Paper Round: Mauricio Pochettino to wreck Jose Mourinho’s Manchester United dream

Manchester United chiefs have already spoken to representatives of Tottenham boss Pochettino about taking over from Louis van Gaal, according to a report in The Sun. According to Neil Custis, “United see Pochettino as a man who can lead them long term and deliver trophies as well as good football”, with Mourinho potentially being left behind in the discussions. The paper adds that “similar conversations are ongoing between Old Trafford chiefs and Mourinho, who is desperate for the job”, but that Pochettino is the man who is now in pole position to land the job.

Paper Round’s view: There have always been doubts as to whether Mourinho would fit in at Old Trafford, despite all of his past successes, but Pochettino’s stock continues to rise steadily. While Mourinho endured a torrid part-season the like of which he has never previously experienced, Pochettino has gone from strength to strength as manager at White Hart Lane with a young, thriving team developing at a rapid rate under his guidance. He could just be exactly what United chiefs are after - but he certainly wouldn’t come without a big fight from Tottenham.

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Former Liverpool boss Rodgers has revealed that he has already turned down five jobs – three of which from Premier League clubs – since leaving Anfield. The Liverpool Echo carries Rodgers’s quotes, from an interview with beIN Sports, while adding that Rodgers “held talks with Swansea City chairman Huw Jenkins about a possible return to his former club” – but instead he opted to continue with his sabbatical. “I have had five opportunities since I left Liverpool to get back into work, all at clubs I really respect, but I just felt I wanted to take some time out,” Rodgers explained in the interview, with the Echo adding that the Northern Irishman could end up facing his next challenge abroad.

Paper Round’s view: It’s a risky game for Rodgers if he reveals to the press every meeting that he has with bosses of top clubs: he reminds everyone that he’s in demand with his reputation not diminished from his spell at Anfield; but it may make chairmen less keen on holding talks with him if they believe that it will go straight in the following morning’s papers. He may well have seen the Swansea job as a step down after having been in charge at Liverpool, so it does seem that he would be well served heading to the continent for a new challenge.

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Ronald Koeman will hold talks with midfielder Victor Wanyama about the player’s poor disciplinary record after the Kenya international’s third red card of the season, according to the Southern Daily Echo. Koeman will attempt to get to the bottom of why Wanyama is struggling to keep his discipline in the Premier League and seek to bring an end to his suspensions.

Paper Round’s view: Wanyama is the only player in the club’s post-Second World War records to ever be sent off three times in a single season and the paper highlights that stat along with noting that he “has become one of the most undisciplined players in Saints history”. To get three red cards in just 13 Premier League games really is appalling and is perhaps one of the reasons why the likes of Arsene Wenger and Jose Mourinho didn’t press ahead with signing the player after having been linked to him over the summer.

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Contrary to other reports, Tottenham do not have an agreement over a ‘first refusal’ for West Brom striker Saido Berahino, according to the Express and Star. There had been claims that West Brom chairman and his Spurs counterpart Daniel Levy had shook on a ‘gentleman’s agreement’ that Berahino could join the North London club in the summer, but the paper has instead reported that nothing has been agreed and the forward does not have an exit plan for the summer.

Paper Round’s view: Berahino’s transfer status became utterly tiresome in January and it looks as though that is not going to cease being the case come the summer. The forward has persistently been linked with a move to White Hart Lane, but if Tottenham are not prepared to pay what West Brom are looking for then it is quite simply not going to happen. It may be just about the most tired transfer story out there, but until Berahino moves away from West Brom that is not going to change.

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