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Rumours linking Tottenham manager Antonio Conte with a move away from the club are undoubtedly a concern, says journalist Pete O’Rourke.

The Lowdown: Exit talk…

The 53-year-old has excelled in the job since replacing Nuno Espirito Santo last November, securing a top-four finish and building a formidable team.

Worryingly though, Conte has been linked with a switch to Juventus in recent days, should the Turin giants opt to sack under-pressure manager Massimiliano Allegri.

Harry Kane meanwhile has also been linked with a move to join Bayern Munich, with the striker potentially eyeing up a fresh challenge during his peak years and some reports even suggesting he is ‘considering’ the big switch to the Bundesliga giants.

The Latest: Journalist admits concern

Speaking to The Transfer Tavern, O’Rourke admitted it is a concerning time for Spurs fans, but feels the club are ‘pretty confident’ they can keep him:

“It’ll be a concern that Conte has close ties with Juventus as a player and manager, so there’s obviously strong links there.

“But I still think Tottenham are pretty confident that they’ll be able to keep hold of Antonio Conte. The club are moving forward, they’ve had a really good start to the season and are up there at the top of the table right now with Arsenal and Manchester City.”

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The Verdict: Can’t afford to lose him

Conte is undoubtedly one of Europe’s elite managers alongside the likes of Pep Guardiola, Jurgen Klopp and Carlo Ancelotti, so keeping hold of him is absolutely vital for Spurs.

To see him return to Juve midway through the season would be a major blow, having a hugely negative impact on what threatens to be an excellent campaign and also potentially tipping the Kane scales in Bayern’s favour, with the talisman expecting ambition from the club in his prime years.

Conte does appear to be happy at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, however, and the hope is that he is loyal until at least next summer but hopefully well beyond and into a new contract after that.

Steven Gerrard led Aston Villa to a big win at the weekend, defeating Everton 2-1 in what he will hope is a result that breathes life into his side.

A disappointing Premier league finish last season saw the club undertake a highly impressive transfer window, and with less than three weeks remaining, there is still time to add more faces to his squad.

With Diego Carlos, Boubacar Kamara, and Philippe Coutinho all adding that extra dimension to the Villa side, Gerrard has big ambitions this season, even if the former is now set to be sidelined for a considerable period of time through injury.

The 42-year-old isn’t done in the market, however, as he looks to find the final pieces of his jigsaw, with Tottenham Hotspur’s Tanguy Ndombele reportedly linked with the club courtesy of reports in France.

If Gerrard is to bring a couple of new bodies into Villa, then there will surely be departures, with Morgan Sanson one of the first that the manager should be looking to ship out, especially as Ndombele could be a big upgrade on the Villa player.

Last season, Ndombele generated 2.20 shot-creating actions per match, compared to a measly 0.76 for Sanson and the Spurs midfielder offered a greater threat going forward, scoring once and registering three assists, with Sanson having zero goal contributions.

It isn’t just in an attacking sense that Ndombele is better, defensively, the 25-year-old has so much more to offer.

He won more tackles (29 to eight), a higher percentage of aerial duels (52.9% to 40%), and made pressures (252 to 135) than the fringe Villa man.

The 120k-per-week star could be the final piece of the Villa side, with defensive and offensive qualities in abundance, he is the type of player that Gerrard now needs to take Villa to the next level and move towards the European spots.

Former Tottenham manager Joes Mourinho once described him as “absolutely phenomenal” following a performance in 2019 and when one of the finest managers of the previous 25 years lavishes praise like this on a player, it’s clear they are extremely gifted.

Johan Lange has so far backed Gerrard in the transfer market, but signing Ndombele could send out another statement of intent that they are in the league to challenge for the European places, not just make up the numbers.

West Ham United have made a bid for Sporting CP star and Portugal international Matheus Nunes with the club receiving a reply.

The Lowdown: Hammers not done…

The signings of Nayef Aguerd, Flynn Downes, Alphonse Areola, Gianluca Scamacca and Maxwel Cornet may not be the sum of West Ham’s transfer business this summer.

Reports claim that the east Londoners want to strengthen manager David Moyes’ options with the additions of a new central defender, attacking midfielder and a number six (ExWHUemployee).

In terms of the midfield, Premier League starlet Conor Gallagher is thought to be of interest to West Ham with news now emerging on another midfield maestro in Nunes.

