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Daniel Levy is risking further fury from the Tottenham Hotspur faithful as his search for their next manager appears to be drawing to a close…

What’s the word?

According to The Times’ chief sports correspondent Matt Lawton, Spurs are in advanced talks with Paulo Fonseca over their vacant role and is now thought to be the first-choice candidate to become the head coach.

The 48-year-old is believed to be the chosen option of incoming sporting director Fabio Paratici, who is set to be announced in the coming days after his departure from Juventus, where he won 19 trophies in 11 years.

Fonseca recently departed AS Roma after they hired Jose Mourinho as his successor in May.

Worse than Gross

Spurs have certainly struggled in their pursuit to find their next permanent manager.

The North London outfit were initially linked to Julain Naglesmann, who opted to join Bayern Munich from RB Leipzig and then to Brendan Rodgers, who would prefer to stay at FA Cup winners Leicester City.

They also held talks with ex-manager Mauricio Pochettino over a sensational return, whilst Antonio Conte was on the verge of becoming their next boss before a move collapsed at the 11th hour over numerous concerns from both parties.

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This appointment is a monumental one as Levy and the club’s hierarchy have come under intense pressure from supporters in recent months, all kickstarted by their botched plans to form a European Super League.

Since that fell through, many have protested against the chairman, as well as the ENIC Group, and this has merely been the culmination of underperformance, underachievement, and a lack of ambition on their part.

It seems that plenty of these fans are against the idea of Fonseca, which means there’s a serious risk of further apathy around the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium next season. Things could quickly turn sour if they do not get off to a good start, especially if Harry Kane seals his desired exit.

On social media, the Lilywhites faithful have been reacting to the news that the Portuguese looks set to become their next manager and it’s led to some calls suggesting that this would be an even worse appointment than Christian Gross in 1997.

Perhaps there are some similarities to be had with then, to now, as Fonseca has never managed in the Premier League yet has won titles and silverware in countries like Ukraine and Portugal.

Gross had won two Swiss league titles prior to his arrival but was a bizarre choice from Alan Sugar as he looked to follow Spurs’ arch-rivals Arsenal and Chelsea with foreign appointments.

One Tottenham supporter said the potential arrival of Fonseca was “worse” than when Gross was hired, claiming that the club was a “joke,” whilst “embarrassing” and “cheap” were other phrases used to describe the news.

The 48-year-old has just left Roma having failed to guide them past fifth place in the Italian top-flight, they were also well-beaten by Manchester United in the Europa League, and he won just 52% of games in charge – the same as Mourinho at Spurs.

On the above evidence, Levy is about to open a can of worms in North London, with a manager that has recently been described as “abysmal.”

AND in other news, Alasdair Gold issues major claim on Spurs’ manager search that’ll leave fans furious…

If last night’s 4-0 win for Celtic was the only Hoops game that incoming manager Eddie Howe had ever seen, it’s likely Ryan Christie would be part of the club’s future.

Sorry folks, but the Scot actually looked much improved while playing in a central position for the Bhoys on Wednesday evening.

In fact, Celtic as a whole looked a lot more promising. The Glaswegian’s have endured a torrid season but on Scott Brown’s farewell to Paradise, they put in a performance the midfield veteran would be proud of.

John Kennedy’s men swept aside St Johnstone 4-0 in a clash that for once, put a smile back on the player’s faces.

Brown may not have been lifting the Premiership title but there were plenty of positives on Wednesday to think that a brighter future is possible at Celtic.

The fact Christie even stood out said a lot.

The Scotland international has had a torrid campaign and has been relentlessly hounded by members of the Green Brigade for his shooting.

With James Forrest out injured for such a long period of time, the attacker was forced to play in a wide position, away from his favoured area centrally.

Last season Christie produced 20 goals and 16 assists but 2020/21 has been incredibly unkind to him. The 26-year-old has scored just seven times in comparison and has only found the net twice in his last 23 league outings.

That said, when afforded the chance to play through the middle against St Johnstone, he took the opportunity with aplomb.

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Christie’s goal drought wasn’t ended but alongside David Turnbull in midfield – someone who did find the net – he looked incredibly comfortable.

There will be tougher and sterner tests to come but Christie was one of Celtic’s most important players.

The vast majority of the play came through him with the attacking midfielder having more touches (126) than any other player on the field. Meanwhile, Christie’s tally of 97 passes was only third to the centre-back pairing of Stephen Welsh and Kristoffer Ajer.

Keen as ever to get on the ball and make things happen, the Scot provided three key passes; the same number as James Forrest and one fewer than Turnbull.

