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Tottenham are looking to make a move for Brazilian midfielder Paulinho, whose agent is said to be in London negotiating the potential move. Although the Corinthians midfielder isn’t the like-for-like replacement the club may have been looking for to fill the void left by Luka Modric, Paulinho will regardless be seen as an exceptional piece of business if Spurs get their man.

Paulinho is currently with Brazil at the Confederations Cup, where the host nation opened the competition with a 3-0 over Japan – of which Paulinho added the second goal – therefore any movement of note on this deal will likely only take place once the competition is over.

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A move for Paulinho has significant implications for Andre Villas-Boas and the style of play that won him such success with Porto. While the Portuguese was keen to bring in Joao Moutinho last summer, it’s often overlooked that the arrival of the now Monaco midfielder would have seen Tottenham convert to a flat midfield three, or at least with all three midfielders holding a deeper role away from the front three.

Paulinho, notably, isn’t the conductor of an orchestra Tottenham may look for in this role, but that position could be filled to an extent by Mousa Dembele. Instead, the Brazilian will provide muscle, power and a driving force from deep. He’s very good at both ends of the pitch, able to contest aerial duels and also chip in with goals. In fact, it wouldn’t be too wide of the mark to say Paulinho is a midfielder who has a plenty of goals in him over the course of a season in Europe.

Combined with his box-to-box style and alongside countryman Sandro, Tottenham could see the forging of an especially strong midfield duo. However, if Villas-Boas wants to persist with the current formation which sees an advanced midfielder behind the striker, Paulinho is also capable of playing further up the pitch. Again, he isn’t a player whose creative work can be compared to, say, Oscar, but he does play in a more attacking role for Corinthians than he does for Brazil. It gives Tottenham options and offers a big step up in quality from some of the likely departures this summer.

This also says a lot about the club’s ability in the market even without the draw of Champions League football. Paulinho has been touted for a move to Europe for the last 12 months at least, with Shakhtar, Inter Milan and Chelsea all holding an interest at various points. It’s a crucial statement of intent from the club.

In many of his appearances for the Brazil national team, Paulinho has often stood out as one of the better players on the pitch. As well as that, his successes with Corinthians are notable, having won the Brazilian Serie A title and Copa Libertadores, culminating in the win over Chelsea in the Club World Cup final.

There is, of course, that issue we’ve seen in the past with players coming into the Premier League from South America and failing to adapt. Paulinho, however, doesn’t seem to force any of that questioning. Even at a fee of around £17million, Paulinho should be seen as a bargain. He’s 24, possesses the tools needed to excel and even thrive in English football, and it’s a remarkably odd that many more clubs aren’t chasing his signature.

This is a deal that could be of great importance to Tottenham. It’s a statement to both the club’s rivals and its star players. It will show that with everything in place the club can replace outgoing names with quality of equal stature. And then there’s the on-pitch side of things. The signing of Paulinho means the team are a step further to creating the playing style Villas-Boas wants to carry out. That, in turn, and coupled with better luck on the injury front, could see Spurs make up the ground for a top four finish.

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Are Tottenham right to target Paulinho?

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Tottenham fans are mercilessly mocking Liverpool, after their side finished above the Merseysiders for the eighth time in nine seasons.

Tottenham looked to have ruined their chances of a third place finish on Sunday when they fell behind to Leicester, but “destiny still arrives” as some of their fans are saying.

Liverpool won 4-0 against Brighton, meaning Spurs had to win to ensure a third place finish, and they did just that thanks to Harry Kane’s superb cultured finish to win the game 5-4.

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Liverpool of course have a Champions League final to look forward to, and their European efforts have certainly hampered their Premier League form, but nonetheless Spurs fans are having the last laugh.

The two clubs have formed somewhat of a new rivalry over the incidents at Anfield earlier this year, when Harry Kane had two attempts from the penalty spot to help the visitors to a 2-2 draw.

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Liverpool finished above Tottenham in 2013/14 when they fell short to Manchester City in the title race, but excluding that season the Reds have not topped Spurs since the 2008/09 season.

Liverpool fans enjoyed Mohamed Salah grabbing the golden boot over Kane, but Tottenham fans are certainly enjoying themselves too, and some of the best Twitter reactions can be found below…

Southampton are demanding close to £30million for Manchester United target Morgan Schneiderlin, according to reports from the Daily Mail.

Schneiderlin has been heavily linked with a move away from the St. Mary’s Stadium the past season, with Arsenal also previously interested in the defensive midfielder.

