooks, 28, who joined Bournemouth from Sheffield United in 2018 and has made more than 100 league appearances.

Juve star to replace Isak?

Newcastle have been offered the chance to sign Dusan Vlahovic.

Sources in Italy say Juventus touted Vlahovic as a potential replacement for Liverpool target Alexander Isak.

Juve are willing to accept offers as low as €30m to get the Serb off their wage bill.

However, at the moment Vlahovic is not understood to be a hot topic at St James Park as Newcastle explore other options.

The Magpies remain in talks with Brentford for Yoane Wissa and are expected to make a second bid for Wolves’ Jorgen Strand-Larsen after having their initial £50m offer rejected.

Forest to axe outcast star

Nottingham Forest are negotiating terminating forgotten striker Emmanuel Dennis’ contract.

Dennis has played just 19 league games since joining Forest from Watford for £10m in the summer of 2022.

In fact, he has played more matches out on loan for the likes of Blackburn and his former club than for the Tricky Trees.

The drama of the opening two weekends of the new Premier League season has resulted in several notable odds changes at talkSPORT BET.

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West Ham's bubble is bursting

Back to back heavy defeats for West Ham in the opening two games of the Premier League season has left their fans fearing the worst, after being thrashed 3-0 by newly promoted Sunderland on the opening day, Graham Potter's side fell to a 5-1 home defeat by London rivals Chelsea on Friday night.

The defeats leave the Hammers rooted to the bottom of the Premier League table, one of only two sides yet to pick up a point so far, and with eight goals conceded in their opening two games, pressure is now on Potter to dig the East London side out of trouble.

As a result of their poor early season form, West Ham have gone from 3/1 to 15/8 now to be relegated, having started the campaign at 5/1.

Wolves wandering towards the foot of the table

Wolves are the only other side yet to pick up a point from their opening two Premier League games of the season, having been battered 4-0 at home by Manchester City on the opening day, before falling 1-0 to a Bournemouth side whose defence has been torn apart during the transfer market.

Only goal difference separates Vitor Pereira's side from the bottom of the table, which now leaves the West Midlands club at 15/8 to go down, having been 11/4 on the opening day.

Spurs shine in opening weeks

Tottenham put in arguably the performance of the weekend on Saturday lunchtime as they managed to continue their strong run of results at the Etihad Stadium in recent seasons with a 2-0 victory at Manchester City, in Thomas Frank's second league game in charge of the team.

The win, combined with the north London side's 3-0 victory over Burnley on the opening day, leaves only goal difference separating Tottenham from the top of the Premier League table, with Frank's side one of only three teams still with a 100% record.

Tottenham, who started the season as long as 66/1 to win the Premier League having finished 17th last season, have now seen their odds slashed to 25/1 to win a first league title in 65 years.

City suffer setback

All was looking rosy for Manchester City last week having just won their opening game of the season 4-0 away from home against Wolves in which Erling Haaland was back on the scoresheet with a brace and new signings also impressed hugely, two of which scoring well-taken goals.

But Pep Guardiola's side were on the wrong end of the surprise result of the weekend in the Premier League this time around, being beaten 2-0 at home by Tottenham in their first home game of the campaign.

The result has seen Man City's odds of winning a fifth title in six years drift to 9/2.

Gunners on fire

Arsenal are one of only three teams to have won both of their opening Premier League matches, starting the campaign with a dogged 1-0 win at Old Trafford over Manchester United before hitting five past newly promoted Leeds in a 5-0 victory on Saturday.

New star striker Viktor Gyokeres opened his account for his new club with a brace on Saturday to leave the mood around the Emirates Stadium feeling buoyant as they bid to improve on their three consecutive second placed finishes this season.

Arsenal have now shortened from 9/4 to 7/4 to win the Premier League for the first time since their Invincible season in 2004.

Villans in early season slumber

Hopes were high for Aston Villa ahead of the new season having kept hold of the likes of Ollie Watkins and Emi Martinez to keep a squad which reached the quarter finals of the Champions League last season and only missed on qualification on goal difference.

But the start of the new campaign has been a slow one for Unai Emery's side after holding on for a draw at home against Newcastle in their opening game, before falling to defeat on Saturday against a Brentford side widely tipped to struggle this season.

Picking up just one point so far this season when many would have predicted them to have six by now has seen Aston Villa's odds of a top four finish drift to 8/1, having been 3/1 in pre-season.

