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Rangers’ centre-forward options at Ibrox are set to undergo a mass overhaul during the final few days of this transfer window.

On Friday, Hamza Igamane’s departure was made official, joining Ligue 1 side LOSC Lille for £10.4m, leaving under a bit of a black cloud, having refused to come off the bench during last Sunday’s 1-1 draw with St Mirren, at least according to under-fire manager Russell Martin.

Meantime, Cyriel Dessers has been heavily linked with a move away all throughout the summer, with AEK Athens the club who’ve shown the strongest interest.

For now, the Nigerian remains a Rangers player, but he is a doubt ahead of Sunday’s Old Firm derby at Ibrox, so Danilo is expected to lead the line against Celtic.

However, ahead of that game, could the Light Blues sign not one but two new centre-forwards?

Rangers' search for new strikers

As has been widely reported, Rangers are set to sign striker Bojan Miovski from Girona for around £2.6m, potentially rising to £4.2m.

The North Macedonian international underwent a medical in France on Friday, with the Gers attempting to get the paperwork finalised in time so that he would be eligible to feature in Sunday’s Glasgow derby.

Miovski will be a familiar face to all Scottish football fans, having scored 44 goals across two seasons at Aberdeen, four of which came against Rangers, only on target against Livingston more frequently, but he is now tasked with scoring goals in light blue.

However, Miovski is not the only centre-forward on his way to Glasgow’s south side.

That’s because, as reported by Mike McGrath of The Telegraph, Rangers are in the “final stages of completing a deal” to sign Everton striker Youssef Chermiti, adding that a deal is now virtually agreed.

Transfer Focus

Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.

The Portuguese under-21 international will move to Ibrox on a season-long loan, seemingly set to swap Merseyside for Glasgow imminently.

What Youssef Chermiti will bring to Rangers

After coming through Sporting CP’s academy, Chermiti made just 22 appearances for the Lions’ first team, scoring three goals, but this was enough to convince Everton to pay £15m to secure his signature.

However, this move has not paid off so far, with the striker making just 24 appearances for the Toffees, of which only two have been starts, these coming against Brentford in the Premier League in April 2024, and at Doncaster in the EFL Cup soon after his arrival, hooked at half time in Yorkshire with the side 1-0 down.

This might explain why Chermiti is yet to score a single goal for the Blues, having seen just 295 minutes on the field since moving to Merseyside over two years ago.

Thus, he is certainly looking to relaunch his career north of the border.

Analyst Kai Watson labels Chermiti a “proper big man” centre-forward, adding that, despite being 192 cms (6 ft 4 in), he is a “good dribbler”, while Jacek Kulig of Football Talent Scout asserts that he is a “superb prospect”

Given his lack of game time at Goodison, this signing is certainly a risk, mitigated by the fact it’s only a loan move, but could the Portuguese youngster replicate the success of Rangers’ best loan signing of recent times?

Ryan Kent also arrived at Ibrox on loan from Merseyside, joining from Liverpool in 2018, so successful during that season that they made him the club’s most-expensive signing of modern times, paying £7.5m to make the move permanent.

Before this however, as the table below documents, Kent had shown little sign that he was going to become a high-level performer.

Liverpool

1

Zero & zero

Coventry

17

1 & 1

Barnsley

47

3 & 3

Freiburg

6

Zero & zero

Bristol City

11

Zero & 2

As the table documents, before arriving at Rangers, in 82 senior appearances, Kent had scored just four goals and registered only six assists, ultimately accumulating 33 goals and 56 assists during his time at Ibrox.

Thus, there is certainly a recent precedent for a player arriving in Glasgow on loan and exploding in front of goal, something Chermiti will be hoping to replicate.

He could revive Raskin: Rangers in the race to sign "versatile" £1m talent

After both Nicolas Raskin and Mohamed Diomandé were left on the bench in Brugge, are Rangers about to sign a “versatile” midfielder valued at £1m?

