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      Gareth Bale signing means Tottenham’s front three are as good as anybody.. even Liverpool

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      THERE has been loads of talk about a bailout this week — but it’s the thought of seeing a Bale in which really excites me.
      The first appearance in the second coming of a man I rated as the third-best player in the world when we last saw him in a Tottenham shirt.

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      Gareth Bale could be set to make his debut for Tottenham against West Ham Credit: Getty Images – Getty

      And that’s not bad given he was trailing only Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo!
      All being well, Gareth Bale will today play his first game in a season-long loan back in N17.
      And we should all be rubbing our hands at the prospect . . . I know I certainly am.

      What a forward line Jose Mourinho has got now — Harry Kane, Son Heung-min  and Bale.
      In my book that stands  comparison alongside Liverpool’s (above) . . .  and  any around in fact.
      Imagine if you’re a defender and you see those three names on the teamsheet. It’s mouth- watering for most but knee- trembling for anyone trying to stop them.
      I’ve heard people saying that the Bale we see now won’t be a patch on the one who left Spurs for Real Madrid seven years ago — but I’m not having that.

      Gareth is a naturally fit lad and looks after himself. And even if he has lost half a yard of pace, possibly even a yard,  so what?

      He was that quick he’ll still be faster than 90 per cent of those he comes up against.
      There is so much of Gareth’s game that reminds me of Ronaldo. It’s scary how good he is.
      Bale can pick the ball up on the edge of his own box and before you know it, he’s beaten half-a-dozen players and is in the opposition one.
      But it’s not all about pace, so forget any idea that he won’t be half the player if he’s not as fast as before.

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      Tottenham will be hoping Bale can replicate the form that led to his megabucks move to Real Madrid Credit: PA:Press Association
      His left foot is like a sledgehammer and he’ll smash a few in from 30 yards, for sure.
      And, like Ronaldo, the rest of his game is so good that you  forget how dangerous he is in the air, too.
      It just amazes me that Zinedine Zidane fell out with him, because Gareth is such a nice kid that I’d think that was almost impossible.
      Maybe Zidane just didn’t fancy him and Tottenham fans should be thanking their lucky stars for that, because it means they’ve got a great player on a great deal.
      Oh, and one more thing for anyone who thinks that at 31 Bale is over the hill . . . he’s four years younger than Ronaldo, so he’s hardly drawing his pension.

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      Tottenham’s summer swoop for Gareth Bale could prove to be a shrewd financial moveCredit: EPA
      Spurs have played a blinder  because they aren’t even paying a fee. There are bang-average players on loan and clubs are forking out £2m or £3m for the privilege.
      Tottenham won’t be paying anything like some of the silly figures I’ve seen guessed at towards his wages either. It’s a great move for Gareth and a great one by Daniel Levy.
      How ironic that he’s likely to make his return for one of my old clubs today against another, in West Ham.
      They’re in good form themselves, so I know they’ll fancy it. But with the squad Spurs have they should be title challengers this year — even if some think I’m mad to say so.

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      Jose Mourinho has some formidable attacking options with Bale, Harry Kane and Son Heung-min in his squadCredit: PA:Press Association
      Pretty much two internationals in every position, strength in depth . . . Jose knows they have got to be in the mix.
      Let’s face it, Spurs should be up there. They’ve got the best stadium, the best training ground and now one of the best squads as well.
      I remember the old training ground wasn’t too shabby either, by the way. It was certainly a world away from the one I left  at Portsmouth when I went there in 2008.
      Actually, we didn’t even have one — our sessions were on a university pitch and we had to be off there at 11am so they could use it.

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      We were training on a public park with no hot water for about four months, with players like Teddy Sheringham, Patrik Berger and Eyal Berkovic.
      I walked into Spurs and thought, ‘This is unbelievable’ — and that was before they moved into the current one.
      When the work started on that, I always wondered why Daniel never asked me where I wanted my office to be.

