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Leicester City should revisit their interest in Fenerbahce defender Attila Szalai this summer as Brendan Rodgers looks to bolster his first-team squad.

What’s the story?

The 23-year-old only moved to the Turkish giants in January but emerged as a potential target for the Foxes back in April, according to Hungarian outlet Blikk.

Szalai made 22 appearances for Fener last season, catching the eye of several sides thanks to his dominant displays.

Imagine him and Fofana

Brendan Rodgers is reportedly in the market for a new centre-back after the experienced duo of Wes Morgan and Christian Fuchs departed the King Power Stadium.

The former Liverpool and Celtic boss switched between a back four and a back five in 2020/21 depending on the opposition last season, with Wesley Fofana, Caglar Soyuncu and Jonny Evans the first-choice picks at centre-half.

However, all three picked up lengthy injurie at various points throughout the campaign, forcing Rodgers to play the likes of Daniel Amartey, Timothy Castagne and James Justin out of position to plug the gaps.

A new man is, therefore, required by the current FA Cup holders ahead of the new season if they’re going to stand any chance of fighting on multiple fronts.

Qualifying for the Europa League brings large amounts of opportunities and issues for a club like Leicester, where a lack of squad depth can cruelly undermine efforts.

In Szalai, director of football Jon Rudkin could solve a multitude of Leicester’s defensive issues in a single signing.

The Hungary international is a versatile talent, often playing in a back three or back four at previous club Apollon Limasso in Cyprus, meaning adapting to Rodgers’ changing styles should pose few problems.

Another attractive attribute of the youngster is his size. At 6 ft 4, Szalai should be able to cope with the physical demands of the Premier League with ease, and his 21 Super League outings last season produced three goals, highlighting his aerial threat from set-pieces.

Left-footed centre-backs are a rare commodity and at Leicester, none of their options are naturally comfortable away from their preferred right-hand side.

Evans is comfortable using both feet, but Szalai makes good use of his stronger left foot, often playing passes out from the back or dribbling his way upfield in search of a teammate.

His size and skillset, therefore, make him the perfect partner for the highly-rated Fofana. The right-footed, slim-built Frenchman would benefit from a more powerful companion, and that duo could form the base of Leicester’s defence for years to come if the Foxes can bring Szalai into the club.

And, in other news…Rudkin spends £66m, Tielemans stays: How Leicester City could line-up next season 

Tottenham Hotspur, and by extension their transfer chief Fabio Paratici, are ‘expected’ to ‘win the race’ for a potentially impressive summer signing, according to Alasdair Gold.

The Lowdown: Major summer looming…

The Lilywhites, tasked with showing manager Antonio Conte that they’re serious about building a winning Premier League side, are set for an intriguing window upon the end of 2021/2022.

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Spurs’ head coach has apparently got his eye on as many as six major signings, which include the possible additions of a reserve keeper, right-wing-back, central defender, two midfielders and a forward (The Telegraph).

This comes amid recent claims that Paris-Saint Germain are eyeing Conte as an heir to ex-Tottenham boss Mauricio Pochettino, who is allegedly set to leave the French capital.

The Latest: Gold makes promising Johnstone claim…

In some good news for Spurs, backing recent reports, it appears the north Londoners are firm favourites to seal West Bromwich Albion goalkeeper Sam Johnstone on a Bosman.

Indeed, sharing news in a football.london piece on who could leave N17 this summer, reliable journalist Gold also claimed, when commenting on Pierluigi Gollini’s future, that Paratici and co are ‘expected to win the race’ for Johnstone this summer.

The Verdict: Get it done…

Johnstone’s contract runs out in June, gifting the club an opportunity to snap up a capable understudy to Hugo Lloris for zero cost.

An England international and ‘world class’ keeper, at least according to Wolves legend Steve Bull, journalist Pete O’Rourke has also raved over the thought of Spurs landing Johnstone for nothing.

Speaking to GiveMeSport, recently, the reporter claimed finalising a free transfer for West Brom’s 29-year-old would be a ‘really impressive’ first signing of the window by Spurs.

His proven top flight quality, and the fact his capture could go some way to mitigating Tottenham’s homegrown quota issues, make this move a real no-brainer.

Gold’s update that Paratici is still in pole position certainly comes as a promising one.

In other news: Source: Tottenham edge closer to ‘top signing’…he really wants to join Conte! Find out more here.

Speaking to Sky Sports (via Football Daily), journalist Kaveh Solhekol has dropped an enticing Tottenham Hotspur financial claim after the big development of former boss Jose Mourinho taking the job at AS Roma.

The Lowdown: Mourinho job could be great news for Spurs

Just over two weeks after chairman Daniel Levy and the Tottenham board opted to sack Mourinho after a year and a half in north London, the Portuguese has already secured a new position for the 2021/2022 campaign.

