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Kevin Phillips has claimed that Tottenham Hotspur chairman Daniel Levy will be ‘jumping for joy’ after Jose Mourinho was appointed as the Roma manager.

The Lowdown: Mourinho finds new club

After leaving Spurs shortly before the Carabao Cup final against Manchester City, Mourinho has not taken too long at all to find another club to manage.

The Portuguese boss has gone back to the Serie A after previously managing Inter Milan, this time to take charge of AS Roma.

The Daily Telegraph have since reported that Mourinho’s move will save the North London club £13m in severance pay.

The Latest: Phillips claims Levy will be buzzing

Phillips, who is now a pundit after serving as a Premier League icon throughout his footballing career, has since given his say to Football Insider on the move, and what it has meant for the Lilywhites going forward:

“Daniel Levy is jumping for joy.

“He’s saved himself a fortune there.

“I am not overly surprised because he loves football, you can hear that in his interviews. If he had an opportunity I always thought he would jump straight back in. He loves football and Roma are a very big club.

“He has jumped straight back on the horse and credit to him because lots of managers would take a break.

“It’s fantastic news for Tottenham though because it saves them upwards of £10million.”

The Verdict: Losing Mourinho a good move financially

Losing Mourinho has certainly benefitted THFC financially given the money that they have saved from him finding a new job almost straight away.

That money could now be used in finding a new manager, or add to the transfer budget when the summer window comes along.

Although the timing was a bit strange, right before a major final that could have ended their trophy drought, Ryan Mason will now get the opportunity to show what he can do until the end of the season, when the manager hunt will surely hot up now Levy has an extra £13m he thought he would never see again just a few day ago.

In other news, find out which manager Spurs have held talks with recently here!

Speaking exclusively to The Transfer Tavern, former Premier League midfielder Lee Hendrie believes concerns over Celtic’s transfer budget could be holding up Eddie Howe’s move to the club.

Howe has long been linked with Celtic as they look to replace Neil Lennon but nothing has yet been made official.

The former Bournemouth boss may be holding out for a Premier League opportunity, with some reports suggesting that he could be in line for the Crystal Palace job.

Hendrie also thinks the possibility of not being able to bring in the players he wants could be causing issues.

Discussing Celtic’s pursuit of Howe in an exclusive interview with TT, the Sky Sports pundit said:

“I think that’s why it’s taken a little bit longer to get a manager back into the door. You know, ‘What have I got to go and bring new players in? What have I got that I can [use to] compete against Rangers?’

“It seems to be that there’s a problem or there isn’t enough that is attracting managers in to say, ‘Well, I can bring new players in, we’re going to rebuild this football club’ and that possibly will be why there isn’t a manager in that door at the moment.”

Given how far off Celtic were from their city rivals this season, it is probably to be expected that any incoming manager would want reassurances regarding the transfer budget. So it would not be a surprise if an issue surrounding that was holding up Howe’s move to the Bhoys.

Newcastle United are reportedly eyeing a stunning move to bring Adam Armstrong back to St. James’ Park once the summer transfer window opens.

The Lowdown: Newcastle need Wilson back-up

It is clear that the North East club need sufficient cover for Callum Wilson up top, especially when the former AFC Bournemouth ace finds himself injured for long spells like he has done at times so far in the 2020/21 term.

Wilson has scored no fewer than 12 goals in total over all competitions this season, while between Joelinton, Andy Carroll and Dwight Gayle, they have eight (Transfermarkt), showing that the Tyneside club need to find a player much more reliable in front of goal.

The Latest: Newcastle consider Armstrong

As per The Sun, Steve Bruce’s team are considering signing Armstrong after he was let go by the Magpies a few years ago.

However, they face competition from West Ham United, Everton, Brighton and Hove Albion and Fulham to sign the Blackburn Rovers striker, who is valued at £25m.

The Verdict: Newcastle must sign Armstrong

The Toon must be looking to sign Armstrong at all costs, as they desperately need better cover in the forward area.

