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Former Manchester City star Michael Ball insists that Cristiano Ronaldo and his agent may have used the club’s interest in signing him as leverage to negotiate a higher wage at Old Trafford.

City were briefly but heavily linked with a potential bid for the Portugal international, although no deal was struck.

Indeed, United announced less than 24 hours after the first reports of City’s interest surfaced that they had struck an agreement to bring Ronaldo into the club.

He made his debut over the weekend, scoring twice in the clash with Newcastle United, as Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s men won 4-1.

Ball believes that Ronaldo and his representatives ultimately used City as leverage, allowing him to secure a bigger payday at Old Trafford after leaving Turin.

Reports have suggested that United are currently paying the legendary former Real Madrid and Juventus star a wage of close to £500,000-per-week.

The ex-City and Everton man said: “Whether Ronaldo and his agent have used Manchester City to up his wages at United and make the deal happen, using Man City as a pawn, to go ‘you don’t want one of your legends to be going to your main rivals’ and Man United have panicked and come in to give Cristiano whatever he wanted.

“That is an option that I feel is more to the truth than what we’ve seen.”

Relaying a ‘message to Spurs fans’ from Nuno Espirito Santo, Alasdair Gold has shared what the Portuguese has now told him about one worry at Tottenham.

The Lowdown: Nuno in hot water…

After a hot start to the 2021/2022 season which saw early victories against the likes of Manchester City, it appears Spurs and Nuno have been dragged right back down to earth by their recent form.

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Indeed, their latest loss in a resounding 3-0 London derby defeat had it’s slight positives, particularly in the first half, but the next 45 was certainly one to forget.

As they gear up for their second clash of the season already against Nuno’s old club Wolves, Gold has now relayed a message from the Spurs boss about one big worry at N17.

The Latest: Gold shares Spurs fan message…

Relaying a message to Spurs supporters from Nuno, Gold has shared what the Lilywhites head coach has now said about ‘the lack of attractive football’.

Chairman Daniel Levy wanted to reinstall the open, attacking style Tottenham are known for and even published that promise in an end of season letter (Sky Sports).

Alas, what fans have seen so far arguably doesn’t reflect Levy’s pledge, with Gold now sharing what Nuno told him about the matter in a press conference (via football.london).

When asked by the journalist if Nuno’s Spurs will score goals and show creativity, as well as being pragmatic, the 47-year-old responded.

“We have to find the balance Alasdair,” explained the Spurs manager.

“We have to find the balance in our game. If you want me to talk about the game against Chelsea, all the positives happened in the first half and we can share a lot of things that were ok and for sure the fans were happy.

“In the second half we didn’t do things. We opened ourselves. One concern we have is when we concede first we are not able to react. The team is not strong enough to go and give a good response.

“A lot of things that we have to improve on, but what we saw is what is moving us forward in the first half, this attitude, this willingness to go and really nice football, really nice football.”

The Verdict: Interesting times ahead…

Much was made of putting the regrettable Jose Mourinho era behind Tottenham and bringing back an exciting, entertaining brand of free-flowing football.

It is arguably too early in Nuno’s tenure to make a full judgement on his ability to do this and time must be awarded to a manager who guided Wolves to successive seventh-placed Premier League finishes straight after promotion from England’s second tier.

That said, the collapse in the second half against Chelsea is definitely cause for concern, and the fact the Lilywhites have barely created a clear-cut chance across their last two league matches certainly goes against Levy’s pledge for exciting football.

In other news: ‘Wow’, ‘Levy is a criminal’, ‘This can’t be real’…Many Tottenham fans flock to ’embarrassing’ claim, find out more here.

Everton’s academy is steeped in history, especially over the last 20 years where it’s flourished significantly.

The Toffees have brought through the likes of Wayne Rooney and Ross Barkley but in recent years, cracks are starting to emerge.

Thierry Small left the club after rejecting a new contract and refusing to train while they have also lost Mohamed-Ali Cho to French football and he’s already beginning to make waves in Ligue 1.

