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According to Football Insider, a Tottenham Hotspur source has explained that the club and Daniel Levy will offer to triple Brendan Rodgers’ salary in an attempt to prise him from Leicester City – even despite the northern Irishman publicly distancing himself from the job.

Rodgers, who has guided the Foxes to a highly likely place in the Champions League next season, explained in a press conference that his focus was purely at the King Power Stadium (FourFourTwo).

Tottenham lining up big money Rodgers offer

Regardless, as per this new information from a Tottenham source speaking to FI, Levy is lining up a big money offer to treble Rodgers’ wages in the hope of tempting him away.

This comes nearly a decade after he was allegedly Levy’s ‘preferred choice’ to replace Harry Redknapp but opted for the role at Liverpool instead.

Spurs have not given up hope of landing Rodgers as per this report and are now willing to table a lucrative offer of £15 million-per-year including bonuses.

The source also explains that Levy is looking to ‘offer him the earth’ – and that is bordering on literate given the £15m-per-year wage is even more than previous boss Mourinho, who was on £12.5m-per-year.

Transfer Tavern take

Mourinho is still getting his full base salary whilst on gardening leave according to reports, so we advise to take this one with a pinch of salt.

Amid the financial implications of the coronavirus pandemic, news of Levy being willing to offer a Mourinho successor £15m-per-season comes as very surprising – especially considering the club still haven’t found a deal for the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium naming rights.

That being said, Rodgers would be a dream appointment for Spurs – with BT Sport pundit Robbie Savage recently dubbing him an ‘elite manager’ (via the Daily Mail).

In other news: Graham Roberts squashes links with this Champions League-winning boss, find out more here.

Manchester United have been at the centre of player drama over the last few months, with some of the most popular players in the team coming to the ends of their contract.

One of the most talked-about players at Manchester United is arguably, Paul Pogba.

The Frenchman is currently sidelined with an injury that could see him out for a few months but has also been linked to a big move across Europe to Real Madrid, as the Spanish side eye up the midfielder on a free next Summer.

With momentum building on Pogba’s departure from the club, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer now has a decision to make that could save him millions of pounds in transfers and also potentially save his job, by keeping hold of £80k-per-week beast, Jesse Lingard, in his midfield set up.

Lingard has been widely tipped to make his way out of the Manchester club in January, with the club reportedly only wanting £10m for the popular England international, but would it be wiser for the boss to utilise him in the team if Pogba does decide to move on to Real Madrid?

The man dubbed “exceptional” by David Moyes made an amazing impression when he went on loan to West Ham in January, in just 16 appearances for the Hammers, Lingard pocketed nine goals and five assists. Solskjaer was keen for the attacking midfielder to return to the Red Devils in the summer after the furore of media attention and transfer rumours.

Solksjaer heaped praise on Lingard at the beginning of the season, confirming his place in the squad, he said;

“Don’t forget Jesse Lingard who has re-invented himself and has come back the man that we know he is with the quality,”

“He is going to play a big part as well.”

Despite the Red Devils manager suggesting that Lingard would be a ‘big part’ of Manchester United’s season, he has only played five games in the Premier League so far. However, he has made the most of his minutes by making an impact in an effort to get more regular football, with two goals and an assist to his name in just eight games in all competitions so far this season.

The midfielder has 35 goals and 21 assists in 218 appearances in his senior career for the Manchester club, and will be hoping to play a part in the set-up in Pogba’s absence, but will have to compete with Donny Van De Beek for the place.

If Solskjaer plays his hand right in shifting to a midfield with Lingard included it could save the Norwegian his job as head coach, and put Manchester United in a much healthier position in the Premier League as they attempt to chase down Arsenal and Liverpool for that top-four finish. It might also dissuade the club’s owners from investing new cash in a potential Pogba replacement.

In other news: Glazers looking at two potential Solskjaer successors

Taking to Twitter, reporter Rafael Lamelas of IDEAL has made a managerial claim involving Leeds United amid a big update on Diego Martinez.

The Lowdown: Martinez impresses…

Bringing Granada from the second division to the Europa League quarter-finals, La Liga’s once youngest manager has been quite the success story.

Indeed, as emphasised by ESPN, the 40-year-old’s Granada side was Spanish football’s ‘great revelation’ as his team defied the odds and turned many heads on a shoe string budget.

Martinez, however, left the Nuevo Estadio de Los Cármenes after three successful years back in May with many now wondering where his next post could lie.

In a big update, reporter Lamelas has shared news on Twitter.

The Latest: Martinez could be eyeing Leeds job…

As per Lamelas, the Spaniard may now be eyeing a Leeds move to potentially replace Marcelo Bielsa if he decides to leave.

