Sport Witness

Burnley star Maxime Estève has admitted he used to watch Tottenham as a youngster, and still has an eye on them now as he thinks he’s similar to Mickey van de Ven.

Foot Mercato have an interview with the French defender today as he gets ready to return to the Premier League with Burnley next season.

Estève joined Burnley on a permanent basis in a €12m deal in the summer following a loan spell at the club from February last year.

That short spell in the Premier League proved to be a difficult one for him and the Clarets as they headed back to the Championship with a 19th placed finish.

They’re now back and Estève is clearly delighted about that, as he admits his sights are set on playing for a top six side, after previously watching Tottenham as a youngster.

“I’ve never really been a fan of a club when I was a kid,” he said, when asked if there’s a ‘dream’ club he’d like to join.

“I was more a fan of some players, but not a fan of a club. Just me, I dreamed of England really when I was a kid, I watched that, almost that on TV. My favorite player was Gareth Bale when he played in Tottenham at the time.

“Because when I was a kid, I was a left-wing, left-hand lateral wingman. My dream is more to play for a top 6 club in England. But I don’t have a club where I’ll tell you, my dream is to go there.”

Estève has been earning rave reviews in the Championship this season as part of a Burnley team that’s only conceded 16 goals all year.

They have the best defensive record in the division by far, with champions Leeds United finishing on 30 goals conceded and Sheffield United in third conceding 36 in total.

How Estève adapts to the Premier League at the second opportunity remains to be seen, but he admits he thinks he’s similar to a current player in the division, Tottenham’s Micky van de Ven.

“There’s a player I love very much in the Premier League, not all the earth talking about him, it’s Micky van de Ven, the center of Tottenham,” he added.

“He goes very fast, and I like him, because I have the impression that I have a bit of the same speed qualities, even if he goes much faster.

“I’m inspired by him, because he’s a player who has about the same profile as me. I’m really trying to look at left-handed centres, because there’s a little less, it’s a little bit rarer.”

Atlético Madrid have identified Tottenham Hotspur’s Cristian Romero as the priority target to strengthen their defence in the summer window.

The Spanish media have been reporting on the La Liga club’s interest in the centre-back over the past few weeks. On Monday, AS stated he will do his part to leave Tottenham after this season.

Journalist Rubén Uría provided the latest on Los Rojiblancos’ pursuit of the Tottenham star on Twitch, relayed by Fichajes.

The Argentina international believes his time at Spurs will soon come to an end and wants to take up a new challenge next season. He is thrilled at the possibility of joining Atlético in the upcoming window.

Uría claims the defender has already given his approval to Diego Simeone’s side and has ‘reached an agreement’ for a five-year deal, with an option for another year.

This is a significant step in Los Rojiblancos’ pursuit of the 27-year-old, but negotiations with Tottenham haven’t started yet.

Fichajes point out the Premier League club value the player at €58m while Atlético are willing to offer €40m.

It’s to be noted Marca reported last week that Daniel Levy will demand €70m. It was also said he won’t start negotiations until Tottenham finish their Europa League campaign.

Despite the difference and no talks opened between the clubs, both parties seem to be willing to reach a common point. Atlético are expected to start formal negotiations with Tottenham in the coming days.

Uría’s claim hasn’t been backed up by other major outlets in Spain or Argentine just yet.

With Cristian Romero potentially swapping Tottenham Hotspur for Atletico Madrid being one of the biggest transfer stories in Spain right now, Fichajes could be relied upon to take the story one step further.

The Spanish transfer website claims Diego Simeone’s side have planned their ‘first formal offer’ for the Spurs player, having been interested in getting him for a while.

Multiple reports have stated Romero is keen on making the move to La Liga, and it would then be a case of the two clubs coming to an agreement.

According to Fichajes, the first offer will be €50m, with Spurs expected to reject that bid and ask for around €70m.

The gist of the stories in Spain today is that Atletico Madrid will wait until Tottenham’s Europa League fate is known to make an approach. Romero is said to have told Spurs he wants out, with Marca saying he did so in March. Ideally, Atletico would like him for the Club World Cup but they’re aware it’s not going to be an easy negotiation.

Tottenham Hotspur welcome Eintracht Frankfurt on Thursday evening, in a Europa League match which looks crucial for the rest of Spurs’ season and perhaps even the future of manager Ange Postecoglou.

Get a good win and Tottenham will feel they’re on the way to the Europa League semifinals and a potential big European final which could bring them Champions League football. It’s a big carrot to chase, but Eintracht will be doing similar.