Although he has been playing in the EFL Championship, Armstrong’s stats are still very impressive, with 34 goal contributions in 43 games in total across all competitions this campaign (Transfermarkt).

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Rovers manager Tony Mowbray has been full of praise for his prized asset, calling him a ‘brilliant’ player back in April after netting a hat-trick in a heroic performance, and at 24 years of age, he still has a lot of potential to improve.

Nonetheless, given that Armstrong knows what it means to play for NUFC, they should have no qualms in bringing the Englishman back home.

In other news, find out which ‘eloquent’ manager Newcastle are chasing here!

Southampton will be looking to make it three home wins on the bounce when they take on Leeds United at St Mary’s on Tuesday evening, with Saints fans returning to their home ground after restrictions were eased earlier this week.

Freed from the pressure of potential relegation, Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side have picked up impressive 3-1 wins against Crystal Palace and Fulham in the last week, but they will be in for a tough game later against Marcelo Bielsa’s in-form Leeds side.

The Yorkshire club thrashed Burnley 4-0 at Turf Moor last time out and have lost just one of their last nine Premier League games.

Here’s how Football FanCast expects Hasenhuttl to line up against Leeds, with three changes from the side which started against Fulham on Saturday…

Alex McCarthy keeps his place in goal after a solid return performance against Fulham.

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There is one change in defence, as after recovering from his ankle injury, it seems likely that Jan Bednarek will resume his partnership with Jannik Vestergaard at centre-back.

There are two changes in midfield as, after some less than impressive recent displays, Nathan Redmond and Takumi Minamino – the latter once dubbed a “machine” by Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp – drop to the bench.

Nathan Tella replaces Redmond on the left, whilst Stuart Armstrong moves out to the right-hand side after featuring in the middle alongside James Ward-Prowse in recent weeks, which allows Oriol Romeu to make his return from injury in central midfield.

Despite a slight injury concern, it has been confirmed that Danny Ings is good to start, and he is likely to partner the in-form Che Adams up front.

In other news… Hasenhuttl must unleash Southampton’s “biggest talent” against Leeds, he’s destined for the top

Tottenham Hotspur could be about to do something for the first time in over six years…

What’s the word?

According to Italian news outlet Tuttosport, Spurs are interested in bringing former Juventus general manager Fabio Paratici to North London this summer.

The Athletic have previously suggested that Daniel Levy could look to appoint a new director of football, something he has not done since the departure of Franco Baldini in 2015.

Paratici is very close to Spurs’ mooted managerial target Antonio Conte, who left Inter Milan this week after winning the Serie A title. Reports suggest the pair have remained in touch since their time in Turin.

Imagine him and Conte

A move such as this one would signal a significant change in direction at the Lilywhites, moving back to a more foreign model that we tend to see in Italy and Germany.

In recent years, the bulk of all club decisions have been made between Levy and technical performance director Steve Hitchen but there is a void between them and what happens on the pitch.

This is where Paratici could come in, and given his relationship with Conte, the Spurs chairman could well be onto a winner by eyeing the pair of them for his vacant roles.

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His chances of securing Paratici have been increased since it was officially announced that the 48-year-old would be leaving the Serie A giants after 11 seasons.

Paratici is widely considered to be one of the masterminds behind the golden era at the Allianz Stadium, where Juventus secured 19 trophies under his tenure, as well as bringing big names like Cristiano Ronaldo to the club.

“Fabio has written the history of Juventus in recent years,” claimed president Andrea Agnelli. “A journey characterised by professionalism, self-sacrifice and many successes. Nineteen trophies in 11 years are the best testimony of his work, which is fully part of the long tradition of our club. Today is the time to thank him for having been able to create a strong professional bond, accompanied by daily passion.”

Conte steered the Italian side to three league titles and two Supercoppa Italianas during his time under the long-serving general manager and has since continued his successful managerial career, adding a Premier League title and FA Cup triumph with Chelsea to his record as well as winning this season’s Serie A with Inter.

Given their history of success, this could be exactly what Spurs need considering they have not won anything since 2008, yet have gone close on more than one occasion.