Despite this, Rafa Benitez has been keen to blood the new generation.

Lewis Dobbin made his first-team debut against Norwich, joining the impressive Jarrad Branthwaite and Anthony Gordon in earning senior minutes this season.

Gordon has particularly impressed and after a vibrant cameo against QPR, featured vs the Canaries in Everton’s 2-0 win on Saturday.

The winger was incredibly lively in their Carabao Cup defeat a few days prior, completing more key passes (4) than any other player on the field.

He will be seen as an example for the rest of Everton’s hot talent coming through the system at Finch Farm.

We’ve already tipped Charlie Whitaker and Ellis Simms for breakthroughs but another player who should be on Benitez’s radar is Stanley Mills.

The son of former England international, Danny Mills, the attacking midfielder is a vibrant player with enormous technical abilities.

Crucially, the 17-year-old is held in high esteem by David Unsworth too.

Speaking about the best talents in the academy, he commented: “Our Youth Cup team this year should be really strong with the likes of Charlie Whitaker, Lewis Dobbin, Reece Welch, Isaac Price, Luke Butterfield and Stan Mills. They are players who we feel have got great potential and they are already playing in the u-23s at the start of their second year of scholarship.”

Possessing the ability to play centrally or out wide, he could be the player to watch alongside Gordon in the coming years.

Just imagine the sight of Mills running rampant down one side while Gordon goes to town down the other.

Supporters always relish seeing young players doing well and that should be no different for the teenager in question.

A speedy and agile dribbler, Mills also has an element of poise and grace to his game as well. Describing the midfielder after he signed a new deal, the Everton website read:

“A quick, intelligent and composed midfield player, Mills has also shown impressive resilience and determination to battle back from a serious knee injury to establish himself as an important player for Everton Under-18s.”

Since that review, he has gone on to play at a higher age bracket, even featuring in the EFL Trophy against Morecambe.

During that clash, the teen played on the right where he managed one key pass and was involved in a mighty 21 defensive duels, prevailing in ten of them.

Matches like that against senior professionals will only help his development and hopefully, turn him into the future star Everton know he can be.

AND in other news, Brands masterclass: “Selfish” dud sees value collapse by £12.6m after leaving Everton…

Lots of Everton fans have been left gushing over some news that has emerged involving Andros Townsend.

As per the official Twitter page of the Goodison Park faithful, his stunning strike from outside of the box at home to Burnley has now been nominated for September’s Goal of the Month (GOTM) award.

Supporters of the Merseyside club can now vote for Townsend’s goal on the Premier League’s website, as he is nominated alongside Bruno Fernandes, Jesse Lingard, Romelu Lukaku, Naby Keita, Matty Cash and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.

The goal encapsulates a great start to life at the Toffees for Townsend, who has scored four goals in total and made a further three assists in eight games over all competitions since his arrival (Transfermarkt), and will no doubt be hoping to bag more screamers as the campaign progresses.

Everton fans on Townsend news

These Blues fans gushed as the news of Townsend’s nomination was shared on Twitter:

“Never fails to make me grin from ear to ear”

Credit: @ellieq

“We cannot understate how good @andros_townsend has been for us so far this season! Whether starting or not, he has a big role to play in the next couple of years”

Credit: @DaAlexJohnson

“Cracking goal that really should win”

Credit: @Adamefc95

“Booooooooooooom”

Credit: @Georgie_Redman

“Belter”

Credit: @Bigpoppa1878

“Was an absolutely sensational 10 minutes I thought Gwladys Street Stand was gonna collapse loved absolutely every second”

Credit: @RDW_Engineering

In other news, find out what contract talks have Evertonians buzzing here!

Many West Ham United fans were far from happy with David Moyes’ decision to not use a single substitute during their 2-1 defeat to Brentford on Sunday.

