Journalist Fabrizio Romano has revealed that the relationship between Brendan Rodgers and Leicester City has not been great since the summer.
What's the latest on Brendan Rodgers and Leicester?
Over the weekend, following a Premier League defeat away at Crystal Palace, the Foxes decided to part ways with their manager.
Indeed, in an official statement, the club said they had reached a “mutual agreement” with Rodgers for him to depart after four years in charge.
The news comes as no great surprise. After all, that loss against Palace left Leicester 19th in the division on 25 points after 28 games.
Even so, despite all their recent issues, it seems as though the problems began to mount up behind the scenes during the summer transfer window.
When speaking about it all on the House of Champions: A CBS Soccer Podcast, Romano explained that Wesley Fofana's move to Chelsea left Rodgers with doubts about what direction the club were heading in.
He said (12:00): "There was this kind of feeling already. In the summer, maybe you remember about the situation of Fofana. When they decided to sell for Fofana to Chelsea, that was not exactly what he wanted. Not about selling the player, but the strategy
"Youri Tielemans is out of contract. [James] Maddison who is attracting a lot of interest and it is not going to be easy for Leicester to keep him in the summer.
"So it's about the whole project and this is why the situation between Rogers and Leicester was not great. Of course on the pitch, but also off the pitch.
Why did Rodgers leave Leicester?
The 50-year-old had a fair amount of success with the Foxes. After all, in the club statement announcing his departure, he is named "one of the most successful managers in the Club’s history".
It notes that he helped the club to their first FA Cup triumph in 2021, and subsequently also saw them lift the FA Community Shield while enjoying a run to their first European semi-final.
However, Rodgers clearly wasn't convinced by the long-term vision behind the scenes.
For instance, when Fofana was sold, he clearly wasn't that keen on letting the defender go, saying (via Leicester Mercury): “I was hoping he would (stay) because he's a top-class operator, and that’s what you want as a coach if you want to improve and develop. You hope he would be here."
And after that, he admitted that he was unsure how that money would be reinvested, adding: “There have been discussions but it’s certainly not going to be the whole fee
brendan-rodgers-tottenham-hotspur
“I think there’s part of that that will go to Saint-Etienne as well, plus there's the situation that the club is in…"
While Chelsea paid £75m, a lot less than that has been spent on new arrivals since that deal. With that in mind, it's not hard to see why Rodgers had his doubt about the project.
Still, regardless of that, he wasn't getting the best out of the players he did have available to him and so it's no shock both parties have now agreed to go their separate ways.
Dan Cook has been left fed up by Crystal Palace’s severe lack of attacking output under Patrick Vieira.
The Lowdown: Palace hurtling towards relegation
At the beginning of 2023, it may have been crazy to think Palace could be swallowed up into a relegation battle given some of the results they’d picked up pre-World Cup but that is now becoming a reality.
The Eagles are yet to win in 2023 and that’s seen Patrick Vieira being asked about any pressure he may be coming under from the hierarchy at Selhurst Park.
It’s not just the results which are worrying for Palace and their fans, but also their lack of attacking intent under Vieira as of late with the Eagles failing to even test the goalkeeper in any of the previous three games.
The Latest: Attacking intent is non-existent
If fans have nothing to get excited about going forward, then it will be a tough sell for any manager to keep their job as Cook has spoken about on the HLTCO podcast.
He said: (2:05) “This run of games now without a victory and the fact that we aren’t scoring goals, I mean there are all sorts of statistics you can reel off in relation to our lack of attacking threat.
“The fact that we’re the first team since Opta began recording this statistic in the 203/04 season to go three straight Premier League games without a shot on target really does speak to the difficulties we’re having in front of goal.
“I think there is an argument that Patrick Vieira – and I’ve said this on the podcast in the last couple, of weeks – may well have resorted to a more defensive set-up in order to stem the tide because you saw Spurs for example cut through us and score at will at Selhurst Park at the turn of the year.
“But, if it’s going to come at the complete expense of any sort of attacking cohesion whatsoever, then you do wonder what the point is because you’re immediately going into a game like that against Manchester City on Saturday evening feeling as if 0-0 is the pinnacle of what you can achieve.”
