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Regardless of whether Tottenham prevail in the Champions League or not, this summer is crucially important for the club. Without a signing in either of the last two windows, it’s now time for Tottenham to push on. 

Mauricio Pochettino has spoken about the start of a ‘new chapter’ (as per Sky Sports News). It’s time to get ambitious, guys.

As expected, the rumours have started to spiral, with Tottenham linked with seemingly every player under the sun. However, a player that has received concrete interest is Leeds United’s Jack Clarke (as per Sky Sports News). The 18-year-old winger has impressed this season under Marcelo Bielsa and Sky Sports have reported Tottenham are looking to inject youth into the squad. However, it would reportedly cost £20m to capture his services (as per the Mail).

Indeed while the finances might be greater these days, to believe Tottenham will be able to compete with the likes of Manchester City or Liverpool is perhaps naive. The focus should be on players that are going to make an impact rather than £20m on a player that very will get a handful of appearances at best. Clarke both scored and assisted two in 24 league games last season. He’s a prospect, yes. But would he really make an impact? Would he really give the likes of Heung-min Son and Lucas Moura something to think about? It’s unlikely.

This is the time to be bold. To send a statement. Win or lose against Liverpool, Tottenham have come of age. They have the stadium, the training ground and now the belief. They haven’t slipped through via some freakishly straightforward route. Rather, they have results against Barcelona, Borussia Dortmund, City and Ajax. Indeed, they are now operating at the highest level and they need to be making top signings.

Clarke may be one for the future, but he should be forgotten if his signing is at the expense of another. Tottenham need genuine reinforcements who will be immediately ready for selection. Clarke is not the answer.

Tottenham fans, would you be happy to see Clarke join the team? Would he be able to make an impact? Or would he be a waste of money? Comment below. 

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43-year-old manager Graham Potter has a remarkable story.

The former footballer ended his playing days with League Two Macclesfield in 2005, but five years later he found himself in the Swedish Fourth Division managing Ostersunds Fotbollsklubb, more simply known as Ostersunds.

What was to occur after his appointment is one of the greatest fairytales football has seen. He took his side all the way from the bottom reaches of Sweden to the Allsvenskan. Along the way, he won two league titles. It has the hallmark of a Football Manager save.

But that is history. Potter now finds himself back in England with Swansea. Given the resources, he’s done a fantastic job. His work there and indeed in Swansea has seen him attract the interest of West Brom, according to The Sun on Sunday (05/05: page 59) – via HITC.

In an interview with the FA earlier this season, Potter revealed the main values he bases his management off. All of them are perfectly suited to help him thrive at West Brom, should he rejoin the club he used to play for.

Here’s what he had to say and how his five values can help.

Transparency

“It’s important not to try and hide anything from anybody.”

Potter reveals to English football’s governing body.

Immediately you get a sense of the type of character Albion would be getting. In recent times, there hasn’t been the greatest of transparency at the Hawthorns.

This has never been more evident than in the club’s search for a new manager. Darren Moore’s sacking was a baffling decision and there was a clear lack of communication with fans as to what the next step was.

On the face of it, the Baggies never really had a plan for when Moore left the club but, by appointing Potter, things would certainly become clearer to the supporters.

As he says, he isn’t one to hide anything, and at a club where things have become toxic in the past, this could be an invaluable attribute West Brom can benefit from.

Long-term view

“I like developing, I like seeing people improve.”

This is one of the vital aspects to focus on when assessing what he can bring to the Hawthorns. West Brom’s youth academy has been in the spotlight for a while, mainly for the wrong reasons with players like Izzy Brown leaving easily and more recently with Rekeem Harper’s spell possibly coming to an end.

However, the former Ostersunds boss is someone who can help lay the foundations for a far better future.

You only have to look at the work he’s done with Dan James and Joe Rodon this season to understand the pivotal effect he can have on young careers.

His influence in Sweden is also a fine measure of that. Where West Brom have struggled to bridge the gap between senior and academy level, he’d the perfect man to help solve that issue.

No less than 12 Swansea players left the club during Potter’s first summer in charge. His resolution was to bring through a number of academy players. West Brom could certainly learn a thing or two in this regard.

Sincerity and honesty

“There’s distrust, disappointment, frustration, anger, blame; there are all these negative things and really the only way you can start to get your head around that and change that is by being honest.” 

Those feelings will ring true to many Albion fans, especially frustration which has been lingering around the Hawthorns like a bad smell.

A yoyo period has seen the Baggies bounce between the Premier League and Championship and it’s come as a major disappointment. Not a single manager has been able to sustain West Brom, but Potter, with his honesty and transparency, could be the man to finally do so.