ByBen Gray Aug 29, 2025

Aston Villa had a quiet start to the window but it appears to be ramping up in the final few weeks. The club was at risk of breaching the Premier League’s PSR rules, but with the impending sale of Jacob Ramsey to Newcastle, they have more freedom to spend.

Unai Emery has already brought in Nice forward Evann Guessand for around £30 million – the boss seems to have been a major contributing factor in the 24 year-old’s decision to come to Birmingham, as in one of his first interviews as a Villa player, he spoke of their relationship.

Villa are looking to quickly follow up this signing with another forward who has already spent some time with the club.

Villa working to bring back Asensio

With the sale of Jacob Ramsey almost complete, Aston Villa have started the process of bringing Marco Asensio back to the club (Sky Sports). Asensio joined Villa on loan from PSG from January until the end of the 24/25 season, but until now, there have been no official moves to make the signing permanent.

Negotiations are already proceeding well, with an agreement in place with the player to sign a three-year contract with all other personal terms having been agreed. On the club front, PSG has already informed Asensio that they are open to selling him in the event that a satisfactory offer is received.

Later this week, Villa are expected to place their first official bid with PSG, with a figure of £17.2 million including bonuses being their asking price.

Asensio to build on his fantastic first impression

From the moment Asensio joined Villa last season, he seemed to buy into Emery’s vision and the club’s project. In February, he held an interview with Sky: “Happy to join the project, be with my teammates and staff, and grateful to be able to give a lot of joy to the fans as well. I want to be able to help us achieve the goals that we have, collectively, as a team and a club.”

His teammates also took a liking to him, with Matty Cash calling him a “Mentality Monster”. His teammates would also have loved his creativity, as he featured in the top 25% of players for chances created per 90 minutes.

As a well-regarded figure, both in the dressing room and global football, who already has a good relationship with the club and the manager, resigning Asensio on a three-year deal for less than £20 million feels like a no-brainer for Villa.

Will Aston Villa soon make their maiden first-team signing of the summer?

So far, teenager Yasin Özcan has arrived from Kasımpaşa for a reported fee of around £5.8m, albeit he was immediately loaned out to Anderlecht, while veteran goalkeeper Marco Bizot and 19-year-old winger Zépiqueno Redmond have both joined on free transfers.

Thus, right now, ahead of their Premier League opener against Newcastle United, Unai Emery will not have any high-profile new signings to showcase, but could that be about to change?

Aston Villa transfer news latest

Speaking on the Guardian Football Weekly podcast, Dan Bardell notes that Aston Villa have so far been unable to spend money in this summer window due to their lack of PSR headroom, but forecasts that they will be active and “opportunistic” in the coming weeks, having to date kept their powder dry.

This was exactly the strategy that saw the Claret and Blue Army land both Marcus Rashford and Marco Asensio on loan in January, but the pair will need replacing, with the Englishman having joined Barcelona, while it appears unlikely that the Spaniard will return to Villa Park either.

Thus, as they target attacking reinforcements, with Alan Nixon revealing on his Patreon that Aston Villa had joined the race to sign Evann Guessand, and were willing to outbid Crystal Palace, who have long been viewed as the front-runners to secure the Ivorian’s signature.

That has since been followed up by transfer guru Fabrizio Romano, who revealed that the Midlands has reached a “verbal agreement” with Nice, having lodged a bid of around €30m (£26m), plus add-ons.

That comes after it was previously noted that the forward was valued at around £22m by the Ligue 1 outfit.

Transfer Focus

Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.

So, Guessand looks set to become just the second player from Côte d’Ivoire to call Villa Park home. Jonathan Kodjia is the first, and so far only, in case you were wondering!

What Evann Guessand would bring to Aston Villa

Guessand, who is still only 24 years old, joined Nice at the age of 15, but only became an outstanding figure in les Aiglons’ first-team as recently as last season.

He spent time out on loan at Lausanne-Sport in Switzerland and then Nantes in Ligue 1, scoring five goals for la Maison Jaune, most notably bagging a stoppage-time winner against Olympiacos in the Europa League, sparking wild scenes of celebration at Stade de la Beaujoire.

