This summer has already been a fascinating one in terms of the transfer moves made by Premier League clubs. 

Crystal Palace signed Paris Saint-Germain’s French international midfielder Yohan Cabaye. 

Stoke City agreed a fee for Inter Milan’s Swiss star Xherdan Shaqiri. That ambitious move failed, but the Potters did manage to pick up Ibrahim Afellay. 

Further up England’s food chain, Liverpool and Manchester United have been active, while Chelsea and Manchester City have also brought in some big names. 

In isolation, Tottenham’s moves have been productive. 

The sales of Paulinho, Etienne Capoue, Benjamin Stambouli and Younes Kaboul streamlined Mauricio Pochettino‘s squad, while the additions of Kieran Trippier, Kevin Wimmer and Toby Alderweireld are so sensible that they were described as “not Tottenham” in the Guardian.

Long-suffering Spurs fans will see the joke and will be pleased to see their club moving away from such an unfortunate, if well-deserved, reputation. 

Emmanuel Adebayor’s move to Aston Villa now seems to be a certainty after he was spotted at the Midlands club’s training ground, according to Sky Sports.

Vlad Chiriches also appears poised to exit White Hart Lane after the Daily Mail confirmed he had arrived at his Napoli medical. 

Aaron Lennon has been rumoured to be returning to Goodison Park (via the Mirror), where he enjoyed a successful loan spell last summer. Meanwhile, Roberto Soldado appears to be the subject of one of the least likely bidding wars in football history, with three La Liga clubs keen on his signature, according to the Daily Mail.

A summer that could see the departure of as many as eight fringe players should be, and is, cause for celebration in north London, but Spurs are playing a dangerous game. 

Should all the proposed departures take place, Spurs will have a squad of just 23 players. 

This includes the untested Dele Alli and Alex Pritchard, the unreliable Mousa Dembele and the seemingly unready Tom Carroll. 

Tottenham’s first team is strong and their substitutes are adequate, but there is little else beyond that. 

Even an average amount of injuries would be disastrous. 

The club are reportedly working on remedying this issue.

Everton‘s reportedly “disillusioned” James McCarthy could be on the way, according to the Mirror. So could Saido Berahino, despite ex-Baggies boss Alan Irvine’s insistence that he is “not ready” for the step up. 

The signing of an able assistant to Harry Kane should have been Spurs’ first priority this summer. The young Englishman is brilliant but cannot be expected to hit the 30-goal mark in consecutive seasons. 

His output will almost inevitably fall in the coming campaign, so Spurs must find other sources of goals. There has been little obvious progress in that direction, though.

The Telegraph reported several days ago that a Tottenham delegation had headed to Germany in search of talent with Timo Werner, Christoph Kramer and Sven Bender all reportedly being targeted. 

If Spurs were to pull off the signing of Berahino, Kramer or Bender, their starting lineup would inevitably change. 

With the season getting under way in little more than a week, Spurs are in danger of kicking off their campaign with an incomplete squad. 

Pochettino is a manager with a specific vision, and players take even longer than usual to adapt to his style. 

Tottenham’s rivals arguably stole a march on them during this summer’s transfer window. 

While Spurs were able to shed much of the so-called “deadwood” and make some key improvements to their defence, Liverpool and Manchester United took great leaps forward. 

Tottenham may be rewarded for their persistence.

Their starting lineup against United on the opening day could be identical to the side that played in the League Cup final against Chelsea in March. 

Spurs spent much of last season developing their squad, and the blossoming of partnerships and chemistry was their reward. 

Cohesion will beat superior talent more often than not, but Spurs’ late-window moves could throw even that advantage away. 

Spurs have taken a risk by not making any major signings, but they could be taking an even greater one if they do end up making significant late moves. 

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Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho has responded to the claims of Montserrat Seara, Rafa Benitez’s wife, that the new Real Madrid coach has made a career of cleaning up the Portuguese manager’s wreckage at Europe’s top clubs.

“Real are the third of Jose Mourinho’s old teams (that) Rafa has coached,” Seara told newspaper La Region (h/t Sky Sports). “We tidy up his messes! If you think about it, of course you end up crossing paths. There are only a few world-class clubs out there.”

Responding bluntly, Mourinho suggested Benitez has only ever directly taken over from him once. Although the press were amused, Mourinho didn’t appear to be, reported Sky Sports:

The lady is a bit confused. I am not laughing. Her husband went to Chelsea to replace Roberto Di Matteo and he went to Real Madrid and replaced Carlo Ancelotti. The only club where her husband replaced me was at Inter Milan, where in six months he destroyed the best team in Europe at the time.