The Hammers struggled against the Bees and twice went behind as they conceded goals from Bryan Mbuemo and Yoane Wissa. It is the Hammers’ second straight defeat at home in the Premier League (whufc.com) and they are currently ninth in the table as a result.

Despite the Irons twice going behind, Moyes chose not to make a single substitution, something which is almost unheard of at the highest level. While there is no guarantee that any of the replacements would have changed the result, the bench is there for a reason and, with West Ham fighting on four fronts this season, it would make sense for the Scot to use the numerous options available to him.

Many West Ham supporters were disappointed with the former Manchester United manager’s decision on Sunday, and they took to social media platform Twitter to share their thoughts.

Let’s see what these fans had to say about Moyes’ substitutes snub

“He looks run down to me and shattered. Moyes clearly doesn’t trust the subs, crazy he didn’t make a change today”

Credit: @benmurray95

“West Ham were taught a lesson today by a newly promoted side but it’s strange why Moyes didn’t make one single sub when we was struggling”

Credit: @SamSk31

“There were several players on the bench that Moyes could have brought on i.e. Lanzini, Kral, Vlasic etc.. so we do have options, it was Moyes that was completely oblivious to his subs today”

Credit: @AdamLoveday92

“As far as I am aware no team playing on Thurs has ever not made a sub on a Sunday. Moyes clearly has a barrier in this department which will resonate to his squad & possibly cause an unnecessary injury to an overused player”

Credit: @DavidTFord10

“After taking time to think… the lack of subs used by Moyes was a huge mistake. He was about to bring on 3 when we scored. We needed them but even earlier than the almost 75 minute. Soucek has lost confidence not only tired looking but confused and often out of position…”

Credit: @LenaWHU

“West Ham and David Moyes’ complete lack of substitutions – can’t help but feel as though it played a part in dropping the points? The fact that a Brentford sub scored the winner somewhat rubs salt in the wound”

Credit: @BMTolhurst

In other news, West Ham are prepared to sell this midfielder

Speaking to Football Insider, Tottenham Hotspur ‘insider’/club source John Wenham has revealed what he believes is ‘really good news’ regarding the new stadium.

The Lowdown: State of art ground open for use…

Tottenham’s brand new state of the art ground has been tipped to bring in some much-needed revenue to the club since his opening as chairman Daniel Levy seeks to turn the Lilywhites into a powerhouse.

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Due to the coronavirus pandemic, Spurs have missed out on millions of pounds worth of this off-field income and even announced an ‘irrecoverable’ loss of £63.9m last year (The Evening Standard).

As restrictions become lifted, the ground can finally play a host to numerous prestigious events in a financial boost for the club.

The Latest: Wenham makes stadium claim…

Speaking to FI, Spurs insider Wenham backs that this is ‘really good news’ and insists that Levy and co are still ‘working’ to secure even more contracts to host these events.

“Tottenham are working very hard to get those contracts,” he explained.

“We need to become the home of NFL in London, we have to take all the Wembley games.

“We have had three events there at the stadium and there is another coming up. This has been a great success.

“So far, we have sold out all of them. The support for NFL in England is certainly there.

“The stadium is a better experience than Wembley and I expect we will become that home of NFL.

“There is boxing coming up. We have Lady Gaga playing, Guns N’ Roses are playing.

“Capital FM are holding an event there. Saracens are also playing a game there and it’s expected to sell out.

“It is also full of conferences through the week and this all generates money, it’s really good news for Tottenham.”

The Verdict: Looking up?

Following a near financial scrape during the height of COVID, with Spurs even having to take out a £175 million loan through the Bank of England last year, these contracts will undoubtedly come as a boost for the club.

In a football landscape often dominated by money, Tottenham need all the help they can get off-field in terms of revenue income in order to keep up with powerhouses of today.

In other news: Spurs already have offer pencilled in to sign ‘world class’ player who Hoddle called ‘outstanding’…find out more here.

