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Tottenham Hotspur yet again refused to make a single signing in the January transfer window.

Spurs went through the month without adding a player, having also opted against adding personnel in the summer, with mooted interest in Michy Batshuayi, per Sky, proving fruitless.

On the chalkboard

Football FanCast reported on Thursday that Batshuayi was pushing for a move to Tottenham amid interest from West Ham United.

His wage demands – worth £170,000-per-week – proved prohibitive for both clubs, despite his desire to join Mauricio Pochettino’s squad. Chelsea were also far less willing to send the striker to a major rival, unsurprisingly.

Instead, he has moved to Crystal Palace, his third loan move in as many years.

Former Wigan & Fulham man, Jimmy Bullard recently showed that he’s still got it! Check out the video below…

He has spent time with Valencia and Borussia Dortmund in recent seasons, despite joining the Blues with major billing in 2016 after some impressive displays at the European Championships that summer.

The BBC report that the deal was worth £33million, with the striker going on to score just 19 goals for the club in 53 appearances, per Transfermarkt.

His spell at Valencia – three goals in 23 appearances – hinted at stalled development, though he did score nine goals in 14 outings at Dortmund.

Just not good enough

At the end of the day, the deal just didn’t make sense for Spurs.

They have Fernando Llorente as a perfectly serviceable deputy to Harry Kane and it seems as though Mauricio Pochettino eventually opted against any deals.

The Spurs boss said on Friday, per BBC (13:43): “Yesterday there were reports and rumours. The media got more info than us.

“I cannot talk about that rumour but we were open to adding quality to help us achieve but we couldn’t add that quality. I was open to it.”

Batshuayi has yet to prove his worth in the Premier League and if Spurs are in the market for short-term reinforcements, they need players with genuine top-flight pedigree.

Batshuayi, quite simply, does not have that, and although chairman Daniel Levy has taken plenty of stick for the lack of signings, this was undoubtedly the correct decision.

It seems that Everton both bought and sold Belgian midfielder Marouane Fellaini at the perfect time.

Whilst they broke their club record transfer fee at the time for the £15m acquisition of Fellaini, it turned out to be an astute move, with the Toffees getting the best out of him and shipping him onto Manchester United for a tidy profit in what was a player at the very start of his decline.

Tremendous from the Toffees

After rejecting advances from Manchester United and bypassing reported interest from the likes of Aston Villa, Real Madrid, Bayern Munich and Tottenham Hotspur, Fellaini put pen to paper on a five-year deal to play for Everton in the year 2008.

He was 20-years-of-age at the time and arrived in England with a playing identity of a box-to-box midfielder and soon managed to prove his attacking proficiency with what turned out to be a seamless integration into England’s top flight.

In his first season, Fellaini ended his first campaign with nine goals and four assists. Perhaps the most demonstrative indicator of the Belgian-Morrocan midfielder’s playing style was his total of 13 yellow cards. He did well to end on this number, having been booked ten times in his first 17 games.

At Everton, Fellaini made himself a star and left for £27.5m, having scored an impressive 11 goals in the Premier League for the Toffees, to reunite with former Everton boss David Moyes at Manchester United. This was the start of his decline.

Despite his goalscoring feat for Everton the season prior, the 2013/2014 season saw Fellaini score a total of zero goals with an assist total of one in the Premier League, as he saw his minutes cut in half at the Old Trafford side.

Fellaini never managed to replicate his goalscoring form at Manchester United and after the dismissal of Jose Mourinho back in the 2018/2019 season, found his opportunities limited under caretaker manager at the time; Ole Gunnar Solskjær.

United recouped £10.5m for Fellaini, allowing him to join Chinese Super League side Shandong Taishan where he rediscovered his goalscoring form.

At 34 years of age, the former Belgian international is now worth just £4m, though his wage is drastically higher, with the former Toffees midfielder now pocketing a handsome wage of £362k-per-week.

