As reported by The Mirror, Manchester United star Marcus Rashford is growing disillusioned with his lack of game time under Jose Mourinho this season and it’s a situation that could come to a head during the summer transfer window.
What’s the story?
Rashford has found starting opportunities hard to come by recently, making Mourinho’s starting eleven just five times in the club’s last 15 matches in all competitions.
Making 43 appearances in total this season, nearly half of them have come from the bench and it’s a situation that is troubling the 20-year-old.
That’s according to The Mirror, who say that he may not even be at the club next season if Jose Mourinho is still in charge, such is the player’s desire to play from the start of matches regularly.
Rated at £45m by Transfermarkt, is his future best served elsewhere or should he concentrate on convincing his manager he is worth a regular game?
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A learning process
With 12 goals and 9 assists so far this season, Rashford has certainly still contributed a fair amount to United’s campaign, even with limited minutes on the pitch.
In the first half of the season he was particularly impressive before finding his action limited more and more to substitute appearances with the arrival of Alexis Sanchez.
At 20 years old though, the amount of football he is getting at a massive club like the Red Devils is still quite impressive and he is likely learning and improving all the time under the guidance of Mourinho.
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He has plenty of time to leave a legacy at the club and although being impatient to play is a good sign, there’s little point in looking for a move away when there is so much to achieve at Old Trafford.
His performance against Liverpool last month demonstrated he can still be deadly when given the chance that’s unlikely something to be forgotten by the United boss next term.
Leeds United recently said an emotional goodbye to Marcelo Bielsa after spending three-and-a-half years in charge at Elland Road, as their poor run of results in the Premier League caught up with the Argentine.
Since then, the Whites have appointed Jesse Marsch as their new manager to take the team forward.
Despite the short amount of time that the American has had in charge of his new club, there have already been claims made about what Leeds could look to do in the upcoming summer transfer window with their new boss at the helm.
What’s the talk?
Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, journalist and transfer insider Dean Jones had his say about the possibility of the Yorkshire club making a move to try and sign Red Bull Salzburg midfielder Brenden Aaronson in the summer after previously being linked with him in January.
The journalist said: “It’s definitely something they’re going to be looking to do. Obviously, Brenden Aaronson is likely to be one of them and Marsch coming in just makes that all the more likely now.”
Fans would be buzzing
Taking into account how Leeds have struggled to score at times this season and have fewer goals at this stage in the previous campaign, the Elland Road faithful would surely be over the moon to have a young player such as Aaronson in their squad who could add an extra dynamic to the team in terms of scoring and setting up goals.
Since arriving at Salzburg in January 2021 from Philadelphia Union, the 21-year-old has made 56 appearances across all competitions, scoring 12 goals and providing 14 assists along the way.
Twenty-five of those games came under Marsch when he was the Austrian club’s manager, which could persuade the midfielder to make the move to England and reunite with his 48-year-old compatriot. This could also make it somewhat easier for the youngster to settle into the club if he ends up moving in the summer.
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With the summer transfer window in mind, if the new Leeds manager wants to bring his former protégé to Elland Road, his presence could certainly be a big factor in whether or not Aaronson is in the famous white shirt next season.
In other news: Graham Smyth has revealed a Leeds “surprise”…
Everton are running out of opportunities to stay out of the relegation zone with the side travelling to London tonight to take on Antonio Conte’s Tottenham Hotspur side in the hope they can cause an upset by stealing all three points at their stadium.
Fortunately, Lampard could have a last-minute trick up his sleeve to secure the victory they desperately need.
What’s the word?
Frank Lampard took to his press conference to confirm the availability of Dominic Calvert-Lewin ahead of the Spurs clash on Monday night.
He was asked about whether the striker would be in contention to feature in the game, with the former Chelsea boss responding:
“I’m hopeful. He’s going to train with us tomorrow and I’ve just spoken to him literally five minutes ago and he was very pleased with his session this morning.
“So hopefully he integrates with the squad tomorrow and we’ll see how he is for Monday.”
Fans will be buzzing
Calvert-Lewin has been struggling to find his shooting boots this season after several issues with injuries hindering his opportunity to get a run of form going.