The Verdict: Vieira must strike up the correct balance
The fact that Vieira has seemingly opted for a defensive and negative approach to games hasn’t been able to turn Palace’s season around and given the attacking players at his disposal he shouldn’t be stifling them.
Instead, Palace should be looking to play on the front foot whenever possible with players such as Eberechi Eze, Michael Olise and Wilfried Zaha all capable of causing damage in the final third on their day.
If Palace are to quickly turn their season around and start looking up instead of over their shoulder, they need to be scoring goals and winning games, which is something they’ve struggled with more than anyone else this season, so it’s understandable why Cook is questioning Vieira’s new approach.
1st 27.52/36.86 63.36/72.79 2nd 26.76/22.78 52.35/50.38 3rd 26.00/14.55 57.71/33.21 4th 64.50/15.65 138.00/41.05Since 2000, Anil Kumble and Harbhajan Singh have taken a total of 36 wickets in their last three Tests in Mumbai. Kumble averages 21.15 and Harbhajan 17.58 at the Wankhede.While none of the Indian batsmen have phenomenal records at Mumbai, three of the top four average above fifty. Sachin Tendulkar has a century and six fifties from seven Tests at his home ground. . Rahul Dravid averages 63.28 and Virender Sehwag 53.33.
Tottenham Hotspur and new manager Ange Postecoglou have gone into the international break in excellent form, even despite losing talisman Harry Kane, having won three of their first four games in the Premier League.
They currently sit in second place on 10 points.
Their sensational early-season form has been largely thanks to new signing James Maddison, who joined in the summer from Leicester for £40m.
The English international has already scored two goals and provided two assists this season, and has been nominated for Premier League Player of the Month.
In total, Spurs signed seven new players in the transfer window including Brennan Johnson and Micky van de Ven, as well as making Pedro Porro and Dejan Kulusevski’s loan moves permanent, meaning in total the Lilywhites spent £213m.
Although chairman Daniel Levy has spent heavily this summer it may already be difficult to argue that it wasn’t money well invested.
However, the same can’t be said for last summer's window after they signed Brazilian striker Richarlison from Everton on a five-year contract.
How much did Tottenham pay for Richarlison?
Richarlison-celebrates-for-Everton
After having a reasonably successful 2021/22 campaign that saw Tottenham finish fourth in the league, under then-manager Antonio Conte, it was confirmed that there had been £100m invested into the club to be spent on transfers.
And after young winger Bryan Gil was sent out on loan Conte and Levy needed attacking reinforcements.
This led to the £60m signing of Richarlison from Everton, who had just come off the back of a successful year with Everton where he almost single-handedly kept the Toffees up.
Why was Richarlison worth this much?
Before signing for Spurs in 2022 the 26-year-old had played for two different Premier League clubs, where he enjoyed successful spells for both.
The Brazilian first came to the Premier League in August 2017, when he signed for Watford from Fluminense, at just 20 years old.
During his time with Watford, the striker played 41 times, scoring five goals and providing five assists.
After only one season with the Hornets, Richarlison joined Everton for £40m, where he would spend the next four years, making 152 appearances, scoring 53 goals and recording 14 assists.
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Stats via Transfermarkt
In his final season with Everton Richarlison was his side’s highest-ranking player on Sofascore, with an average rating of 7.02.
He also completed 1.3 dribbles per 90 minutes the second most in the squad, and he created seven big chances across the season, the highest in the squad, proving how pivotal he was to Everton’s survival, as they only escaped relegation by four points.
Since moving to White Hart Lane, a year ago Richarlison has failed to impress anyone, last season he was only able to muster one Premier League goal and four assists, and in all competitions, he managed three goals. Despite playing 35 times.
His most memorable moment from last season came in his side's 4-3 loss away to Liverpool in April.
Coming into the game Richarlison hadn’t registered a Premier League goal, although he had put the ball in the back of the net three times, taking his shirt off to celebrate each time, only for all of them to be hilariously disallowed.
