Jurgen Klinsmann responds to rumours linking him with Tottenham job

Jurgen Klinsmann admitted ‘anything is possible’ when asked about the possibility of him being appointed the new Tottenham boss this summer, refusing to rule himself out of the running.

Spurs are on the hunt for a new manager following the departure of Jose Mourinho, with Ryan Mason handed the reins on an interim basis until the end of the season.

Could Jurgen Klinsmann be the new Spurs boss?Could Jurgen Klinsmann be the new Spurs boss?
Could Jurgen Klinsmann be the new Spurs boss? | PressFocus/MB Media/Getty Images

A whole host of names have already been thrown into the mix with regards to potential candidates, with 90min exclusively revealing Spurs are lining up a move for Leicester manager Brendan Rodgers.

Klinsmann became something of a cult hero during his brief spell with Spurs in the mid 90s before stepping into management following his retirement in 2003, and he’s refused to rule himself out of the running to be new Tottenham boss this summer.

“I tell you, anything is possible in life,” he told ESPN when asked about the vacant position. “I never thought I would coach Germany at a World Cup. I never thought I would coach the USA for six years or Bayern Munich. So we’ll see in a couple of months who will be the Spurs manager.”

Klinsmann says Champions League qualification this season is crucial for Spurs’ development as a club, and he believes the sacking of Mourinho was based more on his style of play than the team’s performance in the league.

“It’s a huge, huge decision,” he added. “The timing as well, a couple of days before the cup final, they wanted to send out a signal that it wasn’t going in the right direction.

“Daniel Levy cut the rope and will figure out what to do over the next couple of months. It was definitely a decision about Jose [Mourinho] in terms of his style of play and what the Spurs fans want to see.

“From where they are in the Premier League you can still justify certain things because they are two points away from the Champions League now.

“But what they wanted was to go for the title and they were doing that at the start of the season. They were up there for a little while and then they dropped month by month and Levy has pulled the plug.

“They really need to get into the Champions League. If they win the final then awesome, it’s nice to have a little piece of silverware, but it’s crucial to get into the Champions League.”

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Hamza Choudhury & EA Sports team up to inspire British Asians with new comic book

Leicester City midfielder Hamza Choudhury and EA Sports have teamed up to create a children’s comic book entitled ‘Hamza: My Story’, with the hope of inspiring the next generation of British Asian footballers.

The comic tells the story of the Foxes midfielder’s upbringing, exploring a number of hard-hitting topics such as racism, while paying homage to his family and the support they offered him as a youngster.

Hamza ChoudhuryHamza Choudhury
Choudhury with the finished version of ‘Hamza: My Story’

The need to combat racism in football and all walks of life has been brought to the forefront of people’s minds more than ever in recent years, and Choudhury is hoping to follow in the footsteps of former Sunderland forward Michael Chopra in highlighting the need to encourage footballers of Asian heritage’s development in the English game.

Research conducted last year showed that of the 4,000 professional footballers in the UK, only ten were British Asian (0.25%), despite 9.7% of the population who play football in their spare time being British Asian.

The need for change is clear, and EA Sports have subsequently launched their ‘Inspire The Next Generation’ campaign which aims to fix the cycle that has hampered the British Asian community’s progression to the top level of the game.

Hamza: My Story comic bookHamza: My Story comic book
An insert of Choudhury & EA Sports’ comic

The gaming giants have partnered with the Midnight Ramadan League – a grassroots league set up to help those struggling to play during the Ramadan fast – and the initiative will include a number of facets such as television adverts featuring Choudhury and bespoke FIFA 21 Midnight Ramadan League inspired in-game assets.

When asked to expand on his involvement in the initiative, Choudhury said: “Growing up, football was always my first love. From playing with my friends in the street after school, to heading to the pitch at the weekends, it was always my dream to become a football player.

“I’m proud of my Asian heritage and without it, I wouldn’t be the person or footballer that I am today, so it was an honour to partner with EA Sports to tell the inspirational story of the Midnight Ramadan League – a team I would have loved to play for! I hope that, together, we can help inspire future generations to follow their dreams.”

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England could have Euro 2020 last 16 tie at Wembley as Dublin is dropped as host city

Dublin has officially been dropped as a venue for this summer’s rearranged European Championship, while Munich has been confirmed as a host city.

