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Son Heung-min was the table-toppers' other star performer on a remarkably comfortable day at the office

It's rare that a transfer is a perfect fit for both parties. However, in James Maddison, Tottenham possess the ideal poster boy for Ange Postecoglou's footballing revolution. Maddison himself is thoroughly enjoying it in North London too, and he provided further evidence of his genius in Tottenham's 2-0 win over Fulham on Monday evening.

Right from the off, the England international was directing traffic from his ultra-fluid No. 10 role, but despite plenty of pressure, it would take a mistake from the visitors for the game's first goal.

Calvin Bassey was the guilty party, passing straight down Micky van der Ven's throat, with the ball eventually finding Son Heung-min unmarked in the box – who was hardly going to miss in his current form. Son would turn provider early in the second half, teeing up the talisman, Maddison, for a deserved first goal in front of his home fans.

A combination of good goalkeeping, heroic defending and poor finishing meant those would be the only two goals Spurs scored, but the result never looked in jeopardy.

The Postecoglou hype train trundles on for another week, with the three points returning Tottenham back to the top of the Premier League table. They can even go five points clear if they beat Crystal Palace on Friday.

Here's how Spurs' players rated from the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium…

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  Goalkeeper & Defence

  Guglielmo Vicario (6/10):

  One poor piece of distribution gave Fulham a half chance before the break. Looked assured other than that, making a big save to deny Jimenez late on.

  Pedro Porro (6/10):

  Sometimes a little show to shape up when Spurs lost the ball, but so helpful in possession when he stepped into midfield.

  Micky van de Ven (8/10):

  Dominant. Bullied Carlos Vinicius in the first half and had similar success against his replacement, Raul Jimenez. His interception also helped create the first goal.

  Cristian Romero (7/10):

  Split the midfield with some excellent passes and wound up Vinicius.

  Destiny Udogie (7/10):

  What a talent. Irresistible going forward while not neglecting his defensive duties.

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  Midfield

  Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg (6/10):

  Game seemed a little quick for him at times and he booked in the first half. Read Bassey's clearance well to help create Spurs' second.

  Pape Matar Sarr (6/10):

  A couple of sloppy moments, but nothing disastrous. Suffered a knock on the hour that Postecoglou will hope isn't too bad.

  James Maddison (8/10):

  Completely ran the game from midfield. He is so well suited to leading this new-look, exciting Spurs side in the absence of Harry Kane. Deserved his goal.

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  Attack

  Dejan Kulusevski (6/10):

  Needed to be more selfish in front of goal at times, but would have finished with an assist if Richarlison brought his shooting boots.

  Son Heung-min (8/10):

  Finished well for the opener before turning provider for Maddison. Continues to grow in impress as a No.9.

  Richarlison (6/10):

  A delightful bundle of chaos. Was a little wasteful in the opening stages but found Son for the first goal.

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  Subs & Manager

  Emerson Royal (6/10):

  Definitely a bit of a downgrade on Udogie, but made a good block late on.

  Oliver Skipp (6/10):

  Crunched into former Arsenal and Chelsea man Willian – which the crowd absolutely loved.

  Brennan Johnson (N/A):

  A short cameo in the closing stages.

  Alejo Veliz (N/A):

  Thought he had a sight of goal near the end, but was flagged offside.

  Giovani Lo Celso (N/A):

  Not much time to make an impact.

  Ange Postecoglou (8/10):

  Yves Bissouma's suspension had the potential to unsettle his side, but Hojbjerg fared just fine, showing how well-coached Spurs are. Tottenham did get a little disjointed as he rung the changes late on, though.

Lionel Messi and Zinedine Zidane agreed that there is nothing better than scoring in a World Cup final as the two icons enjoyed a meeting in Miami.

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• Both stars scored in World Cup finals
• Also netted in Champions League wins
• Pair agreed World Cup goal tops all

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  The former France and Real Madrid hero travelled to Florida to visit Inter Miami and had a discussion with the Argentine sensation.

  The pair were asked if it is better to score in the World Cup or the Champions League, and both felt that finding the net in the final of world football's biggest stage tops everything else.