Christie has been torn apart this term but instead of looking to score from impossible positions on the field, he looked to create more for his teammates on Wednesday. The fact he picked up his fourth assist in his last seven games was a testament to that.

It’s hard to suggest his performance was out of this world but judging by some of the other displays we’ve seen from him this term, it was a great improvement.

If Christie is in the shop window ahead of a potential summer move, he will have done his cause no harm here.

AND in other news, McKay must wield the axe on 5ft9 Celtic dud, Sutton dubbed him the “new Ryan Christie”…

Liverpool could land Jurgen Klopp his ideal backup to Fabinho in Wolves star Ruben Neves.

What’s the story?

According to The Athletic, the 24-year-old midfielder is available for around £35 million this summer as the Midlands outfit prepare for life without Nuno Espirito Santo.

Although the report doesn’t mention the interest of any clubs, in particular, the Reds have been linked with a move for Neves in the past after assistant manager Pepijn Lijnders coached the Portugal international at Porto.

Edwards masterclass

Liverpool suffered from significant injuries to many of their star players throughout 2020/21 but were particularly impacted at centre-back.

Season-ending issues to Virgil van Dijk, Joe Gomez and Joel Matip forced defensive midfielder Fabinho to play in the heart of defence on many occasions throughout the recently concluded campaign, and although he coped admirably in his makeshift role, the rest of the team suffered.

His absence from the base of the Liverpool engine room left the more attack-minded Thiago exposed, meaning Klopp’s charges were often overrun in the middle of the park, especially with Jordan Henderson missing game time too.

The lack of midfield numbers was an issue for Liverpool, something that could worsen due to the departure of Gini Wijnaldum, and the arrival of Neves could ensure that issue of a lack of options doesn’t arise again.

He’s been a revelation since arriving in English football, firing Wolves to promotion in his first campaign before becoming a pivotal part of two consecutive seventh-place finishes a run to the Europa League quarter-finals, earning praise from several pundits, including Jamie Redknapp.

“It’s a magnificent pass; he’s a terrific player,’ Redknapp said on Sky Sports (via the Daily Mail) after a particularly impressive performance against Everton. “I’m such a fan of Neves and the way he can just control the midfield.

“He can defend, he can attack, he’s so talented. He can do it at Wolves, but I think he’s going right to the top of the game; it’s effortless for him.”

Klopp will be desperate to add some strength in depth to his relatively thin Liverpool squad this summer in order to mount a title charge, and bringing in Neves to bolster the ranks would be a masterclass from the director of football Michael Edwards.

The £45m-rated (as per Transfermarkt) maestro would take the Reds to another level and could be crucial in their bid to regain their top-flight crown.

And, in other news…Heir to Gini Wijnaldum: Liverpool must swoop for “incredible” £45m-rated maestro 

Newcastle are on the trail of Huddersfield midfielder Lewis O’Brien, and could be set to make a move for him in the summer.

What’s the story?

Prior to the 2-0 defeat to Arsenal on Sunday afternoon, the Magpies had enjoyed a bit of a revival, with two wins and two draws in four games – much of that inspired by some late heroics from Arsenal loanee Joe Willock.

Now, The Sun claim that Steve Bruce’s side are eyeing up O’Brien as a potentially less expensive option if they can’t land their no.1 transfer target in Willock.

The report adds that even though Huddersfield have now secured survival in the Championship, they will struggle to keep hold of the £4m-rated O’Brien.

Bargain deal for Bruce

While of course the priority is to sign Willock given his goal-scoring form in recent weeks, O’Brien would still be quite the shrewd signing for the Magpies.

The 22-year-old offers a similar sort of box-to-box presence like the Gunners starlet, and has bagged three goals and provided a further three assists in the Championship this season.

But, it’s not just his contributions going forward that really make him stand out however, with Huddersfield Town writer Steven Chicken waxing lyrical about the kind of intensity that he plays with.

He said: “O’Brien is a left-footed, tough-tackling central midfielder. Former Huddersfield boss Danny Cowley often praised O’Brien as being “like having two players”, with the midfielder receiving particular praise from his manager and fans alike for his ability and willingness to rush back and win the ball with a clean sliding tackle whenever his side were caught on the counter-attack.

“He certainly has the potential to be (a Premier League player), if he’s not already. His fitness is incredible and he just never seems to get tired, which is one of the biggest difficulties Championship players have when stepping up to the Premier League.”

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At 22, O’Brien also has the time to grow and develop into a real Premier League star just like Willock, but crucially would come much cheaper. If Bruce is looking for a cheaper alternative this summer, then he could land a real smart deal in signing the Terriers ace.

Meanwhile, Newcastle are heading for a major disaster over this Premier League star…

Plenty of Aston Villa fans have been reacting to the news that Villa Park could play host to this year’s Champions League Final.

