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“What I like is communication with the players, making the players feel secure, talking to them, giving them comfort around their weaknesses and strengths”

Vishal Dikshit05-Jun-20252:53

Gill: Difficult to fill Rohit-Kohli void but it’s no additional pressure

Shubman Gill was clear in his communication. He looked comfortable and snug sitting next to the strong-headed Gautam Gambhir, the head coach, and secure and confident, no matter what kind of questions were thrown at him. He faced the media for the first time in his role as India’s new Test captain.The qualities Gill exhibited on the same stage where chief selector Ajit Agarkar announced him as Rohit Sharma’s successor less than two weeks ago are exactly what he wishes to carry into the dressing room for the five-Test tour of England: clarity and security.Related

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“There is no particular style of captaincy that I want to follow,” Gill said in Mumbai when asked about his idea of Test captaincy. “The more you play, the more experience you get. I think your personal style is more visible to the people. What I like is communication with the players, making the players feel secure, talking to them, giving them comfort around their weaknesses and strengths. There are many such things…forming a bond with the players is very important. If you are a captain of any team or a leader of any team, if your players feel very secure, only then they can give their 100%.”I have played under some amazing and terrific leaders. Rohit was very clear with his communication from what he wanted from the players. That was his great quality which I would want to inherit from him.”So as a leader, as a captain, you definitely want to be able to lead by example, by your performance and any match that you play.”Shubman Gill addressed his first press conference as India’s new Test captain•AFP/Getty Images

Gill, at 25, has been handed the “great challenge” in his own words, of starting his captaincy journey with a “big tour” of England, especially after India suffered forgettable series losses – first at home to New Zealand and then away against Australia – that cost them a place in the World Test Championship (WTC) final. Gill said he was “quite overwhelmed” when he learnt about the selectors’ decision to make him the captain, which would make him India’s fifth-youngest Test leader, and the youngest since Ravi Shastri, who was some days younger when he took over in early 1988, although only for one Test at home. As well-thought out and smooth Gill’s answers were on Thursday evening, the start of almost each one of them with “sir” served as a reminder of his tender age.”There is pressure on every tour,” Gill said, playing down the magnitude of the series that will start the new WTC cycle for India and England. “It’s tough to fill the gaps left by the experienced players who won us so many matches over the years. But there’s no different pressure as such. There’s pressure in every series and all the players are used to playing and trying to win under pressure. I think the combination of batting and bowling in our team is a very good mix of experience and talent.”Gill further explained the management had not decided on the team’s batting line-up, which would be firmed in the lead-up to the first Test starting June 20, after the preparations start in and around London. His batting position and Kohli’s successor at No. 4 remain a mystery.”We haven’t really decided on the [batting order], we still have some time,” he said. “We will be playing an intra-squad match [from June 13 to 16] and I think we will be having a 10-day camp in London. So we still have a little bit of time and I think we can decide on the batting order once we go there.”Shubman Gill: ‘Rohit was very clear with his communication from what he wanted from the players. That was his great quality which I would want to inherit from him’•AFP/Getty Images

India called up the uncapped top-order batter B Sai Sudharsan, handed a berth to 33-year-old Karun Nair, who last played a Test over eight years ago, and retained Abhimanyu Easwaran in their 18-member squad. Among allrounders, they picked Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar and Shardul Thakur apart from the proven name in Ravindra Jadeja, making it a mix of two spinners and two fast bowlers among them. Gambhir said the look of the final XI will depend on a few different factors.”It’s not just the conditions of the ground that are different [from India], overheard conditions also matter,” Gambhir said. “So after considering everything, the best playing XI will be selected [depending on] who can give us a result, whether it is a spin-bowling allrounder or a seam-bowling allrounder. So it’s not just by looking at one or two things, we have options. And more importantly, Test matches are won when you take 20 wickets. Even if you score a thousand runs, there is no guarantee of winning. But if you take 20 wickets, then you are more or less in a position where you can win a Test match.”A big factor that could also prove pivotal in India picking 20 wickets will be England’s aggressive style of play – popularly called Bazball – which they have adopted under head coach Brendon McCullum. That modus operandi is a two-edged sword that helped them race to a score like 427 for 6 in just over 80 overs against New Zealand in early December for a massive win and also led to a collapse of 143 all out barely 10 days later for the opposite result in Hamilton. Like Jasprit Bumrah told the early last year before the home Tests against England, Bazball could lead to “heaps of wickets”, Gill further said on Thursday it does give the opponents “an opportunity”.”Yes, they play a certain way,” Gill said. “I think we saw that when they came to India as well. But I think it’s very exciting for us, it gives us an opportunity, and I think it’s a great challenge. If we are very proactive with our execution and if we are proactive with our plans, I think it would put them under pressure immensely.”In ODIs and T20Is India still top the ICC rankings, led by captains who are 38 and 34 respectively. With the next WTC final still two years away, a lot rests on the unburdened shoulders of Gill, who will be only 27 by the time the next cycle ends.