He has returned to Nice for the last two seasons, very much a key figure for his boyhood club, scoring six goals in Ligue 1 in 2023/24, before bagging 12 during the most recent campaign, firing Franck Haise’s side to a top four finish and possible Champions League qualification; they face Benfica in the first leg of a qualifier this week.

The table below emphasises Guessand’s impressive form in Ligue 1 last season.

The table outlines that Guessand is an all-round attacker, ranked highly when it comes to both goals and assists, but also chances created and dribbling, overperforming his expected goals figure by almost three, underlining his clinical edge.

Alex Barker of The Athletic is certainly a fan, labelling him a “real physical handful” as well as being an “agile” forward who is capable of creating “high-quality chances” too, concluding that his ability to do it all makes him “Bruno Fernandes-esque”.

Venkatanarayanan of Total Football Analysis agrees, noting that he is a ‘good dribbler’, which is surprising given that he is 6 ft 2 in (188 cm).

Meantime, Mohamed Fathall of Breaking the Lines states that he thrives when able to ‘support a central striker’, adding that he is ‘constantly looking to take on defenders’, using his ‘intelligent movement’ to get into goal-scoring positions.

Well, this makes him the ideal strike partner for Ollie Watkins who, as documented by Ahmed Walid of The Athletic, only truly started scoring goals with impressive regularity at Aston Villa after Emery had coached him to remain within the width of the penalty area.

Watkins has reached double figures for goals in each of his five Premier League campaigns, although such consistency could be maintained if fed by the Fernandes-esque talents of Guessand, considering he created 12 ‘big chances’ in Ligue 1 last term, as per Sofascore.

For context, Manchester United’s skipper was only just ahead with 16 ‘big chances’ created in the Premier League.

With Villa’s number 11 thus able to pounce on regular, quality service, Guessand and Watkins could form a deadly attacking partnership, as Villa target a top five finish and Europa League glory in the season ahead.

Emery's own Benteke: Aston Villa eyeing deal for "terrifying" £51m ace

Unai Emery could soon have his own Christian Benteke at Aston Villa if this signing is secured.

By
Kelan Sarson

Aug 4, 2025

Arsenal are now preparing a £69m offer for a “world-class” forward, who could be in line to join alongside Sporting CP’s Viktor Gyokeres, according to a report.

Berta keen to strengthen Arsenal attack

Andrea Berta’s first summer transfer window as sporting director has been very impressive, with the Italian securing deals for the likes of Martin Zubimendi, Noni Madueke and Christian Norgaard, but the Gunners are still lacking a top striker.

Despite links to RB Leipzig’s Benjamin Sesko earlier in the window, it is now apparent that Gyokeres is Mikel Arteta’s top target, and a breakthrough is expected soon, with the manager keen to get a deal done before Wednesday’s friendly against AC Milan.

This comes over a week after Arsenal reached an agreement in principle to sign the Sweden international, although recent claims suggest Man Utd could look to hijack the Gunners’ move for Gyokeres.

Having already strengthened in wide areas, Gyokeres could be the final piece of the jigsaw for Arteta, with the manager aiming to finally win the Premier League title next season.

He's like Saka & Saliba: Arsenal set to complete move to sign "elite" star

Arsenal are closing in on their latest new signing this weekend.

By
Matt Dawson

Jul 20, 2025

However, despite the addition of Madueke, the north Londoners remain keen on adding another winger to their ranks, and an opening bid is now in the works.

That is according to a report from Spain, which states Arsenal are now preparing a €80m (£69m) offer for Real Madrid’s Rodrygo, with Arteta viewing the forward as the ideal option to strengthen the left-wing area.

However, it remains to be seen whether the Gunners are able to tempt Madrid into a sale, given that the Spanish side value the Brazilian at €100m (£87m), and they are in a strong negotiating position, as there are still three years remaining on his contract.