Mourinho then seemed to take a shot at Benitez’s appearance: “For her also to think about me and to speak about me, I think she needs to occupy her time, and if she takes care of her husband’s diet she will have less time to speak about me.”

The barbed retort is based on a decade of rivalry between the two tacticians. Former Liverpool manager Benitez was an irritating foe of Mourinho’s during the latter’s original spell with Chelsea, defined by a dramatic 2005 Champions League semi-final clash at Anfield, in which Luis Garcia scored a controversial goal in front of the Kop.

It’s still debated whether the ball crossed the line, but alas, Liverpool progressed to the Istanbul final and went on to secure an historic 3-0 comeback against AC Milan. Mourinho has previously claimed “the linesman scored.” The goal can be seen below:

A couple of years down the line, and once the Reds had ended Chelsea’s quest for the Premier League title, Benitez said: “Me and Jose were really good friends until Liverpool started beating them,” reported Liam Prenderville of the Mirror.

Mourinho’s Inter Milan side won a memorable treble in 2010, but he moved to Real Madrid before having a chance to win the FIFA Club World Cup. Benitez strolled into the job and secured the trophy, but his predecessor claimed it as his own.

“Another thing is also true that should he lift the Intercontinental Cup, he will have only won two games compared to my 13. Therefore it will be my trophy and not his,” said Mourinho, per Prenderville.

The comments go on and on. Mourinho has remained notably prickly during pre-season, even by his standards. He recently told Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger to “get a calculator” before moaning about big-spending teams, reported Rob Draper of the MailOnline.

Mourinho and his Chelsea squad are the Premier League’s No. 1 targets for the upcoming season. Every club will try to dismantle the west London side’s success. His defensiveness is likely to continue in a bid to remove the spotlight from his players, which is a strategy that makes his handling of the media fascinating.

There’s no doubt Mourinho will have plenty to say if Benitez departs Madrid without reinstalling Los Blancos as La Liga’s top side. The regular jibes are unlikely to stop, particularly now both managers are in control of teams who expect to win constant silverware.

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Felipe Melo is poised to spurn the advances of Chelsea after it emerged he’s ready to undergo a medical with Inter Milan, while Sylvain Distin has hailed the talents of former Everton team-mate and Blues target John Stones.

Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho will miss out on Galatasaray general Melo after the Nerazzurri agreed a £2.2 million fee for his services, according to Italian outlet Sport Mediaset (via David Wright of the Daily Express).

Melo will undergo a medical “in the next 48 hours” prior to rubber-stamping his move and bringing to an end his four-year association with the Turkish titans.

Mourinho would have been given added hope of acquiring the Brazilian after he was quoted earlier this year lauding the tactician as well as the quality and style of the Premier League, via Wright: “I am a warrior; the English like that. I love Chelsea because I’m a big fan of Jose Mourinho.”

The west Londoners already have one of the most capable central-midfield pivots on the continent, with Nemanja Matic and Cesc Fabregas starring en route to last season’s Premier League title push.

However, the club may have been alerted to Melo‘s available after he admitted his family were unsettled in Turkey, with Serie A writer Marco Messina providing quotes:

It looks as though a return to the Italian first tier is imminent, though, as the former Fiorentina and Juventus anchor eyes a move to the San Siro.

Despite his apparent love of Chelsea, Melo also sees Inter as a very favourable destination, according to Gala manager Hamza Hamzaoglu, who confirmed his desire to leave the club earlier this week, via Italian website Calciomercato (via Football Italia): “Melo wants to go to Inter. But there must be the right conditions. For now he’s here with us, talks are in progress. Could the transfer be official by Wednesday? At the moment I have no information on that.”

At 32 years of age, Melo doesn’t fit the same profile of peak-level players Mourinho tends to favour.

That being said, the player’s performances in the Super Lig have seen him rake in considerable plaudits of late, with Inter on the brink of booking his services.

Distin: Chelsea Interest in Stones ‘Inevitable’

Chelsea’s interest in Everton‘s Stones sees them chasing one of the most highly tipped prospects in English football, but the youngster’s former Toffees partner Distin has known for some time that the Blues would be coming.

Distin played alongside Stones in the Everton defence for two-and-a-half seasons before departing for Bournemouth this summer but told Sky Sports News HQ that Chelsea’s pursuit is no shock (h/t the Liverpool Echo‘s Kristian Walsh):

He’s young, English, full of qualities and a good guy as well. I’ve often said it’s not enough to have quality on the pitch. Off the pitch you need to be grounded and a good person – and he is. So it’s not surprising a big club has come in for him. It is a compliment and if he carries on the way he has started and keeps working, he’ll end up at a big club, that’s for sure.