As confirmed by the Europa League semi-finalists, Roma have now appointed the 58-year-old as a replacement for current boss Paulo Fonseca – who will leave at the end of the season.

Originally, after dismissing Mourinho, Tottenham looked set for a financial hinderance – having to place their ex-boss on gardening leave while he continues to receive his reported £13 million-per-year contract (Sky Sports).

This could have lasted for up to 18 months according to Alasdair Gold, but Mourinho finding a new job so soon could now come as a big financial boost.

The Latest: Solhekol backs financial boost for Spurs

Backing previous claims made by other members of the media (Dan Kilpatrick), Sky Sports reporter Solhekol has dropped his own update on the financial aftermath for Spurs.

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Speaking to the broadcaster (via Football Daily), the reporter dropped a rather enticing claim – going on to say that Tottenham could save ‘millions and millions’.

“Now, our understanding of the situation as far as Mourinho and Spurs is concerned,” he explained to Sky.

“Because Jose [Mourinho] has taken this job, it will save Spurs millions and millions of pounds.

“If he hadn’t taken the job, they would have had to carry on paying him until the end of next season.

“His salary is reported to be around £13m-per-year, that is the kind of money you’re talking about Spurs saving.”

The Verdict: Some great news for a change

Amid the financial difficulties for Tottenham caused by coronavirus, with the club announcing they had lost an ‘irrecoverable’ amount of £63.9 million at the end of last year (Evening Standard), Levy and co have now received a very welcome bit of financial news.

Sky Sports backing previous reports of how this benefits Spurs only cements just how much it could help the club off the pitch and behind the scenes.

Levy will be a very relieved man given he also had to place fellow former boss Mauricio Pochettino on gardening leave for six months last year (The Telegraph), and a long time out for Mourinho could have eaten even further into the Lilywhites’ finances.

Now, it appears Spurs will soon have no outstanding managerial payments as soon as Mourinho begins at the Stadio Olimpico next season.

In other news: Tottenham make inquiry to sign ‘outstanding’ powerhouse, find out more here.

Everton are likely to sign a couple of players on transfer deadline day as the club moves closer to appointing Frank Lampard in the manager’s dugout at Goodison Park.

What’s the word?

This has been a chaotic transfer window for the Toffees and on deadline day this Monday, it’s set to get even crazier.

As well as being on the verge of appointing Lampard, they are set to welcome Donny van de Beek to the club on loan from Manchester United.

But, the new boss won’t stop there in his pursuit of new signings according to reporter Alan Myers.

The journalist was asked on Twitter on Sunday whether the Dutchman would be the club’s final addition but he responded; “I doubt it.”

Myers then added in another tweet: “I’d guess 2 to 3 [signings] maybe.”

Fans buzzing

After all of the protest and rage that has engulfed Goodison this month, it looks as though Everton are set to end the month on a high.

The appointment of Lampard is ambitious and will take the club in a new direction after the previously appointed Carlo Ancelotti and Rafa Benitez; two individuals with far more coaching experience under their belts.

However, what Lampard has in common with those two, is a lure, particularly for young English players or footballers looking to get their careers back on track.

Van de Beek perfectly fits that description and with Jesse Lingard and Dele Alli also on the club’s radar, this could be a captivating finish to the window.

Myers doesn’t mention who may follow the Man United midfielder through the door but the fact that Lampard is wasting no time in looking to strengthen his squad should be music to the ears of supporters.

After all, this is a team that sit in 16th place in the Premier League after just one win in their last 14 top-flight encounters.

AND in other news, Everton gifted late transfer boost that may save their season, Lampard will be a hero…

Kieran Maguire has dropped a big claim on Newcastle United’s anti-competition takeover case against the Premier League.

The Lowdown: Ashley launches case

Mike Ashley has launched an anti-competition lawsuit against the top flight with regards to their decision-making process in the failed takeover of the club from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) group.

The chief executive of Sports Direct has since appointed Daniel Jowell as his QC for the case, which is separate from the arbitration case due to take place between the two parties involved.

The Latest: Maguire favours Ashley

Speaking to Football Insider, Maguire – who is an expert in the field of football finance – has claimed that Ashley could be the biggest potential winner in the long run as the case is launched, while also claiming that the Premier League being granted an extension to respond to it is a ‘filibuster’:

“The biggest potential winner in this is going to be Mike Ashley rather than Newcastle, in the long-term.

“And he is playing a long-term game. Newcastle fans have had to be patient and this is the kind of prevarication we do associate with our silver-tongued friends in the legal profession.

“We’ve seen it in the form of charges from the EFL against clubs that may or may not have the impact of deferring points deductions, for example. So it is a filibuster, in effect.”

