Football transfer news

It’s been over 14 months since Jose Mourinho was appointed as Tottenham’s new manager, succeeding the sacked Mauricio Pochettino, and his time at the club has reached its lowest ebb. ‘Lowest ebb’. What a great phrase.

Spurs are ninth in the Premier League, nine points off their conquerors from Sunday and fourth placed West Ham, having lost five of their last six games in the competition.

They were knocked out of the FA Cup by Everton earlier in February in a ridiculous 5-4 defeat, but there are still the somewhat weak caveats of a Carabao Cup final – against Manchester City, the best team in Europe by quite some distance – and the potential of a decent Europa League run.

Coming up against any kind of decent attacking outfit will put Tottenham’s place in that competition in serious doubt, but for now they’re well positioned to reach the last 16 following a 4-1 victory over Wolfsberger.

But it’s not performances against sides like Austria’s fifth best team that are grating Tottenham’s fanbase.

It’s the losses to Liverpool, Brighton, Chelsea and West Ham that are grating. Not so much the City defeat, because, well…it’s City. They are quite good, after all.

Liverpool, Brighton and Chelsea were all there for the taking in some regard, but Tottenham put in flaccid performances in each defeat. Liverpool were ravaged by injuries, but still strolled to a 3-1 win. Brighton hadn’t won at home all season, so naturally a 1-0 victory for the Seagulls followed. Chelsea were still finding their feet under Thomas Tuchel, but understood his desired style of play enough to emerge victorious in north London.

Jose gives his verdict on today’s result. #THFC ?? #COYS pic.twitter.com/b7Z45xzZJs

— Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) February 21, 2021

West Ham’s a little weirder. The Hammers have been brilliant all season and are well deserving of their current position of fourth, but the two goals they scored on Sunday came from sloppy defending and a lack of concentration.

It’s a recurring theme with Tottenham. They can’t defend crosses from wide positions, but it seems the issue is not being addressed.

Instead, manager Mourinho backed himself over his players, quipping: “I think for a long, long time, we have problems in the team that I cannot resolve by myself as a coach.”

Now, no one is suggesting that Tottenham’s current roster of central defensive options is brilliant. It is far from that. The likes of Eric Dier, Davinson Sanchez and Toby Alderweireld have all suffered with the demand the defensive stye has placed on those at the back this season, with their shortcomings often costing Spurs points.

But the way Mourinho has spoken recently is cause for concern for Tottenham fans, if they aren’t already on the #MourinhoOut bandwagon.

When he first arrived at Spurs, Mourinho lauded the talent in the squad, quipping: “The quality in both the squad and the academy excites me. Working with these players is what has attracted me.”

It’s taken just over a year since that statement for Mourinho to quite overtly declare his players are the problem. For some supporters, that might be good enough – after all, a number of avoidable mistakes are being made week after week, and they’re costing the club points.

What’s frustrating is these comments give a ‘what can I do?’ POV from Tottenham’s manager, when it’s his job to identify problems and make the necessary changes, or use his coaching staff to show his players how to improve.

Tell me the players aren’t good enough. *Tell me* the players aren’t good enough.

— Sean Walsh (@SeanDZWalsh) February 21, 2021

By Mourinho’s own admission, his and his colleagues’ methods are ‘second to nobody in the world’. It would stand to reason, then, that he should able to tell Dier to attack a cross at the front post rather than let it sail beyond him.

These comments are obviously peak Mourinho. No one should be surprised that he is appearing to distance himself from a team that is playing poorly. But all they do is further highlight the clash in styles between the manager and the club.

He will make it to the end of the season with his job safe. Daniel Levy is a known admirer and will give the former Chelsea boss every opportunity to make it work in north London.

But while Tottenham have been a bit of a laughing stock over the past few years, they haven’t seriously threatened to finish outside of the top ten until this season. With the focus likely to switch to the Carabao Cup and Europa League between now and the end of the season, that is a distinct possibility.

And to think, barely a few months ago we Spurs fans were shouting ‘it’s top, not joint top, it’s top’. It’s a funny game.

For more from Jude Summerfield, follow him on Twitter!

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Despite their stuttering domestic form, Liverpool are seemingly in a celebratory mood.

If you head over to their official store, you’ll find 20% off for the remainder of February – there has never been a better time to stock up on all the gear.

Here’s some of the best items on offer.

It’s the perfect time to grab yourself a home shirt.

It’s the shirt worn by the Premier League champions, it’s the first of the new Nike deal, and it’s just pretty cool.

