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Tottenham boss Ange Postecoglou has been forthright in admitting the squad needs an overhaul this summer, with a 27-year-old now swapping N17 for Europe.

Players who could leave Spurs with Joe Rodon

Wales international Joe Rodon has become the latest player to depart Spurs, coming four years after Jose Mourinho signed him from Swansea City for around £11 million.

Club reply as Tottenham make bid for £21 million player after Archie Gray

Postecoglou is looking to sign another starlet after the Yorkshire sensation.

By
Emilio Galantini

Jul 2, 2024

The 26-year-old was out of favour in north London for quite some time, despite arriving with plenty of potential, and spent the last two seasons on various loan spells at Rennes and Leeds United.

Rodon managed to impress for the latter club, making 46 appearances in the Championship last season under Daniel Farke and playing a crucial role as they narrowly missed out on promotion back to the Premier League.

Leeds were heavily linked with re-signing the centre-back on a permanent deal, which has now become reality, with Rodon making the move back to Elland Road for around £10 million and English sensation Archie Gray going the opposite direction to Spurs.

Lilywhites chairman Daniel Levy will be happy with the business conducted, as the club make most of the money they paid for Rodon back off his sale, whilst also sealing a deal for one of the country's most exciting talents.

Rodon now officially joins Ryan Sessegnon, Japhet Tanganga, Eric Dier, Ivan Perisic and Tanguy Ndombele in leaving north London for pastures new. The aforementioned crop could also be joined by Bryan Gil, Djed Spence, Giovani Lo Celso, Troy Parrott, Richarlison, Sergio Reguilon, Yves Bissouma, Manor Solomon, Emerson Royal and Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg – who have all been named as players who could be sold by Tottenham this summer.

Postecoglou suggested that a number of his squad could leave Spurs, while reliable insider Paul O'Keefe has recently claimed that Levy is open to offers for over a dozen Tottenham stars.

Genoa have been in recent talks to sign Spence on a permanent deal, but things have gone quiet on that front. AC Milan remain locked in negotiations over Royal as well, so we could see more exits in the coming weeks.

Perhaps the most crucial departure was that of Ndombele, who endured a nightmare stint at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium after previously signing for a club-record £55 million deal from Lyon. The Frenchman earned a reported £200,000-per-week at the club, so Levy will be glad to vanquish his high salary off the books.

Tanguy Ndombele agrees to join Nice after leaving Tottenham

Ndombele was sent out on various loan spells during the latter stages of his Spurs career, having put pen to paper on a temporary spell back at Lyon, Napoli the season afterwards and Turkish Super Lig giants Galatasaray last campaign.

The 27-year-old was also criticised for being out of shape over 2023/2024, with the Turkish press claiming Ndombele was 6 kilograms overweight last season.

Now, after leaving Tottenham, Foot Mercato state that he is in much better shape fitness-wise and determined to reignite his career. They add that Ndombele has agreed to join OGC Nice after quitting Spurs, having chosen the Ligue 1 side despite receiving "several exotic offers".

It will be interesting to see if the midfielder can truly make something of his obvious ability, with England star Declan Rice even once calling Ndombele one of the toughest opponents he's ever faced.

Messi's legacy will be fine, Miami's brand will be fine and MLS will be fine, but club needs serious retooling to compete in 2025

Lionel Messi's message was one of defiance. The Inter Miami forward took to social media to address Inter Miami's 2-1 series loss to Atlanta United in the first round of MLS playoffs – the biggest upset in the history of Major League Soccer's postseason – and said all of the right things. He referenced the growth of the club, the accomplishments during the regular season, the support of the fans.

But he also pledged to return stronger. It was all a bit cliche, but Miami, we are led to believe, will be back.

And good for them. They need to be. For the sake of MLS – if nothing else – Messi's message was a good thing. Still, zoom out, and this loss to a team that barely edged its way into the playoffs via a wildcard, was symptomatic of a wider problem in South Beach.

