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Transfer guru Fabrizio Romano has delivered a fresh update on Tottenham Hotspur’s managerial search…

What’s the word?

On Wednesday, the BBC reported that Spurs had opened talks with former AS Roma boss Paulo Fonseca, who is available after being replaced by Jose Mourinho in May.

It was also claimed that a deal was yet to be struck and that, after the recent setback over Antonio Conte, there is wariness from the north London hierarchy.

Romano has now suggested that these negotiations are still ongoing, despite rumours speculating a three-year contract for the Portuguese coach. In response to a question on Twitter, he replied: “Fonseca still in talks… let’s see.”

Word of warning

Understandably, Spurs are to err on the side of caution over any talks, and the word that this looks to be rumbling on may be enough to worry any supporter.

The Lilywhites have been left frustrated in their attempts to find a successor to Mourinho and it is widely thought that Fonseca is actually their sixth-choice candidate, as per the Daily Mail.

Daniel Levy and co have failed with moves for Bayern Munich bound Julian Nagelsmann, Leicester City’s FA Cup-winning boss Brendan Rodgers, Erik ten Hag, Mauricio Pochettino, and of course Conte.

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At one stage, the Italian looked set to sign on the dotted line, before talks broke down at the 11th hour over concerns that the club could not match his ambition – or in other words, he would not be well-backed in the transfer market.

The longer talks drag out with Fonseca, the more doubt will start to creep in, just as it did with Pochettino and then Conte.

The prospects of this saga continuing into a second month aren’t the only reason Spurs fans should be worried – it’s the fact that he was the sixth option on the shortlist. He’s also just been replaced by the man Spurs sacked to create this vacancy.

After numerous fans recently protested against the chairman and the club’s owners, the ENIC group, this appointment is far from the inspiring sort they needed to win back their supporters.

Fonseca failed to surpass fifth in Serie A at the Stadio Olimpico and was recently embarrassed by Europa League runners up Manchester United, not to mention his daft mishap in using six subs, rather than five, during a cup defeat to Spezia.

All in all, this latest development from Romano should be enough to keep plenty in north London worried about the future.

AND in other news, Paratici could secure a “perfect” Kane replacement with “crazy” £26m goal machine…

According to an update by reliable Tottenham Hotspur correspondent Alasdair Gold, writing for football.london, ‘strong new candidates’ are ‘constantly emerging’ behind the scenes and ‘making their interest known’ for the Lilywhites job.

The Lowdown: Spurs still on the manager chase

It’s now been over a month since Spurs sacked former head coach Jose Mourinho and chairman Daniel Levy has still not announced his new manager.

It had been previously reported that the club were hoping to appoint Mourinho’s heir by the end of this campaign, but with Spurs’ last game of the season coming tomorrow, this now appears dead in the water.

The Latest: Gold drops encouraging behind-scenes update

Sharing an encouraging update on what is going on behind closed doors, Gold has claimed that ‘strong new candidates’ for the job are ‘constantly emerging’.

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As well as this, Gold believes that they are also ‘making their interest known’ in the position despite all the toxicity surrounding Spurs at the moment.

Indeed, the relationship between club hierarchy and supporters is arguably at a weaker state than ever and superstar striker Harry Kane is heavily linked with a move away this summer.

The football.london journalist also reports that Levy will attempt to speak to all of his managerial candidates face to face once the season ends, rather than over a video call.

The Verdict: Promising update for Spurs fans

The mere notion many ‘strong’ candidates are now displaying their fondness for the Tottenham job should come as music to the ears of some supporters.

Spurs have suffered many blows recently in the race for a new manager, with former top target Julian Nagelsmann turning down the job and instead opting for Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich.

Brendan Rodgers, said to be another one of Levy’s preferences, publicly ruled himself out for the Tottenham managerial vacancy and his move to north London seems more unlikely than ever after Leicester City’s FA Cup win.

In a breath of fresh air, Gold’s managerial update surrounding the ‘constantly emerging’ wave of candidates come as very encouraging, as it appears top dogs are queuing up for the gig, rather than Levy being forced to scrape the bottom of the barrel.

In other news: Spurs could be offered this £250,000-per-week star for Kane, find out more here.

Reliable reporter Alan Nixon believes Celtic’s move for Eddie Howe is ‘agonisingly close’, but warned now could be ‘the most dangerous moment’.

The Lowdown: Howe announcement imminent?

With Bournemouth’s season coming to an end last weekend after losing to Brentford, that seemed to give Celtic the perfect opportunity to tie up deals for Howe and members of staff down on the south coast.

The Englishman was poised to bring coaches Stephen Purches and Simon Weatherstone with him to Scotland, along with technical director Richard Hughes.