Magpies face uphill battle for top four

Newcastle's tempestuous summer continued on Monday with a whirlwind 3-2 defeat against defending champions Liverpool at St James' Park, despite the 10-men Magpies having come back from 2-0 down to draw level, only to concede a 100th minute winner.

Eddie Howe's transfer window troubles have been well documented but injuries and suspensions picked up by key players in Monday's defeat will also leave them licking their wounds when optimism seemed high after sealing Champions League football on the final day of last season.

The Magpies were priced as low as evens to finish in the top four over the summer but just one point from their opening two matches and troubles with the squad on and off the pitch has seen those top four odds drift to 4/1.

Golden Gyokeres fires up Arsenal

Arsenal's new £57m striker Viktor Gyokeres opened his account for his new club on Saturday evening with a brace in a 5-0 win over Leeds in his first competitive match at the Emirates for his new club.

Saturday's brace puts the Sweden international level at the top of the Golden Boot race at this early stage of the season, and his seen his odds of finishing as the Premier League's top scorer this season drop from 8/1 to 5/1 with talkSPORT BET.

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Jason Cundy was left stunned by a claim from co-host Jamie O'Hara about Tottenham Hotspur's midfield.

The ex-Premier League midfielder claimed that the Spurs trio of Pape Mate Sarr, Joao Palhinha and Rodrigo Bentancur reminded him of Liverpool's midfield under Jurgen Klopp after Spurs beat Manchester City 2-0 at the weekend.

This drew an immediate reaction from Cundy who couldn't believe what he was hearing.

The Liverpool midfield three that O'Hara is referring to consisted of Fabinho, Jordan Henderson and Gini Wijnaldum.

In their time playing together, that trio helped the Reds win the Premier League and Champions League.

But O'Hara saw some similiraties, though he made clear he didn't think this Spurs group were anywhere near those Liverpool players.

Speaking on the GameDay Phone-In, he said: "The energy reminds me of, you know, Liverpool's midfield three when they were flying high?."

Cundy then interrupted: "Oh no, honestly!"

O'Hara responded: "Hold on, let me finish. Let me finish."

Cundy couldn't believe it, as he added: "What do you mean when they were flying? Liverpool won the Champions League and the Premier League. You have no shame."

O'Hara tried to clarify, responding: "No, what I am saying is that Spurs' midfield is reminding me of that midfield three [Fabinho, Henderson and Wijnaldum], who were full of energy, worked hard and gave it to the players out wide.

"I am not comparing, I am just saying, it reminds me a little bit of that midfield three."

But Cundy wasn't having any of it, saying: "Well, then you are comparing. You've got no shame, mate."

O'Hara then switched attention to the result: "We played Man City, who are fighting for the title, and that performance today felt better than the 4-0 win [last season].

"That performance, I feel we can do every week. Pape Sarr in midfield, Palhinha, absolutely incredible."

Cundy still wasn't having it, saying: "Don't start comparing yourself to that midfield for Liverpool under Klopp that won the Champions League and Premier League."

O'Hara added: "I am not comparing it, but it reminded me of that midfield."

Before Cundy concluded: "You've picked one of the best midfield threes we've seen in the last decade. We are two games in, and it's reminding you of that. If Klopp could hear this, he'd be phoning up."

How good were Tottenham?

It has been a great start to the season for Tottenham under Frank.

Spurs have won both games, scoring five times and conceding none.

So, things couldn't have been much better, and the midfield on Saturday was aggressive and effective, earning praise from Thomas Frank.

Speaking about Palhinha in his post-match press conference, he said: "I think it's fair to say that we got a few questions about the transfer market yesterday, a lot about why not and what if and all that.

"What is 100 per cent sure is we brought two top players into the club, [Mohammed] Kudus and Palhinha, both of them have performed very well, which I'm very pleased with.

"Palhinha, yeah, wow, you know, sometimes players need confidence and they need to be on top and I don't think he's fully fit yet, where I want him to be, but very pleased with his performance, and he's definitely helping the team."

Palhinha did get on the scoresheet, but the relentless work from Sarr was also excellent, and he earned some individual praise as well.

When asked about the midfielder, Frank said: "Yeah, definitely and you say there's a few things. It depends from game to game, players in different positions, systems, but today, he was very good like the rest of the team.