He hasn’t played a full season yet. He needs to become a little more experienced, understanding of the Premier League and know a bit more about himself, and then you can speak of it.

Having made his senior England debut in May 2014—not even 18 months after completing his move from Barnsley—Stones is viewed as one of the fastest-rising talents in the land.

After seeing a £20 million bid for the defender turned down last week, Chelsea will reportedly return with an improved £26 million offer, according to the Independent‘s Samuel Lovett.

Richard Buxton of uMAXit Football proclaimed that the Toffees would be showing a serious lack of ambition should they opt to cash in on their star:

Distin enters his 16th consecutive season in English football this term, where he’ll be hoping to give the Cherries a boost in their pledge to retain top-flight status.

A figure so experienced should make for a good judge of character, and while he goes on to note that Stones isn’t yet the finished article, his assessment of the 21-year-old’s ability confirms the potential he possesses.

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Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema has fuelled speculation he could leave the Bernabeu by posting a cryptic message on Instagram.

The French striker is linked with a move to Premier League sides Arsenal and Manchester United, as reported by the Daily Star (h/t Hamish Mackay of the Mirror). Karim Djaziri, the player’s agent, recently told Sky Sports News he is “1,000 percent” sure Benzema will remain in the Spanish capital when the transfer window closes.

Continue for updates.

Benzema Post Intensifies Transfer Speculation

Tuesday, July 28

“Leave the past to the past. #directionfuture,” read Benzema’s Instagram remark, translated by Chris Wheatley of Eurosport.

He can also be seen in what appears to be a private jet below:

Spanish outlet Fichajes (h/t Jamie Sanderson of Metro) previously reported Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger is preparing to spend £40.5 million on the striker. Kike Marin of El Confidencial also believes Benzema remains the Gunners’ No. 1 target, although the club are happy to wait until the end of the transfer window to hunt his signature.

United chief executive Ed Woodward was reported to have met with Djaziri in June, reported Samuel Luckhurst of the Manchester Evening News. Luckhurst noted United “could lodge a £40 million bid” for the player whose future will remain doubtful if new Madrid boss Rafa Benitez opts to play Cristiano Ronaldo through the middle.

Benzema recently scored a fine goal in Madrid’s 4-1 pre-season dismantling of Manchester City, but he didn’t feature during Monday’s 3-0 win over Inter Milan. He is often overlooked at the club—where every player is a superstar in their own right—and could become the main player elsewhere.

He is also understood to be one of Madrid president Florentino Perez’s “favourite players,” reported Rob Draper of the MailOnline. The Spanish club will certainly be hard-pushed to replace the powerful star if he’s allowed to move on ahead of the upcoming season.

Both Arsenal and United are in desperate need of a prolific goalscorer. Benzema has netted 15, 17 and 11 in his last three La Liga seasons and has also contributed an average of 10 assists each year, per WhoScored.com. He is well-built and perfectly suited to the physical style of the Premier League.

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Former Real Madrid president Ramon Calderon still believes Manchester United goalkeeper David De Gea will move to Los Blancos despite the deal having seemingly stalled recently.

De Gea has long been considered the likely successor at Madrid to Iker Casillas, who has now departed the Bernabeu for Porto.

Despite the Spaniard having only one year left on his contract at Old Trafford, Real’s recent refusal to allow centre-back Sergio Ramos to move to United looked to have scuppered Madrid’s chances of signing De Gea this summer, per Sid Lowe in the Guardian.

However, Calderon is still convinced De Gea will move to the Bernabeu before the current transfer window closes, per the Alan Brazil Sports Breakfast (h/t talkSPORT’s Ian Cruise):

If De Gea wants to leave it will be difficult to keep him. It seemed as though United thought it was inevitable and the signing of [Sergio] Romero suggests they decided to do something. Maybe they are playing poker and trying to push Madrid into letting them have Sergio Ramos. 

Madrid needs a goalkeeper like De Gea. They let [Iker] Casillas go because they were sure they would get De Gea, and I think in the end De Gea will be coming. That’s my opinion.

Calderon pointed to United’s recent signing of Argentine goalkeeper Romero as a signal that the Red Devils are preparing for life without De Gea.

Bleacher Report’s Sam Tighe, though, indicated that Romero has been brought in as a back-up to replace Victor Valdes, and he is nowhere near good enough to replace De Gea, one of the world’s best goalkeepers:

De Gea does certainly seem to want to go to Real, and return to his home city, as was reported by Goal.com’s Duncan Castles last month. 