However, after coming on in the 84th minute with his side 3-2 down the striker bagged a 93rd-minute equalizer, inevitably he tore his shirt off in celebration thinking he had rescued a point for his side. Only for Lucas Moura to miss place a pass one minute later, playing Diogo Jota through one one-on-one and allowing him to finish calmly into the goal.
Speaking a couple of weeks after the game, talkSPORT pundit Tony Cascarino highlighted just how disappointed he was with Richarlison since his transfer.
He said:
"If you said to me, the worst player this season, the worst player for what he's got, Richarlison.
“He's been a joke this year. I don't care if he's been injured or gone away to the World Cup, yesterday he hardly tried a leg, he really looked disinterested.
"I know that obviously Antonio Conte pulled him out about his performances or a bit about he's not played well.
"I can't believe… Richarlison was the player last year that I felt was responsible as anybody for keeping Everton up, his performances at the end of last season.
“He hasn't shown any of that at Spurs.
“He's been hugely disappointing Richarlison."
This judgment on Richarlision’s season is backed up by his Sofascore rating, as the Brazilian only managed an average rating of 6.73 – the 16th highest in the squad – and to make things worse, already this season he is Tottenham’s lowest-ranked player, with an average rating of only 6.45.
This has led to his value dropping by a staggering £27m, with him now being valued at just €38.5m (£33m), this means he has had a 45% decrease in his transfer value since his £60m move.
Also speaking on talkSPORT, pundit and Aston Villa legend Gabby Agbonlahor labelled him as one of the worst signings of the season.
He said:
"You look at Richarlison, how many chances is he going to have? For me he's the flop of the season.
"He's going to cost Spurs £60million, three goals in 33 games in all competitions. A goal every ten games, one goal in 25 Premier League games, one goal since September.
"Substituted again today 59 minutes, you were a better team when he came off, flop of the season."
He also followed up by mocking his infamous celebration, he said: "No pigeon dancing is there this week? All this nonsense."
When Richarlison first moved to Watford he earned £32k-per-week but after his move to Tottenham, he is no on an astonishing £90k-per-week, meaning that last season for every goal the Brazilian scored he was paid £1.6m.
So far this season Richarlison has played in all five of Spurs’ fixtures and started in four of them, he even scored his first goal of the season in his side's League Cup defeat against Fulham. This means he is already off to a better start than last season.
The striker must try and push past his terrible performances last season and hopefully, for him, under a new manager and style of play, he can re-find the form he had at Everton.
But so far, the Conte signing has been nothing short of a shocking signing for the club.
June 12 Netherlands v Ireland, Rotterdam June 13 Netherlands v Ireland, Rotterdam June 16 Ireland v Scotland, Deventer June 17 Ireland v Scotland, Deventer June 19 Netherlands v Scotland, Amstelveen June 20 Netherlands v Scotland, Amstelveen
The Netherlands is set to host a triangular T20 series also involving Ireland and Scotland in Rotterdam, Deventer and Amstelveen, from June 12 to 20.”This tournament will become an annual event between the three strongest European cricket countries,” the Royal Dutch Cricket Association (KNCB) said in a statement.”I am so excited about the announcement of this annual tri-series T20 event with Ireland and Scotland,” said Ryan Campbell, the Netherlands coach. “I believe the three teams are evenly matched and the opportunity to play against our neighbours more often is something that we’ve been trying to put together for some time now. The matches will be action packed and this will be our first steps in preparation for the 2019 World T20 Qualifiers.”The three countries had contested the World Cup Qualifiers last month but failed to make the cut. While Netherlands did not get past the group stage, Scotland and Ireland qualified for the Super Six stage and finished fourth and fifth respectively.
Leeds United have Glasgow Rangers defensive midfielder Glen Kamara back "on the radar", and a reliable journalist has delivered an update on the future of two senior players at Elland Road.
How much did Rangers pay for Glen Kamara?
Back in 2019, Rangers purchased Kamara from Dundee FC for a reported £50,000 which is an absolute bargain and it’s fair to say that they have definitely got their money’s worth with the talisman having made a total of 193 appearances since putting pen to paper.