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Messi scored twice in the 2022 World Cup final against Qatar to lead Argentina to World Cup success – their first title since 1986. He also scored in the Champions League final wins of 2008-09 and 2010-11 for Barcelona.

  Zidane, meanwhile, also scored twice as France beat Brazil 3-0 to claim the crown in 1998. He is also responsible for one of the Champions League's most iconic goals as he fired in a spectacular volley to win the final for Real Madrid against Bayer Leverkusen.

• WHAT THEY SAID

  "It is always special to score both in European competitions as well as in the World Cup, but obviously, scoring in a World Cup is always more special due to the context, for what it means," Messi said to Zidane. "But, well, it depends on the match. Maybe it's your moment to score a goal in the Champions League final."

  Zidane interjected, saying: "I can also answer that for you, Leo, because you have done that recently with Argentina, in the final."

  Messi responded: "That one, obviously. That goal was the best… Yes, scoring a goal in the World Cup final I think is the best thing ever, right? Both of us can say that."

  "That's right," Zidane agreed. "There is nothing."

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  WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?

  Messi will be in action for Inter Miami soon as they are set to play a special friendly against New York City FC in honour of his eighth Ballon d'Or win.

Jude Bellingham is making quite the impact at Real Madrid, but the Liga giants have still managed to spell his name wrong in their locker room.

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• Midfielder moved to La Liga from Dortmund
• Has made an immediate impact
• Living up to his big-money price tag

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  The England international joined the Blancos from Borussia Dortmund during the summer transfer window for €103 million (£88m/$111m). Such a hefty price tag would weigh heavy around the neck of some, especially those that are only 20 years of age.

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Bellingham is a special talent, though, and he has found the target in all four of his La Liga appearances for Real to date – allowing him to match a record previously set by the great Cristiano Ronaldo. His latest effort for the Blancos was a dramatic match winner in a 2-1 victory over Getafe at Santiago Bernabeu.

• DID YOU KNOW?

  Bellingham reflected on his heroics in the dressing room afterwards, saying: “I’ve never heard a stadium sound louder in my life.” It was, however, impossible to ignore the fact that a spelling mistake had been made on the locker he sat beside, with Real opting for “Bellimgham”.

  Real Madrid TV

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• DID YOU KNOW?

  Errors such as that can be laughed off at present as Bellingham is enjoying a dream start to life in the Spanish capital. He has already endeared himself to a demanding fan base and will be back on domestic duty after the international break when Real Madrid play host to Real Sociedad on September 17.

According to The Daily Record, Glasgow Rangers outcast Jordan Jones is set for a six-month loan away from Ibrox at the Stadium of Light with Sunderland.

What’s the word?

After falling out of favour with Steven Gerrard for breaching Covid-19 rules with George Edmundson, Jones has found himself playing very little football this season and has been deemed surplus to requirements by the Ibrox boss.

It’s claimed that he had attracted interest from clubs across Scotland but favoured a move south of the border.

And now, he may have already played his last game for Rangers.

End of the road?

Jones, 26, has been nothing short of a flop since he first arrived at Ibrox from Kilmarnock, having been the subject of a failed bid from the Light Blues the year beforehand.

When he arrived on the scene in in 2019, he took to social media to share his delight, writing it was an ‘unbelievably proud day for me and my family’, adding ‘I’ve waited for this moment for a long time and today is a dream come true!’

However, despite being capped nine times by his country, the Northern Irishman has failed to rediscover the form he enjoyed at Kilmarnock.

In 19 appearances across all competitions, Jones has scored just once, as per Transfermarkt, which is a pretty measly return for a player who contributed to 33 goals in 119 games during his time at Rugby Park.

Gerrard praised him for his impact in the Europa League qualifier against Willem II at the start of the season, calling him a “real threat”, but he has been unable to break into the starting XI after his latest indiscretion. In fact, he is yet to feature since the turn of the year.

With Rangers recently confirming they have signed left-winger Scott Wright on a pre-contract agreement from Aberdeen, it might be the end of a chapter for Jones in his faltering Ibrox career.