Ultimately, Everton’s decision to sell when they did was perfect. They got the best performances out of him and received the most money for him, making a tidy profit on their initial £15m payout.

Well played, Everton.

In other news – Forget relegation: Lampard now heading for huge Everton disaster over £72k-p/w star

West Bromwich Albion manager Steve Bruce has provided an update on the fitness of long-term absentees Kean Bryan and Kenneth Zohore as the Baggies approach the conclusion of their campaign.

What’s the story?

Speaking to the media ahead of today’s Championship clash against Stoke City at The Hawthorns, the Albion boss revealed that the duo are working hard to be fit in time for pre-season training in the summer, but has effectively ruled out any hope of either player featuring for the remainder of 2021/22.

Bryan required knee surgery after damaging his ACL in November, having played just 49 minutes of league action across three appearances after joining the West Midlands club on a free transfer from Sheffield United.

On the 25-year-old defender, the Albion manager said: “That’s a hard thing to deal with, especially when you’re a new player at a club and you do your ACL.

“I spoke to him the other day – his knee resembles a knee again, which three months ago it didn’t. He’s working extremely hard. It’s a big summer for him, too. He’s on track.

“I think it’s a crucial time, pre-season. Every club have had a struggle with it, because of the pandemic.”

As for Zohore, the striker has been limited to just two Championship appearances this term, featuring seven times in Premier League 2 for the under-23s.

A nightmare season was made even worse when he picked up a thigh injury and then got injured again upon returning to training.

Bruce stated of the Dane: “It was a bad couple of days for us, because unfortunately he broke down. It’s a reset for him, as well. He got a thigh injury, a muscle injury, and he’d been six weeks out. He got re-injured. It was horrible. He’d only trained for 20 minutes and then he broke down again. It’s a reset for him. I would think that’s his season.”

Bruce will be gutted

Having been in the job for just two months, the 61-year-old is still yet to be able to fully witness the capabilities of both Zohore and Bryan, a development which will no doubt leave the West Brom boss feeling gutted.

The West Midlands outfit have endured a tricky campaign after being relegated from the Premier League last term, with Bruce’s team sat in 11th going into Saturday’s meeting with the Potters.

With just six games to go and the play-offs seemingly beyond Albion this year, Baggies supporters will be keen to see the back end of a difficult season. They will also be keen to have as many players as possible available for the new campaign, as will Bruce, who might then be able to make a proper assessment of the squad at his disposal.

It’s vital that Bryan and Zohore ensure that they are fit in time for pre-season in order to make an impression on the manager in order to reignite their respective West Brom careers. Otherwise they may have to seek moves elsewhere.

In other news: West Brom now set for big disaster over “unbelievable” £7.2m-rated gem

Newcastle United fans have been handed an exciting twist in their club’s chase to sign Lille defender Sven Botman this summer.

What’s the story?

Fabrizio Romano had recently suggested that Serie A giants Milan were virtually nailed-on to sign the Netherlands international, but it seems that the Magpies have come in at the 11th hour to throw a spanner in the works.

Posting initially on Twitter, Football Insider revealed that both Eddie Howe’s side and Milan have “verbally agreed personal terms” and that the Magpies have held “extensive negotiations” with the defender since January.

In a follow-up article, it was added that a Newcastle source had told them the Tyneside club “have not given up hope of landing Botman after extensive negotiations over a potential deal both in January and subsequently… They will now try to negotiate a fee with Lille, who have held out for a £30m fee.”

Game-changer for Newcastle

If Newcastle can manage to pull off a last-minute heist for Botman, it really would be the biggest statement of the new PIF era thus far.

Never mind that the Magpies are competing with a club like Milan, who are rich in footballing history and playing some kind of European football almost annually.

The idea that Newcastle could come in and blow the Rossoneri out of the water with an offer and convince a player to join them so soon after they had basically been out of the running is a telling sign of the massive impact that the Toon Army could have in the future.