Even though he missed significant time with an ankle injury, Messi still did his bit in the regular season, as did the stars around him, leading Miami to the Supporters' Shield with a record 74 points. But so much of this side went into brand building, the acquisition of big names, and the hiring of a marquee coach.

Someone, somewhere didn't say enough about how a roster should be pieced together for playoff success. Miami, the brand, will be fine. Messi, the GOAT, will certainly be fine. MLS, with hope that the league is actually bigger than one player or one team, will also be fine.

But Miami, the team, have some serious retooling to do if they want to exceed this performance next year.

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  Not enough Messi magic

  For all of the good vibes from Messi, though, it must be said that he probably could have done more.

  Messi was quiet for most of the Atlanta series. In truth, he has been in knockout football for a while. Yes, the Argentine got on the scoresheet, nodding home the equalizer in the game 3 loss. But when a 5-7 playmaker, with just 27 headed goals in his career – less than 5 percent of his total – leaps to knock the ball into the net, there is little you can do but reluctantly accept it. Otherwise, though, Messi had few real chances against Atlanta. He found himself forced into deeper areas, receiving the ball far from goal.

  And when he was close, Atlanta simply crowded him out. A couple of free kicks hit the wall. One of two nice dribbles were cut short by smart fouls and timely tackles. There was no magic to be found, no last-second winner, no no-look pass. More than anything, this is all due to good defending. Atlanta had a plan, executed it well, and ensured that the best player to ever kick a football didn't have a sniff.

  But we have become so used to Messi working miracles. It basically feels like a disappointment when he doesn't.

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  Personal legacy intact

  Big-picture, this doesn't mean much for Messi's career narrative. The Argentine, in truth, could have retired after the 2022 World Cup, and few would have begrudged him. After all, with that trophy, he completed football. There is nothing more left for him to win, no further accolades needed to cement his legacy. No one seemed to care when he left PSG without a Champions League. Miami means even less, comparatively.

  In a sense, that could be a bad thing. This league should be his stomping ground. With 26 goal contributions in 19 regular season games, it actually was. Messi isn't necessarily here to just to win. Rather, the eight-time Ballon d'Or winner also carries the mantle of growing the game. But the implicit argument of it all, the thing that goes unsaid by the depth of his trophy cabinet, suggests that the Argentine be lifting the MLS Cup every year.

  Expectations are nothing new – and Messi has failed to meet them in his prime years – but in five years, no one will remember if Messi won the MLS Cup or not in 2024. More likely, it become a trivia night special that he didn't.

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  What this means for Miami, the brand

  For Miami, the team, meanwhile, this is all a bit embarrassing. It's hard to spin this as anything but a massive upset for the best team in MLS. This squad, assembled by co-owner and team president David Beckham and the Miami front office, met all expectations during the regular season. They were the No. 1 seed in the East, winners of the Supporter's Shield and statistically the most successful regular season side ever.

  Yes, Atlanta executed a wonderfully constructed gameplan, and made it very difficult for the Herons. But if Miami were better managed across the three-game series, and got the most out of their stars, this really shouldn't have been a contest.

  Still, little of this has to do with the performance of the 11 men on the pitch. Miami in MLS, much like Al-Nassr in the Saudi Pro League, are a brand. Ask anyone outside of the MLS sphere, and they would likely only know the Herons as "Messi's team."

  They would recognize the pink kits and know that Beckham owns them, and that Luis Suarez joined Messi in this South Beach escapade. Scroll social media or ask people on the street and they are unlikely to know how Miami performed. This won't come as comfort to the players, fans, or league itself – the passion therein is real – but team performance is irrelevant to the brands of Messi and Inter Miami in the wider sphere.

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  Where Miami go now

  But the team might have some thinking to do. This is a strangely assembled roster, top heavy, and lacking in the kind of intelligent, athletic role players needed to succeed in MLS. Messi is not to blame – he's a designated player and therefore can be paid however much the Herons want. Neither is Sergio Busquets, who is also allowed to be paid whatever Miami deems the right price within league regulations.