Disappointment is something that will also be felt by the players. Yet, by appointing a manager who is known for keeping his feet firmly on the ground, it can drastically improve attitudes. Without a positive approach, he wouldn’t have achieved numerous promotions in Sweden. West Brom must look to that as an example.

Reliability

“When you’re in a leadership role, people need to know that win, lose, or draw, there has to be a consistency in how you act and behave.”

When was the last time West Brom had a truly reliable figure at the helm? The board at the Hawthorns have seemingly gone through managers like they’re going out of fashion but Potter is someone who can lead a long term project.

The club have achieved a play-off place this season but there is still a feeling of negativity, particularly after the Derby result. In truth, there doesn’t need to be, but it could ultimately prove to be their downfall this term.

Looking at how Potter has turned Swansea’s negativity around, it’s a key value that could completely change the attitude of not only the playing staff at West Brom but supporters and those holding positions of importance too.

Was Darren Moore’s sacking unfair? The Pl>ymaker FC squad name which Championship bosses should have gone instead in the video below…

The fact he spent eight years with one club demonstrates why West Brom would be perfectly set up for the future.

Professionalism

“What we need to do is try to create an environment where the players feel empowered.”

With a constant change of managers, is it any surprise that West Brom fail to achieve anything? The environment hasn’t been good enough but Potter, who created a remarkable legacy with Ostersunds, can generate a culture and philosophy that’s rarely been seen.

West Brom have played safe and gone for the short term option too many times. The former Birmingham player would, therefore, represent a change in thinking.

He’s an individual who has long term visions and by appointing him he can create a culture capable of helping the Baggies stay in the Premier League.

After all, if Ostersunds can reach the top-tier, then anything can be possible at West Brom.

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Tottenham fans on Twitter want to see Youri Tielemans arrive at the club, after the midfielder tore north London rivals Arsenal apart in the 3-0 win on Sunday.

The on-loan Monaco star opened the scoring with a thunderous header after a well-timed run, and was a constant threat throughout with his forward-thinking play and dangerous passing.

Son Heung-min to Arsenal? Surely not! Bhav explains why the Spurs man should make the unthinkable switch in the video below…

The Foxes managed to secure the 21-year-old Belgian international on a loan deal back in January, a window in which Spurs made no additions but did offload another Belgian in Mousa Dembele; a questionable decision given their lack of midfield depth right now.

Tielemans, formerly of Anderlecht, has been an instant hit at the King Power Stadium, scoring three goals and assisting four more in just 11 appearances – he seems to fit right into Brendan Rodgers’ style of football.

Tottenham are reportedly interested in signing Tielemans this summer, as too are Manchester United, and Mauricio Pochettino could certainly do with a player of his calibre.

After watching him make a mockery of their biggest rivals, Tottenham fans on Twitter are keen to see Tielemans arrive at the new White Hart Lane…

Pep Guardiola is an absolute perfectionist. As well as Oleksandr Zinchenko has done filling in at left-back for Manchester City this season, his boss will undoubtedly want a more natural option there later down the line.

In an ideal world, Benjamin Mendy stays fit and that is that position sorted.

But with that not being something the Frenchman is capable of doing right now, it is probably only a matter of time before Guardiola dips into the market for a new left-back.

And when he does, Jamie Redknapp believes he should only be looking at one player.

“After a brilliant year at Leicester in which he has become England’s first-choice left-back, [Ben] Chilwell has put the top six on alert,” the Sky Sports pundit wrote in his Daily Mail column as he tipped the 22-year-old for a big summer. “Man City need a left back and he’d be a perfect fit.”

All things considered, Redknapp is probably pointing Guardiola in the right direction here.

This season, after Andy Robertson, Chilwell has arguably been the best left-back in the Premier League.

Technically, he looks good enough to play in this Manchester City side. The Leicester City man can carry the ball and is capable of putting dangerous crosses into the box.

Ultimately, Chilwell can restore the width Mendy had been giving the Citizens out wide, which would be a massive boost for Guardiola’s men during the periods of games where things can get a bit too congested in the middle.

It will not be a cheap transfer, but money has never been a problem for Manchester City, especially when it has come to strengthening areas of the squad that have needed urgent attention.

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Middlesbrough fans have taken to Twitter to respond to Boro chairman Steve Gibson submitting a formal complaint to the EFL over the financial accounts of Derby, Aston Villa and Sheffield Wednesday.

The Englishman has asked for three of Boro’s rivals to have their finances examined by the league, per Daily Telegraph.

The reason for this is because Gibson believes these clubs are breaking new sustainability rules that have seen the Teesiders have to sell stars – such as Adama Traore and Ben Gibson (Steve’s nephew) – to ensure Middlesbrough balance the books.

