Mauricio Pochettino does not believe the redevelopment of White Hart Lane should be used as an excuse for Tottenham struggling to compete in the Premier League this season.
Spurs finished second behind Chelsea last term but sit fifth in the table after 20 matches, with a 21-point chasm separating Pochettino s men from runaway leaders Manchester City.
Work on White Hart Lane means Spurs have moved to Wembley for a year, while the club s activity in the last transfer window was restricted to the arrivals of Davinson Sanchez, Serge Aurier, Fernando Llorente and Juan Foyth.
The sales of Kyle Walker and Kevin Wimmer to Manchester City and Stoke City respectively helped the club to balance the books, with Spurs spending left in the shade by City and Manchester Unite…
Hull City can call on former Tottenham favourite Michael Dawson as they seek a response to the Premier League loss at Burnley.
Steve Bruce s men became the first side to suffer a top-flight defeat to Burnley this season in their final match before the international break.
The Hull manager described the display at Turf Moor as the worst since City s promotion from the Championship in 2013, but he will be boosted by the return of experienced defender Dawson for Sunday s visit of Spurs.
Dawson, who spent almost a decade at White Hart Lane, has been out with an ankle injury since the middle of October and is set to come back into a side in desperate need of a tonic to their 1-0 reverse at Burnley.
Bruce said: We ve had to wait nearly two weeks and the frustra…
England have already started their video analysis of FIFA World Cup opponents Italy, according to manager Roy Hodgson.
In a tough Group D featuring Uruguay, Italy and Costa Rica, England could be on the back foot from June 14 onwards if they are beaten by Cesare Prandelli s men.
Hodgson and his staff have begun to look at Italy s performances dating back to UEFA Euro 2012 in order to prepare England for their opener in Manaus.
And the former Liverpool boss revealed that the whole squad are involved in the process.
We are doing a lot of video work showing the players in units, aspects of the Italian game, how that affects us and what we want them to do, Hodgson said.
We are doing it in units, not as individual players. We are talking about how our midfield i…
Stefano Pioli hailed the growing maturity of his Milan players in the absence of injured striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic.
The Rossoneri strengthened their grip on top spot in Serie A with a gritty 2-1 victory at Sampdoria on Sunday thanks to goals from Franck Kessie and Samu Castillejo.
Milan secured the win without talisman Ibrahimovic, who is nursing a hamstring injury but expected to return soon.
The experienced Swede has scored 10 goals in six Serie A games this season, and his presence was missed against Sampdoria, but Milan managed to get the job done in Genoa.
I continue to be surprised by the maturity of these players, Pioli told Sky Italia.
Even though it was probably the youngest side we ve had all year. They never let themselves get downhe…
As speculation mounts on the futures of Yann M Vila and Pablo Daniel Osvaldo, head coach Roberto Mancini admits the duo may leave Inter.
Inter coach Roberto Mancini refused to rule out the possibility of Yann M Vila and Pablo Daniel Osvaldo departing San Siro during in January.
Both players joined the Serie A club on initial loan deals from Rubin Kazan and Southampton respectively during the last transfer window.
However, the duo have struggled for regular first-team football since Mancini returned to Inter in November, while Osvaldo was reportedly involved in a bust up with strike partner Mauro Icardi.
And Mancini confirmed there is a possibility that M Vila and Osvaldo could depart the club this month.
M Vila needs to play, he said. In the p…
Valencia s Spanish international midfielder David Silva will undergo surgery on his injured left ankle on Tuesday, the first division club announced.
After the latest tests carried out this morning and a meeting with the coach and players, we have decided to operate on the player. The surgery will take place in Barcelona on Tuesday, the club said Friday.
Silva, 22, played 34 matches in La Liga last season before helping Spain to Euro 2008 glory.
…
Antonio Conte says he has had a fantastic season at Chelsea, dismissing suggestions of a drop in mentality from the Premier League champions.
Manchester City s runaway campaign has left the rest of England s elite in their wake, including the Blues, who are 19 points behind the leaders and look certain to surrender their title.
Of the previous six managers to win the league, only Manuel Pellegrini has stayed in the job throughout the following campaign, the Chilean lasting two years at City before he was replaced by Pep Guardiola.
Conte has a contract at Stamford Bridge until the end of next season but has been regularly linked with a departure when 2017-18 concludes – reports he has routinely batted away.
Chelsea have only won one of their last four …
With Andre Schurrle set to join Chelsea, Bayer Leverkusen are on the verge of signing his replacement, Australian Robbie Kruse.
The 24-year-old from Brisbane has enjoyed a breakout season at German outfit Fortuna Dusseldorf, starting 27 of a possible 31 Bundesliga matches.
He has chimed in with four goals and six assists off the wing and Leverkusen were impressed enough to exercise his reported release clause of 1.5 million euros.
It s true, (we have) agreed terms and it s all about the details now, Kruse said.
I love the Dusseldorf club and the fans, but I want to develop myself as a player.
With Schurrle set to fetch a big fee from the current European champions, it would be unfair on Kruse to place the same levels of expectations on him.
But he will play a similar role a…
Bruno Guimaraes will not leave Newcastle this transfer window, says Eddie Howe, with the Magpies boss stating he will not sell his best players among links with Real Madrid.
Reports have suggested the Champions League holders are sizing up a raid for the Brazil international, who moved to St James Park last season from Lyon, with Madrid facing the potential loss of Casemiro amid Manchester United s push for the midfielder.
Under Howe, Guimaraes has emerged as one of the club s most essential players, and is anticipated to play a crucial role in his first full season in charge.
Asked if Newcastle would consider selling the playmaker if a suitable offer was lodged, Howe was unequivocal that they would not part with his services.
Absolutely not, he stat…
Ernesto Valverde revelled in having hat-trick hero Lionel Messi at his dispoal from the start in Barcelona s 3-1 win over Leganes.
The Argentina forward suffered a muscular problem while away on international duty at the end of March, forcing him to miss the friendlies against Italy and Spain.
Messi came off the bench to spare his side from defeat against Sevilla last weekend, helping his side rally from a two-goal deficit to grab a draw, and played the full 90 minutes in the midweek Champions League win over Roma.
Valverde decided against resting his star player for the LaLiga clash with Leganes on Saturday – and watched on as the club s all-time leading scorer bagged a treble.
We think he s fine and scoring goals always helps everything, Valverd…