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Former Tottenham Hotspur defender Graham Roberts has urged Gareth Bale to consider a return to Spurs during this summer’s transfer window. The Wales international netted a sublime brace during Real Madrid’s Champions League final triumph over Liverpool on Saturday but doubts continue to linger over his future at the European champions.

As such, Roberts has urged the 28-year-old to return to his former club, who have made great progress under Mauricio Pochettino in recent seasons, he tweeted: “You bloody beauty Gareth Bale get back to Spurs we’re the fans appreciate you and idiots don’t boo you and the manager wants you! Klopp just can’t get over the line these big games.”
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Former Stoke City defender Danny Higginbotham believes Dele Alli should not start in England’s opening World Cup game against Tunisia. The Three Lions are overwhelming favourites to beat the African nation in their first group stage match but Higginbotham feels Ruben Loftus-Cheek could be a much better option on the day.

Speaking on TalkSPORT, he said: The reason I’m leaving out Dele Alli, I think he’s a fantastic player, but I just think I in a game like this the middle of the pitch of going to be compact and the second he gets on the ball he’s going to be crowded out. There’s going to be very little room between the midfield and the Tunisia defence and I think the physicality of someone like Loftus-Cheek, who can pick up the ball and leave players in his wake, would suit England.”
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England interim manager Gareth Southgate has ended his short-term deal with the Football Association after supervising a 2-2 draw with Spain on Tuesday in an international friendly clash.

The former Under-23 manager took over the senior side after the FA ‘mutually agreed’ to end the deal with former manager Sam Allardyce.

England were set to get a win over Spain until a loss of concentration allowed Spain get a draw in the international friendly affair. The final international window in 2016 saw Southgate end his short time in charge on a good note. He recorded decent achievements during his time as the national team boss. England defeated Malta 2-0 and played a goalless draw against Slovenia away last month in a European World Cup qualifying campaign. In addition, the Three Lions comfortably defeated Scotland 3-0 in the same World Cup qualifier before the result against Spain. (more…)

Gareth Southgate has exceeded all expectations since his appointment as the temporary manager of the England national team and he has now been linked with the role on a permanent basis.

Southgate has led the Three Lions to victory in two of their three World Cup qualifying fixtures but England’s collapse in the dying embers of the friendly with Spain could give the FA reason to re-think any potential contract offer. (more…)

Tottenham Hotspur boss, Mauricio Pochettino is of the belief that his team should not and cannot be compared to Manchester City.

His reason was due to the difference the two clubs had especially in the area of financial powers.

While Spurs spent barely £70m on new players during the transfer window last summer, City used almost £175 million on new players, more than times two of Spurs total spending.

While City’s lineup sports a number of star players, Tottenham on the other hand, has turned their eyes towards their academy. This is particularly as the club’s financial power is limited considering the new Spurs stadium being built. (more…)

Mauricio Pochettino believes that Tottenham Hotspur will have the best stadium in the world when the construction work on their brand-new stadium completes in a couple of years.

Spurs will be moving into a new stadium, with a capacity of 61,000, for the 2018-19 campaign. Constructed at a cost of £750 million, it will be one of the world’s most expensive stadiums. It surpasses the Emirates stadium by several hundred million, while it is also slightly more expensive than the Wembley which can hold 90,000 fans. The stadium will make the club on par with West Ham and Arsenal in terms of stadium capacity. (more…)

Dane Anders Horsholt spoke up on the trending discussion as fear rise over the future of teams from Scotland, Denmark, the Netherlands, Belgium, Norway and Sweden in the Champions League.

Daily Record Sport in February exclusively announced that Celtic chief executive, Peter Lawwell has had a vital discussion with Ajax among other outfits in an attempt to fight the proposals of Europe’s elite clubs, who are attempting to drive through an invitation-only version of the European competition.

Rangers have made known their concerns of being frozen out of the Champions League by a continental cartel – describing their situation by seeing themselves as being blocked from entering the casino and having to stand outside, watching everyone else make countless millions inside. With some big clubs outside of the big money pots, you can rest assured that something will change in the near future.

