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Tottenham Hotspur have come under fire in recent days for their decision to cut wages of all 550 members of their non-playing staff while others have been furloughed where appropriate.

Daniel Levy has naturally taken plenty of stick himself, and football.london journalist Alasdair Gold has provided some key information on how the club chairman views the current situation and the criticism that has arrived with it.

What’s the word?

Gold has provided his insight and opinion on Spurs’ recent, much-maligned decision in a recent column for football.london.

Liverpool also followed suit with a similar policy over the course of the weekend and they have also been criticised for a decision that most of the general public are seemingly failing to sympathise with.

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Former White Hart Lane hero Gary Lineker has publicly spoken of his disapproval of Spurs’ decision, while Jamie Carragher has been equally scathing of Liverpool’s decision to furlough non-playing staff.

Amid the recent narrative, the highly respected Gold has provided an insight into Levy’s thought process at this stage and suggested the 58-year-old is not concerned by how his actions are perceived in the public eye, per football.london.

“While very different men, neither Mike Ashley and Levy appear to particularly care what the public opinion is of them.

“For the Spurs chairman, his belief is that he is always doing what is in the best interests of Tottenham Hotspur and admitted so at last month’s meeting with the supporters’ trust.

“”Daniel Levy explained that the board has had to take a long-term view to protect the club. He said he takes lots of criticism and has broad shoulders, and needs to have in his position,” read the minutes from the meeting.”

Ruthless businessman

There are certainly questions to be asked of Premier League clubs who utilise the furlough scheme – one which enables businesses to survive during a period of sudden and unexpected financial turmoil – and the criticism from the public and a multitude of high profile names is certainly justifiable.

However, from Levy’s perspective, as Gold alludes to, he is merely protecting the jobs and futures of the employees who represent the fundamental yet unseen cogs that make the club what it is.

He is protecting the livelihoods and futures of those he can influence, and while that does not necessarily excuse him from criticism, it’s clear that he does not pay any interest in what is being said about him in the media.

The ruthless streak underpinning his decision, however, is exactly what we’ve come to expect from Levy down the years.

Having arrived for a world-record fee for a defender last summer, there was surely massive expectation on the shoulders of Harry Maguire when he joined Manchester United.

The England international had joined a team that had conceded 54 goals in the Premier League last season – the second-worst record out of the top-ten, with only West Ham letting in more.

And over these past few months in particular, Maguire has certainly begun to show signs of why United splashed the cash to bring him to Old Trafford. As per Whoscored, he has averaged 1.1 tackles and 1.8 interceptions per game in the top-flight this season, with his 7.12 average match rating good enough to put him fifth amongst all of his teammates.

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A report from Sky Sports labelled the former Leicester defender as United’s ‘MVP’ this season, and after hearing about it, fans of the Manchester side took to Twitter to voice their thoughts on the situation.

A couple of fans put forward Aaron Wan-Bissaka’s name into the conversation for the club’s MVP award, with one supporter calling him an “absolute rock”.

Had someone like Marcus Rashford stayed fully fit for the season and wasn’t burdened by injuries, then there’s a real argument that he would have been the outstanding candidate to be named United’s MVP.

In fact, even despite arriving in January, Bruno Fernandes showed that in the short time he took to the pitch at Old Trafford that he can take the side to the next level, and had the season not been postponed, may have even fired United to the top-four places.

But, with those caveats, Maguire certainly isn’t the worst choice in the world to be considered the club’s MVP.

Tottenham Hotspur have been mooted with a move for a rather exciting young prospect this week but supporter in north London appear to be divided by the reports.

According to Italian newspaper Leggo, Spurs have been pressing for months to sign AS Roma playmaker Nicolo Zaniolo.

It’s claimed that the Serie A outfit are reluctant to sell the midfield starlet, but may have to if they fail to qualify for the Champions League and the potential financial repercussions from the pandemic.

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The 20-year-old was in superb form before rupturing his ACL. He scored six goals and provided two assists in 24 appearances, via Transfermarkt.

Although, Juventus could be the front-runners to land his signature.

Some of the Spurs faithful believe he’d be a very good addition in Jose Mourinho’s squad whilst others fear he could be a second coming of the injury-prone Erik Lamela.

Zaniolo’s versatility to play anywhere along the front three and also in the number ten role makes him an interesting target, but Daniel Levy may need to fork out in excess of €60m (£53m) for his services, per the above report.