  Financially, at least, neither Jordi Alba or Suarez are at fault, either. They are both on affordable contracts, and have taken immense pay cuts from the kind of money they might have earned elsewhere. Still, roster assembling is more than a question of how much you pay individuals. There are knock-on effects, wage structures to be pieced together.

  Suarez, Alba, Busquets and Messi pretty much have to start, based on those salaries. Much like some of the best teams across other American sports, Miami needs to shrewd in how they spend the money. In abstract, they need a right back, defensive midfielder and center back. They will get some help by the fact that big-money man Diego Gomez is leaving for Brighton in January.

  There remain questions elsewhere, though. Suarez is out of contract at the end of the season, and although there is talk that he wants to stay, Miami might need a new No. 9 if he elects to hang up his boots. The long-term effectiveness of Drake Callender in goal, as well as the puzzling underuse of Julian Gressel, must also be addressed. Miami have tried the expensive route. Now, it might be time to be a little smarter.

Manchester United and Sir Jim Ratcliffe have held talks over a move to sign a £63m Brazilian ahead of Arsenal, according to a new report.

Man Utd targeting striker signing

Ratcliffe and INEOS are now officially into their first summer transfer window in charge of sporting decisions at Old Trafford and have already made a big decision.

The club decided to stick with Erik ten Hag as manager, with Ratcliffe recently explaining that call. “The coach isn't the central issue at Manchester United”, Ratcliffe said on keeping Ten Hag.

“It’s a sports club. It needs to be competitive, it needs a degree of intensity, but with a supportive side to it because you are dealing with players who are relatively young. It hasn’t had that type of environment historically.”

Man Utd could sign a "monster" £0 upgrade on Scott McTominay

The Man Utd target is reportedly ‘waiting’ for them.

By
Tom Lever

Jun 20, 2024

With the club’s attention now on the transfer window, Ratcliffe has already hinted that United need two of three summer windows to complete a rebuild.

"I don't think the solution is to buy an Mbappe. We are more grassroots than that. One player is not going to solve the problem at Manchester United. The first thing we need to do is build a balanced squad and ultimately maybe top it off with one or two players like Mbappe. It will take two or three summer windows to get to a better place."

This summer, a centre-back and striker appear to be at the top of their to-do list at this moment in time. Everton’s Jarrad Branthwaite has been at the top of the defensive wishlist, whereas a number of attacking targets have been on the club’s radar.

Bologna striker Joshua Zirzkee is one of those, with Sky Sports reporter Florian Plettenberg stating there is a good chance Man Utd can hijack AC Milan’s deal to sign the Netherlands international.

Lille’s Jonathan David is another target, with talks advancing for the Canada international, who is wanted by a number of Premier League clubs.

There was also noise around Wolves forward Matheus Cunha, with Ratcliffe reportedly willing to double his wage at Old Trafford to £120,000-a-week. Now, a new update has emerged on the Molineux star.

Cunha to Man Utd update

According to CaughtOffside, Man Utd have now held talks with Cunha’s agents ahead of a possible move to Old Trafford.

The Red Devils have received information about a potential deal, with the Brazilian also wanted by Arsenal. Wolves are demanding €75m (£63m) to sell the forward, and it remains to be seen if United and Ratcliffe are willing to pay such a big price.

Cunha, Zirkzee and David appear to be the three main attacking targets to rival Rasmus Hojlund next season, with the Wolves star more expensive than David and Zirkzee who could cost around £30m and £34m respectively. It’ll be interesting to see if United can secure the services of one of the three attacking names mentioned, with a deal for Cunha once again one to watch.

Lautaro Martinez has been advised to forget about his Ballon d'Or disappointment as Marco Materazzi urged the Inter striker to listen to Lionel Messi.