Horsholt remains adamant that the Atlantic League will see the likes of Celtic and Rangers quit the SPFL for this new venture. It is not yet clear if other Scottish clubs such as Aberdeen and Hearts are involved, though reports from Denmark say there will be 12 to 16 teams in a league drawn from six countries.

During an interview with Danish newspaper BT, Horsholt said: “Yes it is true. If we do not react and voice out now, we will only be looking at the biggest clubs growing larger and stronger while it will be difficult for clubs like us to meet up.

“We must therefore look at which alternative international opportunities for Rangers, FC Copenhagen and others in the future. At this moment, it is still too early to discuss specific models, but the discussion of leagues across European borders is a theme that we look at and actively participates in.”

Claims that Europe’s biggest clubs are looking forward to squeezing out the smaller nations exist, and with the current Champions League deal set to expire in 2021, Horsholt insists the football clubs in countries that are categorized as only medium-sized in European scale have to find an alternative.

With Tottenham Hotspur set to make the biggest move in the club’s history – just down the road – Spurs fans are excited about a potentially bright future. But there will be obstacles along the way.

Tottenham’s new stadium, situated within a stone’s throw of the current ground, will seat 61,000 spectators in what appears to be both a nod to the club’s past and a dig at neighbours Arsenal. Spurs last won the league in 1961, and the number of seats exceeds Arsenal’s Emirates Stadium by 1,000 – a meaningless victory over their local rivals, but a victory nonetheless.

The real issue
Of course what really matters to the Tottenham supporters is success on the pitch. A talented young team came close last year. They finished third in the end, their poor finish to the season a result of seeing the title go elsewhere, falling below Arsenal in typical fashion on the final day. If not for the stunning success story that was Leicester City, Spurs would have likely retained the momentum to become English champions for the first time in 55 years.

With injuries and suspensions mounting up towards the end of the campaign, Mauricio Pochettino surely rued the lack of depth in his staggered squad. There’s no debating Tottenham’s title credentials would have been strengthened had they added a quality player or two in the January transfer window. But with most of the club’s finances going towards the new stadium, Spurs are in no position to take risks on big money signings.

That said, they’ve already added £11 million Victor Wanyama this summer, followed by the promising young Dutch striker Vincent Janssen for a hefty £17 million. Players are likely to be moved on, too, justifying the fees paid out. Any other additions will fit Mauricio Pochettino’s philosophy – young and hungry with a penchant to work for the team – but potential new signings will also have to suit Daniel Levy’s doctrine: in other words, be willing to work for peanuts.

Low earners
Footballers’ wages aren’t usually associated with low earning figures, but when compared to Tottenham’s European contemporaries the club spend very little in the way of pay packets. No Spurs player is thought to earn more than £100,000-a-week, which is staggering considering Andy Carroll is rumoured to make upwards of that amount at West Ham United.

The expectation is that Levy will be prepared to shell out more on wages when the new stadium is ready. With bigger attendances, revenue from ticket sales will inevitably increase and there will be more funds available to improve the team. But Tottenham fans know better than most that expectation and reality are very different things; just look how Roberto Soldado turned out…

Spurs must take on a large degree of debt in order to fund the new stadium (which is why Daniel Levy was so keen on moving to the Olympic Stadium before West Ham pounced). To prevent those debts from becoming monumental the club will sell the naming rights to the stadium, likely to bring in around £30 million a year. On top of that, hospitality tickets will be sold in advance, and deals with the NFL continue to be struck in order to aid the club’s financial growth on a global scale.

Slow progress
But this all takes time. If Tottenham fans think the club will become a financial powerhouse immediately after the move, a reality check is on the cards. Levy will be as cautious as ever for an unforeseen period of time, which – despite some questioning the chairman’s ambition in the past – has always served Spurs well. One of the key reasons Tottenham continue to linger in around the top four year in, year out, is because of Levy’s prudent business mind.

