A Tottenham midfielder has started more games for his country than his club this year, and he’s one of five players, along with a couple of bit-part Chelsea stars, who have staked their claim for more Premier League game time over the international break.
 
Mykhaylo Mudryk
There have been a few signs that Mudryk is finding his feet at Stamford Bridge. He produced a fine finish against Leeds in the FA Cup, before scoring the sort of goal against Newcastle that should have been a common occurrence. Speed, tight control, skill and composure all came together in one moment to produce a moment of magic, arguably for the first time since he drew admiring glances from the European elite through his Champions League displays for Shakhtar Donetsk.

What has been plain for all to see is that Mudryk is a confidence player, who had been sapped of all belief through a combination of moving to a new country – not necessarily to his preferred club – the pressure of his price tag and having to fight for his place in the team, not to mention his homeland being at war with Russia.
He still looks like someone battling inner demons on a football pitch, but his confidence is on the up, and as boosters go, scoring a late winner to send your country to the European Championships has got to be well up there. With extra-time against Iceland looming, Mudryk’s low first-time shot after Heorhiy Sudakov’s cutback found the far corner to spark wild celebrations. Here’s hoping he can bottle that feeling.
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Nicolo Zaniolo
The midfielder said on international duty that “I miss Italy, of course” having left Roma for Galatasaray in January 2023, starting just two games before moving to Villa, for whom he’s started once – the Europa Conference League win over Zrinjski Mostar – since November 5.
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He’s quite level-headed about it all, simply claiming he “expected to play more”, and to be fair we probably all thought he would. He even went on to say “Unai Emery is one of the best managers in the world, at the same level of Pep Guardiola, Jurgen Klopp and Mourinho,” though he’s not entirely qualified to make that judgement having not played under two of those three coaches. In fact, ranking Roma Mourinho among the elite makes us think he’s definitely not qualified to judge, and comparing him to Emery isn’t the compliment he probably thinks it is.
Anyway, having impressed in Italy’s goalless draw against Ukraine which saw them qualify for Euro 2024 in November, Zaniolo was again called up despite his lack of game time for Villa, coming off the bench against Venezuela and starting the 2-0 win over Ecuador, was more effective than Federico Chiesa and could have scored a couple had he been a touch sharper in front of goal, which comes with actually playing football.


 
Noni Madueke
It’s probably fair to say the Luxembourg U21 defenders haven’t often had to cope with someone of Madueke’s quality, and Mauricio Pochettino probably isn’t getting too carried away with the winger’s display given the class gap, but he produced two lovely finishes that no goalkeeper is saving and was named Man of the Match after a game of Madueke gets ball; Madueke creates chance.
It’s that directness and (everyone’s new favourite football word) verticality that makes him a) such a threat and b) so much fun to watch. The big problem for Madueke – who’s started just four Premier League games this term and was withdrawn at half time in the last two – is Cole Palmer, whom he linked wonderfully well with when Palmer was still playing for the England U21s, and can do again if Pochettino moves Palmer into a central role to get Madueke into the team.

 
Giovani Lo Celso
What’s that classic phrase? Like London buses, you wait ages for a playmaker and then you sign one and realise you already had one, it’s just that he had been out on loan for 18 months having previously played under managers who don’t appreciate any of the qualities he has to offer.
Lo Celso provided the assist for the winner against Brazil in their last World Cup qualifier in November, having not yet started a game for Spurs this season other than the League Cup defeat to Fulham thanks to James Maddison’s brilliance, and started both of their friendly wins in this international break, scoring in the 3-0 win over El Salvador, having started one game this year for his club.
It would be great if Ange Postecoglou could squeeze both Lo Celso and Maddison into his team, but we can’t see it.
Lo Celso Argentina
© Provided by Football365
Giovani Lo Celso starred for Argentina in the international break.
 
Tyler Adams
Adams tore his right hamstring in training with Leeds over a year ago and and has played just 40 minutes of club football since, reinjuring the leg on his Bournemouth debut in September.
His absence has been enforced rather than a choice of Andoni Iraola, who presumably wants the USMNT captain in his Cherries team having made him his biggest signing of the summer at £24m.

He made it off the bench in Bournemouth’s dramatic 4-3 win over Luton last time out and may well play a more significant role against Everton on Saturday having marked his first start in 478 days in quite some style with a 30-yard screamer to open the scoring in USMNT’s CONCACAF Nations League final win over Mexico.

Man Utd told just £17m can secure Serie A centre-back star, altering two Tottenham transfers

Manchester United have reportedly enquired to Bologna over centre-back Jhon Lucumi, and have learned thy can get him for just £17million.
United’s centre-back positions have been filled by seven different players this season. The Red Devils have seen a number of players ruled out through injury at different periods of the campaign.