A reshuffle in fixtures means England will now play their last 16 tie at home at Wembley Stadium should they top their group, while the Irish capital’s other fixtures have been moved to St. Petersburg in Russia.

UEFA required guarantees from its original 12 host cities that their respective stadiums would be able to accommodate at least 25% capacity when Euro 2020 kicks off in June.

UEFA Euro Roma 2020 Official Logo UnveilingUEFA Euro Roma 2020 Official Logo Unveiling
UEFA have had to do a lot of reorganising | Paolo Bruno/Getty Images

However, coronavirus restrictions currently in place in the Republic of Ireland mean it has not been possible for the authorities there to make that commitment.

The executive committee of European football’s governing body convened on Friday morning to discuss the fates of Bilbao, Munich and Dublin as the only host cities that had not confirmed fan attendance.

The Basque city of Bilbao has also been dropped, with Seville set to play host to Spain’s Group E fixtures and a last 16 tie instead.

Organisers in the Bavarian capital of Munich were able to confirm that the Allianz Arena (or Football Arena Munich in UEFA competition) would be at least a quarter full at the last, therefore maintaining its status as a host city.

Ireland did not qualify for the tournament, but the games due to be played at Dublin’s Aviva Stadium were also in Group E: Poland vs Slovakia, Sweden vs Slovakia and Sweden vs Poland.

The group stage games in question are set to be moved to St. Petersburg, while Wembley Stadium is due to host the round of 16 game that was supposed to be played in Dublin – seemingly as a reward for the Football Association’s role in stopping the breakaway Super League.

That means England will be playing at home should they top Group D, which also includes Croatia, Czech Republic and Scotland.

Regarding the changes of venues, UEFA stated (via the UEFA website): “UEFA wishes to express its appreciation and gratitude to the cities of Bilbao and Dublin – both of which are considered as good venues to host future UEFA events – the national and regional governments of Spain and the Republic of Ireland, and all local stakeholders for their dedication, professionalism and efforts over the past years.”

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Barcelona 5-2 Getafe: Player ratings as Barça keep pace with La Liga leaders

Two goals from Lionel Messi helped Barcelona survive a brief scare to ease past Getafe on Thursday night and keep pace with the leaders in La Liga.

A beautiful goal from Messi, converting Sergio Busquets’ awesome pass, put Barça ahead but they were soon pegged back when Marc Cucurella’s cross cannoned off Clement Lenglet into his own net.

Sofian Chakla scored the next comedy own goal, passing the ball back to goalkeeper David Soria who had come charging out of his net unnecessarily – think Kieran Trippier and Hugo Lloris against Chelsea in 2019.

A hectic first half got worse for the visitors when Messi got his second, converting from the acutest of angles having originally been denied by the post.

Ronald Araujo gifted Getafe a route back into the game by catching Enes Unal in the box. The striker converted the penalty to bring the score back to 3-2, but Araujo atoned for his error with a glancing header from Messi’s corner to reestablish his side’s two-goal lead. The win was rounded off by Antoine Griezmann, who was fouled and scored the resulting penalty in injury time.

The win lifts Barcelona back above Sevilla into third in the La Liga title race, five points behind leaders Atletico Madrid with a game in hand.

So. Player ratings. Shall we?

Marc-Andre ter Stegen (GK) – 5/10 – Had no saves to make and couldn’t do anything about either goal, being wrongfooted for the own goal and sent the wrong way for the penalty.

Oscar Mingueza (CB) – 6/10 – Isn’t part of the most secure Barça backline right now, even though it’s a lot better than it was at the start of the season, but got some harsh treatment when he was subbed off by manager Ronald Koeman. Didn’t make the mistakes for the goals but incurred the Dutchman’s wrath and was brought off for Samuel Umtiti. Harsh.

Gerard Pique (CB) – 7/10 – Won five aerials during his 45-minute cameo. Was the cool head needed at the back before being substituted.

Clement Lenglet (CB) – 4/10 – Endured a horrible opening period, getting booked before scoring an own goal. Failed to improve and was brought off at half time.

Sergio BusquetsSergio Busquets
Busquets put in a vintage performance | Soccrates Images/Getty Images

Sergi Roberto (RWB) – 5/10 – Reverted between playing on the right of a midfield three and wide on the wing. Pretty quiet before being brought off at half time.

Jordi Alba (LWB) – 6 /10 – Not one of the Spaniard’s must productive outings but Alba linked up well with Messi at times and was always available in advanced areas on the left.