But there is no doubt he is capable of rising to the occasion when Everton need him to, and this game against Spurs could be the perfect opportunity for the star striker to save the day all over again for his club.
Lampard would definitely be in a much more comfortable position away from home if he can use the 6 foot 2 forward in the game, as his presence in the attacking line and the team, in general, is unmatched, especially in games against top sides.
He has scored against every team in the ‘big six’ during his time at the club, bagging multiple times against Manchester City, Arsenal and Manchester United.
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The Toffees must take all three points from this game against Tottenham if they are going to avoid dropping into the relegation zone over the next few weeks as they are currently just one point off falling into a dangerous position.
Lampard must seize every opportunity to pick up points in the last 14 fixtures of their Premier League campaign, with Calvert-Lewin’s return surely a huge boost to finish goal-scoring opportunities and climb into safety.
In other news: Lampard must hold on to revitalised Jonjoe Kenny
Football.London’s Alasdair Gold has suggested a potential change Spurs boss Antonio Conte may be “tempted” to make vs Manchester United today.
What’s the story?
Writing in his predicted XI piece ahead of the game, Gold said: “Conte could be tempted to select Lucas Moura for some pace and his ability to score in Manchester, but he would be loathed to drop Son Heung-min or the in-form Dejan Kulusevski to fit in the Brazilian.”
Would be a huge call from Conte
Gold’s suggestion of Conte potentially turning to Lucas is certainly an intriguing one, especially when you consider the Brazil international’s record against Ralf Rangnick’s side in previous years.
In six games against United, he’s scored two goals and provided one assist, with his pair of strikes coming in a 3-0 victory at Old Trafford just a few years ago when Jose Mourinho was the man in the Red Devils’ dugout.
Given Spurs’ recent form however, Conte would surely be unlikely to make such a big change ahead of a crunch clash in the Premier League.
The north Londoners dispatched Leeds and Everton with ease over these past couple of weeks, and head into the game full of confidence, so it doesn’t speak of a side that needs anything to be changed.
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Expect Conte to stick with his tried-and-trust front three.
AND in other news: Big blow: Spurs suffer huge setback before Man Utd, Conte will be devastated
Wolves are among numerous Premier League clubs who are interested in signing Flamengo striker Pedro this summer, according to renowned journalist Guillem Balague.
The Lowdown: Pedro impressing in Brazil
The 24-year-old is a key player for the Brazilian giants, standing out with his attacking prowess in recent years. He has scored 38 goals in 97 appearances for Flamengo, also registering eight assists, with Transfermarkt valuing him at £10.8m.
The Brazilian’s current deal doesn’t expire until the summer of 2025, but there appears to be strong interest in his signature.
The Latest: Wolves linked with move for Pedro
Taking to Twitter on Saturday, Balague claimed that Wolves are keen on signing Pedro for a potential $20m (£15.2m), but they face stiff competition from a number of English clubs.
The journalist revealed: “Flamengo doesn’t sell to rivals, but would sell to European clubs for around $20m. And there are clubs looking at him: Betis, Sevilla, Brighton, Southampton, Wolves, Palace.”
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The Verdict: Exciting summer addition
Bruno Lage will suerly be eyeing up summer reinforcements at the end of the season in order to enhance the depth in his squad and ensure that Wolves continue their upward trajectory.
Pedro could be viewed as a long-term replacement for Raul Jimenez, with the Mexican turning 31 later this year and arguably not quite the same player after his serious head injury, scoring just six times in the Premier League this season.
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Admittedly the 24-year-old’s only experience in Europe is four brief appearances for Fiorentina, but he is at a good age in terms of being mature enough to succeed in a new country while still having his peak years ahead of him, in all probability.
In other news, Wolves have been boosted in their pursuit of one player. Find out who it is here.
Rangers transfer chief Ross Wilson was a busy man throughout January as he completed a number of deals at Ibrox throughout the transfer window.
He brought a plethora of players in to bolster Gio van Bronckhorst’s squad, including Amad Diallo, Aaron Ramsey, James Sands and Mateusz Zukowksi.
The sporting director also managed to negotiate a club-record sale as Nathan Patterson left to join Premier League side Everton for an undisclosed fee.