Lisandro Martinez and Raphael Varane were the preferred partnership last season, but the former has managed just 10 games in all competitions this term.
Harry Maguire is back somewhere close to his best form, and finds himself starting a lot of games, but he’s also been sidelined at times, so consistency has been hard to come by.
That, and the fact that Sir Jim Ratcliffe will want to make an ambitious start to life at Old Trafford, means centre-back signings are almost certain in the summer.
The likes of Gleison Bremer, Jean-Clair Todibo and Leny Yoro have all been linked with the club.
An explosive report has also suggested that United would ‘bite Tottenham’s hand off’ for Micky van de Ven if the opportunity presents itself.
Now, a report has emerged that could alter that move and another Spurs centre-back transfer.
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Man Utd enquire about Lucumi

According to Tuttomercatoweb, the Red Devils, along with Atletico Madrid, have ‘made enquiries’ about Bologna man Lucumi.
He’s described as a ‘highly-reliable defender’ and is also left-footed, which is ideal given a lot of defences play a right-footer on the left side.
The report states Bologna want to ‘monetise as much as possible’ if they are to lose Lucumi.
In doing so, it’s stated they will ask for around £17million, but that fee ‘could rise’.

Two Spurs deals up in the air

If United sign Lucumi, that could mean Tottenham take a hit, as they are going after his current centre-back partner, Riccardo Calafiori.
It seems unlikely that both members of that pairing would be sold, so Spurs could be left without their target, or vice versa, depending on who gets to which deal first.

However, the potential signing of Lucumi at United could also be a benefit for the north London club.
If the Red Devils get a new centre-back through the door, they might not be as willing to go and get Van de Ven, too.
As such, while Tottenham could lose out via the Bologna transfer, it could also become a bonus for them.
READ MORE: Tottenham transfers: 10 to sell and 5 to buy in eye-catching Ange Postecoglou summer overhaul

Gary Neville admits he wanted ‘disgraceful’ Man Utd relegated for ‘absolute crime’

Man Utd legend Gary Neville admits the Red Devils and the five other clubs “who were willing to destroy the game in this country” over the European Super League should have been relegated.
English football’s co-called ‘big six’ – Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Man City, Man Utd and Tottenham – were founder members of the original Super League project in April 2021 but quickly withdrew amid fan protests and pressure from the football authorities and the British Government.

Neville: The Glazers ‘were willing to destroy the game’ in England

All six publicly distanced themselves from efforts to launch a new competition in the wake of a ruling from the European Court of Justice (ECJ) on December 21, but Bernd Reichart, the chief executive of A22 which promotes the Super League concept, insists English clubs have been involved in dialogue with his organisation since then.
Asked directly whether there had been conversations with Premier League teams since the ECJ ruling, Reichart told the Press Association earlier this month: “Yes of course. It’s absolutely a logical and natural process.
“Everyone is trying to get a sense of what the ruling could mean, it’s the professional obligation of clubs to know what this change in club governance in Europe could mean for them.
“It’s a great opportunity, why shouldn’t everybody have a look at it neutrally and decide what’s best for their clubs, their members and their fans? We are aware that clubs all over Europe are currently involved in that process and we try to assist them and help them.”
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Neville rarely showed his displeasure at the Glazer family, who own Man Utd, before the announcement of the European Super League idea and claims he wanted the Red Devils and every other club involved relegated from the top tier.
“I properly started to unload on the Glazers post-Super League. Before that, believe it or not, my actual criticism of them was either little or next to nothing, United fans will know that,” Neville explained on The Overlap.
“Those six owners who were willing to destroy the game in this country and around Europe, they’ve been let off scot-free. It’s disgraceful that they’ve been let off scot-free; it really is.
“They get fined £3m quid each, they should have been knocked out of the league, the lot of them. What they did was an absolute crime.”
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‘Give me a contract’ – Liverpool boss Klopp excited by title race as he issues Robertson injury update

Jurgen Klopp says Liverpool will take things “day by day” with Andy Robertson as he indicated the left-back’s injury was not serious.
Robertson was being assessed by the Reds after coming off in the first half of Scotland’s friendly against Northern Ireland on Tuesday due to an ankle issue.