Frenkie de Jong (CM) – 7/10 – As smooth and efficient as ever. Dropped into the back three when changes were made in defence.

Sergio Busquets (CM) – 8/10 – Provided a brilliant side-pass to send Messi through on goal for the game’s opener. Is enjoying a nice renaissance and this was another tidy performance.

Pedri (CM) – 5/10 – Just looked absolutely knackered throughout. Could have done with a rest and a lot of his play seemed to suffer as a result of his fatigue.

Antoine Griezmann (ST) – 7/10 – Really busy on the ball, completing five dribbles. Pressed well from the front too, making a couple of tackles. Didn’t get any shots away but linked play nicely. Tucked away his late penalty nicely.

Lionel Messi (ST) – 9/10 – A trademark performance from the diminutive forward, scoring two pearlers in the first half, also striking the woodwork. Picked up the assist for Araujo’s header. His brace also took him to 25 league goals for each of the last 12 seasons. Bit crazy, that.

Ronald Araujo – 6/10 – A bad challenge from Araujo gifted Getafe a path back into the game. Was booked for the foul but made up for it late on with his side’s fourth goal.

Ilaix Moriba – 5/10

Trincao – 5/10

Samuel Umtiti – 5/10

For more from Jude Summerfield, follow him on Twitter!

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Leicester’s Champions League bid given timely boost with West Brom win

Leicester fans would be forgiven for still being haunted by the nightmare of their side’s top four collapse last season.

Brendan Rodgers’ men looked nailed on to secure their place in the Champions League and looked the most likely contenders to rival Liverpool for the Premier League crown at one point, though a number of key injuries and suspensions at the back end of the campaign saw them fall apart.

A final day defeat to Manchester United ensured they would be playing in the Europa League this season rather than the Champions League, though having strengthened in the summer transfer window they looked good value to improve on their fifth place finish this season.

The Leicester squad were all smiles against West BromThe Leicester squad were all smiles against West Brom
The Leicester squad were all smiles against West Brom | Michael Regan/Getty Images

And then the wheels started falling off again.

Back-to-back Premier League defeats – including a hugely damaging loss to fellow top four chasers West Ham – threatened to completely derail their campaign, so what better time for Jamie Vardy to remind everyone just what he can do?

The former England international looked back to the Vardy of old against West Brom on Thursday night, opening the scoring with a typically clinical finish to grab just his second goal in 15 Premier League games.

Not content with his work, the 34-year-old rolled back the years with a brilliant piece of wing play which left the Baggies backline utterly bamboozled, before laying it on a plate for strike partner Kelechi Iheanacho to all but end the game as a contest prior to the half-time interval.

By the second half Vardy was taking potshots from his own half such was his confidence, though he wasn’t the only player clearly revelling in the Foxes’ renewed self-belief.

James Maddison made his return to the squad after being reprimanded for breaking lockdown rules, and the former Norwich man looked like a player with a point to prove.

Picking up little pockets of space in between the West Brom midfield and backline, Maddison absolutely ran riot and provided a link between Leicester’s midfield and attack that had sorely been missing in his absence.

Vardy and Maddison weren’t the only star performers on the night with Jonny Evans, Timothy Castagne, Wilfred Ndidi and Youri Tielemans all looking back to their best just when Leicester needed them most.

Rodgers’ side ran out convincing 3-0 winners on the night, though in truth they’d long since taken their foot off the gas having raced into a three-goal lead with just 35 minutes on the clock.

Jamie Vardy looks to find a way past Dara O'SheaJamie Vardy looks to find a way past Dara O'Shea
Jamie Vardy looks to find a way past Dara O’Shea | Michael Regan/Getty Images

While the three points is obviously the most important thing for Leicester to take away from the game as the season enters the home straight, the manner of their performance will probably have pleased Rodgers more than anything.

Yes they were expected to overcome a West Brom side struggling at the bottom end of the league table, though with Sam Allardyce’s side scrapping for survival it could have proved a tricky assignment – just as Chelsea found out to their cost a few weeks ago.

Leicester made light work of the clash, putting to bed any worries about possible mental fragility after last season’s collapse and ending their winless run.

With just six games of the campaign to play the Foxes are now four points clear of fifth placed West Ham, and psychologically the win over the Baggies could prove to be a huge boost as they enter the home straight.

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