Get yours here for for £55.96

If you’re looking for something a little different, why not treat yourself to the away shirt?

You can add a name and number on the back, but most importantly, you can get that Premier League winners patch added on. The ultimate flex.

Get yours here for £55.96

At this point, you should know the drill.

Get yours here for £55.96

If you’ve had a little one join the family, this is the perfect time to teach them which side of Merseyside they should support.

There’s even a My First Kit Box available if you want to get all sentimental about it.

Get yours here for £31.96

If you’ve already got the shirts, why not splash out on the shorts? Summer is coming, and we might even be allowed outside this time!

Get yours here for £27.96

This sale isn’t just on the men’s gear.

This women’s home shirt is the obvious pick of the bunch, but there are shorts and socks available for all the other strips.

Don’t worry, we’re not going to go through them all again.

Get yours here for £55.96

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Exclusive – Sevilla are hopeful that striker Youssef En-Nesyri will sign a new contract and reject interest from the Premier League, with West Ham making an enquiry for him during last month’s transfer window.

En-Nesyri is only just over a year into his career with Sevilla after making the switch from Leganes in January 2020. But the 23-year-old Moroccan has progressed considerably since then and has scored 13 goals in La Liga this season – one more than Karim Benzema – and 17 in all competitions.

Sevilla immediately rebuffed advances from the Hammers in January when the Premier League side registered their interest, and 90min understands they are keen to agree a fresh contract with a major pay rise to reflect his new-found status as one of Europe’s in-form strikers.

Sevilla are unbeaten in La Liga since early December and have won their last six games in a row, putting them in genuine contention to finish above both Barcelona and Real Madrid this season if they can also win their outstanding games in hand.

Losing En-Nesyri in the summer would be a huge blow to the club’s prospects next season and beyond. Both player and club are aware of the interest, although En-Nesyri himself is not desperate to leave Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan at this stage and is very happy at Sevilla.

Aside from West Ham, who lack a recognised ‘number nine’, Borussia Dortmund and Inter are taking an interest. Both clubs could be in the market for new attacking players ahead of next season, with Dortmund in particular at risk of losing Erling Haaland and/or Jadon Sancho.

Liverpool and Manchester United have also asked to be kept informed of the situation, with both clubs always casting their recruitment net far and wide so as to avoid missing out on talent.

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Liverpool are witnessing first hand the dangers of a small squad. Only 14 players made more than 20 Premier League appearances last season and the starting XI rolled off the tongue.

Yet a handful of defensive injuries have obliterated Liverpool’s chances of defending their Premier League title, while it will even be a battle just to finish in the top four at this rate.

The loss of key starters has seen Liverpool struggle, but it is a loss of confidence and concern lack of depth in other parts of the squad that has caused a proper slump to set in, the kind of which Reds fans haven’t seen since the early weeks of the 2017/18 season.

It undeniably shows that if Liverpool are to be a consistent title threat in the way that Manchester United were under Sir Alex Ferguson and the way that Manchester City are now, there has to be greater depth and long-term active future proofing already needs to be underway.

Maintaining success is all about improving the squad readily, sometimes even when it seems premature. A great team may only last for two or three years before parts have to be replaced, whether it be players moving on or suffering a downturn in form because of age or other factors.

Ferguson managed to seamlessly transitioned from his first great Manchester United team to his second from the early 1990s to the late 1990s because he was ruthless with his existing stars and had already polished the players that he wanted to replace them with. But there was a noticeable transition period of around three or four years between his second and his third.

United then hadn’t adequately planned for the next stage when Ferguson retired in 2013 and eight years later are still embroiled in a much longer transition period that remains some way off ending.

For Liverpool, the time to change and improve is now. The fact that the drop this season has been significant and noticeable shows in some ways that it is actually already a little late.

A phenomenal assist in the recent defeat to Leicester aside, Roberto Firmino is no longer the same player he was. Once the focal point that knitted together every other aspect of Liverpool’s outstanding attack, the Brazilian has stopped being so effective.

Jurgen Klopp has defended Firmino this season, but the 29-year-old is the oldest of the Liverpool front three and the first to be hit with a loss of form that is more than an isolated blip.

Diogo Jota’s injury absence since early December obviously hasn’t helped given that he was supposed to be the player who could provide the necessary relief and competition. But Liverpool cannot simply rely on hopes that the injury situation will improve and that players will regain the confidence and form that has been lost.