The Latest: West Ham make Nunes bid…

Indeed, the Hammers have apparently made a ‘bid’ to sign the 23-year-old after his brilliant 2021/2022 campaign with Sporting in the Portuguese top flight.

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However, as confirmed by Moyes (via Fabrizio Romano), Nunes ‘chose not to come’ despite West Ham’s offer to bring him to England.

The Verdict: Blow for Moyes?

Missing out on Nunes, who is thought to have a £51 million release clause, could be seen as a blow for the east Londoners.

Called ‘unbelievable’ by Goncalo Santos, an ex-teammate, the numbers certainly back this theory to no end.

As per WhoScored, Nunes finished 21/22 as one of Sporting’s best players overall – ranking in as one of their top five best performers by average match rating.

The starlet also completed more successful take-ons per 90 than any of his teammates and proved what a tricky player he can be for a variety of opponents.

Moyes will now be looking to sign alternative midfielders of his calibre before September 1.

Leeds United have been given the green light to bring Mergim Berisha to Elland Road in the summer transfer window.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to Kaan Bayazit, with the Turkish journalist revealing in a recent interview with MOT Leeds News that, following several reports linking Victor Orta with a move for the Fenerbahce SK centre-forward in recent weeks, the Super Lig side would be willing to part with the 24-year-old for a figure in the region of £5m this summer.

Speaking about the Whites’ interest in the former Germany U21 international, Bayazit said:

“He’s been a bit of a disappointment at Fenerbahce but they paid close to £4.5m for him so they’d like a bit more than that – which would take this north of £5m.

“He is up for sale and I imagine if [Jesse] Marsch worked with him before then it’s down to that. He did do decently at RB Salzburg.

“At RB Salzburg he often played as a second striker, at Fenerbahce he was expected to function alone up top more – but that didn’t really work out.”

Marsch will be buzzing

While it is true that, following his £4.5m move to Fenerbahce last summer, things did not exactly work out for the Berisha – scoring seven goals and registering three assists over 31 fixtures for the Super Lig side last term – considering just how impressive the forward was under Jesse Marsch at Red Bull Salzburg, it is not difficult to see why the American would like to bring the 24-year-old to Elland Road ahead of the Whites’ 2022/23 campaign.

Indeed, over his 52 appearances for Die Roten Bullen during the 48-year-old manager’s time in the Red Bull Arena dugout, the £5.4m-rated hitman was in exceptional form, scoring 23 goals and providing 14 assists for the Austrian outfit.

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His best campaign under Marsch undoubtedly came back in 2020/21, when the £29k-per-week striker scored 14 goals, registered 10 assists and created 13 big chances over his 28 Austrian Bundesliga fixtures, as well as taking an average of 2.7 shots – 1.7 of which hit the target – making 1.3 key passes and completing 0.5 dribbles per game.

These returns saw the striker who Max Camilleri dubbed “amazing” average an extremely impressive SofaScore match rating of 7.28, not only ranking him as the 48-year-old’s fifth-best performer in the league but also as the joint seventh-best player in the top flight of Austrian football as a whole.

That same season, the 24-year-old also caught the eye over his six outings in the Champions League, scoring four goals, registering two assists and creating three big chances for his teammates, in addition to taking an average of 2.8 shots – 1.5 of which hit the target – making 1.5 key passes and completing 1.5 dribbles per game.

These metrics saw the German average a rather remarkable SofaScore match rating of 7.18, a quite astonishing feat considering the fact Salzburg were in a group alongside Bayern Munich, Atletico Madrid and Lokomotiv Moscow that year.

As such, should Marsch be able to help Berisha refind this level of form after a potential switch to Elland Road this summer, the 13-cap Germany U21 international could very easily prove to be one of Leeds’ best signings of the window – especially for a reported fee of just £5m.

AND in other news, Victor Orta could unearth the next Kaka as Leeds make contact for “superb” £42m target

Newly-promoted Nottingham Forest could be set to make yet another summer signing, amid reports linking them with a move for Middlesbrough winger, Marcus Tavernier.

What’s the word?

According to Football League World, the Midlands side are one of a handful of clubs who are ‘weighing up’ a bid for the 23-year-old in the current window, with the Englishman reportedly set to cost in the region of £10m.

The Leeds-born gem still has two years remaining on his existing deal at the Riverside Stadium, although the report suggests that the Championship outfit are bracing themselves for offers from clubs in the top flight.

