“HE IS DEFINITELY GOING TO PLAY”: THE 21-YEAR-OLD WILL FACE EVERTON, THE SPURS MANAGER INDICATES.
Tottenham manager Ange Postecoglou says midfielder Pape Matar Sarr is back in London and will be involved when they travel to Goodison this weekend to play Everton. Sarr has been in the Ivory Coast with Senegal for the AFCON in the last two weeks, but their shock elimination at the round of 16 means Spurs now have an unexpected boost for this weekend’s league game.
The young midfielder is a mainstay in Postecoglou’s team and the Spurs boss admitted he’s returned to training this weekend. He told the press: “Everyone got through the other night ok so no issues, obviously a short turnaround so the lads still recovering from that, so we haven’t really done too much training-wise but they all feel good.
“And obviously Pape Sarr’s back. He had a long trip back so we’ll assess him after training. Fair to say he’ll be involved but I’m not sure to what extent.”
The Lilywhites returned to the top four of the Premier League table for the first time this year after a 3-2 win over London rivals Brentford in midweek. They had to do it the hard way though, after Brentford took the lead before threatening to fight back again at the end.
They will travel to Goodison hoping to strengthen their grip on fourth place, but the Spurs boss says it’s a tough place to visit and they’ll have to be their best. He added: “Yeah it can and it’s a tough venue. The supporters there really get behind their team. Even though their results have dropped off a bit recently, even when they played us here it was a really tough game. It’s going to be a physical game.
“We’re going to have to be up for those kind of things. It’s a short turnaround, with the lunchtime kick-off after a Wednesday night game, all those things are potential impediments for us performing but again, going back to my earlier answer, those are the kind of challenges the players have risen to in showing the character and belief. We’ve gone to some pretty tough venues away from home and we’ve performed pretty well. We’re going to have to again because it’s going to be a tough game.”
Tottenham lost their chance of winning silverware this season after crashing out of the League Cup and FA Cup but securing Championship football will be seen as a huge progress.
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Ex-Spurs and Chelsea boss ‘agrees’ to manage European powerhouse next season
Antonio Conte has been out of work since leaving Tottenham Hotspur in March 2023.
Former Tottenham and Chelsea boss Antonio Conte has agreed to make a sensational return to management with a European powerhouse, according to reports.
The serial-winning manager has tasted success with the likes of Juventus, Chelsea and Inter Milan in his career – but his most recent spell in management ended on sour terms as he was sacked by Tottenham in March 2023.
The 54-year-old’s exit came just days after a controversial interview where the Italian accused his players of having a ‘losing’ mentality – claiming that for that reason the club had failed to win silverware for over 15 years.
Conte has been out of football for 10 months despite various links to jobs both in Europe and Saudi Arabia. However, he is now lined up to start a new role in management with AC Milan from the start of next season, according to reports from Telelombardia, a regional television outlet, via Football Italia.
The prospect of Conte returning to the San Siro will not come without controversy. The ex-Italian national team coach enjoyed a hugely successful two-year stint with Inter Milan between 2019 and 2021 which notably ended with him lifting the Serie A title.
Conte is regarded as one of the best Serie A manager’s of the modern era and also enjoyed a sustained period of success with Italian giants Juventus between 2011 and 2014.
During his time with the Old Lady he guided the team to an unbeaten season in his debut campaign – ending a nine-year wait for a title.
He followed this up with a further two title defences and notably smashed the Serie A record points tally in his final season as Juventus won their 30th title with a staggering 102 points.
Conte’s arrival at AC Milan would see him oust title-winning manager Stefano Pioli after more than four years in the dugout.
Milan are hardly enduring a disastrous campaign this season – sitting in third position after 22 games. However, they are eight points adrift of rivals Inter in the title race and also failed to build on last season’s semi-final in the Champions League, instead finishing third in the group stage and dropping into the Europa League.
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