Inside Futbol

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Newcastle United and Liverpool are not in the mix to land Chelsea attacker Christopher Nkunku, but Tottenham Hotspur have asked about him, according to journalist Ben Jacobs.

Nkunku is expected to move on from Stamford Bridge in the approaching summer transfer window and was keen to join Bayern Munich in the winter transfer window.

He stayed put, but would be interested if Bayern Munich came in with a fresh bid.

Both Newcastle and Liverpool have been linked with holding an interest in the attacker, but those claims are wide of the mark and the pair are not chasing Nkunku at the moment.

Within the Premier League though, Tottenham have asked about him and are his most serious domestic suitors.

Having managed to qualify for next season’s Champions League, Tottenham will feel confident they can make an impact in the summer transfer window.

The Chelsea man only featured for 14 minutes in the Premier League against Tottenham in the recently concluded campaign.

Player Age Timo Werner 29 Mikey Moore 17 Heung-Min Son 32 Brennan Johnson 24 Dominic Solanke 27 Mathys Tel 20 Richarlison 28 Dane Scarlett 21 Tottenham’s attacking options

Spurs though have seen enough from the Frenchman to believe he could fit into their attacking department in north London.

There will be a need for reinforcements in the final third, with Timo Werner expected to head back to RB Leipzig when his loan officially comes to an end.

Spurs have an option to sign Mathys Tel from Bayern Munich on a permanent basis, but it would be a big money move and opinion is split on whether the forward did enough to earn the switch.

Tottenham have a ticking clock on deciding whether to keep Tel.

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If Real Betis midfielder Johnny Cardoso joins a club other than Tottenham Hotspur this summer, then the north Londoners will receive a certain percentage of that fee.

Despite experiencing a dire Premier League campaign, Tottenham ended the season superbly by winning the Europa League.

They will be in next season’s Champions League league phase, guaranteeing a minimum of eight games and which has the potential to attract quality players in the summer window.

Club supremo Daniel Levy has already started plotting their transfer business and New Jersey-born Cardoso is a player who Tottenham lined up the possibility to sign last summer.

Levy negotiated the clause to purchase Cardoso for €25m, when he sold Giovani Lo Celso for a cut-price fee to the La Liga club.

However, he has become a priority target for Atletico Madrid, who are ready to exceed whatever Spurs will pay, as Cardoso is their priority midfield target this summer.

Even if he ends up at a different club, Spurs will receive 20 per cent of what Real Betis will receive for him, according to Spanish journalist Manu de Olmedo.

Game Minute booked Legia Warsaw (A) 61st Celta Vigo (H) 35th Real Valladolid (A) 77th Alaves (H) 90th Las Palmas (H) 80th Johnny Cardoso’s bookings this season

Cardoso started his career at Brazilian club Internacional, who will also receive 20 per cent as the player’s sell-on fee.

The player’s will is a big factor regarding where he plays next season, but even if he dodges Spurs, they will receive a good amount of money for him.

The USA international played an important part in Los Verdiblancos’ campaign, racking up almost 3,400 minutes in 46 games.

Now it remains to be seen if Spurs will be able to convince Cardoso to join them or if they will have to settle for the money they get him in case he joins a different club.

Cardoso could also yet decide he wants to remain at Real Betis.

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A club are ‘willing to match and raise’ to beat off competition from Tottenham Hotspur for a key target in the summer transfer window.

Spurs have reinvigorated their chances of being able to attract top players in the summer through winning the Europa League and booking a Champions League spot.

A massive financial boost, along with an increase in attractiveness as a destination, may open up new avenues for Daniel Levy and Ange Postecoglou to exploit.

However, Spurs could move for a player they already hold an option to buy on.

They boast an option to by Real Betis midfielder Johnny Cardodo during a set window this summer, with the terms negotiated when Giovani Lo Celso was sold last summer.

Cardoso though is a key midfield target for Atletico Madrid, who are desperate to take him to the Spanish capital and ready to open talks.

And Los Rojiblancos are ‘willing to match and raise a possible offer’ from Tottenham for the American, according to Spanish journalist Manu de Olmedo.

Club Years Internacional 2019-2024 Real Betis 2024- Johnny Cardoso’s career history

Atletico Madrid will do all they can to make sure that they land Cardoso and see off competition from Tottenham in the process.

While Tottenham do have a clause to sign the midfielder, the player’s desire and will is likely to be a significant factor when it comes to where he will play next season.