The Verdict: Premier League delaying takeover

The fact that the Premier League have been granted an extension to respond to the case does seem like a delaying tactic in the bigger picture of the potential takeover going through.

They also have an arbitration hearing to face against the St James’ Park club, with the results not guaranteed to go their way.

What is for sure is that the results of both legal battles should paint a much clearer picture over the direction of where the potential takeover is heading, as Newcastle will be hoping that the outcomes are positive from their point of view.

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The uncertainty over whether the potential takeover can be completed is not ideal going into the summer transfer window, as the Magpies do not know what kind of players they will be looking to buy, but the Toon Army will probably not care one bit if it means that the KSA consortium can end Ashley’s tenure.

In other news, find out what big Joe Willock transfer update has been dropped!

Tottenham Hotspur have decided not to sell Harry Kane no matter the situation amidst continued interest from Manchester City, according to Manchester Evening News.

Enjoying an outstanding 2020/21 season, the 27-year-old chipped in with an incredible 50 goal contributions in 49 fixtures for the Lilywhites, racking up 33 goals and 17 assists [Transfermarkt].

Now on international duty with England, he has captained the Three Lions to the Euro 2020 final, scoring the winning goal in a 2-1 win against semi-final opponents Denmark on Wednesday night.

Despite voicing his intention to leave Spurs in the current transfer window, Kane looks set to stay put at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium for the time being. His contract isn’t set to expire in North London until summer 2024, essentially ending hopes of a summer departure [Manchester Evening News].

In light of this news, loads of Manchester City supporters took to Twitter to express their thoughts at these recent developments.

Manchester City fans react:

Replying to popular Manchester City fan outlet City Xtra on Twitter, here is what some supporters had to say upon hearing what one fan described as “good” news despite Kane’s superb goal record:

“Lovely. Now the real business begins”

Credit: @mxnciteh”We don’t care, Lukaku is clear”Credit: @AhmaadMCFC”Oh well, we’ll get Haaland next season anyway”Credit: @cobronoloco”Good”Credit: @MTsmd_”let’s move on…. Danny Ings available”Credit: @lovelyDi11″Leave Kane alone now & move for someone we can sign easily.”Credit: @BelgianKing17In other news, lots of Manchester City fans reacted to a tweet from this Etihad Stadium ace.

Manchester City have been handed a huge boost in their reported hopes of signing Danny Ings this summer after he rejected a new contract at Southampton.

What’s the word?

As per The Athletic, Ings has rejected a new four-year deal at the South Coast club, which could well force Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side to cash in on the England international this summer, or risk losing him for nothing at the end of next season.

The former Liverpool man was linked with a move to Manchester City by Sky Sports earlier this year, as he was touted as a potential replacement for outgoing legend Sergio Aguero, and if City retain an interest in signing the Southampton man, then a move this summer definitely now looks like it could be on the cards.

Would he be a good signing for Guardiola?

Although Ings perhaps wouldn’t be as glamourous a signing as Harry Kane or Erling Haaland, Guardiola suggested recently that City were being priced out of a move for a striker this summer, and Ings could represent a much cheaper option who is almost guaranteed to score goals in the Premier League.

Injuries meant he managed just 12 goals in a poor Southampton side last season but his 22 goals in the top-flight in the 2019/20 campaign saw him finish as the joint-second top scorer, which suggests that he could certainly be a good fit at the Etihad, where he’d be surrounded by better players.

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Eddie Howe was full of praise for the striker’s performances in the 19/20 season, saying:

“The most impressive thing about Danny is, of course, he’s an outstanding player.

“Technically he’s very good, plays with real intelligence and the way he’s come back from his disappointments, the injury setbacks he’s had, the way he’s fought back and kept his mental strength has been hugely impressive.”

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City need a goalscorer and given that Ings is valued at £19.8m by Transfermarkt and has only one year left on his contract, he could be a much cheaper alternative for Guardiola’s side this summer and given his record in the top-flight, this seems like a deal that sporting director Txiki Begiristain should definitely be looking to complete.

And, in other news… Guardiola dealt transfer blow with “different level” beast, City fans should be fuming

Injury expert Ben Dinnery says Leeds United may well have misled supporters by suggesting there is nothing to worry about in regards to a knock picked up by Raphinha against Wolves.

The Lowdown: Raphinha injured

Raphinha started for the Elland Road outfit against Wolves last weekend in the Premier League.

However, he was forced off with an injury shortly after half-time, although the club and the player himself said the problem was “nothing serious”.

The Latest: Dinnery doesn’t agree

Speaking to Football Insider, Dinnery said Raphinha could be out until mid-to-late November. He said:

“We don’t really know what this update means entirely.