That particular record had been held by fellow right-back Alan Hutton – who joined Tottenham for a reported fee of £9m in 2008.
Blinder
The Gers ended up playing a blinder with Hutton as his career after leaving Glasgow suggests that they did incredibly well to receive such a significant fee for his services.
He burst up through the academy set-up and played 99 times for the first team, scoring two goals and providing nine assists.
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This led to Spurs picking him up in 2008. However, it was a strange move in the sense that the player was not over the moon to be making such a major transfer away from Ibrox. Speaking last year, Hutton explained:
“I turned down Tottenham multiple times, I didn’t want to go, I told the manager I didn’t want to go and I didn’t.“At the end of the day, if Rangers agree on a fee, they’ve agreed on a fee and they’re willing to let you go so it’s kind of out of your hands a little bit. I remember it like it was yesterday. I turned them down multiple times, I was Rangers through and through and I never wanted to leave but when Rangers come and say: ‘Look, we’ve accepted this bid,’ it is what it is.”He went on to play 66 times for Spurs in all competitions during a three-year spell at White Hart Lane, spending some of that time on loan at Sunderland.They eventually sold him to Aston Villa in 2011 and he endured a difficult debut campaign for the Villans which led to him being loaned out to the Championship in England in 2012. That loan ended in January 2012 and he spent the second half of the campaign with RCD Mallorca in Spain.By the time he returned to Villa in the summer of 2013, Transfermarkt valued him at a measly £1.8m. This meant that his value had plummeted £7.2m within five years of his £9m move to Tottenham from Rangers, despite him being 28 and in what should have been the prime years of his career.Therefore, the Gers played a blinder with Hutton as they managed to cash in on him at the peak of his value before he failed to make the most of his potential.Who knows what could have happened had he stayed with the Gers for another year or two, but we can only work with the evidence of what did happen and it shows that Rangers came out on top with this particular transfer.AND in other news, Left for £0: Allen had Rangers howler on “outstanding” 6ft4 gem whose value rose 700%…
Liverpool star forward Mohamed Salah has no plans to move to La Liga and wants to stay in the Premier League, according to journalist Fabrizio Romano.
What’s the talk?
The Egyptian forward has been in a contract stalemate with the Reds for the past few months, and with his contract up next year there has been a lot of speculation about where he could move to.
It has been reported in the past that Salah favours a move to Spain, in particular Barcelona, but an update yesterday from Romano seemed to shut down that prospect.
He also suggests that the player has no plans to leave the Premier League, if that’s the case then he may eventually sign a new deal at Liverpool or could he move to one of their rivals?
In full, Romano said: “The situation hasn’t changed. Mo Salah doesn’t consider La Liga move a priority – he’s not planning to leave the Premier League.”
Salah likely to stay
Surely the 29-year old wouldn’t move to another English club, he’s had so much success at Liverpool and a move to a rival would tarnish his reputation with the fans greatly.
According to reports, the Premier League’s leading goal scorer rejected a £400k per-week contract offer in the hope of being paid something closer to half a million a week.
However, he is said to have compromised and talks are still ongoing between the club and the players’ representatives.
The marksman is one of the best strikers around and ranks in the top 1% for expected goals and assists amongst all players in Europe’s top five leagues.
He is also on track to pick up his third Premier League golden boot this season and is a key part in Liverpool’s push for the title.
Former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher has urged the hierarchy at Anfield to sort the situation out saying he “doesn’t think they’ll be forgiven” if he leaves.
Whilst the Reds could get upwards of £90m for the player, they would struggle to find a replacement as good as him.
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Despite this, Salah is approaching 30-years old and some believe that now is the time to cash in and reinvest the money across the whole squad.
We’d be surprised if Salah left in the summer, but he’s not going to be around forever and Liverpool need to plan for when he’s eventually does go.
For now, however, the news that he could well stay at Anfield is a major boost for Jurgen Klopp and co.
IN other news: Liverpool eye record-breaking bid for £77m “special talent”, just imagine him & Jota – opinion…
West Ham United are now facing potential headaches in their pursuit of Shakhtar Donetsk pair David Neres and Lassina Traore, according to TEAMtalk.