The German club are currently third in the Bundesliga so as things stand they have a Champions League place, although they don’t have enough of a cushion to make that assured.

Wednesday’s edition of Bild Frankfurt details a precise area of the match which will be crucial for Eintracht and their approach against Tottenham.

They go with a headline saying ‘4 bodyguards to stop Spurs’ and the plan is to nullify Postecoglou’s attack.

Bild Frankfurt state: ‘Arthur Theate (24), Robin Koch (28), and Rasmus Kristensen (27) have a tough job ahead of them. The defenders, appreciatively referred to as “bodyguards” by sporting director Markus Krösche (44), must guard the €215m attack led by superstar Heung-Min Son’

Krösche himself is quoted as saying: “On the one hand, they have to defend consistently and well to stop these dangerous strikers, because Tottenham certainly won’t let us dictate the game. And on the other hand, they have to prepare our counter-attacking moments when we win the ball.”

The defensive trio are described as ‘mentality monsters’ by the German newspaper with ‘extensive international experience’. It’s thought both aspects will be needed, with Bild Frankfurt expecting a ‘cauldron’ in London.

You may have noticed only three players have been mentioned, the fourth ‘bodyguard’ is 21-year-old goalkeeper Kaua Santos.

Tottenham Hotspur welcome Eintracht Frankfurt on Thursday evening, in a Europa League match which looks crucial for the rest of Spurs’ season and perhaps even the future of manager Ange Postecoglou.

Get a good win and Tottenham will feel they’re on the way to the Europa League semifinals and a potential big European final which could bring them Champions League football. It’s a big carrot to chase, but Eintracht will be doing similar.

The German club are currently third in the Bundesliga so as things stand they have a Champions League place, although they don’t have enough of a cushion to make that assured.

Wednesday’s edition of Bild Frankfurt details a precise area of the match which will be crucial for Eintracht and their approach against Tottenham.

They go with a headline saying ‘4 bodyguards to stop Spurs’ and the plan is to nullify Postecoglou’s attack.

Bild Frankfurt state: ‘Arthur Theate (24), Robin Koch (28), and Rasmus Kristensen (27) have a tough job ahead of them. The defenders, appreciatively referred to as “bodyguards” by sporting director Markus Krösche (44), must guard the €215m attack led by superstar Heung-Min Son’

Krösche himself is quoted as saying: “On the one hand, they have to defend consistently and well to stop these dangerous strikers, because Tottenham certainly won’t let us dictate the game. And on the other hand, they have to prepare our counter-attacking moments when we win the ball.”

The defensive trio are described as ‘mentality monsters’ by the German newspaper with ‘extensive international experience’. It’s thought both aspects will be needed, with Bild Frankfurt expecting a ‘cauldron’ in London.

You may have noticed only three players have been mentioned, the fourth ‘bodyguard’ is 21-year-old goalkeeper Kaua Santos.

Earlier today, we covered a report from the Leipzig edition of Bild which stated Sheffield Wednesday’s Danny Röhl is now a more serious candidate for RB Leipzig.

He was one of four candidates named, with Crystal Palace’s Oliver Glasner being another. Last week, we covered claims from Austria which stated sources close to the Eagles manager were talking down any eagerness to move to the Bundesliga club. Various factors, including a perceived lack of power, with others such as Jürgen Klopp having input, would be a concern and Glasner wasn’t keen to leave English football for such a scenario.

Tottenham Hotspur are now being presented by the German media as another problem. Spurs haven’t had the season they hoped for, and Ange Postecoglou’s time in charge at Tottenham has come under some question.

This week’s edition of SportBild‘s magazine says Glasner remains a candidate and then states Tottenham ‘can offer a higher salary’ and therefore beat RB Leipzig to the Crystal Palace manager. The German media may want to dismiss Tottenham being more attractive as being solely down to money, but that probably isn’t the case given the previous reports from Austria.

Intriguingly, it’s stated Tottenham isn’t the only Premier League club to have made contact.

Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur are among the clubs keen on Yeleen Olympique youngster Soungalo Coulibaly.

That’s according to Africa Foot, who cover Manchester United and Tottenham interest in the 16-year-old.

He’s representing Mali in the ongoing at the U17 African Cup of Nations in Morocco. The forward has scored a goal from three games and attracted attention from scouts from European clubs.