This comes as he rejects an offer to stay in La Liga to manage Elche.

He explained:

“Diego says no to another team again. Wait for England (maybe Leeds if Bielsa left at the end of the season) or a ‘main course’.”

The Verdict: Perfect heir?

If the Whites’ current boss decides to leave Yorkshire after guiding Leeds back to the big time and Premier League promotion, you could argue that Victor Orta and co could do no better than Martinez as his replacement.

Possessing a similar passion and hard work to Bielsa judging by his candid interview with ESPN, Granada’s fans and critics could not speak highly enough of Martinez during his reign.

Once called an ‘idol of the fans’ by Spanish reporter Jose Manuel Garcia, La Liga Showdown contributor Heath Chesters spoke last year of how Granada supporters were ‘calling for a statue’ – perfectly summing up his fine job at the club.

A free agent with plenty of credentials, we believe he could be a great candidate for Leeds.

After convincingly seeing off their struggling Merseyside rivals in the recent 4-1 victory over Everton at Goodison Park in midweek, Liverpool’s next Premier League challenge sees them travel to Molineux to take on Wolves on Saturday afternoon.

Ahead of the match against Bruno Lage’s side, it seems as though the Reds have been handed a welcome double injury boost which will surely have Jurgen Klopp buzzing.

What’s the news?

Liverpool duo Joe Gomez and Naby Keita were both spotted in Liverpool’s recent training session on Thursday in preparation for their clash at Wolves after being out for the past few weeks through injury.

Keita, who has three goals and one assist under his belt from 10 appearances this season, has been out of action since October after picking up a hamstring injury during Liverpool’s 2-2 draw against Brighton in the Premier League.

Gomez has also been out for a similar amount of time with a calf injury.

While the duo may not necessarily be fit enough to play a significant role in the Wolves match, Klopp and everyone else at the Merseyside club will be thrilled to have them back and hopefully available for the duration of their busy winter schedule and the rest of the season.

Keita has averaged 1.1 shots and 2.3 tackles per game in the league so far this season and racked up an overall performance rating of 7.19/10, making him Liverpool’s sixth-highest rated player of the campaign according to WhoScored, so his return to training will surely be a big positive for the Reds.

Although Gomez has found Premier League minutes hard to come by this term with just 13 under his belt from two substitute appearances, it’s good to see him back in training and overcoming his latest injury so that he can add some depth and cover at the back in case any of the Reds’ other centre-backs pick up an injury during this busy upcoming period.

Looking ahead to the Wolves match, while it may well be too early for Gomez and Keita to get back into action, the starting XI which ran riot at Goodison in midweek showed that they are more than capable of potentially dispatching the Old Gold, who have only won two of their six previous league games, scoring just four goals in the process.

In other news: Klopp could unearth Liverpool’s next star in this academy gem

Speaking recently to Football Insider, former Leeds United striker, Noel Whelan, criticised Marcelo Bielsa’s decision not to bring Pablo Hernandez on earlier in the club’s recent defeat, as well as urging the Argentine to alter his style of play.

In Leeds’ recent 1-0 loss to Aston Villa, Patrick Bamford touched the ball just 26 times over the course of the 90 minutes – the lowest number of any of United’s starting XI in the fixture, including goalkeeper Illan Meslier – with the centre-forward also failing to have an attempt on target, as well as receiving just 10 passes from his teammates.

And, speaking recently to Football Insider, Whelan claimed that Bamford’s struggles were down to a lack of creativity in the Leeds side, before calling for Bielsa to tweak his tactics going forward.

He said: “No one really got close to Patrick Bamford, no one really linked up as well as they should do with him. Only at the back end did Pablo Hernandez come on and we had a little bit of surge, but still we couldn’t find that little bit of quality in front of goal.

“I do think it could have been prevented if you just had the wingers a little bit closer, inside the full-backs, that changes the dimension. Then you’d be working the two centre-halves up against Bamford in a different way.

“We could still be playing now and I don’t think we would have scored a goal. When they play with a low block, that’s when you need that something different. You need to find that pick of the lock and only certain players can do that. I think Pablo should have come on a little bit earlier because he’s that player who’s always had that quality about him.”

Transfer Tavern Take

While Bamford’s struggles in the Villa game were clear for all to see, the fact that Leeds have scored 43 goals over their 26 Premier League fixtures so far this season – a figure more than six of the 10 teams above them in the league table – should not be ignored.

As such, while it could be argued that Bielsa perhaps could have made his substitutions earlier in the fixture against Villa, it would seem, in general, as if the 65-year-old’s set up of the newly-promoted side – who currently sit 11th in the Premier League standings, just nine points behind the Champions League places – has proven rather successful this season, despite Whelan’s concerns.