The Lowdown: Special transfer window
FIFA have announced a special transfer window following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. It permits individuals playing in either country to sign for another club overseas, as they have had their current contracts suspended. At the end of June, players would then return to their parent clubs in Russia or Ukraine.
As a result, Ukrainian giants Shakhtar Donetsk have received vast interest for a number of their stars, with many clubs looking to bolster their options for the remainder of the season on the cheap.
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The Latest: West Ham face game-time obstacle
According to TEAMtalk, West Ham are facing potential difficulties in their bid to sign Shakhtar duo David Neres and Lassina Traore.
Whilst the Hammers are interested in signing both players, it has been reported that the Donetsk club are worried that the Irons would lower their future fees through a lack of game-time, as David Moyes already has a settled squad.
Therefore, the Ukrainian outfit are more inclined to go with with the interest coming from the likes of Lyon, Marseille, Real Sociedad or Corinthians.
The Verdict: Still worth pursuing
Despite this potential hurdle to deals being done, the duo would be strong additions to Moyes’ squad. Neres only joined the Ukrainian club in January after a dip in form at Ajax led to a €16m (£13.4m) move. Due to the conflict in the country, he is yet to feature for his new employers.
However, the 25-year-old had previously thrived in the Netherlands, where he produced 47 goals and 41 assists in 180 appearances for the Dutch giants.
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Also signing from Ajax, Traore joined Shakhtar last summer. Despite missing the last nine league fixtures due to a knee injury, the 21-year-old has had an impressive start to life in Ukraine, having netted six goals in seven appearances in the top flight.
Given the clinical nature of the two attackers, West Ham would bolster their forward ranks greatly if they were to persuade Shakhtar to do business. With no fee involved, this seems like too good of an opportunity to pass up for GSB, particularly given Moyes’ lack of depth in the final third of the pitch.
In other news: West Ham seemingly have an edge in another transfer pursuit
Tottenham Hotspur may have hoped that they had finally found their next Mauricio Pochettino when they appointed Thomas Frank to replace Ange Postecoglou in the summer.
Pochettino spent five years in the dugout in North London, reaching a Champions League final in that time, and none of the club’s managers since he left have made it past two years in charge.
The likes of Ange Postecoglou, Jose Mourinho, Antonio Conte, and Nuno Espirito Santo all tried and failed to follow in his footsteps, and Frank looks set to be the latest to try and fail.
Why Spurs should sack Thomas Frank
Despite only being four months into the season, ESPN recently reported that there is growing concern among the fanbase about the Dane’s future at the club, despite also reporting that Spurs are not set to cut ties with the head coach.
The former Brentford manager’s performance this season has left a lot to be desired, as the team’s displays in the Premier League, in particular, have been poor.
Frank’s style of play has been awkward to watch at times. Spurs struggle to consistently create chances, whilst playing attractive football, with the tactics and systems that he deploys.
Tottenham under Thomas Frank
25/26 Premier League
Spurs
PL rank
Points
22
11th
xPTS
18
15th
xG
15.2
17th
xGA
22.2
13th
Stats via FotMob
As you can see in the table above, only three teams in the Premier League have a lower xG tally than Spurs, whilst their actual position compared to their Expected Position suggests that they have been fortunate to pick up 22 points.
With this in mind, it currently looks unlikely that Frank is set to go on and be the new Pochettino who will enjoy a long spell in North London playing attacking, exciting, football.
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Bournemouth head coach Andoni Iraola has been linked with Spurs in the past, per TEAMtalk, and they should revive their interest in him by sacking Frank.
Why Spurs should swoop for Iraola
The Europa League champions should fire their current boss to make a move for the Cherries tactician because he has the potential to be their next Pochettino.
Tottenham, as evidenced in the earlier graphic, scored 559 goals in 293 matches for the Argentine manager, which shows that they were a prolific and exciting team to watch.
Given how poor Frank’s side have been at creating chances and playing good football this season, appointing a manager who plays attractive and effective football should be a priority for the Lilywhites.
Iraola’s Bournemouth side are certainly fun to watch, as evidenced by their 4-4 draw with Manchester United on Monday night, and their statistics in the Premier League back that up.