With Celtic manager Ange Postecoglou having to deal with something of an injury crisis over the first few months of his reign at Parkhead, the 56-year-old Hoops boss will undoubtedly be delighted that the tide has started to turn in his favour regarding the return of his stricken players.

Indeed, the trio of Adam Montgomery, Giorgos Giakoumakis and Mikey Johnston all made further steps in their respective recoveries in the recent 2-0 Europa League win over Ferencvarosi TC, with all three of the previously sidelined players getting more minutes behind them on Tuesday afternoon.

However, regarding Johnston in particular, it was not simply more game time the winger managed to get under his belt against the Hungarian champions, but an extremely impressive performance too.

Completed eight passes

Despite being brought into the game late in the second half, with the 22-year-old featuring for a grand total of eight minutes against Ferencvarosi, the former Scotland U21 international was full of energy upon his introduction – with Sky Sports News journalist Anthony Joseph dubbing the forward as “lively”.

It is easy to see why, as the £900k-rated man managed to have 13 touches of the ball, complete eight passes – one of which was a key pass – and create one big chance despite his extremely limited amount of time on the pitch.

The £9k-per-week winger also completed both of his attempted dribbles, won both of his two attempted duels and hit the target with his one shot at the Ferencvarosi goal.

These returns saw Johnston earn an extremely impressive SofaScore match rating of 7.7, rather remarkably ranking him as the third-best player to feature in the match.

As such, considering Liel Abada’s contrasting display, Postecoglou will certainly have a decision to make as to whether the forward deserves to start against St Johnstone this weekend. Despite the impressive performances of goalscorers, Jota and Kyogo Furuhashi, alongside Cameron Carter-Vickers, it was the 22-year-old Scot who finally proved his worth to Celtic on Tuesday, after what had an extremely frustrating campaign up until now.

In other news: Anonymous £2.7m-rated Celtic flop who lost 90% duels failed Ange in Europa League win

Everton’s fast start to the season may have been undermined by a string of injuries to key players, but there could yet be a significant silver lining to their recent fitness woes.

Midfielder Abdoulaye Doucoure joined the likes of Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Yerry Mina on the sidelines after picking up a foot injury against West Ham United, leaving a sizeable gap in the Toffees’ engine room.

Rafael Benitez attempted to plug the gap in the centre of the pitch with Tom Davies and Allan last time out against Watford, but with disastrous consequences.

The industrious pair were unable to cope with the pace and physicality that every Premier League game now produces and were overrun in the midfield, heavily contributing to the 5-2 mauling that the Hornets handed out at Goodison Park.

However, Benitez may not have to search too long and hard to discover the solution to his latest managerial conundrum.

Academy starlet Tyler Onyango has caught the eye with a string of impressive performances in recent years, and the timing of Doucoure’s recent setback could hardly have come at a better time for the 18-year-old.

The former England under-17 international scored two goals and provided a further two assists in 17 Premier League 2 outings last season but suffered a serious injury of his own towards the end of the campaign, ruling him out for six months.

Onyango made a successful return to action in the under-23s’ game against Leeds United on 18 October – just a day after Doucoure picked up his foot problem – before featuring against Arsenal’s and Burnley’s youth sides respectively.

It has led to speculation that the box-to-box dynamo could make the leap to the first team over the coming weeks, with his playing style deemed most similar to that of the absent Doucoure.

The Athletic’s Everton reporter Patrick Boyland tweeted: “In Doucoure’s absence, Tyler Onyango was close to making the Everton squad on Saturday. The teenager has impressed since returning from injury & is seen by some as the natural successor to the Frenchman”.

It seems as though the talented teenager is making a strong case for his inclusion in Benitez’s matchday squad for the upcoming trip to Molineux on Monday night after some standout displays following his return to fitness.

“He looks sharp and has come back really well,” said under-23s coach Jose Baxter recently (as relayed by The Athletic).

“It shows his professionalism returning earlier than expected, right in at the deep end. He’s a great lad and a great professional. You’re seeing it now with his performances.”