When England hired Thomas Tuchel, they knew they were about to steal several headlines. Not only did the former Chelsea boss become the first foreign manager to take the role since Fabio Capello, but he also instantly stood out as a manager who has achieved great things at club level.

Gareth Southgate didn’t steal those headlines and for all his experience, neither did Roy Hodgson. Tuchel, however, is a Champions League winner who entered the Three Lions’ den with Paris Saint-Germain, Chelsea, Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich on a CV packed with moments to remember. Now, many believe that he could be the England manager to finally stop the world in its motion and end the men’s side’s wait for silverware.

Naturally, with such an illustrious career, Tuchel has coached some of the best players around European football. At Chelsea, he had N’Golo Kante and Thiago Silva. At PSG, it was even more absurd as he took charge of Kylian Mbappe and Neymar – arguably becoming the last manager to truly get the best out of the latter.

Appearances

67

Goals

51

Assists

34

His time as England manager has only continued the trend of top players. The German now has the chance to mold a golden generation into long-awaited winners in a squad which is likely to include Harry Kane, Jude Bellingham and Bukayo Saka at the 2026 World Cup – just to name a few.

Kane has already been full of praise for the manager too, telling reporters: “Thomas Tuchel is fantastic, he has settled in straight away. He is a pleasure to work for, he has brought the passion.”

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Not even Kane’s praise has been enough to soften Tuchel’s stance, however, as the veteran coach named a former Borussia Dortmund star as the best player he’s worked with.

Tuchel: "Outstanding" Dembele is best player I've worked with

Not Neymar, not Kane, not Saka and not even Mbappe could take the crown away from Ousmane Dembele as Tuchel listed off the best player that he’s worked with. Speaking to Sky Sports, Tuchel name-dropped Dembele and described the Frenchman as one of “the craziest natural talents” that he’s ever seen.

A year ago, that answer would have received a questionable response. Dembele looked like a player destined to fall below his potential and instead suffer a career summarised by injury struggles. But then things finally clicked.

From a struggling star, Dembele is now among the Ballon d’Or favourites after leading PSG to Champions League victory for the first time in their history.

Whilst others began to look past his ability, Tuchel always believed. He had the chance to work with the PSG star during the early days of his career at Dortmund and shaped a player who joined Barcelona for a staggering £135.5m. Now, years on and in the middle of a long-awaited Parisian romance, Dembele is finally proving Tuchel right.

MatériaMais Notícias

O Botafogo precisará se movimentar no mercado em busca de um nome para substituir Luís Castro. Um dos alvos cotados para assumir a vaga é Bruno Lage, treinador português de 47 anos.

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O técnico está livre no mercado desde outubro do ano passado, quando deixou de ser comandante do Wolverhampton. Antes disso, ele teve passagens por equipes como Benfica e Swansea.

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Bruno Lage foi campeão da Primeira Liga pelo Benfica em 2019 e vinha fazendo um trabalho digno no Wolverhampton no ano passado. O técnico conseguiu ficar no 10° lugar da Premier League, mas acabou sendo desligado depois de uma sequência de resultados negativos.

Os times de Bruno Lage costumam jogar no 4-4-2, com pressão na saída de bola, intensidade alta e um estilo de jogo ofensivo. O perfil de trabalho do treinador é similar ao de Luís Castro, por isso John Textor enxerga com bons sua contratação.

Ao contrário de Luís Castro e outros técnicos portugueses que trabalharam no futebol brasileiro, Bruno Lage é um comandante mais tranquilo na beira do gramado. O treinador não tem hábito de ter comportamentos explosivos e é querido pelos lugares em que trabalha.