As we all know, a deal is yet to be officially announced by the Hoops, who admitted earlier this week they were hoping to finalise an appointment shortly.

The Daily Mail shared a story on Thursday morning, believing an announcement was imminent.

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The Latest: Nixon responds to Celtic fan

Nixon, who writes for The Sun, was asked by a Hoops supporter on Thursday afternoon if Howe’s backroom staff would make or break a deal.

He swiftly replied, saying:

“Staff has been an issue for weeks. Bournemouth season now over. So it’s agonisingly close. But sometimes that’s the most dangerous moment.”

The Verdict: Hoops can’t let this slip

In our opinion, Celtic cannot afford to let a deal for Howe to fall through the net.

They first met the 43-year-old at the beginning of April, so the process is approaching two whole months to get a deal completed.

Should a deal collapse, that may leave the Hoops back at square one just months before the start of the new season.

Howe appears to be the man they have wanted all along, so, in our view, they must do whatever it takes at this point to force a move over the line.

In other news: ‘Something must have happened’ – 43 y/o reacts as ‘very strange’ off-field Celtic update emerges, find out more here. 

Crystal Palace will be aiming to end their 2020/21 season on a high and they face already-relegated Sheffield United at Bramall Lane on Saturday afternoon.

After they failed to really trouble Manchester City last time out, the Eagles now find themselves in the midst of a three-match losing run.

How many changes could Roy Hodgson be tempted to make against the Blades as Palace aim to halt that poor run of form?

We are expecting only slight alterations to the team, with just two changes anticipated from last week. Vicente Guaita should once again be selected between the sticks, as has become customary.

The defence could see a slight change, though. The £76,000-a-week Gary Cahill – who has the joint-second best aerial duels average in Hodgson’s squad this season – should be okay to return, having not featured in either of the last two matches.

Should he be back to full fitness, the veteran could join Scott Dann at the heart of the Palace defence. Meanwhile, Tyrick Mitchell and Joel Ward should be selected on either flank to round off the Eagles’ backline.

With Cahill coming back into the team, this could see Cheikhou Kouyate restored to midfield. The Senegalese ace has been deputising in defence for the majority of the season and would likely be grateful of the switch.

He should join captain Luka Milivojevic and Eberechi Eze in the centre of the park, with Jairo Riedewald dropping out of the starting line-up.

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The final change should occur in the attacking positions. Andros Townsend started against Manchester City but failed to make any real impact, so he could potentially be switched out for Jordan Ayew.

Elsewhere, Wilfried Zaha and Christian Benteke are almost sure to start. They have scored ten and six goals respectively in all competitions and are the most likely candidates to potentially find the net at Bramall Lane today for the visitors.

AND in more news, Eddie Howe to Crystal Palace has been ruled out…

Wayne Rooney’s Derby County could consider a move for Gary Cahill this summer.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by The Athletic, who suggested that Rooney could be tempted to pick up the phone to his former England teammate in a bid to convince him of a move to Pride Park, with the 35-year-old’s contract at Crystal Palace expiring this summer.

The report added that Derby will look to bring Manchester United loanee Teden Mengi back to the club in the upcoming transfer window, with the Red Devils believed to be happy to let the 19-year-old move back to Pride Park after the Rams secured their Championship status on the final day of the season.

Imagine Cahill and Mengi

While Derby’s season was undoubtedly one which many of the Pride Park faithful would like to put behind them as quickly as possible, Mengi was one of the few promising aspects of Rooney’s side.

Indeed, Ryan Conway’s report for The Athletic praises the centre-back’s ability to “make smart interceptions,” as well as how comfortable he appears with the ball at his feet and how well the 19-year-old moves “into midfield to create overloads”.

However, with it being claimed that Matt Clarke does not look likely to return to the club on another loan deal, along with Curtis Davies’ contract expiring in a matter of weeks, experience could well be something which is required next to Mengi in the Rams’ backline as of next season.

Centre-backs do not come much more experienced than Cahill, with the £1.8m-rated defender having played 560 games over the course of his club career, with 392 of these coming in the top flight – in addition to the 35-year-old winning two Premier League titles, one Champions League, two FA Cups, two Europa Leagues and one League Cup.

As such, a move for Cahill this summer could turn out to be something of a masterstroke by Rooney. What the Crystal Palace man has lost in speed and agility with age could easily be balanced out by Mengi, while the 35-year-old’s experience and knowledge of the game would more than compensate for that which the 19-year-old lacks.

Therefore, a move for the £65,000-per-week centre-back – whom Roy Hodgson dubbed a “leader” – would appear highly advisable for Rooney and Derby this summer, if the club can afford him.