Paratici and Conte has been a very lucrative partnership before, so Levy could do no wrong in sealing the pair of them to help transform the perennial North London strugglers into a club the fans will be proud of.

AND in other news, Spurs surely risk losing Harry Kane after talks with “pathetic” coach with 30% win rate in the PL…

Wolverhampton Wanderers without Nuno Santo will be a strange sight.

He and Fosun have completely changed the way this team and Molineux are seen. They’ve been transformed from a mid-table Championship side to an outfit with heavy European ambitions.

Unfortunately, Wolves didn’t come anywhere close to achieve those goals this term, finishing in the bottom half of the Premier League.

Therefore, a fresh start could be beneficial. It’ll give the club an opportunity to reset and work out where they want to go in the future.

Jorge Mendes has delved into his deep book of clients to suggest both Bruno Lage and Paulo Fonseca but Frank Lampard is also reportedly on their radar.

However, no one commands more respect or has a bigger aura in the game than a certain Rafa Benitez.

Speaking exclusively to Football FanCast this week, former Newcastle defender Steve Howey suggested he’d be a good appointment for the Old Gold: “I would imagine that somebody like Rafa Benitez will be inundated with offers, but whether they are offers from Premier League teams, I’m not too sure.

“[Wolves are] obviously a club that has turned around its fortunes brilliantly and they seem to be quite a well run club who appear to have some financial backing. So again, I wouldn’t disregard that idea of somebody like Rafa going there.”

The former Newcastle boss is currently out of management following a spell in China and is seeking a return to English football.

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A Champions League-winning manager with Liverpool, the Spaniard has a habit of attracting trophies, taking home the Europa League with Chelsea and securing the Club World Cup at Inter Milan. That’s without forgetting the two La Liga titles he won with Valencia earlier in his career.

Benitez is one of the most endearing managers around and with no compensation package required, this feels like a no-brainer for Wolves.

A master on the training ground, his meticulous attention to detail could be what’s required in order to take them to the next level.

During his time at Newcastle, Benitez’s training sessions would usually last 60-90 minutes, with a large emphasis on exercises related to game preparation and tactics. 80% of the session would be work undertaken with the ball, while the other 20% would be focused solely on fitness and conditioning.

The former Liverpool boss is also big on using analytics. In Merseyside, the 61-year-old used a Spanish tool called Amisco, an app that’s now merged with Prozone and Opta.

Adept at feeding his players intricate levels of detail, it could prove the difference in improving a number of Wolves players. After all, there is plenty of potential to be extracted from the likes of Fabio Silva and Adama Traore, two individuals who may benefit from more emphasis on the training pitch.

Benitez might not be a coach seeking a long-term project but that shouldn’t deter Fosun from considering him for the vacant position. After all, this is a coach hailed by Pep Guardiola and loved by Jurgen Klopp, someone who called him a “fantastic manager”

He is somebody who’d instantly command the respect of the dressing room.

AND in other news, Imagine him & Lage: Shi can form a magical Wolves duo by signing “powerful” £26m gem…

Both Wolves and Nuno Espirito Santo are yet to find their next path on their journey in football and when the former boss finds his new challenge, Wolves legend Steve Bull believes that some players may want to follow him.

Nuno was reportedly not actively looking to get straight back into management, however, since Carlo Ancelotti’s unexpected departure from Everton and following talks with Crystal Palace, the former Wolves manager has been strongly linked with a quick return to the Premier League

It would be a different sort of challenge for Nuno as he would be operating without the help of Jorge Mendes in the transfer market but he could have a lot more money to spend, which could see him raid his former club.

There has been a lot of managers linked with both the Everton and Palace job but Wolves fans will be hoping it isn’t Nuno because he had such a strong bond with the squad that he could potentially look to tempt them away from Molineux, something Bull exclusively told Football FanCast:

“It could be like a can of worms now because wherever Nuno goes he could end up taking one or two players with him.”

Someone that Wolves are reportedly willing to sell this money is Ruben Neves, despite him being the main focal point in their side. Wolves are willing to do business at around the £35 million price mark this summer.