Gibson believes that the clubs he has picked out are breaching financial regulations and as a result he wants all clubs accounts to be made available to every club in the EFL.

The letter has made an impact and a meeting is set to be held on the 24th of April, with representatives from every Championship club present.

Boro fans have responded on Twitter to their chairman’s plea with many thinking he should focus on turning the club around.

Andrei Kanchelskis: a tale of a journeyman loved most by Everton.

The mercurial talent that was Andrei Kanchelskis touched down at Goodison Park in 1995 following a four-year stint at Manchester United where he won two domestic cups and two top-flight titles, and though his impact was by no means instant, when it came, it arrived in style.

After a month of discordant and exhaustive negotiations with Manchester United and former club Shakhtar Donetsk, Everton finally confirmed the signing of the Russian star for an estimated £5 million – just over half a million of which owned to the Ukrainians (Independent).

One of the only who did not command an understanding of the English at Old Trafford, it was, rather ironically, Kanchelskis’ inferior communication skills that would eventually see him put on the Royal Blue of Everton, with the player’s availability brought to the attention of Joe Royle by his translator George Scanlan – a lifelong Evertonian from Bootle (Liverpool Echo).

Intercepting the move from the greedy grasps of Middlesbrough, who were managed by Kanchelskis’ former teammate Bryan Robson and on a spending spree no footballing purist can agree with, is said to have been a real statement of intent over the club’s future as a top English side.

But for all hype it initially didn’t look like the winger was destined for great things, failing to register either a goal or an assist in his first 12 Premier League outings.

Hopes were waning, expectations were shortening, and flop status was pending – for the more critical fans, anyhow – before “that” fateful day. Indeed, if there’s one way to warm yourself to the Everton faithful it’s netting a goal in the Merseyside derby and Andrei Kanchelskis did just that, bagging a brace in their 2-1 victory over Liverpool at Anfield in 1995 (watch via YouTube).

The Russian’s derby delight kickstarted an impressive run of form that would see him score another goal against Liverpool and a late winner against Arsenal at Highbury – the club’s last recorded away victory over Arsenal 23 years on (Liverpool Echo).

Though Everton kicked off the following year in emphatic style, Kanchelskis looked a shadow of his former self, and having only turned out for the Toffees on 20 occasions, netting a relatively poor four goals, he moved onto Fiorentina at the beginning of the 1997 season.

A host of short and insignificant stints would soon follow; first for Rangers and Manchester City, before representing Southampton, Al-Hilal Riyadh, Dinamo Moscow II and Saturn Ramenskoe, eventually retiring in 2007 playing for Krylya Sovetov Samara.

His qualities as a player don’t seem to have translated too well into managerial success however, and after recording a dismal 0.50 points per game in his first job coaching Latvian side FC Jurmala (stats via Transfermarkt), he now manages Uzbekistan first division outside Navbahor Mamangan.

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Newcastle are tracking Sampdoria goal machine Duvan Zapata, claims Lee Ryder of The Evening Chronicle.

What’s the story?

Well, according to Ryder, sources in Italy believe the Magpies have sent scouting missions to keep an eye on Zapata.

The 27 year-old has been on loan at Atalanta all season, bagging 22 goals in all competitions.

The report claims Atalanta have the chance to sign him permanently this summer, and will take that option before selling him on for a profit.

Italian papers quote his price at around £38m, says Ryder’s report, and there is also interest from West Ham, Roma and Inter Milan.

Pl>ymaker FC Exclusive: Jermaine Jenas reveals why Tyne-Wear is a more intense derby than anything London can offer – check out the video below….

Rondon but with more goals?

It’s fairly well documented that West Brom will expect around £16m for Salomon Rondon, so is Zapata worth over double that price?

Well, the five-cap Colombia international certainly tops Rondon when it comes to putting the ball in the net, grabbing 22 goals and 7 assists in 37 appearances this season.

Several of those goals came in a quite frankly ridiculous patch of form, when the 6 ft 2 front man grabbed 19 goals in the space of 15 games during November, December and January.

Where he stands out as opposed to other possible Rondon replacements though, assuming Mike Ashley opts not to spend £16m on a soon-to-be 30 year-old, is that Zapata knows what Benitez wants from a number nine.

The Colombian ace played under the Spaniard at Napoli, where he struck 15 goals and 5 assists in 54 games, despite very rarely getting to be the main man in the attack.

This understanding of Benitez’s expectations for a target man, along with the far superior goalscoring record to Rondon, would make Zapata an excellent choice for the Magpies to smash their transfer record for the second time this year.