Both Manchester City and Chelsea booked their place in the last two following wins over Paris Saint-Germain and Real Madrid respectively earlier this week, with the final scheduled to take place in Istanbul on May 29.

However, according to reliable Sky Sports reporter Rob Dorsett, Villa have offered up Villa Park to UEFA as an alternative venue.

Dorsett claims that huge changes to infrastructure at the stadium would have to take place should Pep Guardiola and Thomas Tuchel’s sides face off in the Midlands, however, UEFA are thought to be committed to Istanbul at this moment in time.

Villa still have three home league fixtures to fulfil before the end of the season, with fans set to return for the visit of Chelsea on the final day.

Villa fans react

@villareport shared Dorsett’s claims on Twitter on Thursday afternoon.

It didn’t take long for a number of Villa fans to go wild at the update, with one describing it as ‘unreal’.

“This would be massive”Credit: @Cameron_Avfc”Scenes”Credit: @RyRyy69″Limbs”Credit: @manj_av”That’s unreal”Credit: @Matttavfc”OH. MY. GOD.”Credit: @ReubenOwen_”Make this happen”Credit: @arjo_97

In other news: Fresh Jack Grealish update emerges, find out more here. 

Former Manchester United man Keith Gillespie has urged manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer to drop Anthony Martial in an exclusive interview with Football FanCast.

Martial has struggled for form at Old Trafford this season and is failing to hit the back of the net on a regular basis.

This season, the France international has scored just four goals in 22 Premier League games, and he has not hit the back of the net since the 9-0 win over Southampton in February.

He has played as a centre-forward and as a left winger this season, and Gillespie believes that Martial’s stint in the team is effectively neutering the threat of Marcus Rashford.

Rashford has played everywhere across the front three this season and has scored nine goals, and Gillespie thinks the best scenario would be for the club to drop Martial to the bench and play Rashford on the left, Mason Greenwood on the right and a striker, likely Edinson Cavani, through the middle.

Speaking exclusively to FFC, he said: “I don’t think you can call Martial an out-and-out striker. He came to the club as a striker, he wanted to play as a striker, but I suppose he’s played a lot of his time out on the left.

“That’s another thing I don’t understand. Rashford is not as effective from the right. We know he’s more effective from the left, but then when Martial plays and plays on the left, he puts Rashford on the right.

“Just don’t play Martial, put Rashford in his best position. Greenwood’s more effective from the right and Rashford from the left with that combination, rather than Martial on the left and Rashford on the right.”

Celtic are making a number of off-field changes ahead of the 2021/22 campaign, and it seems as if another chief looks set to follow Peter Lawwell and Nick Hammond out of Parkhead.

According to a Hoops source, reported by Football Insider, Celtic recruitment chief Gary Penrice is in line for the exit after being the driving force for the failed Shane Duffy signing in the summer of 2020.

The 57-year-old, formerly of Everton, spearheaded a season-long loan deal for Duffy last summer, which, safe to say, hasn’t worked out.

Duffy has started just one of the club’s last nine Scottish Premiership fixtures, and it seems as if the Hoops are planning for life without the Irishman after much criticism.

It appears as if they’re also now getting ready for life without Penrice, who was named head of recruitment at Celtic Park 12 months ago.

Transfer Tavern take

Since Penrice was appointed as head of recruitment, it’s not only Duffy who has flopped.

The likes of Albian Ajeti and Vasilis Barkas, who the club paid big money for over the summer, have both struggled in their first season in Glasgow.

On that basis, with a major Hoops reshuffle going on, it makes perfect sense for the club to part ways with Penrice and bring in a new man picked out by Dominic McKay and Fergal Harkin, with the latter set to be appointed as the new director of football.

In other news: West Ham leading race for Celtic star after making recent progress, find out more here. 

Many Republic of Ireland fans were to left to laud the display of Everton man Seamus Coleman despite their 3-2 away loss at Serbia on Wednesday night.

The 32-year-old put in a decent performance in an unfamiliar role on the right side of a back three for Stephen Kenny’s team, despite conceding three goals.

Coleman won no fewer than six clearances, the second-most out of any player to have set foot on the pitch, and topped the stats with four interceptions and two blocked shots (Sofascore).

Despite playing as a central defender, he also got on the ball a lot for the Irish, recording the second-most touches (62) out of any of his teammates, while also achieving an 89% pass accuracy (Sofascore), a stellar overall display by the captain.

