Tottenham and Arsenal both battle for Leicester City's £60m playmaker James Maddison - Paper Round
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Updated 10/04/2022 at 07:29 GMT
Tottenham and Arsenal are both linked to Leicester City midfielder James Maddison, while Jesse Lingard has three choices when he leaves Old Trafford. At Manchester United, Erik ten Hag wants to bring Robin van Persie in as a coach, and Paris Saint-Germain want to see Neymar leave at the end of the season.
James Maddison of Leicester City
Image credit: Getty Images
Battle hots up for Maddison
James Maddison is wanted by London clubs Arsenal and Tottenham. The 25-year-old playmaker has found himself out of the England national team, and The Sun reports that the Leicester City man could be valued at around £60 million. Tottenham may be hamstrung as Antonio Conte wants a new centre-back first, and they may need to sell Giovani Lo Celso and Tanguy Ndombele.
Paper Round’s view: Maddison is a fine player and if his career has stagnated at the King Power Stadium then Arsenal seem an excellent option. The problem with Spurs is that they rarely give their managers serious and consistent financial backing, so even if he was part of a good transfer window by Daniel Levy, it may only be one impressive year before things go backwards again.
Lingard weighs up three options
Jesse Lingard is approaching the end of his time at Manchester United as he nears the last few weeks of his contract at Old Trafford. The Mirror believes that he has three options to consider when he moves on. First up his West Ham where he had a successful loan spell, next there is Newcastle United, and Roma are also keen on the 29-year-old attacking midfielder.
Paper Round’s view: Lingard could reportedly earn £150,000-a-week wages when he moves on in the summer and he appears to be in decent health, meaning he could play at his current level for the next few years. When he is confident and playing regularly he can be an effective presence up front or on the wings, but realistically he offers little special over the course of a season.
Ten Hag not certain to join United
The Mail suggests that Erik ten Hag is drawing up plans should he move to Manchester United to replace interim manager Ralf Rangnick this summer. One name put forward is Robin van Persie who is interested in joining his compatriot as a coach at his former club. However the paper says the loss to Everton on Saturday illustrates Ten Hag’s doubts with the role and he also has an offer from Germany.
Paper Round’s view: United have spent the best part of a decade not properly addressing their structural problems or attempting any serious commitment to improvement and planning. That is starting to hurt when they look for new managers as anyone who has real ambition will be sceptical that they will have the time, talent and understanding to build something worthwhile.
PSG lose faith in Neymar
Spanish newspaper Marca reports that Paris Saint-Germain’s owners have lost patience with 30-year-old striker Neymar. They have spent around 500m euros in wages and transfer fees for the Brazilian and do not think he has justified the expenditure given his performances on the pitch. There is only Newcastle who could afford him this summer, a move which looks unlikely.
Paper Round’s view: Neymar had brilliance in his feet when he arrived at PSG but it was well known that he also enjoys an enthusiastic lifestyle away from the pitch. It seems that has yet to change and with the player now into his 30s there are legitimate reasons to worry that he will enter a period of serious decline. Newcastle would be foolish to give up their cash for such a risky gamble.
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