O Botafogo busca encontrar rapidamente um substituto no mercado para vaga de Luís Castro. O time atualmente é líder do Brasileirão e está vivo na disputa da Sul-Americana. Bruno Lage cumpre os requisitos de John Textor e seria uma opção interessante para sequência da temporada.

خطف منتخب السنغال بطاقة التأهل إلى نهائيات كأس العالم 2026، بعد تصدره ترتيب المجموعة الثانية من التصفيات الخاصة بـ قارة إفريقيا.

والتقى منتخب السنغال مع منافسه موريتانيا على أرضية ملعب ديامينياديو، في إطار لقاءات الجولة العاشرة والأخيرة من تصفيات كأس العالم 2026.

وتمكن منتخب السنغال من الفوز على موريتانيا اليوم، ليصل إلى النقطة 24 نقطة من الفوز بـ7 لقاءات والتعادل 3 مرات.

في المقابل، تجمد رصيد موريتانيا عند 7 نقاط في المركز الخامس بعد تلقيها الخسارة الخامسة في التصفيات.

طالع | المنتخبات الإفريقية المتأهلة لـ كأس العالم 2026 

وفي المجموعة نفسها، يحتل الكونغو الديمقراطية المركز الثاني بـ22 نقطة، يليه السودان في المركز الثالث بـ13 نقطة، ثم توغو رابعًا بـ10 نقاط، بينما يتذيل جنوب السودان الترتيب بـ5 نقاط. ترتيب مجموعة السودان في تصفيات كأس العالم

1-السنغال – 24 نقطة

2-الكونغو الديمقراطية – 22 نقطة

3- السودان – 13 نقطة

4- توجو – 8 نقاط

5- موريتانيا – 7 نقاط

6- جنوب السودان – 5 نقاط

Tottenham Hotspur’s ambitions of strengthening the first-team squad this summer have been brought into question over recent weeks – and rightly so given the lack of activity.

Mohammed Kudus and Mathys Tel have been the only two senior first-team additions during the off-season, with Joao Palhinha also joining the Lilywhites during the off-season.

However, given the side’s lowly Premier League finish of 17th in 2024/25, new boss Thomas Frank would surely have wanted further reinforcements to help bolster his squad.

Morgan Gibbs-White was once seen as the club’s biggest target, but in typical Daniel Levy fashion, he was unable to get a deal over the line – with the Englishman subsequently penning a new deal at Nottingham Forest.

Such a deal isn’t the only one the owner has scuppered in recent weeks, but the latest one has certainly been inexplicable given the situation around the potential transfer.

Spurs’ failed pursuit of Eberechi Eze this summer

Eberechi Eze was seen as Spurs’ alternative to Gibbs-White this summer, making key moves with Crystal Palace to complete a move for the 27-year-old.

It was reported last week that the player himself was keen on a move to join Frank’s side, with the prospect of Champions League football undoubtedly appealing to the attacking midfielder.

Talks were at an advanced stage, on the player’s side and between the two sides, leading to a £60m deal being in place for Eze to move to the Lilywhites for the 2025/26 season and beyond.

However, despite all the work conducted for the Eagles star’s signature, their failure to complete a deal has seen rivals Arsenal swoop in and take the player from their clutches.

A total agreement has been reached between Eze and the Gunners, with the England international missing the Europa Conference League qualifier against Fredrikstad to finalise his transfer.

As a result, the Lilywhites hierarchy desperately need to delve back into the market to land other targets, with the September 1st deadline rapidly approaching on the horizon.

The latest on Spurs’ hunt for an Eze alternative

After missing out on the Englishman’s signature, Spurs have turned their attention to his compatriot, Morgan Rogers, in an attempt to bolster the number ten position.

However, after making enquiries to land the 23-year-old this summer, it appears a deal could be unlikely, with Aston Villa currently demanding around £80m for his signature.

He’s not the only player currently in their sights at present, with Frank’s side ramping up their efforts to land Manchester City star Savinho, according to The Times.

Their article states that the Lilywhites could be set to return to talks with Pep Guardiola’s side over a move for the Brazilian, after previously entering negotiations to land the 21-year-old this summer.