The money would hopefully be put back into the first team and allow them to improve the overall side with a couple of additions at the cost of selling one of their star players.

Jetro Willems has made it no secret that he would love to return to Newcastle United this summer now that he is a free agent and former Magpies defender Steve Howey believes that a deal could be struck.

Newcastle brought in Jamal Lewis last summer from Norwich City but he struggled for consistency and to adapt quickly enough, which saw Steve Bruce not start him in any of the last 11 league games.

If Willems doesn’t ask for a huge wage packet then there may be some talks taking place as Bruce brought the defender to Tyneside in 2019 on loan, and he impressed before picking up a season-ending injury.

It would be a move that Newcastle fans would love and appreciate as Willems showcased his qualities at both ends of the pitch, and Howey believes that if everyone is sensible then a deal could be done, as he told Football FanCast exclusively:

“There are definitely positives for him to come back and if you listen to his interviews and things that come out in the press, he wants to come back. I’m sure if everybody’s sensible then it could be something which can make everybody happy.”

During Newcastle’s upturn in form last season which saw them lose just two of their last nine league games, Bruce opted to play Matt Ritchie as a wing-back which brought about a lot of success as his deliveries were usually very accurate and he wasn’t afraid to get the ball into the box having attempted the most crosses at the club.

Whoever Bruce signs this summer may give an indication as to what formation he wants to play next season, with the three at the back working wonders to get the Magpies out of relegation trouble during the previous campaign.

Former Premier League manager Lawrie Sanchez has exclusively told Football FanCast that David Moyes was in talks about returning to Everton back in 2019.

Moyes spent 11 years at Goodison Park before eventually leaving to become the Manchester United boss once Alex Ferguson retired back in 2013.

Six years later, however, Sanchez claims that the Scotsman came close making the switch back to Merseyside.

Having led West Ham to a 13th-place finish during his first spell at the London Stadium before getting the sack, Moyes had been out of management for around 18 months.

And with Everton sacking Marco Silva following their poor start to the 2019-2020, the ex-Northern Ireland boss said that Moyes was being considered to replace the Portuguese.

However, less than three weeks after Silva was removed from his position at Goodison Park, the Toffees appointed Carlo Ancelotti as his replacement following Duncan Ferguson’s unbeaten stint as caretaker.

As for Moyes, who’s been linked with a return to Everton in recent weeks, he went back to West Ham for his second spell later that month and guided the club to safety before bringing European football back to east London last season.

But it could have been so different for the 58-year-old manager, according to Sanchez.

He told Football FanCast:

“As I understand it, before Ancelotti went there, they were talking to him about going there.”

According to Football Insider, there are a trio of English clubs interested in signing Glasgow Rangers defender Borna Barisic.

The Lowdown: Gers players attracting attention

The past campaign was a magnificent one for all involved at Ibrox as the Gers won the Premiership, their first major trophy in 10 years, without losing a single game in the competition (BBC).

As such, the 55-time Scottish champions’ players are likely to attract plenty of attention from the rest of the continent over the summer.

The Latest: PL trio eye Barisic

Now, it is being reported that three Premier League sides, Arsenal, Wolves and Aston Villa are all interesting in signing Barisic.

The clubs were set to assess the 28-year-old during Croatia’s opening Euro 2020 clash with England, but Barisic was unable to play due to injury.

The Verdict: Deserving of interest

While there were plenty of star performers for Steven Gerrard throughout the 2020/21 campaign, few were as important to the side’s success as Barisic. He made 50 appearances in all competitions for the Gers, and showed his attacking threat by scoring five goals and providing a further 14 assists (Transfermarkt).

Reportedly valued at £12m (The Athletic), Gerrard has been aware of Barisic’s ability for a while – he called him “magic” after a goal the left-back scored in 2019 (via the42.ie). As the Gers target a Champions League run next term, Gerrard will be wanting to hold on to his best players, like Barisic. However, it is likely the interest in his services will continue until the end of the transfer window.

In other news, Rangers fans were livid at this SPFL development.