Forest have already made six summer signings in what’s been a hugely impressive window thus far, as Steve Cooper’s side prepare for a return to Premier League football for the first time since the 1998/99 season.

Sensational signing

While they may have to fend off significant rival interest, the City Ground outfit could be about to secure a hugely exciting new addition, with Tavernier having shone in recent seasons in the second tier.

Once described as “sensational” by journalist Graeme Bailey, the £4.05m-rated ace enjoyed a particularly impressive 2021/22 season, providing five goals and five assists in 44 league games for Boro, while also averaging a solid 1.6 key passes per game and registering two shots per game.

An electric presence in the final third, the £5.9k-per-week speedster – whose brother James is captain of Rangers – has also shown himself to be a dab hand defensively, notably registering 2.2 tackles and 0.8 interceptions last term.

Previously lauded for his “tireless” work ethic by Dominic Shaw, the 5 foot 10 menace has dazzled for his current side over the past few years, with it no real surprise to see him linked with a step up into the Premier League.

With Chris Wilder’s side facing another season outside of the top tier, it has seemingly come to a point where the youngster simply needs to move on, in order to test himself at the higher level.

Those at Forest have seen first-hand the carnage that the versatile forward can cause, with Tavernier having provided an assist in his side’s 2-0 victory when the two clubs met back in September, in what proved to be Chris Hughton’s final game in charge for the hosts.

It has been a remarkable turnaround for the club since then with Cooper at the helm, with there seemingly no obvious reason why the Boro man wouldn’t want to be part of a team that’s firmly on the up.

AND in other news – Imagine him & Awoniyi: Cooper can form deadly duo by signing “stunning” £10m star

Wolves have reportedly made contact with Paris Saint-Germain striker Mauro Icardi as they look to get their summer transfer business underway, and the Argentine forward could prove to be a huge hit at Molineux.

What’s the word?

The former Inter captain was reportedly offered to the Premier League club last month, with Jorge Mendes being asked to try and engineer a move.

Italian news outlet Corriere Dello Sport have now claimed (via Sport Witness) that the Old Gold are in contact with Icardi over a potential deal, with the prospective transfer seemingly getting closer.

The 29-year-old’s time at the Parc des Princes is seemingly over as they plan a rebuild with the imminent arrival of Christophe Galtier as manager; and considering the other attacking options available at PSG, it was perhaps always likely that Icardi would be moved on this summer.

Lage would love him

Since signing from Inter in 2020, the forward has gone on to make just 92 appearances for Les Parisiens, in which he has contributed a respectable 38 goals and 10 assists.

Although he has struggled for game-time in France, there is no doubting Icardi’s quality, with his 124 goals for Inter marking him out as one of the top strikers in European football not so long ago.

If he could rediscover that form at Molineux next season, he would undoubtedly be a huge success and could help to push Wolves up the table after a lack of goals arguably cost them a European place for next season.

Only the three relegated teams scored fewer top-flight goals than Bruno Lage’s team last season, so adding a clinical forward should be a priority for the 46-year-old this summer, as Raul Jimenez’s measly six goals were enough to see him finish as the Old Gold’s top scorer in the Premier League.

Icardi certainly has a lot of pedigree, with legendary Italy defender Giorgio Chiellini dubbing him “world-class” in his autobiography, and there is no doubt that he would add serious quality to Lage’s frontline next season.

If Wolves can take advantage of their connection with Mendes and bring Icardi to Molineux this summer, they will certainly look a lot stronger up front and could easily push themselves up the Premier League table as a result.

He seems like the type of predator who Lage would surely love to be able to call upon, given his team’s goalscoring woes over the last few months.

In other news… Lage plots Wolves bid for £16.2m-rated wizard, he’s like a “hot knife through butter”

The summer transfer window officially opens on Friday and Ross Wilson will be hard at work to bring new players in at Rangers to improve Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s squad at Ibrox.

The manager will be looking to stamp his own mark on the squad in his second window in charge of the Ibrox giants and has already sanctioned one change to his roster.

The club recently confirmed the sale of Cedric Itten to Young Boys on a permanent deal – reported to be worth £1.5m – and his exit has left a hole for the Gers to fill in the coming months.

Itten was a liability for the Light Blues as he struggled badly for the majority of his time throughout the 2021/22 campaign.