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But it seems that the Gunners have dropped out of the race for the France international, which has left the door open for United to make a transfer.

However, the Saints have already rejected an initial £20million bid from the Red Devils, and Southampton manager Ronald Koeman insists that Man United will need to match the club’s valuation of his star man.

“Every player has his price and we have a good experience of selling players,” said Koeman. “If there is interest in Morgan Schneiderlin, then okay, but it has to be at a price that the club wants.

“He is one of the key players of our team. He is an international player. But I don’t think that is a problem for Man United.

“Two weeks ago we had a bid from Manchester United. It wasn’t enough. It wasn’t serious. And no more bids up to today.

“I know the situation. I spoke a lot with Morgan. Last season we said stop all this business with Morgan because we are not selling any more players.

“That was difficult but he came back after a few days with good motivation and he had a great season. But we know the situation. There is a lot of interest in the player.

“With a club like Man United, we know it is difficult to keep the player. If they pay, okay, he can make the transfer. But I hope if there is any business that it’s soon, because that’s best for the player and for us.

“It is important for the player to do a good pre-season. We have to prepare for what we’d have to do if we sell the player. We will see what happens in the next few days.

“I don’t talk about money, about numbers. It’s not my business. It’s up to the club.”

It was earlier reported that Southampton would allow the 25-year-old to leave for £24million, but it seems that his price has been push up nearer to the £30million mark.

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Schneiderlin played 30 games in all competitions last season, scoring five goals.

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Steve Clarke has admitted that WBA need to sort out Peter Odemwingie’s future as quickly as they can this summer.

The 31-year-old was on the bench for Albion’s 3-2 defeat at the hands of Wigan this weekend and would have featured had it not been for the jeers of the fans as he warmed up along the touchline.

Baggies supporters still haven’t forgiven the Nigerian international for his transfer deadline day stunt that saw him attempt to push through a move to QPR and then attack Albion and it’s supporters over Twitter once it fell through.

However, Clarke has admitted that he may be forced to use him again this season because the West Brom squad is so small.

“His situation is something we will have to consider at the end of the season,” Clarke said.

“It’s a decision for us all to sit down at the end of the season and make. We need to decide what is the best way forward for the football club.”

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According to reports in the Sunday Mirror, Tottenham Hotspur are ready to spend more than £100m to sign Lazio duo Sergej Milinkovic-Savic and Ciro Immobile this summer.

What’s the word, then?

Well, the Sunday Mirror says that the pair have been heavily scouted by the north London outfit in recent weeks, and while they wouldn’t come on the cheap, Spurs feel that they can afford them by offloading some of their fringe players at the end of the season.

The Sunday Mirror says that the players that could go are Toby Alderweireld, Danny Rose, Mousa Dembele, Moussa Sissoko and Victor Wanyama, whom Tottenham fans on Twitter have been discussing the futures of, with the money used to strengthen the Tottenham squad before they move into their new £750m home.

The report adds that signing either Milinkovic-Savic or the 6ft 1in Immobile would be a coup, with the former being watched by several of Europe’s biggest football clubs, and the latter able to offer a strong alternative to Harry Kane up top.

How good have the duo been this season?

They have been excellent.

Striker Immobile has scored a remarkable 41 goals in 45 matches for the Serie A outfit, as well as providing a further 11 assists, while Milinkovic-Savic has found the net on 12 occasions and picked up nine assists, even though he has often been deployed as a central midfielder.

The Serbia international has shown how useful he can be at both ends of the pitch, and he has great ability on the ball, too.

Meanwhile, his Italian teammate is obviously a great finisher, but he is strong in the air too and is no stranger to scoring goals with his head.

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Would they be good signings for Spurs?

They certainly would be.

Milinkovic-Savic in only 23 years of age and looks to have a massive future ahead of him, while Immobile certainly looks as though he could be more of a success with the north London outfit than Vincent Janssen and Fernando Llorente have been.

Will they get them?

It’s difficult to say.

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They will certainly have to pay through the roof to get Milinkovic-Savic, which they may not be willing to do, while they would have to convince Immobile that he could still get regular minutes on the pitch even though he would likely be Kane’s back-up.

Considering the number of goals he has scored this season that is going to be difficult to do, and it would perhaps make more sense if Pochettino has a plan to play both of them together in a new formation with two strikers.

We’ve seen plenty of tactical madness from Louis van Gaal over the last twelve months.