However, the 27-year-old was extremely out of favour last season having been handed just 12 starts in the Scottish Premiership which shows not only how low down in his manager’s pecking order he is but also that he’ll have to consider a move elsewhere should he want more regular game time, and his potential availability has alerted chiefs in Yorkshire.
Read The Latest Leeds Transfer News HERE…
Football Insider previously reported that the Whites had entered talks regarding a swoop for the Finland international, before the Daily Mail’s Transfer Confidential claimed that Daniel Farke’s side were weighing up an offer, though since then, speculation has been extremely quiet from the Championship outfit's point of view.
When asked about his star potentially completing a switch to LS11 during a recent public interview, Beale responded:
“There’s nothing in that, not at this moment”, and it looks like he left the door open to a future move for a reason if the following update is to be believed.
Are Leeds signing Glen Kamara?
Taking to X, Graham Smyth revealed that Leeds have reignited their interest in Kamara, whilst also delivering a brief update on the future of two first-team players at Elland Road. He wrote:
"Leeds United still hopeful of keeping Tyler Adams and Luis Sinisterra, despite the weekend's events. Glen Kamara back on the radar and an offer in for a striker."
Expanding in his column for The Yorkshire Evening Post, the reporter claimed that the 49ers are once again "exploring" the possibility of a swoop, because despite Adams looking like he'd stay, Bournemouth are believed to have since triggered his £20m release clause following his collapsed move to Chelsea.
Glasgow Rangers midfielder Glen Kamara.
How many goals has Glen Kamara scored?
Since the start of his career, Kamara has posted 31 goal contributions (20 assists and 11 goals) which is the aspect of his game he’s least strong in considering that he’s a defensive midfielder, but his natural role sitting in front of the backline previously saw him dubbed a “monster” by his former manager Steven Gerrard.
The StormSportsX client, who earns £21k-per-week, last season recorded an 89.4% pass success rate which was higher than any of the regular starters managed at Leeds, displaying his calmness and composure on the ball, not to mention that he also averaged one key pass per league game.
Kamara, sponsored by Nike, has additionally been recognised for his individual efforts on the international stage having been named Finland’s Footballer of the Year for 2022, so for someone who has proved themselves for both club and country, he could be a fantastic addition for Farke, and it looks as if it will be a deal to keep an eye on before the deadline.
Pakistan fast bowler Mohammad Amir insists the new 10-over format being piloted in Sharjah will have a positive effect on his bowling skills.Amir was the first player picked in the draft for Ten10 League in November, signed up Maratha Arabians. He has bowled six overs across the three matches for his franchise so far in the four-day competition at Sharjah Cricket Stadium. In that time, he has picked up just one wicket, but his economy-rate of 8.83 is relatively favourable. His two overs, which were worth 1 for 14 as Maratha Arabians defended 130 against Punjabi Legends on Saturday, were crucial to earning a semi-final place for the side.Amir reckons bowling 12 balls per game in T10 matches will make the other formats seem easy by comparison.”Definitely it will,” Amir said. “It is all about dot balls in this format. The more dot balls you bowl, the better your confidence gets. If you are not leaking runs in T10 cricket, then T20 cricket will seem like a very long format.”This is a high-pressure format, and if you do well here, you will feel less pressure in T20 cricket. In one way it is a very testing format for the bowlers.”It is very important to test your skills, because you have to think of every ball. So it is very important to bowl your yorkers and slower balls very well, because the batsmen are hitting the length balls very well.”A fast bowler has to use his pace very well and I am doing just that. I am also trying to bring in every possible variation in my bowling.”The fact Amir was the first player selected for the tournament was driven largely by Wasim Akram, who is the franchise’s mentor and coach. Ahead of the competition, Amir said he was looking forward to working with and learning from the former Pakistan left-arm quick, who is his idol.Wasim, too, backed Amir to be a match-winner in T10, and also said he expected Amir’s extended fallow spell in Test cricket to be only temporary.”As long as he has got the pace, and he is still only 25, I reckon he can get back into gear with one spell, a couple of quick wickets,” Wasim said last month. “I am not worried about him at all.”Amir, too, is optimistic about the future: “Test cricket is a totally different format. You have to bowl longer spells. Then you have the red ball to consider. Swinging conditions have to be considered. You cannot compare T20 cricket and Test cricket.”But as a professional you have to adapt to every possible condition. For Test cricket you have to have a different frame of mind, and you have to think differently in T20 cricket. Right now I am doing well thanks to Almighty Allah. My performance is getting better day by day. In cricket you have both good and bad days, but you have to keep the learning process going.”Maratha Arabians will will play their semi-final fixture against a Kerala Kings side that includes Eoin Morgan, Kieron Pollard and Shakib Al Hasan at 5.30pm on Sunday.In the other semi-final, starting at 7.45pm, Shahid Afridi’s Pakhtoons, the only undefeated team in the competition so far, will take on Punjabi Legends. The final is scheduled to start at 9.30pm. National.
