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Tottenham Hotspur are continuing their hunt to find a suitable successor to Antonio Conte in the dugout, with the experienced Italian having finally left his post on Sunday evening after 16 months in charge at N17.

What is the latest on Tottenham's manager search?

According to the Daily Mail, Spurs chairman Daniel Levy is believed to have made former Bayern Munich boss Julian Nagelsmann his 'top target' to take on the role, with the 35-year-old having only recently been replaced by Thomas Tuchel at the Allianz Arena.

The report suggests, however, that the Lilywhites are considering other candidates for the position, particularly with the German coach likely to also be attracting interest from notable clubs across Europe, including Real Madrid and Chelsea.

The piece goes on to add that former Spain head coach Luis Enrique is among the list of alternative options to take charge at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, with The Times previously suggesting that the 52-year-old would be 'open' to talks regarding a move to north London.

Should Spurs appoint Enrique?

In the meantime, Levy and co have opted to hand the reigns to Conte's former assistant Cristian Stellini as well as Ryan Mason until the end of the season, with that giving the club's hierarchy the breathing space needed to be able to appoint the right, long-term fit for the role.

Unsurprisingly, the aforementioned Nagelsmann has emerged as a leading candidate following his fresh exit from Bayern, with the former RB Leipzig boss having been shown the door despite losing just three games in all competitions this season.

It was seemingly off-field issues that led to the sacking of the one-time Hoffenheim man, with BBC Sport journalist Constantin Eckner writing that 'players regularly complained too about Nagelsmann's training style', with the young coach having also been branded something of a 'know-it-all'.

As The Athletic's Raphael Honigstein also noted, Nagelsmann had also been unable to ever 'really connect' with the dressing room in Bavaria, having seemingly not been the uniting presence that the club were in need of.

To bring a potentially unpopular figure to Spurs may then appear a notable mistake, particularly with the current squad in need of a managerial presence who can "put smiles back on people's faces", as per journalist Tom Williams, following the sour end to Conte's time in charge.

Enrique, then, could be the leader-like figure who can bring the good times back to north London, with the former Barcelona man having been hailed by Spanish Football Federation president Luis Rubiales, who stated back in December:

"He renewed the blood of the National Team with players under 20 years of age and reunited everyone around the Spain team."

Also described as a "top-level manager" by Rubiales, Enrique – who notably won the treble in 2015 during his time at Camp Nou – would certainly be another marquee appointment as far as Levy is concerned.

The "coaching genius" – as hailed by journalist Muhammad Butt – could also reportedly provide the benefit of being able to tempt talisman Harry Kane into staying at the club, while pundit Chris Sutton suggested that both Levy and supporters would "love" Enrique due to his eye-catching "brand of football".

It does appear that a hasty decision won't be made with the end of the season still a few months away, although the one-time Roma boss could seemingly be a dream candidate.

Sky Sports reporter Florian Plettenberg has provided an update on Manchester United transfer target Victor Osimhen.

The Lowdown: United interest

The Red Devils have made a new striker and midfielder their transfer priority this summer, with Osimhen thought to be a player of interest.

The Napoli striker is reportedly at the top of United’s striker shortlist, ahead of Tottenham’s Harry Kane, AS Roma’s Tammy Abraham and soon-to-be RB Leipzig’s Benjamin Sesko.

The Nigerian international has scored 21 goals and provided five assists in 27 appearances this season and is under contract with the Serie A side until 2025.

The Latest: Transfer news

Plettenberg took to Twitter in the last 48 hours to share an update he’s ‘been told’ about Osimhen’s future. The Sky Sports reporter said that United, Chelsea, Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain are ‘all in’, with ‘different talks’ taking place.

He added that Bayern Munich aren’t in the race for the forward, with his €100m (£88m) valuation ‘not feasible’ for them.

The Verdict: Fingers crossed

Osimhen has been called a ‘monster’ by members of the press and has also come in for praise from legendary striker David Trezeguet, who described the forward as ‘unique’:

“He’s a unique player, a prototype of the new player, fast, and he moves a lot. I think he has become a striker with an important profile. He knows how to move and manage himself in the match.”