Only time will tell if Benitez is brave enough to select Onyango from the off as the Toffees attempt to get back to winning ways on Monday night, but reports that the midfielder is so highly-rated and thriving once again will surely have Everton supporters buzzing with excitement, especially with Doucoure out of action.

In other news… Brands must sanction Everton swoop for 23-goal “predator” lauded by Kaka

According to Calciomercato, Antonio Conte does not want to move to Tottenham Hotspur as Daniel Levy will not fund a restructuring of the squad.

The Lowdown: Nuno sacked

After Spurs’ latest defeat, a 3-0 loss at home to Manchester United, Nuno Espirito Santo’s time at the club was brought to an end this morning as his dismissal was confirmed.

As such, the rumours linking managers to the vacant Spurs managerial role have well and truly started, and Conte has been mentioned as a potential suitor.

The Latest: Conte against Tottenham move

However, according to Calciomercato, it now seems that the Italian is not keen to move to Spurs.

The report claimed that he is seeking a restructuring of the squad, something which Levy does not want. Conte is said to be only interested in a move to Man United as a result if he is forced to take on a job which is constrained by budgets.

The Verdict: Work needed

Of course, Nuno should have performed better with this current Spurs squad. Valued at £627.3m by Transfermarkt and possessing the likes of Harry Kane and Heung-Min Son, both of whom are prolific goalscorers at Premier League level, there is no excuse for how incohesive and lacklustre the Lilywhites have looked at times this season.

Having said that, there are still a number of areas where the squad must be improved if they are to compete higher up the table – a much-criticised defence springs to mind – and if a top-quality manager is to come in, he will surely want to put his own stamp on the squad. Levy may be taking his usual hardline stance, but missing out on a man of Conte’s experience and trophy-winning nous due to his own intransigence could come back to haunt him.

In other news, Spurs would like to sign this up-and-coming centre-half

Following on from their latest Premier League fixture that saw Liverpool blow a 2-0 lead at home against Brighton & Hove Albion that ended with a 2-2 result, Jurgen Klopp’s side are back in Champions League action on Wednesday with another group clash against Atletico Madrid.

On the chalkboard

One player that did not feature in the draw against Brighton that we feel should be in the starting XI to face Diego Simeone’s side in midweek is defender Joel Matip, who is currently earning a weekly wage of £100k-per-week according to Spotrac.

In the draw against Brighton, Klopp went with Virgil van Dijk and Ibrahima Konate as his two centre-backs, with neither being particularly impressive on the day, ultimately conceding twice and failing to hold on to a 2-0 lead they had after 24 minutes.

Specifically, with Konate earning himself one of the lowest overall match ratings of any Liverpool player on the day according to SofaScore, we feel that Matip should replace the Frenchman in midweek to see if he can help the side secure another win in the Champions League.

So far this season, Matip has played in seven of Liverpool’s ten Premier League games and has earned himself an overall season rating of 7.22/20 for his performances according to WhoScored, making him their sixth-highest rated player and highest-rated centre-back.

In Liverpool’s previous game against the La Liga club last month, Matip started alongside Van Dijk and was seriously impressive. He managed to make two clearances, interceptions and tackles each, won seven out of the eight duels he was involved in and racked up a passing accuracy percentage of 95%. That meant he earned himself a solid overall match rating of 7/10 according to SofaScore.

This highlights that Matip has shown he has what it takes to go up against Atletico’s attacking stars and frustrate them and prove himself as a solid defensive option, which is what we feel Liverpool need for this game given how they’ve conceded five goals in their previous three Champions League outings.

Moving forward, we think Matip, who has been dubbed as “incredible” by Klopp in the past, should be included in the starting XI in midweek to see if he can help replicate the same sort of defensive performance he put in against the Spanish side last time.

In other news: FSG could secure Jota 2.0 at LFC with “outstanding” £67.7m star, fans would be buzzing – opinion