Spurs will likely still have to convince him that moving to north London would be the right switch, with Atletico Madrid also making their pitch.

He got a good look at the level he would come up against in the Premier League on Wednesday night as he clocked 85 minutes of the Conference League final defeat to Enzo Maresca’s Chelsea.

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La Liga giants Atletico Madrid will push to advance talks to sign Johnny Cardoso, who Tottenham Hotspur have a clause to buy, after the Conference League final.

The north London outfit rescued their awful domestic season by winning the Europa League, after beating Manchester United.

Despite finishing 17th in the Premier League, they have booked themselves a place in next year’s Champions League and are plotting their transfer business, armed with the financial boost that comes with a spot at the top table.

Last summer, Spanish side Real Betis managed to sign Giovani Lo Celso from Tottenham for a cut-price fee, but as part of the deal, Spurs positioned themselves for Cardoso.

Spurs supremo Daniel Levy agreed on a clause to sign their American midfielder Cardoso for €25m, but that clause does not activate until 20th June.

In the meantime, Atletico Madrid have made Cardoso a priority signing for the summer window as they are looking to bring in a new defensive midfielder.

Now, according to Spanish sports daily Mundo Deportivo, the Madrid-based club will start their talks with Los Verdiblancos regarding Cardoso after the Conference League final.

Game Minute booked Legia Warsaw (A) 61st Celta Vigo (H) 35th Real Valladolid (A) 77th Alaves (H) 90th Las Palmas (H) 80th Johnny Cardoso’s bookings this season

Real Betis are facing Premier League club Chelsea in the European competition’s final and Diego Simeone’s side will go ahead with their interest in Cardoso after that.

Atletico Madrid will have around three weeks before Tottenham’s clause kicks in for Cardoso, and the player’s will has also been deemed as a very important aspect to strike a deal.

Even if Tottenham are able to agree on a fee with Los Verdiblancos, they will still need to make a compelling case to him regarding why he should choose north London over Atletico Madrid.

Cardoso has been a very important part of Real Betis and will look to drop another top-notch performance against the Blues on Wednesday night at Stadion Miejski.

Spurs’ clause to buy the player only runs for a limited period.

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Djurgarden sporting director Bosse Andersson has revealed that the Swedish side have received all performance bonuses included in Lucas Bergvall’s contract when he was sold to Tottenham Hotspur.

Since Ange Postecoglou’s arrival at the club, Spurs have focused on bringing in young players with a long-term vision to be important players in the future.

Sweden international Bergvall was one of the first ones to be signed and he joined them at the beginning of the recently concluded season, where Spurs won the Europa League trophy.

However, Tottenham had a season where they finished 17th in the Premier League, and suffered multiple injuries throughout the season, which saw Bergvall playing a lot more than he expected to.

Andresson also recognised how much the teenager played all season under Postecoglou in all competitions consistently.

The 56-year-old admitted that he thought Bergvall’s performance clauses would take a few years to come in, but he made it clear that they have received all performance-related bonuses for the 19-year-old this season.

“I can confirm that all the bonus parts that are included have clicked in”, Andersson told Swedish outlet Fotbollskanalen about Bergvall.

Club Years Brommapojkarna 2021-2022 Djurgarden 2022-2024 Tottenham Hotspur 2024- Lucas Bergvall’s career history

“Lucas has had such a breakthrough both in the Premier League and in Europe, and has been involved in so many games.

“We can see that what we thought would take several years has happened very quickly.”

Even though Bergvall has been injured since the beginning of this month, he made a stunning 45 appearances in all competitions for Spurs in his first season in England.

The injury kept him out of the Europa League final against Manchester United in Bilbao.

With Spurs in the Champions League next term, Bergvall will expect to see a significant amount of game time again and further kick on with his development.

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Former Liverpool star Jason McAteer has revealed he was embarrassed for Tottenham Hotspur watching the way they folded at Anfield and believes Ange Postecoglou has big problems.

Liverpool headed into their meeting with Tottenham knowing that just one point would be enough to secure the Premier League title.

While Spurs did manage to shock Anfield by taking the lead through Dominic Solanke, they were then blown away as Liverpool scored five goals without reply.

Postecoglou is already under big pressure at Spurs and club legend Graham Roberts was quick to slam the players for giving up too easily.

McAteer believes that Liverpool did not have to play well to beat Tottenham and was embarrassed at how they just collapsed.