It’s a worrying sign for the rest of Europe that, even at this early stage of their revolution, that Newcastle are already beginning to throw their weight around behind closed doors and putting their money where their mouth is.

They already managed to beat Arsenal to the signing of Bruno Guimaraes, and muscling out Milan to Botman would be another significant coup.

Described by his former Lille boss Christophe Galiter as someone who is emerging as a “leader”, and valued at £40m by CIES, Botman could be another game-changing signing for Newcastle if they pull it off.

AND in other news – Sold for just £100k, now a two-time title winner: NUFC flop has delivered huge payback

Nottingham Forest face a crisis after Lewis Grabban was forced off through injury in yesterday’s 1-0 win over Peterborough United.

Promotion chasing Forest have been without Grabban for the majority of the year, after he suffered an ankle injury at the end of January. He has only recently returned so to see him out injured again is a huge setback for Steve Cooper’s side.

With their victory the club have taken a big stride towards securing a top six finish, they currently sit fourth in the Championship on 73 points. Since Cooper took over as boss at The City Ground, Forest have been in exceptional form and sit second only to already promoted Fulham.

Grabban came on as a substitute yesterday for the goal scorer Sam Surridge but then had to come off in the 89th minute.

The 34-year old has contributed massively this season making 32 appearances and being directly involved in 16 goals. If they are to be without him for the rest of the season then it could seriously affect their hopes of being promoted to the Premier League.

When Cooper was asked about the injury he told Nottinghamshire Live: “He was clear straight away that he needed to come off. We’ve got our fingers crossed for him.”

His contract expires this summer and whether or not he stays might be dependent on Forest’s promotion chase. He has experience of playing in the Premier League for both Norwich City and Bournemouth, however, he’s always failed to replicate the form he’s shown at Championship level and at his age now it may be asking too much.

Not keeping him on will also allow the club to save on their wage bill with the former Jamaican international on a wage of £25k-per-week.

The injury adds to the list of dilemmas that Cooper faces, with on-loan Aston Villa star Keenan Davis also out meaning Surridge is the only recognised senior striker at the club who’s fit.

The Reds haven’t been in the top flight since the turn of the century and many would like to see them make a return due to the history and stature of the club.

IN other news: Nottingham Forest set for disaster on Djed Spence…

Everton owner Farhad Moshiri is interested in a deal to appoint Jose Mourinho as the Toffees’ next manager.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a claim made by Kaveh Solhekol, with the Sky Sports journalist revealing on The Transfer Show that the AS Roma boss is one of the names under consideration for the vacant managerial position at Goodison Park following the sacking of Rafael Benitez last weekend.

Speaking about Everton’s shortlist of candidates, the transfer insider said: “This is a story that has just come in from our North West office. They are saying that Jose Mourinho is now under consideration to become the next Everton manager.

“An official approach has yet to be made to Mourinho’s current club Roma by the Everton owner Farhad Moshiri, but he is contemplating the prospect of bringing the former Chelsea, Manchester United and Spurs manager to Goodison Park.”

Fans will be livid

Considering the fact that Everton have just parted with a manager whose best days are quite clearly behind him, the prospect of appointing a new head coach in exactly the same mould is undoubtedly something that will leave the Goodison Park faithful livid.

Indeed, while Mourinho has enjoyed a remarkable amount of success in the game, winning a plethora of trophies throughout his career – including two Champions Leagues, one UEFA Cup, one Europa League, three Premier League titles, three LaLiga titles and two Serie A titles – it is an unavoidable fact that the last trophy the 58-year-old lifted was back in 2017, five years ago.

Furthermore, while the Portuguese manager has always had something of a reputation for rubbing people up the wrong way, this trait appears to have been exacerbated in recent years – with Tottenham Hotspur sacking Mourinho just 17 months into the job after reports of a players’ revolt against the management style of the former FC Porto boss.

This also appears to have been reflected on the pitch, with Jose only being able to guide Spurs to sixth in his first season in charge at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, as well as leaving the club languishing down in seventh place after 32 fixtures in 2020/21 – prior to his sacking.