It also claims that the Citizens don’t want to lose the Brazilian before the end of the window, but could listen to offers in the region of £60m for the attacker who notched 14 goal contributions in 2024/25.

Why Spurs’ £60m target would be a better signing than Eze

Missing out on Eze, to a direct rival too, will undoubtedly be a bitter blow to the Spurs faithful, which has no doubt fuelled their disappointment towards owner, Levy.

He desperately needs to land a new talent or two within the final days of the transfer market to bolster the side, subsequently handing Frank the tools he needs to push for success in England’s top-flight.

It’s evident that money is available to spend, as seen by the moves for Eze and Gibbs-White, but this time around, the owner needs to be meaningful in his dealings to complete any signings.

The club are still being linked with various top-level players, as seen by their attempts to land Rogers, but it seems more likely at present that a deal for Savinho is more achievable this summer.

A deal for the Brazilian, whilst being an expensive one, would allow for a versatile option, with the youngster able to operate in central and wide areas when called upon.

Should talks progress, it would see the hierarchy spend a similar fee on Savinho as they would’ve with Eze, but they would be getting a talent six years younger in the process.

Despite his tender age, the City star managed to outperform the soon-to-be Arsenal man in numerous key areas, showcasing why he’d be a better addition for the immediate and long-term future.

How Savinho & Eze compared in the PL (2024/25)

Statistics (per 90)

Savinho

Eze

Games played

29

34

Goals & assists

9

16

Shot on target accuracy

38%

27%

Pass accuracy

81%

74%

Key passes made

2.4

2

Passes into the 18-yard box

2.4

1.3

Take-ons completed

2.7

2.3

Progressive carries

7.1

2.4

Carries into the 18-yard box

3.8

0.7

Stats via FBref

Savinho, who’s been dubbed “incredible” by current boss Guardiola, posted a higher shot on target rate in the Premier League last season, subsequently providing the side with an added threat in front of goal.

However, whilst goalscoring is partly important for a supporting player in Frank’s system, chance creation is something that is crucial – a talent which the Brazilian possesses in abundance.

He bettered Eze for key passes and passes into the opposition box per 90, tallies which highlight his ability to either find the net alone, or provide golden chances for those around him.

Whilst the aforementioned assets are two of the 21-year-old’s strong points, he’s also showcased his superb dribbling ability at the Etihad – registering more take-ons and progressive carries per 90 – allowing him to beat the opponents before putting the finishing touches on any attack.

There’s no denying the Eze saga will leave a sour taste in the mouth of the Spurs faithful, but it could prove to be a blessing if they can land a deal for Savinho.

In his first year in English football, he’s already demonstrated his top-level quality, able to develop further during Frank’s tenure and potentially catapult the side to added glory in the years ahead.

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Tottenham still have a few key items on their transfer agenda, and luckily for chairman Daniel Levy, weeks remain before the deadline day timer runs out on September 1.

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Spurs have already spent around £112 million on the signings of Kevin Danso, Mathys Tel, Kota Takai and Mohammed Kudus this summer, and that number really should be closer to £172 million, if not for Nottingham Forest blocking Morgan Gibbs-White’s £60m switch to Spurs two weeks ago.

Son Heung-min

7.00

James Maddison

6.98

Pedro Porro

6.95

Dominic Solanke

6.84

Dejan Kulusevski

6.83

via WhoScored

The Lilywhites could still sign Gibbs-White, but may end up paying more compensation to sweeten the deal and loosen Forest’s legal stranglehold on the player (Stefan Borson).

As Forest maintain their stalemate with Tottenham over Gibbs-White, following their unhappiness over an alleged ‘illegal approach’, Spurs do have their eyes on other targets for different areas of the squad.

According to reliable journalist Ben Jacobs this week, Brentford striker Yoane Wissa is still in their sights, despite rival interest from Forest and Newcastle United, with Tottenham also believed to be in talks for the Congolese.

Alongside Wissa, Tottenham are in the market for a number six, but they’ll need to offload one of their current abundance of central midfielders, which will most likely be Yves Bissouma (Alasdair Gold).

Bayern Munich’s Joao Palhinha is apparently one of many targets being considered by Thomas Frank and co in that regard (Alasdair Gold), but they’re also keen on a new cenre-back.