Therefore, a big-money move to Old Trafford could be a brilliant piece of business from Red Devils chiefs, where Osimhen could become one of the club’s most expensive signings of all time with Napoli seemingly wanting €100m (£88m) to part ways with the player.

The 24-year-old appears to be entering the prime years of his career with a career-high €70m Transfermarkt valuation, so may continue his free-scoring form at his next club. United will be hoping that is with them, however, they look set to face plenty of competition for his services, including from Premier League rivals, so negotiations could prove tricky over the coming months.

Erik ten Hag’s need for a marquee striker could be something that appeals to Osimhen, though, knowing he would be the main centre-forward at the club with Anthony Martial’s future in doubt and Wout Weghorst’s stay only temporary until the end of the season.

As a result, he could form a formidable front four alongside left-winger Marcus Rashford, attacking midfielder Bruno Fernandes and one of Jadon Sancho, Antony or Alejandro Garncaho on the right-hand side.

Everton and transfer disasters. Name a better duo, we’ll wait.

It has been a remarkably sour theme to the Farhad Moshiri regime at Goodison Park with a ludicrous amount of money –  nearly £700m in fact – being wasted.Enormous amounts of investment have been ploughed into the club but they have seen little aside from a plethora of managers in return.Very few have been able to get a tune out of the team since David Moyes left all those years ago with two successive relegation battles now to show for their troubles.Spending now happens to be less frequent but after receiving £40m for Anthony Gordon, there is a hope that should Sean Dyche keep them in the division, money will be reinvested wisely into the squad.What Everton will hope to avoid again is bringing in players like Morgan Schneiderlin, who simply failed to set the world alight in Merseyside.When did Everton sign Schneiderlin?The Toffees battled hard to secure the acquisition of the Frenchman back in January 2017, eventually paying Manchester United £24m for his signature.Unfortunately, that turned out to be money wasted as far as the hierarchy are concerned with the 6 foot 1 battler in his own words “regretting” leaving Old Trafford behind.He is unlikely to be the only one feeling regret either, with the former Southampton man playing 88 times across a three-and-a-half-year period.In that time, the now 33-year-old found the net just once while offering a return of two assists.Discipline was a problem as Schneiderlin entered the referee’s notebook 15 times, once every six matches, and was shown a red card on three occasions.A knee injury later ensured that he ended his time at Everton on the treatment table with that fact rather typical of his stay at the club, but also potentially a blessing in disguise for supporters.Where is Morgan Schneiderlin now?The now 33-year-old left the Toffees in the summer of 2020, heading back to his homeland where he was handed an opportunity to get his career back on track.Sadly, it’s been another tail of woe with the combative ace failing to score in 59 outings for Nice while picking up 13 yellows, a card every 4.5 games, in what represents an even poorer average compared to his last few campaigns in England.As such, he has been exiled from the first team picture and was told to find pastures new in January 2023.His destination? Australia.Schneiderlin’s time at the top level, therefore, would appear to be done and dusted with the A-League a considerable drop off from one of Europe’s top five divisions.Since joining Western Sydney Wanderers on loan, he has started just one match and played on three occasions.His statistics? You guessed it, a yellow card. However, that is combined with a goal and assist apiece following his first attacking contributions on Saturday.The French midfielder has only just arrived in a new country and thus will take some adjusting, but his fall from grace since departing United has been a rather alarming one. Consequently, is it ever a surprise that BBC reporter Phil McNulty once dubbed him “shocking”?Those words certainly weren’t true during his formative years in the Premier League but that was about as good as it ever got for Schneiderlin throughout his playing career to date. Indeed, his move to Everton was a failure for all involved and arguably, he is still picking up the pieces from that stint.

Rangers are thought to be relaxed over Malik Tillman’s future – but journalist Chris Jack has warned his fine form could stop him being at Ibrox next season.

The Lowdown: Tillman at Rangers

Tillman arrived at Ibrox in the summer, joining on a season-long loan deal from Bayern Munich, with the Gers holding an exclusive option to buy clause (via Rangers).