He stressed that Spurs did not look like a team and had the wrong attitude, when they had a chance to play party poopers.

“I can only imagine what the board are thinking at Tottenham”, McAteer said post match on LFC TV (27th April).

Trophy Won with Scottish Premiership (21/22, 22/23) Celtic Scottish Cup (22/23) Celtic Scottish League Cup (21/22, 22/23) Celtic Ange Postecoglou’s trophies in British football

“We can speak about the fans and the disappointment they will have. I think something like that on the manager, Ange Postecoglou, is not great.

“They could have spoiled the party today.

“It’s all about attitude, it’s all about commitment to the cause.

“We know it was set up today for Liverpool to win the title, but you’ve got to offer more than what they have.

“To be honest, they didn’t even look like a team. They looked so dysfunctional.

“I know it’s going to be a bit strong to say, but I was quite embarrassed for them.

“I don’t think Liverpool played that well. I just thought Tottenham were that bad.

“Oh, I think he’s got big problems.”

Postecoglou has banked everything on winning the Europa League this season, but the jury is out on whether even doing that would be enough for him to keep his Tottenham job into next term.

Spurs Official

Bayern Munich are hopeful that they will be able to offload Mathys Tel to Tottenham Hotspur in the summer, amid positive signals from north London.

The Bavarians sent the highly-rated teenage attacker to Tottenham on loan in the winter transfer window with an option for Spurs to buy him.

The north London side are having a season to forget in the Premier League, as they sit 16th in the league table after losing 18 of their 33 league matches so far.

They will not be able to play any European football unless they lift the Europa League, which is not very far away, as they are in the semi-finals of the competition.

Spurs would need to pay €50m to sign him permanently, and last month, it was suggested that the German giants do not see him as a future player at the Allianz Arena.

Bayern Munich want to sell the France Under-21 international to fund their plan to buy a new striker for Harry Kane’s backup.

It had been suggested that Tottenham have decided against keeping Tel and will send him back, but Ange Postecoglou dismissed that.

Now, according to German magazine Sport Bild (via FCBinside), it has been suggested that Bayern Munich are hopeful about selling Tel to Spurs as the north Londoners are sending positive signals.

Competition Matches and contributions Bundesliga 8 matches played, 1 assist Premier League 8 matches played, 2 goals Champions League 3 matches played Europa League 3 matches played DFB Pokal 3 matches played FA Cup 1 match played, 1 goal EFL Cup 1 match played Mathys Tel’s current season

Tel, so far, at Spurs has not done enough to justify his price tag as he has scored three goals in 13 all-competition appearances.

However, he is only 19 years old and has a lot of time on his hands to polish his game to become a top attacking talent in the future.

Now, only time will tell if Tel will become a permanent player at Spurs next season and winning the Europa League could become a deciding factor for that to happen.

Even if Tottenham do decide they want to trigger the option to buy, they would still need Tel to be on board with the move.

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QPR boss Marti Cifuentes has name-checked Newcastle United loanee Harrison Ashby and Tottenham Hotspur loan star Yang Min-hyeok for their off-the-bench energy against Oxford United on Tuesday night.

Ashby came through the youth systems of Chelsea and West Ham United, featuring in seven senior games for the Hammers before the Magpies picked him up in the winter window of 2023.

Yang joined north London side Spurs in the most recent transfer window and was loaned out to Championship outfit QPR to gain experience playing English football.

The Magpies loanee has not been an important player for the R’s and Min-hyeok is also yet to become a solid first-team name under Cifuentes.

However, the Spurs loanee came on as a substitute against the U’s on Tuesday night and sealed all three points for QPR with a late goal.

Cifuentes admitted that Ashby and Yang brought a lot of energy when they came on, and he hailed the impact they made against Gary Rowett’s men.

“Whoever jumps in does the job, I’m very happy, because today the bench impact was excellent”, Cifuentes told his club’s in-house media about the impact of the substitutes.

Opponents Date Bristol City (H) 12th April Preston North End (A) 18th April Swansea City (H) 21st April Burnley (H) 26th April Sunderland (A) 3rd May QPR’s remaining Championship games this season

“Excellent, excellent; I think that Kaddie [Dembele] was fantastic in the minutes he played.

“Ashby gave us a lot of energy.

“Yang, not only because of the goal, but the energy he gave us; Lucas [Andersen], for the last minutes, showed his experience and his quality.”