Since the start of the 2024/25 campaign, the Cherries have generated roughly 13 more xG than Tottenham have under Postecoglou and Frank combined, despite the fact that Spurs spent £65m to sign Dominic Solanke from Bournemouth in the summer of 2024.
Andoni Iraola’s attacking coaching
Stat
24/25
25/26
Bournemouth xG
64.0
22.7
Spurs xG
58.8
15.1
Bournemouth goals
58
25
Spurs goals
64
25
Stats via FBRef
Tottenham signed the England international in the hope that he would be able to bring the goalscoring prowess he showed for Bournemouth to North London, but he only scored nine Premier League goals last season, per Sofascore.
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Instead of looking at the output, as they did with Solanke and may do with their reported interest in Antoine Semenyo, they should look at the manager whose structure created an environment for Solanke and Semenyo to thrive at the top end of the pitch.
Frank, whose side sit in the bottom four for xG, has not created a structure that has allowed a player like Xavi Simons, for example, to thrive, because his team is not set up to consistently create high-quality chances.
Iraola, who was described as “one of the best in the (Premier) league” by Como scout Ben Mattinson and “one of the best in Europe” by one journalist, has proven that he can coach an exciting attacking set-up at Premier League level and that he can develop high-value talents, like Solanke and Semenyo.
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Therefore, the Spaniard could be the next Pochettino at Spurs as another manager who plays attacking, fearless, football that could get fans excited, making him a coach who has the potential to be a long-term appointment, rather than a pragmatic short-term hire.
Stoke City will continue their attempts to sign “top players” as they try to bring European football back to the club, the words of Stoke boss Mark Hughes.
The Potters of course failed in an ambitious attempt to sign Inter Milan winger Xherdan Shaqiri, but Hughes remains confident of adding stars of high quality to his squad as he looks to push for Europe.
“We will continue to look to bring in top players right up until the deadline at the end of August,
“If we have a good start to the season, we could well push for Europe.”
This has to be the aim now for the Potters, as since ‘Sparky’ took charge at the Britannia Stadium in 2013 he has guided the club to two consecutive ninth-placed Premier League finishes. That ninth place finish in his first season in charge was Stoke’s highest ever in the Premier League and was built on last season as Stoke got their record points total and finished just two wins short of the European places.
The Welshman will need to add some more quality to his squad, however, if they are going to close that gap on the Europa League places, and he has already been busy in the transfer window signing seven players – Moha El Ouriachi from Barcelona, Spanish striker Joselu, goalkeepers Shay Given and Jakob Haugaard, defenders Glen Johnson and Philipp Wollscheid and on-loan Chelsea midfielder Marco van Ginkel.
Some more quality signings could go a long way to getting Stoke two to three places higher up the division, however, the challenge of pushing on is not underestimated by Hughes: “It’s a challenge because in the last two seasons we had two top-10 finishes and we would like to do better than that.”
It will be a challenge of course, but the job Hughes has done at Stoke has gone under the radar a bit and every challenge so far has been met. Even though Stoke enjoyed real success under Hughes, he does not get enough credit for the job he has done at the Britannia.
It is taken for granted a bit, as many expect Stoke to remain strong at home, always be tough to beat and never really get threatened by relegation.
But that does not just happen though, a lot of hard work has to go in to achieve that. Hughes did also have a hard act to follow on from in fellow Welshman Tony Pulis who of course did a fantastic job at the Potteries. But, so far he has bettered the achievements of Pulis.
Not only has Hughes pushed Stoke forward in both of his seasons in charge, he also has recruited superbly well, without breaking their transfer record fee of £10m spent on Peter Crouch in 2011. He has signed some very good players like Mame Biram Diouf, Bojan Krkic and nabbed some shrewd loan-signings along the way such as Victor Moses and Van Ginkel more recently. This has allowed Stoke to develop and improve as a team, while staying financially solid.
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He has transformed the way that they play football, too, improving their style and making the Potters an attractive team, while maintaining all that was good about Pulis’ side in terms of their ability to keep the ball out of their own net.
He has done a fantastic job at Stoke so far and, as Hughes has already eluded to himself, if they can bring in some more quality in the transfer window and start the season with a bang there is no reason they can’t challenge for European football.