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According to A Bola, Tottenham Hotspur are interested in signing Sporting Lisbon attacker Bruno Fernandes at the end of the season.

What’s the story?

Tottenham are expected to be active in this summer’s transfer window as head coach Mauricio Pochettino looks to put together a squad capable of challenging on all fronts next season.

According to A Bola, one name on Spurs’ wishlist is Sporting attacker Fernandes, who has caught the eye with a number of impressive performances for his Portuguese club this term.

Pochettino is believed to be a huge admirer of the Portugal international, although it is thought that Sporting value the attacker in the region of £87m.

It would be extremely surprising if the Premier League club smashed their transfer record to sign a player that operates in a similar position to Dele Alli and Christian Eriksen, but it must be said that Fernandes’ numbers this season are extremely impressive.

So, how well has he performed?

Well, Fernandes has managed 13 goals and 16 assists in 43 appearances for Sporting in all competitions during the 2017-18 campaign.

Eight of those goals and seven of those assists have come in 26 league fixtures, whilst he also struck once in the group stages of the Champions League.

The fact that Fernandes can operate in a number of different positions makes him an attractive proposition for Tottenham, but as mentioned above, it appears that Sporting want £87m in order to sanction a sale.

Much could depend on whether Spurs, who have also reportedly learned the asking price for Norwich City’s James Maddison, manage to keep hold of Harry Kane, which seems likely now that talk of interest from Barcelona and Real Madrid has gone cold.

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Fernandes is a super footballer, but he had a poor game for Portugal against Netherlands on Monday night, and could ultimately be priced out of a move to White Hart Lane.

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It has been inevitable that Manchester City would win the Premier League for quite some time now but they have been presented with an opportunity to do so in historic fashion.

The clash with bitter rivals Manchester United on 7 April was pinpointed as a potential title decider as soon as the fixtures came out; a match between the two big-spending northern powerhouses who were tipped to be neck-and-neck for the title.

It hasn’t turned out like that at all and City have been so dominant that they can clinch the title – the earliest ever Premier League triumph – by beating Jose Mourinho’s men on Saturday.

That means that Mourinho has no shortage of key questions to answer as he takes United to the Etihad looking to avoid one of their most embarrassing days in recent memory.

Losing here would be up there with the 6-1 home defeat in 2011 and the 2012 Aguero moment as dark days for Red Devils fans and we’ve taken a look at how Mourinho goes about avoiding it happening…

Does parking the bus actually work?

Parking the bus has been Mourinho’s go-to tactic in the big way games against the elite sides in the Premier League since his appointment at Old Trafford and that has drawn much ire from fans and pundits alike.

Last season, his conservative approach saw United score just one goal in their five trips to face their top six rivals as they suffered three defeats and procured just two points out of the available 15 – 0-0 draws against United’s biggest rivals, City and Liverpool.

This time around, their greater sense of endeavour at the Emirates was rewarded with a 3-1 win and they were able to frustrate Liverpool 0-0 again. But defeats against Spurs and Chelsea – 2-0 and 1-0 respectively – show that Mourinho’s bus parking isn’t proving especially successful.

For the former Chelsea boss to get away with such an aesthetically unappealing gameplan, it has to be successful and that has simply not been the case so far. He is likely go for it again on Saturday but will it work?

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Is De Bruyne City’s biggest threat?

De Bruyne, valued at £99m by Transfermarkt, is expected to go head to head with Mo Salah for the PFA Player of the Year award after a staggering season in which he has dominated game after game from midfield.

He is the man who makes City tick and Mourinho will have to find a way of formatting his midfield that somehow stifles the Belgian’s influence. Otherwise, it will be a long afternoon for the visitors.

Guardiola has a dazzling array of stars to choose from and some – such as Raheem Sterling, Leroy Sane and Gabriel Jesus – offer a more immediate goal threat so Mourinho has to decide which of them it is most important to stop.

Will Guardiola prioritise the Champions League?

Saturday’s clash is sandwiched by both legs of City’s Champions League quarter-final tie against Liverpool.

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With Guardiola’s men all but guaranteed to win the league for months and months, European glory has become the more accurate barometer of whether their season has been a success.

For that reason, Pep might be tempted to prioritise the two-legged encounter with Jurgen Klopp’s side to ensure they make it to the semi-finals and keep their hopes of winning three trophies this season alive.

On the other hand, City captain Vincent Kompany has admitted the opportunity to beat United and win the league is ‘once in a lifetime’ so the pressure is on Guardiola not to let it slip.

Rotation might cause Mourinho problems in terms of second-guessing how City will line up on Saturday and that could cause problems for a manager who is so obsessive over reacting to what his opponent does.