The 20-year-old bagged in Rangers’ recent outing against Ross County, scoring a second goal in as many games to take his tally up to seven SPFL goals at the weekend.

Tillman was born in Germany, but has represented the USA four times, narrowly missing out on the World Cup squad after previously being involved in the three prior matches due to his form in Scotland.

The Latest: Will he stay?

Given his importance to the Rangers side this season – especially since Michael Beale’s arrival – the Gers will surely be keen to see him extend his stay at Ibrox beyond the end of the campaign, with Jack telling The Rangers Review he’d be surprised if he doesn’t stay, saying:

“Right now, I don’t see why [he wouldn’t stay].

“Rangers are in a strong position, they’ve got that deal in place with Bayern Munich, they’ve got first dibs on him. I would be amazed if they don’t try and activate that clause to make Malik a Rangers player come the summer.

“The only danger, I think, for Rangers is, the better he plays, the more impressive he is, he may well get other clubs then onto his people or to Bayern Munich, saying, ‘by the way, we can give you more money than Rangers, we can offer you more money personally in terms of offering a better league, better European aspirations.

“That may be the only fly in the ointment for Rangers, at the moment Rangers seem relaxed about the situation, Tillman seems relaxed about the situation and I’d be very surprised if he’s not a Rangers player come the first game of next season.”

The Verdict: Deal to be done?

The Daily Record recently reported that Beale admitted the youngster’s future hangs on the decision that his parent club make, with Rangers holding no obligation to sign him and the exclusive clause holds just a first option to buy scenario that only exists if Bayern entertain offers.

But given Bayern Munich’s depth in attacking midfield consists of wonderkid Jamal Musiala – who bagged nine Bundesliga goals before the World Cup break – legendary figure Thomas Muller and teenager Paul Wanner, there are plenty of direct rivals standing in Tillman’s way.

Rangers are all but set to enter the qualifying rounds of the Champions League with them sitting 19 points clear of third place, so they will be able to offer at least the chance to make it to the group stages alongside regular game time that will surely be invaluable to Tillman and give them the edge over any potential suitors.

YouTube presenter and Leeds United supporter Joe Wainman has been reacting to the club’s links to AS Roma attacker Nicolo Zaniolo.

The Lowdown: Bid in

The Whites have been busy so far this month and announced Weston McKennie, their third first-team signing of the January transfer window, on Monday.

There could still be more to come, though, with speculation emerging on Zaniolo, who is primarily an attacking midfielder but can play as a second striker or as a right winger. Journalist Daniele Longo has claimed that Leeds have now made a loan offer with an obligation to buy which includes ‘very easy-to-achieve terms’.

The Latest: Wainman reacts

Wainman, host of the JustJoe Football Show, took to Twitter on Monday evening to react to the rumours regarding Zaniolo.

He simply said ‘surely not’ when it was suggested that Leeds have a 10% chance of securing the Italy international’s services.

The Verdict: Harrison replacement?

It looks as if Jack Harrison could be on the way out of Elland Road on deadline day, with Leeds ready to listen to offers for the winger.

Therefore, Zaniolo could be viewed as a possible replacement, although it appears to be a risky move when you look at his injury history. The 23-year-old has already missed a whopping 91 games through injury for Roma, so there is no guarantee that he would remain fully fit in Yorkshire.

The Italian has also contributed to just one Serie A goal in 13 appearances during the current campaign, so it could be best for Leeds to stick with Harrison or look elsewhere for a potential replacement.

Manchester City secured their progression into the FA Cup fourth round with a comfortable 4-0 win over Chelsea at the Etihad, with Aymeric Laporte impressive.

Riyad Mahrez set Pep Guardiola’s side on their way with a brilliant free-kick over the wall, before Julian Alvarez made it 2-0 from the penalty spot after Kai Havertz’s handball.

Phil Foden added a third before half-time after a beautiful passing move and City’s total domination was emphasised further from another penalty in the second 45, with Mahrez ending his poor run from 12 yards by smashing in the fourth.

While the Algerian winger was undoubtedly impressive against Graham Potter’s side it was arguably Laporte who was the star performer at the Etihad.