West Ham United will "step up their interest in a range of players now" as they start to "make moves" in the transfer market following the sale of Declan Rice, claims journalist Paul Brown.
West Ham transfer news, what's the latest?
It was a hectic start to the transfer window this year for West Ham, not because they were signing players, but because they were negotiating the sale of club captain Rice to Arsenal for a new British record fee of £105m.
It would appear that this deal was taking up most of the East Londoners' resources as they haven't signed a single player yet, something that surely has to change going forward.
With the club now without their midfield lynchpin and flush with cash, it's hardly surprising to see that most of the players they're linked to occupy the space vacated by Rice.
A name that has followed them all the way through the Rice saga has been Fulham's Joao Palhinha.
The Portuguese international has had an unbelievable debut season in the league for the Cottagers and, because of that, has become a player that the Irons would very much like to buy as a replacement for their departed star.
Unfortunately, potentially knowing the kind of money the Hammers have, the West London side reportedly valued their star player at an eye-watering £60m, which might prove too much for West Ham, even with the Rice money burning a hole in their pocket.
Although, the Hammers have bid for Conor Gallagher, though it was rejected by Chelsea.
Earlier this month, the Guardian reported that the Conference League champions were keeping tabs on several midfielders, notably Scott McTominay, Denis Zakaria, Edson Alvarez, James Ward-Prowse, and Amadou Onana.
That said, the club wants to target other areas of the squad over the coming weeks.
What did Paul Brown say about West Ham's transfer business?
Brown outlined the areas he believed would be targeted by the Irons before saying he expects them to up their activity in the market as we advance.
Speaking to Football FanCast, he said: "I think West Ham want two midfielders, a defender and a forward if at all possible. Wherever the money stretches to buying four players, this window we'll see.
"But I think that's the ideal outcome really for West Ham and I think you'll see them start to make moves in the transfer market and step up interest in a range of players now."
Who have West Ham been linked to this summer?
On the striker front, Football Insider have reported that the Hammers have placed Armando Broja and Youssef En-Nesyri on a shortlist of forwards that they could try to sign.
It wouldn't be the first time the club have tried to bring Chelsea's Broja to the London Stadium, having had a £30m bid rejected in July 2022, per the Guardian.
The Albanian international had a quiet year compared to 2021/22 as he stayed in West London, playing just 12 Premier League games, 1 EFL Cup game and five Champions League games for the Blues.
Armando Broja
With a contract set to last until June 2028, it would likely take much more than the £30m offered last year to convince the Pensioners to sell their young striker.
On the defensive side of things, Football Insider also reported that the Hammers are currently in the 'lead' in the race to sign former Manchester United captain Harry Maguire as he's deemed excess to requirements at the Red Devils.
However, the main stumbling block for all interested parties is the player's mammoth £190,000-a-week wages, which would be more than the Irons would be willing to pay.
Whatever happens, it'll be interesting to see just how much of the Rice money West Ham reinvests into their squad this summer, but they better get a move on as they have just over a month left.
Newcastle United's summer transfer is up and running, with Sandro Tonali and Harvey Barnes enriching the ranks at St. James's Park; now, Southampton's Tino Livramento could be the next to make the move to Tyneside.
Does Tino Livramento have a buyback clause?