He scored one goal in six Premiership outings for Rangers and failed to deal with the physicality of the league as he lost a whopping 74% of his individual duels. This shows that the striker was bullied by defenders he was unable to hold his own at the top end of the pitch and that is why van Bronckhorst was right to sanction his exit.

It is now down to Wilson to bring in a replacement for the Switzerland international and he can find one in the form of QPR centre-forward Lyndon Dykes.

The Gers were linked with a swoop for the striker in January and must now reignite their interest this summer for him to take Itten’s place in the squad.

Dykes, who joined QPR for £2m, has impressed for club and country in the last two seasons and can offer van Bronckhorst something different at the top end of the pitch.

Kemar Roofe won 0.5 aerial battles per game in the Premiership and Alfredo Morelos did not fare much better with 1.8 per match. Whereas, the Scotland international won 4.8 per game in his first campaign with the London-based club and 4.0 in the season just gone.

Former Celtic striker Darren Jackson once hailed him as “mobile” and his goalscoring record for QPR and Scotland shows that the bulldozer is about more than just winning headers.

Since the start of the 2020/21 season, he has found the back of the net 20 times in the Championship and scored four goals in seven starts for his country in the 2022 World Cup qualifying campaign.

Dykes can, therefore, offer a goalscoring threat as well as being a focal point with his ability to win his duels in the air and can be an excellent replacement for Itten, challenging Morelos and Roofe for a starting spot.

AND in other news, Wilson plotting Rangers swoop for “consistent” £5m enforcer, GVB would love him…

It has already proven a hugely promising post-season for Aston Villa thus far, with the Midlands outfit having already brought in three marquee arrivals, with that exciting, early business having taken place before the window has even officially opened.

The Steven Gerrard revolution appears to be in full swing as the Englishman seeks to reshape the Villa squad into his image, although the latest indication is that the Liverpool legend is seeking even more investment this summer, with NSWE seemingly set to back their man once again.

One area that appears in need of bolstering is in attack, with pundit Richard Dunne tipping his former side to sign Watford striker Emmanuel Dennis, with the Nigerian having caught the eye in his debut Premier League campaign last term.

In comments recently cited by Birmingham Live, Dunne stated that Gerrard and co should look to take advantage of the Hornets’ top-flight relegation by making a move for their leading marksman: “I’m sure clubs will start looking at [James] Tarkowski from Burnley and Dennis from Watford now they have gone down. They would benefit a few teams in Villa’s area.

“They [Villa] need another attacking player to give them more options up top and another central midfielder. They aren’t crying out for someone in any position but they are looking for that next level of player to push them up the league, they have a decent strong squad.”

The 24-year-old netted ten goals and registered six assists in a standout league campaign on a personal level, albeit with that form unable to prevent his current side avoid a swift return to the second tier.

The former Club Brugge gem – who made the switch to Vicarage Road on a reported £3.6m deal last summer – will likely be on the radar of a number of top-flight clubs, with West Ham United reportedly one of those, with a fee of around £20m having been mooted.

That would likely represent something of a bargain for a player who has compared favourably to those in his position across Europe’s top five leagues, ranking in the top 5% for aerial duels won and in the top 11% for dribbles completed, illustrating to both hold the play up as well as drive his side up the pitch.

That dynamism – as well as his obvious speed – could well evoke memories of a former Villan, with Dennis seemingly carrying similar traits to that of one-club man Gabby Agbonlahor, the forward-turned-pundit having at one stage been a real, lightning prospect for the club.

Having burst onto the scene back in 2006 at the age of 19, the three-cap England international went on to score an impressive 74 goals and record 34 assists in 322 top tier games during his lengthy spell at Villa Park, notably reaching double figures for goals in three successive seasons between 2007 and 2010.

The club’s leading scorer in the Premier League era, Agbonlahor would prove a tough act to try and replicate, although in Dennis the club could well find a fitting heir, with the “superb” striker – as he has been dubbed by one journalist – deserving of another shot in the top division.

IN other news, Gerrard can land AVFC’s next Southgate with move for “outstanding” £120k-p/w warrior

Sunderland have the chance to finally make their way into the Championship and out of League One as the play-offs are set to begin in the coming days.

Having played 46 games in the league so far this season, the Black Cats have won 24, drawn 12 and lost ten, scoring 79 goals and conceding 53 in the process.

One player that has been a particularly prominent figure for the Wearside club this season is defender Callum Doyle.