Klopp and the hierarchy need to quickly start thinking about replacing certain individuals and the clock is ticking before Liverpool fall too far that they have to build again from scratch.

Erling Haaland is an obvious choice to step into Firmino’s shoes and take Liverpool in a much needed fresh and new direction. The 20-year-old is already a world class ‘number nine’ and could be at the top for a decade or more. What’s more, the time to do it would be now.

But talk of Haaland and Kylian Mbappe often comes across as unfeasibly idealistic, especially because Liverpool are clearly not in a position to compete financially with the wealthy clubs.

The Reds spent vast amounts building this team over a couple of years, spending that was only funded by exceptional selling of a number of players way over their market value – including Philippe Coutinho, Mamadou Sakho and Dominic Solanke.

Haaland is available for a capped price just under £70m in 2022, yet with Manchester City and Chelsea fully prepared to go for him this summer, it would be naïve to think that he would still be sitting there waiting for Liverpool to trigger his release clause by the time it becomes active.

It goes to show how difficult it is to stay on top. Liverpool could pay big for Haaland this year, requiring big sales to raise the cash. Alternatively, they could go for untested prospects instead that will cost far less, but it is a gamble that hasn’t always paid off and will take time to come to fruition as they develop…if they even develop as expected.

There is no single right answer, and although Haaland is close, it is never just that easy.

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A 3-1 victory for Manchester United didn’t tell the whole story when they overcame relegation-threatened Newcastle at home in the Premier League on Sunday night.

The performance picked up late on and winning while not at your best is a good sign, but the display was lethargic and laborious for the most part. Anthony Martial was a particular standout, and not for good reason.

Let’s not beat around the bush any longer: Martial has serious work to do.

It would be much easier and a lot more fun if this was a piece praising the Frenchman for his ascent to the top and continually improving performances as United’s number nine, but we still cannot do that as fans. And now in his sixth season with the club, the line has to be drawn somewhere.

Again, Martial looked disengaged and disinterested as the lone striker against the Magpies and was barely in the game before being hooked after 70 minutes. One shot on goal in that 70 minutes is simply unacceptable, and yet again more proof that he just isn’t up for the task of playing on the shoulder of defenders and being the target man United need.

When United recruited then-33-year-old Edinson Cavani last summer on deadline day, the signing should’ve been the one to fuel the fire inside Martial and spur him onto bettering his career-best tally of 23 goals in all competitions from last season. It has done the opposite, however, and the Uruguayan has swiftly become the number one option for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, offering so much more than Martial as a front man.

The Red Devils currently lead the way in goals scored in the Premier League this season with 53 strikes from 25 games, but Martial has only chipped in with four. Marcus Rashford has already hit nine in the league from the left flank, leaving the 25-year-old having to take his chances from the bench.

Consider that United shifted a £75m signing in Romelu Lukaku and gave Martial the number nine shirt back from Zlatan Ibrahimovic in an attempt to get him firing, things aren’t looking good. While there is still a sticking point when it comes to creating opportunities – particularly against sides who sit deep – the problem has improved, but Martial still doesn’t do enough as the lone striker to ensure he scores goals.

Cavani’s presence has proved this, as has the rise of Mason Greenwood. The pair look more productive and eager to score inside the box, while Martial often drifts out of games, pulling wide and leaving creative players with nobody inside the area to aim at, while giving central defenders the easiest shifts of their careers.

The veteran Uruguayan has seven goals to his name so far this season which, admittedly, isn’t enough. But he is also 34 and cannot be seen as the long-term solution to United’s striker woes. What he actually offers in games in terms of movement, aggression and goal poaching is seriously beneficial to the side and something United must find in the transfer market in summer.

Did they have that in Lukaku? Perhaps, although his move to Serie A was always going to make him look a star. United must move forward and, while a central defender and a defensive midfielder should be the priority, signing a new striker is no less important. Greenwood looks promising and his finishing at such a young age is marvellous; there is no ceiling for the teenager, but he isn’t the solution to the problem just yet.

For Martial, things have to improve quickly. To suggest that he isn’t up to the challenge and that time is running out is not reactionary, either; the Frenchman has managed just one 20+ goal season since signing in 2015. It isn’t good enough.

And with Rashford now making the left wing his own, Martial must show some improvement as a number nine if he wants to save his career at Old Trafford. There is no denying there’s a talented player in there, but United cannot wait around any longer if they want to win trophies and titles once again. A prolific striker is needed to fire the club to silverware, whether Martial likes it or not.

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