In other news: Derby dealt huge transfer blow over 19-goal starlet that’ll surely leave Rooney livid – opinion

For the first time in his Manchester United career, David de Gea’s position as the Red Devils’ number one is under serious jeopardy.

The Spaniard, who was signed from Atletico Madrid in 2011, has seemingly been usurped in the starting XI by Dean Henderson, restricted to just a solitary appearance in the UEFA Europa League since the start of March.

In fact, Dean Windass believes that the £19.8m-rated stopper’s “days are over” at Manchester United, as revealed in an exclusive interview with Football FanCast.

Despite that, De Gea still has time to save his Old Trafford career.

Now aged 30, it’s been quite the journey for the Spaniard at Manchester United.

He bounced back from a tricky debut campaign under Sir Alex Ferguson to then play a key role in the Red Devils’ last title triumph.

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As a matter of fact, he has gone on to claim 123 clean sheets in the Premier League, even scooping the division’s Golden Glove award for his 18 shutouts over the course of the 2017/18 campaign.

Even Windass himself has hailed De Gea’s immense “quality” for his performances at Old Trafford.

In fact, when looking deeper into the statistics, it could be argued that the United stopper has somewhat recovered from his poor form. According to SofaScore, he has averaged 2.4 saves per game in the Premier League this season.

Whilst this total is not his highest and is somewhat lower compared to Henderson’s 2.9, it is considerably higher than the 2.1 he managed throughout the 2016/17 season.

If he can get his current numbers back up towards that of Henderson and his own personal peak of 3.2, then there is no reason as to why he cannot be a viable option in between the sticks at Old Trafford once more.

After all, he has already once proved the doubters wrong earlier in his United career, so there is no reason why he could not do it again.

AND in more news, now is the time for the Red Devils to finally secure a long-term transfer target…

The ability to be versatile and change position is becoming more of a regular commodity in football and that can certainly be applied to Celtic.

Just look at Hoops midfielder David Turnbull. The 21-year-old can play on the wing or through the middle as a playmaker.

Assess Ryan Christie too, another player to feature in central and wide positions. That being said, not many can play in defence and as a striker.

That’s the intriguing dynamic that sets a certain Adam Montgomery apart from the rest.

Once a centre-forward, the 18-year-old has transitioned into becoming a left-back courtesy of work at Lennoxtown with Darren O’Dea.

He has gone from being a self-professed “tricky” winger to someone who now has to withstand the relentless attacks of players who possess similar qualities.

Montgomery has had to learn a completely new trade but it’s clearly been game-changing in terms of his development.

With Odsonne Edouard the leading light in Celtic’s side, very rarely does he get usurped as their main striker. Behind him this season he has had Leigh Griffiths, Albian Ajeti and Patryk Klimala all scrambling for game time.

With that in mind, a first-team breakthrough for players like Cameron Harper and Armstrong Oko-Flex seemed farfetched. Harper has already left while the latter nearly joined Huddersfield in January, events that summed up what they thought about their prospects in Glasgow.

Montgomery, however, has been patient and willing to adapt. Now a defender, he appeared in a matchday squad at senior level for the first time when Celtic beat Aberdeen in February.

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The teenager has never played a minute for the first-team but he has now appeared among the substitutes on three occasions.

Considering his position change, he clearly has a lot of work to do before he makes it in men’s football. That being said, with the guidance and influence Montgomery has at his disposal, he’s set for a bright future.

There is a lot to like about the youngster, a player who judging by his attacking qualities, could be the club’s new Kieran Tierney.

The Scotland international departed for £25m in the summer of 2019 and Celtic will be regularly scanning their academy to find a suitable replacement.

In Montgomery, they have a very capable one. He is not first-team ready yet but he could be next season.

Speaking to the club’s official media channels, he revealed that Tierney has been a vision for where he wants to be: “100 percent. Him being here from a young age, breaking into the team as a full-back and now you look at him doing so well at Arsenal, he’s a player that I’ve really looked up to since I made that move to full-back myself.”

Having also sought council from Greg Taylor, Montgomery is doing all the right things to develop his game and become one of your typical modern-day full-backs. Advice from John Kennedy should also help too.

He was a major figure for Tierney when he first came through the ranks at Paradise.

Combine those elements with Diego Laxalt’s horror show against Rangers on Sunday and bringing through another left-back is certainly a good idea.

Montgomery is undoubtedly one to keep an eye on in the coming months.

AND in other news, Celtic manager hunt could move rapidly today after major behind-the-scenes development…

Gary Mabbutt has exclusively told Football FanCast that he remains confident that Harry Kane will still be a Tottenham player next season.

Having come through the ranks in north London, the England captain has been one of Spurs’ best players in the modern era, and already sits second on their all-time top goalscoring list behind the great Jimmy Greaves.