"I think it was difficult to pick one player today. I think everyone performed fantastically."

The challenge for Spurs is to see if they can keep this up with Bournemouth on Saturday.

West Ham United have added Yves Bissouma to their list of midfield targets, talkSPORT understands.

With a week to go in the transfer window, the Irons are looking to strengthen the central midfield area of the pitch, and they think the Tottenham Hotspur man could be the one.

Spurs are open to offers for the Malian international as well.

Bissouma joined Tottenham in the summer of 2022 for an initial £25million, with an additional £10m in add-ons.

The midfielder played a key role in Spurs' Europa League win last year under Ange Postecoglou, but with the Australian gone, his future in north London doesn't look so clear.

What is happening with Bissouma?

Bissouma has seen himself go from starter in a European final to not even in the matchday squad in the space of a few months.

New Spurs manager Thomas Frank removed the former Brighton midfielder from the UEFA Super Cup squad after turning up to training late on numerous occasions.

Speaking about the incident, Frank said: "Bissouma has not travelled with the group for disciplinary reasons.

"He’s been late several times and now this time was just one too many.

"With everything you need to give your players a lot of love and there needs to be demands and consequences."

He hasn't been part of the first two matchday squads in the Premier League either.

Frank provided no reason for his absence against Burnley, while he simply stated that Bissouma wouldn't play against Manchester City.

Tottenham do have plenty of central midfielders as well with all of the others being involved so far.

Lucas Bergvall and Archie Gray started against Burnley before Rodrigo Bentancur and Joao Palhinha came in for the trip to the Etihad.

The one constant was Pape Mate Sarr, so it's no surprise that Spurs are open to offers, though, it remains to be seen if West Ham launch a bid or try to get the player on loan.

What about West Ham?

The Hammers have endured a horrible start to the new campaign, losing both games and conceding eight goals.

talkSPORT understands that Graham Potter remains safe for now despite just five wins since he replaced Julen Lopetegui.

However, the board are monitoring the situation closely.

But the transfer window has been a frustrating one for everyone connected with West Ham.

Mohammed Kudus has left to join Spurs, while Mads Hermansen and El Hadji Malick Diouf are the only players who have arrived for fees.

Callum Wilson and Kyle Walker-Peters have also joined, but they were free transfers.

Central midfield is a position that needs reinforcements, with Edson Alvarez joining Fenerbahce on loan and Guido Rodriguez expected to leave as well.

But Bissouma isn't the only midfield target with Southampton's Mateus Fernandes on the list as well.

However, time is running out for the Irons to give their manager the tools he needs to be a success.

Arsenal are keen on signing Piero Hincapie from Bayer Leverkusen and have been given a huge boost in their pursuit.

The 23-year-old centre-back has told the Bundesliga club that he would like to leave but remains under contract until 2029.

The Ecuadorian, though, does have a €60million (£52m) release clause in his current deal.

The player himself is keen on a transfer to the Gunners.

Arsenal's north London rivals Tottenham have also been credited with an interest.

However, talkSPORT understands Spurs have not made contact with Leverkusen.

Hincapie has made 166 appearances for the club, including in their first two games of the current campaign.

He was an impressive part of the Bundesliga side's title-winning side in 2023/24, covering at left centre-back.

He would, though, join a growing list of players from that squad who have now left.

Florian Wirtz, Jeremie Frimpong, Amine Adli, Granit Xhaka, and Jonathan Tah have all now joined new clubs.

And even manager Xabi Alonso has departed this summer to take charge of his former side Real Madrid.

Arsenal will need departures to happen for a deal to go through.

Who might Arsenal sell?

Currently Jakub Kiwior, Oleksandr Zinchenko, Fabio Vieira, Albert Sambi Lokonga, and Reiss Nelson are candidates to be moved on.

Polish defender Kiwior has interest from Porto, while Vieira did have Stuttgart on his tail - but they have now reportedly moved on to other targets.

Zinchenko has long been out of favour at the Emirates, while Reiss Nelson was on loan at Fulham last season until injury cut his spell short.

Similarly, Sambi Lokonga spent the last two campaigns with Luton and Sevilla, respectively.

Who have Arsenal already signed this summer?

Arsenal have already had a busy summer in the transfer market, having missed out on the Premier League title for a third consecutive year.