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Leeds United revealed on Monday that talismanic centre-back Pontus Jansson will be missing for three weeks with the knee issue he picked up against Sheffield United on Saturday, and Whites fans have produced a surprise reaction to the news.

The Sweden international has been such a big player for the Yorkshire outfit ever since initially joining them on loan, and it has been no different this term as they have challenged in and around the automatic promotion places throughout the whole campaign.

Perhaps the lack of concern is because of the international break meaning he may only miss one game or, in many cases in the following comments, the chance that they will see another Elland Road favourite in Gaetano Berardi potentially returning to the starting XI.

Despite his questionable disciplinary record, it is no surprise that the United faithful like the Swiss defender given his never-say-die warrior-like attitude, and the fact that he filled in for Jansson so well earlier in the campaign means they shouldn’t be worried about him being named in the XI.

In fact, some of the Leeds fans that have had their on the setback are actually more concerned – and rightly so – about their side going forward, following another blank against the Blades at the weekend.

Here is what they have been saying on Twitter…

Are fans being priced out of the Championship as well as the Premier League? The angry Bolton fan in the video below certainly believes so…

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On Sunday afternoon, Aston Villa will visit their bitter rivals Birmingham City in the Championship.

There is no downplaying the importance of the match when it comes to what it means for the supporters, but both sides will be desperate for the points as the pair have ambitions of making the playoffs.

Ahead of the clash at St Andrew’s, Birmingham boss Garry Monk insisted that his side would not be targeting Jack Grealish this weekend.

Grealish returned from injury to help Villa record a 4-0 win over Derby County last time out and will be fired up to make his mark against Birmingham.

Monk insisted that his side would not be overly physical when it comes to the attacker, but the Villa fans are just not buying it.

Thogden has ranked his top 5 sets of Championship away fans for Pl>ymaker FC. Did your club make the list? Find out in the video below…

Indeed, a number have taken to social media to dispute Monk’s claim, with many feeling that their star player can expect some rough treatment in the derby.

A selection of the Twitter reaction can be seen below:

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According to The Mirror, Manchester United and Arsenal have joined the race for Birmingham’s Che Adams as the striker’s impressive goal-scoring run puts him on the radar of some of the Premier League’s biggest clubs.

The 22-year-old scored eight goals in the six games prior to his side’s 1-0 loss to Bolton last weekend and – had he found the net in that game, he would have levelled with club legend Trevor Francis. Regardless, the former Sheffield United hitman can now add both the Red Devils and Gunners to his list of admirers.

Based on current form, the former seems a far more attractive destination for Adams, but what would be the potential consequences of a move to Old Trafford for the Leicester-born forward?

Time ticks for Romelu Lukaku

One of the biggest changes that Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has made since he took the wheel in December is restoring Marcus Rashford to his comfort zone at centre-forward although, in the Norwegian manager’s preferred 4-3-3, it is now difficult to accommodate Romelu Lukaku.

Rashford has found success in 2019 making runs in behind and using his pace to terrify opposition defences – this speed is an attribute he shares with Adams and so it seems that Solskjaer has a clear preference for the type of player he wants to lead his forward line.

While he has been rejuvenated under new management, 25-year-old Lukaku may find he is slowly ushered out the door in the summer – particularly if Adams completes a move to Old Trafford – as he would, therefore, clearly be the wrong kind of striker that Solskjaer wants in his system. That is, if the interim boss stays in charge beyond the end of the season.

Spend big to fix defence

One assumes that whatever the Blues demand in exchange for their star striker would hardly be a dent in the United bank – The Times claim he was valued at a modest £22million in January – and so they can add depth up front at little cost while saving their funds for areas in much greater need of heavier expenditure.

Jose Mourinho identified the heart of defence as a weak point in the Red Devils squad and, while it has looked considerably less leaky under Solskjaer, there still remains the lack of a top quality centre-back.

Meanwhile, full-backs Ashley Young and Antonio Valencia are also into their twilight years – minimising their outlay on attacking reinforcements would surely mean 90% of the transfer budget can be dedicated to revamping the back four.

England call-up

The reality, if you’re a young and upcoming Englishman, is that you pretty much have to be playing first team football in the Premier League to qualify for Gareth Southgate’s Three Lions considerations and, without wanting to offend Birmingham fans, there is currently next to zero chance of Adams working his way into the squad.

Which “global superstar” has just been named Man Utd’s worst ever January signing? Find out in the video above…

With Jamie Vardy’s recent retirement from international football, England are somewhat lacking a tenacious, speedy striker to deputise up front and a move to Manchester United is about as high profile as it gets for a young player; perhaps, if he is given the game-time at Old Trafford, Adams can fire his way into the Euro 2020 squad.