Playing Dirk Kuyt at wing-back and substituting on a goalkeeper for a penalty shoot out at last summer’s World Cup was pretty crazy from the former Oranje boss. But since taking the Old Trafford helm, he’s attempted to remodel Wayne Rooney into a deep-lying playmaker, Marouane Fellaini as a centre-forward and Angel Di Maria as an out-and-out striker.

Needless to say, not all of LVG’s tactical quirks have paid off – who remembers Manchester United’s horrendous 3-5-2 at the start of the season? So fans are quite rightly concerned regarding how his latest one will pan out.

When Luke Shaw came off injured against Crystal Palace, many assumed the ever-versatile Daley Blind would fill in at left-back – or failing that, Ashley Young, who performed well as an emergency wing-back earlier this season.

But proving he’s the most unpredictable manager in the Premier League, the United gaffer has gone for the audacious choice of right-footed centre-back Phil Jones.

Needless to say, Twitter erupted. Here’s some of the best responses:

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Trying to force parallels between the Premier League and Portuguese Liga is a difficult thing. From a footballing and competitive perspective, many would like to argue that Portugal doesn’t hold a flame to England. However, the manner in which FC Porto in particular are run is something many in England, including Arsenal, should look to replicate.

It may seem ironic to praise Porto and their transfer and building policy while so many in England have been quick to criticise Arsenal. Are both clubs so different? In terms of results and trophies, the answer is an undeniable yes. However, the premise remains a constant: buy low, sell high. It just so happens that the well is yet to run dry for the Portuguese club, while it has been argued for a number of seasons that Arsene Wenger has lost his touch in the market.

It’s a policy that saw Arsenal greatly benefit from the sale of Nicolas Anelka to Real Madrid in 1999. The training ground at London Colney was built and Thierry Henry arrived as the replacement. Not too dissimilar to what we’ve seen with Porto in recent years, selling Lisandro Lopez to Lyon when the French club needed a replacement for Karim Benzema, and then dipping into the South American market to pick up Radamel Falcao. If there are any who are going to suggest the buck stopped with Falcao’s sale to Atletico Madrid, his replacement and countryman Jackson Martinez has bagged 25 league goals this season.

And then the problems arise. How do clubs like Arsenal go about cherry picking the players from South America in the way Porto do? The employment restrictions in place in England make it near impossible, yet that isn’t the basis of the argument. Porto have found a market that suits them, one which has continued to keep them competitive because of excellent scouting. Yes, arguably it is a comfort zone, but who could argue that players from South America’s top leagues aren’t better than what’s on offer in France?

Shakhtar Donetsk are the same, with their attack comprising almost exclusively of Brazilians while their defence takes on a look that is far more in keeping with their roots. As an addition to that, many clubs and fans in Western Europe are quick to heap praise and admiration on the Shakhtar players, with Tottenham and Chelsea attempting to bring Willian to England, Manchester City chasing Fernandinho and Manchester United missing out on Douglas Costa prior to his move to the Ukraine.

Like Porto, Shakhtar have continued in their very balanced and extremely successful model, pocketing €35 million for Willian and replacing him with Taison.

I’m all for the idea that Arsenal are armed with £70 million going into this summer’s market. What I am concerned about is the manner in which it will be spent.

Fans in England have been fed the idea that a figure like £70 million isn’t enough to build a title-winning side. It’s a lot of nonsense fed by a company who live on blockbuster transfer deals. England want £40 million strikers but are quick to criticise and mock Liverpool and Chelsea for their purchases in January 2011. The most recent observation to do the rounds was that the entire Dortmund starting XI which beat Real Madrid cost less than Andy Carroll.

It’s not really that surprising. Dortmund had their backs against the wall and had to be smart. They picked up Robert Lewandowski from Lech Poznan while others were focused elsewhere, and grabbed Mats Hummels from Bayern Munich for much, much less than his market value. Of course, Dortmund have been aided in a great way by the German production line, but credit is due for their approach to the transfer market.

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On an equally important level, clubs like Porto and Shakhtar are where they are now because their board take on an almost ruthless attitude when dealing in the market. This isn’t so much with regards to player purchases but rather player sales. Porto know how to make a tremendous profit and not allow themselves to be bullied by stronger forces across the continent. As an addition, Tottenham’s Daniel Levy is often credited as one of the toughest negotiators alongside Porto’s Pinto da Costa and Lyon’s Jean-Michel Aulas. With Arsenal consistently selling off key players to raise funds, they could certainly learn a couple of tricks from some of the best in the business.