Ashby is already 23, and it remains to be seen what plans Newcastle have for the full-back when he returns to the club in the summer.

Yang already has three direct contributions for QPR, and he will look to have a crack at the Spurs first team upon his return to north London.

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Ex-Leeds United star Jon Newsome has warned Tottenham Hotspur loanee Manor Solomon that football is not a game where the player gets to choose moments when he will showcase himself; rather, it is the game that dictates when the player needs to step up.

Tottenham sent Solomon out on loan to Leeds in the summer and the winger has been featuring regularly for Daniel Farke’s side.

On Tuesday, it was Solomon who set up the ball for the winning goal for Daniel James against Middlesbrough to end Leeds’ three-game winless run.

However, there has been a question regarding Solomon’s work ethic in certain parts of the game, and Newsome admitted that the winger has quite a few times left Junior Firpo with problems to deal with due to his lack of running back to support the team.

Newsome warned the Tottenham star that football is not a game where he can pick and choose moments to step up; rather, he needs to follow the dictation of the game and do what is required of him.

The Leeds legend admitted that Solomon’s pass for James’ goal was excellent and added that the Spurs star did well in the first half.

“I thought he had a great first half I mean, let’s not forget it was his assist; it was his ball across for Dan James’ goal, which was superb; and the running behind was great”, Newsome on BBC Radio Leeds (5:30).

Competition Games Goal Contributions Championship 34 15 FA Cup 2 1 Manor Solomon’s season so far

“But you cannot play when you want to play; the game dictates to you when you play, you don’t dictate to the game.

“I thought on a couple of occasions he was caught out of position and he did not track back; he does cause Junior Firpo, who is not a defensive-minded full-back as it is, so he does cause him a problem.”

The 25-year-old so far has registered seven goals and eight assists in 34 league games for Leeds United this season.

Solomon will be looking to finish the season in a strong manner with Leeds before he returns to Tottenham Hotspur in the summer, with the Whites having no option to buy in the deal.

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Danny Murphy has told Tottenham Hotspur that there would be no point in sacking Ange Postecoglou before their Europa League quarter-final tie against Eintracht Frankfurt.

Tottenham did return to winning ways on Sunday by beating relegated Southampton 3-1 at home in the Premier League.

Now all eyes are on a season-defining meeting with Eintracht Frankfurt over two legs, with the first game this Thursday night in north London.

There have been calls in some quarters for Postecoglou to be sacked to allow a new manager to come in and get a reaction out of the players.

The new manager bounce effect could push Spurs beyond Eintracht Frankfurt and boost their chances of winning the Europa League, the theory goes.

Former Spurs star Murphy though does not subscribe to that view and thinks that a change now does not make sense.

He stressed that new managers need time on the training pitch to get their ideas across and that is one thing they would not have now.

Game Competition Werder Bremen 2-0 Eintracht Frankfurt Bundesliga Eintracht Frankfurt 1-0 Stuttgart Bundesliga Bochum 1-3 Eintracht Frankfurt Bundesliga Eintracht Frankfurt’s last three results

“Some are calling for Ange to be sacked now so a new manager bounce helps them win the Europa but it’s not my gut feeling unless there is a Jurgen Klopp available with the CV to make a difference”, Murphy wrote in his Mail on Sunday column (6th April, page 89).

“To draft in someone less experienced doesn’t make sense. New managers need time to impose their ideas.

“There is still a chance Spurs could win the Europa, of course, primarily because the quality of the other quarter-finalists is not world-beating.”

Eintracht Frankfurt represent a tough test in the quarter-finals as they currently sit third in the Bundesliga standings.

The two clubs met each other in the Champions League in 2022, with the meeting in Germany ending in a 0-0 draw, while Spurs won the north London encounter 3-2.

Spurs’ goals on the night were scored by Harry Kane and Heung-Min Son (two).

INSIDE FUTBOL SAYS:

It is pointless for Spurs to sack Ange Postecoglou now, pulling the rug from under him like they did with Jose Mourinho before a cup final.

If Postecoglou went, Ryan Mason would surely come in as caretaker, and there is little chance he would be able to do better than the Australian.

For all the criticism against Postecoglou, he has started to get players back from injury and if Spurs can get past Eintracht Frankfurt then there is a chance they could build momentum. Postecoglou must be given until the summer and then Spurs can reassess whether they want to give the Australian a chance to go again in a season where hopefully injuries would not cripple their campaign.