      Gareth Bale tears up Tottenham training and scores wonder goal leaving fans drooling about first game back More

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      EFL clubs threaten to withhold taxes in desperate attempt to secure Government bailout after coronavirus hell

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      EFL clubs are threatening to refuse to pay their taxes this week — unless the Government bails them out.
      The revolutionary plan to get emergency financial aid was discussed at a meeting between hard-up teams.

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      EFL clubs are threatening to refuse to pay their taxes this week unless the Government bails them outCredit: PA:Press Association

      A monthly PAYE tax payment is due by each of the EFL’s 72 clubs to HMRC on Thursday but there is a plot for ALL owners to band together and refuse.
      It has been brewing for weeks and was on the table at a ring-round of executives and chairmen last week.
      A hardcore band of Championship chiefs are behind the idea, however many clubs in League One and League Two are happy to join in.
      It will need teams to stick together — but the mood within the ranks is that they are now simply desperate for cash.

      The ultimate punishment for clubs who do not pay tax is a winding-up order.
      One leading mover in the plot said: “It is the nuclear option but we are at this stage if there is no help from the Government or Premier League.
      “If we all do not pay, the Government can dish out winding-up orders on each of us — and shut the industry if they want.“But that would not be a good look.”
      The EFL is enduring the biggest crisis in its history, with supporters banned from grounds due to Covid-19. Yet players and staff have been back on full salaries and the tax is due.

      Many clubs were using the furlough scheme to help — however now the game is up and running that has gone.
      Many are struggling to pay HMRC anyway, but others think this is a chance to make a stand and bring the Government back to the table.
      The Premier League were told to help out, yet offers so far have fallen well below the request for £250million.
      There is anger among the clubs and that was shown when League One and League Two rejected an immediate grant worth around £400,000 each last week.
      The solidarity shown with that decision — due to Championship teams being offered nothing — is now set to carry on to the looming showdown with the tax man.

      Frank Lampard says he is frustrated in Chelsea vs Southampton post-match press conference More

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      Man Utd eye Federico Valverde transfer as Real Madrid midfielder starts to fulfil potential

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      MANCHESTER UNITED have put Real Madrid’s Uruguay superstar Federico Valverde on their hit-list.
      The midfield magician has pushed his way into the Spanish side’s team this season and started to justify his big reputation.

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      Man Utd have put Real Madrid’s Uruguay superstar Federico Valverde on their wish listCredit: Getty Images – Getty

      Valverde, 22, has been tipped for the top for years but is slowly proving his quality in LaLiga — and long-term admirers United are on red alert.
      And with Paul Pogba openly admitting he likes the idea of a move to Real Madrid in the future, United are keeping an eye on Valverde in case a swap becomes possible.
      Valverde has a £640MILLION buyout clause, which shows how much Real think of him.
      It would be unusual for United to sign a player from a major European rival at his age but Pogba could be a very intriguing pawn in the game.

      Old Trafford boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer had confirmed the club triggered the one-year extension in Pogba’s contract.
      His deal was up at the end of this season with no announcement that the club had taken up the opportunity to extend it by a further year.
      Solskjaer said: “Paul’s our player, he’s going to be here for another two years and sure he’s focused on doing his best for us and we want to see the best from Paul and I’m sure in the next couple of years we’ll get the best out of him.”
      Just last week the Frenchman once again flirted with Real, who he said it would be a ‘dream’ to play for.

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      Paul Pogba said it would be a ‘dream’ to play for Real Madrid Credit: EPA

      Pogba said: “Yes, all footballers would like to play for Real Madrid.
      “Maybe it is a dream. It is a dream for me, why not one day? As I have said, I am at Manchester United and I like my club.
      “I am performing at Manchester United, I am enjoying myself and I want to do everything I can to get the club back to where it deserves to be.
      “I am going to give my maximum, like my teammates. I prefer to concentrate on football and on returning to fitness.”