It’s a drum worth beating all summer long because it is absolutely vital. Arsenal will only make that £70 million count if they are smart in their approach to building. The summer of 2011 saw Arsenal spend around £50 million, and yet only Mikel Arteta and Per Mertesacker are regulars in the current starting XI. With so much on offer in the way of world-class talent beyond the borders of Western Europe, it would be a welcome change if Arsenal adopted the transfer strategy of clubs they currently have plenty in common with.

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Atletico Madrid attacker Antoine Griezmann impressed and scored in his side’s 1-1 draw with Arsenal in the first leg of their Europa League semi-final tie at the Emirates Stadium on Thursday night, and Manchester United fans have urged their club to sign the Frenchman, rated at £90m by Transfermarkt, to play alongside Alexis Sanchez and Romelu Lukaku in a front three next season.

The versatile forward has long been linked with a move away from the La Liga club, but he extended his contract with the team from the Spanish capital by another 12 months last summer, and has gone on to score 27 goals in 45 appearances in all competitions for Diego Simeone’s side.

Meanwhile, the Red Devils are still yet to find a real solution to their right-sided issue with the likes of Jesse Lingard and Juan Mata playing there this season, and Jose Mourinho could look to make an addition in that position during the summer.

Man United supporters, who also want Bayern Munich’s Joshua Kimmich to solve their right-back issue, were quick to have their say on Griezmann’s latest display via social media, and while one simply said “sign Griezmann”, another said “Alexis – Lukaku – Griezmann. Front three next season, make it happen @manutd”.

Here is just a selection of the Twitter reaction…

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Once again it looks like Queens Park Rangers are headed for the drop back down to the Championship.

At present, they’ve  collected just 26 points from 33 games and are in 18th place. They are level on points with Burnley, but Sean Dyche’s men have a game in hand. In dead last is Leicester City, with one less point, yet two goals in hand. But, if QPR go down, will they struggle to come straight back up?

It’s becoming all too clear that Queen’s Park Rangers are not cut out for an elongated life in the Premier League. The story of this season is one the West London club know all too well. The yo-yo’ing the side are doing, in and out of the Championship, has been going on for the last four years.

Back in the 2010/11 season, QPR were promoted to the Premier League, but definitely struggled in their debut season in the top flight.

Queen’s Park Rangers finished that 2011/12 season in 17th – just one place from safety. They cut it fine as they ended the season with just a point separating them and Bolton Wanderers, who were relegated. It is always hard for newly promoted teams to stay up in the Premier League, so credit where it is due for the Hoops, but they did it by the skin of their teeth.

A year later, QPR weren’t so lucky. They found themselves back in the Championship after finishing rock bottom in the Premier League. Their Championship days were short lived though, as they made their way back to the top flight through the play-offs.

After bouncing in and out of the Premier League for the last few years, and toying with relegation once again, it looks like QPR’s days are numbered.

It’s becoming tiresome, if anything, to see a team make their way into the top flight and do so little with their opportunity. There is only so long that any side can play this game.

If they do face the drop, they should remain in the Championship for a good while: they cannot hack the pace of the Premier League.

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Manchester City boss Roberto Mancini blasted Premier League teams for ‘playing soft’ and handing over the title to United, according to The Guardian.

Mancini’s critique comes on the verge of the Manchester derby tonight at the Old Trafford, in which City will try to close the 15 point gap between them and the league-leading Red Devils.

“No one plays well with United because they only play with fear,” said Mancini. “Every team that plays against United plays very soft because they think the game is difficult, that they can’t beat them. It is not true.”

The 48-year-old manager blames the dominant perception that Sir Alex Ferguson has created at the Old Trafford, saying “United have been a strong team for a long time,” and that teams competing against them may give 100 per cent, but have a poor mentality.

The Italian also claimed that City hope build that same empire state of mind, even though currently, they “don’t have the same importance like United in this moment.”

“Maybe in 10 years it will be the same. The history is very important. We need to improve as a team, as a club. If we win every year, probably it will also be the same for us.”

Fergie, on the other hand, attributed United’s dominance this season with his players’ conviction and disappointment at losing the title to City by the difference of a goal last season, saying the team had “a definite purpose in terms of getting the title back”.

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“We have improved. That’s the difficulty for [City]. Even if their points tally was as good as it was this time last season, it wouldn’t have matched ours. So you have to give us credit for that.”

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