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• Martinez angry over his Ballon d'Or ranking
• Messi said forward 'deserved the award'
• Materazzi says 'Messi's words more important'

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Martinez did not hide his disappointment at his lower than expected placing in the Ballon d'Or rankings this week, calling his seventh-place finish "unfair" as Manchester City star Rodri went on to win the award.

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Martinez had a wonderful year playing for Inter in Serie A as he scored 27 goals and assisted three more in all competitions, playing a huge part in Inter's league and cup double. He went on to score five times as Argentina won the Copa America in the summer.

  More so than Rodri or Vinicius Junior, Messi argued that it was his Argentina team-mate who deserved to take home the award, and those sentiments, Materazzi says, outweigh the honour of winning the Ballon d'Or.

• WHAT MATERAZZI SAID

  In an interview with , 2006 World Cup winner Materazzi said: "He is undoubtedly top five. You can't complain about Rodri, who won the Champions League and the Euros, or Dani Caravajal. But Lautaro has also won trophies with Inter and Argentina. He's right when he says he expects more. I think the Ballon d'Or doesn't count much. The real value is determined by the clubs with which you win trophies. Lautaro has won the World Cup and two Copa America, the last one as a top scorer. This is what counts."

  Materazzi added: "Lautaro must heed Messi's words, because his judgement is more important than the one of the Ballon d'Or jury."

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  WHAT NEXT FOR MARTINEZ AND INTER?

  Martinez will have to recover from this disappointment quickly, as Inter are set to face Arsenal in the Champions League and Serie A leaders Napoli before the November international break begins. Martinez has five goals and two assists in all competitions so far this campaign, and will want to maintain that form against their upcoming opponents.

A list purporting to show the top 12 finishers in the 2024 men's Ballon d'Or has gone viral before Monday night's official ceremony in Paris.

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• Viral social media post shows alleged Ballon d'Or results
• Vinicius Jr's apparent winning points tally revealed
• Identity of top 12 finishers unveiled

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  The unconfirmed but widely-shared list shows Vinicius Junior top of the standings with 630 points, which is significantly more than Lionel Messi won with in 2023, but not as much as Messi in 2019 (686), Luka Modric in 2018 (753) or Cristiano Ronaldo in 2017 (946). If accurate, Manchester City midfielder Rodri has finished second with 576 points, with Jude Bellingham in third on 422.

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Ballon d'Or votes are cast in advance of the ceremony and rumours started circulating in September that Vinicius was aware he'd won, although he hasn't been officially told. has reported this is the first time that the winner doesn't formally know the outcome prior to the ceremony, with no interview or photoshoot conducted in advance as has been the case in the past.

  The alleged top 12, according to the leaked list, in this year's vote are as follows:

  1. Vinicius Junior, 630 points
  2. Rodri, 576 points
  3. Jude Bellingham,422 points
  4. Kylian Mbappe, 317 points
  5. Harry Kane, 201 points
  6. Erling Haaland, 195 points
  7. Lamine Yamal, 128 points
  8. Phil Foden, 29 points
  9. Dani Olmo, 25 points
  10. Florian Wirtz, 24 points
  11. Dani Carvajal, 17 points
  12. Antonio Rudiger, unknown

• DID YOU KNOW?

  Vinicius, who was instrumental in Real Madrid winning both la Liga and the Champions League last season, stands to be the first Ballon d'Or winner born in the 21st century. The men's award has bizarrely never been won by someone born in the 1990s, due to the long-term dominance of Cristiano Ronaldo (1985) and Lionel Messi (1987).

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  WHAT NEXT?

  The Ballon d'Or trophy will be presented at the Theatre du Chatelet in Paris on Monday night, along with the Feminin prize, for which Barcelona's Aitana Bonmati is the favourite, and subsidiary accolades, including the Kopa Trophy, Yachine Trophy and new coaching gongs.

Douglas Luiz's move to Juventus has yet to be finalised. Aston Villa are under pressure to adhere to Premier League profit and sustainability (PSR) rules before the end of the month and the Brazil midfielder has been sacrificed.