The Telegraph reported earlier this week that they’re weighing up a move for Crystal Palace star Marc Guehi, who’s now entered the final 12 months of his contract, and the centre of defence is a position actively being looked at.

Frank already has Micky van de Ven, Cristian Romero, Radu Dragusin, Luka Vuskovic and Danso as options in that area, and it would’ve been six centre-backs if Ashley Phillips hadn’t sealed a loan move back to Stoke City earlier this week.

Vuskovic could also depart on a loan deal, but that would still leave Spurs with four senior centre-backs – perhaps indicating that there is still uncertainty surrounding Romero’s future.

Crystal Palace prepared to sell Marc Guehi amid Tottenham interest

Now, as per GiveMeSport, an update has emerged on the future of Guehi as Tottenham continue to register an interest in the England international.

The Lilywhites had a club-record £70 million bid rejected for Guehi in January, as widely reported, but the defender’s contract situation means that Eagles chairman Steve Parish could now let him go for £45 million.

Palace are apparently open to offers for Guehi before deadline day, with Spurs, Liverpool and Newcastle all keen, so this could be one to watch as the 25-year-old’s future becomes one of the main talking points in the last few weeks of this window.

“There is a price and a situation where we might consider it,” Parish told BBC Sport last summer.

“Somebody [in another interview] said he is a superstar, so somebody has got to pay superstar money. Realistically, he is homegrown, 24 years old and a sensational talent – so somebody has to make it difficult for us. At the moment, it isn’t.”

Now, the situation has changed, and Parish is very unlikely to get ‘superstar money’ with Palace facing the prospect of losing him for free in 2026.

It’s already been a very busy summer for Glasgow Rangers at Ibrox, but that trend is showing no sign of slowing down.

So far, Russell Martin has been unveiled as the new manager, while seven new signings have been made, with Djeidi Gassama the latest player to arrive, joining for a reported fee of £2.2m earlier this week.

However, they are far from satisfied just yet, with a more experienced player now being targeted once again.

Rangers' pursuit of a new centre-back

It may still only be mid-July, but Rangers’ season begins in just four nights’ time.

Transfer Focus

Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.

On Tuesday, the Light Blues will welcome Panathinaikos to Ibrox for the first leg of their Champions League second qualifying round tie, before the duo meet again at the Spyros Louis Olympic Stadium in Athens eight nights later.

As outlined by Martin McMillan of the Glasgow Times, Rangers must have submitted their squad for the tie to UEFA by 11 o’clock on Thursday night, albeit two players can be added up to 24 hours before kick off.

With that last part in particular in mind, the Daily Record is reporting that Rangers are pushing to sign Conor Coady, desperate to have him available for the Panathinaikos tie.

They note that the England international has been denied permission to secure a move to Rangers for now, although ‘cash-strapped’ Leicester are still determined to move on one of their highest earners, having now ‘earmarked’ a replacement.

Thus, the Gers have not given up hope of securing Coady’s signature before the deadline, but face a serious race against time.

Why signing Conor Coady is so important for Rangers

Of course, Rangers want to beat Panathinaikos to keep their Champions League qualification hopes alive, but victory would also guarantee, at worst, a spot in the Europa League.

Meanwhile, defeat to the Greek side could see them end up in the Conference League, or possibly without any league phase football at all, which would be catastrophic.

Should they end up celebrating victory come full time in Athens on 30 July, the Light Blues could then face RB Salzburg, Fenerbahçe, Nice, Club Brugge, Benfica or others in later rounds, so Coady’s top-level experience would prove invaluable.

Martin, a former centre-back himself of course, may not be feeling ultra-confident about his current options in that position.

John Souttar

28

2022

94

Ben Davies

29

2022

58

Clinton Nsiala*

21

2024

13

Robin Pröpper*

31

2024

43

Leon King

21

2020

42

Nasser Djiga

22

2025

Zero

Emmanuel Fernandez

23

2025

Zero

*expected to leave the club.

**King made his senior debut in 2020.

Of the players in the table above, it is expected that both Clinton Nsiala and Robin Pröpper will depart, while Ben Davies has been tipped to be on the move too.

With youngster Leon King unlikely to be trusted, that leaves John Souttar and new duo Nasser Djiga and Emmanuel Fernandez as Martin’s centre-back options for a season-defining Champions League tie.