Republic of Ireland fan reaction to Coleman display

These Republic of Ireland supporters lauded his performance on Twitter, with one fan even going as far as to claim that he was ‘brilliant’:

“Coleman has been a rock tonight #SRBIRL”

Credit: @ioreilly85

“You got to love Seamus Coleman, gives 110% every time. #SRBIRL”

Credit: @MossBoxx

“Seamus Coleman is solid as rock back there! #SRBIRL”

Credit: @OisinShortt

“Great defensive work from Coleman and O’Shea to keep the Serbs out, Richard Dunne must have been on Zoom to them before this #COYBIG #SRBIRL #WEAREONE”

Credit: @JamieCu46314644

“Coleman outstanding so far. What a player he is. #COYBIG #SERIRL”

Credit: @rorygils6

“Brilliant from Coleman….as per usual #COYBIG”

Credit: @FCr_91

In other news, find out what international update has left Toffees fuming here!

After joining AC Milan on loan at the beginning of the 2020/21 season, not many Man United fans would probably have expected right-back Diogo Dalot to have enjoyed such a profitable campaign.

The young Portuguese defender has enjoyed an excellent season at the San Siro, racking up 24 appearances in all competitions for the Italian giants.

In that time, he has played a role in seven separate clean sheets, as well as getting himself on the scoresheet twice and providing a further two assists.

It is form that has seen Milan express an interest in signing him permanently, with The Metro reporting that they have submitted an informal offer of £12m.

Whilst it could be tempting for Ed Woodward to sell considering that Dalot is only valued at £9m at the current time, the club should do everything they can to keep hold of him once he returns from his spell in Italy.

Whilst Aaron Wan-Bissaka has consistently been the Red Devils’ starting right-back, United could find themselves in a precarious position should the former Crystal Palace man sustain an injury.

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Other than him, there is no other natural right-back in the squad at Old Trafford, meaning Dalot could certainly have a vital role to play upon his return.

Meanwhile, whilst the club are blessed with a number of talented left-backs in the form of Luke Shaw, Alex Telles and Brandon Williams, the Portuguese can also deputise on the left-side, again seeing him become an excellent option for squad depth.

At just the age of 22, Dalot also has plenty of time to improve, so he could become even better than his spell in Milan suggests he currently is.

Even United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has laid out his intentions for the right-back to return to Old Trafford, stating he was “looking forward” to reintroducing Dalot to the squad following the Red Devils’ recent clash with AC Milan in the UEFA Europa League.

He will be hugely disappointed then to see Dalot allowed to depart on a permanent basis following his temporary exit and excellent season with Milan.

AND in more news, take a closer look at Luke Shaw’s fantastic England return…

Arsenal could sign their own Virgil van Dijk in RB Leipzig’s Ibrahima Konate.

What’s the story?

According to The Evening Standard, Mikel Arteta’s side are one of a number of clubs tracking the 21-year-old ahead of a potential move for him in the summer transfer window.

The reports claims that Konate is being scouted by sides all across Europe in the hope that he could be made available for a transfer, with the Gunners one of those teams as they consider bringing in another centre-back.

It is added however that “they would be expected to face competition from several of Europe’s top sides”.

Arsenal’s own Van Dijk

For all of Liverpool’s attacking success in recent seasons with the likes of Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane, the real cornerstone for Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool side has of course been Virgil van Dijk.

The towering Dutchman arrived in a big-money deal from Southampton, and has helped them to both a Premier League and Champions League title.

Much like Van Dijk, Konate is also a powerful centre-back, coming in at an imposing 6 foot 4.

And, Bundesliga.com themselves have made that comparison between Konate and Van Dijk, saying he plays a bit like the Dutchman. They added: “Likening Konate to one of the best centre-backs in recent times may seem like a premature comparison. It’s not. There are few in the position who excel at so many aspects of the game as the young Frenchman.

“Whether it be in terms of positioning, sticking tight to the striker, intercepting passes, tackling or building from the back, Konate cannot just do it all, he makes it look easy. He has the pace to match the quickest of attackers and the physique to bully – rather than be bullied by – muscular strikers much more experienced than he is.”

Ralf Rangnick spoke glowingly about Konate’s ability and potential, saying: “We’ve been watching Ibrahima Konate for some time. He’s a young, highly-gifted player who’ll strengthen our defence. We’re very happy to have been able to bring in this top talent and that Ibrahima can take the next step in his career here.”

If the Gunners can land Konate, who looks as physically dominant and gifted with the ball like Van Dijk, they could well have their own powerhouse in the middle of defence next season. It would truly be an Edu masterclass, especially given that they are reported to face competition for him.

If he goes on to have an impact anywhere close to what Van Dijk has at Anfield, he’ll be an unbelievably good signing for the Gunners.

Meanwhile, Fabrizio Romano claims Arsenal are interested in this Premier League starlet…