      Man Utd star Paul Pogba confirms he’d like Real Madrid transfer ‘one day’ but insists he’s happy at Old Trafford More

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      Former Man Utd boss David Moyes reveals he had a HELICOPTER waiting to complete Gareth Bale transfer in 2013 before snub

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      DAVID MOYES has revealed he had a HELICOPTER ready to sign Gareth Bale – only for the ace to snub Manchester United and join Real Madrid instead.
      Bale is likely to come up against Moyes’ West Ham tomorrow on his second debut for Tottenham, but had the Scottish boss had his way he would have been managing the Welsh star at Old Trafford in 2013.

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      David Moyes flopped as Manchester United managerCredit: Getty Images – Getty

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      Gareth Bale turned down a move to Manchester United, picking Real Madrid insteadCredit: Action Images – Reuters

      The Hammers boss said: “Gareth Bale was probably the first name I thought of when I got the job. I thought Gareth Bale was a Manchester United player. He was the right type.
      “I wanted Gareth Bale to be my first signing at Manchester United. But it was already down the road a bit with Real Madrid. I tried to hijack it. I tried to get him.
      “Manchester United offered more money than Real Madrid. They offered more money to the player.

      “We did everything we could to try and get the player. We even had a helicopter at the training ground to take him and bring him back. We thought we had a chance.

      “But he chose Real Madrid and he made a brilliant decision because he went on to win four Champions Leagues. He’s had a brilliant career.”
      Bale could well line up on the right wing after Jose Mourinho revealed his ‘favourite position’.
      Moyes is back in the West Ham dugout for the first time after recovering from Covid-19 – and he revealed the two wins against Wolves and Leicester in his absence had him dancing round his living room.
      He added: “My TV was I think a minute behind the game, so Pearcey was ringing and saying ‘we’ve scored again’ and I’m going ‘you beauty’ and I haven’t even seen the goal going in on the telly.

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      “He was telling me the goalscorer before I’d got it through.
      “But to be fair the lads were great, the staff were great, if anyone didn’t think Alan Irvine was a good coach and organiser, or if they didn’t think Stuart Pearce was a great motivator, Nolan learning his trade, Paul Nevin, they were all brilliant at their jobs.
      “The good thing is having the cameras at the training ground so in the morning I would watch training and go in afterwards if I didn’t like something. It gave me a chance to be involved as much as I can.”

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      Frank Lampard slams Reece James, Ben Chilwell and Tammy Abraham on return to Chelsea following idiotic England antics

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      FRANK LAMPARD welcomed his England stars back to Chelsea with a dressing down.
      Three Lions rookie Reece James got a talking to for tarnishing his full debut with a sending off after the final whistle against Denmark.

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      James was sent-off after the final whistle on his full England debutCredit: AP:Associated Press

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      Abraham and Chilwell were both seen at a party of around 20 people

      And Tammy Abraham and Ben Chilwell were reminded of their responsibilities after flouting coronavirus rules at the start of the international break.
      Defender James, 20, won rave reviews for his performance in the 1-0 defeat at Wembley on Wednesday.
      But he soured the night with a dismissal for dissent having confronted referee Jesus Gil Manzano at the end.
      Chelsea boss Lampard, who won 106 caps for England, said: “I did have a word with him about what happened at the end and the fact he got involved with the referee.

      “We are all human, I have been there, done it, did it as a player, maybe even as a manager – none of us are saints.
      “It will definitely be one for him to learn from – that when you have a performance at that level, playing for your country, you will get a lot of plaudits, so there was no need for him to get involved with the referee after.
      “It was a pretty simple conversation and something he will definitely take on board.
      “Otherwise his performance was very good but I expected that, because I expect a lot from Reece.

