Tottenham are braced for a busy end to the summer transfer window with Ange Postecoglou eager to bring in reinforcements.
Spurs made nine changes for their Carabao Cup second-round tie at Fulham on Tuesday, but Hugo Lloris, Djed Spence, Eric Dier, Japhet Tanganga, Sergio Reguilon and Tanguy Ndombele were all absent from the matchday squad.
A much-changed starting line-up suffered a 5-3 penalty shoot-out defeat and while the club will attempt to shift the absent six players before 11pm on Friday, Postecoglou has not ruled out further incomings.
He said: “Well, I think my view around that hasn’t really changed. We need to trim the squad and get it to a more manageable state.
“Then see what is available for us to then bring in players to strengthen the squad in a couple of areas that we may need.”
Developments around right-back Spence gathered pace this week and he will join Leeds on a season-long loan with no obligation to buy, while Serie A outfit Torino could offer Tanganga regular football after they registered an interest in signing the centre-back on loan.
Ex-Spurs captain Lloris has been linked with Roma in recent days and Genoa were reported as an option for Ndombele on Tuesday but Manchester United no longer appear to be a viable suitor for Reguilon.
Reports in Germany have suggested Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund are interested in Dier, who has a year left on his deal at Tottenham.
Davinson Sanchez and Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg started at Fulham but could depart before Friday’s deadline with Tottenham looking to trim their bloated squad ahead of September 13 when a 25-man list will be submitted to the Premier League.
Incomings have not been ruled out and Spurs appear to have no direct competition for Nottingham Forest attacker Brennan Johnson, who had attracted interest from Brentford but they have turned their attention elsewhere.
It opens the door for Tottenham to move for the Welsh international with Forest ready to listen to offers around the £50million mark.
Any potential arrival of Johnson, who can play across the front three, would ease the burden on Richarlison following Harry Kane’s departure to Bayern Munich earlier this month.
Richarlison opened his account for the season with a second-half header at Fulham, but Postecoglou said of the £60million forward: “I guess because everyone has been talking about it, it is great for him to score a goal.
“I think he has played better for us in the other games. I get why other people look at it (the goals) and I understand it, but for me it is about contributing to our football and how we want to play.
“I think the goals will come. The way we play, our strikers, our attacking players, all our players will all have an opportunity to score.”
Meanwhile, Fulham boss Marco Silva was able to laugh about his old forward scoring against him after his team progressed into the third round.
Silva admitted: “It is life but Richarlison is a top guy, a top professional.
“I know and Richarlison knows as well how he has been working so, so hard to achieve and reach what he already reach in his football career.
“Of course all strikers they need goals. A striker that is replacing a player like Harry Kane probably needs to score quick to start to be more confident as well but Richarlison is already the number nine of the national team.
“He is a hard worker, a top quality player and I wish the best for him in the future.”
JPL finalists Mount Pleasant, Cavalier join teams from T&T, Dom Rep as early qualifiers for Concacaf Caribbean Cup
Reigning Jamaica Premier League champions Mount Pleasant FA and Cavalier FC have booked spots in this year’s Concacaf Caribbean Cup where they will again challenge for a berth in next year’s Concacaf Champions Cup.
By virtue of setting up a repeat of last year’s final, Mount Pleasant, hunting their second local top-flight title, and Cavalier, seeking redemption from last season’s defeat, joined three other clubs from Dominican Republic and Trinidad and Tobago as early confirmations.
This will be Mount Pleasant’s debut in the Caribbean Cup and first appearance in a Concacaf tournament, while Cavalier makes a return after an unbeaten run in the group stage, before finishing as runner-up to Suriname’s Robinhood FC. It also and earned them a debut appearance in the Concacaf Champions Cup.
From Dominican Republic, Cibao FC, will make its second appearance in the Caribbean Cup as the 2023 league champion from the Dominican Republic. Cibao has become a regular to Concacaf competitions, appearing in the 2018 Champions League and the 2020 and 2022 Concacaf League.
Based in Santiago de los Caballeros, Cibao became the first team in the history of the Dominican Republic to secure an official international title when they won the 2017 Concacaf Caribbean Club Championship.
Meanwhile, Moca FC, also out of Dominican Republic, returns for a second crack at the Caribbean Cup due to their standing in the 2023 season. Moca reached the semifinals in the previous edition and won the third-place match to qualify for the 2024 Concacaf Champions Cup, making its debut earlier this year. Gustavo Ascona is the club’s all-time leader with four goals in the competition.
Trinidad and Tobago’s AC Port of Spain will make a second appearance in the Caribbean Cup. The club will be aiming to achieved new milestones by getting their first win in the tournament and, by extension, secure a first Concacaf Champions Cup participation.
The remaining clubs in the annual 10-team tournament –that crowns a Caribbean champion and determine participants from the region for the Concacaf Champions Cup –will be determined as their respective nations wrap up their domestic seasons.
A draw will be held on June 6 to divide the teams into two groups of five.
Nice 1-2 Paris Saint-Germain: Teenager Zague scores as champions end hosts' top-four hopes
Paris Saint-Germain beat 10-man Nice 2-1 on the road in Ligue 1 on Wednesday, leaving the hosts with no chance of a top-four finish.
Bradley Barcola opened the scoring for Luis Enrique's side in the 18th minute and 18-year-old Yoram Zague added a second just five minutes later.
Nice managed to get on the scoreboard before the break as some slack PSG play allowed Jeremie Boga to play through Mohamed-Ali Cho to finish.
However, their hopes of an equaliser were dashed when Melvin Bard was sent off in the 75th minute for a dreadful foul on Barcola, who produced a lively performance in place of Kylian Mbappe, who was rested by Luis Enrique as the French champions prepare for life without him.
PSG, who have already clinched the title and are preparing for the Coupe de France final against Lyon on May 25, have 73 points, while Nice are fifth on 54 points.
With one match now remaining, Nice are four points behind fourth-placed Brest, ensuring they cannot qualify for the Champions League.
Data Debrief: Memorable day for Zague
Zague could hardly have chosen a better moment to score his first PSG goal, doing so on his 18th birthday.
He is the youngest player to score on his birthday in Ligue 1 in the last 75 years.
Atalanta 0-1 Juventus: Vlahovic strike hands Bianconeri Coppa glory
An early strike from Dusan Vlahovic earned Juventus a 1-0 win over Atalanta in the Coppa Italia final on Wednesday, as Massimiliano Allegri's side lifted their first trophy for three years.
Vlahovic put Juventus in front in the fourth minute when he latched onto a pass from Andrea Cambiaso and broke into the box, before driving his finish past goalkeeper Marco Carnesecchi.
The Serbia striker thought he had doubled Juve's lead in the 72nd minute when he nodded home from Cambiaso's cross, but that effort was disallowed for offside.
The Bianconeri had just 34 per cent of the possession and sat back for long periods, but Atalanta were unable to make their dominance of the ball count, failing to record a single shot on target from 13 attempts.
They will hope to fare better when they face Bayer Leverkusen in the Europa League final later this month, having now lost three Coppa Italia finals under Gian Piero Gasperini.
Data Debrief: Juventus on top once more
The Coppa Italia is Juventus' competition. They hold the record for most finals played (22) and won (15), and have now lifted the trophy in six of the last 10 years.
Allegri, meanwhile, has now won the Coppa on five separate occasions, surpassing Sven-Goran Eriksson and Roberto Mancini to become the competition's most successful coach outright.
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