Playing Fernandez in particular would surely be a risk, considering he is just 23 years old, having made only 71 senior appearances to date, the vast majority of which have come at EFL League One level.

Coady, on the other hand, has 485 senior club appearances to his name, of which 198 have come in the Premier League and 18 in the Europa League, on top of his ten England caps.

Tim Spiers of the Athletic praised Coady’s outstanding leadership qualities, while Sean Dyche, who was his manager at Everton, heralded his “immaculate” professionalism and lauded him as a “high-quality footballer”.

So, we all know that Coady would bring some vital experience to Rangers’ back line, but let’s assess how his statistics compare to Fernandez?

Appearances

43

42

Minutes

3,103

3,407

Accurate long passes %

49.6%

28.6%

Interceptions

0.6

0.8

Tackles

0.6

1.1

Clearances

3.2

6

% of ground duels won

57.2%

55.1%

% of aerial duels won

51.9%

64.2%

As the table outlines, Coady and Fernandez’s statistics are very similar across the given timeframes, albeit it’s worth considering that the former was plying his trade in the Championship and then the Premier League, with the latter in EFL League One.

For context, according to Global Football Rankings, England’s top three tiers are the first, 11th and 53rd strongest leagues in the world, representing a huge drop-off between tiers two and three.

Thus, it is clear that signing Coady would represent a major coup for Rangers, and doing so before Monday would exponentially increase their chances of progressing past Panathinaikos.

Better move than Gassama: Ibrox target wants to sign for Rangers this week

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أكد رودريجو جوس، نجم نادي ريال مدريد، أنه كان واثقًا من مشاركته بشكل أساسي يوم أمس الثلاثاء أمام أوليمبيك مارسيليا في بطولة دوري أبطال أوروبا، وذلك في ظل عمله الكبير طوال الفترة الماضية.

وعول مدرب نادي ريال مدريد، تشابي ألونسو، على خدمات رودريجو بشكل أساسي كجناح أيسر خلال مواجهة الفريق الملكي مع مارسيليا لحساب مرحلة الدوري من دوري الأبطال على ملعب سانتياجو برنابيو.

واستطاع ريال مدريد الفوز على مارسيليا بهدفين مقابل هدف واحد، حيث سجل هدفي الفريق الملكي كيليان مبابي من ركلتي جزاء.

اقرأ أيضًا .. كورتوا يكشف عن تعليمات ألونسو بين شوطي مباراة ريال مدريد ومارسيليا

وأشار رودريجو في تصريحات إلى شبكة دازن، إلى أنه يستمتع حقًا بالعمل إلى جانب زميله في ريال مدريد، كيليان مبابي.

وقال رودريجو: ”كنت أعلم أنني قادر على اللعب بفضل العمل الذي بذلته هذه الأيام، أنا مستعدٌ عندما تتاح لي الفرصة”.

وعن اللعب بجانب كيليان مبابي، أضاف رودريجو في حديثه: “ما مدى انسجامي مع مبابي؟ لطالما قلت إنه من دواعي سروري اللعب مع كيليان، لدينا ترابط رائع، ونتعاون كثيرًا حتى في التدريبات”.

وأوضح رودريجو: ”إنه في قمة تألقه وآمل أن يستمر على هذا المنوال وأن يواصل تسجيل الكثير من الأهداف”.

وعن دوره الدفاعي خلال مواجهة مارسيليا اختتم الدولي البرازيلي: ”اضطررت للدفاع كثيرًا منذ أن كنت مع كارلو أنشيلوتي وهذا لم يتغير بالنسبة لي”.

Chelsea have plenty of work to get on with as the window kicks off in earnest and have now put a bid in for a talented defender despite preparing for the Club World Cup, according to a report.

Chelsea prepare for Club World Cup opener

Despite the Premier League campaign only ending a matter of weeks ago, Chelsea are in action on Monday against Los Angeles FC as they look to claim the Club World Cup title this summer.

Making a swift start on the market, the Blues have brought in Liam Delap, Dario Essugo, Estevao, Mamadou Sarr and Kendry Paez, and they are unlikely to stop there in another few months of upheaval at Stamford Bridge.

Assessing Enzo Maresca’s sizeable rebuild in West London, Claude Makelele believes Chelsea are on the right track as they aim to close the gap between themselves and some of their Premier League rivals.