      “He showed it when he came on against Belgium, how comfortable he was – it looked like he had been playing for a long time. The performance was really good.”
      Abraham and Chilwell, both 23, apologised for breaking social-distancing rules when they were caught at a birthday party prior to reporting for England.
      Chelsea’s players are tested for Covid-19 twice a week and the club does their utmost to avoid cross-contamination.
      Lampard, 42, said: “We’ve lived in this bubble for quite a long time now and have to make sure we stay on point.
      “The players also have a responsibility, as do the public, to follow the rules that we are being told, albeit there isn’t always massive clarity in them but that’s not an excuse for the lads.
      “They’ve made mistakes, I’ve reminded them of their responsibilities and from the conversation, they were innocent mistakes. We move on and I expect it won’t happen again.”

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      Lampard has given the trio a dressing down on their return to ChelseaCredit: Getty Images – Getty
      Chilwell returns to action after withdrawing from England duty with illness.
      Lampard at last has 27-year-old winger Hakim Ziyech fit to make his Premier League debut following a troublesome knee injury picked up in a pre-season friendly at Brighton.
      New £24million keeper Edouard Mendy is out, though, with a thigh problem.
      Lampard will leave it late to decide whether to replace him with Kepa Arrizabalaga or Willy Caballero.
      The £36.7m Ziyech was the Blues’ first acquisition of this year’s spending spree but is the final piece to fit into place.
      Lamps added: “It feels like a long time since we brought Hakim here.
      “He hasn’t played a competitive game since the Dutch league finished during lockdown.
      “I’m excited to get him in and to bring what we brought him to the club for, which is to create chances and be the talented player he is and we saw at Ajax.”

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      Premier League clubs outside Big Six may be forced into debt and redundancies to bailout mega-rich Championship owners

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      EFL chairman Rick Parry did his best modern day Robin Hood impression on Sunday – the man who was to rescue the Football League.
      He certainly sees himself that way. Most don’t, because the proposals presented to EFL clubs fundamentally threatened to destroy a structure he had a hand in building.

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      Parry pretended to be Robin Hood but most don’t think of him in that wayCredit: Rex Features

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      Karren Brady has hit out at the EFL for demanding a larger bailout fee despite some being as rich as PL chiefsCredit: Handout

      The one that revolutionised football in England and placed our club game at the world’s pinnacle.
      But the meticulously crafted 18-page document, leaked to a newspaper last weekend, was designed to place the Premier League’s future into the hands of six clubs – Liverpool, Manchester United, Manchester City, Arsenal, Tottenham and Chelsea.
      I don’t know whether the last four had any particular say in the proposal but there were cherries for them all.
      West Ham also got a vote – along with Everton and Southampton, as a result of us being among the longest-serving clubs in the PL – but not one that was in any way meaningful.

      On the basis it was proposed that only six votes were needed to change any rule – including who the Prem CEO is, who can own a PL club, wealth distribution, make-up of the league, abolishment of the League Cup and the date the season starts – you can see how valuable that vote would be!
      So, it’s easy to work out why so many clubs had misgivings about the idea.
      In the end, even those that proposed the changes voted for shelving the whole project.
      Instead, we will have our own review, involving ALL 20 clubs, to address issues like calendar congestion, winter breaks and post-Brexit access to talent.

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      These were the chief proposals of Project Big Picture before it was aborted