There could also be rival interest from Liverpool, with Arne Slot’s side also expressing an interest in the 24-year-old, although they are yet to make any formal moves of their own.

The player himself is said to be open to testing himself outside Spain, indicating a move to the Emirates Stadium could appeal to the Real Madrid ace.

"World-class" Rodrygo could be Martinelli upgrade

Lauded as “world-class” by former teammate Luka Modric, the Madrid forward featured regularly throughout the 2024-25 campaign, during which time he showcased his ability to score goals and set up his teammates on a regular basis.

As such, the Brazil international could be an upgrade on international teammate Gabriel Martinelli, who has arguably failed to kick on since a very impressive 2022-23 season, picking up just eight Premier League assists across the past two seasons.

The former Santos man also scored a remarkable solo goal against Atletico Madrid in the 2022-23 campaign, once again showcasing his dribbling ability.

At the very least, Rodrygo would provide strong competition for Martinelli’s starting spot, and strength in depth is exactly what Arsenal need if they are to compete for major honours next season.

Tottenham are being threatened with legal action by Nottingham Forest for their conduct over a potential deal for playmaker Morgan Gibbs-White, and while Spurs are still hopeful they can strike a deal, it is wise for chairman Daniel Levy to weigh up alternatives.

Tottenham hold talks with £166k-a-week star as Yves Bissouma told to leave

The Mali international is facing his final summer in north London.

ByEmilio Galantini Jul 18, 2025

Fabrizio Romano and other reliable media sources claim that Gibbs-White to Spurs is still on, and the north Londoners are optimistic of concluding a deal for the England international soon amid a “tense” situation.

Son Heung-min

7.00

James Maddison

6.98

Pedro Porro

6.95

Dominic Solanke

6.84

Dejan Kulusevski

6.83

via WhoScored

Gibbs-White was on the verge of joining Spurs midway through July, with a medical scheduled around nine days ago and Levy poised to trigger his £60 million release clause.

However, Forest then blocked his move to N17, citing what they deem to be an ‘unlawful’ approach for Gibbs-White with confidentiality around his clause allegedly breached and the Lilywhites accused of tapping up the player.

“Spurs have received communication asking them to cease contact with Gibbs-White,” said journalist Ben Jacobs.

“Forest declined to comment, but sources say the club believe Spurs tapped up Gibbs-White and could challenge the manner in which the £60m clause was learned of. The Premier League will now investigate leading to the deal being delayed.”

While there is still an expectation that Forest will eventually be powerless to stop Gibbs-White’s move to Tottenham from going through, the length of this delay is still unknown, and Levy won’t want to spend too much time on this as pre-season gets underway.

Thomas Frank has already led Tottenham out for a friendly against Reading, and they’ll take on Luton Town next Saturday before a tour of Asia. Frank will ideally want as many summer deals as possible completed ahead of their UEFA Super Cup clash against PSG, and certainly before Spurs’ first Premier League game of the season at home to Burnley.

Xavi Simons begins talks over joining Tottenham via representatives

According to CaughtOffside, Spurs could now have an alternative to Gibbs-White in the form of RB Leipzig sensation Xavi Simons.

The Dutchman spent a year and a half on loan at Leipzig before signing for them permanently in January, but widespread reports indicate he’s now prepared to leave the Bundesliga side this summer – potentially for England.

It would take a minimum £56 million, plus add-ons, to prise Simons away from the Red Bull Arena before deadline day, with Arsenal and Chelsea both keen on the 22-year-old (Ben Jacobs).

However, they’re not the only London clubs who are contending for his services.

According to CaughtOffside, quoting one of their sources, Simons has “begun talks” over a potential move to Tottenham via his representatives, alongside Arsenal and Chelsea.

There is also a word of caution, though, with insiders expressing concerns over the attacking midfielder’s attitude and professionalism behind-the-scenes. Since initially joining Leipzig on a temporary deal, Simons has managed a total of 21 goals and 23 assists in 76 outings, so there is little denying his quality, but Frank and Levy may have to tread carefully here.