Since arriving at the Stadium of Light back in the previous summer transfer window on loan from Manchester City’s U23 side, the centre-back has made 41 appearances across all competitions.

After only missing two league games between the start of the season and March, the 18-year-old has only made three appearances since then.

Despite this lack of regular action in recent weeks, the teenager has still shown what a capable player he is at such a young age and why the club should try and sign him on a permanent deal in the summer.

With the highest number of interceptions (48) to his name in the squad, Doyle also has the second-highest number of tackles (40) under his belt behind Carl Winchester (63).

This shows just how much of a talented defender the £3.4k-per-week gem is off the ball.

In terms of his work on the ball, the youngster has also shown his effectiveness on the pitch by racking up a higher average of passes per game (47.1) than any other Sunderland player to start more than eight league games.

Back in August, the Englishman was on the end of some high praise from journalist James Copley who said that “if you could build the perfect centre-back in a laboratory, the end result would look a lot like Callum Doyle.”

Taking all of this into account, it’s safe to say that bringing the City youth prospect has been a solid move from the Black Cats.

Moving forward, with the summer transfer window on the horizon, whether the club end up moving into the Championship or staying in League One, they should definitely make an approach to the Premier League club to try and see if they would be willing to allow Doyle to leave on a permanent basis and continue his journey with the Black Cats.

Should the Wearside club secure his signature on a permanent deal in the summer, it would surely blow fans at the Stadium of Light away when you consider his performances and enormous potential in the game.

In other news: Neil must finally unleash SAFC’s rarely seen 19y/o prodigy who’s got a “bright future”

Rajasthan Royals batter creates history during his 95 off 45 balls at Eden Gardens

ESPNcricinfo staff04-May-20251:44

Katey Martin breaks down how Parag took down KKR bowlers

Riyan Parag became the first batter in the IPL to hit six sixes off successive deliveries, a feat he achieved during Rajasthan Royals’ chase against Kolkata Knight Riders at Eden Gardens. He went past Chris Gayle, Kieron Pollard and Rinku Singh, who all had hit five successive sixes. Coincidentally, all these instances came during the second innings of the match. Here’s a look at each of them.Riyan ParagRR vs KKR, Eden Gardens, IPL 2025Chasing 207, RR were 102 for 5 in 12 overs. Shimron Hetmyer took a single off the first ball of the 13th, bowled by Moeen Ali, to bring Parag on strike. Parag deposited the next four deliveries over either the long-on or square-leg boundary. Trying to get away from Parag’s hitting arc, Moeen ended up bowling a wide next up. There was no respite, though, as Parag launched the next delivery over long-off. In the next over, Hetmyer once again took a single first ball, and Parag reverse-swept Varun Chakravarthy over backward point to make it six sixes in a row. RR, though, lost the match by one run.Chris GayleRCB vs PW, Chinnaswamy Stadium, IPL 2012Gayle was on a sedate 41 off 36 balls with Royal Challengers Bengaluru chasing 183 against Pune Warriors. With their required rate ballooning to 13.37 after 12 overs, something had to give. Saurabh Tiwary took a single off the first ball off legspinner Rahul Sharma and watched Gayle smash the next five balls for five sixes. After three sixes, Rahul went around the wicket but it made no difference. Gayle fell for 81 off 48 but RCB sealed the win off the final delivery of the match.Kieron PollardMI vs SRH, Wankhede, IPL 2013MI needed 62 from four overs when Sunrisers Hyderabad captain Cameron White gave the ball to Thisara Perera. Rohit Sharma hit the first ball for a six and took a single off the second. Pollard then went 4, 6, 6, 6, making it a 29-run over. Amit Mishra bowled the next over. After a single off the first ball, Pollard was back on strike, and hit the next two balls for two more sixes. A dot later, Mishra bowled a waist-high no-ball; Pollard dispatched that too for a six, making it 40 off eight balls. MI finished the chase with three balls to spare.Rinku SinghKKR vs GT, Ahmedabad, IPL 2023Kolkata Knight Riders needed 29 off the final over against Gujarat Titans. No team had chased down that many in the 20th over of a T20 – the previous best was 23. But Rinku Singh changed that. Umesh Yadav took a single off Yash Dayal’s first ball. With 28 needed from five balls, Dayal lost his radar. He bowled three full tosses and two short deliveries that Rinku clattered for 6, 6, 6, 6, 6 as KKR chased down 205 in one of the most astonishing finishes in cricket.