AND in other news, Why Glasgow Rangers should give Ryan Kent whatever he wants…

If there was one word to summarise the last 12 months for Celtic, it would be drama.

Parkhead has witnessed some remarkable events since May 2020, from basking in a ninth league title in a row to enduring hapless protests against the Bhoys ownership.

Then, just when you thought their devastatingly bad season was coming to an end, Eddie Howe kicked the Hoops where it hurts.

For so long it looked as though the 43-year-old was going to be announced as the new Celtic manager. However, due to complications involving his preferred backroom staff, a move for him collapsed on Friday.

The Glaswegian side have moved on quickly, though. They are already in advanced talks with Australian manager Ange Postecoglou, who wants to join the Hoops, and Celtic could announce him at some point next week.

It’s thought that the hierarchy have been tracking Postecoglou for a number of months, but we think they should be focusing on someone else now.

Their failure to get Howe through the door has opened up a wonderful avenue to bring Paulo Fonseca to the club. They’ve already seen Celtic-linked Enzo Maresca head to Parma and they cannot afford to miss out on a third managerial target.

Fonseca is leaving Roma this summer and has reportedly been offered to Dermot Desmond and co.

What they’ve done with that information is unknown but they’d be foolish to pass on the opportunity. After all, the self-professed “brave” manager plays a brand of football for which Celtic should be pining.

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His Roma and Shakhtar Donetsk teams were known for playing at breakneck speed, moving the ball around with short passing in an incisive manner.

Considering how much possession Celtic often enjoy, finding a manager who knows how to utilise it in the desired way will be key.

The Bhoys averaged one of the highest possession rates in the whole of Europe this term, amassing 61.9% of the ball. Those are incredibly high numbers but it provides evidence for why Desmond needs to hire a man comfortable at passing the ball around.

Postecoglou’s Yokohama F Marinos average 64.7% of the ball this season but, crucially, Fonseca has the experience of managing in Europe to a successful level. The 48-year-old took Roma to the Europa League semi-finals this year, thriving in an area where Celtic have been off the pace for a while.

They were the dominant force domestically for so long but have struggled to go beyond the group stages of the Champions League or the last 32 of the Europa League.

Therefore, Fonseca could revive their fortunes in this area. At the same time, he would likely introduce more attractive football and a never-say-die attitude, and Desmond should relish the thought of him taking over at Paradise.

AND in other news, Celtic must sign 49-goal gem who left a “huge impression” on Neil Lennon…

Daniel Farke’s Norwich City right-back Max Aarons is attracting an increasing amount of interest ahead of the summer transfer window.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to transfer insider Fabrizio Romano, who, speaking on a recent episode of his Here We Go podcast (via Football League World), claimed that Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal have now joined the race for the 21-year-old.

The City star is also reported to be attracting interest from Manchester United, Bayern Munich, West Ham United and Everton this summer – with Norwich believed to be demanding a fee of around £30m to part with the England U21 international.

Fans will be gutted

While the sheer amount of interest in Aarons would appear to indicate that the right-back looks set to depart Carrow Road in the upcoming transfer window, the report of yet another side who intend to pinch the youngster away from the Canaries is nonetheless likely to come as gutting news for fans of the club.

Indeed, the £18m-rated defender has been influential to Norwich gaining promotion back to the Premier League in the season just past, with the 21-year-old scoring two goals, providing two assists and creating five big chances over his 45 Championship appearances, as well helping his side keep a whopping 17 clean sheets.

In addition, the right-back also made an average of 0.9 interceptions, 0.7 tackles and 1.4 key passes per game last term, culminating in an average SofaScore match rating of 6.97 – ranking him as Farke’s 12th-best performer in the second tier.

As such, if Aarons – who has been dubbed by Aidy Boothroyd as an “outstanding” player – is to move on to pastures new this summer, it would not appear to bode well for Norwich’s chances of retaining their status as a top-flight team come the end of next season, unless Stuart Webber can somehow find an apt replacement for the extremely talented 21-year-old.

In other news: Webber must seal NCFC deal for “unbelievable” £4.3k-p/w gem after major update emerges – opinion

Speaking exclusively to Football FanCast, former Newcastle midfielder Rob Lee has laughed off claims that Harry Kane has said he wants to leave Tottenham this summer.

