Man Utd target deals blow to Mourinho amid U-turn claim; Ratcliffe considers signing Chelsea star

Tottenham boosted their Premier League top-four hopes with a 2-0 victory over Brighton and Hove Albion at the Amex Stadium.

Goals from Cristian Romero and Harry Kane moved Antonio Conte s side to within three points of fourth-placed Arsenal – although that margin will increase should the Gunners avoid defeat against Liverpool later on Wednesday.

Romero opened his Tottenham account in the 37th minute when he diverted Dejan Kulusevski s effort past Robert Sanchez.

Kane doubled the visitors lead and sealed the points 12 minutes after the break; becoming the Premier League s all-time leading away scorer as he netted his 95th such goal from 139 appearances.

Aiming to end a run of five successive defeats, Brighton almost gifted their opponents the lead insid…

Karim Benzema lauded the qualities of Zinedine Zidane as a coach and a man after his decision to leave the top job at Real Madrid for a second time.

It was announced on Thursday that Zidane would depart the hot seat at the Santiago Bernabeu after a season in which Madrid failed to win a trophy.

However, Zidane did lead them to the LaLiga title in 2019-20 and Benzema, speaking while on international duty after his surprise recall for France, was full of praise for the 48-year-old.

He s a very great coach, on a human level, he s the perfect man, he said.

With me, he s magnificent. I m disappointed that he is leaving Real, but that s how it is. Life goes on.

11 Zinedine Zidane has ended his second stage as manager. He has won 11 titles, being t…

Jose Mourinho kept his cards close to his chest on the possibility of Gareth Bale rejoining Tottenham, as negotiations continue with Real Madrid.

Bale left Spurs to join Madrid in a €100million (£85m) move in 2013, after several outstanding seasons at White Hart Lane.

However, despite having gone on to win numerous honours – including four Champions Leagues and two LaLiga titles – the Welshman has seen his game time become increasingly limited under Zinedine Zidane.

Bale s agent Jonathan Barnett on Friday confirmed talks between Madrid and Spurs were ongoing, telling Stats Perform News: We re negotiating at the moment, that s all. I won t discuss [how close it is].

In his news conference ahead of Tottenham s Europa League clash with Lokomotiv Pl…

Thanks to the FA Cup semi-finals, matchday 33 in the Premier League is a bit more spread out, with just six games taking place at the weekend.

A further six games are scheduled for midweek, so there is a chance to get some of those pulling double duty in your fantasy team.

Whether your interests lie in the title race, the top-four scuffle or the relegation battle, there promises to be entertainment for everyone.

Therefore, it is time for Stats Perform to give you some suggested picks for your team using stats from the wonderful people at Opta.

HUGO LLORIS (Tottenham v Brighton and Hove Albion)

As odd as it sounds after a 4-0 win, had it not been for Lloris heroics between the sticks last time out, Spurs could very well have lost against Aston Vil…

Sport1 journalist Patrick Berger has claimed on that Albert Sambi Lokonga is on the verge of joining Arsenal from Anderlecht. The well-known and well-respected journalist has said on the social networking site that Lokonga is in London at he moment.

The Belgian midfielder will complete his medical today and will then sign a contract until 2026. Arsenal will pay Anderlecht €17.5 million in transfer fee for the 21-year-old.

https://twitter.com/berger_pj/status/1415338884607758336

Lokonga has been at Anderlecht since 2014 and has come through the ranks at the Belgian club to establish himself in the first team. The Anderlecht no. 48 made in the Jupiler Pro League last season, scoring three goals and giving two assists in the process. The youngster also played f…

Chelsea coach Thomas Tuchel refused to blame substitute goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga for his team s EFL Cup final loss to Liverpool, insisting he has no regrets after the defeat.

After an absorbing two hours of football saw both teams have goals disallowed in a scoreless draw, the first 21 kicks of the penalty shoot-out were successful, before Kepa hammered his over the crossbar to hand Liverpool a first domestic cup since 2012.

The Spain international had replaced Edouard Mendy from the bench deep into extra time with the aim of winning Chelsea the shoot-out, having excelled in the same scenario during a Super Cup victory over Villarreal last August. 

Although Kepa s terrible penalty sailed into the Wembley stands to deal Chelsea their second domestic cup…

Former Liverpool and Netherlands forward Dirk Kuyt has taken his first job as a head coach with ADO Den Haag in the Eerste Divisie.

Kuyt, who played in a Champions League final with the Reds and a World Cup final with the Oranje, retired as a professional footballer with Feyenoord in 2017.

The 41-year-old has since worked at amateur side Quick Boys, as an assistant, and Feyenoord, in their youth system, but is taking his first steps in a senior role.

A one-year contract for Kuyt was confirmed by ADO on Thursday, and he said: ADO Den Haag is a fantastic club, and I am very excited to be here today and to start this new challenge as head coach.

I am grateful for the warm welcome and the trust that the club have expressed in me.

The objective and …

In what was a real second-half thriller at the NTC Senec on Tuesday, England mounted a stellar comeback as the Three Lions booked their spot in the final of this summer s U19 s European Championships final.

Enjoying what has quickly become a summer to remember out in Slovakia for the English starlets, Ian Foster’s squad should be relishing a showdown against Isreal on Friday night.

Showing real resolve after returning from the half-time break chasing a 1-0 deficit, goals from Alex Scott and Jarell Quansah clinched what was an iconic victory for Foster s budding stars.

Making the trip to the City Arena Trnava on Friday night tipped as a leading pick to claim their second European U19 s crown, we have taken a look at the main talking points following a thrilling…

Bankroll management is the most significant characteristic that separates winning bettors from those who consistently lose money. The key to winning at betting is knowing how to handle your finances.

People who use a money management system to manage their finances and those who spend all their income before receiving a paycheck seem related to winning and losing punters.

In this article, I will guide you on how to manage your money in soccer betting by giving you useful tips so you will never end up bust. Also, I will teach you how to set realistic profit goals in betting and what to do when you are on a losing streak.

What is bankroll management in soccer betting?

Bankroll management in soccer betting is a system for punters to manage the money wagered over a…

Russell Martin was glad Southampton “released the tension” by beating Coventry 2-1 to end a three-game winless run.

Saints’ automatic promotion dreams all but went up in smoke after draws against Middlesbrough and Blackburn sandwiched a last-gasp defeat to rivals Ipswich – leaving them nine points adrift of the top two.

Che Adams netted twice to see them past Coventry and restart the momentum towards a likely play-off finale to the season.

Saints boss Martin said: “That will release a lot of tension. First half we played so well, it was the opposite of Saturday [against Blackburn].

“There was some brilliant football and we should maybe have scored another goal as we created a lot.

“I should have changed things a bit earlier when play…