They have made three statement signings in Eberechi Eze from Crystal Palace, Martin Zubimendi from Real Sociedad, and Viktor Gyokeres from Sporting CP.

Those were supplemented by the arrivals of Kepa Arrizabalaga, Christian Norgaard, Cristhian Mosquera, and Noni Madueke.

In total that's a huge £247m outlay to challenge for the Premier League trophy again.

And Hincapie would make that around £300m, with currently just £10m coming in from the sales of Nuno Tavares and Marquinhos.

Manchester City may have won six Premier League titles in the last eight years - but their era of dominance has finally come to an end.

That's the view of ex-Arsenal star Perry Groves, who believes Pep Guardiola's men are no longer the ones to beat at the top of the division.

Since Guardiola's arrival at the Etihad in 2016, he has overseen the club scooping a mammoth 18 trophies.

That includes six league titles, one Champions League, two FA Cups, four League Cups, three Community Shields, the UEFA Super Cup and the FIFA Club World Cup.

City have never gone two years in a row without winning a Premier League title under Guardiola's tutelage - which they could manage come May.

Liverpool are the current holders, and are favourites to once again come out on top having splashed out over £290million on six new signings.

A whopping 13 points separated the two teams last campaign, resulting in City forking out over £150m on new recruits - with that figure set to rise before the window ends.

A 4-0 opening day win away at Wolves had fans - and pundits - believing that another City title challenge was to be on the cards.

But City supporters have had been forced to eat a slice of humble pie following their 2-0 home defeat to Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday, a result which sent them crashing back down to earth.

It has led to Groves, who won two First Division titles, the League Cup and the Football League Centenary Trophy at Highbury between 1987-1991, to state that City's period of triumph is over.

Following City's tenth defeat to Spurs under Guardiola, Groves highlighted why he believes they are no longer the top dogs.

A loss of experience, a young squad and no fear factor are all reasons why City are not the team of old, Groves has claimed.

What did Perry Groves say about Man City?

Groves told talkSPORT: "I think there's a big issue. Football's cyclical, right?

"This is the end of Man City's cycle, I know their average age was 24 [on Saturday].

"If you look at the team they put out, there's no aura about that team.

"There's no presence or stature, if you look at the treble-winning side, when you had Kyle Walker, Kevin De Bruyne, Bernardo Silva, Rodri, [Riyad] Mahrez as well, they're all players that imposed themselves on the game.

"I'm looking at this Man City side, and I know they're in transition, they haven't got that aura anymore.

"And you know you're in trouble when your away team has more shots than you.

"That very rarely happens at the Etihad, normally, when they're in their pomp, Man City, you'd go to Etihad and knew you had to take maybe one or two of your chances to stand a game on the breakaway.

"That's not happening anymore, so I think the teams that go into Etihad now actually fancy their chances because they know that this isn't the Man City team of old.

"So, I said before, I don't think Man City are in the race for the title because of the age of their team."

As for former Liverpool midfielder Charlie Adam, the Scotsman is of the opinion that City's new-look team needs time to gel.

He remarked: "I look at Man City's team at the moment, they're trying. Rodri is missing, Bernardo Silva never played, Foden never played [both from kick-off]."

Before adding: "With that midfield [Nico Gonzalez, Rayan Cherki and Tijjani Reijnders], there's no real Premier League experience in that midfield compared to Tottenham.

"We're talking about [Joao] Paulinha, who's played in the Premier League [at Fulham previously], [Rodrigo] Bentancur and [Pape Matar] Sarr, all played Premier League football, so they've got that experience in there.

"I know they're all good players, good footballers, Reijnders, Gonzalez and Cherki, but it takes time to really get the flow of it.

"And now for Man City, getting their key players back in terms of Foden, Silva, Rodri, I think will make a huge difference to them.

"But they have to find these solutions, and again, I still think, with the window open, Man City will look to do some business."

City will look to return to winning ways away at Brighton next Sunday in their final match before the September international break.

Guardiola failed to beat Fabian Hurzeler during his two encounters with the Seagulls last term - losing at the Amex Stadium before the teams played out a draw later in the season.

Failure to win at Brighton will not only have fans worrying that a title charge is out of the question, but would leave them fearing they are in a battle for a Champions League spot.

Tottenham are still pushing to sign Manchester City winger Savinho, talkSPORT understands.