Kane’s future at Spurs has been a major talking point for some time, with recent reports from The Athletic this month saying that the England captain will hand in a transfer request should Spurs fail to qualify for the Champions League.

The striker is still waiting to win his first piece of silverware for the north London outfit, following Tottenham’s 1-0 defeat to Manchester City in the Carabao Cup final last weekend.

Kane has been in scintillating form this term, and is the joint-top goalscorer and top assister in the Premier League this season having been directly involved in 34 goals in 30 appearances.

But whilst Lee believes that he could play for any side in the world, he’s rubbished reports that Kane said he will push for a move away from Spurs.

He told Football FanCast:

“Until Harry Kane comes out and says ‘I want to leave’, I don’t believe that his friends of friends have said ‘yeah I know Harry Kane has told me this’.

“Why would he tell anyone that? Unless you’re close – I think his brother is his agent. Why would he say that? I don’t know if he would.

“I’m sure he wants to play at the top level, but does he want to stay at Tottenham and be a club legend as Alan did at Newcastle?

“Does he want to go abroad at Real Madrid or Barcelona or does he want to go to another Premier League club, but then he’s got to play against his beloved Spurs.

“It’s down to Harry Kane what he decides he wants to do. I think he’s the best centre-forward in the world by quite a distance at the moment.”

Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Harry Winks was once touted to be the future at both domestic and international level.

In 2018, former Spurs boss Mauricio Pochettino backed him to become England’s Andres Iniesta, and the Englishman’s value soon soared to a career-best of £36m less than a year later.

“Harry has the profile of the perfect midfield player. His characteristics are perfect. When we talk about midfielders like Xavi and Iniesta, he’s like this type of player,” claimed the Argentine to the Evening Standard.

Value crash

Things have not gone to plan for Winks in the past 18 months or so.

Transfermarkt’s latest valuation update (18th March 2021) on the 25-year-old, who is soon to enter the peak years of his career, shows a drastic 45% decrease to £19.8m.

This merely emphasises how big a downfall he has had since the appointment of Jose Mourinho.

It now makes Winks the 12th-most valuable player in Spurs’ current squad, the 127th-most in the Premier League and the 352nd-most worldwide, via Transfermarkt. That’s not the levels you’d expect from someone who was once compared to a World Cup and five-time Champions League winner.

Out of favour

What’s to blame, though?

Well, Winks started Mourinho’s first game in charge back in December 2019 – a 3-2 win over West Ham United and even closed out the season as a first-choice option, starting and playing the full 90 minutes in their last six league outings.

But with the arrival of Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg in the summer and the re-emergence of club-record signing Tanguy Ndombele, he has found it hard to cement down a regular spot in the starting XI.

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Indeed, the 5 foot 10 academy product has been restricted to only seven league starts all campaign. Even when trusted, he’s failed to deliver, as the midfielder ranks amongst Mourinho’s worst-performers, with an average WhoScored rating of just 6.38.

No player who has started more games has delivered a poorer rating.

That has to be a major contributing factor towards his downfall.

England axe

A direct consequence of that has been his absence from Gareth Southgate’s recent England squads – a lack of game time plus inconsistent performances is a surefire way to see yourself axed from international duty.

Having picked up all ten of his Three Lions caps under the 50-year-old, Winks has not been seen since a 26-minute cameo against Iceland in November.

The latest squad even included a return for Jesse Lingard – not seen since the UEFA League Nations third-placed playoff win over Switzerland in June 2019 – and another call-up for 17-year-old wonderkid Jude Bellingham.

And when you consider it was missing the likes of James Maddison and Jack Grealish through injury, it’s hard to make a case for Winks returning before this summer’s European Championships.

Levy’s fury

Given everything mentioned above, it’s hard to see a long-term future for him at Spurs either, and this could result in chairman Daniel Levy looking to cash in whilst he still can.

But, understandably, he must be left reeling by his drastic dropoff in value, as he won’t be making as much as he would expect as say two years ago.