Here’s what fans have been saying about the report…

AND in other news, Spurs fans react as Sergino Dest is linked with summer switch…

Newcastle United’s takeover – as of this morning- has not yet been approved contrary to other reports, according to Duncan Castles.The Times and Daily Record transfer-breaker provided a latest update to fans on Twitter and it comes within 24 hours of the Express claiming that the Premier League had given the all-clear.He said:

Late on Wednesday evening, a story circulated suggesting that the PL had approved the takeover following the owners and directors test, but this now doesn’t appear to be the case as per Castles’ information.

The reliable journalist has been on the ball with updates throughout this whole process – last month he broke the news that Steve Bruce would stay as part of the process and the club would be run by PCP Capital’s Amanda Staveley.

Premier League Inflation: You won’t believe how much these famous transfers would cost today…

Another thing that’s on the plate of the Premier League is getting the season resumed whilst still having to deal with the consequences of this pandemic, so understandably things are taking a little longer than usual.

AND in other news, The Sun’s Neil Custis claims Newcastle takeover has been delayed

Manchester City loanee Esme Morgan has lauded Everton teammate Chloe Kelly for her performances this season. 

The 19-year-old, who will return to parent club Man City ahead of next season, has heaped praise on the Blues’ rising star. Morgan has also admitted that the Everton forward is the reason she has developed so much during her loan spell (via Liverpool ECHO).

Unfortunately for women’s football fans, the Women’s Super League (England’s highest female tier) was called to an early finish. Chelsea have been crowned league champions and two-time WSL winners Liverpool have been relegated.

For Everton, this season has been a learning curve under Willie Kirk, who is looking to develop his team. Kelly in particular has stood out this campaign, scoring nine league goals in 12 appearances and finishing fourth in the table of top goal-scorers (via BBC Sport).

As a result of the 22-year-old’s performances in front of goal, Morgan has a lot to say about her influence.

“Chloe has went from being a player that teams are worried about but now she is getting two or three players doubling up against her just to try and keep her quiet,” the Man City loanee said. “I think that’s testament for how well she has played and she has scored some incredible goals which have helped us win a lot of points.”

Morgan’s loan spell seems to have been an effective one, learning from the rapidly improving Kelly. The striker was called up to represent the Lionesses this Spring during the SheBelieves Cup, a decision which she said left her ‘speechless’.

Kelly will no doubt be one of the first names on Everton’s team-sheet next season as they look to build on their sixth place finish this term. The recent addition of established England international Izzy Christiansen will mean Kelly has increased creativity behind her and potentially more chances to bang in some goals.

“The sky’s the limit for Chloe because she is such a talented player and it is tough coming up against her in training everyday but I feel like that is one of the reasons I’ve developed, learning to deal with her.”

Kelly’s influence on young players like Morgan will only continue to bode well for her both domestically and on the international stage as her career continues to blossom.

How would you describe Chloe Kelly’s 2019/20 season, Blues fans? Join the conversation in the comments below!

According to Football Insider, Leeds are keen to exploit Reading’s financial issues by trying to sign John Swift this summer.

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Reports last year suggested that the Whites were interested in making a move for the midfielder, but a deal failed to materialise.

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Now, Football Insider claim that Marcelo Bielsa’s side have reignited their interest in the 25-year-old, and that a source has told them “that the club are confident it will take far less than the £7m asking price of 2019 to seal a deal”.

The report further adds that Readings financial problems, and the fact that Swift only has two years remaining on his contract, may make it “opportune” for them to cash in, and are braced for some summer bids.

Difference-maker

Despite missing out on his signature last year, it’s no surprise to see that Leeds are seemingly back in for Swift this time around.

The midfielder has been in fine form for Reading, scoring five goals and providing a further 11 assists across all competitions, and in fact, speaking back in February of this year, Bielsa raved about his talents.

He said: “Swift is a great player, I value him a lot.He is a player who appears suddenly in attack and the same in transition between defence and attack, but especially when he passes from the defence to the attack.”

The current England manager Gareth Southgate even tipped him to become a star back in 2016 – he worked with Swift when he was in charge of the U21s. He said: “John has done himself a favour leaving Chelsea. He’s got a great future ahead of him.”

With both Bielsa and Southgate talking him up, Swift certainly comes with a lot of credentials. And as a midfielder who can both score and create, could give Leeds an added dimension if they earn promotion to the Premier League for next season.

Many Aston Villa fans have reacted to reports linking John Terry with the vacant managerial role at Bristol City.

The former Chelsea and England defender has been assistant manager at Villa Park since October 2018, playing a part in the club’s promotion from the Championship last year. Having learned on the job under Smith, Terry has now been linked with a move to Bristol City.