“When I hear players and managers talk about injuries as ‘nothing serious’, I always take it with a pinch of salt. It can be kind of misleading.

“I have to admit, when I first saw that injury it didn’t look pretty. This was a forced external rotation of the ankle.

“There was a strong indication that there was a high sprain. There was some suggestion that there could even be a fracture involved.

“So when I saw that update from Raphinha, I took that to mean the bones are intact. That leads me to believe it is indeed a high ankle sprain.”

The Verdict: Calm the situation

Raphinha is one the club’s most important players, scoring three of their eight goals in the Premier League so far this campaign (Transfermarkt), with him now having found the back of the net 54 times in total in his career.

Even with him in the side, they have struggled, winning just one of their opening nine league matches (Sky Sports) – without him, they would surely look even worse.

It looks as though the club may have looked to calm down supporters with this news. If he does not appear this coming weekend versus Norwich City, the fans will know they had the wool pulled over their eyes. It remains to be seen whether Dinnery or Leeds are right.

In other news, this man has been suggested as a potential Bielsa replacement.

The Athletic journalist Jordan Campbell has revealed that Fashion Sakala missed Glasgow Rangers’ clash with Dundee United on Saturday with a minor injury.

The Lowdown: Gers suffer defeat

After going 38 games unbeaten in the Premiership last term (thefishy.co.uk), it took the Gers just two matches to suffer their first league defeat of this campaign (Sky Sports).

They were beaten 1-0 by Dundee United, a game in which new signing Sakala did not feature.

The Latest: Sakala injured

In an article for The Athletic covering the Gers’ loss to the Tangerines, Campbell provided an update on the Zambia international.

He revealed that £3.6m-valued Sakala (Transfermarkt) suffered a minor injury and was therefore not included in the matchday squad as a result.

The Verdict: Worrying

This is worrying news for the Gers. While the sample size is not yet too big, the only match in three outings the Gers have managed to win this season is also the only one Sakala has started (Transfermarkt). While the defeat to Dundee United is far from positive, it is the impact that his potential absence could have on their next match which will likely be playing on Steven Gerrard’s mind.

The Gers face Malmo in the return leg of their Champions League third qualifying round tie on Tuesday. They lost the first match 2-1 in Sweden and therefore need to win at Ibrox to progress to the next stage. Gerrard will surely be hoping Sakala will be available, but in light of Campbell’s revelation of a minor injury for the 24-year-old, it remains to be seen whether he can play in the fixture.

In other news, Rangers are said to be ready to listen to offers for this man.

The Nuno Santo era could not have got off to a more perfect start for Tottenham Hotspur.

They sit top of the Premier League standings heading into the first international break of the season and have made it through the qualification stages of the UEFA Europa Conference League.

After sacking Jose Mourinho in mid-April, chairman Daniel Levy was reportedly on the lookout for an attack-minded head coach – one that can develop the club’s young prospects at the same time.

It’s still early days but Spurs are the lowest scorers in the top ten, though they are yet to concede a single goal after three successive wins. Nuno has also given an opportunity to payers like Japhet Tangana and Oliver Skipp, so there is that balance that Levy was looking for, in some respect.

You could argue that the Portuguese is lacking the sort of creative presence that can elevate Spurs’ game even more and perhaps he can kill two birds with one stone by looking to one of their more promising youth products.

Once again, it’s Harry Kane that sits near the top of the creativity charts, despite being their striker and only starting one game. Only one other player has averaged more than one key pass per game, as per WhoScored.

Nuno has trusted Dele Alli to start in a more advanced role in midfield but he’s yet to provide a key chance and is still some way off his 2016/17 form that saw him register 18 goals and seven assists in just one season.

Spurs’ next Alli could be found in Dilan Markanday, who just last week scored a hat-trick for the U23 squad.

According to the club’s official website, the 20-year-old gem is a ‘clever attacking midfielder who normally plays on the right’ – in some ways, this is similar to the Englishman under Mauricio Pochettino.

Furthermore, Markanday has earned a comparison to former academy star Marcus Edwards.

“Markanday has looked bright today. Have always felt he has a very similar running and dribbling style to Marcus Edwards,” football.london’s Alasdair Gold said. He also praised him when Spurs’ U19s faced Inter Milan in 2018.

“Inter are struggling to deal with Dilan Markanday. His dribbling and passing ability is pulling their defence and midfield all over the place.”

Spurs have only scored three goals in their opening three games, so it’s this sort of presence that is required in the no.10 role. Nuno should consider unleashing the U23 sensation and in doing so, he may well discover the next Alli in north London.

AND in other news, Paratici masterclass: Spurs eye “extraordinary” £34m-rated gem, he won’t cost a penny…