      The review will begin in earnest and be finished by the end of this year.
      One of the most concerning factors of Project Big Picture, a title pinched from Hollywood, was that the financial gift to the EFL came about by scrapping parachute payments.
      Without a parachute payment, which club in the Championship would be able to make any real contribution to the PL if promoted?
      Relegation, without it, would mean either immediate bankruptcy or falling foul of the EFL’s financial fair play rules.
      If we want to retain the real essence of PL competition, that saw Leicester winning the league, we have to incentivise the clubs who get promoted to spend money to try to stay there and make a real contribution to the league.
      Having clubs who cannot compete would be the death of the PL and turn it into a league modelled on Germany or Scotland, where the outcomes of the season are predictable from the start. That’s of value to no-one.
      Whilst at the meeting, the PL agreed an immediate rescue package of £50million for Leagues One and Two, which on top of the £27.2m already gifted this season, makes a staggering £77.2m of financial aid.
      We have stepped in where the Government has not, which is hard to fathom when they have given £1.5billion to the arts.
      And the truth is that if these lower-league clubs were allowed to have the same percentage of supporters attend their games as the Government has granted the O2, Royal Albert Hall or the Palladium, many would not need a bailout at all.
      We heard on Thursday night that the offer to assist had been rejected on the basis that the EFL want the PL to bailout Championship clubs as well as Leagues One and Two.
      But the aggregate net worth of the league owners in the Championship is comparable to PL owners.
      Their clubs are also asset-rich, as we have seen in this summer window.
      The PL distributions, upon which most clubs base their budgets, has been hit by lack of gate receipts (£100m a month across all 20 clubs) refunds to broadcasters (£260m) and the loss of the Chinese broadcast partner (£560m).
      This money is lost and is not coming back. As a result the stark reality is that some clubs outside the top six may have to go into debt to bailout a league as rich as they are.
      Those PL clubs would no doubt have to make redundancies, like Arsenal already have, to ensure that other Championship clubs can keep their staff on? Where’s the logic in that?
      The Championship is a great competition and also capable of earning a lot more than it does.
      Only a few months ago, Rick Parry agreed with me when he stated: “I’m not a fan of the begging-bowl culture.
      “Rather than just looking for handouts, it’s better to go with a self-help mentality, saying ‘This is what we’ve done, this is the problem that we find ourselves in, how can we all help to produce a better future?’ ”
      His tune has somewhat changed in the last few months.
      So, where we go from here is anyone’s guess. But wherever it is, it won’t be fast.
      In the meantime, the money that was ready to go to Leagues One and Two has been blocked. Where is the logic in that?

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      Real Madrid and Barcelona to fight for Man Utd star Bruno Fernandes in shock transfer after just eight months in England

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      REAL MADRID and Barcelona are ready to lock horns in a battle to get Bruno Fernandes out of  Old Trafford.
      The Spanish giants are closely monitoring Fernandes’ situation despite the player having spent just eight months at Manchester United.

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      Fernandes is being chased by Barcelona and Real Madrid after rumours of a row at UnitedCredit: AFP or Licensors

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      Fernandes was unhappy at being subbed following a blazing row at half-time of the 6-1 loss at home to SpursCredit: EPA

      While Fernandes denies there are serious problems at the club, the midfielder was unhappy about being subbed at half-time in this month’s 6-1 loss against Spurs.
      He was also very vocal in a dressing-room row at the break before being told by boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer he was being swapped for Fred.
      When asked yesterday why he had subbed the player, Solskjaer refused to explain.
      He said: “There are many reasons behind subs in a game and if I explain every time I take a player off, I don’t think that’s the right thing.

      “I explained to Bruno and he accepted it, no problem.”
      The player and club have tried to play down suggestions of a half-time row between Fernandes and Harry Maguire as they trailed Spurs 4-1.
      The Portuguese, 26, also had to dismiss a story in his homeland that he lacked faith in Solskjaer’s tactics, claiming that was not the case.
      Ahead of today’s visit to Newcastle, Solskjaer added: “He’s clearly not happy with the stories but welcome to United, this is what happens.

      “They are going to try to create a division between us but it’s not going to happen.”
      Meanwhile, Solskjaer confirmed Man Utd have triggered the one-year extension in Paul Pogba’s contract.
      His deal was up at the end of this season but with no announcement the club had taken the option to extend it by a year.
      Last week Pogba again flirted with Real Madrid, saying it would be a dream to play for them.
      But Solskjaer said: “Paul’s our player, he’s going to be here for another two years.
      “He’s focused on doing his best for us and we want to see the best from Paul and I’m sure in the next couple of years we’ll get the best out of him.”

      Man Utd concerned about Bruno Fernandes’‘mental and physical wear’ after being subbed at half-time in Spurs drubbing More