But it is still very much United’s prerogative to keep him until his contract expires next summer, and then let him go for free.

With Real seemingly unwilling to indulge United’s desire to let Ramos go the other way if they let De Gea move this summer, the Red Devils may indeed hang on to him for another season.

Los Blancos seemed to indicate they expect as much, as they recently signed Kiko Casilla from Espanyol, seemingly to play back up in the coming season to current No. 1 Keylor Navas, per SportsJOE.ie:

There is still plenty of time left in the summer transfer window and Calderon may yet be proven right in his assertions that De Gea will still end up at Real.

However, the current situation seems very murky, with Ramos set to stay put, and United surely not about to let De Gea go and rely on Romero for the upcoming season.

What does seem certain, however, is that Jese Rodriguez is set to stay at Real having found a new lease of life in pre-season under Rafael Benitez.

Jese scored the opener in Real’s convincing 3-0 International Champions Cup win over Inter Milan on Monday and looks as though he could play a bigger role for Los Blancos in the coming season.

A return from injury and lack of form saw the 22-year-old Spaniard limited to mainly substitute appearances last term, and there were reports he may be on his way out of the Bernabeu, per Fichajes.net (h/t Metro‘s George Bellshaw).

Now, though, Jese has put to bed any thoughts of departing the La Liga giants, per Spanish outlet Sport:

I never wanted to leave. This club has given me so much and I now have the confidence of the new coach. We’ll fight on. I don’t mind where I play. I like all attacking positions so I can adapt easily. So far so good [under Rafa]. He likes to work hard and is worried about every detail. We have no doubts that he is a great coach. He‘s showing this now through his daily training regime with tactical chats and his training sessions. The squad is highly motivated and we aim to do well.

Madrid fans will no doubt be delighted to hear Jese pledge his future to the club as he looks to be a special talent who could thrive at Madrid in the years to come.

With the likes of Karim Benzema, Cristiano Ronaldo and Gareth Bale in the squad, he will have to fight for his place, but he is clearly up for the challenge.

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Chelsea have been relatively quiet so far in the summer transfer window but are now reportedly on the verge of signing young Galatasaray left-back Alex Telles. 

The 22-year-old Brazilian looks set to come into the Blues fold as a replacement for Filipe Luis, with the 29-year-old set to return to Atletico Madrid after just a season at Stamford Bridge, per the Guardian‘s Steve Brenner.

David Amoyal of GianlucaDiMarzio.com reports that Chelsea “are in the final stages” of the negotiations to sign Telles and have beaten off other interested parties, such as Inter Milan and Juventus. 

French football journalist Jonathan Johnson also recently suggested Paris Saint-Germain were in for the former Gremio man, but the Ligue 1 champions look to have missed out as well:

Telles moved to Galatasaray in January 2014 for €6 million (£4.2 million) and established himself in the first team in the second half of last season.

At Chelsea, he would surely play second fiddle to Cesar Azpilicueta. But at just 22, Telles would likely be more open to filling the back-up role than Luis—who turns 30 in August—and bide his time as he fights for his place.

As noted by Bleacher Report’s Sam Tighe, Blues boss Jose Mourinho did not handle Luis well in giving him few opportunities to prove his worth:

He will need to improve in this regard in handling Telles if and when he arrives, but the Brazilian’s youth will give Mourinho a terrific opportunity to mould the talented player.

Furthermore, Telles could offer Mourinho more versatility than Luis, as he has the ability to play further forward in an attacking role on the left flank.

Confirming the Telles move would fulfil one of Bleacher Report writer Andy Brassell’s recommendations in assessing Chelsea’s transfer window thus far:

However, the Blues look unlikely to stop there, with Mourinho having also reportedly made a £15.5 million move for Napoli winger Jose Callejon, per James Dickenson in the Express.

The Spaniard netted 11 times in Serie A last term and provided three assists, per WhoScored.com.

He could provide another scoring outlet for Chelsea, but it is difficult to see where the 28-year-old might fit into the first-team set-up under Mourinho with the presence of Eden Hazard, Willian and Juan Cuadrado.

Furthermore, Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur are also reportedly looking to sign him up, per Sport Witness.

As defending Premier League champions, Chelsea will be the team to beat next season, and although their squad is currently very strong, they will need further reinforcements to stay ahead of the pack.

Telles looks to be a good purchase for the future, and Callejon would bring added creativity and depth. But there are still other areas that need to be strengthened, specifically central midfield, where the Blues rely upon Nemanja Matic and Cesc Fabregas.

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