Yet still, another reason against the appointment of Mourinho is the fact he would more than likely demand an extremely hefty wage to take the job at Goodison Park, with the 58-year-old earning around £10m-per-year during his time in North London – a figure which is just shy of £200k-per-week.

As such, while the legendary Portuguese coach may well be a “heavyweight” name, as Hayley McQueen suggests, should Everton wish to build towards a brighter future at Goodison Park, they should not be considering the appointment of a manager whose best days are in the past.

In other news: Everton urged to appoint “unbelievable” Big Dunc alternative, fans would surely fume

Celtic are weeks away from potentially lifting the SPFL trophy if they continue to put points on the board under the management of Ange Postecoglou.

With 34 league games played, the Parkhead club have won 27, drawn four and lost three, giving them a six-point gap over their Glasgow rivals Rangers in second place.

While the Hoops boss won’t want to disrupt the rhythm that his team are on, having not lost a league game since September, one potential change to the team that we think he should consider, either for the remainder of this season or for their next campaign is to unleash Karamoko Dembele.

They have already lost the services of one promising young player in Ben Doak of late and with Dembele’s own future in doubt, proving to him that he has a pathway to regular first-team minutes is of vital importance.

As a product of the club’s youth system, the 19-year-old has made just ten senior appearances for the Bhoys, scoring one goal in the process.

His first senior appearance came all the way back in 2019.

Having spent most of the season out with an ankle injury, the attacker was an unused substitute for Celtic’s two final league games in February before making his first appearance in their 2-0 win over St. Mirren last month where he came on as a late substitute.

Since then, the teenager has not been involved in a senior matchday squad.

Earlier this month, Dembele’s performance in a youth game against Rangers B caught the attention of talent scout Jacek Kulig, who took to Twitter to share his thoughts on the young Celtic figure.

He said: “Been a while since I last saw him live. Still far from being a physical monster but his dribbling skills, trickery, and flair are on a very high level.”

Even though Kulig said that the youngster may not be at his peak physically, we feel the best way for the attacker to improve this side of the game is to get as much experience of playing senior football as possible.

Given the position that Postecoglou’s side find themselves in at the top of the league table, now could be the ideal time to give Dembele a consistent run of games to see if he can set himself up to be a regular first-team figure in their next campaign.

Also, if the Hoops are not able to work out a permanent deal for current loan star Jota, having a player like Dembele to unleash could be an ideal option for the 56-year-old moving forward.

In other news: Time to go: Ange must finally axe Celtic’s £2m Parkhead flop, he’s stealing a living

Sunderland are set for a huge injury lift this week over defender Danny Batth… 

What’s the latest?

According to the Sunderland Echo, the centre-back is hopeful of being back fit and available for selection against Gillingham this weekend in League One.

Sunderland Echo quote the player as saying: “It’s been a niggly injury so we’ve kind of had to let it build up and obviously I’ve been working hard off the pitch in the gym and physically.

“The injury was pretty unfortunate, it was in a blocked tackle. I’ve won the ball and the guy has put all his weight into my ankle. There was no massive damage on the scan, it has just been niggling and niggling so hopefully that’s behind me now and I can crack on.“I’ve just been using the international break to get up to speed.” Buzzing

This update will surely leave Alex Neil buzzing, as having the 31-year-old back will be a major boost to the Sunderland squad heading into the final weeks of the campaign.

The Black Cats are vying for a place in the play-offs and need as many of their best players available as possible to give themselves the greatest chance of making the top six. They are currently seventh and two points off sixth in the table, so Batth’s return will be a timely boost.

He has already proven himself to be a reliable option at a higher level. The defender averaged a superb SofaScore rating of 7.10 for Stoke as he won 68% of his duels and made 2.6 tackles and interceptions per game in the Championship this season.