Gibbs-White also boasts proven Premier League experience in comparison to Simons, even if the saga surrounding his future shows no sign of ending soon as things stand.

Seamer claims four wickets alongside Douthwaite, as Ingram and Carlson build stand

ECB Reporters Network29-Aug-2024

Timm van der Gugten was the pick of the Glamorgan bowling, grabbing the first four Leicestershire wickets to fall, while Dan Douthwaite also chipped in with four wickets to justify the decision to bowl first.Leicestershire fast bowler Chris Wright made his first-class return from a drugs ban to help his side to a batting bonus point, his side recovering to 251 all out on a hybrid pitch in Cardiff.Wright, who was banned for nine months but found not to be at fault after a banned substance was contained in a fruit supplement, combined with debutant Sam Wood and Tom Scriven as the last two wickets added 75 runs.Glamorgan lost both openers early in reply, but moved onto 114 for 2 at the close with Colin Ingram, 63 not out, and Kiran Carlson, 42 not out, putting on an unbroken partnership of 87 to put their side in the driving seat.After winning the toss and inserting Leicestershire in overcast and drizzly conditions, Glamorgan would have been hoping for an early breakthrough, which was delivered from a familiar source.Van der Gugten has been the spearhead of the Glamorgan attack this season and he delivered once again, taking all three wickets to fall before the lunch break with arrow-like accuracy.He bowled opener Rishi Patel for 7 with a delivery which clipped the top of off stump, then fellow opener Ian Holland played on with one which jagged back slightly when on 13.The Dutchman returned to have a spell just before lunch and added a third, this time LBW as captain Lewis Hill did not get far enough forward to depart for 25.Ned Leonard, on loan from Somerset, should have had a wicket when Indian star Ajinkya Rahane top-edged a pull shot, but deep midwicket Douthwaite was slow coming forward and ended up spilling the low chance.It was the ever-reliable van der Gugten who brought the downfall of Rahane, finding the outside edge after lunch and helped by a sharp catch at second slip by captain Sam Northeast.After looking good, England all-rounder Rehan Ahmed gave things away when he lifted a short ball from Douthwaite straight to Billy Root on the deep square leg boundary.Then out of the blue Australian Peter Handscomb went for 46, trying to dab Douthwaite down to third man but instead just feathering a catch to wicketkeeper Chris Cooke.Then New Zealander Fraser Sheat got into the act with his first wicket in county cricket, a rather tame dismissal of Liam Trevaskis who chipped the ball to mid-on.The tame-ness was copied by Louis Kimber who also chipped the ball in the air, aiming a leg side half volley at catcher Asa Tribe off the bowling of Douthwaite.That brought Sam Wood to make his debut in confident style as he and Scriven put on a half-century partnership, Wright and Wood doing the rest to reach the first batting bonus point.Glamorgan’s innings could not have got off to a worse start, captain Sam Northeast promoting himself to open and then departing first ball of the innings, caught behind by Handscomb from the bowling of Holland.The same bowler accounted for debutant Asa Tribe, who played on for 4. Ingram and Carlson saw out the rest of the day’s play to put Glamorgan in a strong position.

South East Stars restricted their opponents to 84, knocking off their target with 29 balls to spare