Promisingly, another steady period could potentially result in greatness. If Tottenham are careful, they will undoubtedly find themselves in an enviable financial position, which usually leads to silverware in a sport now dictated by the big spenders. If and when Spurs are able to match the likes of Manchester City and Chelsea in the wages department, their North London location and state-of-the-art new stadium could be enough to persuade the world’s best players to choose Tottenham over their league rivals. Until then, they must keep the current stars on board with the on-going project. Staying in the top four could prove crucial to immediate success at the new stadium. The sky’s arguably the limit for a club already on the up, but for now uncertainty lingers in the clouds.

Emmanuel Adebayor has confirmed that he will be leaving Crystal Palace at the end of the campaign. The Togo international joined the club only in January on a free transfer after having left Tottenham.

However, there was a lot of speculation about his future given that he signed only a six-month contract at the club. Crystal Palace may also have had reservations about the striker, who has had various disciplinary issues over the last five years. Barring a couple of good years at Arsenal, Adebayor has failed to reproduce his best form at clubs like Manchester City, Tottenham, and now at Crystal Palace.

He scored just one goal in nine appearances for the club and has confirmed that the FA Cup final against Manchester United will be his last game. Meanwhile, Crystal Palace have received good news in the form of manager Alan Pardew deciding to sign a new contract.

Even though the club only narrowly avoided relegation (and if you had used this bonus code you could have got as high as 10/1 on them to stay up), they seem to be aware that Pardew will be good for the club in the long haul. The former Newcastle manager achieved brilliant things with his former club on a limited budget. He now has the chance to get success with Crystal Palace almost immediately by winning the FA Cup.

“The journey will stop in May, but that’s not the end of my journey. It is just a stop. It will continue, wherever I go to. I will always wish this club well. It doesn’t matter if I start the Manchester United game on the bench or the gaffer decides to put me in the stands — at the end of the day we want to win it. This club wants to win it. Every player, whether they start or not or are not even in the squad of 18, want the club to win the FA Cup. It is as simple as that,” said Adebayor.

This summer, France will host the 2016 European Championship – with matches set to be played at 10 different venues across the city. Didier Deschamps’ “golden generation” are well fancied ahead of the competition and many believe it is France’s destiny to the win the tournament on home soil. We take a look at France’s group stage games and why they could emerge victorious on July 10th.

France vs Romania (Stade de France)
France will get the tournament underway on June 10th in front of an adoring crowd at the Stade de France. The hosts will want to get off to a good start and the likes of Anthony Martial, Paul Pogba and Antoine Griezmann could lead France to victory in the opening game of the competition.

At the time of writing, Coral are offering 4/11 in their Euro 2016 betting markets on Les Bleus to pick up all three points in this clash. And who knows, Deschamps’ men may be back there on July 10th to close out the competition and lift the title in front of an 80,000 capacity crowd…

France vs Albania (Stade Velodrome)
Home to Marseille, the Stade Velodrome is one of France’s oldest football stadiums and it is certainly a ground worthy of hosting the potential tournament winners. It has a capacity of 67,394 and France’s ardent supporters will all be desperately trying to get a ticket for this encounter.

Albania are widely regarded as one of the weakest sides in the competition and many believe France could score a hatful of goals – in fact, many may compete with a few of these crackers in Coral’s latest Euro 2016 preview. If nothing else, supporters should see France, priced at 3/1 in Euro 2016 betting markets, in full flight as they take another step towards the European crown.

France vs Switzerland (Stade Pierre Mauroy)
And in France’s final group stage encounter, they will face Switzerland in what could be a bit of a meaningless game. By this stage, both nations may already have secured their place in the next round of the competition but the French will be looking to inspire their supporters ahead of the knockout stages.

The Stade Pierre Mauroy is a spectacular sight and is home to Lille – who have faced Premier League side Everton in recent years. The stadium itself is rather old-fashioned but it remains a breath-taking sight and France are set to light it up with free-flowing, offensive football, especially if their place in the last-16 is already secure.