According to Gianluca di Marzio, Weston McKennie and Samuel Iling-Junior are poised to move to Villa Park in the same deal, but the former is currently holding up the deal, having yet to agree terms. Still, the move is very much on, with McKennie expected to ply his trade under Unai Emery next season.

The USMNT midfielder is talented but failed to impress during his loan spell with Leeds United in 2022/23. He will need support to reach his zenith, and Villa are lining up a new forward who could be the perfect partner for the 25-year-old.

Villa eyeing new striker

As per Football Insider, Aston Villa are hoping to strengthen their frontline with the signing of Tammy Abraham this summer, who are open to selling the striker.

Abraham enjoyed an instrumental loan spell at Villa Park in 2018/19, scoring 26 goals as the club got promoted to the Premier League. He has since enjoyed a trophy-laden career but missed most of the 2023/24 campaign due to a knee injury.

Tottenham Hotspur and West Ham United are also thought to be interested in the £20m-rated Englishman, but Emery will hope his outfit's connection to the player holds sway.

Imagine Tammy Abraham & Weston McKennie

There is rarely an obvious branching point in a player's career, but Abraham cut his teeth at Aston Villa and honed his ability ahead of a prosperous few years.

An ACL rupture suffered on the final day of the 2022/23 campaign restricted him to only two Serie A starts last term, scoring one goal and adding one assist.

Standing at 6 foot 3, Abraham has scored 36 goals and provided 12 assists across 107 matches for his Italian club, notably notching a 27-goal haul during the 2021/22 campaign, scoring nine goals in the Europa Conference League en route to the title.

He's been hailed as a "goal machine" by former coach Stephen Elliott and would offer something different, more of a focal point, to that of Ollie Watkins. His imposing style up front would benefit McKennie greatly.

McKennie might have flattered to deceive during his loan spell with imperilled Leeds but this should not define him as a player. Last season, back in Turin, he was a key figure in the middle of the park and demonstrated a rounded skill set.

The 25-year-old's seven-assist total would obviously help Abraham, whose silky footwork could be a good target point for the American's distribution, but deeper analysis highlights the reason this would be so successful.

As per FBref, the Old Lady midfielder ranked among the top 5% of midfielders in Serie A last season for assists, which is great, but he also ranked among the top 20% for progressive carries, the top 17% for touches in the attacking penalty area and the top 7% for progressive passes received per 90.

A forward-scurrying star, his athleticism and passion for pushing forward and influencing play would give Villa's prospective new striker a steady stream of creative support.

Given that he also ranked among the top 9% for crosses into the penalty area, his dynamic delivery also suggests that Abraham could find his noggin meeting ball with prolific constancy.

Watkins is the main man at Villa Park but with Jhon Duran mooted for a move to Chelsea, Abraham could be the perfect supplementary to add a dimension as Emery and his troops march toward Europe's elite club competitions.

What Aston Villa’s starting XI could look like after £105m spending spree

Aston Villa will be looking to build on their momentous 23/24 campaign, having qualified for the Champions League.

By
Angus Sinclair

Jun 6, 2024

Arsenal are expected to hold meetings over a £21m-rated player following this summer's European Championship.

Arsenal transfer rumours

Mikel Arteta and co. look set to reinforce their attacking options ahead of the 2024/25 campaign after narrowly missing out on the Premier League title to Manchester City this past season.

Arsenal make contact with £50m titan who'd be a "monster next to Rice"

This one might start to move pretty quickly following promising discussions.

By
Angus Sinclair

Jun 8, 2024

The Gunners were able to push Man City to the final day of the season before the Sky Blues secured a fourth league title in a row. The north Londoners ended 2023/24 with a better defensive record than City but were let down slightly by their attack – a poor run of form in December proved pivotal.