ECB Reporters Network16-Jun-2024

South East Stars will fancy themselves to lift the Charlotte Edwards Cup for a second time after an emphatic five-wicket victory over erstwhile favourites The Blaze at Derby.Bryony Smith’s 2021 champions shot out the East Midlands team – runners-up last year – for just 84, a first defeat in 16 points-table matches in the competition for Kirstie Gordon’s team since they changed their name from Lightning to The Blaze two years ago.The two could meet again in next Saturday’s Final on the same ground, both having already qualified for the semi-finals, to be played on the same day.On a used pitch, left-arm seamer Alexa Stonehouse took 3 for 13, with Ryana MacDonald-Gay and spinners Dani Gregory and Tilly Corteen-Coleman claiming two wickets each, England’s Sarah Glenn top-scoring for The Blaze with 21 from 24 balls.Leg-spinner Glenn took 3 for 14 with the ball but with Emma Jones striking an unbeaten 30 from just 25 balls, the Stars were home and dry with 29 balls to spare.After skipper Gordon had opted to bat first, The Blaze innings could hardly have started less auspiciously, with three wickets lost in the first two overs and a fourth in the fifth.Corteen-Coleman, the Stars’ 16-year-old left-arm spinner, had England opener Tammy Beaumont leg before with her fourth ball, before Stonehouse hit Marie Kelly in front and had Sarah Bryce caught behind in a double-wicket maiden.Three for three became 12 for four in the fifth over as Australian international Heather Graham was bowled off an inside edge.Kathryn Bryce missed a straight one from Jones and Ella Claridge hit a Gregory full toss straight to deep midwicket, leaving The Blaze 40 for 6 just past the halfway stage, after which a mini-recovery ended with leg-spinner Gregory catching a skied leading edge to dismiss Josie Groves off her own bowling to make it 66 for 7.Glenn, playing on her home ground, stuck around long enough to drag the total into the 80s before she was bowled by Corteen-Coleman, having lost two more partners in Gordon and Lucy Higham, who both holed out to mid-on.The Blaze have a good record defending small totals, but even with leading run-getters Paige Scholfield and Sophia Dunkley missing, it never seemed likely that the Stars would miss out.They lost Smith caught at mid-on as left-armer Grace Ballinger opened with a wicket-maiden and were two down in the powerplay after Phoebe Franklin cut Glenn straight to backward point, with Aylish Cranstone caught at mid-off in the 10th.Yet they were always comfortably up with the required rate and after Jones hit Kathryn Bryce for three boundaries in the 14th over, just nine were needed in 36 balls.Glenn picked up her second wicket with a fine return catch to deny Georgia Redmayne (23) the chance to be there at the finish and a third when Alice Davidson-Richards drove to mid-off for a two-ball duck, but Jones hammered the ball back over bowler Gordon’s head to win the match with a six in the next over.

Chelsea have now hatched a plan to win the race for a “powerful” Paris Saint-Germain player, amid rival interest from fellow Premier League clubs, according to a report.

Blues stockpiling talented youngsters

Under BlueCo ownership, Chelsea have implemented a model of buying talented youngsters before shipping them out on loan to sister club Strasbourg or elsewhere, and it looks as though they are set to adopt a similar strategy in the summer transfer window.

The Blues have already sealed deals for Sporting CP duo Dario Essugo and Geovany Quenda, with the latter recently helping the Portuguese side clinch the Liga Portugal title on a dramatic final day.

Essugo, on the other hand, has spent the current campaign on loan at Las Palmas, whose relegation from La Liga has now been confirmed, but Chelsea will be happy their new signing has gained some experience in a major league, having made 25 league appearances this term.

Quenda is set to spend the 2025/26 season on loan at Sporting, while a number of other youngsters could follow a similar route to the likes of Djordje Petrovic, Andrey Santos and Diego Moreira by joining fellow BlueCo-owned club Strasbourg to develop their game.

According to a report from Sports Zone (via Sport Witness), that is exactly the future plan for Paris Saint-Germain defender Axel Tape, should Chelsea be able to lure the 17-year-old to Stamford Bridge in the summer transfer window.

The west Londoners are said to value Tape highly, and they have now hatched a plan to beat their Premier League rivals to his signature, with two other unnamed English clubs in the race for the youngster, who is set to be available on a free transfer upon the expiration of his contract.

Bundesliga side Bayer Leverkusen are in pole position for the defender as things stand, however, with the teenager planning to leave PSG this summer, despite the French club’s eagerness to keep hold of him.

£172k-per-week star keen to join Chelsea regardless of Champions League race

He’d want the move to Stamford Bridge no strings attached.