As per Sofascore, the Spain international would earn an impressive 8.2/10 rating for his performance, which was the second-highest of any player to feature in the game behind Mahrez (8.8).

During the 90 minutes, the former Atletico Bilbao man would enjoy 117 touches of the ball, which was the most of any player in the game.

He would also complete 104/108 passes with a superb pass success rate of 96%, which included one key pass. Considering he has averaged just 61.3 passes per game in the Premier League with a success rate of 91%, it is clear that he raised his game to another level against the Blues on Sunday.

Laporte was also able to complete 11/13 long balls in the game, helping to create a big chance, so he really emphasised his ability on the ball in what was his first appearance of the new year.

While City didn’t have too much defending to do against the lacklustre visitors, the 28-year-old would still manage to complete four tackles in the game, which again was a significant increase on the 0.5 tackles he has averaged in the top flight this season.

It was no surprise that Guardiola labelled Laporte “exceptional” after just a few months at the Etihad and he has continued to live up to that praise over the last few years, with his return from injury undoubtedly a big boost for the Spanish manager ahead of the second half of the season.

Tottenham Hotspur target Tete ‘could be an option’ in the January transfer window, according to transfer insider Dean Jones.

The Lowdown: Interest in Tete

Tete is currently on loan at Lyon from Shakhtar Donetsk, but 90min recently detailed that a number of Premier League clubs have been offered the chance to sign him on a loan deal of their own, with a view to a permanent deal.

Tottenham are named in the report as a potential destination, while the Brazilian has also been named by Football London as a player on their five-man shortlist in January. (via the Express)

The Latest: Jones’ update

In an interview with GIVEMESPORT, Jones claimed that the 22-year-old could be considered by Antonio Conte at a later date this month:

“Tete could be an option towards the back end of the window, he might offer some value.

“Other Spurs targets, like Harvey Barnes, I can’t see them managing to get him in this window.

“Ismaila Sarr, Watford don’t want to sell him. So none of those are particularly easy to do.“But the toughest thing to consider is, are any of those players actually up to the level to make up for the absence of Dejan Kulusevski? It’s really hard to guarantee that.”[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/tottenham-latest-updates-2/” title=”Tottenham latest updates!” poster=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/cropped-tottenham-fans.jpg” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

Arsenal are one of the clubs in the mix to secure a transfer deal for Juventus striker Dusan Vlahovic. 

The Lowdown: Arsenal’s previous interest in Vlahovic

The north London club have been linked with a move for Vlahovic in the past, most notably back in the previous January transfer window, before he eventually made his move to Juventus.

Since then, the 22-year-old has gone on to score 16 goals in 36 appearances for the Italian club, taking his career total to 88 goals in 193 club games.

Now that the next January window is set to open in the coming days, the Serbian could be on his way out of the Serie A side just 12 months on.

The Latest: Arsenal in the mix for Vlahovic

According to a recent report from Corriere dello Sport (via Sport Witness), the striker is currently unsettled at Juventus and has the likes of Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester United, Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern Munich after him, with the English clubs “interested even immediately to sign Vlahovic”.

The report also adds that while the Italian club are keen to keep hold of the striker until at least the end of the season, an offer of €90m (£79m) would be considered in January.

The Verdict: A big investment for Arsenal

This season has shown how much of a deadly striker Vlahovic is despite his reported issues off the pitch.

For example, as well as having more shots at goal (30) than any other player at Juventus in the league, the striker also has the joint-third highest number of key passes (11) at the club.

His overall performances have earned the striker, who has been described as an “extraordinary” player by former manager Vincenzo Italiano, a solid season rating of 7/10 from WhoScored, making him the fifth-highest rated player at Juventus.

Taking all of this into account, it’s clear that the Juventus attacker would give Mikel Arteta’s side a very capable goalscorer as well as a potential long-term figure at the club given his age.

However, with the hefty transfer fee that it could take to sign him in January, this would certainly be something that the Gunners would need to consider very carefully before making a decision.

Liverpool have been long-time admirers of Jude Bellingham, and with the transfer market reopening next month, there has been another update on the club’s pursuit of the player.