Arsenal also lacked a standout goalscorer in 2023/24, with Bukayo Saka's 16 strikes leaving him sat 9th in the Premier League goalscoring standings – three goals behind Phil Foden and 11 adrift of Erling Haaland.

In turn, it makes sense for the capital outfit to be eyeing some fresh legs up front this summer. RB Leipzig star Benjamin Sesko has been heavily linked with a move to Arsenal of late. The 6 foot 5 centre-forward scored 18 goals in all competitions in 2023/24 and has a £55m release clause.

Elsewhere, Arsenal are said to be increasingly interested in doing a deal for Juventus' Federico Chiesa this summer, who is said to be valued at around £38m. There have been a number of other attacking options linked with an Emirates switch as we approach the 2024 summer window, including Athletic Bilbao's Nico Williams, Wolverhampton Wanderers' Pedro Neto and Manchester United's Marcus Rashford.

Arsenal and Edu set for meeting to sign £21m attacker

Now, it appears a fresh name has caught the eye of those in a position of power at the Emirates. The player in question is 18-year-old, Semih Kilicsoy.

Earlier this week, the teenager's agent, Murat Teber, claimed Arsenal were among a number of clubs showing interest in Kilicsoy.

“I know that clubs such as Bayern Munich, Manchester City, Arsenal, PSG, Monaco, Bayer Leverkusen and Stuttgart are watching Semih. We received information about this. But it has not reached the offer stage. At least, there is no offer that has reached us,” he said.

Now, a fresh report from Turkish outlet Aksam (via Sport Witness) has provided an update on Arsenal's interest in the young forward.

Despite his tender years, Semih scored 12 and assisted 3 across 2023/24 for his current club, Besiktas. This fine form has earned him a call-up to the Turkish national team for Euro 2024 where he will attempt to help his side make it out of Group F.

Following Turkey's involvement in Germany, the aforementioned report claims clubs interested in Semih will meet with Besiktas to discuss a potential transfer. This will give Arsenal a better look at the striker as they decide if he is worth the reported valuation of €25m (£21m) set by his current side.

West Bromwich Albion have been handed a potential boost to their chances of securing a summer deal for Newcastle United youngster Elliot Anderson.

What’s the news?

Having been linked with a move to The Hawthorns on loan earlier this summer, the teenager recently has his say to NUFC TV (via Chronicle Live) about his immediate future.

He said: “I’d say for me, probably playing games is the most important thing, to be honest – carrying on my run that I have, and just trying to keep striving. Hopefully that’s here, or if it’s somewhere else on loan, I’ll be giving it my all.”

Now that the 19-year-old has shared his willingness to leave Tyneside on loan to a club where he’d be able to play regularly, this could give Albion the green light to launch a move to sign the attacking midfielder for the upcoming season.

A product of Newcastle’s youth system, the youngster has made 56 appearances for Newcastle across their senior and youth teams, scoring 23 goals and providing eight assists along the way.

Bruce needs him

The teenager completed his first loan move away from St James’ Park during the January transfer window as he saw out the second half of last season with Bristol Rovers in League Two.

Over 21 league appearances during this period, Anderson found the net eight times and supplied five assists as he helped the Pirates to win promotion, which shows why he’s seemingly so keen to start playing regularly again.

In his time at Bristol Rovers, the 19-year-old racked up 74 shots at goal, 32 crosses and 23 successful tackles, highlighting how dangerous he can be with his attacks and how useful he can be without the ball in terms of trying to win the ball back for his team.

Hailed as a “classy” player by renowned scout Graham Carr, Anderson now has 31 goals to his name across senior and youth football before hitting the age of 20.

Bearing in mind how the Baggies failed to score in 18 of their Championship games last season, having a player like the Newcastle starlet – who has played under Steve Bruce before – in the team could be just what they need to make the team a lot more clinical in front of goal.

If Bruce’s former club would be willing to sanction a loan move to West Brom for Anderson, this would be a smart move from the Baggies and give their manager what he needs for the team in their hopes of securing promotion back to the Premier League.