13

By
Emilio Galantini

May 17, 2025

"Powerful" Tape could be exciting long-term signing

Given his age, the Frenchman is yet to make a real name for himself at first-team level, featuring just twice in Ligue 1 during the 2024-25 campaign, but there are indications that he could go on to achieve big things.

Football scout Ben Mattinson singled out the starlet for praise on X back in April, saying: “When at CB, he’ll make powerful marauding runs through the middle third to break through the press.”

Mattinson also goes on to describe the PSG ace as “physically strong in duels” and a “progressive passer through the lines”, so there are clear signs that he could be a well-rounded modern-day centre-back.

As such, Tape could be an exciting long-term addition to the squad, but Chelsea should also look to bring in a centre-back capable of immediately slotting into the starting XI this summer, with Axel Disasi in talks to join Aston Villa.

There is just a month left of the season, and as such, transfer rumours have started swirling around clubs in the Premier League, although for Tottenham Hotspur, those rumours concern the manager’s position.

Ange Postecoglou might be two games away from a Europa League final, but as things stand, he’s overseen 18 league defeats and has a real chance of leading the North Londoners to a 17th-place finish.

So it’s not surprising that the last week or so has seen a number of top coaches in England and abroad linked with taking over his job in the summer.

One of the most prominent candidates at the moment seems to be Bournemouth’s Andoni Iraola, although based on recent reports, the club might have just identified an even better option.

Tottenham's manager search

Before we get to the manager in question, it is worth looking at some of the other potential candidates who have been linked with the jobs over the last week or so, such as Marco Silva.

Manager Focus

Who are the greatest coaches in the land? Football FanCast’s Manager Focus series aims to reveal all.

The Fulham boss has done an incredible job in West London since being appointed in 2021, leading the Cottagers to promotion and turning them into a solid mid-table side who have beaten Arsenal, Liverpool and Newcastle United this season.

Another impressive coach linked with the job in recent days has been Brentford’s Thomas Frank.

According to the Telegraph’s Matt Law, Lilywhites technical director Johan Lange is a big fan of the 51-year-old, and it’s not hard to see why, as, like Silva, he’s led his side up to the top-flight and turned them into a solid team that can give anyone a game, despite losing star striker Ivan Toney in the summer.

However, another name has also popped up as a potential replacement for Postecoglou, a manager who could also be a better option than Iraola: Roberto De Zerbi.

According to journalist Graeme Bailey, the former Brighton & Hove Albion boss is a ‘name that some at Tottenham appreciate.’

Known for being something of a passionate character, it could be the perfect match to get Spurs firing again in the summer and a better hire than the Bournemouth man.

How De Zerbi compares to Iraola

So, if Spurs are looking at De Zerbi and Iraola as potential replacements for Postecoglou, how do they compare to one another?

Well, from a basic stylistic point, both managers prefer to use a 4-2-3-1 formation when possible, which may be ideal for the North Londoners, as that could see the backline receive more protection and allow James Maddison or Dejan Kulusevski to flourish as the most attacking midfielder with pacey widemen on either side and Dominic Solanke leading the line.

Moreover, while the Italian likes to play a high line, he prefers to play two holding midfielders, per the football analyst, which could help stop said line from being exploited as often as it has under Ange.

With that said, how do the manager’s recent records look when compared?

Well, during his time with Brighton, the “genius” tactician, as dubbed by analyst Statman Dave, won 38 games, drew 20 and lost 31, which resulted in him averaging 1.51 points per game, whereas the Cherries boss has won 33 games, drawn 19 and lost 30 on the south coast, resulting in an average of 1.44 points per game.

However, something to consider is that on top of securing the Seagulls European football in the 22/23 season, the Brescia-born boss is now managing one of the two biggest clubs in France, Olympique de Marseille.

He’s averaging 1.81 points per game on the French Riviera, so, unlike the former Rayo Vallecano man, he knows what it is like to take charge of a massive institution and all the intense pressure and scrutiny that comes with it.