According to the Daily Mail, Newcastle are preparing to re-enter negotiations for the starlet after failing with their first offer, though Southampton are believed to be reluctant to sell one of their most coveted assets.
talkSPORT have also claimed that Saints will demand £50m for the 20-year-old full-back after turning down an initial £30m approach from the Magpies, and the completion of the deal now lies in whether a happy medium can be found between the respective clubs.
Having arrived at St. Mary's from Chelsea for just £5m in 2021, Livramento spent the majority of the 22/23 campaign on the sidelines, but with the Blues holding a £25m buyback clause, Southampton are demanding any further bids to eclipse that price
How good is Tino Livramento?
The five-cap England U21 international was a consistent performer for Southampton across the 21/22 campaign, earning an average Sofascore rating of 6.85 across his 28 Premier League appearances, completing 79% of his passes from his marauding role, averaging 1.9 tackles and 1.7 clearances and interceptions, and succeeding with 62% of his ground duels.
This level of precocity is exactly why Newcastle are so desperate to acquire his services, with England manager Gareth Southgate even heralding his "excellent" start to the campaign.
Livramento's former Saints teammate Theo Walcott was also left astounded by his development, even likening him to Gareth Bale, who came through the Saints youth academy before signing for Tottenham in a £12m deal in 2007.
Walcott said: "Do you know what, he reminds me a little bit of Gareth Bale when he came through as a full-back. That's a big statement of course to compare him to someone like that but just feel like his presence and the way he drives and the pace and the power and it's no surprises that you know what he's going to do."
Bale would go on to sign for Real Madrid in an £85m transfer in 2013 – a world record at the time – plundering 173 direct contributions from 258 matches and notably winning five Champions League trophies and three LaLiga titles.
It's a big call from Walcott to predict Livramento could emulate the former Wales international, but he boasts the skills to cement his stature as a "top-class" – as he has already been called by talent scout Jacek Kulig – flanker over the next decade.
Bale averaged 1.7 dribbles and 1.5 key passes per match across the duration of his career, as per WhoScored, and while Livramento only averaged 0.7 key passes and 1.1 dribbles across the 21/22 league term, there is clearly a base to his skill set that can be enhanced and shaped over the coming years.
Indeed, like the Saints youngster, Bale also started as a flying full-back becoming one of the game's great wide players. That is a path well trodden for players of a similar ilk in modern football, and Livarmento will hope he can tread along a similar path to success.
indeed, under Howe's wing at Newcastle, he could be placed into a thriving crop capable of unlocking his potential and guiding him into the top stratosphere of talent on the European stage.
Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag has recalled Raphael Varane to his starting XI for Tuesday's crunch Champions League tie with Bayern Munich.
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Varane back in from the cold
Starts alongside Harry Maguire in defence
Will come up against Harry Kane at Old Trafford
WHAT HAPPENED?
Ten Hag has raised a few eyebrows with his team selection for United's must-win Champions League tie against Bayern Munich. The Dutchman has recalled Varane to his starting XI for the first time since United's 1-0 win over FC Copenhagen in the Champions League on October 24. The Frenchman starts alongside Harry Maguire in the heart of the Red Devils' defence. Ten Hag has opted to use Jonny Evans, Luke Shaw and Victor Lindelof ahead of Varane recently and has previously said he has dropped the World Cup winner for "tactical reasons."
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THE EXPLANATION
Ten Hag explained his decision to bring Varane back in from the cold in an interview with TNT Sports before kick-off. He said: "You see his quality. We need strong defending today. He's very experienced. Together with Harry [Maguire] he will be playing in the centre-half positions. Especially against Bayern, we need to defend very strongly and as we all know, he's a very strong defender."
DID YOU KNOW?
Kane has been involved in nine goals in his last 11 appearances against United in all competitions (five goals, four assists). He could become the first English player to score a Champions League goal at Old Trafford for a team other than Manchester United.
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WHAT NEXT FOR VARANE?
United's clash with Bayern offers Varane a great opportunity to try and force his way back into the team. The defender has been linked with a move away from the club in the January transfer window but is believed to be in no rush to leave. Varane will certainly have his work cut out against Bayern, with the Bavarian giants naming a strong team including Harry Kane, Leroy Sane and Kingsley Coman.