This shows that he has the quality to be an outstanding performer in the second tier as he delivered brilliant displays for the Potters. His statistics prove that he is playing below his station at the moment, and Sunderland supporters can look forward to seeing him hit top gear in the coming weeks.

Therefore, he should be able to replicate that form whilst playing at a lower standard of football. His experience and ability as a centre-back should make him an excellent player for Neil to call upon between now and the end of the season, as he could be able to have a huge say in their campaign if he can get back to the form that he showed for Stoke in the Championship.

This is why the 40-year-old will be buzzing that the defender is on his way back from injury and could be in contention to face Gillingham next weekend.

AND in other news, Sold at £9m, now worth £720k: Sunderland played a blinder with “unit” whose career has flopped…

The Athletic’s Celtic correspondent Kieran Devlin has refused to rule out the possibility of Johnny Kenny breaking into the first team before the end of the campaign.

The Lowdown: Kenny arrival

The Hoops pipped Hibernian to Kenny’s services earlier this month, with the 18-year-old joining from Sligo Rovers in a deal worth £135,000.

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Hailed as ‘really important’ by Sligo manager Liam Buckley, Kenny scored 12 times in 34 senior appearances for his former club before penning a five-year deal at Celtic Park.

Celtic didn’t specify where Kenny would initially feature when announcing the transfer, although he is yet to make a matchday squad under Ange Postecoglou.

The Latest: Devlin’s claim

Devlin ran a Q&A on The Athletic for Celtic’s Scottish Cup game with Alloa on Saturday and was asked by one supporter before the match if Kenny could break into Postecoglou’s first-team plans or if he was mainly for the club’s B team.

The journalist didn’t rule out a possible breakthrough for the teenager before the end of the season, saying: “I understand he was signed first and foremost for the Bs, but who knows what the season holds further down the line. Depends how well he trains.”

The Verdict: Interesting…

Kenny already has a proven goalscoring record at senior level, albeit in the League of Ireland, so it wouldn’t come as a surprise if he were making the matchday squad before the season comes to an end.

Should Albian Ajeti leave the club before the month is out, as is expected, Kenny would be one of just two out-and-out centre-forwards at the club alongside Georgios Giakoumakis.

The Hoops have also had terrible luck with injuries this season, with star forward Kyogo Furuhashi currently out, so if Kenny stays fit and firing for the B team, then he may well get his chance under Postecoglou in the next few months.

In other news: ‘Absolute travesty’ – Journalist reacts as Celtic swoop for Jota now in ‘doubt’

A number of Liverpool supporters have reacted positively to Jamie Carragher’s claim that the Reds should push to sign Jude Bellingham this summer.

The 18-year-old has emerged as arguably one of the most exciting teenagers in world football, catching the eye hugely with his performances for Borussia Dortmund.

Despite his tender years, Bellingham is already an undisputed key player for the Bundesliga giants, scoring eight goals and registering 13 assists in 71 appearances.

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Liverpool have been linked with a move for the England international numerous times in the past and Carragher has now talked up his potential signing.

Taking to Twitter during a Q&A on Saturday, the Reds legend said that Bellingham would be the one player he would choose to sign at Anfield this summer:

“Jude Bellingham & the summer window is fine for me!”

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Liverpool fans love Carragher claim

These Liverpool fans loved what Carragher had to say, praising his comments and calling for the Reds’ FSG ownership to snap up the Dortmund star, who one Kopite feels would be just as transformative as the signings of Virgil van Dijk and Alisson.

“This would be a signing on the level of VVD or Alisson”

Credit: @O38Degrees

“YESSS”

Credit: @f1_terrier

“Jamie knows ball. Jude>>>”

Credit: @66_lfc_

“Dear FSG…”

Credit: @biGDhee08

“I’d give a kidney for us to get Jude”

Credit: @ikomo1604

“Would love that. Natural successor to Henderson and would add more dynamism and athleticism.”

Credit: @StefromBurnley

In other news, some Liverpool fans are fuming at a Fabrizio Romano update. Read more here.