Spurs have indicated to City they are willing to pay €70million (£60.7m) for the Brazilian, who is keen to make the move.

The player is yet to feature in his club's first two games of the season due to injury.

Still just 21 years old, the winger signed for Man City at £30.8m last summer, making 29 appearances and scoring one goal.

He did, though, make eight assists, as Pep Guardiola's team endured a difficult season with patchy form throughout.

The skilful Brazilian was previously a success out on loan with Girona from Troyes in 2023/24, where he earned plaudits in LaLiga.

He helped them to a stunning third place finish ahead of Atletico Madrid, while also ending the campaign just four points behind Barcelona.

However, his goalscoring didn't carry over in the Premier League with Man City last year.

When asked about Savinho's future, along with Manuel Akanji, prior to losing 2-0 to Tottenham, Guardiola said: "I don't know about that. They are our players, and we'll see what happens. I think a few things are going to happen, and we'll see."

The update comes with eight days remaining in the transfer window, and a day on from the north London side's impressive win over the Citizens at the Etihad Stadium.

Tottenham saw VAR intervene to give Brennan Johnson the opening goal as he slotted home from a Richarlison cross.

And, just before half-time, loanee Joao Palhinha hammered into the back of the net after an error from new City goalkeeper James Trafford.

Tottenham are stepping up their interest in Savinho just hours after seeing former transfer target Eberechi Eze join rivals Arsenal.

Spurs had looked close to a deal for the Crystal Palace star in midweek, but the Gunners swooped in to sign the 27-year-old.

The England international remained a fan of his boyhood club despite crying in his room for a week when Arsenal released him, aged 13.

Eze was paraded at the Emirates on Saturday evening just minutes after the announcement of his signing.

And the night got even better for Gunners fans as they went on to beat Leeds United 5-0.

Fellow new signing Viktor Gyokeres scored his first two goals for the club in the win.

However, injuries to Bukayo Saka and Martin Odegaard have soured the mood to an extent.

Tottenham have seen their summer signings settle in with ease so far this season.

Mohammed Kudus, a £55m signing from West Ham, has put in three fine performances against Paris Saint-Germain, Burnley, and Man City.

Against the Clarets he assisted both goals for Richarlison in a 3-0 victory.

And Palhinha impressed against PSG and the Citizens too with his pressing and defensive duels winning his new fans over instantly.

Fellow new boy Kota Takai, though, has been unable to play since his £5m arrival from Kawasaki Frontale, while Luka Vuskovic looks set to go out on loan.

Ange Postecoglou is keen to return to Premier League management, talkSPORT understands.

Postecoglou is high on Nottingham Forest's wanted list if they decide to sack Nuno Espirito Santo following his public fallout with owner Evangelos Marinakis.

It is understood Marinakis has already held direct conversations with former Tottenham boss Postecoglou, with whom he also enjoys a personal relationship.

The pair were pictured together earlier this summer in Greece at an awards ceremony.

Postecoglou was sacked by Tottenham after the club finished 17th in the Premier League last season, despite the Australian boss guiding Spurs to their first major trophy in 17 years with Europa League glory.

talkSPORT understands that Espirito Santo’s position remains unsafe, even though the current expectation is he takes charge of Sunday’s Premier League game against Crystal Palace.

In a dramatic press conference on Friday, Nuno revealed a deteriorating relationship with Marinakis.

The pair are understood to speak less than last season following the arrival of former Arsenal sporting director Edu.

There is also a rift between Nuno and Edu, who are not fully aligned on the club’s recruitment strategy or playing style.

talkSPORT has learned Nuno wanted to sign Fulham’s Adama Traore earlier this summer and believes Edu blocked the move, although club sources insist the player himself was the issue in any potential deal falling through.

Nottingham Forest originally dismissed suggestions Nuno could be sacked, but Friday’s press conference angered Marinakis resulting in emergency meetings by club leadership.

There remains a strong chance Nuno departs after the weekend.

Marinakis is also a long-term admirer of former Liverpool boss Jürgen Klopp, who is believed to be happy in his new position as head of global soccer at Red Bull.

Edu is working closely with Marinakis to develop a consistent style and recruitment model across Forest, Olympiacos and Portuguese side Rio Avenue, with a further club expected to be added in Brazil.

This requires a more collaborative recruitment model, and there are doubts whether Espirito Santo is the right fit within this new strategy.