There have even been reports suggesting that Winks will insist on an exit this summer, that’s according to Sport (via Sport Witness), who also claim he is enticed by the idea of playing in Spain.

At £19.8m, Levy will have a hard task of driving up his price but if anyone can do it, then it’s certainly the tough negotiator himself.

AND in other news, Spurs dealt double injury blow ahead of Newcastle clash

Celtic may have only played two games throughout the month of March but it gave us a fantastic glimpse of what life could be like under John Kennedy at Parkhead.

Unfortunately for the Hoops, it was very Neil Lennon-like. His substitutions have been questionable while his tactics and team selection in Glasgow have left plenty to be desired.

On a day where the Bhoys needed to beat Dundee United in order to stop Rangers from winning the SPFL crown a week early, they drew 0-0, lacking conviction in front of goal.

A 1-1 draw with the Gers in their next game certainly wasn’t disastrous but it was their chance to stop Steven Gerrard’s men from going unbeaten.

Moi Elyounoussi scored the all-important opener last Sunday after tremendous work from Odsonne Edouard down the left. The latter showed quick feet and then provided a tantalising ball into the box but neither of them deserves Celtic’s Player of the Month.

Instead, that honour should go to someone who was rather bizarrely lumped off after 62 minutes against Dundee United; David Turnbull.

The attacking midfielder took a while to really make an impression at Parkhead but he will come out of this season as one of a few players in green and white to shine.

This has been a torrid campaign for Celtic but Turnbull deserves enormous credit. He didn’t score or assist during the month of March but he was at his effervescent best in the final third.

During just over an hour on the field at Tannadice, the Scotsman managed two shots, five key passes and three dribbles. The fact he was taken off with the score level, therefore, was baffling.

He was again a ray of confidence in the Old Firm derby last weekend. Turnbull completed 90% of his passes which was made all the more impressive but how often he was trying to force the issue.

The 21-year-old played five key passes again but unfortunately, those opportunities to score from were squandered.

Turnbull has very quickly become the shining light of this Celtic side, something Owen Coyle agrees with.

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Speaking to The Scottish Mail on Sunday (14/03), he commented: “His physical attributes are there. He’s got an unbelievable engine, he goes box-to-box, covers the ground. He’s a team player who works his socks off. I think he’s a manager’s dream.”

The youngster has managed eight goals and six assists this season, an eye-catching tally for someone who remarkably can’t get in the Scotland side.

He has been ignored by Steve Clarke for the latest round of internationals, putting his place in the Euro 2020 squad at risk.

As his form in March dictated, he should be one of the first names in the squad. All Turnbull can do is continue to improve, something he’s been doing throughout the campaign.

AND in other news, Major “investment” claim emerges at Celtic, supporters should be buzzing…

Leeds United will be looking to sign around five players during the summer transfer window, according to The Athletic’s Phil Hay.

The Whites have enjoyed an impressive first season back in the Premier League, rarely looking relegation-threatened at any point.

While some from outside the club may have tipped Marcelo Bielsa’s side to return to the Championship, they now sit 11th in the table and are fresh off the back of a 2-1 win away to Fulham.

Despite this, Leeds will know they have to keep strengthening in order to maintain their momentum with Bielsa at the helm.

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Hay tips Leeds to make numerous additions

Speaking in a Q&A for The Athletic after Friday’s victory at Fulham [via Leeds Live], the reliable Hay gave his verdict on the Whites’ transfer business, responding to a question from a fan:

“I’m told they’ll look at signing around five players in the summer.

“The numbers can’t be wild because a) good players at this level are expensive and b) if Bielsa stays on, he doesn’t like massive overhauls. But I think we can all see what needs to be done.”

Transfer Tavern take

As mentioned, it is vital that Leeds don’t rest on their laurels, continuing to make key signings and ensuring competition for places is greater than ever.

The worst thing they could do is sit still and not build on their current success, suddenly finding themselves in a relegation battle next season. They only need to look at the decline of fellow Yorkshire side Sheffield United as an example of ‘second season syndrome’ back at Premier League level.

In other news, Leeds have allegedly confirmed their interest in one player this summer – read about who it is here.