Jurgen Klopp: He will not train today but it’s not as bad

Speaking at his press conference ahead of Sunday’s Premier League home clash with Brighton, Liverpool boss Klopp said: “Robbo, we take it a little bit day by day, so we will see.
“He will not train today but it’s not as bad, so that’s fine.”
Klopp – whose side after the Brighton game continue their title bid by hosting Sheffield United next Thursday, then playing Manchester United away three days later – also reported that Darwin Nunez, a withdrawal from Uruguay’s squad as the international break got under way, was “fine”.
Ibrahima Konate, absent for Liverpool’s last three games, is set to be available this weekend as well, and while Klopp said he was unsure if that applied to Curtis Jones, the midfielder has been training.
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Liverpool have also had Alisson Becker, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Diogo Jota on the sidelines, and Klopp added: “The other boys, from next week on, step by step I think they will join parts of team training, and then team training, so we will see what we do with that.
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The focus is obviously very much on the football,

“They’re not too far away but not in yet. They all make their steps, so it’s positive.”
Teenager Stefan Bajcetic, out since September, is set to step up to full training with the Under-21s from next week as he continues his recovery.
Second-placed Liverpool are currently level on points with leaders Arsenal and a point ahead of third-placed City with 10 rounds of games to go.
The Reds’ encounter with Brighton kicks off at 2pm on Sunday before City then host Arsenal.

Jurgen Klopp: We are in a position to fight for everything

And the German said: “We want to win this game, and it has nothing to do with the other game.
“Like all the other games as well, we want to win. Will it happen? I don’t know, but we will give it a try.
“We are in a position to fight for everything, and that’s what we want to do. If you had told me last summer after the international break in March you will be around there with Arsenal and City, I would have said yeah, give me a contract (for that), I’ll sign it now.


“And here we are, and nobody knows how it will end, where we will be, but we will give it a proper try and it starts on Sunday.”
Klopp’s side are in the running for a treble in what is to be his final season before stepping down as boss, having won the League Cup in February and reached the Europa League quarter-finals earlier this month, before bowing out of the FA Cup with a 4-3 extra-time defeat at Manchester United in their last match prior to the international break.
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Chelsea set to be deducted ‘more than 10 points’ for ‘serious’ PSR rule breach – reports

Chelsea are set to be deducted more than ten points if they breach the Premier League’s Profit and Sustainability Rules next season, according to reports.
The Blues have spent around £1billion on new signings since a Todd Boehly-led consortium took over the Premier League club at the end of May 2022.

Chelsea must sell over £100m worth of players

Recent reports have indicated that Chelsea must now raise over £100m by June 30 or face a breach of the Premier League’s financial rules.
Former Man City advisor Stefan Borson explained recently on talkSPORT: “In my mind, there is certainly trouble on the horizon and they will certainly fail FFP for the current season unless – and it seems unlikely – that by June 30th they sell well over 100million worth of players.
“But the window that they can now do that is very small because straight after the season we have the Euros.
“Someone like Conor Gallagher is going to be at the Euros from June 14th so if they want to ship him before the 30th, they have got to move very quickly and the likely buyers are going to know that Chelsea need to sell players.
READ MORE: Mykhaylo Mudryk among five players to stake Premier League claim over international break
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but let's just just have a look here.

“This breach that Chelsea could be lined up for is much bigger than Everton’s and, most importantly, they will consider it deliberate. They can’t hide behind a stadium and inadvertently breaching FFP.”
Football finance expert Kieran Maguire has revealed a “mitigating factor” which could help Chelsea if they are given a points deduction.
Maguire told Football Insider: “If Chelsea are charged, it will be the club that is punished and therefore the change of ownership is irrelevant.
“Otherwise, clubs could get away with irresponsible behaviour by handing across the club to somebody else who would get a clean slate. It could, however, be used as mitigating factors to reduce the punishment and they also appear to have self-reported their potential breaches.
“We saw this with Birmingham City when they realised that they’d exceeded spending limits. As a result of that, they did get a mitigation in terms of the points deduction, which was applied to them – Chelsea’s new owners could do the same.”


Football Insider’s sources claim that Chelsea ‘are set to be deducted more than 10 points if they breach Profit and Sustainability Rules next season’.
The website’s senior correspondent Pete O’Rourke added more information, he said on the Inside Track podcast: “It keeps changing, but I think if the breaches are more serious than Everton’s then it’s going to be more than 10 points.
“I think that’s pretty obvious and I think that’ll be the case – but then we must see if Chelsea appeal.”

Darren Bent: Romelu Lukaku should be given a second chance

Former Tottenham striker Darren Bent thinks Chelsea could save millions in the summer by giving Romelu Lukaku a second chance in Mauricio Pochettino’s side next term.
Bent told talkSPORT: “If you can get him back on a free, for me, it’s a no-brainer. But then he’s not at my football club. It’s a free, you haven’t got to buy him. For me, it’s a no-brainer, but I get it.


“Chelsea fans are probably looking back to the interview he did and how disrespectful he was to the club, and some of them just can’t let it go and I get that.
“I can see that side of the argument, but if you’re looking at buying a centre-forward for 80, 90 million and you’ve got one there on a free… and listen, the conversation has to come with him and Poch.
“If somehow they can fix that relationship and then save that £80, £90 million on a position they might need, it’s not the worst decision in the world.”