In other news, Phil Hay shed light on this Leeds star’s contract details – find out more here!

Rob Lee spoke exclusively to Football FanCast about Karl Darlow’s future and he has no doubt the 30-year-old will be a number one for another Premier League club.

Steve Bruce made it clear who his number one is by bringing in Martin Dubravka for Darlow despite the latter not putting a foot wrong this season and performing out of his skin.

Darlow has a very respectable 6.79 rating on WhoScored and considering Newcastle have conceded the second-most goals this season, it highlights how good he’s been and no Newcastle fan would like to think where they’d be without his heroics this campaign.

Losing his starting will be a huge blow, and you have to wonder whether it could be the final nail in the coffin for the former Nottingham Forest shot-stopper.

He’s had to bide his time since Dubravka arrived and settle for cup appearances and with the Slovakian taking his spot back, he may see it as his time to move on.

Lee told Football FanCast he can’t see why Darlow would stay to be a backup keeper when he’s got the ability to be a number one keeper in the Premier League.

Lee spoke glowingly when asked if Darlow would slot into another Premier League club: “Yeah, without a doubt. He’s been one of the top goalkeepers in the league.”

He added: “I think a lot of clubs will be after him based on his form. He’s obviously on the verge of earning an England call up I would say and deservedly so.

“I won’t be surprised if he leaves.”

Darlow has proved himself to be an excellent shot-stopper this season, however, Bruce appears to trust Dubravka more.

He’s 30-years old now and entering his peak years for a goalkeeper, would he waste those years sitting on Newcastle’s bench after the season he’s had?

Rangers boss Gio van Bronckhorst is in for a busy summer transfer window as he looks to shape his squad ahead of the 2022/23 campaign.

With the Gers currently sitting six points adrift of the Premiership leaders, the Dutch head coach is set to head into next season with the aim of winning the title back from their Glasgow arch-rivals – unless of course there is a very late twist in the current campaign.

This means that the club will have an extra edge in their transfer dealings, as they will be motivated to improve their squad to a point where they will be confident of finishing above the Hoops.

One player who must be brutally axed from the Rangers squad in the summer is Finland international Glen Kamara, as the timing is perfect for him to leave.

Ibrox chief Ross Wilson can seal a masterclass by cashing in on the 26-year-old, whose form has nosedived of late. He has only started one Premiership match since 5th March as John Lundstram and Ryan Jack have been preferred to him in the two deep-lying midfield roles.

In all competitions since that date, he has recorded a SofaScore rating of 6.8 or lower in each of his appearances, while he has struggled in the Europa League all season. He has averaged an underwhelming SofaScore rating of 6.68 in Europe across 11 appearances, showing that he has not been one of the key players in their charge towards glory in that competition.

Earlier this year, it was reported that the club value him at £15m. It would be a stroke of genius from Wilson if he is able to sell Kamara for that amount, as it would generate significant funds for Van Bronckhorst to strengthen the squad in other positions without weakening the club’s best XI.

In his last Premiership start, the Finland midfielder was culpable for Motherwell’s goal and was dubbed an “all-round shambles” by Andrew Dickson for his involvement in that play. The 26-year-old was given the opportunity to show Van Bronckhorst that he can be a reliable, regular starter for him in the middle of the park, but instead he let the manager down with a poor mistake.

Kamara has struggled to get into the team of late and has not been able to catch the eye whenever he has played, so that is why this summer will be the perfect time for him to be sold. Wilson must cash in on the player whilst his value is still reasonably high, whether that is the £15m previously quoted or a similar fee, and then use that money to reinvest in the team.

If he can pull that off, then it will be a transfer masterclass from the former Southampton chief…

AND in other news, Rangers now plot exciting bid for £1.8m-rated sensation, it’ll leave Van Bronckhorst thrilled…

Liverpool travel to Selhurst Park on Saturday for the early kick-off and Trent Alexander-Arnold is likely to key in the Reds’ chances of taking away all three points.

The England international returned from injury recently and helped the Reds move back top of the table with a 2-1 win against Tottenham Hotspur on Wednesday night.

However, he is in for another tough game on Saturday, as he likely be up against Palace talisman Wilfried Zaha on the left-wing, with the former Manchester United man’s recent performances certainly catching the eye.

The 28-year-old has seven goals and two assists in 11 appearances in the top-flight so far this season, which has seen him average a superb 7.10 rating.

This means that he has already beaten his goal tally of four from the whole of last season, with the winger having seemingly added goals to his already dangerous all-round play for Roy Hodgson’s side.

It is clear that he is extremely important to the way the Eagles play, with 45% of their attacks coming down the left-hand side, which is the most of any team in the Premier League.