What’s the latest?

According to Sky Sports journalist Florian Plettenberg, the Reds are “doing everything” to try and sign the England and Borussia Dortmund midfielder.

Plettenberg tweeted: “As reported: Liverpool is doing everything and Klopp is pushing a lot! Internal saying: Bellingham first! Caicedo is an alternative. Liverpool is highly rated from the player. But nothing decided yet. LFC won’t pay every price. Dortmund expects between €100-150m!”

Klopp will be thrilled

Liverpool have been linked on numerous occasions with a move for Bellingham, but it wasn’t until this summer that Jurgen Klopp broke his silence on the potential of the midfielder joining the Reds.

During a pre-season press conference, the Reds manager responded to a question about the club’s pursuit of the player during the transfer window by saying: “He’s not on the market, so that’s the first problem with that player. Well, the only problem with that player!”

Indeed, the timing of Bellingham’s potential availability either in January or in the summer could not come at a better moment for Liverpool. There is a serious need of a refresh in the Reds’ midfield, and there is no doubt that the teenager could rejuvenate the team if the powerbrokers at Anfield could finally secure his signature.

The 19-year-old wonderkid – who is reportedly valued at €150m (£129m) – has been representing England at the World Cup alongside Liverpool’s Trent Alexander-Arnold and Jordan Henderson, with his performances on the pitch showing exactly why Klopp would be thrilled to sign the player.

In three World Cup appearances so far, Bellingham has scored one goal, tallied a 93% pass completion rate and successfully completed 50% of his dribbles, along with averaging one key pass, 2.3 tackles, one shot on goal and five successful duels per game.

Furthermore, the talented midfielder ranks in the top 10% of his positional peers across the top five European leagues for non-penalty goals, dribbles completed, touches and progressive passes received, further showing that the midfielder offers both a solid defensive presence to his team and an attacking threat to opponents.

With that in mind, the signing of Bellingham would without a doubt be monumental for the Reds, so they must not stagnate in their pursuit of the player and must provide a tempting enough offer to secure his signature ahead of any competitor over the months ahead.

Glasgow Rangers sacked Giovanni van Bronckhorst on Monday morning and now Ross Wilson is on the lookout for his successor at Ibrox.

With the next domestic match taking place on 15 December, Wilson will be aiming to make a swift appointment in order for the new manager to bring in his own team and start work with the players.

The likes of Peter Bosz and Kjetil Knutsen have so far been linked amongst a host of other names, however, it should be someone a bit closer to home that should be Rangers’ real target.

A special manager on the way?

Under Steven Gerrard, Rangers won their 55th league title, however, it was Gerrard’s first team coach, who was the brains behind the system that propelled the Light Blues to that historic title.

A certain 42-year-old joined the former Liverpool captain when he took over at Aston Villa, before leaving in the summer to pursue a managerial journey of his own, and it has been working out pretty well so far, with his side sitting just outside the playoff spots in the Championship.

The man in question is Mick Beale, who just so happened to turn down the job at Wolverhampton Wanderers in recent times. He is now a target for the Gers, with Wilson reportedly making him his number one target to take over from the Dutchman before the 47-year-old was even sacked.

However, the 4th Official tweeted that “as per my source close to the Rangers board”, he is now “interested” in the job in what should be a piece of extremely positive news for Rangers.

It appears the club aren’t hanging around in terms of making the appointment, and with the coach having worked previously at Rangers, it’s arguably the most logical move.

Gerrard praised him when they worked together in Glasgow, saying: “What I’ll never do is try to do someone else’s job when they are better than me at doing it. A lot of people won’t have a clue what Mick Beale does on the training pitch, but what he does is really quite special.

“I haven’t had the luxury of retiring early from the game or not being a player, in terms of having that pitch time to really become a coach for the past 20 years like a Brendan Rodgers, a Mourinho or a Beale.”

This acclaim just shows how much he contributed towards the landmark title success and with the previous history, a positive rapport with the supporters, and excellent tactical acumen, bringing him back to Ibrox could be really special.