The report states a Manchester United official has closely watched the teenager in all three games in Morocco. The Red Devils have initiated contacts and ‘discussions are already underway’ to try and sign him for their academy.

It’s unclear whether Manchester United contacted his camp, Yeleen Olympique or both.

The Premier League club will face competition from other clubs including Tottenham, Red Bull Salzburg and Sturm Graz. Africa Foot state these three clubs also ‘enter the race’ for Coulibaly.

Manchester United are willing to offer a ‘significant sum’ to try and get ahead in the transfer race.

To describe the attacker, Africa Foot state: ‘Blessed with impressive technique, blazing pace, and a keen dribbling sense capable of shattering any defence, Coulibaly leaves no one indifferent.’

Even if Ruben Amorim’s side or Tottenham were to reach an agreement, Coulibaly won’t be able to arrive in the UK until he turns 18 years of age and then he’d need a work permit.

There could not be much more difference in the mood around Real Betis when compared to Tottenham Hotspur in recent weeks.

Betis is surrounded optimism, with multiple players shining more than they have previously, and a big feeling of potential achievements between now and the end of the season.

They’re sixth in La Liga, with Manuel Pellegrini having them way ahead of local rivals Sevilla, a club they recently beat, in 12th. Betis have growing confidence about the possibility of winning the UEFA Conference League, and it’s not felt unrealistic they could qualify for the Champions League via the league.

Meanwhile, Tottenham are 14th in the Premier League and doubt is growing around Ange Postecoglou. They have a chance to win the Europa League and qualify for the Champions League that way, and yet pessimism is the story of the day.

One of the players impressing recently for Real Betis has been Johnny Cardoso. Tottenham have a €25m option to sign him come the summer, as part of the deal they agreed to send Giovani Lo Celso back to Betis.

La Colina de Nervion, local to Betis, report the move to Spurs is far from a forgone conclusion. It’s stated ‘everything has changed’ in recent weeks and Cordoso is tempted to stay at Betis.

Indeed, he’s made that clear himself in interviews recently.

Tottenham can’t force him to move and will rely on his agreement.

Tottenham Hotspur will host Eintracht Frankfurt in the Europa League quarterfinals on Thursday.

The Bundesliga club will be without their goalkeeper, Kevin Trapp, for the European clash.

That’s according to Tuesday’s edition of Bild, and they explain why the 34-year-old won’t be available to face Tottenham.

The Germany international hasn’t featured for Eintracht Frankfurt since their 2-1 defeat to Union Berlin on March 9th and has been sidelined with a shin injury.

The goalkeeper was struggling with a shin injury since colliding with his teammate, Hugo Larsson, at the end of January. His setback was kept as a secret until manager Dino Toppmöller, decided to leave him out.

Bild state he had a partial tear of his muscle, and this hindered his game when he was on the pitch. They add this injury is ‘common in ice hockey but atypical in football.’

Eintracht Frankfurt are taking advantage of a 30-day rule where they can register a substitute if a goalkeeper is out of action for a month or more. If he’s without any pain, they could register him for the return leg against Tottenham next Thursday.

Trapp kept three clean sheets and conceded seven goals from seven games in the Europa League. His absence against Tottenham will be a blow for the German club.

On March 27th, Real Betis’ Johnny Cardoso expressed his happiness that he could make a switch to Tottenham Hotspur after this season.

Last August, Spurs sold Giovani Lo Celso to the La Liga club and as part of the deal, they negotiated a purchase option to buy Cardoso for €25m in the summer. Tottenham clearly have an advantage over any other interested clubs.

Earlier claims had stated the Premier League club can activate the clause during a specific period.

Despite Tottenham negotiating the purchase option with Real Betis, the 23-year-old has now said he would like to continue at the Andalusian club. The midfielder revealed this during a chat with El Chiringuito and Estadio Deportivo have relayed his comments.

“I’m very happy here and I hope I can continue enjoying myself at Betis for many years to come,” he said.

This could be a concern for Ange Postecoglou’s side, as long as they would like to buy the player in the summer window.

The American’s immediate focus is to help Real Betis qualify for the Champions League. They are sixth in the table, level on points with fifth place Villarreal, and six behind fourth placed Athletic.

“The Champions League? It’s our dream and our goal,” Cardoso explained.

Of course there’s every chance Cardoso could simply be saying words to please Betis fans. Reports this week from close to the Spanish club made it clear that whilst the midfielder is valued, getting that €25m from Tottenham would be rather welcome in the summer.