Therefore, Alexander-Arnold will have to be at his best if he wants to keep Zaha quiet on Sunday but if he can, he will give Klopp’s side an excellent chance of picking up maximum points, which would see them remain top of the Premier League table at Christmas.

The 22-year-old has been impressive at times this season, although has enjoyed a lot more success in the Champions League, where he has averaged a 7.10 rating, compared to his arguably disappointing 6.68 average in the Premier League.

However, there is no doubting his extraordinary talent, with fellow superstar Kylian Mbappe lauding the youngster after he was asked about Alexander-Arnold mimicking his celebration after scoring in a win against Leicester City last season, saying:

“Yeah, I saw! I’m proud. This guy is amazing.”

So, if the Liverpool academy graduate can perform to the best of his ability, from both an attacking and defensive point of view, he will give the Reds a good chance of winning the game at Selhurst Park, especially if he is able to limit Zaha’s influence on the game.

And, in other news… The emergence of “extraordinary” talent at LFC could spell trouble for injury-prone liability

Ismaila Soro has been dismissed as ‘not good enough’ to succeed Scott Brown at Celtic.

Hoops great Charlie Nicholas issued the verdict in his brutal Daily Express column (via the Daily Record).

Nicholas made 209 appearances over the course of two spells in Glasgow, scoring 125 goals and winning two Scottish titles, so he knows a thing or two about what it takes to meet the level required at Parkhead.

‘Soro can’t anchor the midfield like Brown’

Captain Scott Brown is leaving Parkhead this summer after a 14-year stint.

And while Nicholas, earlier in his column, rubbished the notion that Brown was a ‘legend’, he does accept that there will be big shoes to fill.

“What Celtic will have more difficulty replacing is Brown’s personality and leadership qualities in the dressing room,” he claimed.

“Ismaila Soro is not good enough to be regarded as Brown’s successor in the midfield anchor role.”

How has Soro fared at Celtic?

Soro, who joined Celtic in January 2020 for a fee of around £2million, has had limited involvement this season.

Either side of a run of 10 successive league starts between December and February, he’s barely been used (via Transfermarkt).

But the Ivorian nonetheless earned the backing of former Scotland manager Alex McLeish during that short run of form.

Tottenham Hotspur are reportedly impressed by the 22-year-old, and McLeish said (via Football Insider) there was ‘no doubt’ that Celtic could come to regret sanctioning that move.

Notably, he also expressed certainty that ‘foreign players understand what it means to play for Rangers and Celtic’, indicating that Soro could play with similar passion to Brown.

Transfer Tavern verdict

Nicholas’ comments sound a lot like he’s writing Soro off, which seems unfair – he’s still young, and he’s found opportunities to prove himself hard to come by.

Celtic’s new manager might well see more promise in Soro than his predecessors, and even in the few chances he has been given this season he has shown what he can offer, averaging 1.9 tackles per game, the most of any Hoops player to have appeared more than once (Whoscored).

In other news, Kris Commons slammed two Celtic stars after the woeful defeat at Rangers.

Conor Coady has taken criticism from some Wolverhampton Wanderers fans ahead of the trip to The Hawthorns for Monday’s Black Country derby.

Wolves head into the game in 12th place, a full seven points adrift of the top half. They are looking to make amends following a woeful 4-0 defeat against Burnley last time out.

Nuno Espirito Santo’s side have finished in a highly creditable seventh place in the last two seasons, but they have struggled this time around amid the long-term absence of last year’s top scorer Raul Jimenez.

What did Coady say about Wolves’ season?

Speaking to the club’s official website, Wolves captain Coady admitted that his side’s efforts hadn’t been ‘good enough’.

The £16,500-per-week centre-back went on to concede that they had regressed from their high-flying campaigns of the last two years.

Having led 2-1 when they last met Albion in January, Wolves were beaten 3-2 on home soil, but they know that gaining revenge on Monday would go some way to ensuring West Brom aren’t playing top-flight football next season.

Fan feed Talking Wolves relayed Coady’s comments, and here’s how some supporters reacted.

Wolves fans call for Coady to do talking on the pitch

“Obviously scripted words. I’m sure the whole club is disappointed in this season, it’s just talking for talking sake. Just win on Monday.”

Credit: @richierooster69

“Unhappy is putting it mildly!”

Credit: @MichaelPoulter3

“Cue another gutless performance Monday”

Credit: @David44809679

“I wonder how long it took the press office to write that for you Conor, you’re better off telling #nuno you, Saiss and Donk aren’t defenders”

Credit: @mark_mcgrane

“Talk is cheap”

Credit: @purplefirefly

“You are the problem”

Credit: @leaoinwolves

In other news, many Wolves fans want to see this man start at The Hawthorns