Postecoglou was sacked by Spurs last season following their Europa League Final win over Manchester United and has rejected interest from Saudi Arabian clubs this summer.

Those close to Postecoglou insist there has been no formal approach, but talkSPORT has learned Marinakis has directly and informally sounded him out over a potential vacancy.

What did Nuno say on Friday?

There were no doubts over the Nottingham Forest manager's future until a rapidly-accelerating situation developed on Friday.

Forest sealed European football after an excellent 2024/25 campaign and won their opening match of the new season 3-1 against Brentford.

But after surprise reports of tension between Nuno and the Forest hierarchy, the Portuguese boss confirmed the rift in a bombshell press conference.

"I always had a very good relationship with the owner, last season we were very close and spoke on a daily basis," he said.

"This season it is not so well [between us] but I always believe that dialogue is important because my concern is the squad and the season we have ahead of us.

"Our relationship has changed and we are not as close."When pressed to give his feelings on the situation, Espirito Santo added: "No, it is not good. I think everybody at the club should be together but this not the reality."

"I don't know exactly but I'm being honest with you, it is not the same.

"The reason behind it I do not know. What I said last week or two weeks ago was my concern and why I was worried about where we were going [as a club].

"What I said, I said it with respect. The reality is that the relationship is not what is use to be.

"It was a respectful relationship based on trust and sharing opinions but now it is not so good."

If only Simon Hooper could travel back in time.

He would have avoided a comically irate Erling Haaland.

He would have avoided the ire of Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola and tens of thousands of supporters crammed inside the Etihad Stadium.

Instead, he was left to live with being the centre of controversy during City's Premier League clash against Tottenham in December 2023.

And it was a storm he unwillingly created all on his own.

Deep in second half stoppage time and with the contest level at 3-3, Tottenham defender Emerson Royal attempted to nick the ball off of Haaland in City's half as they looked to launch a counter.

The Brazilian clipped the City superstar and although he fell to his knees, Haaland quickly popped to his feet and played a perfect ball over the top of Tottenham's defence into the path of Jack Grealish.

Hooper signalled City had the advantage upon Haaland falling over, but just as Grealish looked to streak clear and bear down on goal, he blew his whistle to bring the play back to the original spot of the foul.

How did the City players react to Hooper's call?

An utterly perplexed Grealish stood with his arms outstretched, scarcely able to believe the whistle had been blown.

Haaland immediately sprinted over to Hooper and had his hands on his head.

Several other City players soon formed a crowd around Hooper, who pleaded for calm amid the chaos.

At one point, as many as six of City's stars surrounded Hooper.

The 3-3 scoreline ultimately remained intact, but Hooper's decision would be critiqued long into the night by pundits and even players.

On his X account, Haaland reposted a video of the incident and wrote the caption: "Wtf."

Guardiola was less scathing in his analysis of the incident, although he too was left scratching his head.

"It is hard when you review the image, the referee decides to blow the whistle after he has already said to play on.

"After the pass, the whistle, so I do not understand this action."

'He was devastated'

The controversial incident was reviewed just days after on the Match Officials Mic'd Up show, where PGMOL chief refereeing officer Howard Webb broke down the major decisions that occurred over the weekend.

The Grealish incident was addressed and Webb stated he could 'understand the disappointment that City felt on this one'.

But what was most notable during the analysis was how Webb lifted the lid on the mental anguish endured by Hooper in the aftermath.

Webb began his explanation by pointing out VAR 'has no part to play', meaning it was squarely Hooper's call.

"We're always looking, as officials, to have that positive influence on the game, by trying to identify occasions when we can allow the game to play through an advantage," Webb said.

"He decides to penalise just at the moment as the ball's about to go, he blows the whistle, and then realises that a wonderful advantage was available.

"He was devastated. He'd refereed the game really well for 93 minutes, but he knew this is going to be the only talking point. It would have been a wonderful advantage."

Luckily for City, the result had little bearing on their run to a remarkable fourth-straight Premier League title that season.

Guardiola's side finished at the top of the heap with 91 points, two more than second-placed Arsenal.

It also had no major effect on Tottenham, as they finished in fifth with 66 points, two behind Aston Villa who took up the final Champions League qualification spot.

As for Hooper, he remains a Premier League referee.

But for a few brief seconds on that night in December 2023, Hooper may have preferred he was in a less public line of work.