It has been a decade since Tottenham Hotspur lifted a piece of silverware, and they have only one shot now until the end of the season due to their participation in the FA Cup.

The North London outfit will take on Manchester United in the semi-finals, but they also have the top-four race to focus on.

Mauricio Pochettino’s side only need three more wins to secure Champions League football for next season, where they will be playing in a brand new state-of-the-art stadium.

Tottenham have six more top-flight matches left on their schedule, and first up is a difficult test against Manchester City.

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Brighton, Watford, West Bromwich Albion, Newcastle United and Leicester City will follow, and no disrespect to those opponents, but Spurs will be favourites to pick up maximum points.

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Tottenham fans certainly think that will be the case, and some even feel that a scalp could be on the cards against Manchester City.

Pep Guardiola’s team are on the verge of winning the league title, but back-to-back defeats in all competitions has left them feeling slightly vulnerable.

According to a report in The Times analysing what has gone wrong at Southampton this season, a number of their first-team players are said to have lost confidence in defender Wesley Hoedt following repeated errors at the back.

The Dutchman was signed from Lazio in a £15m deal last summer, and the south coast outfit would probably have been hoping that he could be a long-term replacement for either Virgil van Dijk when he eventually left St Mary’s, or finally a successor for Jose Fonte following his departure in January 2017.

However, the 24-year-old has struggled at the back and has far too often been culpable for the goals they have conceded – including Chelsea’s second in the semi-finals of the FA Cup at Wembley last Sunday when he lost the man he should have been marking, Alvaro Morata, while he was criticised by his own fans on Twitter following the 3-0 defeat to West Ham United last month.

The Netherlands international has often looked less than mobile and the fact that The Times says that his teammates have basically said they don’t feel comfortable when he is on the pitch is hardly good when they are battling against the drop.

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Southampton play host to Bournemouth in what is a must-win fixture at St Mary’s on Saturday, and it will be interesting to see whether Hoedt is named in the line-up after this revelation.

As reported by The Daily Mirror, West Ham United are interested in signing West Bromwich Albion defender Craig Dawson this summer.

What’s the story?

After a disappointing season in the English Premier League, fans of the Irons are hoping the club can get significant business done when the transfer window opens and build a team capable of competing towards the top end of the table.

One player on their radar is West Brom defender Craig Dawson, who has been key to their recent improvement.

That’s according to The Mirror, who say that West Ham are joined by the likes of Wolves and Burnley in pursuit of his signature this summer.

Rated at £5.4m by Transfermarkt, is he the kind of signing that can improve the Hammers defence next season?

Should they make a move for him?

Given he has featured heavily in the defence of the worst team in the league this season, being linked with Dawson isn’t the most inspiring transfer rumour for long-suffering supporters of the hammers.

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While it’s true that the versatile defender, able to play both on the right side and centrally, has been far from the Baggies’ worst performer this season, surely West Ham can do better than scouring the squads of relegation candidates for first team players?

The club haven’t used their resources especially well in recent transfer windows and while Dawson could be prove to be a reliable talent, West Brom have conceded less goals than West Ham this season after all, they should perhaps be more ambitious and imaginative with their potential transfer targets this summer, or risk facing ire from fans.

After drawing with Huddersfield on Wednesday night, Chelsea need a win on the final day of the season to maintain any hope of qualifying for the Champions League – and even then, they’ll need Liverpool to lose against Brighton at home.

While the all-important FA Cup final may linger in the background, Antonio Conte doesn’t really have much of a choice but to field his strongest starting XI this weekend, simply because of the incredible financial incentives Europe’s top competition offers.

That inevitably means starting Eden Hazard when Chelsea face Newcastle United on Sunday, which leaves the Blues boss facing a key decision over which attacking midfielder to drop from his midweek starting lineup.

64-cap Spaniard Pedro bore the brunt of criticism from fans after Wednesday’s underwhelming performance, but Willian didn’t exactly bring his best form either and conceded possession for Laurent Depoitre’s goal.

So, Chelsea fans, which player would you axe from the starting XI to make room for Hazard, who Transfermarkt value at £90million? Let us know by voting below…

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Liverpool have employed a rotation strategy throughout the season, which has intensified in recent months in order to see the side into the final of the Champions League.

It has brought mixed success; it has clearly worked in terms of getting Jurgen Klopp’s side through the round in Europe but it has weakened their league form, rendering them unable to mount a title challenge as well as putting the handbrake on their cruise into the Premier League’s top four.

Klopp’s plan to ensure his players do not play as many games has now, conversely, led him to a position where he must take even the 38th game of the league campaign seriously – while Manchester United and Tottenham have sewn up their Champions League spots with time to spare.