Ultimately, De Zerbi and Iraola would almost certainly improve the football and results at Spurs next season, but the former has the experience of leading a ‘big club’, which might just make him the better candidate for the North Londoners.

Their answer to Yamal: Spurs are brewing "one of England’s best talents"

The incredible youngster looks destined for greatness with Spurs.

By
Jack Salveson Holmes

Apr 24, 2025

Leeds United seemingly never do things the easy, well-planned out way, with another promotion collapse spectacularly playing out in front of their very eyes.

The Whites are now disastrously out of the automatic promotion spots in the Championship due to yet another late season drop in form, with Daniel Farke’s men only picking up one victory from their last six second-tier outings.

Not all hope will be lost that the West Yorkshire outfit can still get over the line and triumphantly go up automatically, however, with Sheffield United also showing chinks in their armour in second place, having succumbed to a surprise 1-0 loss to Oxford United recently.

Therefore, everything will remain crossed that Farke’s men do return back to the promised land of the Premier League, and if they were to get there, a small clear-out would likely need to take place at Elland Road to prepare for the unforgiving step-up in quality.

Illan Meslier could be out of the side for good in the daunting top-flight, with a whole host of other players – who have a combined wage cost of £150k-per-week including Meslier – needing to be ditched if Leeds want to solidify themselves as a Premier League capable outfit.

1 Illan Meslier

The easiest place to start when it comes to those who could be ditched in the near future is the scapegoated Meslier, with the French goalkeeper already finding himself out of Farke’s starting lineups.

Indeed, the ex-Lorient ‘keeper was dropped for Leeds’ most recent league clash away at Luton Town and for many a valid reason, considering the 6 foot 5 shot-stopper has tallied up three errors this campaign that have resulted in opposition goals.

He has picked up an impressive 72 clean sheets for Leeds away from this growing back catalogue of errors, but Meslier’s future at the promotion chasers looks to be on extremely thin ice, especially with fresh reports that new ‘keepers are being targeted ahead of the Whites’ potential return to the top division.

2 Patrick Bamford

Alongside the £30k-per-week stopper, Patrick Bamford might well find he’s ditched permanently ahead of Leeds voyaging back up to the Premier League.

The £70k-per-week centre-forward wouldn’t be able to grumble for too long if he was let go of for good, considering the veteran attacker has made himself available for just one appearance this year so far for Farke’s men.

Games played

12

Games started

0

Goals scored

0

Assists

0

Wage per week

£70k-per-week

Wage costs over a season

£3.6m

The numbers above do make for some worrying reading – with the highest earner in the Whites camp goalless throughout 2024/25 to date – meaning the plug must be pulled soon.

3 Maximilian Wober

Much like Bamford, Maximilian Wober will surely want his up-and-down spell at Elland Road to end very soon.

The £35k-per-week centre-back has been sparingly utilised this campaign, much like the goal-shy centre-forward, having made just seven league appearances, with the likes of Joe Rodon and Pascal Struijk way ahead of the Austrian as defensive stalwarts.

Wober’s miserable Premier League past with the Whites also works against him wanting to prolong his stay in West Yorkshire, with the 27-year-old already notching up a relegation on his Leeds CV when he collected a pitiful two clean sheets during the 2022-23 season.

4 Ilia Gruev

Lastly, Ilia Gruev could be swapped out for some new midfield talent if promotion is reached.

After all, the Whites already boast the likes of Ao Tanaka and Ethan Ampadu in the holding midfield positions away from the conversative number 44, alongside the fact Kalvin Phillips might well be up for a dramatic Elland Road reunion if his ex-employers jump up a league.

Much like Meslier before him, Farke has also been dropping Gruev here and there in recent games, with the German perhaps wanting better reinforcements over the Bulgarian down the line.

Leeds want "brilliant" £60k-p/w star who has same agent as Rodon and Bogle

Leeds are eyeing statement signings should they claim promotion.

BySean Markus Clifford Apr 6, 2025