Hugo Ekitike has been tipped to follow Liam Delap to Chelsea by Florian Plettenberg, albeit Liverpool also have designs on the forward amid his progress at Eintracht Frankfurt.

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Stuttgart’s Nick Woltemade is also in the frame to add competition through the middle, signifying that Maresca would have some pretty exciting competition to pick from between either of the pair, Delap, and Nicolas Jackson.

On the contrary, reports suggest that Chelsea have now turned their attention to a defender who they have reportedly put a bid in for and received a reply, per recent developments.

Chelsea receive reply to Mario Gila bid

According to Il Messaggero, Chelsea have seen a £29.8m bid turned down for Lazio defender Mario Gila, with Bournemouth seeing an offer of their own turfed out for the ex-Spain Under-21 international.

Paris Saint-Germain and Tottenham Hotspur are also in the race for his signature, though the Serie A giants are said to be holding out for £42.5 million before considering a sale.

Five similar players to Mario Gil (FBRef)
Levi Colwill	Chelsea
Jan Paul van Hecke	Brighton & Hove Albion
Benjamin Pavard	Inter Milan
Strahinja Pavlovic	Milan
Anthony Rouault	Rennes

He has won over the likes of Maurizio Sarri in the past, and it is easy to see why given the Barcelona-born defender scored twice in 43 appearances for Lazio across the campaign gone.

Maintaining an element of dominance, Gila won 37 tackles and 67 aerial duels on Serie A duty, lending credence to why Chelsea have identified him as the man to shore up their backline.

With two years left on his contract, it remains to be seen whether Lazio retain their star man or risk losing him for less money as his market value begins to dwindle.

An English manager has never won the Premier League. In fact, the only Brits to get their hands on the illustrious trophy have been Sir Alex Ferguson and Sir Kenny Dalglish. But that’s not to say England hasn’t been blessed with some of the most talented and charismatic coaches football has ever seen.

The fact that English football proudly created managers like Alf Ramsey, Bob Paisley and Brian Clough only for their successors at the top level to later create such a dismal Premier League record makes it all the more bizarre.

In the Premier League era, Sir Bobby Robson and Kevin Keegan particularly stand out, but the truth is that England’s best products came before the top flight received a new lick of paint.

Before Robson and Keegan, the likes of Ramsey and Paisley etched their legacies into English football history. Paisley’s name still echoes around Anfield as one of the most successful managers in their incredible history, whilst Ramsey remains the last manager to win silverware with England – winning the 1966 World Cup.

Bob Paisley

Liverpool

Sir Alf Ramsey

Ipswich, England, Birmingham

Sir Bobby Robson

Fulham, Ipswich, England, PSV, Sporting, Porto,

Barcelona, Newcastle

Kevin Keegan

Newcastle, Fulham, England, Man City, Newcastle

Roy Hodgson

Inter, Blackburn, Udinese, Finland, Fulham,

Liverpool, West Brom, England, Crystal Palace, Watford

Out of all those names, from Paisley to Hodgson, one manager who doesn’t get enough credit at times is Keegan. But the iconic David Ginola wasted no time before giving his former boss his flowers.

Ginola: Keegan made Newcastle feel "invincible"

The man who took Newcastle United closest to the Premier League title, Keegan is unfortunate to be known for his famous “I would love it if we beat them” rant, but the story behind that infamous interview is even more dramatic.

Labelled “The Entertainers”, Keegan’s Newcastle side finished second and third in their first seasons back in the top flight before going toe-to-toe with Ferguson’s Manchester United side.

Ginola and Les Ferdinand were among those to arrive in a £16m spending spree, and the Magpies soon found themselves 10 points clear at Christmas.

By the time that March arrived and United came to town to secure victory, however, Newcastle’s lead had been cut to just four points following the beginning of a collapse. Stan Collymore then famously closed in at Anfield a month later to hand Keegan another defeat.

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It was then Ferguson’s suggestion that Nottingham Forest could hand Newcastle preferential treatment due to their meeting for Stuart Pearson’s testimonial which sparked Keegan’s infamous rant. In the end though, as much as he wished it to happen, Newcastle could not find a way to beat United to the title in the 1995/96 campaign.