That has left the German with a conundrum; does he play his best team against Brighton on Sunday, needing just a point to secure a seat at Europe’s top table next season and risk another injury blow ahead of the Kiev showpiece on 26 May?

That’s what we asked you and the response was clear; 79 per cent of Reds want Klopp to go all out for the point needed to get into the Champions League.

Check out the full results of the poll below…

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There could be an all out war to sign Watford winger Richarlison this summer, and West Ham should be at the front of the queue for the Brazilian.

What’s the story?

Everton have become the latest club to be linked with a move for Richarlison, with the youngster seemingly unhappy with life at Vicarage Road.

The 21 year-old had an incredible start to his Premier League career, grabbing five goals and four assists before Christmas, but is now in desperate need of a fresh start.

Pellegrini’s 4-4-2 formation could be the perfect fit for the hard-working winger, and West Ham should rival anyone who pursues the crafty Brazilian this summer.

Perfect for Pellegrini?

Richarlison was the name on everyone’s lips shortly before Christmas, as the young Brazilian was in red-hot form for Marco Silva’s Watford.

The departure of Silva killed the youngster’s form though, and it is perhaps no surprise that he is being linked with a revival elsewhere.

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Manuel Pellegrini will have wanted reassurances about what he can spend this summer before joining West Ham, and Richarlison could be the perfect starting point for the veteran manager.

The tricky winger could operate on the left of Pellegrini’s favoured 4-4-2, which often turns into more of a 4-2-2-2, where his tireless work rate would be just as essential as his dazzling skill.

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Richarlison averaged 1.2 dribbles and 2.5 shots per game this season, which shows the youngster is still desperate to make things happen even when his form fell off a cliff. Mentality and attitude is half the battle with young players, and Richarlison’s is spot on.

His defensive work is what sets him apart from other wingers of his ilk though, winning an incredible 3.2 aerial duels per game, and also averaging 1.7 tackles per game, making him a perfect fit for Pellegrini.

So, West Ham fans, would you back a summer swoop for Richarlison this summer? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below…

Manchester United boss Jose Mourinho reportedly has a transfer budget of £200m in this summer’s window.

The Red Devils finished second in the Premier League last season, but they exited the Champions League in the round of 16, and finished the campaign without a trophy due to their 1-0 defeat to Chelsea in the FA Cup final.

It is expected to be a busy summer transfer window for the 20-time English champions, with Tottenham Hotspur’s Toby Alderweireld, Shakhtar Donetsk’s Fred and Juventus’ Alex Sandro all believed to be leading targets for United.

One player that has previously been strongly linked with a move to Old Trafford is Spanish midfielder Thiago, who is valued at £54m by transfermarkt.co.uk.

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The 27-year-old’s future at Bayern Munich is currently being called into question, and it has been suggested that the Spaniard could well leave the Allianz Arena this summer.

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There are currently no suggestions that Thiago is on United’s current transfer list, but the club’s supporters, who have also been commenting on reported interest in Aston Villa’s Jack Grealish, are absolutely desperate for the deal to go through this summer.

A selection of the Twitter reaction regarding Thiago’s future can be seen below:

Everton forward Wayne Rooney is reportedly set to join DC United if he can agree personal terms with the MLS club after they secured a deal with the Merseyside outfit, but we at Football FanCast suggested that Newcastle United, who could see Chancel Mbemba revitalised and Jonjo Shelvey walk out if they seal a huge £30m summer deal, should make a surprise last-gasp swoop for the 32-year-old.

The former Manchester United man, who earns £150,000-a-week at Goodison Park according to the Daily Mail, only returned to his boyhood club last summer, but he often struggled to win a place in the starting XI under previous Toffees boss Sam Allardyce.

New manager Marco Silva and director of football Marcel Brands appear to be ready to let the 119-cap former England international go over the course of the next few weeks, and we suggested that the Magpies could bring him to St James’ Park to solve their goalscoring issues.

Despite finishing in an impressive 10th-place in their first season back in the Premier League, Rafa Benitez’s men only netted 39 goals in their 38 top flight fixtures.

Even though he often played in a deeper midfield role during the 2017/18 campaign, Rooney still scored 11 goals in 31 league matches, and with 208 Premier League goals in total during his career he could surely offer something up top for the Toon that the likes of Joselu and Dwight Gayle have shown they can’t on a consistent basis.

We asked Newcastle fans to vote on our poll to see whether they would want their club to make a late swoop for the 32-year-old, but a majority 59% said they wouldn’t.

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Those supporters obviously feel that Rooney is getting on and could no longer make an impact for them, but you get the feeling that he would likely jump at the chance to play in front of the St James’ Park crowd under Benitez.

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