However, Kane has constantly reiterated his desire to win trophies, something he’s been able to do at Tottenham, falling short in the FA Cup, League Cup and Champions League in recent years.

That could soon change when Spurs meet Manchester City in next month’s Carabao Cup final, but following their recent Europa League exit, strong reports have circulated that Kane wants to leave the north London outfit this summer.

Despite those claims, former Tottenham captain Mabbutt isn’t concerned about Kane’s future.

He told Football FanCast:

“All Spurs fans have been concerned for the last four of five years, and all Spurs fans have been reading the same things five years ago as they are today. And lo and behold, Harry Kane is still a Spurs player today.

“Harry is a great lad. He’s got a good family around him, strong support. Yes, there comes a time where by as a player you have to make decisions.

“But he’s with a group of players that I can believe win things. The manager is a proven winner. Until I read that a manager or a player has left the club, I take it for what most of it normally is – gossip mongering.

“If we come top-four and win a trophy then that may make a difference, but at the end of a player’s career, winning trophies and being a winner is what you want to be – you want to be the best.”

Winning the League Cup and piping either Chelsea or Leicester in the top-four race would surely be enough for Kane to hang around, but another trophyless season outside of the Champions League could have serious consequences for Spurs.

Speaking exclusively to Football FanCast, Frank McAvennie has told current caretaker manager John Kennedy that he must “liven up” and admitted the Celtic job is “too big” for him.

Kennedy joined the Hoops as first-team coach back in 2014, and has worked under Ronny Deila, Brendan Rodgers and Neil Lennon before being put in temporary charge following the latter’s recent sacking.

The former Scotland midfielder, who has remained unbeaten in his four games in the dugout, including the Old Firm draw with Rangers last month, is currently second-favourite behind former Bournemouth manage Eddie Howe to succeed Lennon.

Kennedy looks set to remain in charge for Celtic’s final five Scottish Premiership fixtures, and he’ll be desperate to salvage some pride and ensure the Glasgow giants avoid their first trophyless season since 2010 by winning the Scottish Cup next month.

But McAvennie has advised Kennedy to earn his stripes as a manager in the lower leagues before considering a job the size of Celtic.

He told Football FanCast:

“No disrespect to John, I think Celtic is too big a club. Neil Lennon done it, but Neil was such a legend. And he had that behind him, so the fans gave him time, but they won’t give John time because he’s not held in the same regard.

“I think he might be a good manager, but I don’t know him well enough to say what his persona is, but he has got to liven up. If you walked into a dressing room, I wouldn’t be inspired, I would want someone to come in and fire me up.

“I think he might be a good manager, but he’s seen off four managers. I would think it’s time to go away, do something different, manage a lower league team, like Hamilton, Dundee, Dundee United. You’re going to get time at other jobs, but you won’t get time at Celtic.”

Liverpool head into their UEFA Champions League last-16 second-leg against RB Leipzig in a bit of a crisis.

Since the turn of the year, the Reds have lost seven matches, with the recent 1-0 defeat against Fulham at Anfield being a low point in the tenure of Jurgen Klopp.

A whole host of the German’s charges at Anfield are woefully out of form yet one man still fails to be handed an opportunity: Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain.

The upcoming European clash could be the perfect opportunity to reintroduce him into the starting line-up in place of Thiago Alcantara.

So far this season, the former Arsenal man has made just ten appearances in all competitions with just three of those being starts.

The early months of his campaign were blighted by injury, only returning to contention in mid-December. However, since then, he has only featured for a total of 201 minutes in the Premier League.

With Liverpool in such a commanding position heading into the second leg, the game could be a wonderful opportunity to hand Oxlade-Chamberlain a much sought-after place in the starting XI.

Some would argue that it makes no sense for the Englishman to replace summer signing Thiago in the lineup due to his much inferior output.

In one respect, they would be correct. According to WhoScored, the Spaniard is superior to Oxlade-Chamberlain in shots, key passes and dribbles per game.

Despite that,  however, it is actually the Englishman who has had a more telling contribution on the pitch with an assist. Whilst that is still not sparkling, the £120k p/w midfielder has achieved that in far less game time as Thiago continues his struggles to adapt to the demands of life at Anfield.

Even Klopp has pointed out an aspect that Liverpool are desperately missing and one that Oxlade-Chamberlain could bring: “energy”.

The reigning Premier League champions look flat and uninspiring at the current time. They need a spark from somewhere and that could potentially be with the recall of Oxlade-Chamberlain.

AND in more news, should Jurgen Klopp walk from Anfield in the near future, FSG have to target former midfielder Steven Gerrard as the German’s replacement…