The Robins sacked Lee Johnson earlier this month after they suffered poor form since last month’s Championship restart as they have dropped out of the play-off places in England’s second tier from earlier in the year.

Villa sit 18th in the Premier League, with their top-flight status very much hanging in the balance, and the rumours of Terry’s potential departure could be an unwanted distraction for Smith and the club whilst they attempt to beat the drop.

Reacting to the links via Aston Villa News on Twitter, these fans shared their feelings about Terry’s potential exit:

Do you think Terry will leave for Bristol City? Let us know in the comments section below…

Tottenham Hotspur are ‘very close’ to completing a deal with Southampton for Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, despite the fact that the Saints wanted to sell him to Everton.

That’s according to Bleacher Report, as relayed by Ricky Sacks, who claim Hojbjerg has always wanted to move to Tottenham rather than joining the Toffees.

After Jose Mourinho identified the 33-cap Denmark international as the signing he needs to rebuild the midfield in the summer, Spurs chairman Daniel Levy told the Saints that he was not prepared to pay over the odds for the 25-year-old.

Southampton wanted to sign Kyle Walker-Peters, who is poised to head in the opposite direction, although that played no part in negotiations.

However, it seems that has still worked in their favour, as Spurs will sign the Danish midfielder for £15m, which is a fraction of the price for which the Saints were originally asking.

Sources told the outlet that the Lilywhites are just waiting for payment terms to be concluded this week.

Everton were willing to pay £25m, but the ex-Bayern Munich ace only ever wanted to play for Mourinho.

Meanwhile, Spurs want to offload Serge Aurier to AC Milan and sign a replacement right-back instead, but both clubs remain some way apart in their valuation of the defender.

It is understood that Tottenham want to sell him for roughly £20m. Nevertheless, Milan are not looking to spend more than £13m on the Ivory Coast international.

Mourinho wants to mould the squad in his own image and it seems he is one step closer to doing so as Hojbjerg could become his first summer signing in the coming days.

Tottenham fans, do you think Hojbjerg will be a great signing if the deal is completed? Let us know your views in the comments below!

A new transfer link has emerged for Premier League champions Liverpool as they find themselves monitoring Norwich City’s Jamal Lewis.

According to a report from Melissa Reddy, the Reds are looking to recruit a competitor for Andy Robertson. They are reportedly interested in bringing in the 22-year-old left-back ahead of the new season.

Jurgen Klopp and Co are said to be willing to pay about £10million to provide back-up for this position, which could suit Norwich who have just been relegated into the Championship. Lewis currently has a Transfermarkt value of £9.9million.

Reddy reports that the Northern Ireland international shares the same agent as Robertson and Trent Alexander-Arnold, which could be a huge positive for Liverpool. Agency PLG could find it very appealing to have three high-profile clients all at the same club – the newly-crowned Premier League winners no less.

Plenty of Reds fans are excited over this link and are urging the club to make the deal happen. One supporter thinks Lewis would be the ‘perfect’ signing for Liverpool this summer. Indeed, Lewis now has some experience in the top flight having played 28 times for the Canaries last term.

Read more replies from the Anfield faithful here:

Do you think Jamal Lewis would be a good signing for Liverpool this summer? Join the conversation in the comments below!

Earlier this week we said that Leeds must pray for a Fulham win in the playoff final, and while we don’t know how many prayers were actually said, the result has gone Fulham’s way.

The Cottagers’ ascension to the Premier League, of course, means that Brentford will remain in the Championship for another season, and one bi-product of that is the potential for any top division side to plunge the Bees for their top talent.

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Phil Hay stated last week that United are looking at both Said Benrahma and Ollie Watkins, and after the seasons they have both had you can understand why.

Benrahma netted 17 in the league, while Watkins put up 26, and while they’d both be good signings, Leeds should be looking at Benrahma as their number one priority.

Not only would this provide them a new excellent option from the wing and add more goals to their squad, if they can land the Algerian they will be pipping the likes of Chelsea and Arsenal to his signature, making a statement in the process.

Last time the Whites were in the top-flight they were competing with the big boys at the very top, even making a Champions League semi-final in 2001, and signing Benrahma from under these to mammoth clubs’ noses will send out a warning signal that Leeds are back, and they mean business.

This would be such a statement of intent, and it’s one that would also prove a bargain, with the 24-year-old believed to be available at around £20m after a season that saw 26 goal contributions for the winger.

We’ve seen in the past that Championship players can quickly adapt to their top-flight surroundings with the likes of James Maddison and Jack Grealish impressing at both Leicester and Aston Villa, and if Benrahma can do the same, Leeds could be a threatening attacking force with him in the side.