AND in other news – Deal agreed: West Brom closing in on “tenacious” £29k-p/w target, it would be a massive coup

A big Tottenham Hotspur claim has emerged on their plans to add to their defence in the summer transfer window… 

What’s the talk?

Transfer insider Dean Jones has claimed that Fabio Paratici may wait until January to bolster that area of the pitch as he weighs up what to do between now and the end of August.

When asked about the club’s pursuit of a centre-back, he told GIVEMESPORT: “I think that situation is on pause right now unless a great situation lands on their doorstep.

“I think it’s one they might look at in January after the World Cup. If they feel the first half of the season hasn’t gone their way or it’s left them short, that’s when I think they might look to get another one.”

Antonio Conte will be worried

This claim from Jones will surely leave the Italian head coach worried as the centre-back position is in need of strengthening ahead of the 2022/23 campaign.

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In the Premier League last season, Japhet Tanganga and Joe Rodon ranked 21st and 23rd in the Spurs squad for average SofaScore ratings. They both averaged scores of 6.65 or lower and Conte rarely looked to them as they made 14 appearances between them in the top flight.

This suggests that the manager does not trust them with regular minutes on the pitch and their dismal ratings indicate that he is well within his right to make that decision.

Ben Davies, who is a left-back by trade, was the main option on the left side of the back three in the Premier League for Conte. He averaged a solid SofaScore rating of 6.88 and won 54% of his duels in the division as he made himself a reliable option.

Whilst he was not a major liability to the team, there is plenty of room for improvement in the left centre-back position. You only have to look at Christian Romero and the impact he made to see how much Spurs could benefit from signing another central defender.

The Argentine international averaged a sublime rating of 7.15 in the top-flight and won 62% of his individual duels as he delivered quality displays on a regular basis for the club.

This is why Conte will be worried by the lack of urgency in the pursuit of a new centre-back as it is a position that is in need of reinforcement ahead of a gruelling Premier League and Champions League campaign.

AND in other news: “Now likely…”: Kilpatrick reveals Spurs transfer update, supporters will be buzzing

Aston Villa’s activity in the transfer market has gone quiet in recent weeks, though that could soon change…

What’s the word?

According to Birmingham Mail reporter Ashley Preece, the Midlands outfit could sign one or two more players before the end of the window on September 1st.

Speaking in a recent Q&A with supporters, the ever-reliable journalist said:

“I’d still expect one or two [new signings]. A few of the group will head out either on loan or transfer and squad will need replenishing.”

Lange not done yet

Villa have so far made two fresh additions to Steven Gerrard’s squad, signing Boubacar Kamara on a free transfer from Marseille and quite the coup in Diego Carlos from Sevilla.

Loan moves for Philippe Coutinho and Robin Olsen have also been made permanent.

Where sporting director Johan Lange needs to bolster next remains to be seen, though there are some glaring holes in the squad, such as finding a suitable backup to Lucas Digne, whilst Gerrard will be short on centre-backs at the start of the season due to injuries to Kortney Hause and Ezri Konsa.

Further up the pitch, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see another striker signed, though it’s more likely that the club add depth to the midfield with the futures of several fringe players up in the air, including Morgan Sanson, and breakthrough academy gem Carney Chukwuemeka.

After taking over from Dean Smith in early November, the Liverpool legend guided the Villans to a mediocre 14th place, so he will be looking for vast improvements on that heading into the new season.

The arrivals of Kamara and Carlos certainly add quality to the squad and given Preece’s exciting claim above, we can surely expect more through the door at Villa Park.

Names such as Porto playmaker Otavio and Lille talisman Jonathan David have been linked in recent weeks, only adding to the excitement.

That latest update should leave many supporters around B6 absolutely buzzing, with less than a month to go until the 2022/23 campaign gets underway.

AND in other news, Villa plotting move for “phenomenal” £35m talent, imagine him & Coutinho…